Phi Bloga Recapa, BCS Bowl Bids

Tomorrow of course begins the BCS bowl games with the venerable Rose and Orange editions... venerable in tradition, yes, but weighty in conference tie-ins also.

Let's look ahead to reactions and thoughts about the upcoming big bowl match-ups. This Phi Bloga Recapa is a little different as I've pulled quotes from bloggers on both sides of each match-up.

Without further ado, here's a trip through sports blogfrica looking ahead to the BCS bowl games.

Rose Bowl: Penn State v USC. Trojan Horse at the Trojan Empire says:

If there’s a difference between this year’s opponent and the others, it would have to be in the coaching staff and Joe Paterno’s ability to prepare for big games. Each Big 10 coaching staff, going back to 2002, prepared poorly for USC. Not only were their preparations poor, so were adjustments. In contrast, Pete Carroll’s men are always prepared to play, and halftime adjustments usually snatch the hearts from their opponents. If not for the amazing individual effort of Vince Young, the Trojans are easily 6-0 in BCS bowl games, after the lengthy preparation period between end of season and gameday.

By now, everyone is aware of USC’s defensive scoring numbers, allowing a mere 7.8 points a game to opponents. What isn’t advertised as often is the fact that 8 of the 12 season opponents failed to score a single point in the second half of ballgames, including Ohio State and Virginia. In fact, if not for Trojan penalties that assisted the Buckeyes and Cavaliers movement down field, they would have joined Arizona State, Washington, and Washington State as shutout victims.

JB from There Is No Name On My Jersey says:

Great. USC beat a lot of terrible teams by a large margin. Congratulations. USC is certainly a good team but to continue to talk about them as the greatest defense of all time when they bested a Pac 10 whose next best team was Sister Mary Magdalene's School for Blind Girls. In this context, suggesting that USC has the greatest defense of all time is simply irresponsible.

I seem to remember when ESPN was ready to annoint USC as the greatest team of all time, it was just before the 2006 Rose Bowl. After ESPN was heaping praise upon USC as the greatest team ever to step onto a college football field Vince Young took out his cock and slapped around Pete Carroll for sixty minutes. I know it is ESPN's job to slobber USC's collective knob in order to hype the game but let's just take a step back for a minute and take a breath.

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati v Virginia Tech. Tom DeWees at Bearcat Sports Page says:

I don't know how many times he has answered the same question, but Coach Kelly continues to stress that they are going to Miami to win a football game, not sight see. He definitely wants his players, especially the seniors to get the most out of the BCS experience so no one has to look back and say "what if".

Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi at TechSuperfans! says:

Look, this defense has a ton of speed. Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith will easily match up against Tech’s receivers. That means these guys will gladly play man coverage and take the collar off of their safeties. With Nick Marshman out – perhaps the biggest loss of the lost starters – the Cincinnati defense will be licking their chops. Tyrod Taylor will be under pressure all game from these guys and he’s going to have to make some quick throws. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Bearcats will be ready with a spy on Taylor which will make his ground attack obsolete. Speaking of ground attack, it is imperative that Darren Evans and what’s left of the line to get establish. Lest they do, this will be a long game for the Hokies.

The Hokies have their work cut out for them. Brian Kelly and his staff have this team well coached. To go through a season with five different quarterbacks and still manage to win eleven games is quite impressive. Make no mistake, these guys are for real and it will take a performance like that against Nebraska or Maryland to come away with a Hokie victory. Anything short of that, will give the Bearcats their first BCS win.

Sugar Bowl: Utah v Alabama. Al C Hemist at Eight in the Box says:

In 2004, Utah played in the Fiesta Bowl and took a traveling band of many several thousands to snack on Corn chips and the Pittsburgh Panthers. However, New Orleans seems to be just slightly outside the radius of total fandom for the Ute Nation. Tide fans aren't exactly chomping at the bit either to spend a few days in the Crescent City to find out who is the rightful King of Crimson. In the pantheon of games you wished you could say you attended this one rates a wait until it comes out on video. I know Utah is undefeated and a great team and they will pose a big challenge and they want respect and they represent all the little guys and Alabama needs to win to validate whatever needs validating blah, blah, blah....... However, this game just isn't generating a lot of electricity for either fan base.

JazzyUte at Block U says:

Looking at the Tide's schedule and you see a schedule very much like Utah's. There were some good wins (for the Utes, Oregon State, TCU and BYU), some decent wins (Air Force) and some wins over bad programs (everyone else). That is not to say a team like Wyoming compares to Tennesse, but...oh wait. Of course, I understand the SEC is a tough conference and Alabama had a more difficult schedule than Utah, but I would wager their best win, Georgia, stacks up very well against Utah's best win, TCU. With that said, you must give the Tide credit for the way they won. Unlike Utah, it was not at home and it didn't come in the final moments of the game. Alabama walked into Sanford Stadium and put the beat down on the then 3rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

Outside of that, though, there isn't one victory that jumps out at you. This isn't to say Alabama is overrated, they're not, or not worthy of being favored, they are, but I believe there are more similarities between both Utah and the Crimson Tide than there are differences. Hopefully that means this game will be closer than many believe.

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State v Texas. Jason at Eleven Warriors says:

So, I’m figuring the team triangulates emotionally and settles for a more even keel. Properly focused and intense for the task at hand, but looking to enjoy themselves in what will be the last Buckeye game for many of them (though I maintain that it wouldn’t hurt if Tress got his Woody-on and dumped the Princess in favor of a place Anton Chigurh would look to settle into for a night).

Now whether that matters or not is up to Texas. There’s a chance that the Buckeyes could come out and play one of their best games of the season and still not have enough for Texas if it is on as well. It would probably be one hell of a game, echoing the battle in Columbus just three years ago, but with both teams at their peaks, you have to give a slight edge to Colt over Pryor. For now, at least.

Scipio Tex at Barking Carnival says:

Focus won’t be an issue for either team. Don’t confuse the ticket sales torpor of both fanbases with the relative motivation level of each team. This is a chance for Ohio State to demonstrate a new era of Buckeye football with a mobile playmaking QB at the helm and shake off their rap as an overrated product of East Coast/Midwestern media hype. Ohio State is 4-2 in BCS games. With some key personnel changes, their last two BCS losses are no more predictive of this contest than the previous four wins. Different teams, different stakes, different dynamics. The narratives in college football are fluid: Ohio State can become New Era Team Clutch with a win. Texas has demonstrated a consistent level of preparation and pride all year, one half in Lubbock excepted. We have a considerable ax to grind with the BCS cognoscenti who relegated us to a perception bowl while elevating a team we beat on the field based on the ballot process of High School Homecoming King. I’m sure we’d like to make a statement. I’m also convinced that the first time Beanie Wells hits you, you’re just playing football and all of that goes out of the window.

Championship Game: Oklahoma v Florida. Gatorpilot at Orange and Blue Hue says:

And yes, I’m driving at a point here: this team has a rallying cry, a reason to come into the championship game mad and ready show the world that their leader eats Sam Bradfords for lunch. Hell, Tim Tebow could throw Bradford to McCoy. That’s what I think.

A crystal football is worth a dozen Heisman Trophies, if not more. The real prize is earned on the field, which is as it should be. And we will see just how good Bradford is when facing a real, competent defense — something he has not yet done this season.

The Crimson and Cream Machine says:

There has been a lot of scrutiny in regards to Oklahoma’s defense. The Sooners are giving up an average 24.5 points per game leaving most of the Gator Nation (and a good portion of the Sooner Nation as well) wondering how in the world they are going to stop Tim Tebow and company. Fact is, Oklahoma has already played against 7 of the nation’s top 25 scoring offenses and has faired pretty well.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the Sooners will stop the Gators with relative ease but just bringing up the point that there isn’t much more that Florida can bring to the table that Oklahoma hasn’t already seen. My opinion of the Gators is that they are equivalent to a Missouri or Oklahoma State offense with better athletes. As with those teams OU must play for stops and not necessarily a shutout. The Sooners must simply limit them because the Gators are going to score. They have a proven track record of it.

Phi Bloga Recapa: Non-BCS Bowl Bids 3

Knee deep in bowl season now... the last of the good non-BCS match-ups continue tonight and run through the end of the week. Chase Daniel and Pat White have closed their amazing college careers in pre-January games. Both quarterbacks won in thrilling games... but on decidedly smaller stages than they likely hoped at the season's start.

And there are plenty of compelling match-ups to go outside the coming BCS games.

