Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Martin

Five Things I Will Do As New Head Coach of the Washington Huskies

Mike Martin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:22:11 -0400

I am throwing my hat into the ring for the soon-to-be-vacant head football coaching position for the Washington Huskies. My football qualifications are on par with Barack Obama's as a presidential candidate, but this isn't about politics. This is about restoring Husky Pride. Husky Dominance.

Washington will, once again, be hot with Husky Fever!

I will be a James/Lambright/Neuheisel/Willingham hybrid. Taking their best attributes, I will:

Scheme like Don James
Get the most of of the players like Jim Lambright
Smile like Rick Neuheisel
Lead young men like Tyrone Willingham

I will find new ways to motivate the players. Here are a few ways that will help the Washington Huskies to rise again:

Purple Paw Pride Stickers

I will get the entire Husky Nation involved by having a contest to design new helmet stickers that will be awarded to the players and placed on their football helmets. Ohio State awards players "Leaf Stickers" on a point system based upon performance. Florida State does the same with Tomahawk emblems, Clemson has Paw stickers, Michigan has Wolverine decals.

But there will be a twist to the Husky stickers. Whereas all the other teams have one type of stickers, Washington will have two: a Purple Paw and a Gold Paw. Five Purple Paws get traded in for a Gold Paw.

Recruit, Recruit, Recruit

I will not let players out of the State of Washington. The State of Washington doesn't produce the volume of football players that California, Texas, Florida, or even Ohio do, so the Huskies cannot afford to let a few guys slip away. How would the Dawgs be with these guys that slipped through?

Johnathan Stewart, Oregon (NFL)
Taylor Mayes, USC (many are projecting top 5 in the NFL draft)
Steve Schilling, Michigan (anchoring Wolverines' OL)
Anthony Felder (Cal's leading tackler this year)

Husky Tradition = Husky Pride

I will make sure that every single player on the team knows who they are following. Steve Emtman, Lawyer Milloy, Warren Moon, Chuck Nelson. Former players will be a part of my program. If you were an All-American, you never have to buy a ticket again...ever. You will also be invited to address the team just before the team heads down the tunnel.

Unleashing the Dawgs

As head coach I will make sure that second-half collapses are a thing of the past, or will occur on the opposing sideline. In 2007, the Washington Huskies had BCS talent, but WAC guts. That year, when the Huskies could have stepped on the other team's throats, they, instead, shot themselves in that very foot with turnovers, missed tackles and flawed halftime adjustments.

That will not happen under my command. When teams play the Huskies, they'll know they went to war.

Body and Gang Tackling

On defense, the Huskies will, once again, tackle. There will not be arm tackling or trying to knock guys off course. My players will:

Swarm to the ball
Wrap up the ball-carrier
Drive the ball-carrier back
Strip the ball
Drive the ball-carrier into the ground

They'll be hit harder than the other teams have been hit before. The Huskies will attack from all angles and from both sides of the ball. They won't wait to be hit, they'll find someone to hit.

Seek and destroy.

My Washington Huskies will win again.

If Barak Obama Were NFL Commissioner

Mike Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:01:34 -0400

His face is everywhere. You can’t miss his face on the Internet. Even on this site, there are banners and ads telling us to vote early. Recently, Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama had an exchange with Joe Wurzelbacher from Toledo, OH regarding Obama's tax agenda.

Joe the Plumber, as he’s referred to now, asked Obama to explain his taxing policies. In answering Joe, Obama admitted that his goal is to “spread the wealth." This got me to thinking, “How would Obama’s Marxist-like policies go over if he were NFL Commissioner?”

The NFL has already set up many ways to provide each team equal opportunity. The NFL draft is configured so that teams draft in reverse order of the final standings from the previous season.

The schedule makers also have their hand in leveling the playing field by giving the Super Bowl champs the toughest schedule and the worst team the easiest. But, just like in real life, not every team or every person can take an opportunity and turn it into a trophy.

Clearly, the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers are the wealthiest. Between those four teams, they have 18 silver Lombardi Trophies and gold Super Bowl Champion rings, not to mention all of the revenue from all the merchandise a team receives from winning the biggest game in pro sports.

The NFL poor are Cincinnati and Detroit, with a grand total of zero wins this season and zero championships overall.

NFC Rivals: Dallas and Detroit

Detroit hasn’t adopted the “Lovable Loser” tag. They’ve continually languished near the bottom of the standings year in and year out. The ownership has held onto bad managers. They’ve drafted well but the execution has not been present on the field.

Conversely, Dallas has always brought in talent via trade, free-agent signing, or the draft. They leveraged Hershel Walker in a blockbuster deal that the Cowboys were able to parlay into three championships over the next few years.

In order to make Detroit not feel so bad or discouraged about their plight, Dallas should be forced to surrender one of their five championships.

AFC Foes: New England and Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s players have had their run-ins with the law. Bengal players have been suspended for operating boats and motor vehicles under the influence, burglary, grand theft, and drug and weapons charges. But that’s just being human.

On the other hand, New England has been able to win with a “Team First” mentality that runs through the organization. They’ve taken on problematic players like Randy Moss and Corey Dillon and have managed to get those players on board by checking their egos.

While the team that Dillon left behind, Cincinnati, is sitting at 0-7, the team he fled to, the Patriots, have managed to keep winning, even with their Pro Bowl and Super Bowl MVP Quarterback, Tom Brady. It’s almost unfair.

The Patriots need to spread the wealth and hand off one of their Lombardi Trophies to Cincinnati.

As for this season, we can’t continue to allow teams like Detroit and Cincinnati not enjoy the fruits of labor. Pittsburgh should be playing for Cincinnati. If Pittsburgh wins it all, they should just hand over the winnings to their worthy opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals. Likewise, the NFC should, collectively, offer their trophy, rings, and money earned to the Detroit Lions.

How Close Are We Getting To Bastardizing "God Bless America" at Baseball Games?

