Bleacher Report - Articles by Stacey Mickles

The Rick Pitino Story Will Never Be Over

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:54:20 -0400

So, yet another sports figure gets caught with his pants down. This time it’s Louisville’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino. We all remember the story about a woman trying to extort money for Pitino, claiming she was raped. What we didn’t know is how far this story went.

The police found out that the allegations of rape were false and that what really happened was Pitino had sex with the woman. Oh, but it doesn’t end there. Apparently, there are unconfirmed reports out there that Pitino paid for this woman to have an abortion.

His lawyers are saying it was for health insurance, but come on. Let me say this, I’m a very liberal person so for me this isn’t about a political issue. This is a moral issue.

As an Alabama fan and grad, my school went through its share of scandals with coaches back in the '90s and early 2000s. Wimp Sanderson, the head basketball coach, allegedly hit his secretary who was also his mistress.

Head football coach Mike Dubose had an affair also and a few years later Mike Price was fired for being caught in strip club down in Florida. It was also rumored at the time that he had a wild night with these strippers which was found out later not to be true.

You can say a lot of things about the University of Alabama, but one thing was certain; these guys were terminated after all this information came out. Alabama already has a tarnished image because of NCAA probation; it didn’t need these scandals to add to that.

But even those scandals don’t even add up to what Pitino allegedly did with this woman. He not only have sex with her, but he did it with an assistant coach near by in an empty Italian restaurant.

How bizarre. If you are the University of Louisville, where do you draw the line and say enough is enough? Yes, this is guy that has never given you trouble and he is a winner, but how do you justify letting him continue as head coach without some kind of punishment?

What kind of message are you sending? Hey it’s okay for our head coach to do what he wants because he wins us ball games? I heard Colin Cowherd say on his show yesterday that he didn’t think that this would affect Pitino and basically said it’s no big deal. Really?

It may not be a big deal to him, but it’s going to affect him. If I’m John Calipari of Kentucky, I’m salivating at the thought of using this against Pitino in recruiting. Cowherd’s point yesterday was that kids don’t care. Maybe not, but parents do.

If you are Pitino, how do you explain yourself to family of an 18-year old star recruit? An affair is one thing, but having to explain an abortion is another. A lot of people are against abortion and to hear that the head coach of a major university paid for the abortion of his mistress is troubling.

Louisville and Pitino think that by him coming out and apologizing that this will all blow over, but it’s not. Now, at every game and venue there will be abortion protesters. There will be cruel cat calls from opposing fans. It wouldn’t shock me if at one of these games that someone pulls out a poster of dead fetus and shoves it in Pitino’s face and calls him a murderer.

Oh no, this is far from over. If anything, the problems are just beginning.

The Top 10 Most Powerful Coaches in SEC History

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:52:48 -0400

Since 1933, the Southeastern Conference has produced some of the best football in the country. Naturally, when you are considered by most experts as the best football conference in the country, you don't get that reputation without some very powerful figure heads. The coaches on this list are not only powerful for the championships won, but how they have inflluenced their schools, the SEC and some cases the nation.

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10 Sports Figures Who I Am Tired of Hearing about This Year

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:27:44 -0400

Please make it stop! All of these sports figures have been in the news wayyyyyyyy too much and as my two-year old niece would say “I’m tired” of hearing about this people. These are the athletes that have been in the news so much that it just makes you want to pull your hair out and scream. So, let the count down begin.

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NASCAR Needs a New Points System

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:48:55 -0400

What sport has a points system that has its driver with the most wins in 11th place in the standings? Of course NASCAR.

I’m far from being a NASCAR expert, but something is wrong with the system if your leader in wins is not No. 1.

The points system in NASCAR is so confusing it’s hard to explain or comprehend it. And you thought the BCS is messed up.

Basically the NASCAR points system is not only based on just the number of wins one gets and where you place, but the number of laps led in a race, which makes no sense to me or anybody else what so ever.

Mark Martin won at Chicagoland Race Course Saturday night and has won the most races (four) so far this season. But because he hasn’t led the most laps or placed higher in certain races, he is not even in the top 10 in the points standing. Tony Stewart is tops right now with two wins.

Now, I can understand to a certain extent why you do need a points system to determine who leads what, because there are only a handfull of drivers who have actually won races this year. But when guys are ahead of the guy who has won the most races thus far, changes need to be made.

How about this: The guy who wins the most races is your leader and you use the point system to determine who comes behind him. One thing I hate about “The Chase” is that after half way through the season, if you aren’t one of the Top 12 drivers, you basically don’t exist any more.

If NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets hot and wins a bunch of races, it won’t count because he isn’t involved in the Chase. Junior, in fact, won’t make the Chase again for the third time out of the last four years.

The point is: Wouldn’t the Chase be more exciting and fair if all the drivers are involved instead of just the Top 12? It was more fun last year to see Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards go at it for the first half of the season rather than see Jimmie Johnson over take them both in the end.

I know this system is supposed to bring more excitement to NASCAR, but instead it’s going to bring more controversy and confusion. It would be a shame if Mark Martin were to win more races this year, but can’t win a championship because of a flawed system.

If it Wasn't for the Williams' Sisters, Where Would American Tennis Be?

Stacey Mickles — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:06:59 -0400

While we are giving thanks this Fourth of July weekend for our freedom, let's pause and be grateful that American Tennis is still alive and well because of the Williams' sisters.

For the eighth time yesterday, Venus and Serena Williams played against each other with Serena winning her third Wimbledon Title.

Serena leads the series between the two 6-2. I know there are a lot of naysayer’s who cannot stand either sister and I can't quite understand why.

If it wasn't for them, they would be no great American tennis players. Back in the day you had, Connors, McEnroe, Evert, Sampras, and Agassi to carry the American tennis banner, but if it wasn't for Venus and Serena, where would American tennis be today?