With that, here's a look ahead at the biggest non-BCS bowls yet to come.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: LSU v Georgia Tech. Maclouds at LSU "TigerBait" says:

How does one stop the triple option? Assignment football. Everyone has an assignment and they stick to it. Now, I don't mean to make this sound easy. Georgia Tech knows the weaknesses of their own offense. They're going to mask as much as possible and make it challenging for our defense to pick up their assignments. (Who knows - they may come out THROWING!) But...

Assignment football means: can you win your 1 on 1 matchups? I'd say LSU has the clear advantage in that kind of a game. Assuming Les Miles and the Tigers are spending their Atlanta time homing in on who crushes who at the line of scrimmage, LSU should matchup very, very well. Let's face it - LSU is FULL of talent, has recruited very, very well for a long time now, and enters this game as healthy as any LSU team has been in recent memory. So assignment football should play to LSU's advantage, actually.

Gator Bowl: Nebraska v Clemson. Block C says:

It’s been a hard task trying to find an edge that we hold over Nebraska on paper. It seems as if Nebraska is the current-day bizzaro Clemson from the Great Plains. This post started out as a “Pep me up” that was supposed to make you feel all gooey inside and go out and spend a good chunk of your bank account making last minute plans to Jacksonville for New Years. Are we maybe just be a little too perfectly matched for one another?

There are some scary similarities between us. Disregard the elephant in the room that is the fact that they hold 800 plus wins and they have four more national championships than we do, there are some heartbeats that our two schools share. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln is also a land-grant university that started out as a sleepy little agriculture school way out in the country. They’re also well known for their energetic and friendly fans, as are we. They travel well, they crave hard-nose football, and they would do anything including selling a second or third born child to get back to “the way things used to be.” But the similarities aren’t creepy enough to make you start burning receipts and photo identification in a trash can in your bathroom or scratch off your finger prints with sandpaper, but they’re there. Lurking about like a troll on a message board, burning terrible thoughts and images into your brain.

Capitol One Bowl: Georgia v Michigan State. Chancellor of the Sexchequer Doug at Hey Jenny Slater says:

All of the vulnerabilities I pointed out in Michigan State's power running attack basically hinge on one caveat: whether Georgia re-learns how to tackle sometime between now and New Year's Day. Y'all were watching the Bulldogs over the last half of the season just like I was, so it's not like this is shocking information to any of you, but our run defense completely imploded over the last month and a half of the season. After not allowing a single opponent to go over 150 yards rushing through the first seven games, we let four of our last five opponents do it; after allowing a mere 427 rushing yards total through those first seven games, at an average of only 2.4 yards per carry, we gave up 1,132 over the last five games at an even five yards per rush. (Take out the eye-gouging statistical outlier of the Georgia Tech game and it was still 4.2 yards per carry.) So even if the equation here is as simple as "If Georgia's defense shows up, we win," we still have no idea if the Dawgs are going to actually, you know, show up. Mark Richt has made the right noises over the past few weeks about recognizing where the defense went off the rails and making some needed adjustments in practice, but you'll have to pardon me if I take a decidedly "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude toward such things; watching Georgia Tech reel off 400 rushing yards against you will do that to a guy.

Because the letdown opportunity here is big enough as it is. I mean, here's a team frontloaded with an entire NFL draft round's worth of talent and sporting the preseason #1 ranking; no offense, Orlando, but you think any of these guys were giddy with anticipation over the Capital One Bowl at the start of this season? I've probably invoked the specter of "Kansas State Syndrome" on this blog (and others) more times than anyone ever cared to read, but sorry, folks, sometimes it just bears repeating: When a team goes into a low- or even mid-tier bowl thinking it deserved better, their chances of losing increase dramatically. We've seen it happen time and time again, and we've got to be on upset alert this time around whether we want to be or not.

Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss v Texas Tech. The Ghost of Jay Cutler at the Red Solo Cup says:

Friday afternoon will feature some interesting matchups. Everyone will undoubtedly compare Texans Graham Harrell and Jevan Snead; observe Tech's offensive line battle the Rebel defensive line; and debate the merits of the two completely different football philosophies on display. However, no matchup is more intriguing than that of the battle for the "most batshit bonkers head coach" title which will be up for grabs between Mike "Yarrrgghh" Leach and Houston "Giggity, let us pray" Nutt.

Mike Leach shows up at local news stations, has a fascination with pirates, and generally spouts off long-winded yet eloquent diatribes about nothing while staring off into space. He also runs a pretty precisely timed spread.

Houston Nutt gesticulates like a person having hallucinations that they are on fire, shouts incoherently, and has a wacky smile which screams "I'm on barbiturates."

It's a tough decision to make, so I'm leaving it up to you, Cup fans.

The Notebook, Week 17

I truly feel bad for the Detroit Lions, I do.

For much of my lifetime, I’ve watched the Lions fumble and stumble to new lows. Growing up in the Midwest in the 90s I had an uncomfortable front row seat to witness perhaps the single greatest waste of talent in league history, that is, Barry Sanders in Honolulu blue and silver.

I’m not a Lions fan so I won’t assume exactly how that feels. But it’s been awkward for those that regularly root against the Lions… perhaps an indication of just how bad their situation is. Here’s a team I should hate because of history, because of division rivalry.

But I can’t muster the requisite venom toward such a kicked-about fanbase, at least not until they regain simple mediocrity, to say nothing of respectibility.

Don’t get me wrong. This past Sunday I wanted nothing more than my Packers to solidly beat the Lions. But I found myself feeling better that the game was closely contested for at least a stretch in the third quarter. Would I have taken a blowout? Sure. At the very least, however, Detroit continued to play like a pro football team, capable of winning if not exactly any good at it.

So what is 0-16? It’s certainly not 0-14. The 76 Buccaneers were a junior varsity squad that wouldn’t win their first 26 games in the league.

The 08 Lions are more than that. They are an ever shifting cast of quarterbacks. They are idealized game plans, inflexible and ill-suited for their personnel. They are superb effort despite a complete lack of belief in their abilities. There's a fatalism to the Lions yet some weird Norse compulsion to charge forth despite, or maybe because of, that grim outlook.

At the beginning of this year, the team's two best players were wideouts Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams. Despite this, the coaching staff wanted to establish a dominant ground game. Never mind they lack a truly drive blocking line or a quality blocking fullback. The team refused to adjust until too late, by that point shipping off the discontented Williams to Dallas, a different and perhaps better mess.

Perhaps their best game of the season came against a strong Minnesota team in the 14th week of the season. They played error-free football. They limited a good offense to 300 yards. They managed a couple great plays, a Daunte Culpepper to Calvin Johnson bomb chief among them.

But at the moment when good teams will past opponents, they crumbled, twice failing to convert on fourth down. They couldn't swing a killing stroke, they couldn't understand much less harness their own momentum.

Detroit could've folded up then and there. But they took the Colts to the wire the next week. And after a dud to New Orleans, fought through Green Bay despite falling behind early, if only to come up short again.

So what now? This season has seen a general manager gone, two of their better players - Williams and Shaun Rogers - traded, and now head coach Rod Marinelli axed.

In the 09 Draft's first round, Detroit holds the first and twentieth picks. That's some coin. And the recent success of rookie quarterbacks and head coaches should fuel high expectations for a quick turnaround.

But that all means nothing unless the front office can prove capable of finding and keeping talent and the coaching search nets someone strong enough to completely upend the culture of Ford Field.

Georgia fans are already bemoaning Matt Stafford's fate as the likely first pick in the draft. And can you blame them? How many saviors have come and gone through Detroit. Harrington was a natural, an absolute can't-miss prospect.

Somehow, they all miss in Detroit.

While Detroit will likely draft who they hope will be a franchise quarterback and will scour the league for fiery or patient leader of a coach, they will do those things because other teams have had recent success with that approach. They won't do it because the Lions top brass has a clearly articulated plan. God bless them if they do get it together and really put together a true vision for the next couple years.

...


Perhaps you wanted to talk playoffs? Sure, a lot was on the line Sunday. But I found the day in general pretty underwhelming.

Philly, Baltimore, and San Diego crushed their way into the postseason. Miami and New York was a hard-to-watch close game. KC and Cincy was simply hard to watch. At least Drew Brees made things interesting against Carolina.

Countless teams mailed it in. I wonder about the impact Minnesota's come from behind victory will have on a potential future playoff game between the two. I just never felt like Minnesota was going to lose that game.

Last year during week 17, the Counselor and I sat in a Manhattan bar which was pretty quiet and tried to pay attention as the NFL played some weird inversion of preseason football. I remember getting drunk just to keep things interesting.

There is of course a lot of chatter about whether the playoff system is working or not. New England fans screaming bloody murder. West division-ers are defending their rights to a .500 division championship and home playoff game.