Mike Martin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:26:42 -0400

Sometimes it's artistic...Jimi Hendrix. Sometimes it is painful to listen to...Carl Lewis. Sometimes it's an utter disgrace...Roseanne Barr.

But most often the American National Anthem can be a great song. Inspiring. Powerful. The splendor of a flawlessly executed National Anthem on a sunny day, with a giant flag covering half of the field is amazing. As the singer finishes it the Blue Angels fly over the crowd erupts.

After 9-11 things changed. With the newfound "National Pride" a new tradition was born in Major League Baseball. In the weeks following 9-11 Irish Tenor, Ronan Tynan, could be found standing near home plate leading off the 7th inning stretch while "God Bless America" is sung.

Sung a capella, his voice was magnificent as he belted out our second national anthem. Adding to the ambiance was 50,000 baseball fans raining down their collective voices on him. It brought chills to my skin. When he finished on his high note I struggled to keep back tears.

That was 2001.

As time rolls on, as politicians' wives bad-mouth America as having not been proud of America in her adult life until recently, as politicians incessant desire to disrespect America to gain their own political power, as Hollywood produces a political hit-piece rather than blockbuster hits that further tear away at our collective National Pride I have to ask: Can we be that far away from away from a repeat of Roseanne grabbing her crotch in San Diego? This time to the tune of "God Bless America".

Four Unbreakable MLB Records

Mike Martin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:15:05 -0400

Here's an interesting take on some dubious records.

4. Bret Boone

There will never be another 5'10" second baseman that will hit 19 home runs before his contract year then jump up to 37 dingers during his contract year.

And then famously flame out from baseball three years later.

3. Alex Rodriguez

There will not be another player to command $250,000,000 only to have his team close out their historic stadium without making the playoffs.

2. Barry Bonds

There will never be another slugger to hit over 700 home runs who is so vilified by the media that they refer to all his records by placing an asterisk next to them, all while ignoring the rest of the cheaters in the game.

Examples: "Corkers" Sammy Sosa, Norm Cash, and Albert Bell. And "Doctors" Gaylord Perry, Joe Niekro, Whitey Ford, and Don Sutton.

1. Roger Clemens

You'll never see another pitcher win seven Cy Young Awards, testify before the US Congress that he's clean, then get implicated by someone for taking steroids and not sue that person for slander or libel.

And then not have those same individuals so hell-bent on putting an asterisk behind another player's records and turn a blind eye to this guy simply because he pitched in a Yankee uniform.

ALCS and NLCS Preview: What Will and Won't Happen

Mike Martin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:58:41 -0400

4. In Philadelphia

Won't Happen—Father time a.k.a. Jamie Moyer has been confounding hitters since sixth grade. Ironically, he’s exhibited no increase in velocity since that time. However, what year was he in sixth grade? He says he's 45 years old, but do we really know that? Like a Little League World Series youngster, he’ll be forced to provide a birth certificate that show's his TRUE age to actually be closer to his jersey number (pictured above).

Will Happen—Moyer was a huge part of Seattle's 116 wins in one season. However, before he was able to compete in the postseason, he broke his kneecap. The Mariners crashed out of the playoffs. Jamie’s hunger and leadership will help the Phillies’ pitching staff keep level heads and lead them to the World Series.

3. In Los Angles

Won't Happen—Manny reveals why he doesn't hustle: Diving into third, as he's stretching a double into a triple, his dreads, that would make both Millie and Vanillie jealous, pop off along with his batting helmet, revealing male-pattern baldness atop his noggin.

Will Happen—Charlie Manuel, Manny's former manager, knows how to handle him, how to rattle him, how to render him ineffective. Philly pitchers will jam, brush back, and basically keep Manny off balance. He batted in the low-200's against the Phillies this summer.

2. In Tampa

Won't Happen—The ever-hot Eva Longoria makes it into the Rays' locker room as they clinch a World Series berth. During the crazy celebration, she's soaked with ice-cold champagne. Her white shirt reveals who truly has the best assets in the family.

Will Happen—Rookie Evan Longoria’s regular season production mirrors Chipper Jones’ rookie year. He came up big in the first game against Chicago by going deep twice. After going 3-for-3 in the first game, he went 1-for-12 with six strikeouts. Boston will shut down Longoria and shut up the Rays.

1. In Boston

Won't Happen: Facing elimination, with the bases loaded, Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is summoned from the bullpen to face Evan Longoria. Knowing that inside the Tropicana Dome his knuckleball would just be a crappy off-speed pitch, Wakefield throws three straight 99 mph fastballs and shuts down Longoria.

Will Happen: Boston advances to the World Series.

Week 7 Preview: A Wacky Weekend Ahead in College Football Awaits

Mike Martin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:47:14 -0400

A whole lot of shakin' goin' on—that's certainly going to be true for the upcoming weekend. The Top 15 as you know it will no longer exist. Some teams will fall simply because they're playing another team ranked in the Top 15 and others will fall because the team they're playing is trying to salvage a season or make a statement.

The following are based upon USA Today rankings:

1. Oklahoma

The fallout starts here: The Red River Shootout. Texas vs. Oklahoma. Sam Bradford vs. Colt McCoy. A shootout at OK Corral. No further description is necessary.

2. Missouri

Oklahoma St visits Missou. Currently ranked 17th OK State is out to prove that they belong among this year's elite. Can they run with Missouri? Nebraska showed some holes in the Tigers' defense. This could be an upset but not a shocker.

3. LSU

These Tigers head to "the Swamp". This is a match up of the two most recent National Champs. With Florida losing earlier in the season to Ole Miss look for the Gators to throw the kitchen sink at the Tigers.

4. Alabama

The Crimson Tide picked a bad weekend for a Bye. If LSU, Missouri and Oklahoma falter they could be leap-frogged by Texas and even Penn St if the Nittany Lions man-handle the Wisconsin Badgers.

5. Texas

See No. 1 Oklahoma.

