Bleacher Report - San Francisco Bay Area

How the Ducks' Civil War Win Will Expose the Holiday Bowl, Cheat Cal

Grant Marek — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:28:46 -0500

And just like that, the Pac-10 sits just one Cal football win away from a four-way tie for second place.

Oregon's 37-33 Rose Bowl-clinching win Thursday night against Civil War rival Oregon State ensured a three-way tie between the Beavers, Stanford, and the winner of USC-Arizona.

A Bears win Saturday in Pullman against 4-7 Washington would leave the Pac-10 with four teams at 6-3 in conference play, and one very daunting decision for the Holiday Bowl selection committee.

Currently, the Pac-10 runner-up serves as the Holiday Bowl's anchor team to oppose the third selection from the Big 12. In the event of a tie, the bowl has the right to choose which team will play.

According to the Oakland Tribune , a source close to the Holiday Bowl is saying both Cal and Stanford are already out of the running—regardless of what the Bears might do Saturday against the Huskies.

Again citing the same Holiday Bowl insider, the Tribune goes on to say the bowl will take the Arizona-USC winner—the Trojans because of their national draw and proximity and the Wildcats because "Tucson is close enough to San Diego that fans can realistically drive to the game."

Tucson is a six-and-a-half hour drive from Qualcomm Stadium. Both Stanford and Berkeley are apparently an "unrealistic" hour further.

Geography lesson aside, the Bears should be Holiday Bowl bound.

Why? First, they're the hottest of the four teams. With a victory Saturday they'll have six W's in their last seven games, including back-to-back season-defining wins against the then-No. 17 Wildcats and then-No. 17 Cardinals. Their lone blemish came Nov. 7 to Oregon State (31-14) in a game marred by the loss of Cal's Heisman-contending tailback Jahvid Best to an end zone concussion.

Arizona, meanwhile, dropped back-to-back games to the Bears and Ducks in the middle of November and squeaked out a three-point win at Arizona State last week—frankly, a win for the 'Cats at the Coliseum Saturday seems unlikely.

But...

The Trojans have been on a sudden and steady decline since their 47-20 blowout loss to Oregon on Halloween night in Eugene. USC won by just five in an ugly game in Tempe Nov. 7 (14-9), before suffering a 55-21 humiliation at home against Stanford Nov. 14. Last week, the Men of Troy needed two fourth-quarter scores to put away the 6-6 Bruins, the second of which nearly ended in a benches-clearing brawl.

On paper, the Cal football team should have a flight booked for San Diego on Dec. 29.

But, it seems, the Holiday Bowl is more concerned with dollars and ratings than the conference's true No. 2.

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Five Teams Capable of Luring Away Stanford's Jim Harbaugh

Jason Figueiredo-Dumpit — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:13:12 -0500

With Tiger Woods' slippery five iron pulling in all of the recent headlines, otherwise controversial topics, like the firing of Charlie Weis or the “retirement” of Bobby Bowden, have quietly slip away from our attention deficit minds.

Questions regarding the future of certain coaches are already swirling around several college campuses and even if you think your school is safe from a raid, you might want to batten down the hatches just to be safe.

Stanford is one of the few schools that couldn’t be happier with their coach.

The unbelievably rapid progress seen within their program is definitely because of the hard work laid out by Jim Harbaugh. However, if history tells us anything about Jim, it is that he isn’t afraid to flirt back when the ideal coaching position shows up at his front door holding a cold six-pack.

Harbaugh’s upward coaching trends have recently piqued the interest of several teams.

In just three years, Harbaugh took a team that had hit the rockiest of rock bottoms and turned them into a nationally ranked program with a blindingly bright future.

Before coming to Stanford, Jim performed the same type of miracles with the dilapidated football team at University of San Diego. In his second season, his Toreros won the Pioneer Football League championship and they would repeat as champions the year after.

At Stanford he has consistently improved in the one stat that truly matters: wins.

His fiery nature allowed him to outspokenly stand his ground with the big boys of the Pac-10 and often times he pulled out an amazing upset victory.

His overt cockiness produced a unique buzz that was welcoming within an organization that reeked of stale memories from failed previous seasons.

This confident swagger wasn’t lost during his recruiting trips either, which is a huge bonus for any college football suitors. Hiring a successful coach who is a proven recruiter is equivalent to landing a quarterback that not only has an accurate arm, but also has a set of wheels.

The biggest testament to Harbaugh’s recruiting prowess could be that he convinced Andrew Luck, a five-star recruit from Texas, to come to a sub-.500 Stanford, in the under-appreciated Pac-10 instead of staying in the south, and playing for a conference where quarterbacks are idolized.

With his decades of decorated football experience and that youthful fire he brings to the sidelines, it would be hard for a struggling organization not to throw Jim’s name into a hat of possible contender.

But before I let this “bro-mance” with Jim Harbaugh go a little too far, let me tell you the teams that I could see experiencing similar feelings toward Harbaugh if a coaching vacancy happens to be presented.

Oakland Raiders

It is hard to believe that Harbaugh’s end goal is anything short of being an NFL coach and it is about that time of year that these lowly professional teams start sniffing around the college ranks for replacements.

Harbaugh was an assistant coach with the Raiders from 2002-2003 and a recognizable face is always the bees-knees for the senile Davis.

If Harbaugh just wanted to get back to the NFL as soon as possible, the fact that Oakland is relatively close to his current job and that it would add invaluable NFL head coaching experience to his resume (even though it is with the Raiders), may actually sound enticing.

But for some reason I don’t see Harbaugh being that desperate. He would be much better off holding on to what he has right now and turning it into a better deal further down the road.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns aren’t exactly the cream of the crop compared to Oakland, but if Cleveland acts harshly to Eric Mangini’s horrid first year, Harbaugh could shoot up to the top of list of whoever takes over as the General Manger.

The demanding coaching style that Harbaugh brings to the field could be exactly what Brady Quinn needs to permanently get on the right track. He has briefly shown with Andrew Luck that he is capable of turning the raw mold that is a potential-filled quarterback into a commanding and consistent on-field leader.

And who knows? If he is lucky, he may be able to convince the GM to draft his beloved Toby Gerhart.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Ryen Russillio, co-host of ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt show, jokingly threw out Jim Harbaugh’s name in a debate of who would take over Charlie Weis’ job.

But after a quick chuckle, the more I thought about it, the more I believed that Harbaugh was actually the perfect person to resurrect these browning shamrocks.

Harbaugh’s dynamic personality would illuminate brilliantly in front of that constantly-shining Notre Dame spotlight and more importantly, it would be a dramatic change from that “Biggest Loser contester” look that Weis was going for.

Plus, Jim’s presence as head coach breathes instant life into the Michigan and USC rivalry games, which have been rather listless for several years now.

While he is a long shot, I’ll assume the he is on Jack Swarbrick’s top-secret list until a coach is officially hired. The Irish have lured away a flourishing Stanford coach before, so it wouldn’t be completely surprising if they ever tried to do it again.

Michigan Wolverines

Big Blue is committed to Rich Rodriguez and they are sticking to that story. But what Big Blue really wants is for their team to return to the glory days created by Bo Schembechler and his well crafted X’s and O’s.

Fortunately for Michigan fans, Harbaugh practically lives off of the Schembechler Bible and who better to lead this beleaguered program back to glory then one of their own?

With these obvious ties, Michigan will always be a likely candidate for poaching Harbaugh, but with their current contract restrictions, it could take a year or two for anything to really happen.

Florida Gators

OK. The odds of this one occurring are as likely as the odds for Easter Michigan winning the national championship, but please, briefly follow me further down this rabbit hole.

Let’s say for some odd reason Harbaugh doesn't get the job with Notre Dame and instead, they offer it to Urban Meyer who has “always wanted to coach there.” Meyer gives Gator Nation the double bird and high tales it to South Bend.

A scorned Florida will want to find someone who has the tenacity to publicly let out the built-up frustrations created by this discourteous abandonment and who better fits this "stir-the-pot" mentality than Harbaugh?

I can see it now: Harbaugh and Lane Kiffin taking underlying jabs at each before, after, and during every one of next decade's Florida-Tennessee game. The fiascoes will be hard to steer clear from and it will do wonders for the rivalry.

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Finding Holes: San Jose Sharks' Defense Lacks A Serious Two-Way Threat

Jason Figueiredo-Dumpit — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:44:07 -0500

A true two-way defenseman.

He is considered by many to be a rare breed. A breed that over excels in every area of his craft.

He is a defenseman that you would not step in front of to absorb one of his hits, even if it was your grandma trying to fish out the puck in the corner. This guy isn’t afraid to mix it up and get his elbows so dirty that a world’s supply of soap couldn’t get them clean.

But he is much more than a guy just willing to throw his body around to make a difference.

He also has the ability to decide the outcome of the game with his stick. He effectively moves the puck, keeping offensive attacks flowing, plus he can launch powerful shots that will rock the entire arena.

This guy is so good he could convert a stadium packed with fans throwing objects into a crowd of cheerful supporters by simply wearing the home team’s jersey.

Landing a top-line, two-way bruiser like this requires more luck than your average leprechaun can typically provide. The odds of rolling the free agency dice and getting a Chris Pronger, Dion Phaneuf, or even a Shea Weber are unimaginably high.

Some teams have better chances at pulling a potential two-way defensive star through the NHL Draft. Look at Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and New York. They have guys like Victor Hedman, Zach Bogosian, and Michel Del Zotto oozing with the qualities needed to be the next two way defensive stars.

Whether they pan out or not can only be decided over time, but at least these fans have a name and a face to rest their future hopes upon.

Despite the lack of a true two-way defender, the San Jose Sharks have shown that it is possible to be overly successful without one.

However, it could be this highly-coveted, hyper-hybrid piece that is standing in the way of the city of San Jose and the holiest place throughout all of hockey’s lands.

Don’t get me wrong, the Sharks have several great weapons currently patrolling the blue line, but it’s hard to say that any of them are in the same category as the thriving two-way defensemen mentioned above.

Dan Boyle can most certainly change the outcome of a game with a flick of his stick, but it is unlikely that you will be see him delivering a unhumanly-huge hit or dropping the gloves to try to change the “Mo” (that’s momentum for you non-hipsters) in a game that is slowly slipping through their grasps.

A young Rob Blake probably wouldn’t be afraid to stir the pot with his fist, but this “grizzly veteran” version is more useful when the Sharks can take advantage of his canon for a shot instead of wondering when he will return from injury.

On the other hand, Douglas Murray certainly feels at home turning his body into a human wreaking ball, but watching him handle the puck makes me feel more uncomfortable than watching Larry David trying to split a dinner bill.

This is unfortunate, considering Murray is the only blue liner on the Sharks willing to use his body. He is currently the lone Sharks’ defender averaging over a hit per game, and his 78 total hits are over three times more than Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s second place total (24).

It is not just this year that the Sharks have lacked a true two-way defenseman. The Sharks haven’t really had a solid two way defender throughout their existence.

The experiments with young prospects like Christian Ehrhoff, Brad Stuart, and Mike Rathje never fully lived up to their extremely over hyped expectations.

Even experiments with trades and free agency acquisitions for proven veterans over the years have not been fruitful in finding this defenseman anomaly.

A few years ago, the trade for Brian Campbell brought excitement to the Bay Area because of the red-headed stepchild’s cocky yet extremely slick stick, but this only brought more offensive fire power and not enough grit.

Campbell’s inability to get in the mix did nothing to change the flow of games and when his offense production eventually was shut down, he became about as useless as an unwound paperclip.

But the list of free agent defensemen that failed to bring this superhero quality to the ice could go on forever. From Craig Rivet to Marty McSorely, the defenders the Sharks could produce from the free agent market landed somewhere in between great one-way defenders and outstanding two-way defenders a couple years past their prime.

San Jose’s defense is loaded with firepower and put that together with their TNT laced forwards and it is hard to count the Sharks out of any type of Championship conversation.

But if this Western Conference powerhouse and NHL’s point leading team is missing anything, it is that their defense doesn’t instill fear into their opponent. Teams know that when the Sharks come to town, they won’t have to worry about a tough, nose to the grind defensive corp. They aren’t exactly cowering at the thought of taking a hit from Blake, Boyle, or Vlasic.

It is the lack of hitting that is missing.

Last year, Brad Lukowich and even Ehrhoff averaged above a hit per game and complemented the brute force that Murray brought to the ice. This season the Sharks are still waiting for someone to step into these backup hitting roles.

The list of defenders who are capable of making this aggressive step is slightly more frightful than the weather this time of year. But with these gloomy climates comes holiday cheer and for the Hockey fan who appears to have everything, there is always something extra that would make them even happier.