Of course the system isn't perfect. And one of the strengths of the NFL is its ability to embrace change, sometimes aggressively so.

The crux of the issue is really is it better to be more or less inclusive in the league's playoff format? It's not really about the division system which won't go away any time soon because it forms the basis of the schedule.

Looking back on the decade, including one more team per conference would certainly often put a 10-6 or 9-7 team into the postseason. But also a lot more 8-8 teams would sneak in... which is where this argument started in the first place. Assuming that the league will never do away with the divisional championship equaling an automatic berth, the push to bring more teams into the playoffs doesn't really solve the problem either.

Phi Bloga Recapa, Non-BCS Bowl Bids 2

Up and down first week of bowling. Really, the Poinsettia seemed the only match-up generating objective interest and it obliged with an exciting game.

Bowl season of course continues... with hopefully more valuable and contested games.

With a look ahead to this bowl season, I thought it would worth a trip through sports blogfrica for reactions to these upcoming bowl match-ups.

Today, the bowls of the season's second week.

Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia v UNC. The 25314 at West BY GOD Virginia says:

But in researching the game against the Tar Heels I stumbled upon some potentially terrifying similarities between UNC and WVU.

Following a 10-1 season in 1997, the school’s 2nd consecutive 10 win season, UNC head football coach, Mack Brown, left Carolina to take the head coaching job at Texas, a move which still irks Carolina fans to this day.

UNC promoted career assistant Carl Torbush to be the new head coach (at least he was the defensive coordinator). Torbush immediately won the Gator Bowl, and UNC finished 11-1, only the third 11 win season in school history.

However, the next year his team opened with a loss to Miami of Ohio, and never really recovered, going 7-5. In 1999 and 2000, Torbush went 3-8 and 6-5, respectively, and was fired.

John Bunting was then hired, but was unable to achieve any sustained success and was fired after 2006. Having only won 8 games once since Mack Brown’s departure, Carolina hired Butch Davis. After a 4-8 season last year, Davis finally has the Tar Heels headed in the right direction.

It’s taken UNC 11 years and a big time coach to get back to the brink of national respectibility again.

Emerald Bowl: Miami v California. The Bear Will Not Quit says:

This is a very interesting matchup for Cal. They are going to see speed, size and athleticism that they've only really seen vs. USC and perhaps Tennessee in 2006. But Miami is a very young team, with a new coaching staff, and hasn't quite figured out how to channel all that talent yet. And they are playing 3000 miles away from home, for the first time for most of their players. I must say, if this game were in Miami, I would not like Cal's chances.

But it is not. This game presents Cal with the ingredients that have typically produced wins under Tedford: (1) lots of time to prepare, (2) home game, and (3) Cal is not overhyped or disappointed to be there. The players would have liked to finish higher, but they all seem to acknowledge that they were young this year on offense, are still in a rebuilding process and are expecting much improvement next year.

Alamo Bowl: Missouri v Northwestern. AJ at Behind Enemy Lines says:

I’ve heard Missouri’s season described as disastrous, disappointing and a complete failure. With that being said, 2 of their losses were to 2 of the best 3 teams in the nation, while the other 2 were against bowl teams…one on the last play and one on the last drive. Northwestern brings a bit of a different wrinkle to stereotypical Big 10 speed or lack thereof. Because Northwestern runs the spread, look for the Tiger defense to continue to struggle. Collin Cowherd said today on air that picking bowls is easy, because you always want to decide based on who wants to be there and who doesn’t. I’m guessing Missouri would rather sit through a live taping of Deal or no Deal than be in San Antonio. Northwestern should come out fired up and pissed off due to Iowa’s selection over the Cats. Even then, Mizzou’s superior speed should be more than NU can handle… barely.

Holiday Bowl: Oregon v Oklahoma State. ABSOLUTDUCK at the ABSOLUTDUCK BLOG, slightly offtopic, says:

Sun Bowl Association officials are looking to break the Guinness World Record for the largest YMCA dance when the Village People perform at halftime of the Brut Sun Bowl this year. The Civil War victory is just the gift that keeps giving.

Music City Bowl: Boston College v Vanderbilt. ATL_eagle at Eagle in Atlanta says:

This game is generating luke warm interest for the unbiased and unaffiliated. I am sure there are some BC fans who are indifferent to what happens in Nashville. The game might not be a sexy destination or against a marquee oponent, but it still matters. BC must win this game. Here's why:

1. A win will elevate BC back into the Top 25 rankings. BC slipped out of the Top 25 after losing the ACC Championship. A win in the bowl game should be enough to get BC into the final Top 25 poll. Rankings are a tangible accomplishment in college football, they provide pride to the program and they legitimize our sales pitch to recruits.

2. A win gets BC to the 10 win mark. This would be the third straight year of 10 wins or more...something our former coach didn't believe was possible at BC.

3. A win extends the bowl win streak. Emphasis on the bowl streak has bothered some BC fans (including this one). But each year as the streak gets longer and as it starts to include more BCS opponents, it becomes a little more legitimate. A win in Nashville extends the streak to 9 wins. Florida State holds the record of 11 straight bowl wins. The record is in reach.

It's Playoffs All Over

Focus in the NFL is on the last leg of the playoff race. And rightly so. I do want to explore the flipside, the dubious push for 09 draft position. But that topic will have to wait.

Last year, heading into the final week of the season, an interesting narrative emerged that carried through to the Super Bowl. In a contest meaningless to the playoff picture, both New England and New York trotted out their starters and fought a classic game on Saturday night, the Patriots the victors in the short term.

But notable was the decision's impact, that is to play all out regardless of the stakes, on the Giants. Hardly anyone disagrees, the Giants Super Bowl run started that night. As the Counselor put it before the game, no team has more to gain from not resting their starters than New York.

There are few unwavering truths in football. Even traditional logic is often challenged, such as, winning football is running the ball and stopping the run. So it would be glib of me to say every playoff team should throw caution to the wind and run out their starters.

But certain circumstance could dictate something on the line for certain teams in certain situations. Let's look at the Giants of last year for some indicators of which teams might benefit from playing full bore in a statistically meaningless contest.

The 08 Giants were expected to flop out of the playoffs soon much as they had done the previous couple seasons, both one-and-done affairs. They clinched a spot a week before the final game with a comeback win against a middling Buffalo team just a week after playing perhaps their worst game of the season.

Against Minnesota, New York effectively curled up into fetal position and try to ward off blows directly to their collective heads. Four interceptions and forty points later, New York appeared anything but a playoff contender within and without the locker room, despite what the revisionist narrative read in the wake of Super Bowl victory.

It might also be important to note the New England-New York game was in a primetime slot on Saturday night, commissioner Goodell allowing a rare simultaneous broadcast on network television despite its original billing on the NFL Network solely.

Are there any teams Sunday playing for nothing that fit that bill?

Obviously several teams are playing for much already. In the AFC, Miami, Baltimore, Denver, and San Diego face win-and-in scenarios; in the NFC, Dallas and Minnesota control their destiny.

As far as teams still in it and needing help, it's the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the AFC and Philadelphia, Chicago, and Tampa Bay in the NFC. Carolina and Atlanta are both still competing for the NFC South division.

(For the best rundown of the particulars I've read check the National Post.)

But there are several playoff teams with supposedly nothing to play for. Pittsburgh in the AFC North; Tennessee and Indianapolis in the AFC South; New York Giants in the NFC East; and Arizona in the NFC West.

Of all these teams, the least like the 08 Giants are the 09 Giants. Even though they might want to take it to Minnesota, a likely playoff team, perhaps they shouldn't, instead taking the moment to rest crucial starters.

Tennessee and Indianapolis face each other. The Colts generally rest their starters as soon as they wrap things up, perhaps a strategy that's hurt them in the past. But this year, it might be a wise decision. The Colts had to claw through the middle point of the season to wrap up a Wild Card. They've rolled through the past several weeks.

However, if Jeff Fisher orders his Tennessee troops to the front line, it might be a worthy if risky option. Fisher and company have often bucked trends and might be considering the Giants option from last year in an attempt to regain momentum. In some sense, teams cannot play the game worrying about injuries. Even with a signature win against Pittsburgh last week, the Titans could look to regain their midseason form against division rival Indianapolis.

The two final teams with nothing to play for on paper, however, might have everything to play for this weekend, that is Pittsburgh and Arizona.

Pittsburgh's dominating defense rolled through much of the season. But after a resounding loss against Tennessee, shaken confidence could be restored with a beatdown against division rival Cleveland.