6. Penn St

The Nittany Lions visit a very angry and embarrassed Wisconsin. Two weeks ago ranked inside the Top 10, Wisconsin took a big lead at the Big House only to blow it in historic fashion. Last weekend Wisconsin lost to a true-Freshman QB. The Badgers are smarting and need to make a statement. Penn St., on the other hand, wants to prove they're elite.

7. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders answered many critics by smoking K-State. In putting up 58 points on the Wildcats did they show too much for the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers? Nebraska is trying to keep from falling to .500 on the season.

8. BYU

The Cougars visit New Mexico. Boring game of the week.

9. USC

Dennis Erikson takes his Sun Devils to LA. Many thought ASU would be a contender for the Pac-10 this season. They, now, find themselves scraping for respectability and should give the Trojans a Pac-10 showdown.

This is the sort of game that Erikson comes up big in and Pete Carroll comes up empty handed. USC will be trying to make a statement with this game that they have learned from Oregon St.

10. Georgia

The Bulldogs host the Volunteers of Tennessee. The visitors will be out to prove that they're not an after-though in the SEC this year despite their 2-3 record. Georgia will be attempting to re-ascend the rankings.

11. Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor's Buckeyes welcome Purdue to "The Shoe". The two and three Boilermakers will be trying to salvage the final season for Joe Tiller. What better place than Columbus, OH.

12. Florida

See Number three LSU.

13. Utah

The Utes visit Wyoming. Yawn.

14. Vanderbilt

The Commodores hit the road after a big win over Auburn. This could prove to be a trap game at Mississippi State with Georgia looming next week.

15. Kansas

The Colorado Buffaloes travel to Kansas for a Big 12 showdown. Colorado needs to win this as they have games at No. 4 Missouri, at Texas A & M, at Nebraska and host No. 17 Oklahoma State.

This going to be an exciting weekend of football. Who knows who will be ranked where next Sunday Night.

Buckeyes Begin Staking Claim to BCS Championship Game

Mike Martin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:57:13 -0400

Fresh off a win at Camp Randall, the Ohio State Buckeyes are setting their sights on a return to the BCS Championship Game. Pollsters have thrown up several road blocks with Southern Cal, the team the lost to being one of them.

How can the Buckeyes even think of the game in Miami on January 8th? Simple: The Buckeye backfield is now vastly different than the one that got hammered 35-3 in Los Angeles. Heisman candidate at the time, Chris Wells, was not in the game. Terrelle Pryor was splitting time at QB.

By season's end the Buckeyes should have a full-fledged attack.

These are Terrelle Pryor's Bucks. They run options. They pass. This is not the team that lost to the Trojans.

Sitting at No. 14 heading into Saturday here's how they can do it:

S. Florida and Auburn lost
Ohio St has Penn St. at home (signature win)
Oklahoma has dates with two top 10 teams then a Big 12 Championship game.
Texas has dates with three top 10 teams then a Big 12 Championship game.
Wait for Georgia, Florida, Alabama and LSU to beat the crap out of each other and then a SEC Championship game.
BYU still has a tough game or two.

However, it won't be an easy task just to move up. Pollsters sent a clear message last weekend when Ohio State didn't budge when there were several upsets. The most succinct message was heard in Los Angeles.

Unranked Oregon State upsets the, then No. 1, USC Trojans and the Southern Cal dropped only to No. 9. The message: the real USC team is the one that hammered the Buckeyes and not the one that was out-schemed buy the other OSU in the Pacific Northwest.

But, in their haste to keep the Buckeyes out of the BCS Championship Game, the Pollsters may have said that they'd rather have BYU, a non-BCS team or a two-loss SEC or Big 12 team.

This One Time, at Banned Camp: Wisconsin Band Suspended for Ohio State Game

Mike Martin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:49:12 -0400

In what some are calling "The Shocker," the entire University of Wisconsin Marching Band is going to be spending some time at Banned Camp this fall.

Amid charges of sexual misconduct, the entire University of Wisconsin Marching Band will not be on hand when the Ohio State Buckeyes visit Camp Randall for the Saturday Night showdown on national TV.

Charges of boozing and banging are not new to the band. Back in 2006 several band member's actions had the band put on suspension. Co-eds were "Badgered" into semi-nude dancing, forced lesbian kissing, and sucking on vibrators.

While this conduct is staple on college campuses across America, they are no-no's as hazing rituals for Wisconsin's band. With the college game, on TV, going the route of being over-analyzed I have to there will be little impact for the fans but could the suspension have an impact on the spirit of team? That fact remains to be seen.

Good Bye Yankee Stadium, I Will Not Miss You

Mike Martin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:23:45 -0400

Yeah, I know it was supposed to be a national day of mourning for shutting down "The House that Ruth Built", but its end is fitting. Joe Torre's Dodgers won their division. The Tampa Bay Rays win the division. The Boston Red Sox are in the playoffs.

And the Bronx Bumblers are cleaning out their lockers. Forever.

For many, Yankee Stadium represents strength and power. To me, it represents something less: Bad Royalty.

New Yorkers think that because they care about something, I should care about it, too. They think that championships are a birthright. They think that with money and power, you are guaranteed happiness.

But if that were true, the Yankees would have home-field advantage through out the playoffs this year, as they turn out the lights for good.

I like nothing more than the absence of pomp and circumstances and a national audience in playoffs to close out Yankee Stadium. Excuse me, I love that. L-O-V-E!

But I do have one fond memory of Yankee Stadium. During the playoffs, in New York, the typical New York Yankee "Hooligan Fans" were trying to pelt Jay Buhner with coins and batteries and were hurling insults like street punks. They did hit Buhner, but in the shoulder or chest.

Later in the playoff series, when the Yankees went to Seattle, a Seattle hooligan nailed Yankee outfielder, Bernie Williams, in the lip with something.

Other than that, I'm not sure that I have any fondness about Yankee Stadium. As a child, though, I did love the Yankees. I cried when Thurmon Munson crashed in Akron. I cheered Jackson's third home run in the World Series. But that was just me being a dumb kid.

