Hey Junior, Stay And Be A Senior

A record tying 53 non-seniors applied for this year's NFL draft. The number last year was 46. I've said before that when the Pros dangle those millions in front of college under-grads, they have to take the money and run. If fact, the only two rational reasons for a player to abort college early are: 1) the money, and 2) the fear of injury in college translating into no money. So you see in the end it all boils down to money, and rightfully so. That's what the professional game is all about. Sometimes players trade the quick money for the chance to mature in college and have a more successful pro career. But for all the wrong reasons for leaving, there are right reasons as well. Perhaps for every player who should have stayed, there is also a player who should have gone. This year, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead should have remained in college, Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran is a toss-up, and Tennessee safety Eric Berry did the right thing leaving early. There is no magic formula to determine the right choice versus the wrong choice. Every year guys will take the early-out to enter the NFL. Sometimes they are the only ones who know if they chose correctly, and that answer might not be known for several years.

Chan Gailey Goes to Buffalo - Why?

Chan Gailey will become the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Any idea why? The only criteria that I read that he matched was "previous head coaching experience". That and the fact that Bill Cowher already turned Buffalo down. As did Mike Shanahan and Brian Schottenheimer. This sounds a lot like the University of Tennessee coaching search. Perhaps Buffalo GM Buddy Nix and Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton went to the same school on hiring head coaches. Even though Gailey inherits a team that only went 6-10 this past season, I can't see this as going down as a popular hire in Buffalo. Especially when the city was clamoring for the team to somehow persuade Cowher out of retirement. I don't have anything against Chan Gailey, except for the fact that he once coached the Yellow Tech Jackets, but I just think there other candidates out there more viable. But then again, maybe they would have all been like the ones mentioned above: none of them wanted to go to Buffalo.

Keith Brooking: Just Get Over It

Most of the time, I could care less about professional sports.  I follow the Atlanta Falcons, and I do know what's going on in the NFL.  However, I seldom get too worked up about the Pro game.  I'm pretty much NCAA all the way.  I did watch the playoff game yesterday between Minnesota and Dallas.  One, because the weather wasn't so great in Central Georgia; and two, because I wanted to see the Cowboys lose so that Georgia's new defensive coordinator could get to Athens and begain working.  You see, the defensive line coach for Dallas, Todd Grantham, has been named the 'Dawgs new DC. I don't want him in Dallas working, I want him here working. With all of that prelim out of the way, the reason for this post is Dallas limebacker Keith Brooking.  Minnesota won the game handily 34-3. Brooking had a big problem with the Vikings last score, which came with 1:55 left in the contest game.  He said it was classless and disrespectful.  I think that was what his remarks about the Falcons organization were as well earlier in the year.  Where does he come off with all of this nobility all of a sudden?  Who the heck is Keith Brooking anyway?  It's professional football. Anything goes. In college, you'd have a valid point.  Not the Pros.  You play defense;  you don't like the touchdown, you should have played harder to prevent it.  Oh yea 'Brook', there's no crying in football.  Get over it already.

Hey Barbara, "Precious" Is A Vol!

Derek Dooley is the new Tennessee head football coach. The kid whose mom, Barbara, called him "Precious" has hit the Big Top (Rocky Top that is). Dooley arrived in Knoxville from Louisiana Tech, where he was employed for the past three years not only as head football coach, but athletic director as well. He brings the promise of stability and integrity to Big Orange Country, two intangibles sorely missing yet needed in that storied program. The former University of Virginia graduate, as well as, University of Georgia Law School graduate will bring intelligence and diligence to the only vocation he truly loves. Dooley, like his dad Vince, is a football coach. Coaching football is his passion, and he will give Tennessee every ounce of his professionalism. I don't know if Derek Dooley is the 'splash' the Vol Nation was looking for or not, but he is far from the 'drip' they just got rid of. Best of luck, Precious, but I do hope that first loss as a Volunteer comes in your Dad's old stomping grounds on October 9th, between those hallowed hedges in Athens, Georgia. Barbara Dooley will be the only Dawg wearing orange that day.

David Cutcliffe: Loyalty Above Self

Less than 48 hours ago, David Cutcliffe was set to return to the University of Tennessee as it's next head football coach. It was apparently a done deal until a not-so-minor detail got in the way. That last detail involved Tennessee's ridiculous predicament with assistants from the previous staff, and Cutcliffe's unwavering loyalty to his current staff. Six current staff members are still under contract with UT, some of them with multi-year deals. The Vols didn't think they could eat those contractual dollars, thus forcing the next head coach to have to keep them on his staff. Cutcliffe wanted to bring his entire staff from Duke along with him to Knoxville. He said "all or none", virtually taking himself out of the running for the job. It takes one heck of a lot of integrity for a football guy to turn down one of the top jobs in the top football conference in the land to remain at a basketball school in the top basketball conference in the land. Tennessee just got rid of a guy with no integrity, and missed out on a guy with tons of it. Go figure...

Todd Grantham: New Dawg In The House

After a six week search to find the right man, Georgia's Mark Richt has announced that the Cowboys' Todd Grantham will be the Dawg's new defensive coordinator. If you're a Dawg, you gotta love this statement by Grantham: "I look forward to developing an aggressive, physical, attacking style of defense that offenses will not look forward to playing against". When was the last time we heard that kind of defensive talk out of Athens? Welcome aboard Coach Grantham. Let the Big Dawg eat!

