Michigan players crying about practice???...either they are cousins of Allen Iverson or the reason Michigan finished 3-9 last year...I found this written by Bob Marshall on fordyletter.com ...here is how Bo handled crybabies...God Bless Bo!!!
One day, one of the assistant coaches came in to Bo Schembechler’s office and mentioned that there was some complaining on the team. It was being said that Michigan practiced too long and hit too hard during those practices. The players also said that that was why the season was starting so poorly. Bo asked the Assistant who was making those comments. The Assistant said that many players were guilty, but that it was also coming from the team captain. Bo said, “Get him in here.”
Bo was not one to wait when problems occurred. Now the Captain, Andy Cannavino, was a big strong kid. He came into the office and Bo recounted what the Assistant had said. Andy admitted that he had indeed said those things.
At that point Bo said, “The University of Michigan has had a long and illustrious history. Since I have been here we have always had tough practices because football is a tough game. I would like you to tell the Captains of teams gone by that you think our practices are too long and that we hit too hard. I would like you to complain to them. Do you know what they would say to you?
They would tell you that you are a bad team captain, Andy Cannavino, and they would be right. On the field, you represent me. You are the coach on the field and you are letting me, your teammates and the whole program down.” At that point, with a tear flowing down his cheek, Andy Cannavino said, “I understand, Coach. There won’t be any more problems.”
And there weren’t. The team straightened themselves up. There was no more grumbling or complaining. The team finished the season by winning all of the rest of their games and playing, and winning, in the Rose Bowl – not something that the University of Michigan did all of the time. Andy Cannavino was acknowledged as the greatest team captain in Michigan’s history.
Enjoy the long weekend...enjoy the football games...and enjoy the photo of this chick with a huge rack...
Speaking of racks, here is a question to my readers - what should I cook on Monday, racks of ribs or the traditional hamburgers????...leave your comments!!!!...
Thoughts on this year's college football season...
Sleeper Team - Oklahoma State Ole Miss seems to be everyone's sexy sleeper pick...my choice is Oklahoma State...I understand they have a horrible defense - giving up 28 points and 406 yards/game last season...but if this defense can lower that to even 24 points/game, the Cowboys can be a great surprise...
Okie State has a great offense with Zac Robinson at QB, Kendall Hunter (photo, right) at RB, and Dez Bryant at WR...on the o-line, offensive tackle Russell Okung is one of the best...the schedule also breaks in their favor...they get both Georgia and Texas at home and even though they have to play at Oklahoma, it is not until the last game of the year...
Bowl Call Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Southern Cal Sugar Bowl - Alabama vs. Notre Dame Orange Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Wake Forest Rose Bowl - Penn State vs. Oregon BCS Title Game - Texas vs. Florida
Top 10 players I like Here is a list of the 10 college players who I like... 1. Taylor Mays, safety, USC - this kids reminds me of Ronnie Lott...he is the total package with speed and power... 2. Colt McCoy, quarterback, Texas - McCoy does not have speed, but he is agile and smart enough to know when to step-up in the pocket or just take off running...he also has a nice touch on the ball... 3. Daryll Clark, quarterback, Penn State - I gotta go with a hometown boy who turned his back on Ohio State...Clark is from Youngstown, Ohio... 4. Jeremiah Masoli, quarterback, Oregon - this guy is a tank!!!!...he is built like a bowling ball who has no feat to drop his shoulder and take on a defender...he is also a decent passer who makes plays... 5. Brandon Minor, running back, Michigan - if he stays healthy, Minor will be one of the top backs in the country...he is such a hard nosed runner who will not quit... 6. Armanti Edwards, quarterback, Appalachian State - he is the best at I-AA...as a freshman he led Appy State to the title then started his sophomore year with a win at Michigan...this kid has "it"... 7. Tim Tebow, quarterback. Florida - everyone seems to hate Tebow because he is a winner...but you have to love this kid for his leadership and toughness...he is a rare one... 8. Javier Arenas, cornerback, Alabama - the kid is good on defense and special teams... 9.Ndamukong Suh, nose tackle, Nebraska - this guy is a run stopper who can also get in the backfield... 10. John Clay, running back, Wisconsin - this guy is a bulldozer...if he is in shape, Bielema should run this dude 25 times a game and just wear out defenses...
