Chiefs rookie Dee Ford to wear Derrick Thomas' college number 55

After signing his deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, rookie linebacker Dee Ford decided to pay homage to a great from Chiefs past.

Ford wore number 30 in college while at Auburn. He can't wear that number in the NFL so he chose number 55 in honor of  former Chiefs and Alabama great Derrick Thomas.  

Kind of unusual since Ford attended Auburn and Thomas went to Alabama. And we all know how deep the roots of the rivalry run.

Ford explained why he chose Thomas' 55.

"The opportunity presented itself," Ford said, via the Chiefs official website. "I'd play at any number, but of course 55 came available. This is Derrick Thomas' college number. It's all good. I'm not trying to be Derrick Thomas, but he's a guy that definitely inspired me."

Thomas played for Alabama before Ford was born, but that doesn't mean he didn't see film of one of the greatest defensive players in the game of football.  Even though Ford comes from the other side of the fence this is something that both Auburn and Alabama fans can get behind.

Five college basketball programs that should be better

It's hard to explain cycles in college basketball. One day your a national power and in the blink of an eye a program can fall on hard times. I came up with a list of college basketball programs that should be doing a lot better than what they're current national standing is. I know that facilities and donors play a role, but I look at it from a pure wins and losses standpoint along with location and a little tradition. These five programs should have a better national standing than being afterthoughts.

1. DePaul Blue Demons- The Blue Demons were an Independent power in the 1970s and 80s under legendary coach Ray Meyer. The names Mark Aguirre, Skip Dillard, Dallas Comegys, Terry Cummings and Tyrone Corbin are glorious names from the past. The train kept rolling under his son Joey but you could tell that things were getting a little shaky under his leadership. With the emergence of Illinois in the mid 80s the program took a hit lot of good Chicago players heading to Champaign. Which leads me to this...How can you not be a good program with all the Chicago talent? The last coach to really tap into the wealth of Chicago talent was Pat Kennedy when he lured Bobby Simmons, Lance Williams, Quentin Richardson to Depaul.

No coach has had any sustained success since the Meyer's roamed the sidelines. Current coach Oliver Purnell is slowly getting things headed in the right direction and with a Big East that has less teams in the conference the Blue Demons might be competitive. Losses to Southern Miss, Arizona State, Texas and Wichita State show that the Demons still are pretty far from sitting at the big boy table. Losses to ASU, Texas and Wichita State were double digit losses.

There is no excuse for DePaul to be so noncompetitive and not get the top talent in the city. Purnell needs to straighten things out before the fans and administration figure that they've seen enough and fire him. They have lost five straight NCAA Tournament games and have won only two NCAA Tournament games since 1987.

2. Seton Hall Pirates- In the late 80s P.J. Carlesimo turned Seton Hall into a tough minded winning crew. He led the Pirates to the 1989 national title game and six NCAA tournament appearances, with a Sweet 16 and Elite 8 thrown in. Along the way he started reeling in top recruits to South Orange, New Jersey, not the easiest place to get a player to come to. Then after the 1994 season Carlesimo left for the NBA and things haven't been the same since.

Assistant George Blaney took over at the helm and he managed one NIT appearance. Enter Tommy Amaker who led the team to three NIT berths and a Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He brought in some top flight talent but the team never meshed well. He ended up leaving for Michigan. Louis Orr or Bobby Gonzalez couldn't bring the Pirates enough consistency in the win column to justify keeping them on board.

Kevin Willard now has he task of trying to make the Seton Hall nationally relevant again. He has a current record of 49-49 entering this season. Not the kind of consistency Pirates brass was looking for.

I know times are different but why won't the top New Jersey/New York high school players consider Seton Hall. The Pirates do have a strong class next season headlined by shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead. Whether that will be enough to change the programs or Willard's fortunes remains to be seen. But the program has seen recent success in spurts so that's why they land on this list.

3. USC Trojans- When you think of USC you think of football and Tailback U. Basketball has become an afterthought a USC, until you start losing with regularity, which gets you fired. Why this program has never had any sustained success in beyond me. Never having their own arena and playing in the dark L.A. Sports Arena didn't help.

They're in sunny Southern California (Los Angeles), play in a major media market and have an abundance of top flight basketball talent. Talent that seemingly winds up across town at UCLA. Why can't the same talent wind up at USC?  Not being a consistent winner doesn't help your cause when the school across town is racking up national titles and playing in high profile games.

The Trojans have made the big dance,most recently 2007-2009,  and have had NBA caliber players (Taj Gibson, O.J. Mayo, Gabe Pruitt, DeMar DeRozan) on their roster before, but it's always been a one or two year run for this team before it heads back to the bottom of the Pac-12 standings.

