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      Teague leads Demon Deacons past Tar Heels

      January 12, 2009 /

      Everyone, meet Jeff Teague…

      He’s a 6’2″ sophomore combo guard from Indiana who is averaging 20.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. Last night, in a marquee matchup with UNC’s Ty Lawson, Teague posted 34 points and four dimes to help #4-ranked Wake Forest pull out a 92-89 win over the #3-ranked Tar Heels. Teague completely outplayed Lawson — nine points, five assists, six rebounds — which makes one wonder why Lawson is projected to go in the mid-first round of the NBA Draft while Teague isn’t even on NBADraft.net’s draft board. Wait, there he is at #14…hmm…he wasn’t there last night when I checked. Does that mean, according to NBADraft.net, that Teague’s performance against North Carolina raised his stock from undrafted free agent to borderline lottery? It would appear so. (For the draft geeks, here is DraftExpress.com’s profile for Teague. They aptly compare him to Aaron Brooks and Louis Williams.)

      Danny Green led the Tar Heels with 22 points, hitting 3 of 4 of his three-point shots. Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points, but only shot 3 of 12 from the field. The Demon Deacons’ big men did a nice job of keeping him from catching the ball in the post.

      Wake Forest is a team to be reckoned with in the ACC. In addition to Teague, they have Al-Farouq Aminu (a 6’9″ lottery prospect) and James Johnson, who are both projected to go in the first round of the NBA Draft. Seven-footer Chas McFarland (who posted 20 points and nine boards last night) anchors the middle.

      Wake Forest has a pair of tough road games coming up against Boston College and Clemson before coming home to host Virginia Tech and Duke.

      College Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

      Top 20 Most Memorable Playoff Games

      January 12, 2009 /

      The Love of Sports put together a great list of the top 20 most memorable playoff games.

      2. 1992 AFC Wild Card: Bills 41, Oilers 38 (OT)
      At some point during this game, possibly at halftime, NBC actually flashed a graphic on screen that said something to the tune of: “Next week: Houston at Pittsburgh, 4pm.” Oops. I wish I had video to confirm this. Oh, and the Bills stormed back with hall-of-famers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas out of the game. My dad attended the game, and reported of fans trying to scale the fences to get back into the stadium after walking out with the score 35-3. Of course, with the local blackout, the only way you could see it in Western New York was if you were there.

      1. 2003 NFC Divisional: Panthers 29, Rams 23 (2 OT)
      I will go to my grave arguing this is the second-most entertaining NFL game I’ve ever seen, behind only Super Bowl XXXVIII. Amazingly, the ‘04 Panthers played in both.

      How awesome was it?

      – Mushin Muhammad scored not on a catch, but a fumble recovery of a botched shovel pass.
      – The Panthers, following a John Kasay missed FG that would have put them up by 14, blew an 11-point lead in the final 2:39, and still won.
      – The Rams’ kicker successfully recovered his own onside kick after cutting Carolina’s lead to three.
      – Mike Martz’s bizarre strategy to let the clock run down and play for the tie, despite having the ball in the red zone with that offense at home will be second-guessed for eternity.
      – The Panthers seemingly won the game in the first OT on a 40-yard field goal but got flagged for delay of game. The 45-yard attempt sailed wide right.
      – The Rams then missed a 53-yard field goal on their ensuing possession.
      – The game went into a second overtime – the first such game since 1987.
      – Jake Delhomme’s 69-yard nail-in-the-coffin bomb to Steve Smith was as pretty of a play as you’ll ever see.
      – It was the Rams’ first home playoff loss, and their first home loss of any kind in 14 games.
      – It was the fifth-longest game in NFL history.
      – I needed a separate list just to describe the awesomeness of this game.

      What a great list, although as a Falcons fan I would have loved to have seen the boys at TLOS rank the 1998 NFC Championship Game higher than 10. Thanks Gary Anderson – love, ya.

      Make sure and check out the entire list because it comes complete with video. It’s crazy to look back on how many great playoff games there have been over the years.

      Video

      Broncos hire Josh McDaniels as next head coach

      January 12, 2009 /

      The Denver Broncos have found their next head coach in former Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

      Bowlen’s instincts aside, McDaniels was a surprising choice for several reasons. First, his youthful appearance. Not only is he 32, but at 5 feet 10 inches tall and 160 pounds, the clean-shaven McDaniels appears much younger.

      Another reason to question the decision to hire McDaniels is it seemed the Broncos already had the same kind of coach in Jeremy Bates. Like McDaniels, Bates is 32. Like McDaniels, Bates called the offensive plays during the 2008 season.

      Unlike McDaniels, Bates was publicly endorsed by Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler after Shanahan was fired. Bates and McDaniels have become acquainted in recent years during the NFL scouting combines in Indianapolis. Bates is one of six Broncos coaches held over from Shanahan’s staff who will interview with McDaniels, but the new coach will have the final say on whom to retain.

      Another reason McDaniels was a surprise: He comes from a Belichick-led Patriots team that has excelled with a 3-4 defense. The Broncos have built their personnel around a 4-3 system, but after the team’s disastrous performances the past two seasons, this would be the time to make the conversion to the 3-4. Longtime defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who is currently with the Patriots, and former Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will receive strong consideration to become the Broncos’ new defensive boss.

