What Are You Thinking?

Going into Week 15 of the NFL season, a couple of matchups immediately caught your attention, mainly because of playoff implications. The Eagles-Giants matchup was probably the biggest for several reasons. Other good matchups involved the Jaguars-Colts, Jets-Steelers, and the Packers-Patriots games. The Eagles and the Giants, however, both entered their matchup tied at 9-4 and sitting atop the NFC East division. Their first meeting, November 21 at Lincoln Financial Field, was a close meeting between division rivals, in which the Eagles were able to finish them off in the fourth quarter, combined with too many turnovers from the Giants. This time around, whoever won this game would certainly get a leg-up on winning the division and possibly getting a first-round bye.

The first half was unlike anything we'd seen from the Eagles all year. The Eagles look overmatched by the Giants in all areas of the game, and the Giants raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson fumbled the ball in about the same manner Giants QB Eli Manning did in their first matchup. That gave the Giants the ball in good field position, in which Manning took advantage by throwing an easy touchdown pass to TE Kevin Boss. At 31-10 and over seven minutes left in the game, everyone watching must've thought the game was over at that point. However, the scores started coming in bunches for the Eagles. All of a sudden, Eagles QB Michael Vick was unstoppable, and with under two minutes to go, the game was tied at 31. The Giants got the ball back with a chance to win the game, as many thought there was plenty of time left. The Giants offense stalled, but with only 14 seconds remaining in regulation, it was a lock for overtime. Then disaster struck and you guys know the rest of the story!

C'Mon Man. Many people blamed P Matt Dodge for the loss. I blame the entire Giants' defense for the loss. The way the Eagles' offense have been playing all year, there was no reason for letting up defensively. If we can remember, just about a month ago, the Eagles scored 28 points in the first quarter against the Redskins, and 45 in the first half. They are certainly capable of putting up points on the board very quickly. The pressure applied to Vick in the first half should've continued. Instead, the Giants looked undisciplined in their blitzes, allowing huge holes for Vick to scramble, as he would rush for over 100 yards for the first time all year. The bad punt by Dodge was the nail in the coffin for a team that played so poorly in the fourth quarter. They can't hang their heads on this loss because they can clinch a playoff spot with a victory at Green Bay. It's important the Giants focus on this game, and not the massacre last week.

The Diamond Head Classic, in Hawaii, is an invitational tournament with eight schools. This year, only one of them, Baylor, happened to be a top 25 squad. The play of Baylor wouldn't be the fireworks that came out of this tournament, however. On Thursday, Mississippi St. defeated San Diego 69-52 to improve their record to 8-4. So far, Mississippi St. hasn't even played a true road game, so their record doesn't come close to indicating if they're a legit team. Also, their eight victories have come against Tennessee St., Appalachian St., Detroit, Troy, North Carolina A&T, Nicholls St., Alabama St., and San Diego, none of which come from power conferences. Their first road game comes in conference play, January 13, against Ole Miss.

After their victory against San Diego, the team decided to stick around and watch the game between Utah and Hawaii. However, instead of watching a game in which could give the players insight on their next opponent, F Rinardo Sidney and F Elgin Bailey decided their differences in a matter we don't know about was worthing fighting about, in public. It took everyone by surprised as Sidney and Bailey fought in the stands for several minutes, with punches being thrown, before the fight was broken up by teammates and other members of the team and audience. Sidney and Bailey were immediately removed from the venue and sent back to their hotel rooms. They were subsequently suspended by coach Rick Stansbury for the rest of the tournament and their game against St. Mary's in Las Vegas. Both players were sent back to Mississippi.

C'Mon Man. How embarrassing for yourselves and the program to be fighting amongst each other. Stansbury said in his 13 years of coaching this program, he's never had anything like this happen before. They would go on to apologize, but it still doesn't save themselves and the program the embarrassment. The interesting thing about this scenario is what they could've been talking about that got both of them upset to the point where they began fighting. Being in Hawaii is a great experience, especially for free. Who knows if these players were fighting over a female(s) they met in Hawaii, or if it's something else very personal. It doesn't bode well for athletics at Mississippi St. especially with them still dealing with the death of DE Nick Bell from the football program.

