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      Jerry Jones calls out Marion Barber

      December 9, 2008 /

      Frustrated that his team’s playoff hopes are hanging in the balance with each passing week, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly called out his running back for not making the trip to Pittsburgh last Sunday.

      Marion BarberAt the very least, Mr. Jones believes he’s in a position to question Marion Barber’s toughness. Barber didn’t play in Pittsburgh yesterday with calf and pinkie toe injuries, and Jones roundaboutly called him a sissy yesterday. From Star-Telegram.com:

      Jones believed Barber’s dislocated right pinkie toe was an injury that he could have played with against Pittsburgh. Before the team boarded for its flight to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jones was stunned Barber did not make the trip.

      After not practicing all week and with an additional sore calf, Barber felt he couldn’t play. Jones said Barber could have taped and braced the toe well enough to allow him to play.

      “He can play with that injured toe,” Jones said. “He can play with the soreness and a combination of those things. I see nothing that led us to believe he couldn’t.”

      It’s Jones’ team, so he can say whatever he wants. But if he thinks that he’s going to motivate Barber into playing, this seems like the wrong way to do it. If Barber could play, don’t you think he would be out there? It’s not like this guy has a history of nagging injuries that lead to him missing games. Jones comes off like a whinny child that isn’t getting what he wants right now.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Predicting the unpredictable: NFL Playoff Projections

      December 8, 2008 /

      Eli ManningI fully believe that I would have a better shot of winning the lotto, reading a woman’s mind and fully comprehending what the Coen brothers were trying to convey in “No Country for Old Men” than predicting what will happen over the final three weeks of the 2008 NFL Season but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. (Seriously, that badass character in “No Country” just walks away at the end and we have no idea what happens to him?)

      Here’s what we know: The Titans are the AFC South Champions, the Giants won the NFC East and the Cardinals have already claimed the NFC West.

      Now grab your Advil because this is what we don’t know:

      Three teams still have a shot to win the NFC South (Buccaneers, Panthers and Falcons), as well as the AFC East (Jets, Dolphins and Patriots). Barring a complete collapse, the Broncos will win the AFC West while Steelers have a slim one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North and the Vikings have a one-game lead over the Bears in the NFC North.

      These teams are still alive for Wild Card berths in the AFC: Ravens (9-4); Colts (9-4); Jets (8-5); Dolphins (8-5), Patriots (8-5) and Chargers (5-8). (San Diego still has a shot because Denver hasn’t closed out the AFC West, but we can pretty much write the Chargers off at this point.)

      These teams are still alive for Wild Card berths in the NFC: Buccaneers (9-3); Panthers (9-3); Falcons (8-5); Cowboys (8-5); Eagles (7-5-1); Bears (7-6); Saints (7-6); Redskins (7-6); Packers (5-8). (As of this writing, the Panthers and Buccaneers still have to play on Monday night, with the winner taking a one-game lead in the NFC South.)

      Now that all of that has been sorted out, it’s time for the fun to begin. I will stick my neck out for all fans to chop it off and predict the rest of the NFL season – playoffs included. Get your pen and paper ready to jot down notes. The over/under of times someone calls me a moron in the comment section has officially been set at 47.

      AFC Playoff Projection:

      1. Titans
      2. Steelers
      3. Patriots
      4. Broncos
      5. Colts
      6. Ravens

      Chris Johnson– The Titans and Steelers have two of the nastiest defenses in the league and should each win two of their final three games, although the Ravens have a shot at leapfrogging Pittsburgh in AFC North with a win against the Men of Steel this Sunday. While it’s tempting to take the feel-good Ravens to beat the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s defense will give Joe Flacco trouble again, just as it did in the second half of their meeting (a 23-20 overtime win for the Steelers) in Week 4 earlier this year.

