'It Girl' of the week: Lily Figuera

The 'It Girl' of the week is Lily Figuera.

Documentary: Millen didn't want to draft Mike Williams

Back in 2005 the Detroit Lions had their sights set on drafting DeMarcus Ware with the 10th puck of the NFL Draft. Of course everyone knows they ended up with Mike Williams, which gave the Lions their third consecutive first round receiver.

Williams flamed out in Detroit and Ware is a seven time Pro Bowler with the Dallas Cowboys.

In a documentary titled “A Football Life: Matt Millen”, Millen's son Matthew says that Millen didn't want to draft Williams but was talked into it by other members of the organization.

Matthew Millen, Matt’s oldest son, said that he was in the Lions’ war rooms in 2002-08 and heard the exchange that swayed Millen’s mind.

“The Mike Williams draft, I got really mad at him because we had talked all up to that point about, ‘DeMarcus Ware is a stud. He’s going to be a great pass rusher, he would fit our scheme, and he’d be the guy that I’d take,’” Matthew Millen said. “It gets to pick 10, and there’s DeMarcus Ware, so I’m thinking, ‘All right, we got our guy.’ And then all of a sudden, there’s chatter from some other people in the room that, ‘You know what, if we got this wide receiver and paired him with Roy Williams and some of the other weapons we have, we’d be a really potent offense.’ And I can see his mind starting to change.”

“I’m like, ‘Great, the buffoon just picked another wide receiver,’” Matthew Millen said. “That’s what everyone’s going to think.”

Matthew was correct about his assumptions. Lions fans were pissed and the media got the last laugh on the Lions.

In the end it sounds as if Millen is throwing someone else under the bus instead of admitting to his mistakes.

Reggie Bush says Lions preparing to be without Calvin Johnson this week

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson missed practice which opened up speculation whether he would play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Reggie Bush isn't so sure. Bush isn't holding out hope on seeing Johnson in uniform on Sunday. Bush says the team is prepping for Sunday's game as if Johnson won't be playing.

"Yeah, that's what we have to do," Bush said. "He didn't practice today, so that's what we have to do. We have to prepare as if he's not going to play."

The offense struggled in last week's 22-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Bush is hoping that his teammates can raise their game and bounce back from last week's lackluster showing.

"We knew what was at stake last week, so now, our sense of urgency has to go up, as a unit," Bush said. "Everybody has to step. We all have to do a little bit more this week. Our focus has to go up a little bit more. Our sense of urgency has to go up a little bit more."

Easier said than done. Cleveland is no Green Bay but the Lions must make more big plays in all facets of the game if they hope to pull out a win with or without number 81 on the field.

Kentucky's Alex Poythress wants to go 40-0

Last year Kentucky's basketball team had the highest rated recruiting class and a few holdovers from the national title team from the year before. The end result was an appearance in the NIT, which ended in a loss to Robert Morris.

This season Kentucky has what most call the best recruiting class of all time. Expectations are high or the Wildcats. Despite the youth and returning members from last year, many think the 'Cats will win the national championship once again.

Sophomore forwards Alex Poythress isn't backing down from the hype. He's aiming high and not just national championship high. He's talking about going 40-0.

“If we put our mind to it, once everybody gels, I say we can do anything. The sky is the limit for this team, so why not aim at 40-0? We might as well try to do it, right?

“Why not? What's stopping us? The only thing stopping us is us this year, so we might as well try to do it.”

What's stopping Kentucky is the schedule. The Wildcats have their annual Bluegrass rivalry with defending national champion Louisville. Also games against North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Baylor (might as well be a road game) and Michigan State, Boise State and Providence will provide the team with some good competition. Throw in the SEC slate and Kentucky will be challenged game in and game out.

No doubt the Wildcats will be very good. Might even be great. But they'll have to be on their game every night if they want to go undefeated. They'll have a target on their backs and will get everyone's best shot.      

Minnesota player says Michigan's Devin Gardner "panics a lot"

The Michigan-Minnesota game is shaping up to be just another game. The teams do play for the Little Brown Jug but generally there's not too much excitement that surrounds this game. The rivalry has been fairly one side as the Wolverines have won 20 of the past 21 games. That hasn't stopped the Golden Gophers from feeling confident about themselves.

Despite being a 20 point underdog the Golden Gophers feel they have as good of a shot as anyone to knock off the unbeaten Wolverines. After narrow wins over Akron and Connecticut they feel the Wolverines are ripe for the pickings.

