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No more John L. Smith and other tidbits from around the world
- John L. Smith ("Jonelle" for purposes of this character assassination), was fired Wednesday from his position as head football coach at Michigan State. This development alternatively delights and saddens me. It delights me because Jonelle was, and is, not a particularly good human being. First, he broke his contract with the University of Louisville but was so bad at keeping the secret that his players found out via cell phone during the game. Second, he refused to discipline his players for the flag planting incident last year. I'm not saying the guy is a criminal; just that he is a used car salesman who finally got caught trying to sell another lemon. It saddens me because Jonelle, despite his record against ND, was not likely to beat Charlie again. Ever. This is one guaranteed win we lose each year. MSU might hire someone competent, and that means another difficult game each year.
- Cal and Tennessee jumping ND in the polls in the last two weeks is the best evidence of pollsters' bias I can point to. Neither team played the week before. Cal's movement is particularly egregious, as ND blew out Navy (as expected). Unless ND goes undefeated in coming years, we have no shot at playing for a national title.
- I went to the Navy game, and it lacked something. Don't misunderstand me - I had a terrific time and was glad to see ND look so good (especially on offense). The main thing missing was any animosity for the opponent (and rightly so). I have the ultimate respect for the service academies - they are populated by young men and women doing something I could not have done. It's difficult to be too happy about a win over them; the game feels more like a scrimmage.
- Louisville beat West Virginia last night and should be #3 in the BCS standings on Sunday. They deserve it. I am tired of the SEC apologists who cry that the Big East is undeserving of a NC bid. My answer to them is the same answer I gave about ND - win all your games and it won't be a problem. Unless you're Auburn in '04. That one probably did kind of suck.
- My picks for this weekend's games: Cowboys, Packers, Bears, Falcons, Patriots (Seattle on MNF). Guaranteed to go 2-3 at best.
- Prediction for the ND-UNC game: ND 35, UNC 14.
7 comments:
Comments:
Johnelle "Slappy" Smith: is getting exactly what he deserves. I read that folks think he'll land somewhere out in the WAC since he has that sort of spread offense. Most folks think that the smart money is for Mooch to take over at MSU. That would be interesting for matchups vs. Weis. My Christmas wish for MSU: hire Matt Millen as their recruiting director & AD.
ND and the polls: The pundits are doing a ton of double talk. "ND's playing such a cream-puff schedule for 4 straight games." BIG FUCKING DEAL. ND has a front-loaded schedule playing the toughest schedule in the land for the first 5 weeks of the year. What about all of the schools playing the DII schools and directionals at the start of their schedule?
Also, everyone knows that if you're going to lose during the season, lose early and not late. My proof: see '93 when FSU lost to ND, and then ND lost to BC the following week. FSU ended up #1 in the polls and ND at #2, even though ND won a head-to-head match-up. Now THAT was bush league!
ND vs. the Academies: I have two wishes: 1) ND wins the Commander in Chief Trophy by going 3-0 vs. the academies, and 2) the academies men & women get all of the honor and respect they deserve from every American.
How often are you guys going to update the standings? Every few weeks?
Every two weeks we'll post an update.
Anyone else think that the Steelers will be working on their red zone offense and drills to hold on to the ball this week in practice??
I think they may be working on their vacation plans for after the season. I hate to say it, but they're done!
MPS, where's the post-morten on ND/UNC?
Am I nuts to be worried about Air Force this weekend and how our secondary might get shredded (again)?
...spelling...it's not for mornings!
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