The Heat have been on a roll lately, winning 13 out of their last 14 games heading into their Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers. This is the kind of play that we expected from them, considering they have two of the three best players in the league in G Dwyane Wade and F Lebron James. It took a while for them to click initially, starting off a 9-8. However, their play, combined with their stifling defense as of late, has them playing better than any other team right now. As Wade and James have finally figured how to play with each other, we should expect more success as the regular season continues, heading into the playoffs. They haven't beaten the Celtics yet in two tries, so that has to be their concern in the Eastern Conference. They also lost twice to the Mavericks, but the only time they'll see them again is in the Finals, which is less of a worry.

James made a decision in the off-season that turned many of his fans into haters. Many people didn't like the way James announced his decision to sign with another team. He also didn't let the Cavaliers know of his intentions to sign elsewhere, which was seen as unprofessional and wrong. This week, James made some comments that seem to justify his decision to join Wade and F Chris Bosh in Miami. He told reporters the NBA needs to go back to the 1980s and find a way to get multiple All-Stars on the same team to make things more competitive. G Derek Fisher commented on what James had to say, and disagreed with that notion, seemingly because of the fact that it could eliminate teams and provide less jobs in the NBA.

C'Mon Man. This man is starting to make some off-the-wall comments and is solidifying my point that he isn't a realist. Through James' entire career, he's always been phony, trying to impress the media and his fans by saying all of the right things. For the people who could truly see through it, they all knew he was a phony. This is why so many people were disappointed when James decided to make his announcement on "The Decision." It didn't surprise me one bit, because I knew that was the kind of person he was. Now, James knows he is one of the most hated people in America, so he's freely speaking his mind the way he's always wanted to do so. I prefer that he is keeping it real with us and sharing how he truly feels about his decision and the state of the game. I disagree with his notion of contraction. In the 1980s, the talent pool was better than it is now. The Lakers didn't go out and sign F Magic Johnson, F James Worthy and G Byron Scott. They drafted them. The Celtics didn't sign F Larry Bird, C Robert Parrish, and C Kevin McHale. They were drafted by them. That just speaks to the talent pool back then and the lack of talent now.

What Are You Thinking?

Sal Alosi has went from unknown strength and conditioning coach for the New York Jets, to being the most notorious man in the United States of America. We all know the stunt he pulled against Dolphins CB Nolan Carroll. Was it bush league? Absolutely. Alosi made a split-second decision to try and help his team, but wasn't thinking of the backlash he would receive for it. Immediately after the game, a couple Dolphins players had some choice words about the incident, in which they probably should've kept their mouths shut considering who they are. I can't remember an incident where someone did something of this nature, so it certainly surprised me. It also didn't help that the cameras actually caught the incident and the commentators were able to recognize what he was doing.

Of course I expect Alosi to be suspended for the rest of the regular season, since there's only three games left. What Alosi did certainly warrants about a three to four game suspension. The Jets also decided to fine Alosi $25,000, half of his roughly $50,000 yearly salary. There were many who were even calling for his job. Then the Jets did their internal investigation and came across some new information. Alosi ordered a wall on the sideline to deter gunners from using the sidelines for more room. The Jets decided this was serious enough to increase his suspension, so they did. Now he's suspended indefinitely, and his job may be on the line. I wonder if Roger Goodell ordered the Jets to make this move.

C'Mon Man. Isn't it enough that he's suspended for three games and won't be paid for those? How can you justify fining someone $25,000 when they only make $50,000 yearly? That is nonsense. An appropriate punishment for this type of crime would've been suspension for the rest of the season. That's it! The fact that Alosi ordered a wall doesn't even matter because Carroll is OUT OF BOUNDS! It is not his territory to be in. How is it a penalty to run out of bounds and come back in, yet we punish this guy for this? The Jets won't reconsider this decision, but it's going to be costly for him. I hope he's able to recover from this financially. It's unbelievable that we have no sympathy for someone making $50,000 but have all the sympathy in the world for someone making $5 million. What a shame!

