Thug Life! (Casey)

Xavier vs Cincinnati Fight

So Saturday instead of College Football (other than the great Army vs Navy Game) we got to watch some great College Basketball. I mean #1 and #2 fell on saturday, and locally BYU and Utah played. But all the college world can talk about is the fight at the end of the Xavier vs Cincinnati game. I was watching the BYU vs Utah game when Dallin happened to see on the ticker that the Xavier game had been cut short because of a bench clearing brawl. So of course I turned the channel to ESPN News to see what happened and after I saw it I was amazed. It all started early in the week and during pregame when both teams were jawing back and forth and at half time Xavier Junior #10 Mark Lyons got into it with a bench player from Cincinnati as the teams left the court. Then in the final seconds of the game with the ballgame well in hand a Xavier Player and a Cincinnati player came nose to nose, someone was pushed and it all quickly went down hill from there. It was an embarrassment for both school and to watch #34 Yancy Gates from Cincinnati throw a sucker punch at #32 Kenny Frease then watch another Cincinnati player #13 Cheikh Mbodj stomp on Frease's head while he was down was actually criminal! So why is it that this kind of behavior is ok on the court or on the field when in real life those men (I use the term loosely) would have been thrown in Jail. Now I did hear that some criminal charges could be brought down on some of those that threw punches, which i hope they do, but this whole "Thug" mentality in sports especially in basketball needs to go away. After that fight and during the press conference Xavier SENIOR guard Tu Holloway said this:

"We are grown men over here, we got a whole bunch of Gangstas in the locker room, not thugs but tough guys on the Court!"

This mentality has to change, these guys are not gangsters they are BASKETBALL PLAYERS and they represent an Institution or City. When something like this happens I think these players should be kicked off any team until time comes that they realize that its more than street ball they are playing. If you want to play like a thug you should not be able to get a free education and represet a school. Now there were suspensions handed down and I was greatfull to hear the Cincinnati coach say that none of the players involved would be allowed to return to the team untill they apologized on tape and the coach deemed it an appropriate and truthfull apology. I hope these guys will begin to remember what they are playing for and how this can effect them later on in life, and stop with this stupid thinking and just play the game that we all love to watch.

Is Stern over using his power? (Dallin)

So as many of you know a couple days ago a trade when down between the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, and the New Orleans Hornets. here is the trade breakdown.

Los Angeles Lakers receiving G Chris Paul

Houston Rockets receiving C Paul Gasol

New Orleans Hornets receiving Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Marin, Gordan Dragic, and a 1st round pick for '12

After many hours of owners being on the phone and finalizing this deal.  The commissioner stepped in and declined that trade, now should he do that?  many peoples argument is that the NBA owns the Hornets and so he should get a say if it should happen, which is true they do own them but David hired Dell Demps to make these kind or decisions because if Stern was to make these moves it would look bad on the league. Also he said he canceled it for NBA related reasons not as a owner.  The problem is that by Stern cancelling this trade makes the league look bad, because now Stern looks like some evil dictator that has full control of the league and as one NBA player tweeted it makes the NBA look fixed. Dan Gilbert from the Cleavland Cavaliers Email David Stern and Said 

"It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed"

he also brought up that is should be voted by the other owners.  If they owners who are involved in the trade all agree on it then if should happen because they are looking for the best interest of there team.  The Lakers get there guy in Chris Paul, the Rockets get the center they have needed since losing Yao Ming, and they Hornets get value out of Paul instead of next year having him just walk away and they gain nothing (just ask Cleavland how awesome that is).

If they wanted to not have these kind of problems with players walking or demanding trades and creating "super teams".  Then they should have settled that in the lockout. Not by having the commissioner stepping in and running it how he wants .  Apparently the lockout didn't do anything different besides adding money to the owners pockets.  The players are still in charge if they don't want to be somewhere (small market teams) they will demand a trade or walk when they are a free agent and form "super teams".

Hate to see Jake go but BYU will be ok! (Casey)

Now I know that on November 14th I stated that I did not belive Jake Heaps was going to transfer. Boy was I wrong. On Monday December 5th Jake Heaps and BYU parted ways. I know it is going to be sad to see that potential go away but FEAR NOT Cougar Fans because I feel that BYU will be just fine in the future. The QB position at BYU has alot of history behind it and with it comes it own share of scrutiny from fans. But BYU has a great set of Quarterbacks at the school that will step up in the wake of Saint Jake leaving and do just fine. Lets go over who is in the program right now and who will be coming in the near future.