The game might not be in primetime. And the Steelers might not face huge doubts surrounding their ability to make a deep playoff run. But if coach Mike Tomlin senses a flagging of focus or purpose, he could stoke a killer instinct in rolling out his starters for four quarters against the Browns.

Arizona of all these playoff-set teams might have the most to gain Sunday, even if their opponents are the lowly Seahawks. The Cardinals have slid of late, wrapping up their division, the worst in football, weeks ago.

Minnesota and New England destroyed Arizona in successive weeks. Losing big to playoff caliber teams does nothing to dispel the notion that the West is junior varsity football. Plus, typically low expectations in the desert might indicate satisfaction with simply making the playoffs for a franchise historically allergic to the postseason.

While Seattle might not represent a top flight opponent, there is some symbolic value in arraying the starters in mission to beat their division rival. The West has been for much of the decade Seattle's to lose. Even though it is technically Arizona's now, a resounding win could put a mental stamp on it carrying over not only to the playoffs, but well into next season. You make think the divisional system a joke at times, but it carries a precious playoff berth, deserved or undeserved.

There are many lessons to be learned from the 08 Giants. And certainly not all are worthy courses at all times. But I'll simply repeat what I said last year at the exact same juncture of the season on the same topic: It's better to go down swinging if down you must go.

Poisonous Frogs and Flowers

I walked into the bar last night just as the second half of the Poinsettia Bowl was beginning. Unfortunately I missed Boise State's early run and TCU's clampdown response in the second quarter, holding the Broncos to -9 yards.

Still the second half was where it was at. Both defenses played exceptionally well, especially in the redzone, the second half scoring held to 10-3 in favor of the Horned Frogs.

But it became evident that TCU's speed wore down the Broncos, despite surrendering a couple big plays and a couple of ugly pass interference penalties to Boise State. The Broncos tried misdirection with screens and gadget plays that fell flat against the swarming TCU defense. And the Veer offense eventually punctured the Boise State defense, running back Joseph Turner taking the inside handoff on a zone read play through the middle of the defense 17 yards in for a diving score.

You can credit a great defensive gameplan by TCU to shutdown back Ian Johnson, the key to the Broncos offense. Taking Johnson out of the equation, the Broncos managed just 16 points and rested too much on freshman quarterback Kellen Moore's shoulders.

Reading the AP stringer article, given the incredible defensive performance, I was shocked that no mention was made of safety Stephen Hodge. Hodge made the game sealing interception, recorded a couple incredible tackles for loss, and was a terror in coverage.

Even throughout a night where the Horned Frogs piled up yard after yard on the ground, Hodge looked to have the best night of any player on the field.

Overall, a very fun, well-played game... and an indictment of the college's current postseason system.

According the college rankings coming into the game, Boise State ranked #9 in the country and TCU #11. And yet they are forced into a pre-Christmas bowl, a time when much of the country isn't aware that the bowl season has begun. And all because they play in bowl conferences but not BCS conferences.

Meanwhile, during the climax of the postseason, Virginia Tech will face Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. Sure Tech won the ACC and Cincinnati the Big East. But the Hokies are currently ranked #19 and Cincinnati #12.

While I'm all for honoring the conference structure, the disparity between this year's Poinsettia Bowl and this year's Orange Bowl indicts either the BCS system or the rankings system - or both.

I don't want to harp on it too much. It was a good game, but didn't get the exposure it deserved. Certainly, the bar last night was indifferent to the proceedings, most unaware a good game was in the making perhaps because it lacked billing and hype.

But the lasting impression I will have it is a shot of Boise State defenders upon making a desperate third down stop, with no timeouts and therefore with slim hope of getting the ball back, under a minute to play, pointing to the ground where Joseph Turner slipped well short of the first. Despite the stacked odds, these Broncos clung to desperate hope, a Flutie-like hail mary, a one-in-a-thousand shot the only chance.

The Horned Frogs predictably ran down the clock and the Broncos attempt at a hook-and-ladder was snagged by a TCU defender. Imagine if either team would've been playing for something besides a tiny sideshow?

All I Want For Xmas Is Brian Orakpo

I planned today to look back in a detached way at my Green Bay Packers, the game last night and the season in general.

And certainly last night's overtime loss proved a microcosm of Green Bay's season-long struggles. Inconsistent pass rush, missed plays, glimpses of exciting talent, poor third down defense, and a close final score.

I also expected watching the game amongst the faithful here in northern Wisconsin would provide some context for analysis. But with the plummeting temperatures, the bar my parents and I hunkered down in was fairly empty and our bartender - a guy I recognized but didn't spark any recollections despite the unique handle "Tomato" - was a Vikings fan.

The most typical Wisconsin aspect of last night were the shots of some sweet liqueur I couldn't place and didn't want on Packers scores.

So I spent the evening leaned back in my chair along the bar, chatting about the game and the team with my dad. We groaned and cheered accordingly, groaning more than cheering.

And I remember anger and frustration as Mason Crosby's kick was blocked by Alex Brown's big paw, sending the game into overtime.

In a certain way, I've been putting Green Bay's season to bed for weeks. I have been at times a very ungracious loser. But after the NFC Championship game last year and the attendant madness and depression, I decided I needed to take a longer view, if only for the sake of keeping friends and influencing people, to say nothing of my mental health.

So as this morning dawned and I recounted the loss, I was only slightly surprised that any anger had long dissipated. A loss to the Bears never sits well, but luck bounced Chicago's way in a close, cold contest and they took full advantage of it. They had everything to play for, what with Minnesota's dead fish loss to Atlanta. The Packers had nothing but nagging pride and bragging rights awaiting victory in the warm locker room.

The Counselor visited me in New York over the weekend. We talked at length about Aaron Rodgers and the ability of a West Coast offense to win championships. For Packers fans, the yearlong anxiety surrounded Rodgers in his first year of starting. And, in answer to that, Rodgers has acquitted himself well, making some mistakes of youth but also running the offense effectively and keeping the team in almost every contest.

And it's the knowledge that with Rodgers the Packers will be just fine playing in large part in why I've been able to handle this disappointing season with more serenity than I managed during the team's few losses in last year's playoff run.

The Counselor made an interesting point about Rodgers. He's such an athlete, the Counselor said, that Rodgers has a tendency to Michael Vick it, pulling down the ball and breaking his reads before he needs to.

For Green Bay, it's a new truth. Quarterback as it's been defined to us is about risk taking and gutsy play (or as Big Daddy Drew once joked, Brett Favre's derring do). Rodgers is all athlete and avoidance of the endgame, allowing possibilities to flourish with mathematical rigor even if he doesn't play the game with the surgical precision many of us feared that he would.

Yes, the team's run defense is dreadful. Yes, the declining play of the tackles is a concern. Yes, pass rushers will be a necessary commodity.

But overall, I've made peace with a down season that featured so much change, so many question marks. I have Rodgers, I have Greg Jennings. Charles Woodson wants to bottle me some wine. Will Blackmon will hand deliver that kick to my house.

There's disappoinment, yes, but there's also a future that's exciting, a future Green Bay fans maybe didn't see during the vacillations of Favre in offseasons prior.

Now, if the Packers refuse to shove the Lions down the road of winless infamy next week, I might be singing a different tune. But right now, my mind is on the draft and my Xmas list, which so far only reads "Brian Orakpo."

The Notebook, Week 16

Brief comments today as I'm traveling back to northern Wisconsin for an old fashioned Xmas... and by "old fashioned Xmas" I mean of course "holy shit, it's fucking cold here."

New York's win over Carolina last night was indeed thrilling as the AP stringer article claims. The reigning champs outlasted the Panthers' best, requiring a little luck - or the swirling winds of the Meadowlands - to make that decisive overtime statement against a finally weary Carolina defense.

Taken in tandem with the Pittsburgh-Tennessee tilt earlier, Sunday offered a potential forecast of the chalk picks for each conference's championship games.

And the home field netting victories for Tennessee and New York deserve praise and retooling of our ideas of the favorites as the playoff picture clears up around them.

But today allow me pause over one aspect of one team in loss.

This second-to-last Notebook post of the 2008 regular season could easily be subtitled "the Proficient Madness of Chris Harris."

That's not to say Chris Harris, the often excellent Carolina safety, was the crux upon which last night's battle of NFC division leaders turned. Rather, Harris's style and play might stand in for something larger, perhaps for the Panthers as a team.

In praise, hard hitting strong safeties like Harris often inspire well-intentioned platitudes. The chaos of Bob Sanders or John Lynch in his prime is difficult to put into words without resorting to tired phrases. Writers often claim such a rare player to be a linebacker trapped in a defensive back's body.