Saturday, September 5 - 10:00 p.m. Maryland @ Cal Berkeley, California 2008 record - Maryland (8-5) Cal (9-4)
These two teams met last season in College Park...heading into the game the Terps were 1-1 by barely beating Delaware 14-7 and losing to Middle Tennessee...so, Maryland played a little trick on the 23rd ranked Golden Bears by switching the game time to noon which seemed like a 9:00 a.m. start for Cal...this threw the Golden Bears off as they fell behind 28-6 after three quarters...despite a comeback, Cal lost 35-27...the Terps held Cal to 38 total yards rushing on 23 carries...
Key Players Maryland - running back Da'Rei Scott rushed for 1.133 yards and 8 TDs last season...he is joined by Davin Meggett to make a good one-two punch...on defense linebacker Alex Wujciak was one of the top tacklers in the ACC last season...kick returner Torrey Smith is also someone to keep on eye on...
Cal - everything on the Cal offense centers around running back Jahvid Best - one of the best running backs in the country...the 5'10", 195 lb junior missed spring ball with surgery to his arm...the Golden Bears have a stud CB in senior Syd'Quan Thompson...Cal also has one of the best punters in sophomore Bryan Anger...over the last three years, the Golden Bears won their home opener against the likes of Minnesota (2006), Tennessee (2007), and Michigan State (2008)...
Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun writes about the newest threat in the Terp backfield - Davin Meggett (photo)... "Davin Meggett has virtually pulled even with Da'Rel Scott, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, in the race to be Maryland's starting tailback, offensive coordinator James Franklin said Thursday night after the team's final preseason scrimmage." ...
I was looking through youtube when I came across this 1:42 clip on the 1982 NFC title game between Dallas and Washington...I still remember this game...sit back and enjoy football from the 80s...there were no hanging monitors or plastic grass...this was old school football baby!!!...
Nevada Wolf Pack at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday, September 5 - 3:30 p.m. South Bend, Indiana 2008 records - Nevada (7-6) Notre Dame (7-6)
Under the scope The Wolf Pack are coached by Chris Ault who is in his 25th year at Nevada...the Pack are 1-12 visiting BCS teams losing by an average score of 43-17...last season they played at Missouri and were whacked 69-17...last season Nevada average 278 yards on the ground but only had 182 against Mizzou...Nevada has a stout running defense, allowing only 89 yards on the ground in 08, but they are abyssmal defending the pass giving up 312 yards per game...
This is supposed to be the breakout year for highly touted QB Jimmy Clausen...Clausen torched Hawaii in the bowl game which made for a positive off-season...his main weapon is wideout Golden Tate, who is one of the elite players in the country...the Irish are loaded with a stable full of running backs led by Armando Allen...how far Notre Dame goes this season depends on the defense which is led by safety Kyle McCarthy...look for true freshman linebacker Manti Te'O, who was the top high school defensive player in the country last season, to see a lot of action... Key Players Nevada - the Pack return two 1,000 yard rushers in Vai Taua (photo) who led the WAC in rushing with 1,521 yards and 15 TDs...the other 1,000 yard rushere is QB Colin Kaepernick who racked up 1,130 yards and 17 rushing TDs...Kaepernick threw for 22 TDs with only 7 picks...
Notre Dame - Jimmy Clausen threw for 3,127 yards and 25 TDs last season...however, he had 17 INTs...Golden Tate caught 58 balls for 1,080 yards and 10 TDs...
Dan Hinxman of the Reno Gazette Journal writes about the positive feeling going on in Reno... "There's a charge in the air, and it's not because the Nevada basketball team is going to the NCAA Tournament. That could certainly happen -- the program has done so four times in the past six seasons and has gone on to postseason play seven straight seasons -- but it's three months until the basketball season even begins." ...
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle had this report on August 27th...
Jim Harbaugh wanted a restroom/shower to adjoin his office, and generous Stanford donor John Arrillaga came through recently, building the Cardinal's marquee coach a new loo for between $50,000 and $70,000.