• First we have the starter Riley Nelson. Now I know he isn't the best Pocket Passing QB in the country, and I know his arm isn't as strong as Jakes was but this guy is a winner. Since he came in for Jake in the second half of the Utah State game he has gained 1467 yards passing and 16 TD's to 5 Picks. He is the third leading rusher on the team with 376 yards and has gone 6-1 as a starter (not including the Utah State game). Now I know some will argue that it was against lesser opponents, but he will have 1 year as a starter, he will be a SR, he will have the trust of his teammates, an offseason knowing he will start and a coaching staff who belives in him, something Heaps i belive never got. BYU also has some backups in the wings that are good and will be servicable if Riley were to get injured.
• James Lark is a 6-2, 200lb Junior this year who by most accounts during spring ball this year had the best arm and was the most impressive out of all the QB's, that includes Jake.
• Jason Muns is a 6-5, 250lb Sophomore this year who is a freak of nature, now he hasnt got much playing time but with his huge stature (for a QB) he should in my mind get a shot somewhere on the field i.e. LB or TE.
• Alex Kuresa is a 5-11, 160lb Freshman this year that has been on the practice squad and in an interview I heard Bronco gave to Greg Wrubell of KSL, Bronco said people are going to be suprised at what Alex can and will be doing in the future at BYU.

Now those are some of the names that are already in the program. Let us take a look at 2 of the recent commits to BYU and what they could possible be bringing. Now keep in mind these guys are young and the info I have is from there high school playing days but from all accounts they should be good.

• First one I want to mention is a 3 star recruit out of Idaho named Taysom Hill. He is 6-2 210lbs. He originally commited to Stanford but chose to go on an LDS mission and decided to transfer to BYU and play. In 2008 he was the Idaho 5A player of the year and a Gatorade All American. In 08 he threw for over 2000 yards and 18 TDs as well as rushed for over 1500 yards and 24 TDs. He comes home from his mission sometime in December and will enroll in BYU in January. From what I have seen in him he is alot like Riley in that he is a duel threat but the major difference is he can throw the ball downfield and is accurate. Look for him in spring ball to make some noise and compete for the backup spot with Lark.
• The other BYU commit I want to mention is 4 star recruit Tanner Mangum out of Idaho as well. Tanner is 6-3 210lbs and is the #2 Pro Style QB in the country according to Rivals.com. Tanner in 2011 went to the ESPNHS Elite 11 camp and won the most accurate passer award multiple times and in doing so held on the the Yellow Jersey for most of the camp. He was also voted Co-MVP of this camp. He has been selected to the Under Armor All-American team and will compete with some of the best incoming freshman in the country. In his Senior Year he went 238-332 and gained 3,433 yards passing. He also had 33 TDs to 9 Picks. He is going to serve a Mission for the LDS church after High school so Cougar fans your going to have to wait at least another 2 years to see him.

So although a great talent like Jake Heaps is leaving I can promise Cougar fans that the QB position is alive and strong at BYU and will be in the future.

NFL PICK'EM WEEK 13

Here are our game picks for week 13

Thursday Dec. 8                           Tyler                   Dallin                   Casey

Cleveland@Pittsburgh                 Pittsburgh               Pittsburgh             Pittsburgh

Sunday Dec. 11

Tampa Bay@Jacksonville           Jacksonville            Tampa Bay           Tampa Bay

Houston@Cincinnati                    Cincinnati                Cincinnati              Houston

Minnesota@Detroit                      Detroit                    Detroit                  Detroit

New England@Washington          New England          New England        New England

Kansas City@NY Jets                   NY Jets                  Kansas City          NY Jets

Atlanta@Carolina                        Carolina                 Carolina                Carolina

Philadelphia@Miami                   Miami                      Miami                   Miami

New Orleans@Tennessee            New Orleans          New Orleans         New Orleans

Indianapolis@Baltimore               Baltimore               Baltimore               Baltimore

Chicago@Denver                         Chicago                 Denver                  Denver

San Francisco@Arizona               San Francisco        Arizona                  San Francisco

Buffalo@San Diego                     San Diego              San Diego             San Diego

Oakland@Green Bay                   Green Bay              Green Bay            Green Bay

NY Giants@Dallas                       Dallas                    Dallas                   NY Giants

Monday Dec. 12

St. Louis@Seattle                        Seattle                   Seattle                    Seattle

Sold on Tebow? (Tyler)

So I've had a couple of people ask me if i'm on the Tim Tebow bandwagon yet. Here is my Response.... NO! Now let me tell you why.