      – The Jets are imploding after losing two straight and they’re going to lose one more game the rest of the way (at Seattle in Week 15). But they should beat Buffalo this Sunday to get to 9-5 and following my predicted loss to the Seahawks, beat Miami in the season final at the Meadowlands. But the Patriots are going to win out and claim the AFC East at 11-5. They’re at hapless Oakland on Sunday, will host an Arizona team that hasn’t won a meaningful game on the road all season, and finish up the year at Buffalo against a Bills team that has scored 6 points in two weeks. You can just read the headlines in Boston now: Brady Who?

      – The Broncos just need one more win to wrap up the AFC West, which they’ll get at home against the Bills in Week 16, if not Week 15 in Carolina.

      – The Colts will be the most dangerous team in the playoffs. Not only have they won six in a row, but they could win nine in a row before it’s all said and done because they host the Lions this Sunday, play Jacksonville on the road and host a Tennessee team at the end of the year that could be resting starters. There’s a chance Indy could claim a Wild Card spot at 12-4 or 11-5.

      – The Ravens host the Steelers and are at Dallas before hosting the Jaguars to end the season. They might lose two of their final three games, but they’ll beat Jacksonville and make the postseason at 10-6.

      NFC Playoff Projection:

      1. Giants
      2. Buccaneers
      3. Cardinals
      4. Bears
      5. Panthers
      6. Falcons

      – The Giants’ loss Sunday against the Eagles was a setback, but a small setback. Their final three games aren’t gimmies though – at Dallas, vs. Carolina, at Minnesota. But they should win two of their final three games, which would give them home field advantage throughout the postseason. They’ve got two major question marks though: Will Plaxico Burress’s situation be a distraction and will Brandon Jacobs be 100%? (He suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss vs. Philly.)

      Jeff Garcia– Tampa could very easily lose to the Panthers on Monday night and next week against the Falcons in Atlanta, but they’ll win against the Chargers and Raiders at the end of the year to get to 12-4 or 11-5 and steal the No. 2 seed away from Carolina. That said, the defense will continue to carry this team but the offense has to get drastically better in the red zone.

      – The Cardinals are in and could easily take the No. 2 seed, but I see them losing to New England in Week 15 and even if they beat the Vikings this Sunday and the Seahawks Week 17, they would only be 10-6 and therefore a game or two behind Tampa or Carolina.

      – Flip a coin between the Vikings and Bears because they both have similar odds of winning the division. But I’ll give the nod to Chicago because they could potentially win out as they host the Saints and Packers the next two weeks before playing the Texans on the road. Plus Minnesota faces a lot of uncertainty with the pending suspensions of Pat and Kevin Williams, and now Gus Frereotte has back issues. I don’t see Tarvaris Jackson winning two of the Vikings final three games (at Arizona, vs. Atlanta, vs. NY Giants) if he had to. But trust me, this isn’t resounding support for the Bears, because they could easily lose two of their final three games, which would give Minnesota the division. But I’m taking a shot on the kids from Chi-Town.

      – The Panthers could beat the Bucs on Monday, but their final three games are tough – vs. Denver, at NY Giants, at New Orleans. And considering their defense isn’t playing particularly well right now, the Broncos and Saints could light up the scoreboard. Still, this is a playoff team and one that has made some noise in the postseason the past couple of years.

      – The Falcons need to prove they’re a true playoff contender by beating Tampa next Sunday at home. Because after that, they face a possibly depleted Vikings team in Minnesota and then host the Rams to wrap up the year – two winnable games. If they win two of their final three, they should be in because Dallas’s remaining schedule is brutal, while the Eagles, Redskins and Saints are still a full game back. But make no mistake – Atlanta put itself in a rough position by losing to New Orleans on Sunday.

