AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > October > 26
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Jackets will win; Dogs will stay close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Two years ago, just after emerging from the Netherworld trade deadline holding hands with Mephistopheles, Donna Shalala admitted that a new Miami student was “not perfect.” But she insisted this young man showed “academic talent.” And, he was “one of us — a son of Miami.” Shalala failed to mention she actually was from Cleveland, not Miami. But she felt a “special obligation” to nurture him. You know. Like Rosemary.
The scholarly lad in question was Willie Williams. He had been arrested 11 times and rejected by 72 universities, 14 prisons and three chain gangs. Williams’ “academic talent” apparently didn’t flourish at The U. So he now blossoms at West L.A. Community College.
Miami will be almost back to full strength Saturday when it visits Georgia Tech. This follows another fine decision by Shalala to suspend 12 players only one game (against Duke) following gang warfare with Florida International. This will be the first action for safety Brandon Meriweather since he stomped on a player. Otherwise, his record is relatively free of maimings.
We’re all making too much of this, says Faust. I mean, Shalala.
Her team just looks like thugs. It’s like that fake butter they serve at nice restaurants. These are the Miami I Can’t Believe They’re Not Thugs!
The Hurricanes also may have back star receiver Ryan Moore. He’s had various suspensions, most recently for grabbing a woman by her neck, pushing her down, kicking her car door and threatening her friend.
Oh, these kids today.
I Can’t Believe They’re Not Thugs!
The Jackets got their heads slapped by Clemson. But it was a legal assault. This would be a good time to relocate Calvin Johnson and the defense. Miami is 5-2 but the wins came over Florida A&M, Houston, North Carolina, FIU and Duke (a near loss). Typical bullies.
The line is 5 1/2. The I Can’t Believe They’re Not Thugs are underdogs.
My, somebody certainly got the short end of a deal. Is that brimstone I smell?
Up here, Jackets win. And cover.
Higher Education (Humor me)
Chihuahuas and Gators: Legend has it that Romans were concerned about the excessive partying associated with the Gladiator Games and demanded Marcus Aurelius refer to them only as, “The World’s Ugliest Outdoor Smackdown,” when he chiseled for the Roman Journal-Constitution. Seems appropriate. Matthew Stafford had a chance to be the only Georgia quarterback to never lose to Florida. Alas, he decided not to transfer this week. Gators win. But take the Ugas and 14.
Tennessee at South Carolina: The Vowels’ fat fleabag — Smokey, not the coach — bit an Alabama player last week. Phil Fulmer may want to hide behind him this week. He’s 3-8 against Steve Spurrier, including last year’s fold in Knoxville. And I get points, too? Gimme 5 — and an upset.
Auburn at Mississippi: Ed Orgeron suspended five players this week for violation of team rules. They must have tackled somebody. Tigers cover 19.
Kentucky at Mississippi State: Rich Brooks called this a “pivotal game” for his program. Some things don’t need a punch line. Doggies cover 1 1/2.
FSU at Maryland: This should depress Bobby Bowden: He’s being outcoached by Tommy. Half-Noles win but take Maryland and 4 1/2.
Higher Income (Usually)
Falcons at Cincinnati Dept. of Corrections: John Abraham is out for the Falcons. Knuckles, Tommy The Lip and Odell Thurman are in the hole for Cincinnati. But the Bengals have motivation. Win another game and coach Marvin Lewis has promised them an extra 10 minutes in the yard and a pack of cigs. Cincy covers 4 1/2.
Bucs at Giants: Tiki Barber strangely announced in Week 6 he was retiring after this season. Is this somebody you want carrying the ball with the season on the line? Giants win but take the Bucs and nine.
Steelers at Mr. Cranky Pants: Great scene last week in the Oakland locker room: Al Davis, while leaning on his walker, berated a San Francisco columnist and borderline threatened him. As if Davis actually posed a threat. Kinda like the Raiders. Steelers cover nine.
Cowboys at Panthers: Tony Romo now holds the keys to Bill Parcells’ turnaround hopes. Other than seeing Parcells fall face-first in a bowl of Cool Whip, this can’t possibly get funnier. Carolina covers 5 1/2.
Profit margins
Been rough lately. Just look at me as a fine Bordeaux that needs to breathe for a few weeks.
Last week: 4-4 straight up, 5-3 against the line
Bottom line: 49-22 straight up, 38-32-1
W.P. Book Club: Buy any three selections and win a copy of Rush Limbaugh’s new book, “Incoherent Ramblings of a Porkpie.” After charging Michael J. Fox was faking his Parkinson’s during a political commercial, you’ll love chapter two. “I knew Helen Keller. She could hear, see and speak just fine. But she had bad hair and needed the sympathy vote.”