And before someone mentions Andy Riddick's name, I know he did well today in the Men's Final, but he still cannot seem to get passed Nadal or Federer to win championships. Until he does that, he will be the third best player in men's tennis.

Oh and James Blake? Blake shows up when he wants to usually it's around U.S. Open time. Venus and Serena are the only two great American tennis figures we have like it or not. When they are on their game as they showed the last few days, they are unstoppable. They not only faced each other this weekend in the Wimbledon Finals, but as a double's team won the championship as well this weekend.

They are American tennis right now.

Serena has won her second Grand Slam this year, her first being the Australian Open earlier and had she played well in the French Open, we'd be talking about her going for a sweep in New York in September.

Had Venus won, this would have been her third straight Wimbledon Title. When is the last time ANY woman has done that in recent years. Now, I've heard and seen this week on Twitter how some American's dislike the sister's so much that they were pulling for the Russians to be in the Finals.

I have nothing against Russian tennis players, but these are AMERICANS people and we should be grateful that these two can still hold up that banner proudly. Yes, they can be arrogant, but most great athletes are. Name one athlete who isn't cocky about their abilities and I bet dimes to doughnuts that player has yet to win a title.

These women are the best of the best and it's a shame that we as American's sometimes we don't appreciate that. We better enjoy Venus and Serena while we can because once they are gone, the future looks bleak for American tennis.

Top Five Hottest Drivers in NASCAR

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:39:10 -0400

Normally when you think of the hottest drivers in NASCAR, you think of guys who are really good drivers who are burning up the racing circuit, but I’m talking about guys who are not only hot on the track, but off the track as well. NASCAR is not the fastest growing sport for no reason right ladies?

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The Most Hated and Controversial Figures in Sports Today

Stacey Mickles — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:09:33 -0400

Love them or hate them (and for most of you it's hate) these sport figures are some of the most talked about and influential personalities in sports today. It would be too easy to write an article on the most hated athletes in sports today because there are so many to choose from and some of the choices would be a little bit too obvious,but this list encompasses coaches, owners, and other sports personalities that are the most hated.

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Allegations and Sanctions Hurt Big Time College Football

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:09:14 -0400

I was listening to a talk show one morning here in my hometown and the topic was about USC. As most of you already know, USC is being investigated by the NCAA for violations by the football and basketball programs.

If the allegations are true, USC could go down hard and should go down hard.

Lots of teams including the one’s I follow here in the Southeast have suffered major penalties for cheating and that’s without the coaches even being involved in the situation. USC may actually have had a coach involved in buying a player and from what is being said this thing is getting so big that the Feds are may be involved now.

It’s one thing to have the NCAA on your tail, but the Feds too? Not good at all.

Which brings up my point and the point of the broadcaster a few days ago, if a school like USC goes down is it good for college football? I know a lot of you argued about the BCS saying that it is bad for college football because it wasn’t fair to the smaller schools and conferences.

But isn’t it also bad when the big boys go down as well? I don’t think it’s good for any sport to have the major kings in that particular sport to be down.

It doesn't matter to me if USC gets probation or not, although it might be beneficial for the PAC-10 in some ways because it might create better competition among the rest of the league, but on the national scene not having USC up there with the other big boys of college football is not good for the sport.

As in the Alabama case, apparently a lot of the national media seem to be upset that Bama wasn’t hit harder by the NCAA. In fact most of them said that the Crimson Tide got off easy the other day when in truth one slip up, the athletic department could be almost shut down.

If the NCAA did what some reporters thought that Alabama deserved, they would be crazy. Why would they shut down one of the hottest and most profitable programs in the country to appease some reporters?

Why do you think Tim Floyd quit the USC basketball program? In all likelihood to save Pete Carroll and USC football. USC and Alabama football are way too valuable to the NCAA right now to have either program shut down. But make no mistake about it, the message is being sent that their patience with violators and future violators is growing thin and they can’t or won’t save everybody.

Text Book Scandal May Mean More Trouble For Bama

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:53:54 -0400

The University of Alabama just received 24 hours notice from the NCAA about the status of their student-athletes involvement in a text book scandal. Apparently, certain student-athletes might have been receiving extra benefits by either selling or by helping fellow students by letting them use their vouchers to get books. That's a no,no in the NCAA's eyes.

On the surface this would be an open and shut case and Alabama wouldn’t have anything to worry about. Problem is this will be the third time in 15 years that Alabama may be facing probation.

Although they did follow procedure, investigated and turn themselves in, there is no guarantee that anything the athletic department did will save them from being hammered again by the NCAA.

As the NCAA has shown in the past, cooperating with them does not mean you’ll get a lighter sentence. It just means they like what did and give you a nice slap on the back for making their jobs easier.

Back in 2002, many remember the Albert Means case with a booster. Alabama cooperated fully with the NCAA and they still got slapped; now many Alabama fans don’t know what to expect to hear tomorrow.

Some experts speculate that it might be a loss of a few scholarships and may be some wins taken away if these student-athletes were involved in this during the time of their eligibility.

The good news is at least it seems the football program may not be too affected by the ruling; bad news is as it was reported in the Birmingham News yesterday that over 200 athletes were involved. Rumor has it the program that may be effective the most by all of this could be track and field. But track and field doesn’t have 200 athletes, so there was more then just them and the football program involved.

The question is how long will Mal Moore be athletic director if the school is hurt again? This is the second time under his watch that the NCAA is knocking on the door and you wonder how long the university and President Robert Witt is going to let Moore skate.

At a certain point, does Witt decide he has had enough and wants Moore to step down? For all the good Mal Moore has done for Alabama -- like raise funds for the athletic department, stadium expansion, hiring Anthony Grant and Nick Saban -- he also has the stain of NCAA probation on his resume as well.