For this Sharks fan, my Christmas wish is for a defenseman that will compliment the forceful attitude that Murray is trying to bring to this defense and that he isn’t afraid to send full body messages several times a game. And if it’s possible, make sure he also has a decent shot...that would be great.

Also, I don’t mind if the gift has to show up a little after Christmas...just make sure it gets here before Mar. 3.

I hope that’s not too much to ask for.

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San Jose Sharks Ready for Some Home Cooking

MJ Kasprzak — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:42:06 -0500

Turn up the Heatley, Boyle a pot of stew, pour a cup of Joe, and open a bottle of Marleau—the San Jose Sharks are finally home for a while.

The frequent flyer team, with 18 of their first 28 games on the road, had one six game Eastern conference swing and two three-game trips into the Eastern Time Zone in the first two months of the season. Now they will play 21 of their next 28 games in the friendly confines of the Shark Tank.

Then again, maybe they should stay on the road. The Sharks are 11-5-2 in unfriendly territory, a point percentage of .667, behind only the Calgary Flames among Western Conference teams who have to travel over three time zones. Moreover, they are 10-2-2 away from the Tank in the last 55 days.

San Jose should be home to a lot of winning for its Sharks from now through February 2, 2010, since the team is the second-best home team in the league (8-1-2; Chicago is 10-1-3) and best over the past 14 months. At their current pace, they should amass 44 more points in the 27 home games between now and then, and 54 overall.

Even without games at home, the Sharks have the league's best record, whether measured by the NHL's archaic and misleading points system that rewards a team higher standing for having one more overtime loss in four more games played than a competitor, or by point percentage, which is how any reasonable system would gauge success.

Thus, they project to increasing their 42 points to 96 by the time the evening news in the home state of Joe Pavelski and me reports on Jimmy the Groundhog's predictions regarding winter. Last season, that would have been good enough for the sixth seed in the West, and there will be a third of the season left to play.

Don't get me wrong: I am still nervous about the Sharks' ability to play this well in the playoffs. However, last season when the team was running away with the President's Trophy by February, the situation was very different:

The team had played mostly home games.
They had a stretch coming up in which they played 32 games in 63 days to end the season, wearing them down.
They did not experience many injuries until March. This year, they have fought through many key players missing significant time. Rob Blake, Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, and Torrey Mitchell all see special teams action (either power play, penalty kill, or both) and have missed over ten games each.
They are no longer dominating teams, rarely out-shooting them 2:1 as they often did last season, and having to battle out victories. They rank only 12th in shots per game and 18th in shots yielded, a far cry from their second and first place rankings, respectively, last season.

One thing that is very much like last year is the number of players seeing the scoresheet. Three players—Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley—have all scored more than a point a game. Marleau and Heatley are in the top three in the league in goals scored, Marleau and Thornton are in points, and Thornton leads the league with more than an assist per game.

But there is also secondary scoring: 21 players have scored a goal, and seven have scored more than five. There are 24 players who have scored either a goal or two points, and 10 who are in the double digits in scoring, including three defencemen, one of whom is a rookie that was not projected to make the roster this offseason.

Furthermore, only Scott Nichol, who because of his defence pulls the most difficult assignments, is below a -2 rating. Thanks to better role players than in years passed, the team is well-balanced, ranking in the top quarter in goals scored (second, 3.38) and goals against (seventh, 2.55) average, power play (fifth, 23.5 percent) and penalty kill (first, 86 percent), and faceoffs (first, 56.4 percent).

Perhaps most encouraging to me, as someone who firmly believes that Evgeni Nabokov cannot play more than about 85 games including the postseason and still be effective, is the play of backup netminder Thomas Greiss. This was the weakness that had me putting the Anaheim Ducks, with two great goalies, ahead of the Sharks in the standings.

That looks pretty dumb right now, with San Jose having the league's best record and the Ducks being 13th in the Western Conference, but it's still early. Nevertheless, the Ducks do have the look of a team that lacks skilled defencemen and is aging in key positions, while the Sharks look like a team that is coming of age.

Greiss, for instance, has seen limited action but is 3-2 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average. That would not inspire confidence were the team needing to count on him because of an injury to Nabby, but it is more than enough to allow Nabby to avoid playing on back-to-back nights or ever pulling four games in a week.

That would leave him with 68 games in the regular season, meaning unless the Sharks became the first team ever to play four full seven-game series, Nabby could avoid exceeding the 85-game threshold.

Now that the team has shown more grit, the one lingering Achilles Heel is Nabby's ability to handle the load. It is the biggest key to this team going deep in the playoffs.

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Al Davis, the Fans Have Spoken

Dominick Pansini — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:16:15 -0500

The Associated Press has reported that over 20,000 Oakland Raider fans have signed a petition asking owner Al Davis to step down as the team's general manager, and have even bought a billboard reading "Mr. Davis, Do The Right Thing, Hire A GM."

Normally owners should not listen to fans on how to run their teams, but these fans speak the truth.

Since losing Super XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Raiders have been the worst team in the NFL. Oakland has only won 27 games since the 2003 season began, and have shown little sign of improvement.

Normally it seems the coach would get the blame for a team's poor performance, but coaches in Oakland have not fared well. Oakland has gone through five head coaches since 2003: Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, and current head coach Tom Cable, who is potentially in the middle of legal troubles.

With an owner who has constant oversight of the team, it seems impossible to get anything done. Former NFL player Irv Eatman, who I met over Thanksgiving, worked with the Raiders as a co-offensive line coach for a few years. He told me what it was like to work in the organization.

"Whenever we were running a drill in practice and Al came by and didn't like it, he would say to stop doing the drill and would pick a new drill for them," he says.

"In the draft room, once he has his eyes on a player, there is nothing you can do to change his mind; if he sees a guy with 4.3 second 40-yard dash speed, he will take him, even if he has the worst hands in the world."

This philosophy of drafting the fastest players has not panned out well for the Raiders. Most recently, Al Davis selected Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick in last year's draft, and in the previous year Oakland drafted two-time Heisman second place finalist running back Darren McFadden.

Al Davis has been a notably interesting drafter. In 2000 he drafted a kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, from Florida State in the first round. In 1973 he drafted a punter from southern Mississippi, Ray Guy, also in the first round. (Granted, Guy did turn out to be the best punter ever, and is looking to enter the Hall of Fame this year.)

Well, as we all know, the Raiders have been one of the worst teams in the past few years and show no signs of turning it around. As long as Al Davis remains the team's general manager, it seems that the Raiders will be picking in the top 10 every year.

So, Oakland Raider fans, bravo on your efforts to move the team forward, bravo for an attempt to get a message across to Mr. Davis.

Good luck Raider fans, maybe someday your team will return to prominence.

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Is Raiders DT Tommy Kelly Earning His Paycheck? Or Stealing Al Davis's Money?

Ramone Brown — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:03:08 -0500

Tommy Kelly has been a center of controversy ever since he signed a seven-year $50.5 million contract prior to the 2008 season. The Raiders had hopes of him replacing the over-hyped, over-paid and over the hill Warren Sapp.

At the time that was the largest contract ever given to a defensive tackle. Which has since then been surpassed by Albert Haynesworth's seven-year $100 million deal including $41 million in guaranteed money.

Kelly has been the victim of finger pointing and blame as fans and critics often place him at the center of the Raiders' struggles against the run.

Is Tommy Kelly just another over-paid walrus in the middle of the Raiders defense, like Warren Sapp and Terdel Sands were? Or are we as fans being too hard on him?

Take a look at the numbers and the answer will be more clear. Last year Kelly ranked sixth in tackles behind the likes of Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Vince Wilfork, Shaun Rogers and Demato Peko. He also ranked eighth in sacks and deflected two passes.

And this year, despite that Tommy Kelly seems to be the main concern of opposing offenses as they constantly throw double teams at him, he is leading all NFL DTs in tackles this year with 46, though he does only have one sack.

So if Tommy Kelly is so good then why do so many people point fingers at him and why is the run defense so bad?

The reason Kelly receives so much blame against the run game is simply because people don't understand what his job is, or the difference between the two DT positions.

Tommy Kelly plays the three technique in this position he lines up on the outside shoulder of the weak-side guard. His job is to penetrate and shoot the B-gap. His job is to hold his gap and disrupt the backfield. Kelly is doing an excellent job at what his position asks.

Then there is the nose-tackle. They line up either in a zero- or one-technique, either head up or on the strong-side shoulder of the center. This is usually the biggest, strongest player on the defense. They are responsible for clogging the middle, holding the A-gap, and commanding double teams.

This is where the true problems lie. The Raiders do not have a true nose-tackle. Gerrard Warren, Desmond Bryant, Richard Seymour, and William Joseph have all taken snaps at nose-tackle this season. But they are all better suited to play the three-technique and in an ideal world they would be backing up Tommy Kelly and rotating in at the three-technique.

The Raiders don't have a player big enough or strong enough to play the nose tackle position. Right now this is the biggest hole on the Raiders defense. And filling it would improve every position on the Raiders defense.

In order for the Raiders defense to truly be formidable they need to find Tommy Kelly a partner in crime in a true nose-tackle. This coming offseason there will be a few options via free agency, draft and trade. Here are some of those options: Vince Wilfork (FA), Tank Tyler (FA), Justin Bannan (FA), Casey Hampton (FA), Aubrayo Franklin (FA), Terrence Cody (draft), Dan Williams (draft), Shaun Rogers (trade).

If the defense doesn't pick up one of these big men in the middle the defense will continue to struggle against the run and people will continue to blindly point fingers at Tommy Kelly.

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Patrick Marleau Swimming Toward Career Year for San Jose Sharks

Nick Burger — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:31:58 -0500

Did anyone expect Patrick Marleau to be ranked second in goals after 29 games?

If so, stand on your head so I can easily identify you. I'd like to find you and ask for the winning lottery numbers.

Almost 30 games into the 2009-10 season, Patrick Marleau leads the San Jose Sharks with 19 goals. At the moment, that puts Marleau in second overall ahead of teammate Dany Heatley (18), and right behind Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers. Gaborik has 21 goals in 25 games this season.

The Rangers' star forward is the only player to reach the 20-goal plateau this season, but Marleau is knocking on the door.

"Patty" has 14 assists for a total of 33 points this season. His 33 points put him in third place behind Gaborik (37) and teammate Joe Thornton (39).

Marleau, who just played his 900th career NHL game on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, has tallied five goals and two assists in his last five games. This includes a hat trick in a shootout victory in Edmonton.

No. 12 is on pace to score a career-high 54 goals and 93 points. This would be Marleau's encore after his career year last season. In 2008-09, the former captain of the Sharks scored 38 goals and 71 points in 76 games.

That was the highest goal total of his 11-year career.

Marleau, who is in a contract year and is vying for spot on Canada's Olympic roster, has been San Jose's MVP this season.

I know Thornton leads the league in points and Evgeni Nabokov has literally saved the Sharks from disaster on numerous occasions, but the 30 year old Marleau takes the cake in my humble opinion.

Of course, Marleau's life has been made easier now that he has Thornton and Heatley on his line. With Thornton feeding the shooting machine in Heatley, the attention Marleau normally gets from opponents has diverted to Heatley.

Based on the way Marleau has played and how dynamic he has been, "Jumbo Joe" and "Heater" have been great complements for the veteran forward. But don't forget to give Marleau credit for creating his own success.

Marleau has played on the first, second, and even third line at times, and has flourished on all of them.

The speedy forward has been skating faster than he has at any point in his career. And when No. 12 turns on the jets, chances of catching him are grim at best.

At 6'2", 220 pounds, Marleau has used his size and speed effectively in all situations. He is relied on to play on the top power play unit as well as the penalty kill. Marleau's hard work to improve his defense and become a better two-way forward has turned him into one of the league's biggest shorthanded threats.

It's difficult to say whether or not Marleau's success this season is due to head coach Todd McLellan relieving him of his leadership responsibilities as team captain.

The all-star in 2004, 2007, and 2009 has always shown his offensive ability throughout his career, but only Marleau knows if his shoulder feels a little lighter without the "C" stitched on it.

That "C" on his jersey has kept him in the spotlight during his five-season tenure as captain, especially in the playoffs. Once a dominant playoff performer, Marleau's postseason struggles brought his leadership into question.

When the captaincy was taken away from Marleau and given to veteran defenseman Rob Blake, many wondered how Marleau would respond.

Well, Patty has put that question to rest with his monstrous start to this season.