The story broke in the San Jose Mercury News. I don't know where the reporter got his info. I was going to suggest it was leaked to him, but I want to stay away from potty humor.
The new restroom is a real time-saver.
"It cuts down on drag," Harbaugh said.
Football coaches are fanatical time-hoarders. Cal's Jeff Tedford sleeps on an air mattress. I've seen it leaning against his office wall, and I'm not sure if Tedford even moves it to the floor when it's time to nap.
In the old days, every time nature called, Harbaugh had to hike the distance of two first downs to the nearest restroom. He grew weary of an even longer trek downstairs to the shower, on days when he wasn't showered in Gatorade.
I can relate, because I have been to summer camp. The time I could have saved with my own private restroom at camp would have allowed me to polish my cabin's campfire skit, and I might be on Broadway now instead of writing about a football coach's bathroom.
There will be critics who point out that Harbaugh's new lavatory sends a message of insensitivity, even though it was built with private-donor money. The country is in financial crisis, and Stanford is not exempt. Cardinal athletic programs are being cut to the bone. Jobs in the athletic department are going bye-bye.
There are probably people at Stanford - students, professors, administrators, other coaches - who winced when they heard about Harbaugh's haven.
No wincing here. As a sports guy, I understand the value of a winning football program, and the need of coaches to avoid wasting time. If Harbaugh leads the Cardinal to a bowl game, he'll have the last laugh, which would really echo in his tile bathroom.
It's simple. Football rules the realm, and every king deserves a throne room. (Note to copy desk: Don't even think about inserting a line here about "royal flush.")
Tony Dungy was instrumental in helping Michael Vick get back into the NFL...since Dungy has become the Father Flanagan of the league, why should he stop with Vick...the media will never question Dungy because they believe he is a fair, good person...Dungy represents everything that is good...so why can't Father Tony help the following downtrodden:...
- Matt Jones - Jones was arrested for cocaine and later nailed again for alcohol...the NFL gave him the boot...like Vick, Jones is still in his prime and in fact, he is only 26-years-old, three years younger than Vick...the guy made a mistake and wants a second chance...why isn't Dungy volunteering to help Jones get that second chance?...hmmmm, makes you wonder...
- Marvin Harrison, Derrick Brooks, and Warrick Dunn - these players are just looking for a job in the NFL...Dungy coached all three players, so maybe he can make a few calls and see if he can get them another shot in the league...if the Philadelphia Eagles were willing to take a shot with Vick, I am sure Dungy can work his magic and have someone give Dunn a chance...especially since Dunn is an outstanding person in the community and has a big heart in helping people... - Art Modell - if Modell did not move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, he would be in the Hall of Fame by now...there is a clear bias against Modell, especially from the Cleveland media...Dungy needs to sit down with the Hall of Fame voters and ask them to forgive Modell and consider him for enshrinement...if Vick electrocuted and slaughtered dogs and got a second chance, why not Modell?...
- Plaxico Burress - Plax can get a jumpstart on his return to the NFL by aligning himself with St. Tony right now...just by having Dungy as a "spiritual advisor" will basically ensure Plax of getting back in the league in two years...
- Pete Rose - Pete's big mistake is that he is not aligning himself with Dungy...Pete needs to call Dungy and ask for his help...I'm sure after one or two meetings, Dungy will be able to determine that Pete is a good man...then Dungy can speak on Pete's behalf to commissioner Bud Selig...
- North Korea - it is a little late for this, but I wonder if President Obama considered Dungy to mediate the release of the two American journalists who were held in North Korea...Bill Clinton got the job, but maybe Obama should have had Dungy assist Clinton on this mission...
How far has Michigan football fallen?...in the preseason rankings, the Wolverines did not get a single vote...nothing!!...zilch...even teams like Tulsa, Central Michigan, and Houston received votes...wow!!!...
Hannah Storm is a sexy older woman...she always has that "let's fuck" smirk on her face...
Scott Feldman...remember that name...Feldman is 13-4 for the Texas Rangers and just struck out 12 Rays on Sunday...
