Who Dat Gonna Beat them Saints?

Handicapping Super Bowl XLIV is extremely difficult especially when you consider the early favorite, the Indianapolis Colts. Under general manager, Bill Polian, Indy resembles the Oakland Raiders: a team drafting well enough during the 70's to be competitive, yet hardly a dynasty like their predecessor, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders would fill the vacuum whenever the Steelers were too injured to truthfully compete. So far unlike the New England Patriots, the Colts do not appear to be a dominant team; but here they are poised to take advantage of the absence of the early season favorites Pittsburgh, New England, and San Diego. It's the way Indy arrived, however, which makes this contest a toss up. Consider the Colts path to the Super Bowl. They vanquished the Ravens who arguably had one of the worst offenses in the league. The Jets, meanwhile, with their anemic scoring touch were never really capable of challenging the quick, yet vulnerable Colt defense. Quarterback, Payton Manning, though, cut through the impregnable New York defense like butter. A coach on the field, Manning gives the Colts their best chance at winning; and when he's hot, Manning can single handily put a game out of reach; but unlike Baltimore and New York, the Saints are a proficient offensive team although they struggled showing it against the Minnesota Vikings. All things considered,I expect Saints running back, Reggie Bush, to have a monster game possibly resulting in MVP consideration. Bush gives New Orleans a significant advantage on special teams; moreover, it's doubtful the Colts porous defense will be able to match up with Bush coming out of the backfield. Despite the offensive prowess of both these clubs, this game may well be decided by special teams. Its very difficult, nevertheless, to bet against Manning especially if the Saints decide to blitz. Perhaps more than anyone in history, Manning disrupts pressure by throwing to his lighting quick receivers flooding vacant terrain; stilll if the Saints offense eats up a lot of clock, Manning may not have enough processions to outscore New Orleans. The huge throng supporting the Saints could also pay huge dividends for a team making its first Super Bowl appearance. Personally, I think the New Orleans Saints have the better offense which should produce an upset.

New Orleans-28 Indianapolis-24

Big Ten to Add Rutgers, Pitt, and Syracuse

In an effort to reduce mounting budget deficits, the Big Ten is planning to expand its membership by adding Rutgers, Pitt, also Syracuse.

All three of those schools currently belong to the Big East Conference,however a switch to the Big Ten would increase their academic prestige; on the flip side, by adding Rutgers and Syracuse, the Big Ten would finally have inroads into the nations largest television market, New York. This is a major setback for the remaining members of the Big East which is already under fire by the College Football Association for barely fielding competitive football teams. Big Ten expansion could have a ripple effect on the other conferences like the Pac Ten and Big 12. In order to keep pace, those conferences will be force to increase their membership as well. For example, the Pac Ten would have to consider swiping the University of Colorado from the Big 12. Unlike the Southeastern Conference, the Big 10, Big 12, and the Pac 10 belong to the prestiges University Association requiring schools to have viable research graduate programs to enhance their academic reputations.

Sadly, "Gators really are the Big Fish in the Pond."

The next time you watch the Florida Gators consider this: the University of Florida is laying off faculty; cutting back on textbooks; and reducing admissions for incoming freshman. On the flip side, the Florida Gator football team - through financial endowments - has been able to expand scholarships; get brand new Nike uniforms; and build a fresh 31-million dollar athletic complex. More importantly, spending on athletics at UF out paces undergraduate expenditures 3-1. Of course, Florida isn't alone in this category; across the board, head football coaches along with their assistants are increasingly becoming the highest paid employees on campus. Head coach, Urban Myer, for example, earns roughly 3.4 million dollars while University of Florida President, J Bernard Machen, makes $411.000 annually. How did all this happen? Probably the same way Hannah Montana and Brittany Spears became the most widely researched individuals on Google. Beating out my favorite, of course, Madonna. In all candor though, America's mania over college football is occurring during a time when thousands of adolescents will be denied an opportunity to attend college. These same universities crying broke during the recession are expanding luxuries boxes, football stadiums, and weight rooms. By limiting freshmen admissions, however, state universities are taking away the only ladder available for poor children to climb out of poverty; but since they are not politically connected, not one congressman would be willing to tax athletic revenue to create educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Clearly if we are not more deliberate in appropriating all college revenue, this issue can easily become a national disgrace...and that's something mot even a gator can stomach.