1. Tebow has started now 7 games. Against Miami, Detroit, Oakland, Kansas City, New York Jets, San Diego, and Minnesota. Losing only to Detroit. In these games he has thrown a total of 158 times or about 22/game and has completed 75 for a 47.5% completion percentage and has been sacked 18 times. He has however thrown 10 TD to 1 INT which is good. Kyle Orton (who Tebow replaced) in 5 games against Oakland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Green Bay, and San Diego had to throw 155 times or about 31/game completing 91 for a 58.7% completion percentage and was sacked 9 times. He however threw 8 TD to 7 INT which isn't great. Because Tebow hasn't really shown he can manage a game as a QB throwing the ball the Broncos have switched to an Option based offense that works with Tebow's strengths which is running the ball. He has run the ball 82 times! for 468 yards and 3 TD. He is 2nd in rushing on the team behind Willis McGahee.
2. Speaking of running the ball that brings me to my next point. Where were the Denver RBs at the beginning of the season? The Broncos in the first 5 games of the year with Orton at QB rushed for 102 yards per game. With Tebow in the next 7 games they are rushing for 200 yards per game! I don't know if the offensive line just really sucks at pass coverage or what, but the Broncos are getting it done on the ground with Tebow and McGahee, and Lance Ball for that matter. The Option offense is helping this of course but you don't run the option offense unless you don't trust your QB to throw the ball.
3. Has anyone noticed the teams that Kyle Orton had to play compared to Tebow? Orton played all healthy teams at the beginning of the year including Oakland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Green Bay, and San Diego! Compared to Tebow who has played less than healthy teams later in the year like Miami,Oakland, Kansas City, Minnesota, and he gets the Chicago Bears this weekend without Cutler or Forte! Really!
4. My last point is the Denver defense has really stepped up their game from the beginning of the year, really putting the clamp down on teams like Miami...267 total yards, 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Oakland...2 sacks, 3 Int, and 2 forced fumbles. Kansas City...258 total yards, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble. New York Jets...318 total yards, 3 sacks, 1 Int, and 3 forced fumbles. San Diego...344 total yards, 3 sacks. Minnesota... 3 sacks, 2 Int, and 1 forced fumble. This defense has come to play and they are showing it and really helping out Tebow by limiting the opposing offenses in scoring and creating turnovers. 

My final analysis is that i would love to have Tim Tebow on my team as the starting RB cause he can run the ball well, but as for him being a good QB i think not. And give props to John Fox for understanding and utilizing the strengths of Tebow and giving him and this team the best chance to win games. However i do believe that the Option offense will not work for very long in the NFL and just like the Wildcat in Miami, that offense will falter and go back to being a 1-5 play-per-game system. At that point you need a QB that can make plays with his arm and i don't see Tebow being able to do that.

Local Bowl Games. (Casey)

So its bowl season again. I can't believe the football season is almost over but lets take a look at the upcoming bowl game and our local teams and who they are playing. 