If Bama does get nailed again by the sanctions committee tomorrow, Moore maybe asked to step down to save face. If that were to happen, it will be a sad day for the University of Alabama. Moore is the last link to the Bryant Legacy. But knowing what kind of man Moore is said to be, it wouldn’t surprise many if he does just that to save his beloved University.

Tony Franklin's Summer of Discontent

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:59:03 -0400

Who said summer is boring? Summer in the state of Alabama is never boring. There is always some activity going on. Last year it was the buzz surrounding Tony Franklin’s new offense at Auburn. This season the buzz is still about Tony Franklin although he hasn’t coached in almost a year.

This past weekend Franklin made some very unflattering comments about his experience at Auburn. That’s not really surprising knowing that he was fired in the middle of the season and how many Auburn fans blame him for their team’s failures last year.

What was surprising was that it seems Franklin’s main complaint about his time at Auburn was the coaching staff seemed to be more focused on talking about religion then football. Now, this article is not about to turn into whether or not speaking about your religious beliefs is right or wrong because everyone has their own beliefs, but that is one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard.

Franklin’s beliefs didn’t seem to match the rest of the Auburn coaching staff which made him an “outsider” possibly explaining why some of the other coaches didn’t accept him. Ask Alabama a few years ago how a lack of chemistry affected that football team back in 2000. The 2000 Alabama Crimson Tide was suppose to bring the program back to glory.

But rumors were swirling that there was chaos with the 2000 Alabama coaching staff and that's why that team wasn't successful. Coaches didn’t seem to get along with each other, at times no one knew what plays were being called and Mike Dubose’s leadership abilities at the top was clearly not there.

Sounds like what took place down in Auburn last year; lots of expectations with no results.

But it was more then religious beliefs that cased the collapse of the 2008 Auburn football team; it was bad coaching and lack of good players that finally caught up to Tommy Tubberville.

Tubberville began to see the writing on the wall with how well Nick Saban was doing at Alabama in recruiting and he panicked. Rather then stick with the same offensive philosophy that has been successful over the years, Tubs went out and brought in Tony Franklin and his spread offense to attract more recruits to campus. What it did actually was expose Tuberville as an average recruiter.

Tubs and the Auburn coaching staff used the term “coached up” when media and fans wondered why there weren’t a lot of four and five-star recruits gracing their campus. We don’t bring in stars they said, we make them.

Truth was, Tubs wasn’t a great recruiter. How do you run the spread when you don’t have the players to do it?

His lack of recruiting pretty much went unchecked and unnoticed until last season. Oh, but Franklin shouldn’t be left off the hook either. He was a terrible offensive coordinator. It was quite obvious that he had no idea what to do. Rather than change the offense to suit another quarterback or to suit his starting quarterback’s talent, he stuck with what he knew which cost him his job.

There were other factors involved also such as injuries and other off the field issues which cause the collapse of the Auburn Tigers, but Franklin can’t seem to let accept his part in that collapse.

The Top Five Alabama Receivers Of All-Time

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:53:36 -0400

Who is the greatest receiver in Alabama history? there are a lot to choose from and it's hard to make a list like this because I know I will have forgotten someone who probably deserves to be on here. This list is not really about numbers, although it will play a small part, but who in my opinion was and is the most clutch players at this position in my eyes.

5. Al Bell

Many young Crimson Tide fans won’t remember Bell because he played in the 1980’s with former Crimson Tide head coach and quarterback Mike Shula. Bell was a transfer who made an immediate impact on the team especially in the 1985 season.

After coming off a 5-6 season in 1984, the Tide had to open the 85 season with Georgia, not an easy game by no means. With only a few minutes to go in the game, Georgia took the lead on a block punt.

Mike Shula marched the team down the field and Bell would catch the winning touchdown with only seconds to go to lead the Tide to victory. Bell played an important part in that season with his amazing catches and reverse runs.

He became Shula’s most clutch receiver that year and played a huge role in leading Bama to a victory in that memorable 1985 Iron Bowl against Auburn.

4. Joey Jones

Joey Jones was not the biggest guy on the team, but he had the biggest heart. The 5-9 receiver was on Bear Bryant’s last team in the early 80’s. Jones was known for his great catches when he would sacrifice his body just to make a spectacular play.

One of his most memorable catches was when he was a player with the now default USFL’s Birmingham Stallings. Jones caught a pass that made his body parallel with the field. He looked like Superman without the cape.

3. Julio Jones

The only reason this Jones is not higher on the list is because I see greater things to come for this young man. He didn’t have the numbers of an AJ Green of Georgia, but in most experts opinions, he was more skilled and more dangerous with the ball then Green. JJ was good as advertise coming into the 2008 season and he did not disappoint.

He made plays that would normally be made by veteran receivers and made the guys covering him look silly. Memorable plays: The first touchdown catch of the season against Clemson, the over shoulder grab against Georgia.

By the end of the season teams were doubling him, so he wasn’t as effective as he was in the beginning of the year, but if he gets some help on the other side, watch out. Jones for Heisman is not out of the rim of possibility.

2. Don Hutson

When you talk about great Alabama receivers, most people forget about Don Hutson. Just about every pro receiving record is or was held by this man, but he is mostly forgotten mainly because he played in an era that most people forget about and that’s the 1930’s.

Most fans do not realize that Alabama’s dominance in football didn’t begin in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but started in the 30’s with Hutson and a certain legendary head coach. Hutson was an All-American in 1934 and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1. David Palmer

Yes the deuce. Palmer was best known as a kick return specialist, but we forget that this man was a wide receiver. Any time he was on the field or touched the ball he was dangerous. He could be at out wide out or quarterback.

Palmer saved Alabama’s undefeated season in 1992 when he ran back a punt return against Louisiana Tech and kept Bama’s streak alive against Tennessee one year when he lined up under center and scored a touchdown to tie the Vols, preventing a Bama loss.