Perhaps Marleau has been motivated by the loss of the captaincy. Or maybe because he has Steve Yzerman and Team Canada looking over his shoulder. Or maybe because he's playing for a contract from San Jose.

I'm sure those are all in the back of his mind. But there is one thing that is motivating Marleau and driving him toward another career year: the Stanley Cup.

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The Not So Top 10 San Jose Sharks of All Time

Andy Bensch — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:21:57 -0500

About a month ago, I delved into the 18 year history of the San Jose Sharks and came up with a Top 25 performers to don the various teal colored sweaters. But after watching Sportscenter's "Not so Top 10 plays" the other day, I decided to take a look at the Sharks that aren't remembered highly for their time in San Jose. Whether they never lived up to the hype, ditched for money elsewhere, didn't like playing in San Jose, or failed to return the value via trade, there's a bunch of Sharks that just didn't quite look right in a teal jersey. Some of the players missed empty net wrap arounds, some ate too much food, and some just plain stunk on the ice while with the Sharks. Without further ado, here is the "Not So Top 10 San Jose Sharks."

Begin Slideshow

Pony Up a Few Million; Own 10% of the Raiders

Al's Wingman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:39:36 -0500

So the rumors are true. Just like everything else in Raiders HQ, there are no secrets as soon as Al Davis decides to make a phone call or two or three.

What does this tell us? No one cares about your privacy when it comes to business matters Al. They’ll all speak off the record since you have built your life around the legal system, but one way or the other everything comes out in the wash.

Al Davis has long been shopping a tantalizing piece of ownership of the Oakland Raiders franchise. But let’s be realistic, this would be as minority partners with no power or influence at all.

This was the allure for three wall street eggheads who thought they were getting a good deal a few years ago. Can you believe that? Who would walk into a business deal with Al Davis?

No sooner did the eggheads sign over their millions, when Al wheeled and dealed for Gibril Wilson, DeAngelo Hall in addition to laying out hefty sums for Tommy Kelly and Javon Walker.

Now that is funny, seeing the eggheads in their corporate suite at Oakland Coliseum clinking champagne glasses dancing around like they just bought into the good life adds up to priceless humor.

For several million less, they could have just bought season tickets for the suites because that’s all they’re getting out of the deal. That and lost vast sums of money, a whole lot of regret and misplaced hope they will ever see a return on that investment.

It’s all in DeAngelo’s pockets baby.

The Raiders franchise is plummeting in value, is an embarrassment to professional sports, not simply based on the (mostly) woeful performance on the field, but for the obvious inept leadership. The world knows how bad Al Davis is at managing his franchise.

I’m laughing and so is everyone else who looks at Al’s terms for buying in (if it gets that far, most likely, no one has stepped forward for serious talks since the Brent Jones investment group was rebuffed).

We can talk restructured contracts of the players not living up to their commitment as Raiders (no bang for the buck) or we can talk reality which is Al just wants more money to waste on bad personnel decisions and that’s why he wants to sell 10% of the franchise.

A new billboard a mile from Oakland Coliseum politely asking “Mr. Davis” to hire a GM is a fruitless wheel spinning exercise.

Great sentiment behind the gesture, no chance of success.

That’s what you get when you are dealing with a ship dead at sea.

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Fate of the Franchise: Who's on First for the Giants? Or Third, for that Matter

Evan Aczon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:07:19 -0500

For the last couple years since the departure of Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants have been pressured and prodded in the direction of a power-hitting corner infielder. Many names have been heard on the rumor mill, including Joe Crede, Paul Konerko, Austin Kearns, Nick Johnson, and Prince Fielder.

But in the last couple years, the emergence of the Giants farm system has changed the outlook on homegrown position players. Pablo Sandoval has done that almost single-handedly, and at 23 years old, looks to be a part of the San Francisco franchise for a solid chunk of the immediate future.

There is a question mark at first base, but Travis Ishikawa put together a very underappreciated season, hitting a solid .261 with nine homeruns while playing arguably the best defensive first base in the league.

With Sandoval still under team control, the steadiness of Ishikawa, and now the introduction of Ryan Garko to the mix, the corner spots looked to be locked down for the time being.

Travis Ishikawa, 1 year/$0.401M (2009)

At the beginning of the season, Ishikawa was hailed by some to be the second coming of Will Clark. His defense was impeccable, and he led the majors in homeruns in Spring Training. On Opening Day he hit a bases clearing triple into the alleyway that seemed to solidify that fact.

I, along with a few other writers and some big Will Clark fans, did not see Ishikawa as taking over where Clark left off, but saw him more in the mold of another Giant favorite J.T. Snow. He’s among the league leaders in fielding, and has the makings of a possible Gold Glover, and is passable at the plate.

His swing does have holes, but after a terrible streak that brought his average down near .220, he has since raised it to a respectable .261. The Giants’ streak of over 40 games without a homerun from the first-base position was a sore spot early on, but Ishikawa ended the year with nine homers and big fly potential.

He’s also, far and away, the best defensive first baseman in the majors. The UZR is a relatively new statistic, but it’s basically the “zone rating” that measures the defensive impact of a player. Take this with a grain of salt, as Ishikawa does not qualify due to an insufficient number of appearances.

The highest UZR rating is attributed to Ishikawa, reeling in a 10.8 UZR. The second highest is Casey Kotchman, who brings a 5.2 UZR to the table. That’s more than twice as much as the next best defender. It’s certainly something to look at.

The biggest problem for Ishikawa was hitting away from AT&T Park. Long known as a pure pitcher’s park, Ishikawa hit an outstanding .349 at home, slugging 7 of his 9 homeruns and locking up a .935 OPS. In contrast, his .162 road average was not good, in any sense of the word. He only hit five extra base hits away from San Francisco.

Ishikawa is still under team control, and should be in the running for the starting job in 2010, depending on what they end up doing with Ryan Garko. Personally, I think he has what it takes to be a starting first baseman. If he work out the kinks in his swing, his defense is already good enough that it should keep him in the lineup.

Ryan Garko, 1 year/$0.4461M (2009)

Garko was a solid pickup by the Giants, in terms of his career numbers. He was a typical Brian Sabean trade deadline acquisition. No one saw it coming, but after a second of letting it sink in, it kind of made sense.

Yet after his pickup, he never really lived up to his previous years. His line with the Giants was disappointing. His .282 average and 10-15 homerun power over three years with the Indians vanished with the move to the National League, and Garko hit .235 with only six extra-base hits in 40 games in San Francisco. Granted, after a slow start he sank way down on Bruce Bochy’s playing time ladder and never really impressed enough to pull himself back up.

With all the speculation on which free agents the Giants will go after, and with Ishikawa as a solid starting option, not just a serviceable backup, Garko looks like the odd man out. The cards do not fall in his favor, with Sandoval having the ability to play both corners. Garko is a good player, but will most likely be non-tendered by the San Francisco front office.

Pablo Sandoval, 1 year/$0.40175M (2009)

Pablo Sandoval has reignited a sluggish Giants offense just like Tim Lincecum reignited the pitching staff in 2007. When he was called up late 2008 he immediately impressed, if only for half a season. In 2009, he followed it up with a season spent contending for the batting title, playing amazing defense, given his size, and leading the Giants offense in almost every category the whole year.

His .330 batting average, 25 homeruns, 90 RBI, 79 R, 189 hits, 44 doubles, and .943 OPS all led the team. And for all of his free-swinging tendencies, he also led the team with 52 walks. To put the Giants’ swing-first mentality in perspective, the team’s leading walker was ranked fifty-first in the National League, and had less than half of Adrian Gonzalez’s 119.

Looking forward to 2010, Sandoval has already (reportedly) lost 12 pounds and is continuing a rigorous fitness regiment throughout the whole off-season. A slimmer Sandoval is still under team control for another two years, and will be the centerpiece for the offense of this team, along with Buster Posey, whenever he’s ready.

What the Giants have to figure out is where Sandoval is going to play. If they can pick up a power hitting first-baseman like Nick Johnson or even experiment with Jermaine Dye at first, then Sandoval will stay at third. If they resign Juan Uribe as a third-baseman, or sign someone else like Adrian Beltre or trade for someone like Mat Gamel, then Sandoval might move to first.

Either way, he will continue to improve into one of the best young hitters in the majors, and will be competing for the MVP in the next five years.

Juan Uribe, 1 year/$1.00M (2009)

Uribe was another one of Brian Sabean’s under-the-radar, low profile minor league signings that paid off drastically (see Brandon Medders and Justin Miller). Once Uribe got steady playing time with injuries to Sandoval and much more high-profile Edgar Renteria, he quickly became one of the hottest hitters in the National League.

He was brought in as a utility infielder, capable of playing everywhere except first on the infield, but claimed that he wanted to start. Given the chance from late July on, Uribe hit .299 with 12 HR and 33 RBI. He hit .325 in September, and was easily the biggest offensive weapon, not named Panda, in the San Francisco line-up.

The fact that the Giants got him on the (super) cheap almost hurts them this year. His productivity earned him a big raise, and he chose to let his momentum from the end of the season carry him out on the open market. The Giants have expressed interest, but there are a lot of teams that have more flexibility to make this kind of a move.

In my opinion, and those of a couple other writers with Giants on the mind, resigning Uribe and Brad Penny is just important as adding a big bat. His demeanor in the clubhouse is great, his pop is much appreciated, and his defense is above average. He’s the best option at third base, or even second base if the brass decides to move Freddy Sanchez over or get rid of Renteria.

Fate of the Franchise

The Giants will have at least Ishikawa and Sandoval under contract next year. I’d like to see Uribe back in a Giants uniform, and all of the prospective free agents the San Francisco are on the corner infielders.

Jermaine Dye is not a first baseman, and signing him as such might improve the offense, but those runs will be lost in the field. Carlos Delgado wasn't offered arbitration, so signing him wouldn't cost the Giants a draft pick. But, with his history, I wouldn't pay $10M+ for a multi-year deal if it would just sit on the disabled list.

Nick Johnson would definitely help the Giants put someone on base, which is never a bad thing. They have also been linked to Miguel Tejada, who would most likely be inserted at third base, moving Sandoval to first.

All of those options, however, relegate Ishikawa to a platoon role at most. His development over the last two seasons has been more than enough to convince me to let him start, and if he can fix his road woes to even remotely match his home numbers, he could become a great all-around player.

But the Giants need to add offense, and with the shortage of outfield options, a corner infield spot seems the best place to do it. Look for a splash signing on either corner, or maybe a sly little Sabean roster move to make things shake out.

Make sure to keep an eye out for the Fate of the Franchise minor league profile coming soon from Community Leader and Featured Columnist Danny Penza.

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Oakland Raiders: A Thousand Theories and Yet No Real Solutions

Bret Armstrong — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:40:32 -0500

While the Oakland Raiders had a fairly quiet offseason this year by their standards, the twists and turns of the regular season have kept fans on their toes wondering what is in store for a once great franchise in the very near future.

There are a thousand questions that Raider nation wants the answers to, like, is this the year Al Davis steps down? Will Oakland draft another quarterback in the 2010 draft? Is Kirk Morrison the answer at middle linebacker? Does Richard Seymour still want to help this team turn around? Will Al make another head coaching change?

While I cannot provide the answers to these questions, I can offer honest and insightful opinions to these and any other questions you might have.

So let's start from the top...no pun intended.

Is this the year Al Davis steps down?

To be painfully honest towards the folks associated with www.messagetoal.com, the answer is no. You don't have to even be a fan to realize that the only time Al will ever give in to what anyone else wants is when he drops the ball on life.

Al will not reliquish a role that he so meticulously stole, fair and square. He still thinks he knows the ins and outs of the game and nobody will convince him otherwise.

In fact, many people who are or have been associated with him believe he is still mentally sane. Lane Kiffin sure isn't doing anything to help us think otherwise either.

To top all that off, the fact of the matter is that Al has assembled a team with a ton of talent and no direction. I don't think that a talent scout like a new GM is the ideal answer, even though I do agree that Al is the common denominator in the past six or seven seasons.

What we need is an ideal system for the players that exist, not new or different players.

Will the Oakland Raiders draft another quarterback in the 2010 draft?

I won't say that they won't for the simple fact that Al Davis will do it just to prove that I am wrong. The real meat of this question is not will they draft a quarterback, but will they draft a quarterback in the first or second round of the draft?

Being truly honest, I can't see how it helps. All it would do is give us another undeveloped talent to coach up. I could see them trying to find a quarterback in the late rounds of the draft. Trying to strike gold like Tom Brady.

Then again, at this point they could go to their local supermarket and try to find the next Kurt Warner too, but it doesn't mean that he is there bagging groceries, or that if he was anybody would know it.

