The Weekend In Sports From The Best Seat In The House

* As I suspected Cam Newton didn't come close to the most lopsided Heisman Winner ever. For the record the honor belongs to Reggie Bush and his 91.7% of the votes in 2005, but wait that didn't happen so the new leader in the clubhouse is Troy Smith's 91.63% in 2006. Newton did win with ease however he was omitted from 105 ballots which is just irresponsible. If you don't want to vote for him then so be it but express your displeasure by not submitting a ballot. To send a ballot in without Cam Newton apppearing anywhere should have your privlages stripped.

* As the Heisman Trophy presentation began the University of Florida decided they could no longer keep their coaching position vacant and hired Texas Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp. I wonder if the story would have broke if a Gator was in the running? Muschamp was a suprising decision for me. Yes he could be the most desirable Coordinator in the college game but he doesn't have any ties with the Gator program and he has no had coaching experience. Muschamp certainly has the personality that players love and his track record of success speaks for itself but the bottom line is you don't know how a coach will respond when it is them leading their team onto the field. The University of Florida is taking a chance and betting that Muschamp is a home run to me Florida isn't a program that has to take chances. How did Zook workout?

* We as a society often reflect on the past. We often will ignore the current state of something and reference the past and how that something used to be. As sports fans we do the same. Notre Dame football isn't a 7-5 program it's National Championships and Heisman winners. The whole sport of baseball tends to live more in the past than in the present. Another event that preaches it's history and tradition is the Army vs. Navy game. CBS now has this contest in between the Conference Championship Weekend and the start of the Bowl season to give it's own spotlight. However that's not always a good thing. Yes these players are much more than student atheletes and any praise they may get is well deserved, but watching two teams run the Triple Option offense makes me grateful that the college game has evolved into what it is today. The fact that Navy is now a much better program only compounds the issues with this game. The only thing worse than watching two triple option teams going head to head is when one of the teams are good while the other is bad. Unless Roger Stabauch and Doc Blanchard are walking through that tunnel or both teams once again become National powers then shinning the spotlighy brighter puts more focus on all of it's blemishes.

* The U hires Temple coach Al Golden for head coaching job. It seems to me that the U cares more about their image than winning football games. If this is their goal than the U could do much worse. Golden is a disciple of Paterno and even roams the sideline in the dress shirt and tie. However I don't understand it from a competitive standpoint. Golden does have a brief history of success at Temple but the success has come in a rather pedestrian MAC and yet still Golden wasn't able to dominate the conference like a Meyer of Kelly was able to do before the rise in the college ranks. In order for the U to be the U of their National title contending years they must embrace the swagger because that is what made them great. It was the swagger that the top level recruits loved not the system or scheme. South Beach isn't South Bend or Happy Valley, the button-downed midwestern schtick is reserved for amatuer night at the local tit bar not the Head Coach of the Hurricanes. The hiring of Golden may improve the X's and O's but National Titles are won with the Willy's and the Joe's. Expect nothing more from the Golden era than 7 to 8 win seasons and the continued transformation of the U image both on and off the field.



NFL

* Just last week I annoited the Packers the best team in the NFC and now with Rodgers health in question and a tough road down the stretch they may very well be on the outside of the playoffs looking in. I still love the defense and as long as Rodgers is in the lineup I believe they can compete with anyone. The best test for this group will be next week in Foxboro. Can the Packers D slow down this Patriots offense and can the Packers win without any resemblence of a running game as the winter weather turns wicked bad.

* Though the Patriots should without question be annoited the best team in the NFL something should be said for the Falcons and their 11-2 mark. So often teams will struggle mightily with inferior opponents but after two consecutive games against playoff caliber teams and playing their second straight road game the Falcons went into Carolina and had a strangle hold on the game after the first 5 Minutes of the 3rd Quarter just as they should have. A solid defense and a offense amongst the five best in football will likely result in home field advantage during the playoffs.

* Not since the early 90's when the Bills dominated the AFC and the NFC was a battle between the 49ers and Cowboys has the NFL consisted of so few have's and so many have not's. In the NFC I can vision five teams winning the Super Bowl. The Packers(with a healthy Rodgers), Falcons, Giants, Saints and Eagles. Five teams may suggest parity however it is the quality of these five teams in comparison to the other 12 teams in the NFC which is the concern. The Fab Five, if you will, have a combined record of 46-18(Giants result from Monday not included) while the remaining NFC has a 56-86 mark and only two team with records above .500. The AFC has better overall quality of play however I don't feel as though they have as many legit Super Bowl teams. Of course the Patriots look to be real. But outside of the Ravens and Steelers it's hard for me to grasp another team. Could the Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Bears, or Jaguars win a playoff game absolutely but can these teams win three consecutive games including two on the road nothing over the course of the first 13 weeks would suggest this.

* And so the streak is over. Brett Favre's streak of 297 starts is no more which brings on the question have when seen the last of old no 4. Will save the will he or won't he discussion for another day but I would like to think I wasn't the only one to roll me eyes when Favre announced that if the game had been on Sunday he would not have played. I was as equally surprised as I was skeptical when on Monday he actually was inactive. I'm not a streak guy. Whither it be Favre's recent run or Cal Ripken's in baseball. Yes it is impressive that you are able to sustain a high level of play for a long period of time but let's be honest often times when you reach Legend status you are given the nod when you shouldn't be. You mean to tell me during Favre or Ripken's streak that there wasn't times another player wouldn't have been better for the team. I'm not talking off days, everybody has those, I'm talking days when Favre had banged up ribs, ankles, fingers or what have you and as a result he wasn't the Pro Bowl QB you come to expect. Same thing with Ripken, it's hard for me to imagine as a player in his mid 30's that in the midst of a 14 game roader playing his 8th game in 9 days that Ripken offered more than your typical reserve infielder with fresh legs. Make no mistake something should be said for a player who goes out every time the lights come on and give it what they've got but the streak speaks more about being lucky to have remained healthy more so than a unique skill that very few posses.