I used to go to Seattle's Kingdome to watch the Mariners. The place was awful, but it was home and I loved it. I saw Nolan Ryan pitch. I saw Randy Johnson's first no-hitter. I saw Bill Swift take a line drive off his forehead, the ball bounce once and go into the stands. I chatted with Lou Piniella on his way to the stadium. I was a "Lefebvre Belebvre." I talked with Norm Charlton, Bobby Ayala, and Jeff Nelson while sitting right behind the bullpen.

I would buy a seat in the nosebleed section and be able to sit practically anywhere in the stadium that I wanted. Eighth row for R.J.'s no-hitter. Third-base line for Nolan Ryan. The one-game playoff between the Mariners and Angles to determine who made it to the postseason.

I never took a wrong turn leaving Yankee Stadium only to find myself surrounded by fans begging me for an autograph, simply because I exited the stadium through the same tunnel that the players left. I never saw Junior and his dad play their first game together on the same team in Yankee Stadium. I never saw the Mariners string together back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back doubles against Oakland in Yankee Stadium.

So why should I care about Yankee Stadium? Ichiro didn't eclipse George Sisler there. Junior didn't hit a home run in eight consecutive games there. The Mariners didn't win 116 games there.

Now open “the House that Money Built” and don’t tell me to be enamored with it. Don't tell me how much of a "place of historical significance" Old Yankee Stadium is. If that place was actually a place of National Historical Significance, they’d put up a sign to say so and let it crumble away like the Parthenon.

Elite Eight Previews and Predictions: How USC's Loss Shakes Up College Football

Mike Martin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:37:28 -0400

USC isn't the only Top 10 or even the only Top 25 team to go down this weekend. There could turn out to be a weekend of shake-ups and upsets. How far USC falls depends on several teams, but most assuredly, USC falls out of the Top 10.

Prior to Oregon St. out-schemeing and out-playing USC, all the talking heads have been saying that USC is the clear No. 1 team in the country. Some have said that there wasn't even a No. 2 team in the Pac-10.

Well, this morning, the Trojans find themselves tied with the Washington Huskies in the Pac-10 standings...in last place.

The biggest impact of the USC loss is the national outlook of this weekend games and the teams scrambling to show that they deserve the top perch. Other than USC, the other top 13 teams all sport zero losses, thus some sort of claim to the top spot.

I don't really see much movement in the Top 7, as all play host to lower-ranked or unranked opponents. There are a million scenarios that could play out this weekend. Here are a few of the most-likely within the Elite Eight.

No. 2 Oklahoma hosts #24 TCU. To be No. 1 the Sooners have to:

Win
Struggle but win, Georgia has a sloppy win against Alabama

No. 3 Georgia has #8 Alabama at home. To be No. 1 the Bulldogs have to:

Win in a tight game and Oklahoma looks unimpressive
Win big and Oklahoma is unimpressive but wins
Win and Oklahoma loses

No. 4 Florida welcomes Mississippi. To be No. 1 the Gators have to:

Beat Mississippi in convincing fashion, Oklahoma and Georgia have sloppy wins.

No. 5 LSU has a matchup at home with Mississippi St. To be No. 1 the Tigers have to:

Blow out Miss. St., Oklahoma and Georgia lose, Florida struggles

No. 6 Missouri has a Bye week.

They picked the wrong week to have a bye week. I don't really see them doing much except moving up if someone loses.

No. 7 Texas greets Arkansas. To be No. 1 the Longhorns have to:

Pray for four more miracles

No 8 Alabama visits No. 3 Georgia. To be #1 the Crimson Tide have to:

Crush Georgia

Note: the reason that I only chose Elite Eight is that all of the Top seven teams could actually lose. If that happens, then the No. 8 team would move up to No. 1 because they will have beaten the No. 3 team in the country and most logically move into the spot previously reserved for USC.

Like I said, I don't expect much movement other than the Top Seven simply moving up one spot. But stranger things have happened...Just look at last year...Right Michigan?

Steve Bartman: A Funny Story for Cubbie Fans

Mike Martin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:16:31 -0400

As the regular season wraps up Chicago Cubs Nation begins to think about and all the years that they've been so close to winning it all only to have their hopes dashed. It's been a very long time. The most recent iteration of "The Billy Goat Curse" is a man named Steve Bartman.

This is, perhaps, the most painful one for Cubbie fans because it was one of their own that did them in. Leading three nothing Moises Alou tracks a fowl-ball pop-up by Luis Castillo over toward the stands in the eighth inning.

Fan interference.

Cubbies come unglued.

No World Series. Again.

Steve Bartman becomes the most hated man in Chicago. He gets hate mail. He gets death threats. Word gets out that he works at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire, ill and the hate follows him there.

But this story isn't about Steve Bartman...it's about my brother Steve Martin.

Steve Bartman's name is broadcast on the news that night. Then, through the power of the Internet, people find out that he is employed at Hewitt Associates. Message boards go crazy. Some savvy individuals even uncover his direct line.

However, as word of mouth spreads this information around Chicagoland it gets diluted: The screw up his name and they don't give the right extension. You gotta love the mob mentality run-a-muck.

People get the right company but when many don't have the correct extension they are directed into a voice-mail system that allows the user to say the person's last name. Some of the less-than-articulate-North Siders mumble the last name to the automated agent and it directs the caller to my brother Steve's office.

The calls trickle in at first and my brother politely tells them that they have the wrong guy. Some jello-spined fans simply shout obscenities and slam the down the phone. After a fair amount of abuse he simply lets it ring through to voice-mail.

We always joke that my brother, if he didn't like working with the other Steve, could have simply just yelled back at the callers, "Yeah, I interfered and I meant to do it. All Cub fans are idiots. Now go to Hell!!" and slammed the phone down.

The true irony of this episode is that my brother and I grew up in Seattle and are Mariners fans, and, consequently, Lou Pinella fans. I'll be rooting for the Cubbies come this fall.