Oakland does not have the financial stability right now to make their top pick in 2010 another quarterback. My advice would be to go after a hard nosed middle linebacker. Someone who could provide that run defense support they have been looking for. Or maybe add another lineman that was expected in the 2009 draft.

It takes a good three years for a good quarterback to be worth anything to a team. The 2006 class of quarterbacks are just now starting to take the reigns of teams, with the exception of Jay Culter, who has not really won anything to boot.

The 2005 draft was Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith.

2004's draft provided us with Phillip Rivers and Eli Manning, who are both starting to get into that elite talk.

And in spite of the early sucess of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, their sophomore seasons have been much less impressive so far.

Oakland has more pressing needs than another quarterback, like a right tackle, a good center, a true middle linebacker, and a nickel cornerback.

Plus, there is a feasible group of quarterbacks there. The best thing the Raiders could do right now is make it an open competition next year. Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski are both hungry to prove themselves worthy of a second chance. Both of those guys believe they still have what it takes.

JaMarcus Russell is bursting with talent, but has very little motivation. He is probably just hungry in general. Perhaps an open competition would light a fire under his butt that is getting bigger every moment he wastes sitting on it.

Is Kirk Morrison the answer at middle linebacker?

I really think he has stepped up his game this year with a better defensive line in front of him. I've been a witness to him making more tackles at the point of attack than any other year I remember.

In spite of his improvement in that respect, I still have to say he is not the answer. I appreciate the leadership he shows, but I don't see that Ray Lewis or Mike Singletary mentality in the kid.

I think Oakland needs a true middle linebacker. A hard nosed guy who plays light out, flies to the ball and attacks it. Makes halfbacks scared to run towards him and makes quarterbacks fear his blitz.

While I don't think Kirk has what it takes to play the middle, I think that if he could concede to playing outside linebacker, he might still lead the team in tackles. He is a guy who plays with a lot of heart, but I just fail to see the mean streak in him that is needed to hold the fort in the middle in the 4-3 defense.

Whether by free agency or trade, Oakland needs to bring in a guy who changes the mentality of their defense.

Does Richard Seymour still want to help turn the team around?

Call me an optimist, but I think that he truly does want to help turn the team around. The year that the Patriots drafted Seymour they were a 5-11 team. They lost to Cleveland and Detroit that year by a combined score of 53-20.

I think Richard believes he helped turn that franchise around. I think he feels like the same opportunity exists in Oakland, aside from two things:

A. Oakland has more talent than New England did at that time.

B. Richard thinks that he is in his prime right now and not a rookie.

To add to that, he knows that if he doesn't sign a contract with Oakland in the offseason, he will end up getting the franchise tag repeatedly until he concedes to signing.

Of course he has the desire to win and he knows that the team is better with him in the line-up. There is a good core group on defense in Oakland. Those blown plays on defense are very similar to the blown plays on offense when you break down the film.

A foot off here, an arms length there, a missed assignment away from being a big play for the defense instead of the contrary.

The bottom line is, Richard Seymour will be an Oakland Raider next year regardless of what he really wants.

Will Al Davis make another coaching change?

I fear that he will. I know a lot of people are hoping that he does because they think that Tom Cable is worthless. Unlike you, I see what is happening.

Al Davis fired Lane Kiffin for several reasons. One of the reasons was not developing the young talent on the roster. From the time Tom Cable took over coaching duties, we've seen some young talents emerge in this group.

Tyvon Branch, Mario Henderson, Chaz Schilens, Michael Huff, Trevor Scott, and Michael Bush to name a few.

More recently, Matt Shaughnessy, Gary Russell, and Louis Murphy are starting to look like they have a good upside.

The coaching staff is one of the most highly regarded that Oakland has had in my recent memory. Ted Tollner, Paul Hackett, Dwaine Board, and John Marshall all have very nice track records.

Moreover, the teams' play recently has shown me that they are on the right track in spite of the losses. I see them all making strides, putting in the effort, and making some big plays. Continuing to play for each other despite the record...growing.

If they continue on the path they are on, the team will gel. Kirk Morrison said after the loss to the Chiefs that he thought the team was starting to gel. The next week they came out and beat the Bengals, meanwhile the Chiefs beat the Steelers.

Last week, the first half of the game was a wash. The throws were slightly off target, but the running game looked fantastic. Some spectators say they abandoned the run too abruptly. In the second half of the game, the passing game got going a bit.

The second half was technically won by Oakland; had they kicked that field goal, they outscored Dallas 10-7. The first quarter ended 3-0 Dallas. So really, they died in the second quarter by allowing big plays on defense and not making any big plays on offense.

My hope is that the team continues to show this type of progress and Al Davis sees it. Ultimately, that is what it boils down to. The big guy upstairs has to see it, it doesn't matter what you or I think.

One thing I know is that Tom Cable has this team. The team believes in what Cable is telling them, and Al Davis stands to lose a lot more by abandoning Tom's staff than he would gain.

Tom's relationship with Al Davis is rumored around the Oakland facilities to be the best coach/owner relationship since Jon Gruden.

So there you have it, take it or leave it, but it's an honest, and in my opinion, very logical set of answers to some unresolved issues in Raiders' camp. Feel free to post your questions in the comments section and I'll feel free to answer them.

See My Message to Al: http://fanhuddle.com/oaklandraiders/2009/12/01/oakland-raiders-my-message-to-al-davis/

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The Golden State Warriors: "We Believe" Is More Like "We Deserve Better"

Erik Bartlett — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:27:01 -0500

Another year, another disastrous chapter of the Chris Cohan era is upon us. Welcome to Warriors basketball, where the best fans in the NBA have to suffer through the incompetence of bad ownership, bad managerial decisions, and false hope.

Once again, the Warriors aren’t even close to being able to contend for a title. With Chris Mullin gone and Robert Rowell being granted even more power to make terrible decisions, how shocked would you be to see Anthony Randolph traded at the deadline? I know I wouldn’t.

And as much as “We Believe” summed up the 2007 season that stole our hearts and minds, we can coin the slogan “We Deserve Better” to define the ineptitude that consistently surrounds the team year after year.

When I was in college in Southern California, all of my buddies were die hard Lakers fans. Why do I bring this up? Because every single day, I would have to witness these undeserving fans watch a team completely destroy the opposition night in and night out.

This is a common theme for us in the Bay Area, watching in disgust as these fickle, fair-weather fans from So-Cal latch on to their teams when it’s convenient for them, and then they cruise to yet another title. These aren’t even “real” sports fans to us; they aren’t in it from the beginning and, most importantly, they get all of the love and media attention that our teams never get.

Warriors fans are by far the best in the NBA. How do I know this? I challenge fans of every other team to go through all of the dysfunction that we have had to endure every single year since Chris Cohan became the owner, and just when you might think things are getting better, they suddenly and tragically turn for the worst.

Before 2007, Bay Area sports fans had two distinctive memories that involved the Warriors since Cohan became the owner: Antawn Jamison’s back to back 50 point games in 2000 and Jason Richardson’s back to back Slam Dunk Championships in 2002 and 2003. That’s about it, unless you count Vince Carter (who we traded away for Jamison) going nuts in the 2000 All-Star Game held in Oakland as well.

However, there is reason for optimism in the future. They will be undoubtedly fun to watch, attempting to run other teams out of the gym with their fast, up-tempo pace. And how could anybody not be infatuated with Anthony Morrow, Stephen Curry, Ellis, and Randolph? Those are four young players with star potential. Throw in Andris Biendris, and you’d have to like their chances of being scary enough to any given opponent on any given night. Throw in a bench that includes Rony Turiaf, Kelenna Azibukie, and Corey Maggette, and you have yourself a solid NBA team, barring injury.

Losing Brandon Wright and Raja Bell to injury hurts. So does the dysfunction that surrounded the team before they traded Stephen Jackson. However, this is a team with the ability to be resilient, and if they can maintain the level of play that they’ve been at so far in the post-Jackson era, then we could be in for a wild ride.

Then again, every day in Warriorsland is just that.

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Darren McFadden: Could He Be The Raiders Answer at WR?

jackson chesher — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:23:46 -0500

When the Oakland drafted Darren McFadden from Arkansas with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, it seemed to be a sure fire hit for the struggling Raiders. In only his second game in the NFL, at Arrowhead, McFadden rushed for 164 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown. It seemed as though Al Davis had struck gold, but all did not go as planned in Oakland.

After a mediocre rookie season, that was plagued by turf toe on both feet, Raiders fans expected big things out of the healthy second year back. After a lack luster four games, McFadden was on the sidelines with a knee injury. After missing four games he came back week nine against Kansas City, but other than a few wildcat snaps hasn't really done much.

But on Thanksgiving we saw a different look for McFadden. On a few plays McFadden lined up at wide out and had some success, including a under thrown incompletion that could have gone the distance had Gradkowski put a little more air underneath of it. This was the second game where he was used in the slot, the first being their Monday night opener against San Diego.

With the depth we have at running back it seems to me that McFadden could be the spark that our dead last passing game needs. Chaz Schilens is a very competent starter, but after him it looks pretty bleak.

The two rookies, who have started most of the games this year, have been sketchy at best. Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey have had a bad case of the drops all year and have not produced very much. Murphy has had a few big plays but has had some costly drops. Heyward-Bey caught his long overdue first touchdown last week, but he also took on off the chest that cost us the KC game.

If you compare McFadden to the two, they are quite similar physically. All three of them are 6'2 in the 210 pound range. Heyward-Bey's claim to fame is his 4.30 40 time at the combine. Darren McFadden was clocked at 4.33.

This year, despite only playing in seven games with limited action, McFadden has 14 receptions, which is five more than DHB and only five behind Murphy, who leads Oakland receivers with a mere 19 catches. For his career, he has 43 receptions which is more than any Raider receiver has for their career with the exception of Javon Walker who has been inactive almost all season.

After watching McFadden over the last two years it has become clear that he cannot run effectively between the tackles. He has also been prone to fumbling and going down on first contact. No one questions his play making ability, but he doesn't seem to have the leg strength or durability to be a starting NFL running back.

With that being said I think it is worth a shot to give McFadden a chance at wideout. He's doing us no good as a third-string running back.

It will definitely take a lot of work out of McFadden and the coaching staff. Changing positions is no easy task, but McFadden has all the physical tools necessary to do so. If he can learn the position I think he would be a much bigger threat to opposing defenses.

I'm not saying he will be the next Tim Brown, but with the success Fargas and Bush are having, wide receiver is where he is most valuable to the Raiders.

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Rolling Four Lines: Why the San Jose Sharks are Scarier Than Ever

Andy Bensch — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:39:43 -0500

The San Jose Sharks have always been talented over the last decade, making the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons including five straight. However, there has always been a clear system to beat them in the postseason.

When Joe Thornton arrived in 2005, the game-plan for San Jose's opponents was pretty darn simple. Stop Thornton, and the Sharks will be shut-down. After losing four straight games to the Oilers in the 05-06 playoffs the Sharks knew a change would be needed.

The following season the Sharks added veteran power forward Bill Guerin at the trade-deadline. And before getting hurt in game four of the semi-finals against the Wings, Guerin had helped the Sharks to a 2-1 series lead that was almost 3-1 until Detroit managed to pull out a shocking victory to tie up the series. Due to his injury Guerin missed games five and six, which ended up as the worst two games San Jose played all playoffs.

In 2007-2008 Guerin ran for the money which resided in New York with the bottom feeding New York Islanders. The Sharks were now back to square one, trying to add one more supreme talent to help Thornton get the Sharks over the playoff hump.

Mid-way through the year the Sharks traded for then Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell. "Soupy" would make a big splash in his short-time with San Jose, scoring a highlight reel spin-o-rama goal during the regular season but his playoff performance was far from spectacular.

Despite putting up a respectable seven points in 13 games, Campbell's lackluster defensive effort against Calgary and Dallas' top scoring threats left much to be desired.

Campbell would choose not to re-sign with San Jose and signed a multi-year deal with his current squad the Chicago Blackhawks.

Once again, the Sharks were left without their key acquisition from the previous season. But this time around, almost all Sharks fans feel their GM Doug Wilson traded for a better defenseman.

Prior to the 2008-09 campaign, the Sharks received Dan Boyle in an offseason trade and he only went on to score 16 goals and 57 points.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, Boyle was the only player on the team who showed up to play this past playoffs and subsequently San Jose was knocked out in the first round despite having the top record in the regular season.

These Sharks teams had some of the most talented players in the game and fans wondered why they couldn't seem to get back to the conference finals after reaching the third round for the first time prior to the lockout.

