Print Edition: November 8, 2008
ONWARD TO SPORTS
Whew! Thank the Lord for small favors; no more political ads on TV, robo-calls on my phone, and hysterical spam from politicians clogging my e-mail. I don’t know about you, but I need a break.
So, onward to something that’s really important. It’s time for me to address some of the burning issues in the world of sports.
Last week I noted that the price of an average ticket to a Detroit Pistons basketball game this year is $66. This just adds to my position when it comes to the NBA; I can think of no scenario which would cause me to attend (or even watch on TV) an NBA game. If I want to observe a bunch of overpaid crybabies I can do that for free by watching C-SPAN.
Now the Pistons have just acquired Allen Iverson in a trade with Denver. Just what Detroit needs, an aging, tattooed malcontent with a poor work ethic and an entourage. Gee, parents are sure to flock to the Palace now just so they can show their kids such a worthwhile role model. As Denver sportswriter Bernie Linciome happily observed: "That now is the Piston’s problem and not the Nuggets.’"
Whether the trade will benefit the Pistons is still a toss-up because their season has just begun, but what about the Lions latest stab in the dark? Signing over-the-hill quarterback Daunte Culpepper is just too sad for words.
Forget that the Lions, grasping at any straw, have signed a QB no other team in the NFL would even give the time of day, even teams with so many injuries at the position that they’re playing third stringers. What the heck is Culpepper thinking? Has he seen the Lions play? Doesn’t he know Detroit is the place quarterbacks go to die? Ever hear of Eric Hipple, Rodney Peete, Eric Kramer, Scott Mitchell, Dave Krieg, Joe Ferguson, Andre Ware, Chuck Long, Rusty Hilger, Bob Galliano, Charlie Batch, Gus Ferrotte, Joey Harrington, or John Kitna? These are the Lions’ quarterbacks since 1980. Not exactly an illustrious group of alumni are they?
The disaster that is the Lions should not surprise anyone. Here’s what I said in this column on September 6: "The architect of the Lions’ new running game, the mastermind behind it, is new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto. This is the same Jim Colletto who was 20-40-3 as Purdue’s head coach and was fired because his offense was unimaginative and predictable. He then was hired by Bob Davie at Notre Dame as the offensive coordinator and eventually Davie was fired because the ND offense was unimaginative and predictable. UCLA’s Karl Dorrell then hired Colletto and it wasn’t long before Dorrell was canned because (you guessed it) his offense was unimaginative and predictable. Do you see a trend here?" Welcome to the Lions, Daunte. May you rest in peace.
In the college ranks, the regular football season is winding down which means teams are angling for bids to bowl games. Of course you know that being selected for a bowl game is completely arbitrary, much of the time has more to do with how much money the host game can wring out of your alumni and fans who will attend the game rather than your won-lost record, and is often decided by a bunch of guys in outlandishly colored sport coats.
This year it’s going to be even more ridiculous because they’ve actually added more bowl games bringing the total to 34. That means 68 teams are needed to fill out the slate of games. Supposedly, to qualify for a bowl game a team needs to win six games, thereby finishing a lofty .500 at 6 and 6.
Last year, however, only 71 teams finished above 6-6, so applying that standard to the 34 games on the docket this year only leaves three teams as wiggle room. It’s entirely possible that there won’t be 68 teams above .500, which means some bowl will have a 5-7 team in their game. Is this idiotic or what?
Can you tell I think the whole Division I bowl setup is completely stupid? Supposedly going to a bowl is a reward for a team that does well in its regular season. You tell me, how is going to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho to play on a blue synthetic field on December 30 in the dead of winter a reward for anyone. How is missing the holidays with your family so your 5-7 team can play in the Chick-fil-A- PapaJohns.com-Emerald-Meineke Car Care-Eagle Bank Bowl a reward? Do you mean to tell me a college football playoff isn’t preferable to this mess?
Finally, I’m amused by the college trend toward the spread offense. To any quarterback with aspirations of someday playing in the NFL my question is this: Why would you go to any college that runs the spread?
All NFL teams require their quarterbacks to take direct snaps from center, drop back and throw, and turn and hand the ball to a running back. If your high school and college runs the spread you never develop those skills. The NFL does not want to draft a quarterback and then wait several seasons for that QB to learn how to take snaps and drop back.
Also, a key component of the spread, indeed a requirement, is that the quarterback must run the football. This is why the NFL doesn’t use the spread. Keeping a QB healthy and upright for an entire NFL season is very difficult at best. NFL teams don’t want to compound the problem by having their QB’s run the ball and in many cases order them not to run.
The bottom line is that if you’re a young QB who wants to get to the NFL you are far better off playing for a college like Michigan State, which does not run the spread, than you would be going to Michigan, which does run the spread.
Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.
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