Husky Hope: Five Reasons Washington Will Show Great Improvement

Mike Martin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:47:48 -0400

Oklahoma, Oregon, Brigham Young. They're gone. Only one of those losses counts in Pac-10 football. With the Pac-10 season nearly in full swing, I examine what is ahead and find reasons for the Purple and Gold flags to fly high again around Montlake.

Here are Five Reasons of Hope for the rest of the season for the Washington Huskies.

1. The Best Defense Is a Good Offense—Time of Possession Critical

In the first three games, Jake and Co. have shown the ability to produce long, time-consuming drives. If the Huskies intend to keep other teams close, they need to protect the defense's health by NOT producing a bunch of quick strikes.

Here’s a breakdown of the Husky scoring drives in the first three games.

Oregon

13 plays, 60 yards, 4:54

11 plays, 63 yards, 6:23

BYU

Seven plays, 66 yards, 3:52

Seven plays, 79 yards, 3:25

13 plays, 65 yards, 7:22

17 plays, 76 yards, 3:29 (two minute drill)

Oklahoma

15 plays, 83 yards, 8:05

11 plays, 70 yards, 1:47* (two minute drill)—missed field goal

Seven plays, 80 yards, 3:14** (backup QB-led drive)

Those drives were all against quality defenses, but what's especially encouraging is the two instances where the Huskies were under the gun and ran the two-minute offense to perfection. Clearly against some of the elite defenses the Dawgs have been able to produce points.

What’s equally important is that the defense has the opportunity to sit on the bench and go over things with Ed Donatell and catch their breath so they have energy in the fourth quarter.

Although the Huskies are second in the conference in TOP, the opposite has been the case. The defense is giving up quick strikes and the offense has had many short drives. Let's hope for some more sustained drives to keep the defense fresher for longer.

2. Speed Thrills—Fastest in the Pac-10

On paper, it appears that Ty Willingham has recruited a nice blend of size and speed. The young receivers for the Huskies are the fastest in the Pac-10. Take a minute to think about that. I assumed that USC was bigger, stronger, and faster, and Oregon too.

However, I took a look at the top three receivers for each team in the Pac-10, took the average 40-yard time, and was surprised with the results. Washington leads the pack with an average of 4.41 with UCLA bringing up the rear with a 4.55. While the separation was not massive, it does show the team to be heading in the right direction.

The Huskies are in the middle of the pack with the average height of top three receivers averaging just over 6’1”. Throw in Locker, Kavario Middleton, and Jordan Polk's speed, and this could be a lethal offense.

I hope that with Locker’s improving accuracy in the mid-range routes, turning this Seattle slew loose could provide some quick strike capabilities when needed.

3. Getting Healthy—A Week to Lick Their Wounds

After taking the best shots from some of the best teams in the nation, the Huskies have the chance to heal both mentally and physically. The defensive backfield, thought to be a strength before the season, has been ravaged by injuries and has been exploited early and often. Hopefully they can take the two weeks off and get healthy.

4. Crash Course—Adjusting to the Speed of College

Youth has been served. All the young pups from the last three recruiting classes have had the opportunity to see three elite teams already. They can see how fast the game moves and how small errors in fundamentals and technique can produce some drastic results. Let's hope the brutal early schedule helped to bring the youngest guys up to speed.

5. Husky Justice—A Bonding Moment

On a false start penalty, Oklahoma Sooner Marcus Granger knocked Casey Bulyca, who was still in the crouch position, five yards backwards and flat on his can. On the subsequent play Granger was triple-teamed by Bulyca, Jordan White-Frisbee, and Juan Garcia.

In the fracas Granger was injured on a legal block. However, there appeared to be a few punches thrown on Granger but appear to not have landed on anywhere but Granger’s helmet. Now, while I’m certainly not condoning this action, I hope that it served to bond the offense.

Let’s hope the old saying that they're too naive to be rattled is true. Let’s hope that all the pressure produces some diamonds. Let’s hope that the Huskies can rise up to the challenges ahead of them and give the Husky fans a reason to howl again.

Road to Miami: All Hope is Not Gone, Buckeye Nation

Mike Martin — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:57:48 -0400

35–3. A flop that big hasn't been seen in Los Angeles since the days of Vlade Divac.

35-3. The Buckeyes are done. Their hopes of an unprecedented third-straight BCS Championship are gone…or are they?

It's still early in the season and some very strange things can happen in the next two-plus months of college football. Here's a clear road map of how the Buckeyes can wind up in the BCS Championship Game:

Ohio State is currently ranked 13th in the nation. The dirty dozen ahead of them are USC, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Missouri, LSU, Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama, Auburn, Texas Tech, and South Florida.

With the exception of USC, South Florida, and Wisconsin, every team ranked ahead of the Buckeyes will be playing one another at least once between now and the end of the season guaranteeing most teams ahead of at least one loss.

Another advantage that Wisconsin, USC and USF, have over the other teams is that they do not have a conference championship game.

A quick look at the USC and the USF schedule shows some tough games for each team. However, when USC’s team strength is compared to the strength of their opponents they appear, on paper, to have a clear path to the BCS Championship Game. The same is difficult to say for USF in this young season.

USC pounded the Buckeyes and their toughest game appears to be behind them. They do have a few tough games: Oregon, Arizona State, California and UCLA. The first three are at home, so the road ahead is much easier. I really don’t think that the Trojans will take Stanford or any other team on their schedule lightly. My moronic odds: 2-1

Even at 3-0, it’s quite difficult to gauge how good South Florida is this early in the season, as they could easily have lost their last two games. USF faces mostly unranked teams this season with its toughest challenge when it rolls into current No. 21, West Virginia, on the last game of their regular season.

Other tough games for USF: NC State, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. However, any loss by USF should put them down behind the Buckeyes, as no team they lose to would be close to being in the class with USC. My moronic odds: 7-1.

