Saturday, January 17, 2009

Regarding Gruden, What Would Troy Aikman Say?

Why should we listen to Troy Aikman? Well a month ago, he said the Philadelphia Eagles would be playing the Arizona Cardinals Sunday for the NFC championship. Aikman also said, "NFL stands for no logic." Looking back on the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's decision to fire coach, John Gruden, Aikman's apprasial makes sense. Some fans in Tampa were demanding Gruden's head on a silver platter. That was based primarily on the vitriol spewing from the mouth of a popular sports talk show host who invested two years berating Gruden. The personality was convinced his good friend, Mike Alstott, would not make the Hall of Fame due to a lack of sufficient playing time. The swarm turned on Gruden; several mediocre Bucs, meanwhile, began leaking their disappointment to the owners. If the Glazers listened to their players, Aikman had this to say, "In cold weather games, I could look at guys coming out of the locker room and tell you who was going to play hard, and who would quit on us." You don't realize, nevertheless, how good a coach Gruden is until you have to play him; and for the Bucs, that could be soon especially if Gruden lands a job with the Jets. Consider this, his complicated ball control offense often limits opponents to fewer than 9 possessions a game. His ability to sign problematic free agents like Michael Pittman, Thomas Jones, Joe Jurevicious, and Antonio Bryant can turn a losing franchise into a contender. Conversely, John Gruden can be his own worst enemy by neglecting the draft while cozying up to veterans at the expense of rookies. In a league valuing experience, the Bucs are turning the franchise over to a former position coach, Raheem Morris. In the no logic league, it makes sense to the Glazers who are preoccupied with their new mistress, Manchester United. The Glazers get another excuse not to spend salary cap money while allowing the franchise to build through the draft. So what would Aikman say, "Well, you really won't know until you look back on this 4-5 years from now." In that time, Gruden, with the right team, may win another Super Bowl." 'The Bucs, meanwhile, could build through the draft and become a legitimate contender." Morris, on the other hand, could be getting a pink slip." In the "No Logic League," it makes sense; but you know what, only time will tell.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

"SEC, SEC!" Say What?

As long as college football is content crowning a mythical national champion, you'll always have an SEC team vying for the title. Why? Because talk is cheap, and all the they do is chant, "SEC, SEC." In reality, the best football and football players come out of California. More players on NFL rosters are from the Los Angeles/ Long Beach area then any other locale. Most of the athletes on Utah - who creamed Alabama -are from L.A. Adding insult to injury, The Pac 10 is undefeated in bowl games. So what does that say about the SEC? Well, Stanford, a purely academic institution, has won more National championships than the entire South Eastern conference. USC, for example, earned their reputation by marketing leggy cheerleaders and burying Auburn, Arkansas, as well as Alabama. On national television, no less, USC shut out Auburn in Jordan Hare Stadium; the Trojans scored 70 points against the Razorbacks; meanwhile John Mckay's Trojans had to hammer the Crimson Tide before the late Bear Bryant would recruit black players. The Florida Gators must be taking notes. When USC coach, Pete Caroll, for example, issued his famous mantra, "Hey, we'll play you anytime, your place or mine." The Gators stressed a need to schedule the Citadel rationalizing the SEC conference games were too tough. Well with the exception of Ole Miss, the SEC seems to be vastly overrated. Alabama laid an egg last night, and Oklahoma can't wait to taste some gator meat. I might add the beef might be too tough for the Sooners; SC, however, has a man size appetite. How about a playoff? So, the old Confederacy can finally put up, or shut up.