Hail To The Redskins!

It is New Year's Eve, and tonight I'm gonna party like its 1999.  No, not because I like Prince, various shades of purple, or am afraid of Y2K.  The reason is that the Redskins are the NFC East champions for the first time since 1999!  Last night's beatdown of the hated Dallas Cowboys was a thing of beauty.  I have never seen rookies have such a big impact on changing the culture of a team as I have this season.

Yes, all the credit should go to RG3, Alfred Morris, Kai Forbath and the players.  Why, you ask, am I still not thrilled with the coaching staff?  Well...  Really, it is still all Kyle Shanahan.  I am amazed the entire DC area didn't hear me when the Skins were passing on 3rd down with less than 6 minutes left in the game.  I am a big fan of clock management, when done correctly.  Kyle Shanahan still doesn't get that.  I find it crazy that a man can be called a genius when his schemes have failed for two seasons, and only when a paradigm-shifting QB and rookie class comes in does it succeed.  Perhaps, then, it was the players that came together and willed this team to an NFC East title.  I like to think it was.

But, enough about the problems this team still may have.  Instead, let us praise the players that shined in this winning season.  The rookies are wonderful.  RG3 is a superstar and a Pro Bowler.  Alfred Morris has the record for most rushing yards by a Redskin.  Kai Forbath rarely missed a kick, which is more than we have been able to say for the past few seasons.  Their play even improved some of the veterans.  Trent Williams (somehow) became a Pro Bowl left tackle!  Logan Paulsen not only developed into a solid pass-catching tight end, but was also an integral part of the blocking scheme.  Santana Moss looked rejuvenated.  Pierre Garcon, when healthy, gave the team the big play threat it needed.

On the defensive side of the ball, not enough can be said about London Fletcher.  He is a god among men.  If he isn't a Hall of Fame linebacker, then I don't know what is.  He has led his team in tackles for 14 seasons.  He has a Super Bowl ring.  He has never missed a game.  He is the smartest player in football, great character guy, and an unquestioned leader.  This oft-injured, fairly porous defense would not have come together without him.

So, celebrate for a week, DC.  We have the NFC East title.  And maybe we can break our bad streak against the Seahawks on Sunday.  HAIL!

A Weekend Recap: 12-9-12

Here is a quick look at the weekend that was in sports:

- Navy beat Army for the 11th straight season.  Unfortunately, instead of concentrating on Navy's joy, all CBS did was show Army's QB, Trent Steelman, breaking down on the sidelines after his team fumbled away a win.  I felt bad for the kid.  The broadcasters felt bad.  And yet the producers insisted on keeping the camera on him.  At some point, we have to remember that college football players are just kids, like we all were.  They should not have to endure the same type of media scrutiny and coverage that the pros do.  Show Tom Brady emotional on the sideline after a game.  That's fine.  He has chosen to make himself a public figure and his play made him a superstar.  Steelman is a kid whose football career ended that day, and will now go off and defend all of us.  The least we could have done is shown a little class and let him cry in peace.  Shame on you, CBS, and shame on us for letting it get this bad.

- The Redskins beat the Ravens, with Kirk Cousins throwing the game tying TD pass.  Go figure.  RG3 hurt his knee, but it should be fine (according to reports).

- Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning are in a 2-man battle for Comeback Player of the Year.  They are also the leaders for the MVP.  This is crazy.  I give it to Manning just because he already led his team to a division title, but I think splitting both awards wouldn't be a bad idea.

- Johnny Manziel won the Heisman.  He wasn't my pick.  I would have voted for Manti Te'o.  Honestly, if the best defensive player in football, who led the #1 team in the country to the title game after overcoming huge personal losses mid-season, AND happened to go to Notre Dame (ergo having the massive fanbase and exposure) can't win the Heisman, it really should just be an offensive award.  No pure defender will win it if Te'o didn't with his resume and reputation.