What was the problem exactly?

The problem wasn't rocket-science. The opponents the Sharks faced in the playoffs had no problem playing against them. San Jose was soft and relied on their skill instead of their will.

Each postseason had a simple game-plan for any team that drew the Sharks. Keep San Jose's top players off the scoreboard and let your role players out-work the their role players.

However, the Sharks are no longer soft and there is no out-working the role players on this year's squad.

If you shut-down the Thornton's, the Heatley's, the Marleau's, the Boyle's etc., then you have to deal with a new group of energy and checking forwards.

No longer do the bottom forwards consist of an aging Jeremy Roenick, a listless Marcel Goc, a washed up Mike Grier and the worst "enforcer" in the league in Jody Shelley.

Even if a team can managed to shut-down the Sharks' big names, they now have to try and defend Scott Nichol, Jed Ortmeyer, Jamie McGinn, Torrey Mitchell, and Devin Setoguchi.

Wait, what did I just say?

Setoguchi is a checking forward? San Jose has their former top-line right wing who scored 31 goals last year playing on the fourth line?

Yes, Setoguchi is currently a checking forward. And no, this isn't Jonathan Cheechoo 2.0. San Jose's speedy right-handed sniper isn't on the fourth line because of lousy play, he is playing their because of great play.

Great play by the team around him that is. Setoguchi recently came back from a leg injury and head coach Todd McLellan had essentially no place to put him except on the fourth line.

The top-line of Heatley-Thornton-Marleau is clicking, the second-line of Malhotra-Pavelski-Clowe is dominating along the boards and the McGinn-Nichol-Ortmeyer line is arguably the best third line in the NHL.

Therefore, the Sharks' fourth line is now a combination of a tough gritty minor league call-up in Frazer McLaren, the tenacious and lightning quick Torrey Mitchell at center, and Setoguchi.

No longer do the Sharks have to limit their fourth line players to five or six minutes a game. They can, and will, throw all four lines at you throughout the entire contest.

At the rate they are playing, only three possible teams appear to have enough to stop the Sharks this year and two of them reside in the Eastern Conference

Like Guerin provided San Jose in 06-07, Heatley is that proven all-star to play alongside Thornton, and the Sharks now have the depth to make a long playoff run.

Only the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks seem up to the task talent and depth wise to beat San Jose.

Of course the Blackhawks already dominated the Sharks in San Jose by a 7-2 final, leading 7-0 at one point.

However, the Sharks were missing both Rob Blake and Setoguchi that game and although that is no excuse, San Jose is likely to have a more balanced attack in the next contest between the two clubs.

And the 7-2 shellacking they took on their home ice against the Blackhawks is only gonna add fuel to the fire when the teams meet up again this year whether that is in the remaining regular season games or in the playoffs.

The core group of Sharks are sick of losing, sick of the "regular season darlings" label, and sick of the "playoff chokers" label. Their top players finally have role players that can chip in and be a factor come playoffs and their will to win ought to finally eclipse their skill.

If their will doesn't surface greater than their skill this postseason, then the Sharks as we know them might be gone forever.

Patrick Marleau, Rob Blake, and Evgeni Nabokov will all be unrestricted free-agents as well as Joe Pavelski and Setoguchi becoming restricted free-agents this offseason.

Not only do the Sharks have the elite scorer and depth they were missing, but they also realize that there is no "next year." No more "oh we'll get 'em next year" because there is none. They know they won't have any better shot than they have this season.

And that mentality with the talent and work ethic of this year's Shark team, that my friends, is scary.

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San Francisco 49ers Fans, Stay Tuned

Erik Bartlett — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:21:07 -0500

It's been a weird year for the Niners, and it's about to get even weirder.

Why, you ask?

Well, put it this way, would anybody be shocked if they lost in Seattle next Sunday?

Other than the Week One win in Arizona, they've gone 0-fer on the road. Sure, they lost on a miracle play to the Vikings, had near comebacks against the Texans and the Packers, and experienced a heartbreaking loss to the Colts in which they got burned on a TD pass to Joseph Addai.

But in the NFL, being "close" doesn't cut it. You either win or you go home.

However, would anybody be shocked if they blow out the Seahawks on Sunday?

Let's be honest, Seattle simply isn't good. Blame it on injuries, blame it on whatever, the Seahawks are about to be in rebuilding mode, with a new GM in tow.

The Niners should have their way with them, but with the game being in Seattle, against a team with nothing to lose, it has the potential of becoming a season-ending trap game.

If they leave Seattle victorious, and the football gods ensure that the Vikings beat the Cardinals on Sunday Night Football, we will have the biggest game involving any Bay Area team since the We Believe Warriors of 2007 NBA Playoffs fame.

If the Niners, in front of a rowdy playoff atmosphere at Candlestick Park, can prevail, they will become the leaders in the NFC West and control their own destiny the rest of the way.

Sure, it seems very optimistic right now to assume all of the chips will fall in their places in this fashion, but it's possible.

That said, if the Niners implode, it's possible that they'll be picking in the Top 10 in 2010.

Stay tuned, Niners fans. The NFC West race has only begun.

And if the Niners somehow amazingly win the division, I think it's safe to say the sale of Vince Young jerseys will skyrocket across Northern California for what he did against the Cardinals last weekend.

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Are Thomas Howard's Days in Oakland Numbered?

Ramone Brown — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:58:57 -0500

Thomas Howard is a clear fan favorite for the Oakland Raiders, and many consider him the Raiders second-best defender behind Nnamdi Asomugha.

But his future with the team has come into question. Though Howard has been stout in coverage, some would suggest he is riding the hype of his 2007 season when he had six interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns of 44 and 66 yards. But since then he has been rather quiet with one interception in the last 29 games.

Not only that but Howard has received criticism for his run support and inability to shed blockers.

Funny, fellow Raider linebacker Kirk Morrison has received the same criticism.

To make matters worse, the former "star" weak-side linebacker has been replaced by second-year player Trevor Scott. Scott had an impressive game with five tackles including two sacks and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

In the same game, Howard saw little playing time backing up starting strong-side linebacker Sam Williams.

Tom Cable has said that Trevor Scott will start again against Pittsburgh.

Scott's skill-set is nearly opposite of Howard. With experience playing defensive end, he is stronger against the run and better able to shed blocks. His only downfall is his lack of experience in pass coverage.

All this can only mean one of two things for Howard. Either he is being replaced, or he has a position move in his future.

Howard is currently in a contract year, and if the Raiders don't resign him, he will become a free agent. Being demoted as a starter may be a tell-tale sign that the Raiders have already made a decision on Howard. It is a clear possibility that he may not be wearing silver and black next year.

Raiders middle linebacker Morrison is also on a contract year, and the Raiders may have to make a decision between resigning one of the two.

If you had to make a decision between either signing Kirk Morrison or Thomas Howard, who would you pick?

The second possibility is a position change, likely to the strong side. Williams has received a lot of criticism from fans, mainly for being one of Al Davis's scholarship players for his impressive measurables and combination of speed and size.

But next year, competition for the starting strong-side linebacker position will be stiff with both Ricky Brown and Jon Alston returning from injury. With that, Howard's chances of returning to the silver and black are even more diminished.

Don't be surprised if he is gone next year. His days in Oakland may be numbered.

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San Francisco 49ers: The 11th Hour

Brian O'Flaherty — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:59:08 -0500

In the 11th month of the year, during the 11th game of the 2009 NFL season, something important happened for the San Francisco 49ers.

Bill Walsh's ghost has stopped rolling around. He can sleep easy, because the 49ers overcame the one hurdle that has tripped them up from the very beginning of the 2009 season.

This hurdle has always been the first hurdle. The one right out of the gates. It has tripped the 49ers up and many times cost them the race.

This hurdle was an oddly frustrating hurdle to miss, because it was not higher than the other hurdles, it was not at an awkward angle, was not tilted or on uneven ground; nor did the 49ers lack the ability to jump it, for they had cleared it, free and clean, many times during practice and trial runs.

The reason this particular hurdle was frustrating to miss, was because this was the one hurdle the 49ers never TRIED jumping over. They preferred instead to hit the hurdle “in the mouth,” trip themselves up, and fight like heck to hold on and win at the end.

They preferred to win, in the 11th hour.

But the hour is late, and the time to win, is now.

Eleven

There are 11 players on an NFL offense, but last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of those 11 stood out and shined the brightest.

No. 11.

The 49ers jumped right out of the gates, and cleared their first hurdle like an eagle soaring above the mountains. They did what the defense did not expect them to do. They gave Alex Smith the game ball.

He let it fly.

Alex Smith threw more passes in a first half of football then he had ever thrown. He operated mostly from the shotgun formation where he is clearly most comfortable. He made plays with his feet, and not only cleared the first hurdle, but gave the 49ers something they have rarely seen since Smith was drafted; multiple touchdown passes in the first half of a football game, along with a 17-3 halftime lead.

Normally, its the other way around. The other team usually starts off the game fast and aggressive, while the 49ers punt and plod, as they get warmed up for their come-from-behind aggressive posture, later on in the game.

Smith was not only aggressive, but he was on the mark. He threw several balls that were reminiscent of Steve Young's picture-perfect pastimes.

On a 4th-and-1, with a defender blitzing up the middle, right in Smith's face, he only had time to flick the ball with his wrist. The ball ended up perfectly lobbed over a defenders head, into the waiting arms of Vernon Davis.

On another, Smith threw a fearless pass into the end-zone to Michael Crabtree, which was again, perfectly lobbed over the defender and almost surprising Crabtree as it arrived in his hands just as he turned his head to look. Crabtree could not hold on, but nevertheless, throws of this nature had previously only been seen around Candlestick Park when an All-Pro quarterback makes a visit with another team.

The Jaguars were not expecting the 49ers to even ATTEMPT these plays, much less execute them. They felt if they simply shut down Frank Gore, they would win the game. That is supposed to be the winning formula against the 49ers, right?

Not any more.

The 49ers have cleared their first hurdle, now, the new question becomes, can their opponents keep up?

Fear factor

The 49ers went against everything they had been doing all season long, and fooled the Jaguars, but will any other NFL team buy what the 49ers are selling?

Does one game change a reputation? Doubtful.

Most likely, despite a fantastic performance, opposing teams will continue to fear Frank Gore and not Alex Smith. Smith hurt one team who had a fixation on Frank Gore, but this one performance will not scare the rest of the NFL.

You see, there is an old saying, “If you can't do it twice, you can't do it at all.”

After what Frank Gore did to the Seattle Seahawks early in the season, who do you think they plan on shutting down come next Sunday?

Alex Smith still has to build a reputation, and one game, does not a reputation, make. Who knows how long it will take? It could be a couple more games or even require a couple months of high-octane offense leading into next season.

Smith's reputation has been in the gutter, and every girl ain't crazy about a sharp dressed man, when they had previously seen him sleeping on the streets for years.

Its going to take some time. Smith is going to have to hurt many NFL defenses before defensive coordinators look at the 49ers and think, “Hmm, how are we going to contain the Smith kid?”

If the 49ers can keep up this momentum, and keep up their aggressive offensive assault, one day it will happen. One day, defensive coordinators will be afraid of Alex Smith, and when that day comes, as Madden used to say, “Boom!” The 49ers will be able to go back to a balanced attack, because the other teams will not know whom on the 49ers offense they should game plan to stop.

Coach Singletary is right. It doesn't matter if the 49ers throw the ball 100 times, nor does it matter if they run the ball 100 times, all that matters is winning. To win, the opposing defense must be afraid of everything, and if Alex Smith continues to play like he has from the shotgun, and the 49ers continue to aggressively call shotgun plays, opposing defenses will be shaking in their boots thinking about both Smith and Gore.

The hour is late

Time is running out on the 49ers 2009 season. Perhaps it already has.

It would have been nice if the 49ers had this “spread offense” epiphany several weeks ago in Houston. It could have brought their playoff hopes within arms reach. But, you know, “coulda woulda shoulda.”

The hour is late, but a new day is coming into focus. A day where the 49ers can move the ball and score points, a day where the 49ers defense does not have to play two exhausting games worth of plays, a day where the 49ers offense sprints forward to a lead, rather than dig downward into a hole.

This new day will shine bright, with a quarterback, whom other teams coaches, players, and even fans will respect and yes, fear.

Some may say that this is only a dream. That this one game was a fluke and the spread offense will falter and the 49ers players won't be able to continue its success.

But the 49ers, with a poor record, have only their dreams;

They have spread their offense under Smith's feet,

Tread softly, because you tread on their dreams.