For Harris I can see the truth in it. He's hiding a seek-and-destroy linebacker in his 6' 200 lbs frame just as I'm hiding a slightly rotund middle-aged alcoholic in my roguishly handsome twenty-some self. (Ladies, come and get him.)

But there's more than just packing a deceptive wallop to Harris's play, play that's finally causing others to sit up and take notice across the league. Eight forced fumbles, his total last year, will do that. Also destroying opponents, like poor Cadillac Williams, will do that, too.

Harris simply doesn't dole out punishment like a Ray Lewis or Patrick Willis, to take the linebacker analogy further. From his vantage point in deep in the secondary, he like all game changing strong safeties tries to reorder the game to his chaotic vision, sometimes to his detriment.

I'm thinking of back-to-back plays last night, Harris in the thick of both.

Trying to preserve a modest lead in the third quarter, Carolina found their backs soon up against the wall, New York drove to the two yard line with a compelling ease, the score nearly a foregone conclusion.

Second and goal from the two Eli Manning drifted back and handed off to Brandon Jacobs. Seemingly out of nowhere, Harris knifed in through the well-set blocks of the Giants line and rammed Brandon Jacobs up high, giving up some 60-70 lbs to the gigantic back, stoning him for a two yard loss.

Harris's read of the play and will to tackle were impressive in equal measure.

Yet the next play glimpsed a seemingly different side to Harris. From the four on third down, the Giants chose to pass. The coverage was good enough to force Manning to cycle through his reads. Crossing late against the defense, tight end Kevin Boss drifted away from the up-down zone coverage and Manning found him for the score. Harris sat high in the back of the endzone, Jon Beason shallow. Neither picked up Boss until too late.

The sensible option for Harris on the scoring play would have been to break his deep coverage and take the crossing receiver, hoping the pass rush would finally fell Manning.

However, as Harris in the remarkable play prior reordered the field to his terms, he wasn't content to leave the chaos up to others, likely awaiting a forced throw to attack.

Therein lies the power of such a player that relies on chaos... and the problem. There's a bit of that in the entire team, relying too much on singular performance, whether it's Steve Smith or DeAngelo Williams.

I don't want to take the analogy too far. Last night was nearly a Panthers win and could be the next time these team meet, perhaps in these coming playoffs. But it's a live by the sword, die by the sword approach, something that's frustrated about John Fox's Carolina teams for the last several years.

Harris is and continues to be a Fuhbaw favorite. But he is perhaps on a team too suited to his style. Bob Sanders at least flies around a well disciplined scheme giving little regard to his body or gap assignment.

Harris is a joker in a deck full of them. Maybe Carolina can make a run on the house with such a wild hand. Maybe they will end up high and dry again.

RIP Sammy Baugh

Sometimes analogies have to stand in for firsthand experience.

What we see with our eyes is only part of witnessing sport. It’s also the emotions that accompany an understanding of what we see. Denied that chance to be witnesses, we can hope to understand greatness of a different generation by understanding greatness in our own.

So it is between us and Sammy Baugh.

Baugh passed away last night. His impact on the game can be enumerated in his records and his accomplishments. When he retired in the early 50s he owned every meaningful passing record, many of which stood until the next generation’s great quarterback, Johnny Unitas, shattered them.

Baugh was in the very first class inducted into the Hall of Fame, at the time, considered the best quarterback in the game’s history not just the most prolific. He excelled as a defender, too, during the game's two-way days and as a punter, the true triple-threat his time's quarterbacking required. He was perhaps that first class’s valedictorian.

Yet numbers rendered dusty footnotes and tributes dimly recalled don’t quite paint the full picture of Baugh.

The game Baugh played was markedly different than the one we tune into today on Autumn Sundays. His numbers, quaint to the pass refined modern NFL, must be considered according to a time when aerial attacks were stymied by unfettered and brutal contact no longer allowed by the rulebook.

But we cannot simply measure Baugh by the differences between his game and ours without acknowledging Slinging Sammy also changed the game, paving the way for football we recognize today.

When Baugh entered the league in 1937 he broke the single-season record for completions. No one before him passed that much or that efficiently. He infused the passing game with an excitement and mystique not previously harnassed by the sport.

Such an immediate impact in such a short time. I think of Adrian Peterson and his rookie season. Breaking the single-game rushing record against a heralded defense, stealing the breath of all who watched as he cut and sped through the Chargers in a manner unbounded by normal human limits. Never mind that Peterson and Baugh’s positions differ. I imagine the two evoking a similar sense of wonder in their young careers, motioning to new possibilities.

Baugh’s early mastery, including a championship in his rookie season, isn’t what solely defines his career. Baugh and his Redskins suffered one of the worst defeats in football history in the 1940 Championship Game to the Chicago Bears. And not just that defeat, but Baugh’s reaction to it would go a long way towards altering the course of the game.

The Bears of 1940 unveiled to mixed success the T-formation offense which placed the quarterback at the center of every offensive play and laid out many of the foundations of modern pro offenses. During the season, Chicago’s implementation of the revolutionary scheme was hit or miss as players adjusted to its nuances. But by the playoffs, Chicago transformed into a force to be reckoned with.

The T-formation in all its glory was unleashed upon the Redskins for a 73-0 beatdown so astounding the game inspired the team’s fight song “Bear Down, Chicago Bears!”

Instead of recoiling into his set ways and assured stardom, Baugh insisted the Redskins study and adopt the T-formation, which just as much as the Bears victory, legitimized its concepts like man-in-motion, direct center-to-quarterback snap, and complex, quick fakes to deceive the defense.

Baugh’s counterpart on the Bears, Sid Luckman, certainly mastered the “T”, leading Chicago to several titles. But the complex offense under Baugh moved the game lightyears closer to the aerial game we know.

Baugh and the Redskins won another championship during his career and contended for several more, all the while, setting records that his generation couldn’t approach much less shatter.

I’m far too young to have witnessed Baugh play. To me, he exists only in grainy highlight reels and in-between the lines of football history books. He didn’t exist as an old man tottering towards senility in a hospital bed, his body long since failed him… and he certainly doesn’t now.

While I'll never know firsthand the thrill he gave fans by filling the air with passes at a clip never seen before, I do express my deep gratitude for setting the passing game onto the path of being the series of graceful battles that it is today. Rest in peace, Sammy.

Phi Bloga Recapa, Non-BCS Bowl Bids 1

Bowling begins this weekend.

Never mind that Wake and Navy reprise a regular season match-up or that Southern Miss and Troy look to Sun Belt each other in the their respective Conference USAs - it's just nice to have college football back before the long anti-football season.

With a look ahead to this bowl season, I thought it would worth a trip through sports blogfrica for reactions to these upcoming bowl match-ups.

Today, the bowls of the season's first week.

Eaglebank Bowl: Wake Forest v Navy. Mike at the Birddog says:

What we all hoped to avoid has become official: Navy will be taking on Wake Forest on December 20th at RFK Stadium. Yeah, it sucks, especially for the Mids. It’s lousy for Wake Forest too, but at least for them it’s a shot at redemption. Navy, on the other hand, is forced to prove themselves on a test they’ve already passed. College football just shouldn’t have rematches. Half the fun of bowl games is playing someone you otherwise wouldn’t see, something we’ve been fortunate enough to have the last 5 years.

Las Vegas Bowl: Brigham Young v Arizona. Jay Drew at the Salt Lake Tribune Cougar Blog says:

Finally, a quick football note. I just noticed that Las Vegas oddsmakers have established Arizona as a three-point favorite over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. Kind of strange, don't you think?

The 10-2 Cougars have a better record than the 7-5 Wildcats, are ranked No. 16 in the country and have won back-to-back bowl games. And the MWC is 6-1 against the Pac-10 this season.

Poinsetta Bowl: Boise State v TCU. Drew at Fight, Fight, BSU says:

The Broncos overachieved this year by most accounts with the stellar performance of Kellen Moore and dominating defense, but youth precluded them from really putting perfect games together outside of a few...maybe they just weren't ready for a BCS bowl. The team will almost certainly be ranked in the preseason polls next year and be better set up for a serious BCS run in 2009 and beyond. The first step towards that end would be to take down the pesky TCU Horned Frogs in San Diego on the 23rd of this month. The bowl represents what may be one of the top 5 matchups of the postseason, #9 and undefeated Boise State vs. #11 and 10-2 TCU. The Horned Frogs have a smothering defense and impressive team speed...the Broncos have a smothering defense and a dynamic offense. Something has got to give.

