New Year Thoughts

OSU
Congratulations to Ohio State for competing hard last night in their loss against Texas. They showed up and almost pulled it off, and more importantly, didn’t further embarrass the Big 10 on the national stage.

And although Colt McCoy and company made them pay on that final drive, I like the fact that Ohio State went after McCoy instead of laying back, dropping seven or eight in coverage, and praying the Long Horns’ offense would run out of time before finding the end zone.

Of course, when you go after the quarterback, it becomes even more imperative you tackle well in the secondary. The Buckeyes didn’t do that on Texas’ final play from scrimmage, and thus lost the game.

I have no problem with the strategy employed.

The morons who today will begin second-guessing the coverage scheme are the same ones who would be yelling “no prevent defense” if dropping eight into coverage had also failed.

Give credit to Texas for executing down the stretch. I also believe the hurry up offense employed in the second half by Texas wore down the Buckeye pass rush – which also affected the ability to get to the quarterback on that final drive.

Finally, I felt Texas was playing all night long to win while OSU was playing not to loss – which is Jim Tressel’s style. Mind you, that style won him a National Title in 2002.

It goes as follows for those who have forgotten and are now criticizing Tressel's approach after hailing the man as a genius after winning the DI National Title several years ago – run the ball effectively, make a couple big plays in the passing game, play sound defense, and win the kicking game.

Texas employed a fake punt, threw the ball deep out of its end of the field late in the first half and went for it on fourth down on several occasions.

Meanwhile, Tressel played it close to the vest once again with the exception of using a two quarterback system.

I especially did not care for two first half play calls.

The Buckeyes decided to attempt a 50 yard field goal on fourth and two from the Texas 32 instead of going for it. Secondly, after a missed Long Horns’ field goal late in the second quarter, Ohio State ran two off tackle plays from midfield instead of going for the jugular.

Two rules I strongly believe in – go for it when you are in “no man’s land” between the opponents’ 30-40 yard line on fourth and short, and go up top right away after a big change of possession – especially in their end or near midfield.

Run The Ball & Stop The Run
Ohio State did the two things we are constantly told you must be able to do to win games consistently – stop the run and run the ball effectively. Yet, the Buckeyes lost.

Why you ask?

First, Wells went down – again. That obviously affected the play-calling in the final quarter. And secondly, Colt McCoy was still able to throw for over 400 yards without any running game whatsoever.

If the Buckeyes had an NFL caliber pass rusher on the roster last night, either up front or from the linebacker position, they win the game.

Terrelle Pryor
Mr. Pryor is far from a finished product. Why do you think Jim Tressel employed a two quarterback system yesterday?

Pryor, once again, threw for less than 100 yards – and that’s with a good running game at his sails most of the night.

He has a tough time on touch passes and he also often fails to connect when rolling out, on the run, trying to it the open man.

Until he (Pryor) becomes a consistent passing threat on third and seven, he will be a very good college quarterback who possesses great athleticism and not much more.

Mind you, he just finished his freshman year, so we should cut him some slack. Plus, the Buckeyes are talented enough to win 10 games a year in the Big-10 with Pryor being exactly what he is.

However, if OSU wants to win a National Championship while Pryor still resides in Columbus, he will need to become a more consistent and better passer. More experience alone might just do that for him – then again, maybe not.

No Wells To Cleveland
Back in September, I mentioned I would like to see Chris Wells running the football for the Cleveland Browns in 2009. I even compared him favorably to Eddie George.

I changed my mind.

I would NOT use a top-10 pick on Wells right now. He was hurt too much this year and did not dominate enough when he was healthy to make me believe he is instantly ready to carry the ball 25x a game next year in the NFL.

Mind you, I made the same mistake with Adrian Peterson coming out of Oklahoma in terms of not trusting a very talented back who had been hurt. However, that’s my philosophy and I am sticking to it – not with the Browns first pick, which is unfortunately another top-5 selection in 2009.

Sanchez
USC’s Mark Sanchez just played his best game on the biggest stage of the season and he hasn’t declared for the draft yet.

What’s taking so long?

His stock will never be higher. Mind you, I am not saying he is worth it based on one performance, I’m just saying his stock just went way up for those who pay attention to this stuff – NFL teams.

If he comes back to school, he will need to do the following to improve his draft status even more – stay healthy, lead USC to a National Championship and put up scary numbers in the process.

This one is a no-brainer.

Ditto for any junior signal-caller who is currently slotted to go in the first round this coming April. I just don’t think there is enough up-side to coming back when you could start earning a first round paycheck and learning what playing in the NFL is all about.

Pet Peeve
I HATE IT when quarterbacks ground the ball when it is not necessary to do so. You waste a valuable down in the process.