Palmer’s versatility is why he is the number one receiver on my list.

Is USC Looking Down The Barrel Of an NCAA Gun?

Stacey Mickles — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:20:14 -0400

So, the NCAA is finally going to investigate the USC Trojans; and a cheer was heard all the way from South Bend, IN, to Tuscaloosa, AL.

The NCAA has never been accused of being fair and balanced when it comes to investigating certain schools, but in this case they had no choice.

The bodies—so to speak—are starting to pile up on the USC campus and they are starting to stink so bad that the NCAA had no choice but to investigate the Trojans.

The probe is going to look into whether or not former basketball player O.J. Mayo and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush were being paid or receiving gifts and other benefits.

San Diego businessman Michael Michaels made claims back in 2006 that he and Bush’s parents had an agreement which allowed them to stay in his $750,000 house in San Diego, in exchange for getting Bush to sign with him, a claim which they deny.

The Michaels rumor has been circulating around for years, but the story seemly went away.

Mayo, who now plays for the Memphis Grizzles, was also accused of receiving gifts from L.A. event promoter Rodney Guillory before and after he began attending USC on the behalf of Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management.

Mayo cut ties to the agency back in 2008 and signed with another agent.

SEC fans—particularly Alabama fans—have been raising questions for years over why teams like USC have been allowed to run amuck with accusations about their program hanging over their head, while never being looked at by the NCAA and while their program and other schools continue to be nailed with sanctions.

Like Alabama, the Trojans are a cash cow. Their football program brings in millions of dollars not only to them, but the PAC-10 and the rest of the NCAA.

They have also been the darlings of sports news media outlets like ESPN, who just a few years ago did a series on SC asking if the team they fielded with Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart is one of the greatest, if not the greatest college football team of all time.

The NCAA tried to ignore the problem as long as they could, but with allegations seemly coming from everywhere, they could no longer ignore what was going on in Southern California.

The word that is being thrown around by the NCAA is lack of institutional control, which if found to be true, could mean trouble for SC. That is a serious allegation by the NCAA meaning that the school and its coaches had no control over their programs and allow these things to happen.

That same allegation was found to be true in the Alabama case and the NCAA nearly gave them the Death Penalty with harsh sanctions that the school is just now recovering from.

But in the Crimson Tide’s case, that was just one sport.

The NCAA may come down harder on SC since there are two sports involved, which could ruin both sports for years to come and a lot of college football and basketball fans are saying about time.

Kentucky Sells Its Soul to Return to College Basketball Prominence

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:08:59 -0400

When the University of Kentucky hired John Calipari as their new men’s basketball coach, you knew it was going to be the either biggest hire in their history or one of the biggest mistakes.

Calipari's former school, the University of Memphis, is now being investigated for rules violations by the NCAA. To say many people were surprised would be the shocker. Most knew that hiring Calipari was taking a chance.

Hell, Kentucky didn’t hire him when they had the chance a few years ago, instead taking Billy Gillispie because they thought Calipari sleazy. But after Gillispie’s failure, Kentucky knew they had to make a huge hire that would please their fans base and put them back on the map

What better way to announce their return to the college basketball scene then by hiring Calipari?

You can’t convince me that Kentucky didn’t have a clue that this guy might have been involved in some shady business in Memphis. That’s probably one reason why they hired him—Calipari knows ways to get around the NCAA.

While at UMass, the Minutemen got in trouble because of an incident involving star player Marcus Camby and an agent. Though Calipari claims he knew nothing about the illegal doings, UMass got slapped with probation by the NCAA and had to remove their Final Four banner as well.

The NCAA let Calipari skate and he in turn left UMass for the NBA. But now that these allegations are coming up at Memphis, Calipari is being looked at again. Though he hasn’t been charged yet, the NCAA wants to talk to him.

If I’m Kentucky I’d be a little worried. Though their program has nothing to do with this, Calipari is your head coach and they are investigating Memphis. Is Kentucky that far behind?

I know the Wildcats want to win, especially now that Louisville is starting to become the bigger program in that state, but Calipari seems to bring trouble wherever he goes. There have been rumblings for years that Calipari wasn’t running a clean program down in Memphis, and now the NCAA apparently has proof of that.

What do you do if you are Kentucky and it comes to pass that your current head coach might be involved in getting another program on probation? Do you fire him? Because the longer this goes on, more then likely the NCAA is slowly going to turn their attention to the Wildcats and question how Calipari managed to get that number one recruiting class in the country.

I’m not saying Kentucky deserves this because they don’t. Like any other great program out there, they just wanted to return their program to excellence. Problem is, they may have sold their souls in order for that to happen.

Congress Should Leave The BCS Alone

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:10:13 -0400

Why is Congress messing with the BCS? Don’t they have enough to do instead of messing with college football? I mean seriously, we got a bad economy, a flu epidemic, and these clowns are worried about trying to get a college football playoff.

I’m one of those who believes that the system actually works most of the time. I can hear the chorus of “are you crazy” coming out of most of your mouths, but let me explain.

Florida was the best team in the college football last year period. No can question that at all.

Where the problem came in last year was from the Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma mess that the Big 12 started.

Cut Texas Tech out of this argument because had they at least put up a fight against Oklahoma then they could have a legitimate case, but had the Big 12 done the right thing and put Texas in the championship game there would be no argument.

Yes, I know Utah—you defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but your commissioner (along with the other commissioner’s) voted against the plus one idea which YOU could have been a part of this past season.

Now, that you guys have gone undefeated twice in the past few years he wants a piece of the pie. My advice to you is come out of the Mountain West and play a tougher schedule.

You have beaten an SEC team in a bowl game, so why not schedule a game or two against the SEC or the Big 12 or the Big 10.