I am not a fan of the Bengals Chad Johnson, but I will admit, I was impressed with his kicking effort last week...Johnson nailed an extra point and drove a kickoff inside the 10-yard-line...he had excellent form...
I'm reading Robert Kennedy's "Thirteen Days" which is his account of the Cuban Missile Crisis...for being the Attorney General, he was highly involved with international negotiations...it just showed how much John trusted his brother...
Yesterday a car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said "God Bless John Wayne"...
We are less than 3 weeks away from the start of the NFL season...one of my boys from Cortland, Ohio took the time to respond to some NFL questions...Jamie "the Dingo" Persino now lives in Erie, Pa with his wife and two kids...he made an early living hustling guys at pool halls...
Q1. Every season there are a few teams that do really well even though they were predicted to have a lousy team. For example, the Dolphins went from 1-15 to a playoff team in one year. Who are some surprise teams that we should keep an eye on and why? A. In terms of wins, I see the biggest improvement coming from Seattle. They finished with a dismal 4-12 record after a season where they battled injuries at QB and WR. The Seahawks were so thin at WR we were introduced to unknown players like Michael Bumpus and Logan Payne. The leading receiver was John Carlson the TE with 55 catches. The fullback had 20 catches which was 5th best on the squad. That's not a good stat to have. It's hard to stretch a defense that way. You just cannot expect to move the ball with that kind of turnover at QB and WR.
Matt Hasselbeck is supposedly healthy along with his receiver corps, and they added a very reliable target in TJ Houshmandzadeh. That right there is a good start, but if you look further into the numbers tailbacks Julius Jones and Maurice Morris both averaged over 4 yards per carry combining for just under 1300 yards. Not bad for a couple below average backs on a team with no passing attack...what does that say about the O-line? Throw a solid goaline back in TJ Duckett and I see a well-rounded offensive attack. Adding rookie LB Aaron Curry to an already solid defense can't hurt either. The 'Hawks still have to get past the Cards to make the playoffs, but the rest of the division is weak so I could see them easily getting 8-9 wins. If they really start clicking why not a few more???
Q2. What are your thoughts about the NFL playing an 18-game regular season? A. On the surface I like the idea of more games, and I hate the preseason. And I really think a few scrimmages would get the job done. So it's an easy decision right? But when all the surrounding issues are brought to light, it's not so easy. First off, I am curious to see how the players hold up. It is already hard enough to stay healthy for 16 full-speed games, add two and it may be too taxing. Can you imagine a running back having 450+ carries in one season...possibly 500 touches? A two-back system would be absolutely necessary, which brings me to my next point.
Teams would have to change the way they manage from the front office to the field. For instance, if a team is looking to sign a free agent or draft a top prospect they would need to look closer at toughness and past injuries. On the field, coaches would have to platoon players more often to keep them fresh. In a nutshell they will just have to be deeper. Perhaps a 53 man roster would not be adequate. Not to mention the players will certainly want more money. Making the game more expensive and diluting the talent pool is not a good recipe. Is the NFL ready for all that with the CBA looming?
The NFL is the king of sports right now (The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind), and that is uber important during a recession. Many fans of other sports like hockey, basketball, and baseball complain of the long seasons and diluted talent. The NFL is king because it is short, sweet, and competitive. It keeps everyone hungry for more. If you add games, you take away what makes the game great by diluting the experience for the players and the fans. If I were commissioner I would want hungry fans and hungry players, wouldn't you? Other than truncating the preseason I would not change a thing.
Q3. Fun question - you have just been granted a franchise and you are able to select any 2 players in the NFL to build your team around. Who would you select and why? A. Players considered: Troy Polamalu SS Calvin Johnson WR Larry Fitzgerald WR Nnamdi Asomugha CB Adrian Peterson RB Patrick Willis LB Joe Thomas LT
This is one of the toughest questions I have ever answered regarding football. My first concern for selecting these two players would be age. Too old and too young both come with added risk, so I am looking for players aged 24-29 with at least 2 years experience. That quickly removes the likes of Manning, Brady, and Brees the games best quarterbacks. I want to find players that are born leaders and players that are dynamic at their position. Difference makers. Game changers.
