Check out LeGarrette Blount’s run in Oregon’s 42-31 win over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl Tuesday night.
This game was absolutely crazy. There were 24 points scored in the first, 28 in the third and 21 in the fourth but 0 in the second. Apparently the defensive coordinators figured things out for 15 minutes and that was it.
New England Patriots’ linebacker Jerod Mayo won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Mayo was a nearly unanimous choice, earning 49 of 50 votes Wednesday from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He was the outstanding performer on a linebacking corps that often struggled during New England’s 11-5 season, leading the team with 128 tackles.
Mayo’s versatility, highlighted by quickness and a physical style, made him stand out even though the Patriots didn’t make the playoffs.
The only other defensive rookie to get a vote was Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers.
Mayo is a perfect example of why speed shouldn’t be the biggest factor in determining draft status. The biggest knock on Mayo in April was that he didn’t time well and he lacked the quickness to fully excel on the pro level.
Looks like he excelled just fine in Bill Belichick’s defensive scheme.
Here’s a look at what some columnists are saying in the wake of the Denver Broncos firing head coach Mike Shanahan:
– With Shanahan out of the picture, Dave Kreiger speculates that the Broncos could turn to John Elway as their next head coach. (Rocky Mountain News)
– Jason Cole notes that Shanahan would be a perfect fit for the dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys. (Yahoo! Sports)
– Woody Paige throws out the names of Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher, Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Schwartz, Rex Ryan, Raheem Morris, Josh McDaniels, Mike Leach and Pete Carroll as possible replacements for Shanahan. (Denver Post)
– Tom Curran writes rather bluntly: Shanahan deserved to be fired. (NBC Sports)
– Arash Markazi writes that Shanahan is currently unemployed because in the end, he couldn’t meet his own goals. (SI.com)
Nenad Krstic is now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The New Jersey Nets have declined to match Oklahoma City’s offer sheet to former first-round pick Nenad Krstic.
The decision Tuesday gives the Thunder another 7-footer as they continue to look for a reliable center.
Krstic was playing in Russia when the Thunder extended an offer sheet to him last week. The Nets had a week to match it but passed.
Krstic is just 25 and was an above average big man over the last two seasons in New Jersey before an injury knocked him out for most of the 2007-08 season. If he can get back into an NBA groove, he could give the Thunder another option to ease the burden on Kevin Durant.
Odd news coming out of Salt Lake City.
Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Boozer has missed 21 straight games because of a strained quad tendon he sustained during a Nov. 17 game against Milwaukee.
The Jazz said in a statement Tuesday that a date for the surgery has not been set, but doctors said it likely wouldn’t occur until Jan. 9.
Why is this odd? Well, Boozer has already missed 21 games and the problem didn’t have anything to do with his knee (or so we were told). It usually takes a player 4-6 weeks to recover from a scope, so you’d think that they would have done this operation at the start of Boozer’s absence. Also, the fact that they are waiting until Jan 9. to do the surgery tells me that they weren’t expecting him back anytime soon anyway. Tack on another four weeks and it looks like the earliest he could make his return would be early February.
Utah is 19-14 and currently in the #9 slot in the West. This is not good news for the Jazz, especially with the news that Paul Millsap will miss at least another week with his own knee injury.
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