Utah wants to make “the we are the Auburn of 2004” claim, but you know why Auburn didn’t make it to the national championship game a few years ago even though they should have? Scheduling.

As good as the Tigers were in '04, a lot of experts said had they taken off one or two cupcakes off that schedule; they might have been playing for a national championship. If MWC teams played tougher schedules, then you can make a better case for yourselves.

Let me say this, the system is not perfect. What system is? But for the most part it has brought the two best teams together.

A few years ago, were there any doubts that USC and Texas were the two best teams playing? No.

We got the best matchup out there. Quite frankly, we did this past year too. The system basically worked itself out. Alabama and Florida played each other in the semi-finals with the winner playing for the national championship game.

All these people screaming to the top of their lungs for a playoff need to ask how do you do it? Because if pick just the top four, then five through 10 will complain that they didn’t get their shot. USC could have made that claim last year.

And then how you going to get these teams there?

So, in a three week period Florida goes to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, travels to New Orleans to play in the Sugar in a semi-final and goes to let’s say the Rose Bowl to play in the Championship Game.

Who the has that kind of money to travel all over the country to see their team play?

What about the smaller teams that rarely makes a bowl appearance like a Vanderbilt?

So, these kids are supposed to bust their butts during the regular season and have NOTHING to look forward to because we are just going to play four or five bowl games a year? How fair is that?

You know how to make the system better? Make these big name teams play each other. Make a law in the BCS bylaws that states every BCS conference has to play at least ONE team from another BCS conference.

I give teams like USC, Alabama, and Ohio State credit for going outside of their comfort zones and playing a big name team. When Alabama defeated Clemson and USC defeated Ohio State last year, we knew pretty much early on who were contenders and who were not.

The regular season is the playoff and if the big time teams would just play each other, then there is no argument. The best team will come out on top.

Will Less Distractions Equal More Wins For The Cowboys In 2009?

Stacey Mickles — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:17:47 -0400

It’s been a few months since Terrell Owens and a few others have left for the greener pastures or been sent out to pasture and if you noticed, all is quiet in Valley Ranch. There is no daily T.O. quotes (well with the exception of that tweet he sent), no Pacman Jones police reports, just peace and quiet.

It must be nice for a change that the Dallas Cowboys can go into the off-season with fewer distractions which is unusual for them. Dallas has always been a talented team, but it’s going to be interesting to see if they will be better off without the distractions of the last few years.

We’ve been hearing for months that the Cowboys should get rid of some of the problem children on the team and to Jerry Jones’ credit, he did just that. Now the questions will be if the Cowboys will be better or worse.

One of the questions that will be asked is will the offense be better or worse now that T.O. is gone?

Wide receiver Roy Williams is the man now for the Cowboys. He will be the primary receiver for quarterback Tony Romo which is not a bad thing. Although Williams wasn’t that productive last season, he still is a pretty good wide out.

The advantages of keeping Williams is he is younger then T.O. and seems to be more of a team player. With T.O. being gone, Romo doesn’t have to feel the need to get Williams the ball every game and he can spread it out a little more. Patrick Crayton is also emerging as a good secondary receiver not to mention they still have tight end Jason Witten.

But it’s time for Romo to step up his game.

One of T.O.’s complaints last season, which was legitimate is that Romo depends on Witten too much rather than his other receivers. But out of all the receivers and tight ends, Witten was, and still is, his most dependable go-to guy on the team, but Romo needs to start making more plays himself and find other ways to win even if the game doesn’t go his way.

Handing the ball off more to Marion Barber in critical situations wouldn’t hurt either. Maybe he’ll be a better quarterback now that the diva is gone. At least that’s what the Cowboys hope that will happen.

As for the defense, they ranked eighth last year in the NFL. Adam “Pacman” Jones impact or, in his case, lack of impact really made no difference. But you could tell when he played he wasn’t the same Pacman as he was in his rookie season. You could tell he was missing a step or two.

The Cowboys main problem towards the end of the season was stopping the run, which it doesn’t look like they have picked up an impact player in the draft to fix that problem.

It would have been nice to see free agent Ray Lewis in a Cowboy uniform. It is crucial that Jerry Jones find replacements for a soon-to-be traded Greg Ellis and departed safety Roy Williams.

Jones is a businessman who likes to take chances, but you wonder if he may have gambled a little bit too much this time. He gambled by letting some of team’s best players go and has gambled by not spending a heck of a lot of money in free agency to find replacements, but the real question will be if this team is able to step up now that most of the distractions and excuses are gone.

SEC Coaches Needs to take a Cue from Nick Saban

Stacey Mickles — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:17:33 -0400

This has been an interesting offseason in the SEC with all the talk among certain coaches about cheating, limo rides, rip shirts etc. Through this entire offseason one thing has been a consent; Nick Saban.

Saban is not well liked at all by most fans and coaches in the SEC, but he has remained silent through out this whole thing. He could have easily made a comment when Lane Kiffin and some of his assistant coaches made a crack at a Tennessee function about Saban and his recruiting in Memphis.

But instead of taking a nasty swipe at the Vols coaching staff, he just got a commitment from one of the best wide receivers in the state who happened to be from Memphis.

In sense he was thumbing his nose at the comments as if to say “Oh really?” When Gene Chizik and his Auburn coaching staff decided to ride around in limos to different high schools in Alabama to attract recruits, Saban again said nothing.

He just stepped up his high profile by playing himself in an upcoming movie. What’s more impressive a limo ride or a coach who will be in a major motion picture?

Saban has been in the game long enough to know that words aren’t going to win you titles, but actions do. He doesn’t have to go on the chicken circuit talking about other opponents.

Saban preaches about being concerned about his own program getting it done then worried about some else’s. And that’s the problem with the most of the high profile coaches in the SEC, they are too concerned about what the other guy is doing.

