TCU Makes A Celebratory T-Shirt

After ending any slight hope that Boise State had at a national title shot, TCU has a t-shirt celebrating their win. I'm sure the players or coach didn't have anything to do with it, but it's out there.

This was more of a slap in the face to Boise State and the Mountain West conference after they felt slighted since the MWC decided to move the game to Boise State after TCU announced they were moving to the Big East. The Horned Frogs won the game and will be going to the Big 12 and not the Big East. Also Boise State will be moving to the Big East.

It looks like the Horned Frogs got the last laugh on Boise and the MWC in the end.

Barry Switzer's Insight On The Penn State Scandal

Once he saw the footage of the Penn State coach standing on his lawn, talking to reporters and admitting to the world that he should've done more, the former Oklahoma coach realized his fate was sealed. He would be forced out. He would be fired.

“I knew that it would come to this,” Switzer said.

“They did the right thing at the university,” he said. “The university had to do this, and it was the right thing to do.”

He paused and sighed.

“It's a tragic, sad story. There are no winners here.”

He paused again.

“There are no winners at all.”

“Having been in this profession a long time and knowing how close coaching staffs are, I knew that this was a secret that was kept secret,” Switzer said. “Everyone on that staff had to have known, the ones that had been around a long time.”

“You think that a 13-year assistant … hasn't told someone else?” Switzer said. “His wife? His father? People knew. The community knew.”

“There are more people culpable than just Joe Paterno and the athletic director,” Switzer said via telephone while traveling in Texas. “There are so many other people that have thought, ‘I could've done something about this, too' that didn't come forward. That's the tragedy of it.”

That is the tragedy. The adults who had the power to protect kids from a monster. The adults who passed the buck and expected someone else to take care of the problem. The adults who could've saved at least eight little boys from carrying the scars of sexual abuse for the rest of their lives.

“There's no university immune to this,” Switzer said. “No one is immune to what happened at Penn State or what happened at Oklahoma. It happened years ago, and it'll happen years in the future.

“People make poor decisions, poor choices, and this is what can occur.”

“I'll tell you how it happens — it's the American sports phenomenon,” Switzer said. “I've seen it happen all my life; we've made coaches and players and athletes more than what we are. It's what happens in American sports. Because of that, they've gotten away with more than they should have.

“These students the other night, I watched ‘em occupy State College, and I thought, ‘They don't understand.' If they stopped and thought about … how many people were involved and knew this and did nothing, they just haven't lived long enough.

“And what they've done is try to support somebody the university can't support.”

Words from former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer. And you know what, he's dead on.

Switzer presided over the Oklahoma crime spree that ended up with quarterback Charles Thompson on the cover of Sports Illustrated being led away in handcuffs in an orange prison jumpsuit for conspiracy to traffic cocaine. The wild west days of Norman. Switzer knew it was best for him to walk away from the school he loved so much.

Just like how Penn State had to rid themselves of Joe Paterno after the child sexual abuse scandal involving long time assistant Jerry Sandusky. And it's not over by a longshot. There is another layer or two to this story that has yet to come out.

There was no way that Paterno could survive this assault of mounting evidence of a possible cover up for Sandusky. The best thing for Penn State to do was to fire Paterno. Paterno said he would resign at the end of the season, but I think that was nothing more than to keep the wolves at bay. If Paterno wouldnt've felt any heat from this scandal, he'd be defiant about retiring and would be talking about coming back next year. I'm not here to blast Paterno, but this was for the greater good of the university and bigger than football.

I kind of feel sorry for Paterno. After all the years of loyalty to Penn State he goes out under a dark cloud. And it wasn't like the players being paid or an academic scandal that forced him out.

I know Paterno thought he was doing the right thing by following a chain of command and going through typical university protocol. But once he realized something was amiss he should've checked in with the athletic director again and then went to the authorities. It's not like they wouldnt've doubted him. He's Joe Paterno, the lord of State College, Pennsylvania.

He once said that he wouldn't retire to leave the game to the Barry Switzers and Jackie Sherrills of the world. At least they went out cheating the game or on their own terms, rather than trying to cover up a crime against children.    

Leach Linked To The Ole Miss Opening?

Another job opening, another Mike Leach rumor. After being metioned for the Tulane opening last week, Leach is being linked to the Ole Miss job after the Rebels canned Houston Nutt.

Let's see here, there have been Leach rumors of him going to Arizona, both of the New Mexico schools, Tulane, Florida International, even UCLA and they still have Rick Neuheisel at the helm, and now Ole Miss.

Leach sounds as if he's interested in the job if the Rebels will have him.

“I haven’t heard from anybody, but I’m not too hard to find,” Leach said. “It’s a great job. I’m sure the (Ole Miss) administration has a certain individual it is looking for, and I’m sure they’ll find the right guy.”


No one knows if Leach will actually be a candidate for the job. There is the matter of the pending lawsuit against Texas Tech, which probably means he won't be coaching anywhere.

Leach is one of the brighter offensive minds in the college game and would be a great hire. I do think he brings a lot to the table when it comes to exciting football. I think he will end up at some sort of middle of the road BCS team and Ole Miss could be it. No coach that is thinking of winning a national championship is going to Ole Miss, but Leach clearly would. They should make the call.


  

The M In Missouri Will Stand For Mediocrity

Missouri will be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. When you look at the bottom line (money) I'm sure it stands to be a good move, except from a travel standpoint where moving to the Big Ten would've made more sense for both parties.

The problem I have is from a sports point of view, especially football. I think Missouri will be able to compete in basketball. They have a traditionally strong program and will be able to hang with most of the teams in the SEC, Kentucky and Florida are the exceptions. The Tigers will strengthen the SEC as a basketball league. They should be able to bring in their share of high profile recruits and finish in the upper division.