New coach Andy Enfield was a splash hire and won the press conference with UCLA (hired Steve Alford), and Enfield hired super recruiters Tony Bland and Jason Hart to mine L.A.'s best talent.

Enfield prefers an uptempo attack and that will catch a player's eye. Whether he gets the talent and wins big is a different story. Things might be looking up for the Trojans but not this year.

4. Arizona State Sun Devils- Long hailed as a "sleeping giant" this program has never been awoke long enough to be a consistent winner. When you go down the line of coaches that have been in Tempe, you realize that the program has won games, but not enough to become a threat to in state rival Arizona. 

Back in 1989 many thought "stealing" Bill Frieder from Michigan would finally get the program on its feet. he won games and attracted talent, just not enough to be a big winner like Lute Olson. They've had NBA talent like James Harden, they have a beautiful campus and some lovely coeds. That hasn't been enough to get players to the valley of the sun. The Sun Devils best moments came in the early 80s with Byron Scott, Fat Lever and Alton Lister playing and Ned Wulk stalking the sidelines.

Current coach Herb Sendek is on the hot seat and probably needs to get the Devils back to the NCAA Tournament to save his job. With point guard Jahii Carson on board, Sendek has scrapped his slow pace and went uptempo, realizing this is probably his best chance to get back to the tournament . So far the results this season have been good with the Sun Devils off to a 10-2 start. Sendek needs to be a tournament regular at the very least if he wants to stick around.

5. Houston Cougars- Does anyone have an answer for a program that was a tournament regular from 1970-1984, made five Final Fours and two national title game appearances go from those high points to scuffling to make the CBI? The team that produced Otis Birdsong, Clyde Drexler, Don Chaney, Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon and brought us perhaps the most entertaining team of all time "Phi Slamma Jamma" is now trying to capture past glory. The Cougs only have one NCAA appearance since 1992. That hasn't been a good run for the program. There are several theories: the end of the Southwest Conference, the lack of stability in the program after Guy Lewis’s retirement, a failure to recruit in the city limits and playing at a 44-year-old arena.

The Cougars were at one point "the program" along with Arkansas in the Southwest and are now competing to be the best program in their own state. Since 1992 the Cougars have been surpassed by Texas, Baylor, and recently SMU.

The glory years of coach Guy Lewis are long gone, but having a good program shouldn't be. The Cougars shouldn't have to leave the city to recruit high level players or stray outside the state borders. The team has tradition and history on its side but that doesn't seem to matter to high school players theses days.  

“In the grand scheme of things we stopped recruiting Houston-area athletes,” Vern Lewis a guard on his father’s first two Final Four teams at Houston, in 1967 and 1968. said. “If you recruit within a 50-mile radius of the city, you’ll win the national title.”

Greater Houston basketball has produced the likes of T.J Ford, Daniel Gibson, Emeka Okafor, Rashard Lewis, Stephen Jackson, Kendrick Perkins and DeAndre Jordan. They all should have looked hard, if not signed, with UH. None did. That's a shame that the program has sunk so low.

Coach James Dickey looks like he might have the program going in the right directions as he has recruited the city and state of Texas. Getting Danuel House and Danrad "Chicken" Knowles was a start. If Dickey can keep the local kids around and convince them that going to Houston is the way to go he might be the one to bring the program back to respectability. 

Honorable Mention

 Georgia Tech- It seems s long ago since that national title game appearance. They haven't built off that success.

Alabama- This team hasn't done much since Wimp Sanderson left town.

Tulane- They probably wish Perry Clark was back on the sidelines. Too much homegrown talent leaves their backyard.

St. John's- They don't keep the elite NYC talent at home.

Georgia- This program should aspire to be something greater. Mired in mediocrity for a very long time.

Detroit- This team should be able to win with the local talent.

Auburn- The ghost of Sonny Smith couldn't win with the hand the current staff has been dealt. The basketball needs some of the 'prayers from Jordan-Hare' to be successful.

Thoughts on week 3 in college football

I'll admit this is the first week I've really had a chance to watch a full slate of college football. It was a week in which we had near upsets, shootouts, and comeback wins.

Michigan over Akron- The Wolverines clearly had a hangover from the Notre Dame game and it showed. Michigan nearly suffered an upset of Appalachian State proportions to a team that has lost 28 straight road games and has suffered through three straight one win seasons in the Akron Zips. Pump the brakes on the Wolverine bandwagon for now. Quarterback Devin Gardner needs to learn the meaning of ball security and the defense has to play better if they expect to compete with Ohio State for the Big Ten championship. Give Akron credit for coming close and playing hard.

