Football Wrap Week 3A - Never Trust Clemson

Seems like every year Clemson tries to convince me that I’m wrong. I’m wrong for doubting any of their success. But no matter how hard they try, they won’t make these 3 words untrue.

Never. Trust. CLEMSON.

Clemson has followed this formula. Win great games. Get some national love. Get a prime time game and promptly find a way to crap the bed. Saturday was no different. Ranked No. 10, they faced No. 4 Florida State on ABC  and after taking a 31-28 lead in the third, they were gonna prove me wrong at my birthday bash.

Well an hour or two later, I checked my phone. Florida State won 49-37. Clemson gave up 21 straight points. 21!!! On national TV???? That sounds like some fraud business to me. And don’t tell me FSU is that good because clearly they are. This is about those Tigers acting like kitties once again.

Football Wrap Week 0 (College FB returns on the Beat em Down Express)

It's baaaaaaaaaack! No, not college football season. The Football Wrap! Back to give you tidbits from the weekend in football. 

OSU head coach Mike Gundy: "Check's in the mail, Coach. Thanks for the scrimmage."

Week 1 of the College FB season is usually a Beat Em Down weekend so there’s almost nothing to get excited about. Top 25 teams and other folks battle cream puffs so it’s merely a good morale boost unless there’s an actual upset or marquee matchup.

The results are pretty ridiculous so if you’re looking for any analysis or insight, it’s usually with a grain of salt. I mean Oklahoma State blitzed Savannah State 84-0 so badly that proud booster T. Boone Pickens publicly said OSU needed to beef up their schedule.  Back in the day, I used to criticize some of these teams for playing weak when USC (in the Pete Carroll era) would always play somebody tough.

It’s also why I wouldn’t be opposed to starting college football polls after Week 2 or 3. 1) It’s hard to tell who’s the best when you play so many cream puffs, 2) It’d force more teams to play at least one tough non conference game. But then again, we don't want to shake the system up any more than it already is.

Kentucky 2012 - Michigan 1992 Realized?

I was reading this story on Grantland by Chuck Klosterman on him respecting but not rooting for Kentucky and it made realize something. The youngest and most dominant team in the nation could be the culmination of what the Fab Five started 20 years ago at Michigan.

I'll start by saying I'm not a big fan of John Calipari only because his style of coaching/arrogance has seen his teams fall brilliantly short. 2007-08 Memphis had the best starting 5 in the nation and lost a national title because they couldn't hit free throws or defend Mario Chalmers. 2009-2010 Kentucky had John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and all that talent and lost in the Elite Eight because of free throws and losing to a better coached squad.

Calipari's team play a freewheeling style where a brilliant point guard runs the show without a bunch of set plays. It's fun to watch but as I've seen covering the HS game, you need clear sets with clear vision down the stretch. Freewheeling teams despite talent don't always win. Well Cal is proving me wrong this year.

This Kentucky team with Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and more is one of the best two-way teams in the country. Davis is the best defensive freshman I've seen in a while and his offensive game (while still raw) is improving every game. MKG is a sneaky good all-around player who'll be a lottery pick. But they are well balanced (6 guys averaging double figures) and they play airtight defense in addition to scoring with ease.

And they're doing this while starting 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores. 20 years removed from the Fab Five, the college game has become more and more dominated by younger players making an impact faster.

The Fab Five turned college basketball upside down when Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson all started together in February 1992. They were brash freshmen who upset traditionalists because of their attitude but they also played a sound, team game. People don't say this enough but the Fab 5 - for all their arrogance, trash-talk, attitude - played fundamentally, exciting basketball.

(Proof? Chris Webber became one of the best passing big men in recent memory, Jalen Rose had an solid NBA career and played in the NBA Finals, Juwan Howard is still balling for Miami. Remind me how many guys from 1992 Duke and 1993 UNC had successful NBA careers besides Grant Hill?)

While Georgetown had a bigger social impact and UNLV played the same style while winning a title, the Fab Five not just inspired Black fans and young fans, they showed the future of basketball. Before them, few freshmen made an impact. Before 1991, Wayman Tisdale and Chris Jackson were the only Freshmen 1st Team All-Americans. Pervis Ellison was the Final Four MVP helping Louisville win the 1986 National Title. Kenny Anderson in 1990 was a freshman leading Georgia Tech leading to the Final 4 as a 3rd team AA selection

The Fab 5 showed that freshmen and sophomores wouldn't just be content to wait their turn if they were ready right now. And thanks to the NBA forcing kids to stay in college at least one year, that system went into overdrive.

Flash forward to 2007 - Kevin Durant and Greg Oden as freshmen became First Team All-Americans and Durant became National Player of the Year. That same year in high school, seniors Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo and Kyle Singler were expected to shine right away the next year. And they did.

Beasley and Love became 1st Team AA's. Gordon and Rose made the 3rd team. Love got to the Final Four to lose to Rose and Memphis. All but Singler left after that 2007-08 season and became lottery picks. The game change was in full effect. Now college became a 1-and-done paradise or a glorified minor leagues where top freshmen would automatically be among the top 20-25 players in bball.

It hasn't manifested itself into a national championship yet - again, good coaching, more seasonally developed players typically win out - but if anybody does it, wouldn't surprise me if it's John Calipari, who has jumped on this trend faster  and with greater success/blowback than anyone expected. He's changed players so quick that I can't name too many juniors and seniors he's coached in the last 5 years besides Chris Douglas-Roberts or the rest of the Memphis starters. But instead of most coaches hating it, he's honest about the game and a willing supporter of it (while also making sure his kids are fully aware of the game and don't walk into blindly).

