Sports Then and Now

The Big East may be losing, and gaining, some schools for College Football.

The Big East, and Big 12, have been at it for a couple of weeks. However, not only the conferences are working towards aligning their respective “divisions”  differently, the schools are. Here’s the Big East Merry Go Round:

Pittsburgh and Syracuse want out. The Big East for College Football has fallen to the cellar of any College Football Conference Ranking. The conference just can’t win the big games. Did you see Connecticut last year? They won the Big East, but then got run over by Oklahoma 48-20. There’s no way for a Big East team to win a BCS game right now, it’s impossible.

I’m questioning and pondering why Pitt and ‘Cuse want out. They plan on moving over to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), but every fan knows that they can’t win their either. Sure, recent NFL Players have come out of Pittsburgh, Lesean McCoy, Larry Fitzgerald, and you can even go back with Dan Marino, Mike Ditka and Tony Dorsett. It’s the truth, the University of Pittsburgh has a stellar football program, the thing is, they can barely win in the Big East, and I can’t imagine them tearing up the ACC like they plan on doing. Fine, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia are all easy teams to beat, but North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson will wallop the Panthers. All I have to say about Pitt, is there is just no point in switching Conferences.

Syracuse, has a little different story. The Orangemen were a prominent team way back when, but they have struggled at the Carrier Dome, and every field, for recent years. The Orange, have turned it around a little bit, but still haven’t found any formula for winning games, and the Big East in general. ‘Cuse hadn’t had a winning season since 2001 after their 8-5 campaign last year, and haven’t reached a BCS Bowl since 1998! We’ll see if the Orange can turn it around, or Syracuse will find themselves being the pushover in the ACC.

Possible Contenders: There has been rumors flying in all directions about the Big East, but this is true: If anyone in the Big East leaves, the Big East will replace them. Possible schools to fill the gap are Army, Navy, Air Force, Temple, Villanova and East Carolina. Notre Dame, Memphis, Houston, Central Florida and Southern Methodist are all longshots, but are definitely still in the running. Even add Connecticut to the “I want out” list, as the defending Big East Champs may want to follow the leaders. Read the rest of this entry →

A defense that includes former All-Pros Shawne Merriman (#56) and Nick Barnett has fans excited in Buffalo.

All of a sudden Buffalo Head Coach Chan Gailey and General Manager Buddy Nix are starting to look like geniuses.

Until a week ago, even the most loyal, optimistic Bills fans were being tempted to doubt. After a mostly dismal pre-season, the popular prognosis for the Bills ranged from regression to no improvement to a 6-10 record at best.

But then Buffalo spanked the Chiefs 41-7 for their most lopsided opening day win since the O.J. Simpson era. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had a nearly flawless game, and the Bills defense was looking like a cross between the classic Purple People Eaters and the Steel Curtain– or maybe– the much heralded “No-Name” Dolphins defense of the ‘70’s.

It was impressive and surprising for everyone. From the most subjective Bills fan to the most jaded pundit, everyone was left speechless– except, perhaps to say, “Wow!”  In fact, one NFL journalist had predicted a 42-7 score favoring Kansas City just days before the season opener. Wow! No, really. Wow!

But of course the question was, how real was that? Was it a fluke? Could the Bills repeat the performance against another tough running team like the Raiders? Certainly not, most handicappers insisted. Even The Buffalo News predicted a 20-14 loss.

And then, as the home opener commenced in front of a sold out Ralph Wilson Stadium, and Oakland jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead, most people– even the most loyal fans, if they were to be honest– had to be thinking the Chiefs game really was a fluke.

“Same old Bills. Get our hopes up just to dash them. We’ll be 1-1, and the Patriots are coming next week.”

Well, at least that’s what I was thinking, hard as I tried to stay hopeful.

But then the second half started and a football game broke out. Bills fans began to wonder where the real Bills had been hiding in the first half, and who were those imposters spotting the Raiders 18 points? The team that took the field in the second half came out with a vengeance, scored 21 unanswered points, and then got into a barn burner of a shootout that reminded those of us who are old enough to remember, of a Monday night game in 1974 when the Bills beat the Raiders at home, after exchanging touchdowns twice in the final minute of the game. Read the rest of this entry →

Before news broke that Cecil Newton had shopped the services of his son to college teams, they appeared to be the feel-good story of college football in 2010.

You know how sometimes you make a decision that seems to be a good short-term choice, but when looked in the bigger context probably wasn’t such a smart idea? Well, I can’t help thinking of that kind of notion when thinking about Cam Newton and the record-setting performance he had yesterday in his first game for the Carolina Panthers.

Even though the Panthers lost, given that Newton threw for more yards in his professional debut than any quarterback in NFL history, today should be a day when Newton is celebrated nationwide as a budding superstar and starts to cash in on his mile-wide smile, dynamic personality and athletic ability.

However, while I believe there is general appreciation for his performance and ability, I get the sense that many people across the country aren’t really interested in signing up for the “Cam Era” and likely will never embrace him in the way that his talent and potential might deserve.

You can choose to say that the reason for this is that he is a black quarterback in what is still predominately a white quarterback world, but I will respectfully disagree.