UCLA over Nebraska- The Bruins came into Lincoln with heavy hearts after the death of Nick Pasquale and played with a lot of early emotion. Unfortunately that emotion led to an early 21-3 deficit. The Bruins rallied in the second half and put up a combined 38 unanswered points in a 41-21 win. For the Huskers it was disappointing loss after looking like they were poised to run away with this game. UCLA made the adjustments and Nebraska failed to get the momentum back.

 "The second half was a lot like last year," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "We made the tackles in the first half. I don't know how many tackles we missed in that second half but it is a lot. We missed tackle after tackle after tackle." 

Sounds almost like every big game the Huskers have played in since they've joined the Big Ten. If Pelini can't get it together and start winning some of those games he might find himself listening to the wolves howling for his job.

Alabama over Texas A&M- Billed as the SEC game of the century for this season, it lived up to the hype. Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel didn't disappoint as the Aggies jumped out to a 14-0 lead. After that it was all Alabama, as the Tide rolled to 35 straight points to seize control of the game. Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron went 20-29 for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns. The 42 points and 628 total yards were the most allowed by an Alabama team, but it wasn't enough as Alabama has taken control of the SEC West division.
Maybe it's time to trumpet AJ Champion aka McCarron as a legit Heisman candidate.

Arizona State over Wisconsin- This game ended in controversy. The Badgers appeared to be robbed of a possible win by the officials. The Badgers were driving for a game winning field goal. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave appeared to take a knee to stop the clock and put the ball on the ground. A Sun Devil defender jumped on the ball and looked like it was a defensive delay of game. The officials spotted the ball and time ran out on the Badgers in this back and forth affair.

Oregon over Tennessee- It was a good week for the Pac-12 as the league racked up a number of 'name' wins this weekend. the Ducks once again steamrolled another opponent and they made their SEC foe look like a Sun Belt team. Fans chanted S-E-C and we want Bama. The Ducks have been impressive early but first take care of business in your own conference before calling out the champion like Clubber Lang.

Minnesota over Western Illinois- This game was significant because Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill was carted off on a stretcher after he suffered another seizure in their 29-12 win over  Western Illinois. Reports say he's resting comfortably in the hospital but you have to wonder if the administration at Minnesota might be thinking of moving on instead of keeping Kill around.

Ole Miss over Texas- The Rebels scored an impressive 44-23 win over the Longhorns. I guess it doesn't matter who the defensive coordinator is in Austin if the talent is going to underachieve. Coach Mack Brown might see the vultures circling if the Horns can't win the Oklahoma game. In all fairness starting quarterback David Ash didn't play but with the talent on hand in Austin this team has no excuses to be losing by three touchdowns at home.

Honorable mention- Ohio State looked impressive against California with backup quarterback Kenny Guiton at the controls....Notre Dame and South Carolina bounced back after week 2 losses, although it took the Irish awhile to get going...On a positive note Rutgers honored the paralyzed former player Eric LeGrand by retiring his number 52. It marked the first time in the 144-year history of the birthplace of college football that the university retired the number of a football player and this one was clearly loved by all in attendance.

Winners- Pac-12, Alabama, Rutgers, UCLA, Ole Miss, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Eric LeGrand    

Losers- Big Ten, Pac-12 officials, Texas    

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd is picking Texas A&M over Alabama

You don't normally catch college players picking a winner in a big game, especially when there's a slight possibility that you could face one of those teams later on down the road.

That didn't stop Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd from picking Texas A&M over Alabama in this weekend's game of the week.

“Honestly? I got A&M,” said Boyd, whose No. 3 Tigers have Saturday off. “A lot of people say Saban won’t be beat twice; it’s at A&M. It’s going to be a competitive game. It’s going to be a fun game. I’m going to watch it. It’s going to be an intriguing game.”

I'm sure Nick Saban will have the Tide ready to go for this 'revenge' game, but it won't be easy for both teams.

If Clemson and Alabama happen to meet for the national title I'm sure Saban will make sure his team remembers that Boyd picked A&M over the Tide.  
 

Tommie Frazier says the '95 Huskers would beat Saban's Crimson Tide

In the mid 1990's the Nebraska Cornhuskers had a powerhouse football team. Under coach Tom Osborne's guidance the Huskers won three national championships and was very close to a fourth. No team has come close to that type of dominance until Alabama's Nick Saban led squad has put together quite a run.

The Tide have strung together three national championships and have been the flag bearer for the mighty SEC.

Former Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier was recently elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and spoke about comparing the Nebraska teams of the '90s against the Alabama teams of now. He had a lot to say and when asked who would win he was biased about his pick. He says the Huskers would'v beaten the Tide.

 "They won back-to-back championships. That right there compares," Frazier said. "But it's a different time, different era. There are some good things that they did and there are some good things that we did.

