Where did Jeff go?
He’s moved to a new location. Check him out on the new blogging platform and let him know what you think.
Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > November > 11
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Why leave UNC for Rocky Top?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And now for the Tuesday Countdown:
10.Tennessee fans can’t figure out why the football coach at North Carolina wouldn’t jump at being the football coach at Tennessee. Question: How many reasons do you want?
9.Butch Davis has an easier path to success at North Carolina than he would at Tennessee. He doesn’t have to play Florida, Georgia and Alabama every season. Every game at Carolina is sold out. Scenery? I’ll take Chapel Hill over Knoxville. The old, “But it’s a football team at a basketball school” argument? So what? Billy Donovan seems to function OK with the reverse situation at Florida. It’s not like UNC has short-changed Davis with money or resources. Obviously, Tennessee has the tradition. But tradition hasn’t counted for much in Knoxville for the last 10 years. If Davis builds a winner at UNC, he would have his pick of jobs around the country. And if that happens, why would you pick Tennessee?
8.If you missed Chip Towers’ Q-and-A with Mark Richt the coach basically said the Bulldogs are running the same aggressive defenses under coordinator Willie Martinez that they ran under Brian VanGorder. OK, I’ll bite. But then isn’t that an indictment of Willie Martinez?
7.If the plays are the same, there really are only two other factors: 1) The talent; 2) the coach’s ability to coach and motivate. Georgia’s defense may lack the single player who can create mayhem. But it would be hard to believe the players on the roster have performed to their athletic level. That’s on Martinez. VanGorder excelled at bringing out the best in players and putting them in positions to succeed - just as he’s doing now with the Falcons.
6.Charlie Weis played mostly with Ty Willingham’s players for two years. He went 19-6 with Fiesta and Sugar Bowl appearances. He has played with mostly his own players in the last two seasons. He is 8-13 and may not go to a bowl either year. Either he can’t recruit or he’s coaching them down. Or both.
5.How is it that Evander Holyfield is nearing the end of his career and he gets to fight possibly his swansong in Zurich, Switzerland? I thought that’s what Biloxi was for?
4.The NHL claims it set an attendance record in October. Who counted the turnstiles - Bigfoot?
3.Look, if there was evidence to that effect, more power to the league. But when I walk into Philips Arena, I see crowds of 7,000 announced as 14,000. This count-inflation goes on in other cities as well, all in hopes of increasing the stature and marketability of the local franchise. Show me a spreadsheet with dollar signs. Then we’ll talk.
2.The Falcons’ Grady Jackson is suing the company that manufactures, “StarCaps,” the diet pill he claims caused him to fail an NFL drug test. I found video of Nikki Haskell, the head of “StarCaps.” Just wondering: Did Jackson get the “StarCruncher,” too, and will his face soon look like it was pulled back by the same crank that attacked Nikki’s?
1.The Hawks are 5-0 and the Thrashers have won four straight. If you’re the other owners of the Atlanta Spirit, shouldn’t you sell to Steve Belkin, like, NOW!