I was watching an NFL playoff game this past weekend, and once again, a quarterback spiked the ball to stop the clock right after a first down reception jus inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with one FULL minute remaining on the running game clock.

The QB had plenty of time to get his team lined up, call a play and run it. By spiking the ball, he gave himself just two shots to keep the drive going before having to settle for a game-tying field goal. That extra down could have resulted in a first down or even a touchdown.

You spike it ONLY when time is the major factor in play!

Ed Reed vs Troy Polamalu
A few weeks ago, I hailed Troy Palamalu as the best safety in the NFL. I stated Polamalu had surpassed Ed Reed in my book because he (TP) had started to make more plays in the passing game along with being an outstanding run defender.

Since then, Ed Reed has continued to do what Ed Reed does – score touchdowns on defense. And he’s doing it on the big stage (playoffs) – once again.

So let’s revisit this: Both guys are headed to Canton and along with Ronnie Lott, they are the three best safeties I have seen play. Now I feel better.

If I ran the Browns
I stated I would take my time and not rush the decision a couple weeks ago. And I am glad Randy Lerner is doing just that.

Now that we have a better idea who is available and who isn’t, the winner is – Mike Shanahan.

That’s my pick and here’s why.

Shanahan has won two Super Bowls and is on pace for 200+ wins – all of which makes him a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

Plus, if he still wants to coach and wants to continue that career path next year, instead of taking a year or two off to re-charge the batteries, he will now have a chip on his shoulder after being unceremoniously tossed aside in Denver.

That makes him even more attractive to me.

Shanahan is worth waiting on and is a no-brainer in terms of what coach is out there who will bring instant credibility to the Browns – something they have not had in the coaching position since Marty’s run in the late 80s.

So what do you do if you are the Browns?

You contact Shanahan and ask him if he would be interested in talking after he takes his family vacation. Hell, offer to pay for the vacation and to fly him and his family into Hopkins Airport for a “sit down” on their way home when the trip is completed.

Then, when the interview actually does take place, you make him a financial offer he can’t refuse and hope he takes it.

As for the GM position – if I get Shanahan, I would hire a team president he (Shanahan) is comfortable with, and have the team president hire a GM they can both live with.

Sequels
Someone has to inform Randy Lerner that sequels are usually not nearly as good as the original.

Why does Lerner seem to have a hard-on for Baltimore player personnel types and former New England assistant coaches? I’m not saying those folks aren’t qualified, but it certainly sounds like familiar territory and such hires would not exactly excite the fan base.

Hey Randy - we’ve been there, done that, and it didn’t work too well the first time. Going back to the same well again? Come on.

Florida versus Oklahoma
I have no idea who will win the Florida – Oklahoma game but I am rooting slightly for the Gators.

I have always been a Tim Tebow fan – both on the field (calling him a future first round pick nearly two years ago) and off the field for how he carries himself.

Normally, I go with the team with the better quarterback (i.e. Texas over Ohio State, USC over Penn State, etc…).

I think I covered the Big-Ten’s weakness at the QB position being the real reason they usually fail when they face the Pac-10, SEC, Big-12 etc…not the lack of team speed crap everyone else espouses.

But in the case of Oklahoma and Florida, they both have outstanding signal-callers. I have to be honest however, I have not seen Sam Bradford play all that much, so I will be curious to watch him perform on this stage.

Let’s take Florida by a touchdown in a shootout.

National Champions
That’s easy – the undefeated Utah Utes (13-0). They rolled the “Tide” and clearly established they could play with anyone in the process. And since they finished as the only undefeated team, and beat several quality opponents in doing so, they should be crowned as champions of college football.

Sounds logical, right?

NFL Playoffs
I picked the Steelers to win it all months ago after Tom Brady went down and still see no reason to change that pick. On the other side, I am still rooting for the underdog Cardinals after the Cowboys made me look bad.

Minnesota & Arizona
It is a crime those two cities had trouble selling out for a home playoff game. And I don't want to hear about the poor economy playing a factor or there's too much to do in sunny Arizona in the winter.

Other cities sold out and they weren't hosting their first playoff game since Nero's Roman Empire ran Europe like Arizona was. Bill Bidwell and the Cardinal fans deserve each other.

As for the Vikings, I have no idea what to make of that situation. I always thought Minnesota fans were very supportive of their football team. I guess I was wrong.

I have one rule about relocating teams - you NEVER do it UNLESS the fans in that town don't support a WINNER. The Cardinals and Vikings were winners by NFL standards this season and the fans failed to turn out when it counted most.

Somehow, I think Birmingham, Alabama, along with a few other cities I can think of, would have no trouble selling out an NFL playoff game.