“Just the fact they almost lost to Akron, they’re human,” Gophers defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman said. “You know what I mean? Everybody praises them to be elite, and I just feel like they’re a regular football team. You just have to come with your A-game, but that’s how you approach every game.”

To add a little spice to the game, Minnesota safety Cedric Thompson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner 'panics a lot' when he gets pressured.

“I think he kind of just panics a lot,” Thompson said. “I think that when he scrambles, he kind of just throws the ball.”

I'm sure those words will make it back to Ann Arbor. Hopefully for the Wolverines it'll be a little incentive to bring their best this Saturday. If not they could find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

Earl Campbell thinks it's time for Mack Brown to go

Texas football coach Mack Brown has had plenty of detractors the past few seasons. With the talent the Longhorns have on the team there are some that say the team is underachieving and that maybe a change is needed on the sidelines.

Former Longhorns legend and 1977 Heisman trophy winner Earl Campbell is amongst the critics and thinks it's time for Brown to be replaced.

Campbell told Fox 26 in Houston that it's about time for Brown and Texas to part ways.

"Nobody likes to get fired or leave a job, but things happen," Campbell said. "I'd go on record and say 'yes I think it's time.'

"I'd just say this, I take my hat off for USC for what they've done. They didn't mess around with it. They just said 'let's do it now.'  I think at some point our university's people are going to have make a decision."

"Some people get too old," Campbell said. "If players get too old to play a game, why can't a coach get too old to coach it."

"If we're going to make a change I would like to say that we got one in the house, Jerry Gray, who's getting in the College Football Hall of Fame," Cambell said. "I think that would be a good place to start."

"Very hard because Coach Brown is a very good man," Campbell said. "I just hope he doesn't stay...he's done some great things. The program, he brought it back, and we don't need it to get run down where somebody has to start all over again, maybe Jerry Gray."

"I was part of a class in 1974 and I played for Coach Darrell Royal," Campbell said. "We had the same players, but our junior year, I don't know, we just couldn't do anything right. Then he left our football team and retired.

"Coach Fred Akers came in, who coached me as a freshman at running back. We had the same players, I'm telling you. Coach Royal leaves. Coach Akers comes in. We win the Heisman and we lost to Notre Dame for the National Championship.

"So sometimes a change is good. I think this is what we're up against at the university. Nobody wants to say that, but somebody has to break the ice and say 'yes it's time.' "

Campbell wasn't saying it to be malicious. But coming from someone like Campbell and the ties he still has to the school, it has to sting a little.  

I don't think Texas would pull a USC and fire Brown before the midway point of the season but if he suffers another blowout loss to Oklahoma the wheels might start turning. Especially seeing what their longtime rival Texas A&M has done since moving to the SEC.

I think the Texas brass will see how things play out before making a move. If Texas somehow wins the Big 12, it'll be hard to get rid of Brown unless he decides to walk away on his own. The only way an in-season fring happens is if the Longhorns suffer a debilitating loss to the Sooners.  

Utah basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak foils bike thief

The college basketball season hasn't tipped off but Utah Utes basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak scored a victory off the court. Krystokwiak channeled his inner Encyclopedia Brown and caught a bike thief.

Krystkowiak was on the way to his office at the Huntsman Center and ended up detaining a suspicious middle-age man who caught his attention by riding a bicycle and pulling another one near the arena around 7:30 a.m.

"He started telling me all kinds of stories," Krystkowiak said. "I guess it was a good way to start the day."

“He could have just probably dropped one of the bikes and outrun me on his bike, but he was dumb enough to stop,” Krystkowiak said. “Then I began my questioning and I kind of smelled a rat.”

The 6-9 Krystowiak was a former NBA player so I suppose that the thief had no idea what he was up against.

Krystokwiak approached the man and told him to sit down while he called campus police. The police discovered five stolen phones in the thief's possession.

"The guy asked me if I was going to chase him if he attempted to run," Krystkowiak said Saturday night. "I told him that if he tried to run, I was going to chase him and tackle him. Honestly, I was hoping that he’d run. I guess a good thief would’ve run before I caught up to him."

“I don’t know how smart it was,” Krystkowiak said. “You never know what a guy has got in his pocket or up his sleeve.”

“I’ve always been a little eager to catch somebody so it was good,” he said.

Krystkowiak is in his third season at Utah and it looks like the Utes are improving. Hopefully for the fans he'll be able to score some wins on the court.