This is the time to see if Alex Smith can lead the 49ers to their dreams.

This is the 11th hour.

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San Francisco 49ers: One Win Doesn't Get Alex Smith Off the Hook

Andy Bensch — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:15:09 -0500

As apart of the San Francisco "faithful", watching the 49ers win on Sunday makes my day. Even though I may not be the biggest fan of their current quarterback Alex Smith, he did lead the team to victory. And like former 49er corner-back Toi Cook says during the 1994 Super Bowl video, "a W's a W, in the National Football League."

However, just because the 49er offense looked solidified against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday doesn't mean it will perform in the same manner week after week.

Alex Smith still has a lot to prove despite what some people may think. For example, Mark Purdy of the Mercury News glorifies Smith's play in his latest column.

Purdy starts his article out with the following:

"Apologies to Alex Smith. Really. Sincerely.

Last week in Green Bay, the 49ers quarterback was awful in the first half, threw a crucial interception in the second half and raised serious doubts (especially in this column space) about whether he could ever be an effective NFL starting quarterback.

Nevermind.

Sunday afternoon at Candlestick Park, Smith reversed the equation. He reversed it so severely, some of us suffered whiplash. Smith had his best game as an NFL starter in a 20-3 victory over Jacksonville. He had zero interceptions, two touchdown passes and a sweet 96.8 passer rating."

If I'm reading this correctly, Purdy is changing his mind from doubting Smith ever being an effective NFL starting quarterback to claiming him to already be an effective NFL starter?

After just one game?

Smith did complete 65.8 percent of his passes (27-41) against the Jaguars for 232 yards and two touchdowns without being sacked or throwing a single interception.

But are we supposed to just forget about the quarterback who had thrown just 28 touchdowns against 38 interceptions and fumbled 21 times in 38 career games?

Furhtermore, that zero interception stat for Sunday's game is quite misleading. Two different drives should have ended in interceptions if it weren't for the porous Jacksonville secondary forgetting how to catch the football.

Plus there were numerous throws on Sunday that were just a tad-high or too far in front of his receivers.

And on one-play in particular during the first touchdown drive, Smith had Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan both wide open on route to the end-zone and Smith attempted to fit the ball into a triple covered Vernon Davis.

Davis ended up taking a big hit from the Jacksonville safety and wasn't able to hang onto the ball. But don't fault the tight-end, he drew three defenders to him allowing his teammates to be wide open.

The ball should have been thrown to one of the two outside targets, not down the middle of the field.

There were two options on that play which were better targets than the 49er tight-end and it's not surprising why they were so wide open. Jacksonville is ranked 26th in the league defending the pass, allowing an average of 242.9 yards per game.

Therefore, despite not being sacked, barely even touched and attempting 41 passes, Smith threw for just 232 yards—a total that is less than Jaguars have averaged giving up this season.

In the second-half alone Smith was 9-12 passing for just 63 yards. Only five of those nine receptions gained yards. Four of them managed no gain or worse, two passes to Gore went for a loss, one to Crabtree for a loss and one to Delanie Walker for no gain.

Coming out of the locker-room the 49ers should have been able to put this game away. However, they managed just three points in the entire half, and held the ball for just 4:53 in the third quarter compared to 9:59 for Jacksonville.

The Jaguars out-gained the 49ers 183 to 90 in the final 30 minutes, as only a couple of unfortunate David Garrard fumbles and a missed 21-yard field-goal by Josh Scobee kept Jacksonville from getting back in the game.

Jacksonville's offense was actually moving the ball better the majority of the time. San Francisco's offense on the other hand stalled on two solid drives settling for field goals, and on five other drives had to punt the ball away. Their 20 points was slightly below their season average.

Take away one of the touchdown drives that should have ended in a interception and the 49ers' offensive "out-burst" that fans are raving about would have netted them just 13 points.

Many will say I'm simply taking the "glass half empty" approach opposed to the "glass half full" outlook, but going into a divisional game on the road next week, I'm simply holding back my optimism.

Smith had one solid game and looked good with the more spread out offense. But can we bank on this to continue? Playing in Seattle next week he will have to deal with the infamous "12th man," the nick-name of the incredibly loud Qwest Field.

Later on in the season Smith will have to play away at the Eagles, who own the tenth best pas defense in the league. Can we really take what we saw against Jacksonville and be confident it will continue?

The "faithful" is hopeful that Smith's impressive play from Sunday will continue but further evidence is needed before one can make a call to whether Smith truly is the quarterback of the future.

As for now, the jury is still out on one Alex Smith.

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What Needs to Change to Make the Raiders Competitive?

David Wilson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:30:43 -0500

Although he has been a significant factor in dooming Oakland to yet another bad season, all of the blame for the Raiders' 3-8 record cannot be placed at JaMarcus Russell's door. It goes deeper than that, and a number of other players have underperformed too.

Receivers

Oakland needs receivers who can get open and consistently catch the ball (besides Zach Miller). Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward Bey have started most of the season, but both often run poor routes, are slow out of their breaks, and worst of all, drop a lot of catchable balls. Unfortunately, they don't look much better now than they did at the start of the season. Their receivers rank dead last in the league for yardage and receptions. That has to change.

Offensive Line

The only genuinely good starters in this group are Robert Gallery and Mario Henderson at left guard and tackle, respectively. The remainder are average at best.

Cornell Green was brought in as a stopgap right tackle three years ago, and is still there as a starter.

Green's poor pass protection and numerous pre-snap penalties hurt the Raiders regularly. Against Dallas last week, Anthony Spencer got his first two sacks of the year and added three more quarterback hurries against Green. That isn't an accident. The Raiders need to invest in a solid right tackle if they are going to make this unit a success.

Samson Satele, acquired in the off season from the Dolphins at center has also struggled against more powerful defensive linemen. His tell tale head bob just before snapping the ball also allows opposing defenses to get the jump on the entire offensive line. He certainly does not continue the Raider tradition of such players as Jim Otto or Dave Dalby.

Run Defense

The last time the Raiders were in the top 10 in run defense, they made the Super Bowl (they were third that year). It has been their Achilles' heel ever since, never ranking better than 22nd. While the defensive line has improved this year, the linebackers haven't.

Kirk Morrison might be the leading tackler on the team, but many of those tackles are well downfield, and the statistic is misleading. He simply cannot shed blockers or hold the point of attack well enough to play the mike position. Many of the big runs that plague Oakland come right through him, and he may be better suited to the outside. The play of the others on the team has been spotty, with Thomas Howard as best of them on the weak side.

The Draft

While Al Davis has found some late round gems, none of his recent high first round picks have produced. The last player that performed as advertised was Nnamdi Asomugha in 2003.

Robert Gallery might be a good guard, but wasn't the franchise left tackle the team drafted him to be. Darren McFadden, JaMarcus Russell, Michael Huff, and Fabian Washington have all disappointed so far. Prior to Asomugha, the last first round pick to produce well was Charles Woodson. That was 11 years ago.

Many might say that the problem is with Al Davis himself. That theory certainly has some merit, but I don't believe it. I do think he needs help with a quality GM though.

The Raiders have talent on their roster, but unless they can fill the gaping holes in it and learn to draft better, their record isn't going to improve much.

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History: Huff, Ellis, Seymour Compared To Green, White, Holmes

Damali Binta YAEL — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:25 -0500

A historical look at the Pittsburgh Steelers is good preparation for the Oakland Raiders in 2009. It will alert the Oakland Raiders to rise to the occasion and tackle an opponent who historically is credited with having a very good defensive squad.

The Historical Context

During the same years the Pittsburgh Steelers were building "The Steel Curtain," America was building a defense for dropouts and push-outs in urban schools. Those years saw the high school dropout rate for African-American males climb to an alarming high.

There was a crisis because of a lack of presence of role models. Organizations like the National Urban League got involved in education, mainly to help reduce the dropout rate in urban communities.

Defenses needed to be built in American education. Young men needed to be herded off the streets and back into the classrooms. The legislation that would fund the dropout prevention programs, which was America's defense for an emerging problem, was called the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA). While all of this was happening on a national level, the Pittsburgh Steelers were building up a powerful defense, called "The Steel Curtain."

The Connections

As the project director of a Houston Area Urban League ESAA project, I was told to hire four strong men who could help find the dropouts and encourage them to return to high school, and to identify those who were potential dropouts.

I found four good men to implement the project. One of them, I distinctly remember, was a relative of Dwight White, a defensive player with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The name of Dwight White's relative was Bob White, and he had been a probation officer. He was perfectly suited for the job.

The other man I hired was an ex-U. S. Marine who wanted to help young people.

The Motivating Stories

Mr. White constantly talked about his relative Dwight. I was curious and Mr. White would share with us, the experiences of Dwight White, "Mean" Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes and L. C. Greenwood. He would brag about how tough, smart and determined those NFL players were. Somehow that motivated the ESAA counselors to go out there in those rough, urban communities and tackle those dropouts, and herd them back into the schools such as Jack Yates High School, in Third Ward.

Each NFL player stands out in my mind in 2009 for a different reason.

Dwight White stood out because he was the relative to a man who worked as a counselor in the program I directed.

"Mean" Joe Greene stood out because of his performance on the football field and his name.

Ernie Holmes stood out because he attended Texas Southern University, and he was known for his intensity on the playing field. His name stands out in my mind even more now because he fathered one of the promising young mathematicians in the United States, Dr. Rod Holmes.

There were really four outstanding defense players with the Pittsburgh Steelers at that time. I made no connection with the fourth player.

Here is what an interesting chapter in history looks like in 2009.

Ernie Holmes who passed away, at 59-years-old, in a car accident somewhere between Houston, Texas and Beaumont, Texas is the father of a young mathematician who has made history.

I work with Ernie Holmes' son. Dr. Rod Holmes, the second African-American man to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Houston, must have put up a powerful defense to negotiate his way to the end of a historical accomplishment.

He was mentored by Dr. Willie Taylor, the first African-American man to receive his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Houston. Is it possible that the wisdom of his father, the great defensive player with "The Steel Curtain" rubbed off on the son, Dr. Rob Holmes?

The Common Traits for Success

The determination, persistence, and passion you need for football is also needed in intellectual endeavors. Perhaps the powerful attributes of the father were passed on to the son, giving him the coping skills to wedge forth and get a Ph.D. in one of the most challenging areas in mathematics, functional analysis? I think so.

Does the tradition of building and having a powerful defensive team continue in the current Pittsburgh Steelers team? Probably so.

Traces of genius stood out in the career of Ernie Holmes.

In one quote we see:

"Holmes, drafted out of Texas Southern, was part of a defense that held Minnesota to 17 yards rushing and 119 total yards in the 1975 Super Bowl. The Steelers won their first title, 16-10. They were back a year later, beating Dallas 21-17 for the championship.

"The 1976 Steelers defense was one of the best in NFL history, shutting out five opponents—three in a row—during a nine-game, season-ending winning streak. The Steelers allowed only 28 points during those nine games, an average of slightly more than a field goal per game.

"He was devastating and would just destroy the opponent across from him," Russell said. "Sometimes I had to remind him to tackle the guy with the pigskin. He was a brilliant player. He played all with his heart."

"He used his head, too. Besides "Fats," he was also known as "Arrowhead" because in 1974 he shaved his head, leaving only an arrow-shaped pattern of hair on his skull. "I asked him, 'What the hell did you do that for?'" longtime Steelers director of communications Joe Gordon said.

"We were getting ready to play the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. He said, 'That's to point me to the quarterback.'" What stands out is the comment "He used his head" and "he was a brilliant player."

The Role Models were evident

So, the four men who often bragged about the brilliance of L. C. Greenwood, Joe Green, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes were good role models. Perhaps they saw the merit and power of a good defense.

And, the four men who took part in "The Steel Curtain" set a model in place for those times by being one of the best NFL defense squads in NFL history. Out of that pool of talent was birthed one of America's promising mathematicians.

It looks like Dr. Rod Holmes inherited the brilliance and heart of his father. It is no small feat to be one of the few African-American men to get a Ph.D. in functional analysis.

Brilliance can be in the genes, however, it may manifest itself in different ways. Ernie Holmes showed his on the playing field while his son shows his in intellectual pursuits.

The Historical Encounter

Now there is a story telling about what Ernie Holmes did, and how he approached Gene Upshaw of the Oakland Raiders. Holmes forewarned Upshaw that the Steelers defense was, let's say, stronger and more fierce than the Raiders.