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii v Notre Dame. domer.mq at Her Loyal Sons says:

By now you’ve heard the news, written your Pope in moral outrage over the news, gotten over it and have moved on to figuring out how you’ll manage to watch the game and catch your son’s role as “2nd Lobster” in your church’s production of “Welcome, Everyone Who’s Not Normally Here. Yes, We Still Kneel at Key Moments in the Mass. And Try To Remember All Those 2nd Offerings You’ve Missed This Year. And Yeah, We Know The Baby Jesus is an Elmo Doll. Sorry. Maybe if You Guys Would Go Forth and Propogate a Bit More…”

The Game starts at 8pm ET on Christmas Eve, meaning if your kid is a die-hard ND fan (and given the last 15 years, this is tenuous), Santa is going to have to stay up mighty late to put Chirstmas Gifts under the tree once he’s asleep. No doubt your kid will want to stay up for the entire game, even if ND’s up by double digits late in the game. You just never know.

This all shoots the plans you had for that La Perla package and your wife to hell, doesn’t it?

Merry Christmas, Indeed.

If I can make a recommend, try not to miss the Poinsetta Bowl... of all the early bowl games, TCU versus Boise State could be the sneaky best.

Notebook, Week 15

Pittsburgh won Sunday much the same way they’ve won all season – flawless defense augmented by one or two timely scoring drives on offense.

I have a hard time believing that the AFC North crown was the only thing on the line in Baltimore against the Ravens.

Watching a dangerous Houston team take down Tennessee earlier in the afternoon reinforced the notion that the AFC now runs through Heinz Field and the Steelers.

Donimation is what we so often use to earmark champions. The teams sporting balance with a knack for lopsided victories, these are our favorites, our frontrunners.

In other words, the "complete teams," whatever that means.

But these Pittsburgh Steelers have me questioning just how important this designation of complete is.

Consider two teams designated as "complete" this year: the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

The Cowboys were the preseason champion. Hellacious pass rush, top flight backs and receivers, intimidating linebackers. Before a down was played, so many of us penciled them into a Super Bowl date with whatever AFCer survived the postseason crossfire.

However, as the season unraveled, so did the Cowboys. Injuries and distractions mounted. And their momentum faltered during a crucial run. Now, they’re picking up the pieces, but have blown their shot at running their January through Irving.

Conversely, the Giants demonstrated surprising dominance through the rigors of the early season. What was a fluke in January became a blueprint for homefield advantage. Keep away turned into ball control. Overlooked defensive scheming became dictating tempo. The unlikely champions became worthy bearers of the crown.

But when Dallas and New York met last night, it was the damaged goods that came out on top, and came out on top decisively. Eight Dallas sacks of Eli Manning smashed the gears in the Giants offensive machine. And Tony Romo conjured just enough offense against a swarming defense, the Cowboys leaning on rookie Tashard Choice for a couple big plays for the second straight week. These are your complete teams, 2008 versions.

So what of Pittsburgh and their chances to run the AFC this postseason?

The Steelers may not be flying under anyone’s radar, but their struggles in key areas give pause to any labels of frontrunners.

After one elite season, Ben Roethlisberger has regressed into the game manager of his early career. The offensive line continues to be porous in pass protection. And their running game, so often one half of the team’s identity is languishing among the bottom third of the league.

Despite the numbers, I would give Roethlisberger credit for playing effectively at key times and being immune from pressure situations. A common complaint among Pittsburgh fans is a lack of national respect for key components of their very deep team. Certainly, that tune was sung regarding Roethlisberger last year when he posted elite numbers carrying a team searching for its identity post-Bill Cowher.

So while Roethlisberger has abdicated much of the team’s fortunes to the defense, he’s capably taken control when situation dictates. It’s a quality much more important passing titles (see: Brees, Drew) or end of season All-Pro lists.

Outside of Roethlisberger, however, the offensive line fuels the biggest doubt about this Steelers team. In stark contrast to their dominant defense, the Steelers struggle to grind out tough yards and allow far too many sacks. Forget any notion of “complete team,” this fatal fact flies in the face of what Steelers football should be.

Yet Pittsburgh continues to win games. Last week, they smacked around those aforementioned Cowboys, hanging on until Dallas self-destructed.

In prior weeks, they seperated themselves from the middling playoff teams – New England and San Diego – while also refusing to play down to lesser competition – Cincinnati.

Of course the discussion of Pittsburgh working past their flaws is incomplete without intense dissection of their defense. The Steelers are in the midst of an otherwordly season. It was good to hear realistic talk of a James Harrison MVP last week. At this juncture, you could split the award between Harrison and Troy Polamalu and I wouldn’t complain.

The defense never looks tired or spent, often being on the field more than half the game. Coordinator Dick LeBeau is on a roll, ratcheting up the gambling calls week by week.

Against Dallas, LeBeau continued to drop nose tackle Casey Hampton in coverage despite Hampton’s inability to truly cover. (Watching Hampton run further than three yards is pure comedy or torture depending on your sense of humor.) But somehow, copping Hampton kept Tony Romo from explointing the underneath routes which the Cowboys os often use to break from stretches of offensive doldrums and to soften coverage on the deep routes.

Most notably, LeBeau and his defense have dared to teams to beat them… bloodying the few opponents who do.

Given their dominant defense and given their tightrope walking offense, maybe the Steelers do need a little luck to stake their claim as worthy champs this year. Before we move on to the next there will be even more talk of the Roethlisberger scramble and the Santonio Holmes catch at the goal line. Did he or didn’t he break the plane? Does anyone dare to ask Seattle fans about this one?

But there’s that mark of inevitability – deservedly or not – to teams like this. I’m not saying the Steelers would have snuck it in 4th and inches from the goal line. But their narrative certainly has that sweep to it.

Maybe the Steelers have the drop on this season.

While the league higher-ups decided to flex the New York-Carolina tilt into primetime, the game with more real consequences will be underway during the less conspicuous one o’clock slate. That is, Pittsburgh at Tennessee, both teams trying to prove flaws needn’t get in the way of championship runs.

Drugs of Choice

Yesterday the NFL handed down a three game suspension to Jacksonville's Matt Jones for his arrest on felony drug charges back in summer. Jones of course was arrested while cutting up cocaine with a credit card in the back of a friend's truck late at night.

The news prompted my friend harDCore to sneer at the league's hypocrisy when it comes to drugs, or at least as he perceives it, which led to a spirited discussion between him, myself, and another friend, the Counselor. A mysterious character, the Square Root of 2, makes an appearance as well.

harDCore weighs Jones sentence against that of the Saints and Vikings for use of the banned diuretic. (Notable: harDCore is a Saints fan.)

Anyway, here's our back and forth over drugs of choice.

harDCore: How is it that it took this long to go after Jones and he still gets fewer suspensions than my guys are faced with? Bullshit.

Cian: I guess the notion that cocaine "enhances" your performance is considered dubious by the NFL, too...

Usually, the NFL waits on the outcome of legal proceedings if a crime is committed, I'm guessing that's why it took this long.

It's also telling the public cares more about steroids than coke, but not that much about either when it comes to football...

The Counselor: Aren't the policies different for non-performance enhancing drugs?

Incidentally, I looked at the complaint filed by the NFLPA on behalf of the suspended Saints and Vikings. It basically alleges that enforcement of the bargaining agreement's relevant provisions (that players are responsible for use of supplements) would violate public policy because NFL doctors breached a duty owed to the players. Pretty weak stuff in my opinion.

harDCore: I still don't understand what the big deal is about diet/water pills. Sure they can cause health risks and can be used for other things, but I don't even care about steroids when it comes to any professional sports. If they had found steroid use, I think that would have been a bigger deal, but everyone expects steroids in pro sports, so I don't understand how it can be as bad or worse than a drug that is one of the most addictive known.

It just seems to me that the priorities are misplaced. If they are truly making these policies based on what is in the best interests of players safety they would proceed far differently.

Sucks to hear that the case is weak, since it sounds as if the NFL fucked up on this one.

Cian: Re best interests of the players. The NFL explicitly discourages the use of any and all supplements.

Now, that's what the league office does in writing. How the league works, the brutal toll on the body, the constant jeopardy of losing one's job, the "what have you done for me lately" hard truth of the league sends a slightly different message about performance enhancers. But that's a more subtle, society-of-the-NFL point. But an interesting one nonetheless.

harDCore: Their use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents on the other hand...

Cian: It's all perception. But what do you expect, pro sports is based on perception... We don't in any way need pro sports, but we assign meaning to teams, games, seasons, players, etc. Sports implies fair play, anything that threatens that is potentially shooting for a vital organ toward the game's viability.

Now, that's not one-to-one... Baseball gets it harder than football, no one questions how guys recover from leg injuries so quickly in basketball.