      McDaniels might be inexperienced and lack height (and really, who cares about his height at the end of the day?), but if he can coach than he’s a great fit. He’s obvious very knowledgeable because his offenses in New England were practically unstoppable at times and he was groomed by Bill Belichick. The key is that he comes from a winning organization; whether he can turn the Broncos into a winner again remains unseen, but let’s give him a chance. Perhaps his most vital move is finding a solid defensive coordinator because the Broncos were a mess on that side of the ball last year.

      NFL

      Tim Tebow to return to Florida

      January 12, 2009 /

      The Florida Gatos will have the quarterback that led them to a national title back under center next year as Tim Tebow has decided to return for his senior season.

      Tim TebowThere was speculation he might head to the NFL, especially since he has talked about wanting a bigger platform to share his religious message and expand his community work, but Tebow said he never strongly considered leaving early.

      Coach Urban Meyer set him up with several NFL coaches to talk about his pro prospects. Although Tebow said he got mixed feedback, nothing he heard swayed his decision.

      “It was tough because some of that stuff is tempting at the next level and everything that goes along with it, especially ending on a great note ending with the national championship and moving on from there,” Tebow said. “I love these guys and coach Meyer and this program too much and I feel we can still end on a bang next year.”

      Only Tebow knows if this is the right move or not but from an outsider’s perspective, he made the right decision. This way he’ll get the chance to win another national championship and maybe another Heisman. He’ll also give pro scouts more tape on what position he can eventually play at the next level, whether it be quarterback, H-back or other. He’s certainly a phenomenal athlete, but obviously some NFL scouts are unsure how he fits at the next level.

      College Football

      Six Pack of Observations: Chargers at Steelers

      January 11, 2009 /

      Here are six quick-hit observations on the Steelers’ 35-17 playoff victory over the Chargers on Sunday.

      1. Welcome back to the party Willie Parker.
      In Parker’s final six games of the regular season, he rushed for over 90 yards just once (Week 17 vs. Cleveland). He rushed for 146 yards on Sunday and it completely opened up the Pittsburgh offense. Thanks to Parker’s dominance, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t face much pressure and he was able to produce a couple of big plays in the passing game. It’s no secret that when the Steelers can run the ball, their offense can be as dominant as they were tonight. But when the defense doesn’t have to honor the run or commit extra defenders, that’s when Big Ben gets in trouble and turnovers occur. Parker was easily Pittsburgh’s MVP on Sunday.

      2. Mike Tomlin is learning.
      Mike Tomlin has come a long way in one year. In the Steelers’ postseason loss last season to the Jaguars, Tomlin made several poor decisions that aided in his team’s demise. Down 7-0 early in the first quarter, the Steelers faced a 4th and 8 from the Chargers’ 34-yard line. Tomlin sent his offense back onto the field in an apparent attempt to go for it, but the Steelers then shifted into punt formation and Ben Roethlisberger pooch-punted the ball, which was downed at the 9-yard line. Sometimes Tomlin forces the action by being overly aggressive. In that situation, there was no reason for Pittsburgh to go for it. The likelihood that they pick up the first down was slim, it would have given San Diego the momentum had they been stopped and it would have taken the home crowd out of it early. Instead, Tomlin wisely punted it and allowed his defense to force a punt, which Santonio Holmes turned into a 67-yard touchdown. Granted, Tomlin’s decisions to run a fake punt in the first half and go for it on 4th and goal in the second half backfired, but hey, you can’t fault the man for being aggressive. At least he’s learning when to take calculated risks.

      3. Complete this sentence: Philip Rivers is…
      A) A great young quarterback or B) A quarterback who operates by smoke and mirrors. Check out Rivers’ final numbers: 21-35, 308 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Besides the one pick, those are phenomenal numbers. But you watch him play and you wonder why his stats are so good. Can anyone honestly say that they were greatly impressed with his play tonight? He hung onto the ball too long, he threw into double coverage and threw an interception in the red zone (albeit the ball was batted at the line of scrimmage), which is a cardinal sin for quarterbacks. No disrespect to Rivers, but how did he finish with such great numbers this season? It’s quite the mystery.

      4. The Chargers need to do everything in their power to re-sign Darren Sproles.
      Even though he only finished with 15 rushing yards on 11 carries, Sproles once again showed his speed and play making ability on returns and in the passing game. It’s clear he’s not an every down back, but the guy is explosive. The Chargers let Michael Turner get away last offseason and it would be wise if they didn’t let Sproles escape without making a huge push to retain his services.

      5. Ravens-Steelers is a fantastic AFC Championship matchup.
      How good is the AFC Championship matchup? Baltimore and Pittsburgh hate each other and gave fans two great games during the regular season. It’s tough to beat a team three times in one season, which is the challenge the Steelers now face after topping the Ravens twice this year. It’s too early to start breaking down the matchup, but the game will likely come down to which team can run the ball effectively because both offenses rely on creating balance. What a great defensive matchup.

      6. Useless, but interesting stat of the weekend…
      …the Chargers held onto the ball for just 17 seconds in the third quarter, compared to the Steelers’ 14:43. That’s absolutely crazy.

      NFL

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