Well, a game is coming up on Dec. 6. Is there a "Ernie Holmes" making his way to a "Gene Upshaw"? Is the Oakland Raiders team being forewarned about the tactics and strength of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

A historical encounter is captured in this quote: "To motivate his teammates, Holmes purposefully strayed into the Raiders' warm ups to tell star lineman Gene Upshaw before the January 1976 AFC Championship Game what the Steelers would do to him and Oakland.

"The Steelers went on to win 24-13. But at a team Christmas party, Holmes surprised everyone by dressing up like Santa Claus and handing out toys."

It's 33 years later. In 2009 is there a Steelers defensive player who will "stray into the Raiders' warm ups" and tell the Raiders' star lineman what the Steelers will do to him and Oakland on Dec. 6?

The Heritage

I conclude by saying that out of the personal heritage of Ernie Holmes has come an outstanding young mathematician, Rod Holmes.

More broadly, then, we can say that out of the franchise heritage of both the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Oakland Raiders should come forth with a "Ernie Holmes" and a "Gene Upshaw."

An Oct. 2009 article, written by Saint , cites a progress report on the Oakland Raiders defensive players:

"1) Michael Huff —Huff is second in the NFL with three interceptions, and he has also gotten his hands on plenty more as he, playing a part time role, is tied for the NFL lead in passes defensed. He is definitely the surprise of the 2009 season, for the Raiders, to this point.

"2) Greg Ellis —Ellis is 7th in the NFL with four sacks, although he was not given credit for a half sack in the first game that was given to Seymour. He has been an outstanding pick-up from Dallas and I am sure that he has something special planned for Thanksgiving Day in the Big D!

"3) The Law Offices of Morrison, Howard and BRANCH?—Howard and Morrison are tied for 17th in tackles with 31 and Tyvon is fifth among all safeties with 29 of his own. Morrison and Howard have really stepped up their games and are each tracking 124 tackles while Tyvon is proving to be one heckuva Fourth Rounder and is tracking 116 in his first full season starting in the NFL.

"4) Richard Seymour —Seymour does have two sacks this season, but his leadership has been invaluable in galvanizing the front four.

"5) Nnamdi—The man with ZERO stats. As they once said, a long time ago, if your name is being called a lot and you are on the offensive line or the defensive backfield, it is NOT usually a good thing. So, Nnamdi is doing his "Nnamdiest" to stay out of the stat column but has made nearly every play that has come his way.

"This defense is young and getting better, what do you think Raider Nation?"

Who will win the game on Dec. 6, 2009? I will leave it up to you, the readers, to give predictions.

The Vision

One thing we can conjecture is that the Oakland Raiders has an emerging leader, Richard Seymour. Will the current Oakland Raiders defensive players reverse the results of the 2009 pattern, and overcome the Pittsburgh Steelers who have historically had players like Holmes who "bullied" and out-thought his opponents because not only was he tough, but he was smart, too.

So in 2009, the Oakland Raiders need to build up their "Brick Wall" or some wall made out of a viscoelastic material (polymer) so as to combat the forces they will likely encounter on Dec. 6, 2009.

Go Raiders! Build up a history of a powerful defense!

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Lessons Learned: JaMarcus Russell, The Failed Experiment

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:12:14 -0500

As Oakland's season now is simply running out the clock, one has to look back at all that has gone wrong.

Injuries piled up, play-calling was shoddy, players underperformed. Sure, some players did perform well, on occasion.

One of these players, JaMarcus Russell, wasn't among the better performers.

Russell, due to the condition of the team was facing long odds. A first round pick, was thrown a ton of money after holding out through training camp. Then he didn't see any activity until late in the season.

Come the next year, the head coach was replaced early, other coaches were swapped out and the cycle kept degrading from there.

Questions had come up time and again, about his weight, his work ethic and his dedication to the team. It looked like the Raiders had picked up the traits of rebel but forgot if the football player was attached.

As it is, the team has a history of problems with quarterbacks that are drafted. Todd Marinovich, who was supposed to bring some stability to the Raiders lasted all of two years. Marc Wilson couldn't beat out Jim Plunkett, who was about 10 years his senior.

Ken Stabler was our lone good selection, and helped the Raiders during the 70's to multiple championship games plus our first title.

Right now, JaMarcus might be lucky to find employment in organized football.

The two problems that Russell now presents to the Raiders, is what to do with an overpaid, under-performing player. And what do we do for a replacement?

First, Russell is either going to kick around on the roster for another season, soaking up money. His number one fan, is Al Davis. Odds are good, Al will find another coach in the off-season to try and babysit his project for another year. The problem is, changing coaches will not help a player who needs to mature and grow up on the bench.

The second problem, fits in with the first problem. Who is going to QB the Raiders? The Raiders do have the advantage of a good history with replacements. Guys like Daryle Lamonica, Jim Plunkett, Jeff Hostetler and Rich Gannon all came to us from other clubs.

Right now we have Bruce Gradkowski who is two games into his starting stint with the club. Honestly, at least Bruce is getting yards. Going into the draft and trying to land Tebow or another high end pick isn't the answer.

As it is, questions on Tebow abound, size-wise, or ability to transfer his skills to pro football, make that idea dangerous. Right now, a safe course of action would be building up the defense, working on the offensive line, and leave the QB duties to Gradkowski.

Maybe if it is possible, trading Russell off, or last resort....drop him like a bad habit.

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49ers Return To Roots

Glenn Franco Simmons — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:20:52 -0500

How many 49ers fans remember the "one-day wonder"?

It occurred in 1991, when the team announced that its helmet logo would change from "SF" to "49ers."

Hell fire and brimstone hailed down upon the storied franchise as fans and media blasted the doomed proposal, which was dropped as a serious proposal after a single day.

Some faithful saw it as a sell-out in anticipation of what they thought would be the team's eventual move to another locale because San Francisco was—and remains—too dysfunctional to properly carry off permitting a new stadium.

The tidal wave of public furor only subsided when the 49ers franchise withdrew its ill-fated proposal.

Another ill-advised move occurred in 1996—the team's 50th anniversary.

Perhaps a foreshadowing of the 49ers gradual move away from being a Super Bowl-caliber team, the franchise debuted the ill-advised cardinal red jersey.

This was blasphemous to many fans. In fact, many refused to buy the jersey, choosing instead to order the throwback color.

As the seasons wore on, an infamous new era emerged—one marked by losing, horrific quarterbacks,wasted draft choices, terrible management, and a shrinking fan base.

Thankfully, the old colors—worn from 1964 to 1996—returned as the Jed York era began this season. It was a move welcomed by many fans.

In fact, at each home game this season, I've seen more traditional 49ers red than the cardinal being worn on caps, coats and jerseys.

By that single action—choosing to bring back the old color, York demonstrated his savvy because it shows he is in tune with the fan base and the team's Lombardi legacy.

Let's hope a return to tradition can evolve into a return to playoff-bound teams.

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Would San Francisco 49ers Have Winning Record without Michael Crabtree Holdout?

Glenn Franco Simmons — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:02:57 -0500

Today, I read a column by Mike Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News , and he stated that had Michael Crabtree been playing since the season started, the 49ers would have a winning record.

Purdy might be correct. He gets paid to be a sports commentator, so it's his job to wonder what should have, could have or would have been.

However, fans who share his view should not get overly caught up in what should have, could have, or would have been.

As Coach Mike Singletary says, what matters is who you have to go to battle with, not wishful thinking of who you could, would or should have had.

If you are still upset with Crabtree, chill. The guy came ready to play once he returned. That says a lot.

By the looks of many jersey-wearers at Candlestick, most fans seem to have already embraced the wide receiver as many were wearing his No. 15 prior to the end of his holdout.

If you are a 49ers fan, I suggest reading Purdy's column. He's one of the best columnists who writes about the 49ers, and he raises other interesting questions in today's column that are good for Monday morning contemplation.

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Joe Thornton's Trade to San Jose Changed Sharks' History

Jay Singh — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:28:19 -0500

Four years ago to this date, the San Jose Sharks franchise was changed.

In the 2005-06 NHL season, the Sharks had been struggling and producing far less then expected. General Manager Doug Wilson pulled the trigger to swap Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, and Wayne Primeau for the captain of the Boston Bruins, Joe Thornton.

This move changed the lives of all three of these players and has helped the Sharks become an elite franchise in the NHL for years to come.

Thornton had been quoted to have been "blindsided" by the deal and was unsure of his move to sunny San Jose.

Of the three players, one can say Stuart gained the most, having been able to win a Stanley Cup in Detroit, but Thornton became the face of San Jose and the Sharks franchise.

Now, in 2009, San Jose was able to acquire another big name player in Dany Heatley.

The acquisition brings up the possibility of having Thornton, Heatley, and Marleau on the ice at the same time. It has been one of the most productive pairings up to this point and has been labeled the best line in the NHL.

Of course the one thing the Sharks have been unable to attain is Lord Stanley himself. They were able to get the Presidents Trophy last year, as the team with the most points in the NHL, but it was for nothing as they lost in the first round.

Now the Sharks sit in a familiar position, as leaders of the NHL. Though they will not be judged on this performance as their success will be judged on how they do in the second season.

The trade can be seen to be a success over these four years for the Sharks franchise, but they have been unable to achieve the most important prize.

How much longer will the Sharks take to achieve the ultimate goal?

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Golden State Warriors: The Not-Quite-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players

dan german — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:49:32 -0500

Last night was opening night at the theater. Previews of the post-Jackson era Warriors were promising. As the curtain rose and play began, it was clear the Warriors had assigned themselves the junior varsity role, trying to prove they belong.

They were nervous Nellies for sure. From the opening tip, the Ws were paddling like mad just to keep their heads above water, trying to stay in the game as the Lakers made it look easy in a rout of the Warriors in Oakland.

The list of poorly executed fundamentals was long. Yes, the Warriors will do better next time. No, unfortunately, they are not likely to win next time.

All told, it was a night of Truths and Questions:

Truth: The Lakers won by 33 with a sub-par game from Kobe and a below average outside shooting night. Had the Lake Show been on fire, it might have been 30 at halftime, 50 by game’s end.

Truth: The Warriors at their inspired best vs. the Lakers at their sleep walking worst would be competitive, all things considered: that would be talent, coaching, defense, and style of play.

Truth: The Warrior ball movement offense was supposed to thrive without Stephen Jackson. Apparently, it worked well for a full 2½ games but took a leave of absence last night.

Truth: As good as Monte Ellis is (and Warrior Update thinks he is an All-Star talent), he now seems to believe it’s on him to be all, do all. Watch out or before you know it, there’ll be a new Stephen Jax; new name, same game.

Truth: Successful basketball at the highest level is an inside-out game: pass, dribble-penetrate, kick it out or lay it up. This involves floor spacing, ball handling, moving without the ball, passing, knocking down open shots.

Last night, the Ws stopped passing the ball on offense; it appeared as if Stephen Jackson reincarnate was in every Warrior uniform, as every player seemed inclined to jack up covered 3s and early jumpers.

Truth: As good a shooter as Anthony Morrow is (and he may have taken Ray Allen’s mantle spot as owner of the league’s sweetest stroke), he does not make good decisions: when to shoot, pass, drive, dribble.

Can someone find a tutor to raise his basketball IQ? He is in danger of missing the league minimum, a low bar indeed. Yes, Morrow has worked on his game, expanded his abilities, but its not paying dividends.

Maybe his best spot would be as a Peja clone: spot up, knock em down...on a team, of course, with an inside-out game and talent...

Question: What happened to Anthony Randolph?!? He went from the early season league darling to all-pro boob. His hoops IQ is elevating Morrow to Mensa category. Even his fouls look bad.

Yet he has enough nerve to chest bump and trash talk Kobe and Pau, when losing by 25. We know there is something there...

Question: Why was the ball so slippery for the Warriors last night? Ellis, Curry and Watson all lost the ball, dribbling with no pressure. Just bounced out of their hands. Oops, here, you take it. Funny how that didn’t happen to the Lakers...

At times, the Warriors have sufficient talent and game know-how to surprise even the better teams. And from time to time, they will do so this season on their way to 30 wins. But last night was flaw exposure night. All of them. And it was ugly.

Raise your hand if you thought they played a better brand of basketball when nobody, including the Warriors players themselves, believed they could win in Cleveland, Boston, Dallas and San Antonio. Uh-huh, thought so. We did as well.

That reckless abandon leads to better ball movement, better floor spacing and more movement without the ball. And more success.

As always, go Warriors...

**************

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Oakland Raiders Need to Break the 80/20 Rule On Defense

BW Black — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:21:59 -0500

Despite the one-sided score line, the Thanksgiving game in Dallas was not all bad news for Oakland. Yes, the Raiders were out-gained; yes, it wasn’t close; yes, it was another big loss following a victory, but there were certainly some plus points for this young Silver and Black team.