I want to see opposing coordinators having to plan their strategy around these players. Polamalu was the first player that came to mind, but he plays very physical and has had a few concussions so I have to rule him out even though I bleed black and gold. Next I looked at Fitzgerald and Megatron. I know I would regret building a franchise with WR's (see Lions Drafts for the past decade) besides, I could not choose between the two. Then I thought about a lock-down corner Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders, but again that is almost only slightly better than drafting a WR.
And even as dynamic and talented as Adrian Peterson is he is still injury prone and I don't want to start my franchise with a running back either - they are almost a dime a dozen. Besides, I will probably be running two maybe three RB's anyway, so I can waste my pick there. What I really need is some meat and potatoes. I need a strong foundation to start this team off right. I need to build from the trenches. No defensive linemen really excited me so I quickly moved on to linebacker.
Ray Lewis...Lawrence Taylor...somebody like that. Patrick Willis, although not in the same category as the aforementioned legends, he is a machine. He is great against the run and the pass and would be the perfect anchor to base my new defense around. Now I want to turn to offense to keep good balance. My second pick would be LT Joe Thomas of the lowly Cleveland Browns. Stud left tackles are a rare commodity, and even more rare to find one playing at his level at the age of 24. He may not be the best o-lineman out there right now but he will be, and he will be playing on my squad for a long and brilliant career.
Q4. Of the current 32 NFL head coaches, who would you select to coach your team in a one-game must win situation? Why did you choose this coach? A. Jeff Fisher. I think Coach Fisher has a good blend of skills on and off the field. He has also proven ability to effectively coach good teams and bad teams. He just seems even and consistent and I am willing to take him even without a Super Bowl win.
Q5. Last question - who will play in this year's Super Bowl -- and your winner? New Orleans and San Diego - Winner San Diego
Twenty years ago today, then-Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban from the game of baseball...here are some links concerning the ban...
Mike Schmidt, Hall of Famer, former Philadelphia Phillie and teammate of Rose, wrote this in which the Associate Press ran... "Even if Pete were to get by the commissioner, I feel it would take serious massaging of the members by Aaron, Joe Morgan and myself to get him the needed 75 percent quorum on a vote of Hall of Famers for election, and that may not be enough. Pete is Pete and always will be." ...
Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquierer wrote what Dan Dowd now thinks of the Rose situation...Dowd's report is what led to Rose's lifetime ban... "Even in the midst of a steroid reckoning that seemingly has no end, Rose remains the face of fallen sports grace. The man who put him away still practices law in Washington, D.C., at age 68, same age as Rose. It’s possible to feel both proud and saddened by what you’ve achieved in life. To stand tall, while slumping. That would be Pete Rose, of a fashion. And John Dowd." ...
Today is a good day to watch some Jimmy the Cabbie...this is a two-parter...first Jimmy brings up the conspiracy of the letter "M"...he then talks about MTV's beach house and not being able to swim...
Burl Toler, the NFL's irst African-American on-field official died earlier this week...the following is his obit that appeared in The New York Times...
Burl Toler, who as perhaps the best player on one of college football’s greatest teams became the focus of racial discrimination, and who went on to become the first black on-field official in the National Football League, died Sunday in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died after a sudden illness, said his daughter Susan Toler Carr.
The story of Toler’s college team, the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons, is one of the most extraordinary in sports. Called by Sports Illustrated “the best team you never heard of,” the Dons sent nine players to the N.F.L., three of whom — Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair and Ollie Matson — were eventually inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Its head coach was Joe Kuharich, who went on to coach at Notre Dame and for three professional teams; and the athletic publicity director was Pete Rozelle, who became the N.F.L. commissioner.
Toler, who played on the line on offense and linebacker on defense, was drafted by Cleveland, but he never made it to the pros because of a severe knee injury in a college all-star game.
“I personally felt Burl Toler was the best player of any of us,” Marchetti said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “He was the best tackler, the hardest hitter, and he had the most speed.”
The team went 9-0, defeating its opponents by an average score of 32-8, but it was not selected for a postseason game by the Southern-based bowl game committees, ostensibly because of its weak schedule, but in fact because of its two black players, Toler and Matson. In the interview, Marchetti said Rozelle and Kuharich told the team they would be invited to play in a bowl only if the team agreed to leave the two black players behind.