- Syracuse is going bowling!  This isn't really big news, since we knew a few weeks ago.  The real news is that we will be playing West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl.  For those unfamiliar with the rivalry, we have played WVU every year since 1955.  Last season, we destroyed them on national TV, and then they went to the Big XII.  Everyone thought the rivalry was done.  Not so fast my friend!  Yankee Stadium, December 29th, the Steinbrenner Trophy is up for grabs.  The only shame is that the Schwartzwalder Trophy, which Cuse and WVU have been playing for since 1993, will not be at the game.  Orange coach Doug Marrone said Cuse will keep it out of respect for the bowl game.  Of course, I only say its a shame if we were to win the bowl game.  If we lose, screw it, we get to keep the Schwartz!  You want it? Schedule us!

- The Rays and Royals pulled off a huge trade tonight.  KC is sending some of its best prospects to Tampa for James Shields and Wade Davis.  I have no idea if this will help KC at all, because they still don't have great hitting and have to play in the same division as the Tigers and White Sox, but it is great for the Rays.  They were shopping Shields and Davis anyway.  Now, they get some very highly ranked prospects.  They keep rebuilding.  You have to think that, at some point, they will be back in the World Series.  Hopefully after the Nationals win.  Speaking of my team...

- The Nationals signed Dan Haren to a one-year deal.  I love this move.  They didn't have to trade anyone away for Shields, and get a pitcher who (when healthy) is just as good.  Haren is a 3-time All Star who would be a #2 on any other team.  For us, he is our #4 or 5, depending on how well Ross Detwiler does in a full season.  The only move left for the Nationals, after trading for Denard Span to solidify the outfield and give us a true leadoff man, is to solve the issue at first base.  Do we re-sign LaRoche?  Do we trade Morse?  I wish we could keep everyone, of course.  Just bring me that title, Nats!

- There is still no hockey.  There will not be hockey this year.  Just accept it.  There is no incentive for the players to cave because they can make just as much money playing in Russia or Europe.  The owners, in my mind, don't understand this.  It is a shame, of course, because what is my spring without the Caps getting my hopes up only to choke in Game 7 of Round 2 in the playoffs?

- There is still the NBA.  To be honest, I haven't been following it much because the Wizards are awful (though they beat the Heat) and because football is still going on.  I understand the Lakers aren't doing well, but the Knicks are.  It is December, so we shouldn't make any huge conclusions yet.  I just know that the most interesting story in the NBA is about a team changing its name...

- The New Orleans Pelicans?  Really?  Ok, let's be real for a second.  In a fair world, the New Orleans team would be able to buy back the name Jazz from Utah.  Utah doesn't have any jazz.  Hell, I don't even think they are allowed to play music in Utah!  I imagine the entire state is like the town from Footloose.  So, New Orleans gets to be the Jazz.  Charlotte could decide if they got "Hornets" back or stayed the Bobcats.  Then, the question would be what to name Utah's NBA team.  My answer?  The Hornets!  Stay with me now.  Utah is (apparently) The Beehive State.  Doesn't it make sense that they would be called the Hornets?  Ignore the Bobcats, and just do a straight up name switch between New Orleans and Utah.  Everyone wins!  David Stern is retiring right?  Let me be the new commish.  I will get this done.

- Manny Pacquiao got knocked the f- out on Saturday night.  With 1 second left in Round 6, Juan Manuel Marquez connected with a strong right that dropped the (former) best fighter in the world.  He went down hard.  He ended up being fine, but Marquez made a huge statement by knocking Pac-man out.  If you can find the highlights of the fight somewhere, do so.  It was fun.


That's all I got tonight.  Enjoy your week!

NCAA Conference Draft

So, with all of the recent realignment news in the NCAA (Maryland and Rutgers to the Big 10 (14), rumors of possibly Louisville, UCONN and Cincy to the ACC, or Flroida State and Clemson to the SEC or Big 10, etc...)  my favorite basketball coach had a fun idea.  Sure, Jim Boeheim said the idea in the middle of a rant about teams moving conferences and never being satisfied, but he had a dandy of a notion.  He said (jokingly) that there should just be a few conferences that draft schools.  I, being a fan of all things related to sports drafts, LOVE THIS IDEA!  It would solve all the pain of your team leaving its conference because of football TV money and media markets.  The NCAA doesn't really care about traditional rivalries anymore anyway.  What, is Maryland/Iowa the next Michigan/Ohio State?  I think not.  So, I present to you my grand vision for the 1st ever NCAA Conference Draft!