Wisconsin’s schedule is marked with ranked Big 10 foes that all travel to Camp Randall: Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois. The Ohio State and Penn State games will be thunderous nighttime games that will, no-doubt, put an exclamation point on the phrase “Home Field Advantage.”

The Badgers also travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes. Like Bo Schembechler, Barry Alvarez is a legend at Wisconsin, but neither won a national championship. Bo’s successor did, could Barry’s? My moronic odds: 5-1.

With those three teams aside it gets to be a much cloudier picture. Let’s take a look at the Big 12 first:

Texas Tech probably have it the toughest when the team’s actual perceived strength is put up against the teams on their schedule: They visit Texas A&M, Kansas and Oklahoma and have Nebraska and Texas at home. If they make it through those games they’ll also have the Big 12 Conference Championship Game. My moronic odds: 30-1.

I see a difficult schedule for the Texas Longhorns too: At Colorado, at Oklahoma, at Texas Tech, at Kansas with home games against Arkansas and Texas A&M. Should the Longhorns make it through those games unblemished they’ll still have to face the champion of the Big 12 North. My moronic odds: 25-1.

When the Missouri Tigers’ talent is pitted against the difficulty of their schedule it appears to give them a decent shot of winding up in Miami. They travel to Nebraska and Texas but dodge Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma in the regular season. They should end up facing the Big 12 South champion Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Speaking of Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma Sooners…like Wisconsin they get to stay at home for their ranked opponents: Texas, Kansas and Texas Tech along with soon-to-be-ranked Nebraska.

They do have a few potholes in the road, though, with visits to Texas A&M and a regular season-ending game with in-state rival Oklahoma State. They’ll have to navigate that unblemished then knock off the Big 12 North champs if they’re going to keep the Buckeyes out of Miami. My moronic odds: 3-2.

The South Eastern Conference is nearly impossible to figure out as half of the current Top 10 teams come from that conference: No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 Auburn. Throw in Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Arkansas and it’s quite likely that the SEC Champion has two losses…perhaps three. My moronic odds for all those listed above: 3-1

Georgia: This weekend Georgia travels across the country to take on a embarrassed and angry Arizona State Sun Devils team who lost to unranked UNLV last weekend. Georgia has home games with Florida and Alabama and visits LSU and Auburn.

Florida: In a non-conference, intra-state match Florida travels to Tallahassee to take on the No. 24 Florida State Seminoles to wrap up their season. Florida appears to have the inside track in the SEC, as they only have LSU at home but travels to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs.

LSU: Although the Tigers have a cream puff non-conference schedule, they do have tough road games at Auburn, at Florida and at South Carolina and also play host to Georgia and Alabama.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide take on Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU on the road, then end the season against the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn: I’m certainly not sure what to make of the Auburn Tigers after the 3-2 win over Mississippi State last week. The Tigers have a non-conference bout at West Virginia although the Mountaineers appear to be well off their game of recent years. The Tigers home slate includes bouts with LSU and Georgia with a regular season-ending road game at Alabama.

The Buckeyes' BCS Express has been derailed and the hand-wringing continues here in Columbus but all hopes aren’t dashed: Win out and hope others falter, and you just may find yourselves on a beach in Miami in January.

Tarnished Trojan: Who Gets the Heisman If Reggie Bush Is Stripped?

Mike Martin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:52:18 -0400

One of these days the NCAA has to make a ruling on Reggie Bush's transgressions—excuse me, alleged transgressions. I'm not here to say that Bush did or did not take benefits while at USC.

If you're not familiar with the claims, either crawl back under your rock or Google "Reggie Bush NCAA Violation Update Blog," and you'll find tons of documented transgressions of the University of Southern California Trojans led by Reggie Bush. His bad deeds are so numerous, I can't be bothered to type them.

I'm looking exclusively at the 2005 Heisman Trophy and assuming that Reggie Bush is stripped of the award. If any of Bush's transgressions are found to be true, he should be forced to hand over the Heisman.

Additionally, it only seems fair that the person who received the second-most votes be given the award. That man is Vince Young of the Texas Longhorns. Case closed...or is it?

Reggie Bush, with 2,541 points, was a pretty clear winner over Young, who had 1,608 total points—nearly a 1,000-point difference between the two athletes.

Bush, the Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Award recipient, garnered the highest percentage of first place votes in the history of the Heisman. Listing his production and impact on his team for the year would be difficult. Clearly Reggie Bush was the best athlete in college football that year.

Let's just assume that Reggie Bush was caught before the season and ruled ineligible for the 2005 season. Would that automatically slide Vince Young up to become the Heisman Trophy recipient?

After all, there's again a thousand-point separation between first place and second place. Vince Young seems to be the logical person for Reggie Bush to hand the trophy off to.

But there's another piece to the puzzle. First and third in the voting were both in the same backfield at USC: Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart.

1. Reggie Bush	USC	784	89	11	2541
2. Vince Young	Texas	79	613	145	1608
3. Matt Leinart	USC	18	147	449	797

Did Bush make Leinart look good enough to be third in the voting—and by subtracting Bush, would Leinart not have looked so hot?

While nobody before or since Bush has been the level of Bush, someone would have taken Bush's reps in practice and snaps in games. Given the quality of athletes up and down the USC roster, one would assume that someone else would step up and be the next guy—not the quality of Bush, but a quality replacement no less.

Did Bush and Leinart make balloters split their votes between two on the same team, producing the 1,000-point gap between Young and Leinart?

This one is hardest to gauge. In 2006 the Ohio State Buckeyes had Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, Jr. in contention for the Heisman, and the university's position on it was that they'd hype both athletes equally. Then when one appeared to be far enough ahead of the other, the Buckeyes would solidify their official support for that individual.

Ohio State's thinking was that if both were hyped, they could wind up splitting the votes, and neither could wind up winning the most coveted individual award in college football.

Was Young productive enough in the regular season to have convinced voters that head-to-head, Young was better than Leinart?