While other high profile coaches take digs at one another about their coaching and recruiting methods, Saban goes about his business doing his job and probably amused by the whole thing. While they take digs, he just picks up more recruits.

Saban just doesn’t care that much about what other people say or think about him. His main concern is winning ball games at the University of Alabama not kissing the fans, coaches or media’s behinds. He realized long time ago the best way to get back so to speak at other coaches and the media is to just win baby.

Winning has allowed him to basically talk to his fan base about their attitude before the Sugar Bowl without taking much of a hit from them. Fans realize where the program was before he got there and where it would be without him, so right or wrong they gave him a pass.

Saban has proven time and time again at LSU and Alabama that being a winner and having a winning attitude is what makes a successful program. He is trying to install that attitude in his fans and players as well. Let winning do the talking for you. May be the rest of the SEC can take a lesson from that.

NASCAR Needs More Bad Boys and Better Rivalries

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:49:46 -0400

NASCAR has always relied on two things: fast cars and rivalries.

Lately, the latter has been lacking. Everyone seems to be too nice these days towards each other. Heck, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are teammates now. It’s hard to have a rivalry when you are working for the same team.

But there was hope last season when Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch got into it a few times. It was getting good when after a race when Busch made fun of Edwards’ smile.

But alas, as the season went on, Busch fell back in the points standings and Edwards ended up second to Jimmie Johnson, killing the tension between the two. Edwards and Matt Kenseth also got into it as well, but I’m sure the folks at Roush-Fenway Racing diffused that incident between the teammates before it got worse, or in this case, got good.

But playing nice may have ended a few weeks ago when Busch called out Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was classic.

Busch basically said he doesn’t want to be popular and that Earnhardt Jr. had all the fans and no wins. How do you think that little comment sat with Earnhardt? I’m guessing it didn’t sit well at all with him or his faithful fans.

Let’s be honest, what Busch said about Earnhardt is dead on.

He has all these loyal fans, and for what? He doesn’t win much, if any at all. These people are just holdouts from Dale Earnhardt Sr. They have been waiting for years for Junior to turn into his father. Earnhardt Sr. was “the man” in NASCAR.

He came from nothing and built his empire. He did almost anything to win races, including spinning out other drivers to get to the finish line. He was the true bad boy of NASCAR and he loved it. After his death, the same was expected of Junior—that he would be the carbon copy of his daddy.

Despite all the hype, the endorsements, and the fans, Junior has yet to live up to his father’s legacy. But Kyle Busch seems to be ready to take that title. Busch is handsome, young, cocky and brash enough to call out NASCAR’s most popular driver. Not to mention the fact that he actually wins races.

He, like Earnhardt Sr, seems to relish being the most hated man on the circuit and Busch is no dummy. He knows his image will be enhanced even more by his comments and bring him to the fore front of his sport.

Attendance has been down this year and the automakers are struggling. NASCAR needs to have more Kyle Busch’s in their sport if they expect to survive this economic crisis.

Top Five College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat in 2009

Stacey Mickles — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:45:33 -0400

It’s never too early in the year to discuss what college football coaches are on the hot seat this coming season. Last year the names were obvious: Tommy Bowden, Sly Croom, Ty Willingham and Phil Fulmer. All four were released of their duties either before or after the season.This year’s crop of coaches will feature some old faces as well as new, but let’s start with a familiar face.

Begin Slideshow

Why 2009 Could Be Alabama's Year

Stacey Mickles — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:03:48 -0400

Entering last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide football team was coming off a very unimpressive 7-6 record after starting 2007 with a 6-2 record.

Most college football experts didn’t expect the Crimson Tide to be that much better in 2008. Most predicted at best eight or nine wins and maybe a Peach Bowl appearance.

But with only nine seniors returning, a bunch of freshman, and several upper classmen, Nick Saban’s team ended the season with a 12-2 mark and a top-10 ranking to the shock and amazement of most of the nation.

Many thought Alabama would improve under Saban, but not this soon.

Now, coming into 2009, Alabama has high expectations, and they should. Bama has most of its players returning from last year—including sophomore wide receiver Julio Jones, running back Mark Ingram, and hopefully a healthy Roy Upchurch and most of its defensive starters are returning.

Yes, they do have to replace All-American Andre Smith on the offensive line, All-SEC performer Rashad Johnson at free safety, and John Parker Wilson at quarterback, but if they can do that it, this could the year.

Why you may ask? First all, their schedule is very favorable. With the exception of the Auburn and Ole Miss games, all of Alabama’s toughest contests are played in Tuscaloosa, including Tennessee and LSU. Even the season opener versus Virginia Tech will be played in SEC-friendly Atlanta. Also, they do not have to face Florida or Georgia this year until the SEC Championship game.

Second, the competition will not be as good as most years. Yes, LSU and Ole Miss will be good this year, but LSU still has to come to Tuscaloosa with a new quarterback and we saw how that turned out last year.

Although the Rebels are favorites by many to take the SEC West, they have to replace not one, but two first-round draft choices on defense and offense and most importantly, they haven’t shown they can win under pressure as favorites.

Even with Eli Manning at quarterback several years ago, Ole Miss never made it to Atlanta and has been the only SEC Western Division team not to make it to the Championship game. This may be their year to pull it off, but they are going to have to prove it.

Rounding out the West will be an improving Arkansas Razorbacks team who also has to come to Tuscaloosa, a struggling Auburn team with no quarterback, and a Mississippi State team with a new head coach. All teams Alabama should handle and did handle last season.

As good as John Parker Wilson was last year, Greg McElroy should be just as good or even better running this offense. McElroy has a better arm than Wilson and he played in a few games last season including an impressive touchdown drive against a first team Auburn defense in last year’s Iron Bowl. It doesn’t hurt to have Jones to throw to either, but other wide outs need to step up this year to take the pressure and the double teams off of him.