      Wild Card Playoff Predictions:

      Colts over Broncos
      Patriots over Ravens

      Cardinals over Falcons
      Panthers over Bears

      Divisional Predictions:

      Colts over Titans
      Steelers over Patriots
      Giants over Panthers
      Buccaneers over Cardinals

      AFC Championship Game: Steelers over Colts
      NFC Championship Game: Giants over Bucs

      Mike TomlinSuper Bowl: Giants vs. Steelers

      It’s a little boring to predict a No. 1 vs. a No. 2 seed to meet in the Super Bowl, but I’m going with the two best defenses in the league. The Steelers have some glaring issues, mainly on the offensive line and with Ben Roethlisberger’s penchant for hanging onto the ball too long in the pocket. But Pittsburgh and New York are nasty environments to play in come January and again, I’m taking defense to trump all.

      All right, your turn. Ready…aim…fire with your comments.

      NFL

      McHale hires himself as head coach

      December 8, 2008 /

      Kevin McHale is known as one of the worst GMs in the league. Now he has decided that he is better equipped to be the Timberwolves’ head coach.

      The Timberwolves relieved Randy Wittman of his job, though he should feel relieved after dealing with rumors of his imminent demise all season.

      Wittman hasn’t lived up to the “goals and expectations” considering the “talent” he had to work with, according to Wolves owner Glen Taylor. Those are curious claims considering what Wittman had to run out there every night courtesy of Kevin McHale and Taylor.

      Wittman could have coached Brandon Roy and O.J. Mayo. Instead, he had Randy Foye and Kevin Love. Those draft-day moves go on McHale’s ledger and perhaps it’s time for Minnesota’s favorite basketball son to answer for them. McHale stepped down from his post as VP of basketball operations to coach the Wolves once again.

      Since McHale put this team together, he ought to be the one dealing with this 4-15 mess. Other than power forward Al Jefferson, the rest of the roster is either unrealized potential or veterans, such as Mike Miller, who aren’t part of the future. Taylor sounds as if he’s not letting McHale off the hook lightly.

      “It is my expectation that Kevin will be able to get the most out of our team and our players,” Taylor said in a statement released by the team.

      The Wolves could have as many as four first-round picks next summer. Minnesota needs to hit big in the Draft and/or put together a package to ease the pressure off Jefferson, while helping the development of Foye, Love and Corey Brewer, who recently suffered a season-ending knee injury.

      “I truly believe that we have a talented group of players in our locker room who have a great amount of potential,” McHale stated. “I’m confident that we can get this turned around and get back to playing a brand of basketball that our fans can be proud of.”

      McHale has a close relationship with Taylor which is why he’s lasted this long given his performance as the team’s GM. This smells like Taylor might be getting a little tired of the losing (and/or of McHale blaming the coach for the team’s performance) so he wants McHale to step in and put up or shut up.

      What are the odds that there is a new GM and head coach in Minnesota next season?

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Marvin Harrison is much better at home

      December 8, 2008 /

      A few weeks ago, I wrote about how much better Marvin Harrison is playing at Lucas Oil Stadium. At that point, he was averaging 4.8-62-0.8 (or 15.8 fantasy points) at home and 2.2-22-0.0 (or 4.4 fantasy points) on the road.

      Fast forward four weeks and the trend continues. In Week 11 against the Texans at home, he posted 9-77-1. In Week 12 at San Diego, he went for 6-44-0. In Week 13 at Cleveland, he posted 3-27-0. And in Week 14 against the Bengals at home, he finished with 3-78-1. Over the course of the entire season, his averages look like this:

      At home: 5.2-67.3-0.8 (or 16.7 fantasy points)
      On the road: 2.9-25.6-0.0 (or 5.5 fantasy points)

      Harrison looks like a great start against the Lions next week, but should probably be benched (depending on your options) in Week 16 at Jacksonville.

      There’s no real logic to this trend, but through 14 weeks, it’s hard to deny that it exists.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      What would a college football playoff look like this year? (Part 4)

      December 8, 2008 /

      (Be sure to check out last week’s version of the bracket as a comparison.)

      What’s done is done. That’s the…..um……great thing about the BCS system. Oklahoma jumped Texas last week in the rankings and now the Sooners are slated to face the Gators in the title game. As in years past, fans are supposed to just swallow this bitter pill and move on. Some lazy, narrow-minded sportswriters are happy to have the “debate” because their next few columns will essentially write themselves.