Vince Young, on critical plays, kept Texas in games. He was his own Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. Texas had many fine athletes in 2005, but none were the true gamebreakers that Young appeared to be. However, we didn't see how truly lethal Young's legs were until he went up against USC, and the Heisman had already been awarded before the BCS Championship.

I feel that, yes, Bush and Leinart did make voters split their votes. Take Bush out of the picture, and Leinart doesn't get pushed into the end zone against Notre Dame—and they don't have an undefeated season. But Leinart would not have had someone like Bush stealing the spotlight either.

Although the voting would have been close between Matt Leinart and Vince Young, Young was a dual-threat QB and a freak of an athlete who would have won the Heisman.

Should Reggie Bush be stripped of the Heisman, Vince Young should receive it.

NCAA Football Week 3: Eight Things We Learned This Weekend

Mike Martin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:42:09 -0400

We've been tossing the pigskin around campuses for three weeks now and, although not all colleges are in session, we are learning quite a bit on the weekends. Here are eight valueable lessons from the weekend:

It's more painful to watch Charlie Weis do the splits than it is to watch Michigan do the spread.

Ouch on both accounts.

On Saturday Michigan was down for the count early but "Cheeseburger" Charlie went down harder. Here's the video. It's said that he tore is ACL, MCL, PCL, RCL, and ZCL in that little spill.

I think Michigan sprained its Rich-Rod.

#33 for the Buckeyes should be playing on Sundays already.

His dreams of taking care of some unfinished business this year in Miami on the 8th of January turned into a nightmare in LA over the weekend.

His Buckeyes got crushed by the Trojans on National TV. National TV. There’s no way that the nation will forget the 35-3 score or how easy the Trojans made it look. The Buckeyes don’t have another game this season that can garner enough forgiveness to put them back into yet another BCS Championship debacle.

At this point “Little Animal” should ensure he’s not injured and protect his draft status and the big payday he’s due.

Gary Pinkel will not be coaching at Missouri this time next year.

52, 52, and 69. That's how many points Missouri has put on the scoreboard so far this season. Chase Daniel, a Heisman finalist last season, and Jeremy Maclin are proving to be one of the most lethal duos of the season.

Over the weekend Chase passed Brad Smith on the Mizzou’s all-time yards list. But is it Chase or is it the system that Gary Pinkel instituted when he moved there from Toledo?

I have to think that it’s Gary Pinkle…he’s going to be a hot commodity this offseason and probably won’t be back in Manhattan next season.

Rick Neuheisel is going to need to use some of his questionable recruiting techniques to conquer the City of Angels.

Brigham Young 59

UCLA 0

USC 35

Ohio State 3.

We learned on Saturday that UCLA isn’t knocking on USC’s door. They’re not even making a collect call to the Men of Troy. Sure, UCLA has injuries, but when USC has an injury it almost seems that the replacement is better than the starter.

The football MONOPOLY in Los Angeles is over...when USC says it’s over.

It's 2,806 miles from Berkley, CA to Chevy Chase Bank Field in Maryland.

Road games are tough enough, but when a team has to travel from the end of a time zone to the beginning of another time zone that’s three time zones away and ahead in time, it’s especially difficult (try saying that ten times really fast).

Tree Hugger U learned that this weekend in Maryland. The, then-No. 23 California Golden Bears, didn’t appear to wake up until Noon West Coast time. Which was just in time to find themselves behind by a bunch on the scoreboard.

Forget about chopping down those trees, how about adjusting your watch for the appropriate time-zone?

Stoops has produced a Miami-esque team in Oklahoma

92% of the nation knew what would happen in Husky Stadium Saturday. The young Washington Huskies were going up against the mighty, the powerful, the vaunted Oklahoma Sooners. Apparently the Sooners still felt it necessary to taunt the 35 point underdogs in their own tunnel.

Saturday night the Washington Huskies came out of their locker room and down the tunnel only to be greeted by their opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners, jumping up and down and taunting them in the tunnel of their own stadium. If ever there was a reason to throw up a flag for Unsportsmanlike Conduct...

The Sooners are not methodical, they're not business-like...they're classless thugs—Kinda like Dennis Erikson’s Hurricanes.

Everyting IS bigger in Texas.

Hurricane Ike forced the postponement of the Texas Longhorn/Arkansas Razorback game.

Baylor wanted nothing to do with a setting up a game for a later day so they made the Washington State Cougars fly out for a big Friday night thumping.

I guess God didn't hear that you don't mess with Texas.

The Husky Mascot, Spirit, isn't the only one licking their wounds this weekend in Seattle

The Oklahoman called it “regulatory measures taken by the Washington Offensive line.”

On a Washinton false-start penalty DeMarcus Granger did a bit of cow-tipping by knocked Husky RG Casey Bulyca on his can well after the whistle had been blown. Out came they yellow flags and the officials enforced a 15-yard personal foul penalty. On the subsequent play Granger received some “Husky Justice” in the form of a triple-team. Granger came back onto the field on crutches later in the game.

The Huskies put some Sonic Boom in Oklahoma on that play.

After Further Review: Pac-10 Officials Must Admit They Blew UW-BYU Game

Mike Martin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:10:21 -0400

The University of Washington had developed a habit of leading games early then collapsing late...until Brigham Young University rolled into Seattle on Sept. 6.

Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Jake Locker's legs and right arm led the Washington Huskies on a 76-yard, 18-play drive into the end zone.

The final play of the drive started from the BYU 3, with under 10 seconds remaining in the game. Locker took off up the middle, cut to his left, made a few guys miss and dove into the end zone to set up the game-tying extra point. Locker flipped the ball into the air and celebrated with this teammates.

But not so fast... Locker got flagged with a 15-yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty for "Celebration." BYU accepted the penalty and the Huskies were forced to kick a 35 yard PAT, which was blocked and the Cougars won the game 28-27.

Pac-10 officials claim they are required to throw the flag as the Celebration Element of Unsportsmanlike Conduct is a point of emphasis this season. This has been drilled into the heads of the referees all summer for the 2008 season.