New Orleans over New England
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
Carolina over New York
Jacksonville over San Francisco
Upset Special
Alabama over Florida

For Black Coaches, a Referee's Body Language Speaks Volumes

Growing up black in the United States teaches you how to recognize an essential element of survival: body language. This is abundantly clear regardless of walking down the gang infected streets of Compton, or the sterling towers on Wall Street. But what about the gridiron? During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, referee, Tony Corrente's, crew made a glaring mistake. When Tampa Bay wide out, Michael Clayton, made a catch, he fell on his back; and from all appearances, Clayton was down by contact. While lying on the ground, Dolphin defender, Jason Taylor, ripped the ball from Clayton then jogged into the end zone. The official, however, hesitated before ruling no catch. Bucs coach, Raheem Morris, challenged the ruling on the field since instant replay revealed Clayton secured the ball when his elbow hit the ground. After reviewing the rerun, Corrente surprisingly ruled a fumble giving Miami a first down at the Tampa 13 yard line; the Dolphins, meanwhile, scored. Morris, justifiably staggered by the terrible call, voiced his displeasure to the a white official who flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was the body language of official, though, which caught my attention. Rather than approaching Morris in a non confrontational manner, he stood his ground, hunched his shoulders, and tossed the flag high into the air. With such a posture, African Americans hear a white man yelling loud and clear, "Don't raise your voice at me boy!" Morris backed off immediately, but looking through a class prism, you wonder if coaches like Bill Parcells, Jeff Fisher, or Tom Coughlin would have been allowed to argue their points? The Bucs are a bad football team, more importantly, officials are inclined to believe there is a good reason for their mediocrity; consequently, referees are less likely to tolerate any lip. In this case, however, a young black coach may have been put in his place by more than just lip service.

Bucs hold the fate of two coaches

In a bit of irony, the fate of two coaches could be determined Sunday when the Buccaneers play the Carolina Panthers. If favored Carolina wins, they could salvaged something from a disappointing year by breaking even with a victory next week over hapless Buffalo. With a loss to the Panthers, Tampa Bay could go winless since they won't be favored in any of their remaining games. Although Panthers coach, John Fox, has guided Carolina to a Super Bowl, the team usually follows winning seasons with losing spells; and this year is no different. Following last season's 12-4 record, Carolina is 1-3. To make matters worse, there is turmoil in the Panthers' front office with owner, Jerry Richardson's, two sons leaving after fighting over a successor. The founder is recovering from a heart transplant; meanwhile rumors persist his daughter may take over the club, or the Panthers could be sold. None of this helps Fox as Panther fans continue to blame him for this season's collapse. A lost to the rival Bucs would probably determine Fox destiny in Carolina. Bucs coach, Raheem Morris, on the other hand, would be hard pressed to keep his job if Tampa Bay goes 0-16. Consider this: during training camp, Morris pointed to the Panthers as a model franchise replete with the kind of players the Bucs should emulate. Perhaps, Morris was listening to the same guy who convinced the Indians to sell their land for 0.10 cents an acre. Of course, not all of this falls on Morris: Discontent is simmering over general manager, Mark Dominick's, decision to hire defensive coordinator, Jim Bates, whose Denver Broncos defense ranked 29Th in the league; and true to form, the Buccaneers are 29Th. Bates came under more criticism when former Buccaneer, Steve White, questioned why a coach would have former defensive end, Gaines Adams, line up on the left side for two plays, and then switch him over to right side on third down. According to White, a defensive end spends his first two plays setting up the offensive tackle for an unexpected move on third down. Clearly like so many others including Jeff Jagodinski, Bates was not thoroughly vetted during the hiring process. For all intents and purposes, the owners of the Buccaneers, the Glazers, should not get a free pass either. The family is deeply in debt after using mostly junk bonds to finance their acquisition of soccer power, Manchester United. The Glazers, moreover, have refused to sign free agents and cut payroll during the off season by releasing Derrick Brooks, Ike Hillard, as well as Cato June. More than likely, the Panthers win 24-14, and Fox lives on to fight another day. Morris, though, should spend some of his free time updating his resume.