The issue with the diuretic is that it's a masking agent and renders the recent steroid tests of all six players null and void. Again, it's perception. There's no innocent until proven guilty when it comes to performance enhancers in the minds of critics, therefore the league takes a similar approach.

Counselor, is this duty the doctors owed to the players supposed to rest on some Hippocratic notion? Or is it an explicit duty also in terms of the CBA or NFL policy?

harDCore: Drinking a fuck load of water would also do the same thing as the diuretic I think. They won't ban water consumption.

If one has a doc that gives advice about something, I think liability would fall on the doc for offering poor advice. I don't know what constitutes malpractice, but this could be poor medical practice...

The Counselor: The question isn't really one of malpractice. It's whether these doctors have some kind of duty to the players. I have yet to see a coherent theory on that point. Ideally, in a lawsuit, the plaintiffs articulate one in the complaint. It could be there, but I don't understand it at this point.

harDCore: If a league doc told Deuce that he could take Star Caps, and the doc was wrong I think it's on the doc and those that provided him/her to the players.

Square Root of 2: I think it's bullshit too, and Cian is right that it's all based on perception. But what I don't understand is why the perception is the way it is.. I really don't think the fans care. Self righteous sports writers and doping agencies certainly do because they make their living from vilifying steroid users. Do any of us care?

The Saints are getting totally screwed. Thursday's game is essentially a playoff game for them, and they have to lose three players.

Cian: I agree that it's fucked up. But fairness isn't really in effect here.

Fact is, Matt Jones reclining in the back of a Kia Sportage chopping up lines of blow on a composition notebook like some shiny-shirted club kid doesn't threaten the game as much as even the discussion that players might be using steroids.

Beyond the letter of the law NFL version being very clear that there's no one else responsible for use of banned substances besides the player, the bigger issue is precisely that we don't care about steroids... how does the NFL continue to keep it that way? They take a hardline stance at every instance they can.

While we all care to some degree (well maybe not the Counselor) about the health and welfare about the players, the general public doesn't. It's actually a difficult change of mindset, to on Sunday's want them to hurl their bodies into harm's way for our amusement and also care deeply if the ensuing concussions will allow them to live past 50.

I do care, I want the game to be clean. I just don't see how that happens. Can anyone honestly look at the Pittsburgh renewable, deep roster of seek-and-destroy linebackers and not wonder if steroids is in play?

In other news, according to research, apparently humans are nearing the threshold of just how fast we can actually run. What do you think happens to the Olympics then?

Phi Bloga Recapa, Week 15

In a college year that has showcased precious few great games, Florida-Alabama rose to be a very very good one. Both teams charging ahead, playing their games right in line with their identities. Bama cracked right near the end, but played a fine game throughout.

All in all, a quiet close to the college regular season. The bowls are all set of course. Most of the big ones have been predicted for the better part of three weeks. Not a lot of surprises, but it remains to be seen if the match-ups give more legs to a change to the BCS system. The computers did put the two best teams together but not without much gnashing of teeth.

Anyway, here's a look around sports blogfrica for reactions to this weekend's college action.

Buffalo 42 Ball State 24. Alan at Over the Pylon says:

What. The. Fuck.

Today is a day for fuming. Today is a day of disappointment. Today is a day where I can use funny pictures with FAIL captions. Today is a day where I can grumble about officials, grumble about the stadium and atmosphere, and generally just be pissed off. I have heard the old adage, "Give your opponent credit", and frankly, I don't have to give Buffalo shit. The officials gave them plenty last night, and I can only hope that the MAC Replay Official lost his job, his wife left him, and his house burned down.

Navy 34 Army 0. Mike at the Birddog haikus:

Back-to-back shutouts!
Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy!
Life is good, Navy.

Virginia Tech 30 Boston College 12. Brian and Jeff at BC Interruption say:

Denial stage: Trying to avoid the inevitable

Brian: They say approximately 20,000 fans witnessed this game. Maybe it didn't count? If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?

Jeff: Unfortunately its official. We accepted a bid to the Music City Bowl.

Brian: Nice consolation prize!

Florida 31 Alabama 20. Gatorpilot at Orange and Blue Hue says:

That 4th quarter might also be the single greatest quarter of Gator football I’ve ever watched. No, there were no pinball scores this time. It wasn’t a track meet, it wasn’t another blowout of one of Florida’s rivals. It wasn’t a stats masher. At times it was downright ugly, and there was certainly that gnawing undercurrent of doubt almost throughout. But we saw that underneath Florida’s powerhouse exterior, underneath the 50-point-per-game scoring machine, the heart of a champion drives this team. At the end of the day, all we fans want is for our team to play to their highest level and leave it all on the field. We want them to display toughness and grit, and to respond when they’re punched in the mouth. These Gators did that in the biggest pressure cooker ever conceived: an SEC Championship game which was also a de-facto play-in for a BCS Title berth.

Oklahoma 62 Missouri 21. True Son at Mizzourah! says:

I’ve seen Chase do that numerous times over the past four years. Some might call it a dumb play considering he did fumble on the previous possession. Some might consider it showboating by Daniel. I can’t really argue with them.

But that’s the kind of swagger Daniel and the Tigers had the past few seasons. It would’ve been the kind of play that has endeared Daniel to the hearts of Mizzou fans. Our quarterback doesn’t slide. He runs you over and gets in your face afterward.

But that’s not what happened this time. Instead, Daniel saw the defender and made a beeline to the sideline. Three plays later the Tigers were forced to punt and OU methodically drove down the field for another touchdown to increase their lead to 31-7. Ballgame.

West Virginia 13 South Florida 7. Johnny at Mountainlair says:

I think if we're honest with ourselves, we can say that South Florida lost that game. Or at the very least blew every opportunity they had to win.

I can't count the number of times Grothe missed on sure touchdown passes. I also can't count the number of times a South Florida receiver got open for a first down when West Virginia was dropping eight in coverage.

As has been the case for South Florida in most of their losses this year, they turned the ball over and gave their opponent way too many chances. You have to take your hat off to the Bulls defense for only giving up six points on three turnovers.

No Notebook, No Week 13

Apologies for being scarce in this space of late. I intended an extended meditation on Jared Allen and the Vikings defensive line and the meaning of the Black and Blue Division for Tuesday morning.

(At least, before the breaking news that the Brothas Williams are now among six suspended for the rest of the season over the banned diuretic issue.)

But somehow I couldn’t connect my far-flung thoughts into a coherent arch.

My struggles have nothing to do with the disconnect between a romantic, idealized notion of football embodied by the teams of the NFC North and the very ugly, problematic football actually played by those teams – that’s all there.

Rather such a complicated issue has me questioning just who am I writing this for? Does the aesthetic of the game have any bearing on our love of it? Are our connections to the game, to our teams so personal, so desperate that investing in some idea of what football could be, should be, well, is it even all that important?

You can talk about Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, and Jared Allen as the second coming of the Purple People Eaters: Page, Eller, and Marshall… the comparison that much more glaring Sunday night as the Vikings donned the throwback Bud Grant purples while stoning Matt Forte before the goal line.

You can talk about the parallels between Plaxico Burress’s skills as a receiver and the gun he used to shoot himself. Both are dangerous. And both are unnecessary, even irrelevant, to the Giants' fortunes.

You can talk about Brett Favre’s mere presence destroying the dominance of the other conference like he helmed the decline of his first conference while all the time thinking on Dr. Z’s March retirement article charging that Favre while great could have been better.

But I find myself thinking about Michael Strahan sitting in a chair across from Mad Dog Russo on Costas Now and saying “I don’t need you to do my job, but you need me,” then the subtle irony of Strahan, a few months into retirement, crammed behind a studio desk with Howie, Terry, Jimmie, and Curt Menefee picking the Cowboys over the Giants in the East.

Saturday while smoking a cigarette on break from Florida at Florida State, DJ Noid questioned me about my Sunday ritual. I go to a loud, raucous bar showing every game several times over on their multiplying television sets. I stuff myself into a corner and drink and write and try to come to terms with the emphatic cheers and hurled insults of the rabble around me.

I stumble through explanations of what I'm doing notebook open, filled with scribbles increasingly difficult to decipher as my drinking picks up speed.

"No, it's not my homework."

"No, I don't gamble."

"In fact, I run a football site, posting always a day too late while fumbling for explanations about what this sport means."

I can hear the moment when the glaze descends upon their eyes.

DJ Noid asked me how can I spend so much of my time around people who don’t think about the game the same way as we do, who react to the game on a purely cursory level. Touchdown – good! Interception – bad!

I guess I never defined my likely football elitism into terms of class, an us-versus-them polemic. I didn’t really have a good answer for DJ Noid.