“We answered ‘No, we’d never do that,’ ” Marchetti said. “And after we said no and removed ourselves from consideration, nobody ever had a second thought about it.”
In 2000, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution, submitted by Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, acknowledging that the Dons were victimized by racial prejudice and “that the treatment endured by this team was wrong and that recognition for it accomplishments is long overdue.”
Burl Abron Toler was born in Memphis on May 9, 1928. His father, Arnold, was a Pullman porter. His mother, Annie King Toler, operated a small store and ran a boarding house. Young Burl went to a segregated high school and did not play football because of a severe burn on his arm; he had an accident disposing of a vat of cooking grease.
After graduating, he went to San Francisco at the suggestion of an uncle who lived there, and he enrolled at the two-year City College of San Francisco, where the football coach spotted him in the gymnasium and asked him to come out for the team. In his first practice, the story goes, he tackled the star running back, Ollie Matson, on three consecutive plays. Their 1948 team was 12-0, and both Toler and Matson earned scholarships at the University of San Francisco.
Toler’s wife, Melvia, died in 1991. In addition to his daughter Susan, who lives in Altadena, Calif., he is survived by a brother, Arnold Jr., of Memphis; two other daughters, Valerie, of Hayward, Calif., and Jennifer, of Berkeley; three sons, Burl Jr., of El Sobrante, Calif., Gregory, of Oakland, and Martel, of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren.
After his knee injury, Toler taught math and physical education at a San Francisco junior high school, the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, where he eventually became the principal. The school was closed in 2004, but reopened in 2006 as the Burl A. Toler Campus, home to two charter schools. Toler was also a commissioner of the San Francisco Police Department from 1978 to 1986.
N.F.L. officiating is part-time work, conducted mostly on weekends. Toler was an N.F.L. official for 25 seasons, beginning in 1965, a year before Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in the major leagues and three years before Jackie White broke the color barrier in the National Basketball Association. Toler officiated a number of crucial games, including Super Bowl XIV in 1980, in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams, and the 1982 A.F.C. championship game, in which the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Diego Chargers. It became known as the Freezer Bowl because it was played in the coldest temperatures of any game in league history. The wind chill in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982, reached minus 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Toler sustained frostbite on his fingers.
“He was very, very knowledgeable about the game,” Jim Tunney, who worked on the same crew with Toler for 11 years, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He knew about blocking and tackling. He knew about the emotions the players go through playing the game, which is very important.”
Tunney said Toler was so self-possessed that whatever racist attitudes he encountered in the game simply never became an issue.
“He just didn’t allow racism to enter into his doing his job,” Tunney said. “He never mentioned it, and if it ever did occur, he just rose above it.”
Unlike baseball umpires, whose crews rotate positions from game to game, football officials specialize. When Toler began his career, there were six on-field officials: the referee, who lines up behind the offensive backfield; the umpire, who is positioned in the middle of the field behind the defensive line; the head linesman and the line judge, who are on opposite sidelines on the line of scrimmage; the field judge, who stands on the sideline in the defensive backfield, and the back judge, who is positioned in midfield behind the defensive backs. A seventh official, the side judge, an across-the-field complement to the field judge, was added in 1978.
For most of his career, Toler was a head linesman, with a twofold responsibility: first to watch for line-of-scrimmage infractions like being offside, and then to move downfield to monitor receivers running short and midrange pass routes and the defenders covering them. The job requires not just the instinct to read plays as they develop and foot speed, but also, because he lines up on the sideline and within easy shouting distance of coaches, an especially serene demeanor.
“Burl was extremely quick; he could run like the wind,” said Art McNally, the N.F.L.’s supervisor of officials from 1968 to 1990. “But more than that he was a master of getting people who were up on the ceiling screaming and bringing them back down again.”
Michigan players crying about practice???...either they are cousins of Allen Iverson or the reason Michigan finished 3-9 last year...I found this written by Bob Marshall on fordyletter.com ...here is how Bo handled crybabies...God Bless Bo!!!