Football is a different story. The Tigers have had some recent success in the Big 12 and have gained a reasonable foothold recruiting the talent rich state of Texas. They've also been successful in keeping the best in-state kids at home. There is Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, but I think it's easier to recruit against those schools than it will be against LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and the list goes on. And that's just off the field. I guess it's time to adopt the SEC style of recruiting. And no I don't want to hear how (insert school here) is clean and does it right.

On the field I don't see the Tigers consistently competing with the top tier SEC teams. They can be a dangerous opponent but I just don't see them beating a loaded Alabama team. Or Florida. Or LSU. It is possible that they could pull off a shocker here and there, but that's it. Other than that, they just went from being one of the Big 12's top four teams to being a Texas Tech like program. Someone that will rise up from time to time but will never be a threat to win it all. I know it will piss off Missouri fans, but I see the football team sinking into mediocrity and could ultimately cost Gary Pinkel his job.

Texas A&M's Kennedy Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease

Texas A&M men's basketball coach Billy Kennedy has been diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease and is leaving the team to undergo treatment, Kennedy said in a news release issued by the school.

Kennedy said he had been experiencing neck and shoulder pain for several months, affecting his ability to sleep and leading to exhaustion. He took a leave of absence earlier this month to restore his strength and determine the cause of the problem.

"Through testing, it has been discovered that I am dealing with an early stage of Parkinson's disease. At this time, I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms," Kennedy said.



"We have a good prognosis," Kennedy said. "My intention is to return to the court as soon as it is prudent. Until my return, I have great confidence in (associate) coach (Glynn) Cyprien and the staff I have assembled to lead this great group of young men and this basketball program."

The Aggies hired Kennedy from Murray State and are expected to contend for the Big 12 championship this season. This could be a distraction to the team or a rallying point. From what I've seen from past A&M teams, I would expect the latter. They are a tough group of kids and won't want to disappoint their coach. I fully expect it to be business as usual in College Station.

Giving Credit To The Wind

Apparently Michigan's Denard Robinson can't be stopped. The forces of nature is the only thing that can put the kibosh on Robinson. That's if you ask Nebraska's Taylor Martinez.

Martinez gave Michigan State's defense no credit when speaking with reporters, when asked was he impressed with how the Spartans stopped Denard Robinson.

Martinez told reporters Monday: "I really don't think they slowed him down. I think the key factor was the wind kind of slowed him down. The wind with his passing game and stuff. Hopefully we can exploit what Denard Robinson didn't do."

Asked why MSU's defense is good, Martinez said: "Any school in the Big Ten has a good defense. I think they'll just be another good defense that we face."

Really I didn't know every Big Ten school had a good defense. Minnesota, Indiana, and Northwestern would be glad you gave them props for saying such things.

Martinez does present a challenge for the Spartan defense, but if he looked a little closely that's two years in a row Michigan State has limited Robinson. And last year there was no wind, in a road game no less. This year Robinson had the wind for a half, so what Martinez says is pretty lame.

I'm sure the Spartans weren't too thrilled, but Michigan State's Jerel Worthy refused to get into a war of words with the Nebraska quarterback.

“We play football how we play football, no matter what the weather is,” MSU defensive tackle Jerel Worthy said. “We go out in the rain, sleet, snow or sun.



“Hopefully there’s no wind so he can make no excuses when we go out there and do our thing.”

According to weather reports it'll be sunny and 61 degrees, so if Martinez falters I'll wonder if he finally gives the Spartan defense some respect.

Brandon Meriweather Trying To Reinvent Himself

After two more fines from the NFL and a benching, Chicago Bears safety Brandon Meriweather is trying to reinvent himself. Instead of the big hittting, head leading tackles he's used to making, he might be willing to change to keep a job.

Meriweather told the Chicago Tribune that he vows to reform the way he plays. That remains to be seen, but after being nailed for fines and being benched, the message might be actually sinking in.

"Apparently I need to fix something if (the NFL) is concerned about my hits," Meriweather told the Tribune. "I have to change it, or else I'm going to keep getting fined. Eventually if you get enough fines, you're going to end up getting kicked out the league. For me to continue to do something I love, I just have to change the way I play."

If the Bears' coaches have been telling you that, a buzzer should've went off in your head. I'm sure the Patriots coaches told you the same thing.

"Everybody told me that," he said. "It's not necessarily what they said, but how they said it. People have told me before that I had to change my ways. I've been trying. It's just something you can't do overnight."

No it won't happen overnight, but you've had plenty of time to change. Maybe you should've seen what Pittsburgh's James Harrison has been going through and taken a cue.

Meriweather, in his fifth season, was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers receiver Steve Smith in Week 4. He appealed the fine because he thought it was a legal hit. Then Meriweather was fined $25,000 last week for a late hit on Lions receiver Nate Burleson.

On the Burleson hit he said "he didn't hear the whistle".

Last year while a starter for the Patriots, Meriweather was fined $50,000 for a pair of hits on Ravens tight end Todd Heap in the same game. The fine later was reduced to $40,000.

Meriweather's career is in jeopardy but not because of the way he hits. His bigger problem is that he can't cover very well and in the new rules NFL all defensive backs have to be able to stay with receivers, even the safeties. Meriweather's problem is that he's a man who was born too late. He's an old-time, big-hitting safety in a new world where safeties have to be as nimble as corners. And that he won't be able to change. The Patriots finally realized that and the Bears are in the process of learning that as well. If Meriweather could cover, he wouldn't have been benched, penalties be damned. Meriweather's being benched because receivers are blowing by him way too often.