      The truth is that the current system is not only a slap in the face to the Longhorns and their supporters, but to all college football fans across the country. The vast majority of us (85%-90% if you believe the polls) would like to see some sort of college football playoff. So the last few weeks I’ve been summarizing a proposed playoff system.

      Here are my assumptions…

      1. There would be an eight-team playoff. The six BCS-conference champs get an automatic bid unless they are ranked outside the top 15.

      2. If a conference champ is ranked lower than #15 in the rankings, they give up their automatic bid and it becomes an at-large bid. (This rule is to ensure that the regular season keeps its meaning and only the elite teams make the playoffs.)

      3. Seeds and at-large bids are distributed based on the current BCS standings. Certainly, these rankings need to be tweaked to place more of an emphasis on head-to-head matchups, but they are fine for now. If an at-large team has a better BCS ranking than a conference champion, they will get a higher seed.

      4. There will be three rounds of playoffs. The first round will be held at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team. The semifinals and the final will rotate amongst the four BCS cities (Miami, Pasadena, Tempe and New Orleans).

      So how does last weekend’s action affect our playoff field?

      8-seed Cincinnati @ 1-seed Oklahoma
      Both teams did what they needed to do. The Bearcats sneaked by Hawaii and Oklahoma was convincing in its win over Missouri.

      5-seed USC @ 4-seed Alabama
      In this case, it looks like the BCS rankings work. Both teams have one loss, but Alabama lost to a better team. Who wouldn’t want to see the Trojans visit Tuscaloosa? The winner would face the winner of the 1/8 game.

      6-seed Utah @ 3-seed Texas
      This format works for the little guy, or at least it works for Utah. (Sorry Boise State!) In order to advance, the Utes would have to win in Austin.

      7-seed Penn State @ 2-seed Florida
      With the Hawkeyes’ recent play, suddenly the Nittany Lions’ loss to Iowa doesn’t look so bad. They would face a tough test trying to win in Gainesville against the surging Gators.

      This format would set up pair of semifinals that would pit Oklahoma versus Alabama and Texas versus Florida.

      ACC champion Virginia Tech gives up its bid because the Hokies are not ranked in the top 15. With four losses, few would argue that VT should be included. With a win over #17 Oregon and an undefeated record, Boise State has the biggest gripe. We would have to move to a 12-team format (or require the conference champs to be ranked in the top 10, eliminating Cincy) to include the Broncos.

      The other teams that are on the outside looking in — Texas Tech, Ohio State, TCU, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Georgia — either have three losses or have lost to teams that made the playoff, so the regular season clearly still holds its importance. (If Texas Tech had beat Oklahoma, if Ohio State had beat Penn State, if TCU had beaten Oklahoma and Utah, etc.)

      The exclusion of Boise State is regrettable, but like March Madness, does anyone really think that the Broncos would be able to win three straight games against the elite teams in the country en route to a national championship? Unfortunately, in an eight-team playoff, we wouldn’t know for sure. It would be nice to have an option for a play-in game when there is an undefeated team from a non-power conference. In this case, Boise State could play Cincinnati for the right to play Oklahoma. However, if Ball State hadn’t lost to Buffalo, we’d be looking at two undefeated teams that would have been excluded. Then things get a little more dicey.

      Another option would be a 12-team playoff that includes all the BCS conference champions and six at-large bids. That way, in addition to Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Penn State, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech getting bids, at-large teams Texas, Alabama, Utah, Texas Tech, Boise State and Ohio State would also get bids. I’m warming up to the idea of a 12-team playoff because it would account for cases like Boise State. Critics say that it would add too many games, but the only teams that would potentially play four games would be teams ranked #5 through #12 that made it to the title game (which is an unlikely scenario). Otherwise, everyone would play three or fewer additional games.

      College Football

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