When I begin to talk about the Redskins, it's hard to find where to start. During the offseason, they made a splash by trading for QB Donovan McNabb and trading QB Jason Campbell. Campbell has been labeled as the one who was holding back the Redskins' offense. In comes McNabb, and the lofty expectations followed him over. The Redskins also hired Mike Shanahan as their head coach. Shanahan won two titles with the Broncos back in the late 1990s, with Hall-of-Fame QB John Elway. Shanahan has struggled to win playoff games since Elway retired. It would start a very unfortunate season for Redskins fans.

The latest turn of events in this week-to-week dramatic episode was the Redskins loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Down 17-10, the Redskins, led by McNabb, drove down the field, and scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining. In comes the part most people never think about; the extra point. The Redskins managed to screw that up. The snap went right through the holder, P Hunter Smith's hands, effectively ending the game in a heartbreaker. That would later culminate in Shanahan announcing he's benching McNabb in favor of QB Rex Grossman, whose years in Chicago has been marred with a lot of inconsistent play.

C'Mon Man. Can it get any worse for Daniel Snyder? Here's a guy who purchased a proud franchise, one that he rooted for growing up. He has clearly shown that he has no football knowledge because he keeps dishing out hefty contracts to players who don't perform up to the contract. It has gotten to a situation where the only way they'll have a shot at the Super Bowl is if Snyder sells the team. As for Smith's mishandling of the snap, it cost him his job. It's unfortunate for him, but he wasn't getting the job done as a punter either. The Redskins shouldn't just cut Smith. They should cut everyone with a hefty contract; DT Albert Haynesworth and CB DeAngelo Hall, in addition to McNabb. The Redskins need to draft a quarterback in this draft. That is a must. Until then, we can all sit back and laugh at what it's looking like in the nation's capital.

What Are You Thinking?

 

Time and time again, many coaches, college football analysts, and other members of the media have called for the discontinuation of college football's BCS system. It's a system that continues to confuse me, and the amount of bowl games that are in existence waters down the importance of playing in one. Auburn and Oregon, as expected, were selected to play in the national championship game. Did all of the other bowl games matter? Does it matter that Wisconsin and TCU play in the Rose Bowl? What does the winner of that game get? It's just as significant a win as the winner of the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. It's a system with no importance to any of the winners except the one who wins the national title.

Temple finished the season at 8-4, but they lost their final two games to Ohio and Miami (OH). Miami (OH) won the MAC conference championship with their victory over Northern Illinois in the conference title game last week. With Northern Illinois finishing with a 10-3 record, they were a sure bet to be in a bowl game with Miami (OH) from the MAC conference. Ohio, Toledo, Temple and Western Michigan finished with at least six wins to be bowl eligible. Western Michigan, however, finished with a 6-6 record. Ohio and Toledo received bowl bids. Temple and Western Michigan were left out.

C'Mon Man. I'm interested in hearing a logical explanation for omitting Temple from this year's bowl season. Most bowl games have select conferences that takes part in the game. They need to scrap this. Clearly, Temple is better than several teams who will be playing in a bowl game. How did Temple get passed over in favor of UTEP, BYU and Florida International? All three teams have 6-6 records. Temple beat UConn, who will be playing in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, a BCS bowl even though they probably don't deserve that. Temple played Penn State very competitively, losing 22-13, at a time when Penn State was in the top 25. None of those three 6-6 teams won their conference championship, so there is no justification for them being in a bowl game over Temple. It makes no sense and this whole bowl system needs to be scrapped immediately.

The Steelers-Ravens and the Jets-Patriots matchups were billed as the best games this weekend by a landslide. Both games were division games and all four teams have been billed as the best four teams in the AFC. The Jets clearly didn't show up in their game, losing 45-3 and losing the AFC East lead to the Patriots in the process. The Steelers-Ravens game was much closer, and it came down to under a minute to go in the fourth quarter. A couple of plays turned out to be the difference in the outcome of the game. The Steelers took this matchup 13-10, evening the season series after the Ravens beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh back in Week 4, granted without QB Ben Roethlisberger.