Some explanation of the system first.  Everyone seems to think that 4 16-team conferences is the way to go.  It isn't.  Let's face it, this entire thing is driven by football, not basketball.  64 isn't a magic number in the BCS era like it is in March Madness.  Also, 64 just isn't round and certain enough.  No, we have to go to 80.  We will have 5 16-team conferences.  They, I'm sure, will be given fun names later.  For now, we will call them by their region.  Hypothetically, and just for the sake of my explanation, let's say that the conference headquarters are located in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and LA, and those are the markets that they would like to control.  This explains why each region is mainly full of regional schools.  We have the North-East, South-East, Mid-West, South (sounds better than Mid South) and West conferences.  These are their conferences for football and basketball.  There is no independence allowed for a school.  You have to be within a conference to play games against them (this also means no more scheduling FCS schools, SEC).  For basketball, schools from other conferences would be allowed to play for the tournament as they are now.  We, much like the schools, are concentrating mainly on football.  Football money, football influence, football viewers.

The draft will have 16 rounds.  The draft order was selected via a blind random lottery by my friend Andrew Fertig, who does not care about college sports and was therefore my Ernst & Young, guaranteeing no cheating or bias in the draft lottery selection.  The results of the lottery are as followed:

1. Mid-West
2. West
3. North-East
4. South-East
5. South

This is not a snake draft.  It will work like the NFL or NBA's.  So, without further explanation, let's see Round 1!

1. Mid-West: Notre Dame
2. West: Oregon
3. North-East: Ohio State
4. South-East: Florida
5. South: Texas

No huge surprises here.  Notre Dame, whether you like it or not, is the most important NCAA football school in terms of money, influence, fan base and brand name.  The Mid-West is ecstatic that they got the #1 pick and are the conference that the Irish finally call home.  Oregon is the pick in the West.  Why not USC, you ask?  Simple: Nike.  Nike's money makes Oregon the more important school.  The NE-ers are crushed that they lost Notre Dame, knowing they were the perfect fit for the NY market, so they rush to get a hold of Ohio State, setting a wide footprint already.  SE chooses the Gators because of their brand importance and history in all sports, and because of Tim Tebow.  The South gets its first pick in the Longhorns.

Round 2

1. MW- Michigan
2. W- USC
3. NE- Florida State
4. SE- Alabama
5. S- LSU

The NE figures it can wait a while to get its local schools, so it takes the 2nd biggest draw in the sunshine state.  MW gets a traditional Notre Dame rival and Midwest favorite in Michigan.  The W keeps USC.  Bama and LSU are now in different conferences.

Round 3

1. MW- Oklahoma
2. W- UCLA
3. NE- Kentucky
4. SE- Texas A&M
5. S- Miami

Only surprise is Kentucky, which the NE takes for basketball, and to get a foot in a southern state.  Crafty people up there.

Round 4

1. MW- Nebraska
2. W- Stanford
3. NE- Penn State
4. SE- Georgia
5. S- Oklahoma State

Sure, Penn State is in trouble right now.  But they still have a rabid and loyal fan base, and fit into the Northeast profile.  Every other conference makes smart picks.

Round 5

1. MW- Michigan State
2. W- Texas Tech
3. NE- Maryland
4. SE- Tennessee
5. S- South Carolina

Maryland?  What?  It is the same argument as Oregon. Maryland is now Under Armour University.  Can't pass up all that money.  Why do you think they are in the B1G now?  The W extends its reach into Texas, while the others beef up on traditional schools.

It goes on for 11 more rounds.  I could explain each pick, but I actually have things to do, so here is a quick summary for each with some notes on their picks after.