Permalink | Comments (91) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
It’s up to Tech coaches to get Calvin the ball
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Stop me if I’m wrong. Tim Brown was pretty good. The same goes for Raghib “Rocket” Ismail. My point is that defensive coordinators invented ways to stifle their prowess in college, but it didn’t matter. With help from Notre Dame coaches, those all-everything receivers did the old Al Davis by taking what they wanted instead of what opponents gave them.
This message is for Georgia Tech coaches who keep dropkicking logic by claiming they just can’t get the ball to the great Calvin Johnson on occasion. Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz chuckled over his cellphone, before saying with his famous lisp, “We felt the opposing team could not intercept a snap from center, nor could they bat it down. So if we could get the snap, and if we had a Tim Brown or a Rocket Ismail, we were going to find a way to get the ball to that sucker. Whether it be with screens, reverses, handoffs.”
Added Holtz, who now is a college football analyst for ESPN, “The great ones for us had to touch the ball at least 15 times per game. That’s your obligation as a coach to see that that happens. We never tolerated saying, ‘Well, they covered him.’ No, no, no. We’ve got to get him the ball, because you’ve always got to get the ball into the hands of your playmaker.”
So this is ridiculous: Four times. That’s how often the ball was thrown last Saturday at Clemson in the vicinity of Johnson, owner of the most explosive game in college football this side of Troy Smith. Worse, Johnson had zero catches for the first time during his three years at Tech. Not surprisingly, his previously lively team was buried in Death Valley.
It isn’t as if this Johnson silliness hasn’t happened before. Remember the Notre Dame fiasco? After the quicker, taller and faster Johnson obliterated the Irish’s smallish secondary in the first half of the season opener, he vanished from the game plan, and the Jackets lost a game they should have won. Then, as now, excuses reigned, from citing double teams on Johnson to offering nothing at all. Tech coach Chan Gailey even banned offensive coordinator Patrick Nix and Johnson from speaking after the Clemson game.
Then again, what can you say when you know you blew it?
“I’m not criticizing the people at Georgia Tech. All I’m talking about is what we have done with our great receivers in the past,” said Holtz, who nevertheless admitted he was as baffled by Johnson’s game at Clemson as much as everybody else, especially since Johnson was open on several occasions. And, no, the Reggie Ball excuse doesn’t fly, either. Ball has a four-year history of erratic throws, and he also played against Clemson on a gimpy leg. Holtz laughed, saying, “Tony Rice was our quarterback when we had the Rocket, and Tony couldn’t hit the ground sometime. Still, we knew that [The Rocket] had to get his touches.”
Heard of the middle screen? Well, Holtz invented the thing to help The Rocket with those touches. Then there was Brown, a Heisman Trophy winner, smothered as much by defenders as any receiver ever. “There were times where you’d say, ‘OK, we’re going to have maximum protection, and we’re just going to tell him to go get it and just get open.’ That’s also what Notre Dame did last week against UCLA.”
In particular, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis called a play for Jeff Samardzija, the Irish’s latest Brown and Rocket, in the final seconds with no timeouts left and Notre Dame at the UCLA 45. Samardzija was covered by a slew of defenders, but he still caught the ball, and he still weaved 30 yards for the game-winner.
Are you listening, Chan Gailey and Patrick Nix?
Permalink | Comments (64) | Categories: Tech / ACC, Terence Moore
Let’s give La Russa his props
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Tony La Russa is two victories from a World Series title with the second-worst team ever to play in a World Series. I mention this because it has become fashionable to deride La Russa as the most overrated manager in the big leagues, just as it was once fashionable to label him a genius.
The La Russa backlash started in earnest after his mighty Oakland A’s were swept by Cincinnati in the 1990 Series; this coming two seasons after an underwhelming bunch of Dodgers had beaten the A’s in five. And when La Russa’s Cardinals kept losing in October — wasting a 3-1 lead against Atlanta in the 1996 NLCS, losing to wild cards New York and San Francisco in 2000 and 2002, failing to win a game in the 2004 Series against Boston — the new consensus held that his teams failed because the clever manager overmanaged.
So what’s the new new consensus? La Russa has taken a team that nearly blew a 7-game lead in the season’s final fortnight, a team that finished a rather motley 83-79, and has beaten two demonstrably better opponents and is giving Detroit a better go than anyone dreamed it would. Does this mean La Russa has remembered what he was believed to have forgotten? Does it mean he has ceased overmanaging? Does it mean anything at all?
I think it means La Russa, who was never as good as George F. Will made him out to be in “Men At Work,” was never as bad as recent postseason results suggested. I think it means the manager in postseason baseball is nearly as helpless as anyone else to explain why one team wins and seven others don’t. I think it means postseason baseball has become the great imponderable in professional sports — a crapshoot, to invoke the buzzword.
Mostly I think it means that a manager who keeps taking his team into October — like La Russa, like Bobby Cox, like Joe Torre — is apt to do as Bill Cowher just did with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Win it all with a team much less than his best. See, the true test of a manager/coach isn’t in lifting the big trophy; it’s in repeatedly putting a team in position to have a chance at that trophy.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