This was a classic nasty matchup between the Ravens and the Steelers. Both teams were unable to put up a good amount of points. When you're going up against either defense, that tends to happen! Both quarterbacks weren't spectacular, but Roethlisberger or QB Joe Flacco are never really spectacular. Both teams usually rely on a solid running game that has potential to open up the passing game a bit. Both teams have capable running backs, which is why I'm baffled with a decision Ravens' offensive coordinator Cam Cameron made in the fourth quarter up 10-6. Instead of running the ball on 3rd and short with the lead, Cameron wanted to throw. That proved costly as S Troy Polamalu stripped Flacco of the ball, giving the Steelers great field position, en route to their go-ahead and eventual game-winning touchdown.

C'Mon Man. You have to run that football in that situation. The Ravens have two capable running backs in RB Ray Rice and RB Willis McGahee. Run the ball and get the first down. If you don't get the first down, punt the ball and put the Steelers offense in a harder position. The problem is they're trusting Flacco, when he hasn't necessarily shown he is capable of leading that offense. Flacco hasn't excelled yet, even with the additions of WR Anquan Boldin and WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh. They need to run the ball in situations like that and not trust Flacco with making plays in situations like that. It's not going to work. Flacco also messed up when he had a second chance, short-hopping a pass to WR Ed Dickson on 4th down to end it.

The Washington Wizards started their three-game West Coast trip on Sunday, and concluded it on Wednesday. They came back home with no wins. The Wizards lost by an average of 16 points to the Suns, Lakers and the Kings. The most competitive matchup in the three losses just so happened to come against the defending champion Lakers, who beat the Wizards by 8. The Wizards are currently sitting at 6-15, last in the Southeast division. This was expected, as the Wizards surprisingly received the #1 pick last year, after having a bad season. The positive is G Gilbert Arenas' return to action this season, even though that may not be a complete positive for the team.

The youth on the team is a positive. They drafted G John Wall with that first pick in the last draft. They also have young, productive players in G Nick Young, C Andray Blatche, and C Javale McGee. McGee had 13 points and 9 rebounds in their blowout loss to the Kings. His numbers weren't astounding, and what he did at the end of the game wasn't astounding either. With the Wizards down 116-91, the eventual final score, McGee intercepted an inbound pass and was all alone on his way to the hoop. However, McGee thought he was Dr. J. He cradled to the ball and never had a good handle on the ball as he was going up for the dunk. His dunk attempt never came close to the rim, as he lost it in the air and it bounced high off the glass.

C'Mon Man. This is not the dunk contest. McGee should not be doing that in a game where he's getting blown out by 25. Lay the ball up and call it a night. It was embarrassing to himself and his team's performance that night. The Wizards didn't have big expectations going into the season, but their season is looking frustrating for coach Flip Saunders. Wall has been bothered by injuries, and their schedule has been pretty tough so far. That does not mean you have to lose your mind. Of course there should be no disciplinary action with this one, but if McGee sees the replay, he should discipline himself for that stunt.

What Are You Thinking?

Bills WR Steve Johnson has made my article again, for a completely different reason. It turns out this may be even more absurd than the stunt he pulled two Sundays ago, when he decided to come to the postgame press conference looking like a thug. Johnson had another good game this past Sunday against the Steelers. Johnson caught 7 passes for 68 receptions, which brings his season total to 59 catches with five games remaining. Not bad considering Johnson was the Bills 7th round draft pick back in 2008. It looks like he has become a big part of the offense since QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took over the starting reins from QB Trent Edwards.

While Johnson had a good game, there were two drops that most would say cost the Bills the ball game. With a little under three minutes left in regulation, Fitzpatrick fired a pass to Johnson, which bounced off of his fingers into the hands of S Troy Polamalu for the pick. Then, the biggest mistake came in overtime. Johnson beat S Ryan Clark and CB Ike Taylor to the end zone, and Fitzpatrick through an excellent pass. It went into Johnson's hands, and then it came right out. The Steelers ended up winning the game, and Johnson seemed very emotional after the game. But when he took it to Twitter, he took it way too far. Johnson posted this on his Twitter page after the game. "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND IS THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO . . ."