In a sense, Calipari is like Jerry Tarkanian, the controversial yet beloved shepherd of the UNLV dynasty in the 80's and early 90's. I don't necessarily agree with his logic but I can't hate the game. Three Final Fours in five years, last year's kids being hailed for their IQ (esp. Brandon Knight's GPA) and this year's kids being praised for their unselfishness as well as their dominance.

Ironically, Cal's controversy (1996 UMass and 2008 Memphis technically don't exist) is similar to how the Fab Five era technically doesn't exist due to NCAA violations. But one lesson from the Fab Five was that eventually folks would legally find ways to recruit the best freshmen and find the same success without the NCAA coming down with the hammer.

Does it ultimately hurt the college game? It waters down the overall product among other factors. But where I disagree with Klosterman is that it turns recruiting into a privileged game. Kids play for schools with 1) big names, 2) family ties, 3) excellent coaches, 4) proven track records of success, 5) friendships and more. Winning always attracts players and I don't see anybody complaining about it in college football - albeit there's more players but it's also become a game of the rich getting richer.

Last year, Kentucky made the Final Four with a far-less talented roster than the John Wall club but no scandal. Now they are reloaded with a mix of last year's and this year's freshmen and even better than ever.You might hate Kentucky but if they win the NCAA title, they'll be the final step in the rebelution (yes, I said rebelution) the Fab Five started 20 years ago. 19 and 20-year old kids dominating the college game and changing conventional wisdom.

Football Wrap Week 9 (Adios Wade!)

No matter what anybody tells you, pro sports is a coach's league. Players dominate it and make things go but teams usually thrive based on how their coach runs the ship. Case in point - this is what I noticed this week.

My Dallas Cowboys are 1-7 and looked like dog crap since Tony Romo went down and I wrote my eulogy. That's Wade Phillips' fault as players have stopped playing for him and just quit. Finally Jerry Jones put this dog out of its misery and clipped him. Next up - Jason Garrett, the failed Boy Wonder to Wade's Batman. Super Bowl faves to disappointment.

Minnesota's the worst organization in the NFL and why? Brad Childress over-reacting to Randy Moss, jawing with Percy Harvin, coddling Brett Favre. Tell me why he deserves to keep his job? The owner wants to fire him and had they not won Sunday, he'd be gone like Wade.

Buffalo's still winless but playing hard. Give their coach some credit for inspiring the troops because they're still fighting hard despite their record.

Washington's troubles are coming from Mike Shanahan overmanaging that team. He and his son did everything but call Donovan McNabb a waste of talent - out of shape, lazy, can't run a 2-minute drill. Hmmmm where I have heard his before? How about every old stereotype of a Black QB not able to cut it.

I mean what's worse than subbing him for the luckiest QB to reach the Super Bowl since Trent Dilfer. Rex Grossman? It's disrespect of the highest for a team that's still a Top 15 squad and a QB who got you there.

Coaching kills. Coaching wins. The winning teams this year? Jets, Ravens, Giants, Steelers, Packers - all excellent coaches along with great players and playcalling. That's why they're winning and why my teams are struggling.

Speaking of which, the Chargers finally won on the road this year. Two game winning streak means one thing - Houston may finally make the playoffs but Virgo's Teams are 2-0 against the Texans. Go head and chew on that.

Quick football hits.

- I don't care what Cam Newton allegedly did. I care about what he has actually done, which is nothing that he's been accused of. Auburn's checked him out and that's good enough for me. Guilty until proven innocent huh? Not in my book

Cam hasn't done anything wrong at Auburn. This is just smoke with no fire. I'm glad he went out and played well last week. They can't take that Heisman/redemption story away from you. I hope that these stories of youthful discretion are just another reminder of how you've grown since then.

- Illinois coach Ron Zook had a 4th and 1 with 6 minutes left. Up 7 on the road, he elected to punt to Michigan despite picking apart that terrible defense. Tate Forcier led the game-tying drive and set up the stage for that triple OT thriller they won. But Ron Zook made it all happen. Man Up! You on the road, you go for the kill! Die trying not settling.

- UCLA beating Oregon State may have sucked for Boise State and TCU (more on them later), but it's a great win that we needed. This team has no quit in it and the young players are showing why the future's in good hands. Jordan Zumwalt's (above) showing why he was the steal of the HS recruiting season last year.

- When's the last time a blocked PAT was the play of the game? USC-ASU made it all happen. The Trojans snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

- Anybody catch the Lions' new placekicker? That Ndamukong Suh guy has plenty of potential. First time I saw a brotha kick something since the World Cup.

- Peyton Hillis???? Peyton Hillis???? I haven't seen a white tailback have a pro day like that. 184 yards and 2 TD's on the Patriots??? Rub my eyes and let that settle. For the Record, the best rushing days for a White RB: John David Crow (203 yards - 1960), Norm Bulaich (198 yards - 1961)

- Terrell Owens is quietly having a resurgent year with the Bengals. For all that ruckus about him doing damage to the team, his stats (55 catches, 770 yards, 7 TD's) say that he's making it work.

- If Boise State can't crash the BCS title game, here's hoping TCU does after they destroyed Utah. I don't see Oregon or Auburn losing (although I'd bet more on Auburn losing to Alabama) but I want to see the best teams play in the final, not just the best teams from a power conference. The game is better when mid-majors play the big boys.

Bad Fantasy Week for me going 1-3. And my only win was by a score of 50-41. Ah well, next week will be better.