The Mid-West Conference

Notre Dame
Michigan
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Michigan State
Kansas
Wisconsin
Indiana
Illinois
Kansas State
Missouri
Rutgers
Iowa
Minnesota
Cincinnati
Boston College

The MW picks up Rutgers and BC late to extend their reach into the East.  They lock up Illinois so they can protect Chicago.  It is a solid representation, for the most part, of the big football programs in the middle of the country.


The West Conference

Oregon
USC
UCLA
Stanford
Texas Tech
BYU
Arizona State
Washington
Colorado
Boise State
Utah
Cal
Oregon State
Washington State
Air Force
Fresno State

The West has a stranglehold on its region.  11 of the former Pac-12 schools add Boise State, BYU, Air Force, Texas Tech and Fresno State.  It makes sense.


The North-East Conference

Ohio State
Florida State
Kentucky
Penn State
Maryland
UNC
West Virginia
Louisville
Purdue
Syracuse
Northwestern
UVA
UConn
Navy
Pitt
Army

The NE may be the best basketball conference, with enough football clout to warrant respect.  They didn't stick to the North East, but they knew they couldn't and remain on the same level.  They add Army and Navy because they instantly have built in fan bases and a nationally broadcast game in December.  They get Northwestern to attempt to take some viewers away in Chicago.  And, again, Under Armour.


The South-East Conference

Florida
Alabama
Texas A&M
Georgia
Tennessee
Auburn
Clemson
Virginia Tech
Duke
NC State
Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
USF
UCF
Temple
East Carolina

Again, very strong regionally, with a wide footprint and fan base.  Stretching from Florida to Texas and back up to Pennsylvania, the South East has representation in every important football state in its region.


The South Conference

Texas
LSU
Miami
Oklahoma State
South Carolina
Arizona
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Georgia Tech
Baylor
San Diego State
Nevada
TCU
Houston
Southern Miss
Tulsa

The bottom of the country is well represented in the South Conference.  From traditional powers like their first 3 picks, to upstarts like their last 6, the conference stretches from Florida to California while avoiding all those Yankees that just don't get why football is so important.  They also get to play their championship game at Jerry Jones' palace, since (after all) he is an Arkansas alum.



There you go!  That is what the future of NCAA football could, and perhaps should, be.  No more rumors about who is going where.  You have to stay in the conference into which you were drafted.  Maybe, every 15 years or so, there is a new draft.  I imagine that the results would be fairly similar.  What do we end up with?  Conference aligned on regions, for the most part.  That is nice.  However, we lose timeless rivalries, gain many hours of travel for supposed student-athletes, and someone may feel bad if they were picked last or not picked at all.  But hey, no more realignment.

Maybe conferences really aren't the answer.  Maybe the best thing to do is have every school be independent, so they can play numerous rivals every year.  You wouldn't have to worry about your team being 11-1 but missing out on a conference title game because your kicker is a bum.  You could just worry about winning every game in front of you.  And if you make it to a big bowl game, you get to keep all the money for yourself!  One National Title could pay for your entire athletic department for years!  That really sounds like a good solution, doesn't it?  But wait...  That is what Notre Dame does....  Maybe they are smarter than you think.

Bama's Back A Week Later

It isn't fair.  It seemed like a done deal.  All teams had to do was win out against opponents they could beat easily.  It didn't happen, and a familiar Crimson face is staring back at us.  Why is Alabama back in the BCS title hunt?  What happened to KState and Oregon?

Alabama beat Western Carolina (nice bye week in November, huh?) and then got to sit back and watch the #1 and 2 teams in the country choke away the title game.  Kansas State was taken to the woodshed by Baylor.  It may have been understandable if RG3 was still on campus, but he is here in DC.  It didn't matter.  Colin Klein looked lost, Baylor dominated every aspect of the game, and came away with a win over the #1 team in the land.  Klein also lost the Heisman with that game.