C'Mon Man. WHAT? I'm starting to get the feeling that he's going to become another one of those diva receivers like WR Terrell Owens and WR Chad Ochocinco. WR Brandon Marshall already confirmed he's heading there also by saying recently he's been too boring this season. It's not about the entertainment you provide with your mouth. Go out on the field and get the job done. Get rid of the Twitter, and all the antics that you guys think are entertaining. Soon, the Bills will start growing tired of Johnson if he starts acting like those guys. By the way, how many championships does Owens, Ochocinco, and Marshall have combined? ZERO.

Many have complained about the inconsistencies from the NFL so far this season. Many players are being fined large amounts of money like never before. The Steelers have certainly complained openly, because one of their guys, LB James Harrison, has been fined four times for a total of $125,000. Harrison has every right to complain, as that is a lot of money. However, the Steelers have no business of complaining, as they have shown to be the dirtiest team in the NFL. With that being said, there still is no real criteria on the amount of fines and what warrants a suspension in the NFL.

This past Sunday, Texans WR Andre Johnson and Titans CB Cortland Finnegan got into heated battles, which culminated in a nasty fight in the fourth quarter, leading to their ejections. Finnegan seemed to incite the whole fight, hitting Johnson in his facemask as soon as the ball was snapped. It turned out to be a running play, so there was no reason for Finnegan to do what he did. However, Johnson grew tired of Finnegan and threw several punches that landed, getting him tossed immediately. Everyone, including Johnson, knew a suspension was inevitable. Wrong! The NFL fined him and Finnegan $25,000 instead.

C'Mon Man. Now I have completely had it with Roger Goodell. The NFL certainly needs Paul Tagliabue back or someone else. Goodell's criteria is so screwed, it is almost certain he is protecting the star players, while not giving a damn about all of the other players. Last night, Texans QB Matt Schaub got hit in the helmet twice by the Eagles, with no calls on each one. Colts QB Peyton Manning got a slap on his helmet a couple of weeks back against the Eagles on 4th and 18, and he got the call. It's ridiculous. Calls have to be made for everyone. Most importantly, guys should not be fined $50,000 for making illegal tackles with their helmets, while someone who basically assaults another player on the field gets half the fine and no suspension. Be consistent Goodell, or the players will come after your head.

Moving on to the NCAA, where stupidity lives. The news of the week came when the NCAA ruled Auburn QB Cam Newton eligible for Saturday's SEC Championship Game against South Carolina. This happened a day after Auburn themselves ruled Newton ineligible, probably to save themselves embarrassment if the NCAA had to do that themselves. The NCAA explained that Newton had no knowledge of his father, Cecil, shopping his son around to schools for pay. The NCAA has acknowledged what Cecil Newton did was against NCAA rules, but decided Cam shouldn't be affected by something his father did.

The NCAA recently came down hard on the USC program for violations that occurred from the time RB Reggie Bush was with the program. Pete Carroll, USC's coach back then, bolted this past year to coach the Seahawks at the NFL level. That left new coach Lane Kiffin in an ugly spot once the NCAA made their rulings. Bush and Carroll are no longer there, and are currently making millions of dollars, living life luxuriously, while the USC football program suffers. The NCAA did find that Bush's parents benefiting from the money the agents supplied was an indictment on him as well. However, Cecil Newton's actions had no bearing on Cam Newton.

C'Mon Man. If you're going to have a set of rules to play by, institute them. How did the NCAA figure out Cam Newton had no knowledge of his father shopping him around? If I was headed to a football program and my father had that agenda, I'm pretty sure I would know about that agenda. Time and time again, inconsistencies have hurt the name of college athletics. The NCAA is simply looking for Auburn to be in the title game. If they win against South Carolina on Saturday, they're in the title game. Had Newton been ruled ineligible, that probably puts TCU in the title game, which the NCAA clearly doesn't want. Just like the NFL, the NCAA is protecting the interests of themselves only. Just a shame!