Bettors note

I like the Giants to win in New Orleans, and Atlanta over the Chicago Bears.

Top 5
New York Giants
New Orleans Saints
Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos

The Bucs; Raheem Morris; and Stepin Fecthit?

For those of you too young to remember, old school actor,Stepin Fecthit, was the lazy character portrayed by Lincoln Perry in the 1929 film, "Show Boat." Although Fecthit's role as a listless African-American humming"Ole Man River" still haunts black men, Fecthit laughed all the way to the bank. While no one is indirectly lampooning coach, Raheem Morris, he is, in a round about way, turning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a parody. The organization is by all standards a joke. Let's begin with the abrupt firing of former coach, John Gruden. One of the owners, Joel Glazer, insists he fired Gruden because he listens to the fans; it turns out, however, the Glazers terminated their feisty coach when he berated them for asking him to change the offense. The Glazers, furthermore, say its not about the money; so why did they release Cato June, Derrick Brooks, and several more holdovers just before they were due million dollar signing bonuses? But this gets better still, the Tampa Bay media joined in the feeding frenzy by demanding Gruden's head: naturally, they assumed the Bucs would hire former Steeler coach, Bill Cowher or Mike Shananhan. The Glazers, though, doubled crossed everyone by renting Raheem. Consequently, Morris tries to explain away this winless state affairs by insisting his team has to grow up. Gruden, for all his drawbacks, was able to work around the penny-pinching Glazers by employing troubled free agents like Antonio Bryant also Jeff Garcia. These guys became quick fixes by allowing the Bucs to stay competitive while other teams were busy retooling. Similar to Stepin Fecthit, Raheem minces words and stutters while trying to describe a team constantly being spoofed in the local press. To be honest, things don't get any better this week when
Tampa Bay plays the Philadelphia Eagles; only a hoodlum would allow his children to witness this iminent bloodletting. In the end, the sad thing about Stepin Fecthit: despite making millions, he went bankrupt; but unfortunately for Raheem Morris, time isn't money.

In Miami, The Numbers Don't Add Up.

I was recently touched by a radio commentator bragging about the number of pro football players coming out of Miami Dade county: I ponder, on the other hand, why he failed to mention a more telling statistic: the amount of young African American males from Miami Dade county going to prison: about one out of three. The sum just doesn't add up. For every black male making it to the National Football League, there are hundreds more being shackled. On the flip side,there are no men in the NFL from New York's heavily Jewish Westchester county, yet they have plenty of guys in law school, Med School, and Ivy League graduate schools. So you tell me, what's wrong with this picture? Perhaps one explanation comes from the U.S. Census Department showing 40% of African American males are unemployed; well I can see why when the leading employer is the NFL and NBA; sure, they're just begging for job applicants. The trouble is some black fathers excoriate their sons when they fumble a football or miss a layup, but they could care less when the kid doesn't turn in his homework, or cusses out his teacher. At least these dads, nevertheless, are showing up for something beyond a prison work detail. Still, this disparity may explain why New York's graduation rate for blacks is a paltry 26%. You know what else is the pits; according to a recent study, the financial plight of African Americans is nothing short of abysmal; consider this: 1/200,000 have a chance of playing in the NBA. 1/3,000 will earn a Ph.D 1/400 will become a doctor, while 1/20 will be incarcerated. So what is the NFL doing to turn these numbers around, absolutely nothing. Oh occassionaly, a player may visit an inner city school while reading to a few kids during a swank photo shoot, but that's extent of it. While we look on with pride at all the players from football producing states like Florida, California, also Texas, Rome is burning, and one day, we may all end up choking on the smoke.