"And there will always be that burning question in everyone's mind, 'Well, which team is better?' Well, in my mind, I already know which team is better. I say it publicly all the time that I don't think there's any team out there that would have beat that '95 team.

"And over a five-year span, I don't think there's too many teams that put up a record of (60-3). Coach Osborne built something special here in the mid-90s. Even though he built something special during his whole career, for some reason those mid-90s into his last game, those were special years. And I think it's going to be hard to duplicate that."

If it wasn't for a missed last second field goal against Florida State we might not b having this conversation. we might not be having it if it wasn't for Shevin Wiggins' kicked ball that allowed Nebraska a share of the title in 1997. We could easily say the same for Alabama. If not for the politics of the BCS they wouldn't be back to back as we speak.

There was no let up in those Nebraska teams and that's where I give them a razor thin edge. despite being a modern day dynasty Bama has gone 61-7 in the same five year stretch.

It's a different era and a different time. We'll always have these debates of who was the greatest and which team was better. But that's what makes sports so great.

Alabama athletic director Mal Moore in hospital for heart problems

The man responsible for getting the Alabama football program to the level where they're at is currently in the hospital. Not Nick Saban, but athletic director Mal Moore, the man who hired Saban.

Moore has been hospitalized with heart problems. Moore also was in the hospital last August because of an irregular heartbeat but was released after the tests were negative.

University spokeswoman Debbie Lane said Wednesday that Moore has been admitted to Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham for tests and treatment "regarding pulmonary problems." She said no further information was available on the 73-year-old's status.

Moore has headed the athletic program since 1999 and was the man who hired Saban, arguably the Tide's best coach since Bear Bryant roamed the sidelines. He's also been with the university for more than 50 years dating back to his playing days for Bryant.

Former MLB player,Jai Miller, to play for Alabama next season

After toiling in the minors for ten years and getting a handful of at-bats in the majors, former MLB player, Jai Miller is taking a new route in his athletic career. He'll be suiting up for the Alabama football team next fall. Yes, the same Alabama team that'll be competing for a national championship tonight.

Miller was a 4th round pick by the Florida Marlins in 2003 and decided to play baseball rather than attend Stanford after committing to play for the Cardinal. Miller, who is 27, reportedly will play safety for the Crimson Tide. Miller played for the Marlins, Oakland A's, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles during his baseball career.

 Miller's brother-in-law Matthew Elliott told BamaOnline that the 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete spoke to Alabama head coach Nick Saban about the move several weeks ago and is expected to start out on the defensive side of the ball where he'll likely play safety.

"I think the desire was there on both sides to get him back into football and see what he's capable of doing," Elliott said. "If the opportunity is there for him to play professional ball, then the best situation for him would be to play for one of the best coaches in the game and that would be Coach Saban on the defensive side."


This is a situation that bears watching, just to see if Miller is able to make the transition from the diamond to the college gridiron at this particular stage in his life. Miller did have several big school offers coming out of high school, so he's not a chump just trying to play the game.

Personally, I'm rooting for him to do well. He may not make the NFL, but just to see him try his hand at football again could be entertaining.

Michigan band not traveling with the team for the season opener

When the Michigan Wolverines take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the season opener in Arlington, Texas, the Wolverines will have a slight disadvantage. The marching band will be staying home.

The Michigan Marching Band won't be traveling with the football team because of budget constraints despite the outrage expressed by fans on various message boards and Twitter.


"We are treating the Cowboys Classic game against Alabama as any other road game," said U-M associate athletic director Dave Ablauf. "We do not have a travel allowance for the band like we would for a bowl game.


"They traditionally travel to conference games and our rivalry game against Notre Dame. We have not taken our band on similar trips in the past."

As a person that follows Michigan football it will be very unusual not to have them at a game. I have a feeling that the band will be there it would be an odd feeling.

Mark Ingram wins Heisman

Mark Ingram became the first Heisman Trophy winner in tradition rich Alabama football history.The sophmore running back will now concentrate on trying to lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship.

  Ingram finished 28 votes ahead of Stanford's Toby Gerhart.Texas quarterback Colt McCoy finished third,Nebrasksa defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh finished fourth,and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow finished fifth.The finishes of Tebow and McCoy once again dispelled the notion the the Heisman should be a lifetime acheivement award.Ingram was well deserving of the award,as he was one of the most consistent performers this season.His tough running style epitomized Alabama football this season as they went through the season undefeated.I don't disagree with the finalists in New York or with the selection of Ingram.I'm just upset that Houston quarterback Case Keenum wasn't invited to New York.I'm not here to dim Ingram's achievement,but even though Keenum played in a pass happy system,he also performed at a consistent level and won twice against BCS conference bowl teams.Anyways,Ingram was a deserving winner and should keep the Tide rolling as long as he's still on campus in Tuscaloosa.