Quote Of The Week: Stan Van Gundy

In light of the Miami Hurricanes scandal, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy had some disparaging remarks about the NCAA.

“The system is set up for everybody but the kids while pretending to be about the kids,” Van Gundy said. “Athletics and education should be separate. Colleges shouldn’t be farm systems. It doesn’t make any logical sense. But the schools don’t want to be blatantly in the situation of being professional sports even though they already are professional sports. They just want to disguise it, so they hide behind education. But, really, all you want is enough of your athletes to graduate so it looks like that’s what you care about. Anyone around sports knows it is all a bunch of bull [expletive].


I think if you let kids take inducements it would widen the gap between the haves and have nots in college athletics. On the other hand the rules are so archaic and they need to be revised.

One Angry Bear

After not seeing the field against the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears running back Chester Taylor's days appear to be numbered.

Matt Forte is the unquestioned starter and Taylor was the backup...last year. The Bears went out and signed Marion Barber to give them some more quality depth at the position. What Taylor didn't count on was Khalil Bell coming out of nowhere to steal his preseason carries.

Of course Taylor isn't too excited about it.

"My running backs coach (Tim Spencer) told me after I came out for pregame that I wasn't playing," Taylor said. "He didn't give me no reason or no excuse or nothing. It can't be from the competition because it's hard to get three carries in a preseason game and the other players are getting 13, 14 carries. That's not comparing anything. It's not from production and play."

"Yeah, I'm disappointed,'' he said. "I'm practicing all week thinking I'm going to play. Just for them to come out of the blue and say that, yeah, I'm disappointed."

Some might say that Taylor has talked his way out of town. I think it has more to do with production and his contract. Keep in mind that Taylor signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal last year and produced 112 carries for 267 yards. A mere 2.4 yards per carry. That kind of production will keep you on the sidelines and make the team look for cheaper options.

If the Bears cut Taylor, I believe he could still land on his feet somewhere. Possibly their division rival Detroit Lions, who are still sorting out their options for another backup to Jahvid Best.

JaMarcus Russell Is Paying Off His Debt

When the Oakland Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell with the number one pick in 2007, neither Al Davis or Russell figured that he'd be out of football, desperate for a tryout. Russell held out to get $60 million guaranteed from the Raiders and then proceeded to go hoodlum and produce three of the worse seasons by any quarterback in NFL history.

Even though Russell is out of football and sitting on scores of hard earned cash (I'm not serious), he is paying off some of his debts.

TMZ reported tha Russell recently paid back a $223,180.05 property tax lien from the State of California. He still is on the hook for the $2.4 million mansion in Oakland that's scheduled to be auctioned off next month. I figure he should have enough to keep the house from going by the wayside, but considering he has no reason to be there he'll probably let it go.

I guess you could call that a silver lining in this black cloud of a football career. Hey JaMarcus, there's still Canada or the UFL.