Instead, I believe that players such as Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Doug Williams, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick and others have paved the way for someone like Cam Newton to be the face of a franchise and the face of the NFL.

In my opinion, the biggest reason that Cam Newton isn’t receiving the unbridled love of sports fans across the country can be traced to one of those short-term decisions. When Cam’s father, Cecil Newton, chose to hold discussions about how much it was worth to certain universities to secure the services of his son, Cecil unknowingly forever altered how his son is perceived by the sports world.

Whether or not you believe that money changed hands (to my knowledge no evidence of this has been proven) or whether you believe that Cam knew about the discussions (as of now the NCAA has ruled that he didn’t), you cannot help but look at Cam in a different light than if his father had respected the rules of amateur athletics and the NCAA and waited until after his son had completed his college career to cash in financially.

I have little doubt that if the world had never learned that Cecil Newton tried to trade the services of his son to Mississippi State for a six-figure cash deal, Cam Newton would have been the toast of the sports world even before his amazing NFL debut. Read the rest of this entry →

This is not the normal uniform or location for Peyton Manning during Colts games.

Given his remarkable consistency, success and durability during 17 years as a college and professional quarterback, it is hard to contemplate that the end could be near for one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation. However, following his second next surgery of the offseason and third in two years, it is conceivable that even Peyton Manning has found an opponent he can’t out-maneuver.

Now 35 years of age, Manning’s inability to quickly recover from offseason neck surgery could be partly a result of the NFL lockout and inability to receive treatment from his regular trainers, but it could also be a result of age and years of continual pounding from large men trying to inflict physical harm on him.

Regardless of why, it is now apparent that Manning is unlikely to play in the near future and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if he misses the entire season. At that point, it will only be natural to wonder if Manning will ever be able to return to the NFL.

While every injury is certainly different, Manning isn’t the first great NFL player to suffer a neck injury. Both Sterling Sharpe and Michael Irvin had their careers ended by neck injuries. Since his injury didn’t result in immediate diagnosis of an end to his career, there are obviously differences in the severity, but  now after three surgeries there are certainly concerns about his long-term health.

If Manning is able to return to the field, whether it be this season or in 2012, I have little doubt that he will still have the will of a champion, but given his age, the question will be if he still has the arm strength and physical ability to maintain the high level of performance he has displayed throughout his career.

We have long considered Manning to be a great quarterback, but when analyzing his 13 years of NFL work, it is amazing to see just how impressive he has been from the beginning until the end. Read the rest of this entry →

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers appear poised for a repeat run to the Super Bowl.

After seeing some of my “5 Bold Predictions” for college football come crashing to the ground after just one week (thanks Notre Dame and TCU), I approach my NFL predictions with a sense of caution knowing that they could be totally off-base before the first week is even complete.

Even with a shortened off-season, this promises to be an exciting NFL campaign. I think because of the lack of preparation time you will see some teams that rely on preparation struggle early while teams that have superior talent will be able to hit stride right away.

It is already apparent that one huge issue in 2011 will be injuries. Several teams have lost starting players to season ending injuries and because players have gone at full speed for such short times during the preseason expect that to continue to happen throughout the regular season.

Prediction 1: The New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts will miss the playoffs

This statement might seem a bit bolder if Peyton Manning’s season wasn’t in limbo and if seemingly half of the defense for the New York Giants wasn’t already out for the season with injuries.

Every year there seems to be at least one team that has their season derailed or significantly altered by injuries. It appears that both the Giants and Colts will have a difficult time overcoming the injuries that have already impacted their season.

Of the two teams, I think the Giants can probably still be a decent team even without Terrell Thomas, Johnathan Goff, Marvin Austin and the others. However, in a division that includes two other likely playoff contenders in the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, there is little margin for error and as they learned last season, even a 10-win season doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry →

A two-team race between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets for most of the last decade, the AFC East may be more competitive in 2011. Both Buffalo and Miami have key youngsters and new veteran stars to level the playing field in the division.

After being signed by the Bills late last season, linebacker Shawne Merriman will look to make an impact on Buffalo's defense in 2011.

Since 2001, New England has eight division titles and is 3-1 in Super Bowls. The Jets have been the runner-up in the AFC each of the last two seasons. In fact, the division has been won by either the Patriots or Jets every year since 2001 except for 2008 when Miami won it.

The Bills will look to linebacker Shawne Merriman who they acquired off waivers last November as well as Alabama rookie defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to bolster their defense. A first-round pick in 2005 when he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Merriman has been slowed by injuries in recent years. Dareus, the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Citi BCS National Championship game win over Texas, is projected to start. Buffalo finished tied for 27^th in the league in 2010 with just 27 sacks.

Merriman is looking to be of the same impact that he was from 2005 through ‘07 when he logged 39.5 of his 43 career sacks.

Reggie Bush brings his quickness, agility, and speed to the Dolphins' new-look rushing attack in 2011.

The Dolphins sport new running backs after signing veterans Reggie Bush and Larry Johnson. Bush is a gamebreaker with his speed and agility running and receiving. Johnson adds toughness.