But the strength of this team may be its defense, which only gave up 14 points a game last season. The defense lost only two starters from last year and that's Johnson and Bobby Greenwood.

Returning will be All-SEC and third team All-American linebacker Roland McCain, All-SEC and consensus All-American in big defensive tackle Terrence Cody and Freshman All-American Dont’a Hightower. The weakest link on this defense will be the secondary, which wasn’t even that bad last year.

There are still quite a few questions that still need to be answered on this team, but not enough from keeping them from making a run at a National Championship in 2009.

Michael Vick's Second Act

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:18:35 -0400

Americans are used to giving people second chances. We gave Bill Clinton a second chance after we found out about his scandalous affair with an intern. We gave Kobe Bryant a second chance after he was accused of raping a young woman in Colorado.

Now, it’s Michael Vick’s turn. Vick who was imprisoned several years ago for dog fighting, just got out of prison, and wants to return to the NFL. And why shouldn’t he at least be given that chance?

Vick has paid his price to society and says that he has learned his lesson. He definitely has paid the price for his mistakes by giving up his career. It won’t be easy for him to make a comeback. Before he was sent to prison, Vick was an up-and-coming young star. He wasn’t the best thrower in the world, but he was a talented runner and he got the job done.

As the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, he led them to the playoffs early in his career and was an MVP candidate. But, more than likely, if Vick were to return, he’d return as a running back or wide receiver. The question is what team is going to be willing to take him and his problems, not to mention that he is approaching 30.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under extreme pressure from certain organizations such as PETA not to let him back in the league. And, as far as the Canadian Football League goes, they passed a rule several years ago banning suspended NFL players.

If Goodell did let Vick come back, the next question would be, "Who is in the market for his services?" The first few teams that come to mind are the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys took on Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, and Tank Johnson, so why not Vick? Well, after the circus of last season, I doubt Jerry Jones is willing to step out on that limb again after seeing how his experiments failed miserably.

The Raiders, on the other hand, may be Vick’s best bet. They have always been known as the rebels of the NFL and don’t seem to be phased by controversy. If Al Davis can take on the NFL, he probably can take on PETA, as well.

Another reason the Raiders may take Vick is that their offense was near the bottom last season in scoring. It couldn’t hurt to bring Vick in at least for a tryout and see what he can do, but, first, he has to get back in the league and that might be a tall order for this once promising star.

Lane Kiffin Continues to Put His Foot In His Mouth

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:29:39 -0400

Lane Kiffin, please shut up not only for your sake, but the sake of the University of Tennessee.

Kiffin, you are not only embarrassing yourself, but Tennessee as well. It’s not as if you are coming off of a national championship like Urban Meyer or a divisional title with a 12-2 record like Nick Saban.

In case you didn’t know, let me remind you that the school you work for now missed going to a bowl game for the second time in the past three or four years and said school has been blown out in back-to-back years by the rivals you continue to tick off.

Meyer was not too fond of the whole “Urban Cheats” comment you made, and he does not forgive and forget—ask Mark Richt of Georgia about that.

You see, Richt made a mistake crossing Meyer in '07 with the whole team celebrating on the field thing. Meyer didn’t say a word. He just filed it in the back of his mind and saved it for the following year.

Even though Florida was up big on Georgia this past year, Meyer just kept on scoring. If you think he was mad about that, just think what he is going to do to you.

You see Kiffin, the team you just inherited was lousy on offense this past year and oh by the way Florida was one of the top defenses in the country.

Not to mention they still have a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tim Tebow threw on every down in this year’s game just to make sure the Gators would score 50 and that may be just at the half.

Let’s not forget Saint Nick at Alabama

Saban didn’t take too kindly to you or your assistant's words either. But rather then use this as an opportunity to make a call to you or the SEC office; he just plucked one of the best wide receivers in your state right from under you just to prove he could.

Not to mention he said loud and clear on national television during a game against UT that “he hated” the Vols and that’s BEFORE your comments.

No Kiffin, it won’t be pretty this year.

But that’s not even the worse thing you have said. A few weeks ago you told a South Carolina recruit that if they didn’t attend your school that he will be pumping gas for the rest of his life.

Wow! You just burned another bridge with not only the Ole Ball Coach, but the whole state of South Carolina.

Spurrier is not one who bites his tongue either, but he knows where to pick his fights and believe me you have TRULY made an enemy out of him.

Spurrier blew the whistle on Alabama a few years ago for recruiting violations, but he at least called the coaching staff and told them he knew what they were up to. You think he’ll be that kind to you?

You keep talking like you have been on your twitter site or continue upsetting these high school coaches and your stay in Knoxville will be very short.

If I were you, when they have those coaching meetings in Destin in a few weeks, I’d bring a couple of fruit baskets and apology cards, but even that may not save you this year.

Why We Love and Hate Tim Tebow

Stacey Mickles — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:13:51 -0400

When you hear the name Tim Tebow, you immediately think the great University of Florida quarterback who led his team to a National Championship last season or that annoying kid from Florida who everyone hates.

Let’s face it, either your adore Tebow like most Florida fans if not all of them or you hate his guts. Not in a bad way, but hate the fact that he is THAT good on and off the field.

Tebow is a combination of two other SEC quarterbacks; Jay Barker of Alabama and Peyton Manning of Tennessee. Barker was the good Christian guy with great leadership qualities who lead his team to a National Championship his sophomore year.

Manning was also a good kid with great leadership qualities too, but also extremely talented like Tebow. He didn’t win a national championship, but he did lead his team to an SEC Title. But also like Tebow, he wasn’t well liked in the SEC either.

Anyway, here is why either you love or hate Tebow:

You got to love his competitive spirit. After the loss to Ole Miss last season, Tebow pulled a Scarlett O'Hara and vowed that you would never see him nor his Gator teammates play that badly again. And he was right.