• The First bowl game that includes a local team is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where after a 14 year wait the Utah State Aggies (7-5) of the WAC will face the mighty Ohio Bobcats (9-4) of the MAC. This game is on the 17th of December at 3:30 on ESPN. Ohio finished 1st in the MAC East and lost to Northern Illinois in the MAC title game. Ohio is lead by MAC all second team WR LaVon Brazill who over the season recorded 1042 yards and 10 TD's, look for him to be very involved in the offense. They have a very good Offensive line but a young QB Sophmore Tyler Tettleton who threw for 3,086 yards and 26 TD's. There Defense is sturdy and should be tough for Utah State. But Utah State is a good team. They finished 2nd in the WAC and ended the year on a 5 game winning streak. The Aggies are lead by 2 great players, Jr RB Robert Turbin and Sr LB Bobby Wagner. Turbin is the driving force behind the #6 nationally ranked running attack in the country. He has 1416 yards and 19 TD's and he splits carries with 2 other very good running backs. Wagner is the leader of a very strong defense and should reek havoc on the Bobcats. Wagner has 62 solo tackles, 4 sacks and 2 picks this year. This should be a close game but i see Ohio coming up with the win 24-17 but it could be flipped very easy.
• They next game on the schedule is the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl which is December 30th on  ESPN at 10 AM where the BYU Cougars (9-3) will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (8-4) who were 2nd in C USA's west division behind Houston. Tulsa is lead by Sr QB G.J. Kinne who has 2,876 yards and 25 TD's as well as ran for 405 yards.  It should be a real test for BYU trying to stop him and WR's Willie Carter and Bryan Burnham who combined for 1605 yards receiving and an average of over 14 yards per catch. Tulsa also comes with a duel backfield where a pair of Sophomores Ja'Terian Douglas and Trey Watts combine for 1727 yards. BYU is looking to finish off its season with its 5th season in the last 6 years with 10 or more wins. BYU is lead by JR QB Riley Nelson who has been the emotional leader since being but in the game against Utah State and leading them to a win. BYU found a running game behind Michael Alisa and J.J Di Luigi. Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo are a big threat vertically to attack the Tulsa secondary and JD Falslev will be going across the middle all day long. BYU's Defense should be able to play well behind a strong D-Line and a deep Linebacking core. This should be a good game and I think as long as BYU does not commit mistakes they should keep it close and i think they pull it off in the end. Look for a real close game with the final score favoring BYU 34-31.
• The last game featuring a local team will be on Saturday December 31st at 12 PM where we have the University of Utah (7-5) playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) from the ACC. Georgia Tech is a option team that will test the Utah run defense. But Utah is used to playing option teams because they had to face Air Force every year for so long in the WAC and MWC. Georgia Tech has a great QB Tevin Washington who not only leads the team in Passing (1515) but in rushing yards as well (890). Stephen Hill is there top receiver with 785 total yards. But I wouldn't expect Georgia Tech to throw the ball that often. Utah is lead by the #1 defense in the Pac 12 and should be up to the challenge. They have had a very up and down season this year but there defense has kept them in alot of games this year. The offense is lead by RB John White IV who rushed for 1404 yards this year and kept the offense relevant. The leaders on this Utah defense are DT Star Lotulelei, DE Derrick Shelby LB Chaz Walker and  Saftey Brian Blechen. If this Utah team can play like they did at the end of the season (minus the Colorado fiasco) they should be able to keep up with a very good Georgia Tech and in the end pull out the win. I see Utah winning another close one 17-14

So there you have it. Its my favorite time of year and I really think even Utah State has a good chance of winning and making it a clean sweep for the state of Utah. So good luck to all the teams in the state and enjoy the bowl season. Let me know what you guys think and give me your predictions.

The Worth of a Contract? (Casey)

Earlier this week one of the worst kept secrets in all college football was proven right when Urban Meyer was announced as the new head football coach at Ohio State. When i heard this announcement and the fact the contract is a 6 year $24 Million with an additional $2.4 Million in bonuses I thought to myself, When we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat. I also began thinking about contracts in sports themselves. Time and time again we hear of a coach who is under contract just up and leaving a school or program to go get a different coaching position elsewhere. Urban has done this at least 3 time that I know of and many other coaches have done the same. The unfair and otherwise dishonest thing about it is when these coaches go into someones home and tells these 17 or 18 year olds that if they will commit 4 or more years of there life to that school that said coach will be there to help them along this new adventure in life. They also tell the kids mom and dad that they should fear not that there child will be taken care of and the coach will be there every step of the way. But because money has gotten so big in college sports now it seems to only take a sniff of a big pay check to make some of these coaches go back on every word they just said to these kids and parents, and the sad part is the atheletes are expected to stay at these schools whether they like it or not or transfer and face a penalty of losing eligibility but no such penalty on these coaches. Now I understand that some instinces are different, say if a coach is fired or leaves for family reason, but in my eyes, in most cases these coaches should be held to the contracts that they have signed and should not be let out of them so easy until the contract is fulfilled. I have the utmost respect for the coaches that do the right thing and stay with there programs through thick and thin. But coaches like Lavell Edwards, Bronco Mendenhall, Ron McBride, Kyle Whitttingham and others like them are becoming a rare exception to the rule and I would just like to see more coaches like them out there and the Urban Meyers of the world just go away. So is a Contract worth anything these days? I guess it depends on who you ask!