Oregon and its unstoppable offense was... stopped.  Stanford showed up big time, led by its redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan (a proud graduate of Gonzaga College High School.  Go Eagles).  They knew exactly how to beat the Ducks, and executed their gameplan perfectly.  The biggest moment of the game, however, may have come when DeAnthony Thomas failed to make a key block that would have let quarterback Marcus Mariota score on what ended up being a 77 yard run.  Instead of an early knockout touchdown, the Ducks turned the ball over on downs and swung the momentum to the Cardinal.

Now, we are left with the possibility of Notre Dame vs Alabama.  The ratings for the game would be amazing, so I know that the NCAA and BCS folks are salivating over it.  But there is still so much more football to be played.  The Irish need to beat a USC team coming off of an embarrassing loss to UCLA.  Alabama still has the Iron Bowl against a hapless Auburn team, and of course the SEC title game.  If Notre Dame wins, they punch their ticket to the big game.  Unfortunately for all of us, it looks like they will end up playing a team from the SEC.

Goodbye Bama? Here's Hoping

It actually happened.  Alabama lost to an SEC opponent not named LSU.  Those pesky Aggies of Texas A&M led from start to finish against the #1 team in the country and favorite to repeat as national champions, winning 29-24 in Tuscaloosa.  I honestly never thought it would happen in the regular season.  Alabama has looked pretty unbeatable most of the season.  After last week's comeback against LSU, it seemed like the team was destined for back to back BCS glory.  Instead?  The newbies to the SEC, led by a freshman QB named Johnny Manziel who just threw his hat back into the Heisman race, managed to beat up the bully in their own schoolyard.

This isn't just a big win for the Aggies, their fans, and my three cousins who went/go to Texas A&M.  This is a win for the soul of college football.  To be honest, I was getting bored with the sport I loved.  The SEC winning every year was awful.  The BCS Championship Game last season was unwatchable.  With so many other great games in bowl season (Remember that Luck-vs-Weeden Fiesta Bowl?  Or Michigan State's 3OT win in the Outback Bowl?), the title game was a snooze-fest.  The prospect of NOT having Alabama, a team that has dominated college football for half a decade, is music to the ears of any fans outside of the SEC.

Now, the only problem is that the season isn't over yet.  The three remaining unbeaten teams, Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame need to remain undefeated.  If any two of them run the season without a loss, then we will get the first BCS title game without SEC representation since 2006.  That game was Texas vs USC, and may be the best BCS title game ever (if not one of the best bowl games ever).  I love the idea of Oregon's high powered offense taking on Heisman front-runner Colin Klein.  I think that a Klein vs Ta'o matchup would be a fantastic storyline.  I think the prospect of Notre Dame's insane defense taking on the video game offense of Oregon would be amazing.  One of these needs to happen.  But there is still time for someone to trip up and let Alabama back in the door.

So, tonight, before you go to bed, whisper a small prayer to the football gods.  Ask them, for Christmas this year even, to keep the SEC out of the BCS title game.  If that ends up happening, it will be for the good of every college football fan in the country.... that doesn't wear Crimson.

Busy Busy Busy

Hello to you, my wonderful readers.

I just wanted to apologize for not writing that much the past few weeks.  See, I got a new job and have been busy.  I promise I will find time to write more as I get back in the flow of working a 9-5.  Look for a new column at some point this weekend. 

Cheers!

JFLAN

Andrew Luck's Big Day

Andrew Luck has been as good as advertised so far.  You may remember my last post was about him and RG3's wonderful season so far.  Well, Mr. Luck has pulled ahead of the new Skins QB in the rookie of the year voting for me.  Luck managed to throw for an NFL rookie record 433 yards and two touchdowns leading the Colts to a victory over the Miami Dolphins.  He truly has become a leader and "field general".  While I have seen some of the other rookie QBs miss a few throws by a mile, I have yet to see that with Luck.  Has he been perfect?  No.  But for a rookie, who had the hope of a fanbase thrust upon him, and following arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, he has been spectacular.  Because of his play, the Colts (who were completely dismal last year) are 5-3 and currently hold a Wild Card. 

Believed the hype.  The Dolphins defense is not that bad, and he made them look like the Redskins (another blog for another time).  The Colts aren't winning because they are lucky.  It's because they have Luck.