Alabama: Too Early For "Dynasty" Label

The latest Issue (1/18/2010) of Sports Illustrated proclaims Alabama as a collegiate football dynasty. SI believes all the ingredients are in place for the Tide to continue rolling on and collecting more crystal balls. But isn't this proclamation of superiority just a little early? I do understand the players returning to Tuscaloosa next season, the wealth of talent due to tremendous recruiting years, the prowess of Nick Saban, the ghost of the Bear, etc, etc, etc. It is a storied program, but this national title is just 'one' lately. Let's at least see a repeat before we continue with this dynasty talk. I even venture to say that Alabama should dwell in the Top 5 for five or six years, claiming one or two more titles in that span. Let us see them do that and I'm all in on his talk. Because until then who knows, they might be just a "one and done" memory.

Cadillac Says "No Mas" to Tiger

General Motors has said there will be no more free vehicles for Tiger Woods to use. However, the company said this decision has absolutely nothing to do with Woods last debacle in his Cadillac Escalade. Yea, right GM. The golfer's deal with Buick ended in 2008, but there was an agreement that allowed Tiger the free use of GM vehicles. That particular agreement was said to have conveniently expired 12/31/2009. What a waste that Tiger Woods did not have any vehicle expense. If anyone in America could indeed afford that expense (or any other for that matter), it would be Woods. It's a good thing the freebie ride is over. It's a bad thing it ever existed to begin with. Heck, Tiger didn't even have to pay for the damages he inflicted upon the Escalade. Why should he, it wasn't even his vehicle. Go figure...

Lane Kiffin: Hit The Road, Jack!

The topsy-turvy off-season of college football continues. Just to preface by recounting a few instances: Brian Kelly leaves Cincinnati for Notre Dame, abandoning the Bearcats for their bowl game; Mike Leach was dismissed at Texas Tech amid a scandal involving the son of an ESPN analyst; Urban Meyer resigned at Florida, then un-resigned for a leave of absence; Florida State's Bobby Bowden was forced into retirement by the University and replaced by "coach in waiting" Jimbo Fisher; Jim Leavitt was fired at South Florida over a player incident/cover-up; Pete Carroll suddenly left Southern Cal for a return to the Pro ranks, and Lane Kiffin dished Tennessee in the shadow of national signing day to replace Carroll at USC. Whew, had enough? Those are just the 'high spots'. However, there have been other head coaching changes as well (Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville, Buffalo, etc). What a December/January in the collegiate coaching ranks! Never a dull moment, huh? Taking the Kiffin/Tennessee saga a bit further, that one really shocked me. Kiffin was about to nail his second Top 5 recruiting class in a row, he was coaching in the premier football conference in America, and it was beginning to appear as if he could back up his brash mouth and attitude with positive results. I did not consider that the lure of returning to Southern Cal would have led to an instant decision on his part to abandon the groundwork he had established in Knoxville. But I guess I failed to consider Kiffin himself, the ultimate "here today, gone tomorrow" coaching nomad. It seems he sure has reaped a lot of monetary rewards at his two head jobs (Oakland & Tennessee) without staying long enough (one year each) to pay that much into the respective programs. I think Al Davis is looking better every minute now. Nevertheless, the 'Brash Boy' of the SEC has run back to the west coast and the southeast is better for it already. Believe me, Vol Nation, you will be better off in the long run. You see, Kiffin doesn't seem to like long runs anyway.

Joe "Willie" Namath: Super Bowl III

On this date, January 12, 1969, Joe Namath led his New York Jets to a monumental upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It was the AFL's first victory in the championship game, a victory that Namath famously "guaranteed" to the press during the week preceding the game. Namath was named the game's most outstanding player, going 17 of 28 for 206 yards. The Jets Matt Snell rushed for 121 yards as well. The win over the Colts legitimized the merger between the two professional football leagues, earning tremendously needed credibility for the AFL, for Namath, and for the Jets franchise..

Kirby Smart: No "Dawg Days" In His Future

Kirby Smart will remain at The University of Alabama as their defensive coordinator (or as their co-defensive coordinator with Nick Saban, if you prefer). Smart will not be returning to his Alma mater as Georgia's defensive coordinator as was rumored/speculated. Unlike many of my UGA colleagues, I see two "rights" in this scenario. I think Mark Richt and Georgia were right to offer Smart the Dawg DC job. After all, he is considered to be one of the top assistant coaches in the country (along with fellow former Dawg Will Muschamp). He played football at Georgia, and his wife was a Lady Dawg basketball player, so it would have been a good fit for both of them. The chance to come 'home' seemed like it would be an enticing lure for Smart. Georgia's reported offer would have made him the third highest assistant in the land. So emotionally as well as monetarily, the hire would have been good for both parties. But realistically, the career path for Kirby will be faster and smoother with Saban and the Tide. I presume he aspires to be a head coach one day, and the lateral move to Athens wasn't going to hasten that. It might not have hurt it either, but Richt might have had to go through all of this again sooner than he would have liked. Smart will be offered a college head coaching position soon. Meanwhile, Georgia will find the 'right' guy to fill their coaching vacancy, and it will be someone who wants to be at Georgia and help the Dawgs get back to the level of defensive intensity they so desire. These two "rights" will turn into two "wins" when it's all said and done.

Mark McGwire: No Check-Swing This Time

So now it's official. Mark McGwire used steroids. He admitted it himself. We already new it, he just confirmed it. He stands a little taller in my eyes for coming out with this, but he would have been much taller had he stood up before congress in 2005 and told all. And don't think he wouldn't have made a lot of other guys sitting at that table squirm worse than if a 95 MPH fastball was coming straight at their noggins. He could have left out the part where he said he would have been the same power hitter without the enhancement of drugs. There's simply too much speculation for him to sell that notion. He'll really never know for sure, and thus neither will we. Nevertheless, I'm glad he came forward with his revelation before spring practice begins. As the Cardinals new hitting instructor, he doesn't need the past hanging over his head. He'll be a good coach for St Louis, and it will be good to have him back in baseball.