In some sense, I’m fascinated by the connection, however trivial, however illogical, that sports provides for us, to our teams, to each other. In another sense, I want my Green Bay Packers to win every game, deservedly or undeservedly, and for Greg Jennings to be annoited Mayor of Canton for life. I understand the base desire to give my happiness over to something out of my hands. I also understand the need to get under the surface of events connected in time and to reorder those pieces into an actual portrait of what happened and why it happened.

I should have been waist deep in words and ideas, bent over my laptop, Saturday night shortly after DJ Noid put his question to me. I was stoned before the moment of inspiration like Forte was stoned before the goal line. Instead of writing, I got drunk and made out with a girl I just met.

Does this sound like a draft to a letter of resignation? It’s not.

There will be no citations from the Book of Job: “Do you intend to reprove my words when the words of one in despair belong to the wind?” or the like.

It’s been suggested I take a break from writing if the ideas aren’t forthcoming. The ideas are there. My energy and focus, however, are erratic at best.

But it’s becoming clear the same thing that drove me forth Saturday night, the same thing that sends me to the bar on Sunday, is the same thing I need to work into Fuhbaw; that is, something dynamic, something with at least a modicum of interaction.

I realize I can’t stop writing. But I need to re-think some of the ways that I do things. I liked the argument I put out Monday on changes in the BCS system, but the execution was all wrong.

I'm not sure what I'll change or even if I'll succeed at it. If you have any suggestions, please email me: fuhbaw@gmail.com. Hell, even if you don't have suggestions and just want to talk football, email me.

For right now, this is a test, this is only a test.

What's So Civil 'Bout War Anyway?

The college game's rivalry week concluded - fittingly - with bitterness and spite.

Oklahoma jumped Texas in the BCS standings and will play Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game next week. Oregon demolished Oregon State to hand the Pac-10 title to USC should the Trojans beat up on crosstown rival UCLA next week. Three loss Boston College bested Maryland for a spot in the ACC Championship game while four-loss Virginia Tech backed into the title card despite three-loss Georgia Tech's impressive upset of instate rival Georgia.

Critics of Oklahoma's bid over Texas point to the game played between the two teams, a Longhorns 45-35 victory played at the Cotton Bowl. And if the situation was such that only Oklahoma and Texas were tied for best record in the Big 12 South, then the tie breaker would be the outcome of that game.

But that's not the situation. Instead, there's a three-way tie between the Sooners, Longhorns, and Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas beat Oklahoma. Tech beat Texas. Oklahoma beat Tech. Anything but straightforward.

Of the three, the team tabbed for the Big 12 Championship has the clear path to the National Championship. So the stakes are considerable. And the purpose of the complex set of tie breakers is to determine the best team when simple record cannot.

In this case, it's not just Oklahoma and Texas in the same predicament, vying for the best in their division. Tech brings similar credentials. And given the Red Raiders' effect on both teams, it must be weighed in, too.

It's to a large degree about perception. Which is what college football is about, whether you find that regrettable or not.

College football has long courted controversy. Tradition constrains new approaches, attempts at clarity. New approaches like the BCS are fit into hallowed forms, making their impact minimal on actual change, actual realization of consensus. The Rose Bowl, the polls, the politicking - all of it persists and proves unable to deliver a clear champion.

In some sense, creating a consensus national champion through a playoff system works against the varied interests that surround the game: athletic departments, bowl committees, corporate sponsors, etc. These varied interests uphold tradition because of how the money is spread around in the current college postseason.

There are 34 bowl games - 5 BCS and 29 others. That means 68 of the 120 Division 1-A, or FBS, teams compete in college's postseason. That means more than half the Division 1-A schools pull down the money and exposure implicit in reaching a bowl game. That truth is significant to bear in mind for those looking to change the system.

The BCS though its polling and the variables built into its computer algorithms is built on perception. And leaving the system to perception will always make it vulnerable to perception problems.

Consider the problems for just this season.

First, among the six BCS conferences, one team is so-far undefeated while six teams currently boast only one loss. One-loss Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Florida, USC, and Penn State all have reasonable arguments to play for the championship. And undefeated Alabama could join these six other teams if they lose to Florida in the SEC Championship game.

Second, from the other five non-BCS Division 1-A conferences, three teams are undefeated and champions of their respective conferences. Utah, Boise State, and Ball State have simultaneously done the difficult and reached the postseason with unblemished records. However, only Utah will be allowed into one of the ten BCS slots, while Boise State and Ball State will likely face middling ACC teams in late December games.

Third, one non-BCS conference, the Mountain West, has three teams ranked in the top 25, which is more than both the ACC and Big East, BCS conferences with two apiece, and is equal to the Pac-10's three. Consider, too, that the Mountain West teams are ranked 7th, 11th, and 20th while the Pac-10's three teams are ranked 5th, 16th, and 25th, a slight overall edge to the Mountain West teams in comparison. But because of their non-BCS affiliation, these teams won't in all likelihood receive as high profile games or as worthy opponents outside of BCS-busting Utah.

There are several proposed solutions.

The last several years, much talk has been of a Plus One game, essentially creating a Final Four scenario determined more or less by the polls. Of course, the idea creates three BCS games that matter, leaving the two or three others to be a relic of an outdated tradition.

President-elect Obama champions an eight-team playoff, again reliant on the polls. It also potentially freezes out BCS conference champions from actually meaningful postseason play, fact sure to be divisive for the commissioners of the major conferences. For instance, the top eight ranked teams as of this moment belong to teams in the Big 12, SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10, and Mountain West. The ACC and Big East champions wouldn't even be considered for this postseason.

On the other end of the spectrum, more radical proposals include a 64 team tournament modeled on the NCAA basketball tourney. The strength of this proposal is that nearly the same amount of Division 1-A schools would be included in a meaningful postseason. Unfortunately, a 64 team tournament would add six weeks to the college schedule, almost requiring the regular season to be condensed by several weeks, more than likely four or more.

The problem is clear, but the solutions are anything but. A meaningful college postseason must create a consensus national champion. That means, no worthy team can be left out based on issues of perception. There must be enough access to this postseason so that the athletic departments of the schools and the commissioners of the conferences will support it. Every conference in Division 1-A must be given a chance at participation.

Furthermore, any significant change will likely be unable to coexist beside the current system. Should the BCS create a several team playoff, the old bowl system will be undermined as irrelevant. Restricting the BCS postseason to an eight team playoff, for instance, would de-legitimize the remaining non-BCS bowls as a more inconclusive NIT tournament for football.

Any solution must speak to these sundry interests. Namely, including enough teams overall, honoring conference championships, allowing every legitimate challenger to compete, create a comprehensive enough money-making system to tide over the status quo. Also, the postseason cannot be too long without cutting down the current number of regular season games played by Division 1-A teams, right now 12 to 13 games.

There are 11 Division 1-A conferences. That means a bracket style playoff should include at least 16 teams. Such a bracket would add 4 games to the season, with only four teams going more than 2 games deep into the playoff. If the regular season is hard capped at 12 games, 14-16 games is not an unreasonable amount to determine a clear champion.

However, 16 teams in the postseason, while creating 15 separate games, is only a fraction, less than a quarter, of the current 68 teams that are included in college's post season. There's little possibility a 16 team BCS playoff structure can coexist with a larger non-BCS bowl system without undermining the non-BCS bowl games.

Expanding the format to 32 teams again allows all conference champions from the Division 1-A to participate. It also includes nearly half the teams already included in the current postseason structure, a slightly more enticing coin to varied money-making interests, especially considering the lengthy exposure and prestige available to the qualifying teams playing through several rounds to undivided national attention.

The problem of course is expanding the playoffs to five rounds, requiring such a tournament to take up the entirety of December and part of January. Again, asking college teams to play more than the 14 games of the current season structure is a dicey proposition. The college regular season might have to be limited to just eleven games, thus allowing all the conference with eleven or fewer teams and without championship games (Big 10, Pac-10, Big East, Mountain West, etc) a chance to play everyone in the conference. While also allowing the conferences with twelve or more teams and championship games (ACC, Big 12, SEC, Conference USA, etc) some final determination of their champions.

Also, a 32 team bracket tournament allows all 25 ranked teams a shot at postseason play, at least some validation of the ranking process without the complete reliance on its shortcomings.

Still such a wide sweeping tournament is unlikely to overturn the staid traditions of college postseason play. But it's clear that should the BCS go through some significant change, the system won't solve anything until it can address the fundamental problems created by the current system. And no significant change will happen unless the varied interests all have an equal shot at the money tree the NCAA bowl system has become.