From that point on, Florida dominated just about every opponent down the stretch to lead them to an SEC Title and the National Championship. You also have to hate him for it, because Gator National felt the need to put his words on a plaque so the world will remember him and his words forever. How annoying is that?

You got to hate that damn arm waving thing he does to fire his teammates and the Florida fans up. He is such a cheerleader with all that crap. It reminds me of the time Peyton Manning lead the Tennessee band in a rendition of Rocky Top after they defeated Alabamaone year.

Bama fans to this day still haven’t forgiven him for that. On the other hand, I wish my team’s quarterback would get that fired up and excited sometimes.

You got to love his toughness.

The kid literally has ran over defensive lineman to get that first down or just to make a play. He fights for every yard he gets and he refuses to go down.

A lot of quarterbacks would just slide for that first down coming up a yard or two short, not Tebow. But sometimes you just want your defensive back to knock him on his backside inside of letting him get that first down or that touchdown.

And he is such a goodie goodie. I mean seriously what kid do you know goes to another country to do missionary work? Most kids his age are drinking, dating lots of girls and just being an all-around college kid.

But you have to admire a kid who’d rather spend his summers helping others than doing all the things I have mentioned above.

You see why there is a love/hate relationship with Tim Tebow. You either love the guy and what he stands for, or you hate him just as much for those same qualities.

Matt Ryan: 11 Questions that Beg an Answer

Stacey Mickles — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:01:59 -0400

Going into his second season as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback, Matt Ryan has already established himself as an up-and-coming star in this league. One has to wonder what it will take for this quarterback and team to continue their success from last year. And, how did one rookie carry a city’s expectations on his back? This quarterback raises plenty of questions, so here are 11 that I would love to ask Matt Ryan.

What did you learn as a first year starter?
Are you worried about a sophomore slump?
What areas do you think need improvement in your game?
What were your biggest challenges last season?
What advice would you give rookies Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford?
How hard was it to replace an icon like Michael Vick?
If the Falcons invited Vick back to the team, how would you feel about that?
Did you feel a lot a pressure going into last season or this season?
Do you feel like this team over-achieved?
How do you keep yourself and your teammates from being too satisfied after last year’s success?
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for this team coming into 2009?

Atlanta Falcons, Mike Smith Combine Old and New for Success

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:04:02 -0400

Normally, when new head coaching searches start in the NFL, owners have a tendency to go after the hot offensive head coach or coordinator like Steve Spurrier a few years ago or like Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys, but the Atlanta Falcons took a different approach to hiring a head coach last season.

Instead of going the road of so many owners, Arthur Blank went after a defensive coordinator in Mike Smith of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Some defensive coordinators struggle as head coaches because they have no idea how to run an offense and try to take too much on their plate, but Smith—unlike his predecessor, Bobby Petrino—found success in his first year as head coach and led his team to an 11-5 regular season record and to the playoffs.

Smith started by hiring some of the best and brightest young offensive minds in the NFL, bringing in Mike Mularkey—formerly the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach with the Miami Dolphins—and Bill Musgrave as quarterbacks coach.

Mularkey, who was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills a few years ago and was also the offensive coordinator with Pittsburgh Steelers, had a reputation of being one of the best offensive minds in the game. He created offensive schemes to showcase the talents of All-Pros Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El. While with the Steelers, he earned the nickname “Inspector Gadget” because of all the trick plays he used.

Before he arrived in Atlanta, Musgrave—a former quarterback himself—help developed such talents as Matt Schaub at Virginia, who is also a former backup quarterback with the Falcons. While under Musgrave’s tutelage, Schaub broke 22 school records.

The combination of Musgrave and Mularkey proved to be just what the doctor ordered for then-rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. Unlike most rookie quarterbacks, Ryan barely struggled as a starter and that can be attributed to having experienced offensive minds behind him.

Smith was also wise to retain Emmitt Thomas as assistant head coach and secondary coach and Brian VanGorder as defensive coordinator. Thomas briefly took over as interim head coach when Petrino left for Arkansas. VanGorder was the linebackers coach the previous year with the Falcons. Keeping both of these coaches on his staff made the transition for the players—and Smith, for that matter—easier.

Mike Smith built the foundation of his team by combining some old familiar faces with some new faces and, to this point, it looks as if that combination is working for this young Falcons team.

Falcons Expect Changes in Offense and Defense

Stacey Mickles — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:36:30 -0400

The 2009 Atlanta Falcons' offense will have a different look than the 2008 Falcons. Head Coach Mike Smith and the Atlanta coaching staff got one of the best offensive players in the NFL, former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, a constant NFL All-Pro at tight end, should be tremendous help to second year starter Matt Ryan. Gonzalez not only brings his experience and his great catching abilities to the lineup, but he is a great run blocker, as well.

As if the Falcons needed any more help with the running game with Michael Turner rushing for 1,700 yards in '08, Gonzalez blocking for him may allow Turner to rush for 2,000 yards this season.

And Ryan will have another target for defenses about which to be worried. Even with a struggling Chiefs’ offense, Gonzalez still managed to catch 10 touchdown passes and went for over a 1,000 yards receiving.

So, a much improved offense will only get better coming into this season. Head coach Mike Smith will not need to make many changes on offense and will be able to focus more on improving the defense.

The Falcons ranked near the bottom in total defense last season, but that should change with the drafting of Peria Jerry.

Jerry, a defensive tackle from Ole Miss, was the Falcons' No. 1 draft choice. Jerry was a first team All-SEC performer and was a first team All-American selection, as well. He should be a great addition to the Falcons' defense.

In 2008, the Falcons only had 34 sacks. That should change drastically with Jerry in the defensive backfield. His presence is going to give quarterbacks nightmares, much like when he terrorized the rest of the SEC.

These new additions to the offensive and defensive side of the ball can only help an already good team.