On offense, Bruce Gradkowski looked after the ball, with no turnovers. Darren McFadden had 10 touches for 66 yards and is beginning to show flashes of the play-making ability the Raiders so badly need. Even Darrius Heyward-Bey got in on the act, scoring his first NFL touchdown.

On Defense, Oakland showed some invention with Trevor Scott operating in the “Elephant” position, registering five solo tackles including two sacks. However, the only “Elephant in the room” as far as this defense is concerned is big plays. On 82 percent of plays (46 out of 56) the Raiders were excellent, giving up just 22 percent of the yardage (110 out of 494 yards). This means that for 82 percent of plays (against an excellent Cowboys team) went for an average of just 2.39 yards per play.

The problem is that the other 18 percent of plays (10 out of 56) went for 78 percent of the yardage (384 out of 494 yards). A team cannot be competitive whilst giving up this number of big plays.

The 82 percent of plays gives the Raiders hope they can emerge from their slump. The addition of some power in the middle of this defense (nose tackle and middle linebacker) during free-agency could turn this from a patchy defense into a dominant one.

Looking again at the roster, the Raiders now have 28 players who can form the backbone of a winning team:

Offense: Bruce Gradkowski, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, Justin Fargas, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, Zach Miller, Mario Henderson, Robert Gallery, Cooper Carlisle, Samson Satele, and Cornell Green.

Defense: Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis, Matt Shaughnessy, Gerard Warren, Tommy Kelly, Jay Richardson, Trevor Scott, Thomas Howard, Kirk Morrison, Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Johnson, Tyvon Branch, and Michael Huff.

Special Teams: Shane Lechler, Sebastian Janikowski and Jon Condo.

The essential thing for Oakland is to not waste the last five games. The Raiders still need another 10 players, including Heyward-Bey, Mitchell, Russell and Myers to come to the party to enable them to finish the season with 38 “keepers” on the roster, which would be an excellent launch pad for 2010. Add five veterans through free agency, five rookies and five "projects" and there is no reason to believe the Raiders cannot be a winner next season.

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Stanford's Toby Gerhart Proves to the World His Heisman Worth

Jason Figueiredo-Dumpit — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:19:55 -0500

“Heisman! Heisman! Heisman!”

A well-deserved chant for Toby Gerhart led by the Stanford student body as they stormed the field after the Cardinals' 45-38 win over Notre Dame. Following the performance by this beast of a running back, it’s hard to believe that anyone is leaving this stud off of their list of top three Heisman finalists.

Of the three running backs in the Heisman conversation, Gerhart by far had the most productive Thanksgiving weekend.

Alabama’s Mark Ingram, the front runner on many Heisman lists, had a miserable day. Collecting only 30 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving against a stingy Auburn Tigers defense, Ingram hardly looked like the most outstanding player in college football.

Further down the list, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller also struggled to make his statement as a true Heisman contender. Despite running back his record setting seventh kickoff return for a touchdown, Spiller could only gain 18 yards on the ground and 19 yards through the air.

Gerhart, on the other hand, had a massive day. Playing a huge part in the Cardinal victory, Toby rattled off 205 yards on the ground and punched the ball in for three touchdowns, including the game winning score. He would add a little extra to the equation by catching the ball for a 33 yard gain and he also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass.

But as many of you know, the Heisman trophy is undeniablly one of the most biased awards throughout all of sports. If you don’t play for a team in the south and if your position doesn’t take direct snaps from the center then bringing home this elusive trophy is harder than learning Calculus…which, by the way, is just one of the five classes Toby Gerhart is taking in his 21 unit semester.

Texas’ Colt McCoy, a preseason favorite for the Heisman, had a national stage with only a rather boring NFL game to compete with on Thanksgiving night, and he did everything possible to remind voters why they fell in love the gun-slinger in the first place.

And while McCoy still sits behind Gerhart in ESPN’s “Tracking the Heisman Candidates” standings, he still has the luxury of playing in his conference championship game to persuade any voters that haven’t quite returned to the Longhorn’s bandwagon.

This is just one of the many factors stacking against Toby Gerhart and his quest for a trophy that he most certainly deserves.

Gerhart did everything he possibly could to convince voters that he is head over heels the best college football player in the 2009 season.

Toby leads the NCAA with 1,736 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, something that current favorite Ingram cannot even come close to bolstering.

Gerhart has had 10 100-plus yard rushing games this season, Ingram has only had seven.

“White Thunder” has surpassed the 200-yard mark three times in 2009, Ingram has only done it once.

The numbers speak for themselves.

But haters will immediately point out that the SEC has much tougher defenses and that comparing numbers between the two backs should be skewed towards Ingram. A valid point, but voters of the Heisman should take something from the voters of this year’s Cy Young Award.

Tim Lincecum and Zach Greinke hardly play for the toughest divisions in the MLB. In fact, they both probably play in the worst divisions in their respective leagues. But the fact that they played for lousy teams in crappy divisions and still put up amazing numbers swayed these Cy Young voters to write down the correct names when voting time eventually came.

The Cy Young, like the Heisman, is an individual award. So why should the voting be any different?

But for those of you who still want to believe that this award should go to the player who brings the most to his team, think of it this way:

Without Gerhart, the Stanford Cardinal would not be anywhere as close to as successful as they were this season. Take away McCoy and Ingram from their respective teams, and those teams would most likely still be in the exact, if not close to the exact, situation that they are currently facing.

Gerhart is the most valuable player to his team throughout all of college football and it is time that voters begin to recognize this extremely obvious fact.

So when the time comes, do what you know is right and vote Toby Gerhart for the Heisman!

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Four Raiders On Semifinalist List For The Hall Of Fame

James Williamson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:31:24 -0500

Despite their recent slump, I have always had an infatuation with the mystique and history of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.

To me, the Raiders are the greatest team of all time, not because of their three Super Bowls, but at how dominant they are at every position of the game.

They have Hall of Famers at nearly every position from secondary to linebacker to defensive line on defense.

And on offense, they have Hall of Fame busts at tight end, receiver, quarterback, guard, center, tackle, and running back.

With so many dominant players in their storied history, it’s remarkable that there may be a few more on the way now.

The Hall of Fame announced its semifinalist list a few days ago and out of 25 names, four were lifetime members of the Raiders.

Lester Hayes was the 1980 Defensive Player of the Year and a talented cornerback with the team, winning two Super Bowls with them in the 80s.

He was a five-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro once. He picked off 39 passes over his career and was the reason that stick'em (a glue-like substance put on gloves to help get a better grip on the football) was outlawed.

Ray Guy is, to me, the most dominant punter of his era, if not all time. His powerful kicks would have five-second hang times and few return men ever had a chance to run with the ball.

Guy had only three punts blocked and never had a return taken back for a touchdown in his 14-year career. The seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, was so dominant the NCAA’s annual award for best punter is named after him.

Tim Brown is third on the all-time receiving list behind Jerry Rice (also a candidate) and Isaac Bruce. Brown caught 1,094 balls for 14,934 yards and 100 touchdowns. In his 17-year career, he had over a 1,000 yards nine times.

He was also a brilliant return man, scoring on three punts and one kickoff. His combined total yards from scrimmage, rushing, receiving, returning punts and kicks, add up to 19,679 yards.

That's more than 11 miles in total offense.

Last, but certainly not least, is Cliff Branch. He was to me, the most dangerous guy that team had during the 70s. John Madden remembers how Branch would say to him, "Coach, I can beat my guy deep." He even said it sometimes during the anthem, and Madden said, "Cliff, we haven't even played a down yet. How do you know who your guy is?"

He was just so fast. I remember reading an interview of Mel Renfro, Hall of Fame cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and he said, if I remember correctly, "The guy could outright fly"

When you think about Branch, he was such a dangerous weapon, and he was on all three Super Bowl teams for the Raiders. He was such a consistent target.

He only had 501 catches, less than half of Tim Brown's, but he had 8,685 yards. If you double the catches and numbers, he had more yards receiving than Tim Brown with 92 fewer catches.

A four-time Pro Bowler, and a three-time first-team All-Pro with 67 touchdowns and a 99-yard reception over a 14-year career with the Raiders.

Out of all these guys, I would like to see Cliff Branch in the Hall of Fame above the rest. He is one of my all-time favorite Raiders.

All four of these men have a chance to go to the Hall of Fame this year for the Silver and Black.

Let's hope the Hall of Fame recognizes at least one.

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Six Things the Oakland Raiders Must Do in the 2010 Offseason to Get Better

Ezra Ruiz — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:48:53 -0500

Yeah, I know, pretty pathetic. While most fans for other teams are worried about whether they're team will make the playoffs and get home field advantage, most Oakland Raider fans, including me, just want to get 6 wins and get to the offseason already. The Raiders will, with no doubt, have a top ten or five pick in this upcoming draft. So, what do they need to do to get better this offseason? Here are six things.

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The Sunday Morning BCS Report: Week 13

Dan Smith — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:30:19 -0500

13 weeks in and there are still six undefeated teams.

Texas won a shootout over their rival, Texas A&M, on Thanksgiving night as Colt McCoy made a strong bid for the Heisman and will be taking on Nebraska, led by Ndamukong Suh.

Cincinnati beat Illinois in a Big East/Big 10 match-up on Friday and Tony Pike showed the nation that his left forearm injury cost him a run at the Heisman.

Alabama also had an epic comeback win over Auburn on Friday. The Auburn defense ended Mark Ingram's Heisman run, it seems, unless he dominates the Florida Gators next week's National Semi-Final, er, SEC Championship Game.

Tim Tebow played great in his final home game in a lopsided win over Florida State. He also has another chance to come up big against Alabama and solidify his Heisman run.

A new contender has also risen for the pose as Toby Gerhart led Stanford to a huge win over Notre Dame.

He ran for three touchdowns, including a late one where the Notre Dame defense "let him score" but the Notre Dame defense also let him run for over 200 yards over the course of the game, too.

Coach Charlie Weis is returning to South Bend to meet with his boss while coach Jim Harbaugh has the Cardinal looking like the bullies of the Pac-10 with their bruising running game and the game management of Andrew Luck.

Jimmy Claussen threw for five touchdowns, but his last pass fell into the end zone as the Irish needed him to throw one more to tie the game.

Matt Barkley's last pass for USC was a touchdown after UCLA called a timeout down by 14 in the final seconds of their game with USC. USC downed the ball, Rick Neuheisel called a timeout, Pete Carroll called a passing play, and a riot almost ensued.

Pittsburgh lost the Backyard Brawl to West Virginia. They can still play for the Big East Title next week against Cincinnati, but now a Pitt victory might nudge Cincinnati out of the BCS in favor of Boise State, who pounded Nevada into the blue turf. A Pitt loss will definitely help Boise State's cause as a BCS Buster.

TCU finished off a 12-0 season. Two middle of the pack SEC teams (Georgia and South Carolina) beat the two teams playing in the ACC title game next week (Georgia Tech and Clemson).

Arizona beat Arizona State, so I really enjoyed that one. Oklahoma shut out the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

There is going to be a change in my top two teams this week. I started the season with USC number one and Florida number two, calling for them to both go undefeated and USC win the BCS Championship Game.

And that is why pencils have erasers.

I have had Florida number one ever since USC lost to Washington, and Texas was my number two team. I am moving Alabama to number one this week and leaving Texas at number two.

The winner of the SEC Title Game will be favored in the BCS Title Game, and I think Alabama is going to win the SEC this year. They were supposedly a year early last year, and I like what I have seen from them this year.

My Top Two

1. Alabama

2. Texas

My Heisman Finalists

1. Colt McCoy

2. Tim Tebow

3. Toby Gerhart

Conference Power Rankings (number of top 25 teams)

1. SEC (4)

2. Big 10 (3)

3. Pac-10 (4)

4. Mountain West (3)

5. Big XII (2)

6. ACC (4)

Week 14 Championship Games

1. Florida Vs. Alabama

2. Texas vs. Nebraska

3. Oregon State at Oregon

4. Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

5. Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh

One last thought

Bobby Bowden wants to coach for one more season. Florida State struggled this year to a 6-6 record and that is why this is even an issue. For as good as Bowden has been for as long as he has been, it is amazing that there is even a notion to force him out. Only one team can win the national championship and is the price for not being that team so great that icons like Bobby Bowden cannot choose when to coach their last game?

I hope that common sense will emerge in Tallahassee. The only thing the board of directors need to know is when Bobby Bowden wants to coach his last game and he should be welcomed back until the day of that game arrives.

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