Larry Farina says that by the letter of the law he had no choice but to throw the flag on Locker because he threw the ball "high into the air." They've also made the claim that this was not a judgment call.

Let's look at Locker's actions and see if they should have been deemed unsportsmanlike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igjgUKP3Uhc

This fan video shows that the ball landed almost EXACTLY where Jake Locker popped up and flipped the ball into the air.

You can see that as Locker rose from the ground his body's motion acted like a whip so that when he flipped the ball into the air, it went higher than it normally would have gone if he were simply standing there flipping the ball up.

The rule, Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1, Section C, reads: that "throwing the ball high into the air" is an unsportsmanlike act. The rule also states that the player "must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot."

How was Referee Larry Farina wrong BY THE LETTER OF THE LAW:

First of all, it is a judgment call. Someone has to judge how high is "high" as it's not defined in the rule. Strike 1.
Secondly, Locker did not "throw." The throwing motion, defined, is to "propel from the hand by a sudden forward motion or straightening of the arm and wrist: to throw a ball." The ball was not thrown; it was flipped upward. Strike 2.
Thirdly, the ball hit the shoulder of the player next to Locker, three seconds later, as they celebrated. He returned the ball to near the dead-ball spot. Strike 3.

Following the game ESPN analysis, Lou Holtz, had this to say: "They say put the ball down or hand it to the official; everybody I see takes the ball and rolls it out. Nobody puts the ball down, nobody hands it to the official. 50 percent of the kids will roll the ball away from them. By that definition, that should be a penalty also."

Lou Holtz is right and wrong. The standard has been set. The Ohio State Buckeyes, for years now, have been handing the ball directly to the nearest official then turning and celebrating with their teammates. This is a video of Oregon Ducks receiver Chris Harper handing off the ball to the ref:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOc6v8FmpIY

But Holtz is also correct in saying that players regularly DO NOT give the ball to the refs or leave it near the dead-ball spot. By definition, in this video,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LreR3tfthXM

Jaison Williams of Oregon should have also been flagged for a penalty. Williams runs the ball farther away from the dead-ball spot than how high Locker's ball went into the air. He drops the ball 40 feet away.

Isn't dropping the ball 40 feet away just as bad as Jake Locker's game-altering infraction? Shouldn't the ref have had no option but to flag Williams? Where's the consistency of being required to enforce this rule? Clearly the Pac-10 screwed this one up.

There would be three or four calls a game for guys not giving the ball to the ref or not dropping the ball.

If the officials had been consistent the first week of the season with the Jaison Williams call, Jake Locker would have been better versed. This is a colossal failure on the Pac-10 officiating crew and it will, no doubt, turn out to be a career-altering penalty for Ty Willingham.

Why does America Hate the Ohio State Buckeyes?

Mike Martin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:44:25 -0400

Recently ESPN.com ran a feature where the fans rated the teams that they love to hate. This is one poll that The Ohio State Buckeyes finish up on top. I don’t think that anybody hates the players, the tradition and especially Coach Tressel.

ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach wondered if it was all the winning that made people hate the Buckeyes. Here in Columbus, OH I keep hearing the Buckeye fans saying that America hates them because they keep losing the BCS Title Game.

So is it the winning or the losing?

They’re all missing the point. It’s neither.

What angers Americans most is that the powerful, vaunted and highly ranked Ohio State University Buckeyes have chosen to hide behind a weak non-conference schedule in order to make it to the BCS Title Game.

But America does not hate the Buckeyes individually. Nearly every single player on the team is on some sort of watch list for an award…beginning with the “Beanie” Wells for the Heisman Trophy. James Laurinaitis is a beast and a two-time All American and Butkus and Nagurski award winner. Malcom Jenkins is a one of the best. The O-line is HUGE! Even the kickers are “Watch-Listed”.

Most Americans would not fault Syracuse, Northern Iowa or even Fresno State for taking on the Ohio University Bobcats, Troy or even Youngstown State as they build their programs. But we’re talking The Ohio State University Buckeyes here. They have not chosen to take the high road and produced a quality schedule.

The 1-AA aka the subdivision is a subdivision for a few reasons…perhaps most importantly 1-AA teams are WEAK!! There are those ones like Appalachian State who beat Michigan last year, but nine out of 10 times Michigan would have beaten them, so let’s not let that instance cloud our judgment into thinking that Youngstown St. is a quality opponent for the Buckeyes. Or even Troy. Or Ohio U.

The Buckeyes have shown no respect for the current BCS Formula…more like they exploit the flaws in the formula to weasel their way into the title games. Under the current BCS Formula a win is a win no matter the opponent. Why the heck not schedule a bunch of scrubs? Why not pit the traditions against the patsies?

Ohio State –v- USC; Ohio State –v- Washington

USC’s tradition and power rivals that of Ohio State. However, the Trojans have chosen a different path to power. They’ve added Virginia, Ohio State and Notre Dame to their non-conference schedule. Like Ohio State, USC will be favored no matter who they schedule so they schedule anyone.

Under the BCS Formula a loss is also a loss. While the Buckeyes are whipping up on the mighty 1-AA Penguins of Youngstown St. in Ohio Stadium the Washington Huskies travel to Oregon to take on the Top 20 Oregon Ducks.

Then they go up against BYU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame in non-conference bouts. Think Washington's Ty Willingham would look like a much better coach with three nice easy wins every year?

To OSU’s credit they have a trip to Southern Cal early in the 2008 season. However, I can’t give them too much credit because they’ve sandwiched that game around patsies.

While USC is out getting their best players on the field, risking injury and showing some pages in their play book the Buckeyes can protect the players and the play book. When the two teams meet Ohio State stands a better chance of having it’s full compliment of players.

The battle cry for Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes was three yards and a cloud of dust. For these Buckeyes the mantra is “three patsies and BCS Bust”…that’s the reason that America hates the Buckeyes.