Bagels & Biscuits

Do you prefer bagels and cream cheese or biscuits and gravy? Football on Saturdays or Sundays? Big 10 or SEC? The Braves or the Yankees? You know what? It doesn't matter. You can have it all right here.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Eli's albatross?

At some point this season, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning lost his confidence. His shoulders now sag, his facial expressions offer doubt and he looks more like a small-town prep school quarterback than one leading a pro team based in the country's most high-profile market.

Those sheepish grins that have creased Manning's face in recent weeks tell more about what is going on in his head than his canned comments. Something is wrong and it may have something to do with a guy playing 3,000 miles away in Southern California.

His name is Philip Rivers, the third-year quarterback out of North Carolina State who has emerged as the San Diego Chargers' starter this season after being Drew Brees' understudy since entering the league. Rivers has exceeded expectations this year, completing 60 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for 3,157 yards and proving to be more than reliable.

He's tossed 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, becoming the new darling of the NFL while sparking a water-cooler debate. Suddenly, a question that was never asked since the 2004 NFL Draft has been raised recently: Should the New York Giants have traded Rivers away to get Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft?


A move that seemed like a no-brainer at the time it was made is now being more closely examined. And for the rest of his playing days, it's become apparent that Manning will always be compared to Rivers just as the careers of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan became intertwined once they were drafted into the NBA in 1984 (The Portland Trailblazers picked Bowie ahead of Jordan, in case you were wondering).

That must weigh heavily on Manning, who until this year has never had to play in Rivers' shadow. In his first two seasons with the Giants, Manning put up respectable numbers while Rivers made all of five pass attempts in 2004 and 2005. Last year, Manning started all 16 games, throwing for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading his team to the playoffs. At times, his play was erratic — as reflected by his low completion percentage (52.8 percent), not-so-stellar quarterback rating (75.9) and relatively high number of interceptions (17).

But then again, Manning didn't have much experience. At least that was the excuse used to rationalize his mercurial performances. This year, though, Manning doesn't have much of a crutch to lean as the Giants try to make the playoffs. His numbers are very similar to the ones he produced last year. He's completed 58 percent of his passes and thrown for 3,143 yards while tossing one less touchdown and one more interception than he did in 2005.


In no uncertain terms, Rivers has outperformed Manning this year. Whether this will continue to be the case is hard to tell at this point. One thing is certain, though: Manning is not the same player he was in college at OIe Miss. While quarterbacking the Rebels, Manning was very accurate, orchestrating long drives by making short, intermediate and long-range passes. Even though he was surrounded by inferior talent, Manning still led Ole Miss to its first 10-win season in 32 years as a senior.

Back then, Manning looked like a top draft pick. Now he appears lost — seemingly weighed down by the man he was traded for two years ago. Three thousand miles may separate them, but Manning realizes he and Rivers will always be tied together. The body language says it all.

Photo Sources: http://www.covers.co.uk/images/2006/180x180/manning_eli061121a.jpg, http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/peter_king/10/11/mmqbte/p1_rivers.jpg

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Final Four Frontrunners

Jumping from college football to college hoops, here are four teams that have a solid chance of reaching the Final Four based on early season performances and potential. The first three really are not any surprise at all, but they deserve to be on this list right now.

Florida – They return all their big players from a year ago when they won the National Championship. With six players averaging more than nine points per game, Florida can match up against any type of defense. Joakim Noah’s scoring average is down a couple of points from a season ago, but he is rebounding better and passing the ball better. Corey Brewer is back after missing some games due to mono. He has scored 15 and 18 in his last two games. This team just beat Ohio State, a team that very well could make the Final Four, by 28 points just last week.


UCLA – Could we have a repeat of last year’s national title game? That is definitely a possibility. The Bruins are playing the best basketball in the country right now and have an inside-outside combination that uses speed and quickness to match just about anyone in the nation. Darren Collison has made huge strides in his sophomore season, replacing the departed Jordan Farmar. Collison is averaging 13 points and 6.2 assists per game. Despite this team’s youth (no seniors), last year’s run to the championship game gives them all the experience they will need to be a strong contender for the national championship in March.

Ohio State – They got blown out by Florida just recently, but that still doesn’t mean they don’t have the chance to make a run at the Final Four. Freshman Greg Oden is still getting back into playing shape and adjusting to his new team after returning from injury. Another freshman, Daequan Cook, has been phenomenal, leading the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Mike Conley Jr. is another freshman playing as well as advertised. He is running the point exceptionally well – assist-to-turnover ratio is 3-to-1. Youth is the Buckeye’s biggest obstacle to making a deep run in the tournament.

Alabama – Don’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide make it to the Final Four. Jermareo Davidson and Ronald Steele are as good as they come in the nation. Davidson has endured some personal tragedy this season (death of his girlfriend and illness of his brother), but he is averaging nearly a double-double this season and should continue to put up those types of numbers. Steele has been nursing some minor injuries, but if he can get fully healthy in time for March, he is one of the top point guards in the entire country. Two potential All-Americans make this SEC squad one of the best in the country.

Photo Source: SECSports.com, Scout.com

Fearless Bowl Predictions

So here are just some random college bowl predictions as the more exciting games approach…

Dec. 28
Independence Bowl – Alabama beats Oklahoma State
Holiday Bowl – Texas A&M beats California
Texas Bowl – Rutgers beats Kansas State

Dec. 29
Music City Bowl – Clemson beats Kentucky
Sun Bowl – Missouri beats Oregon State
Liberty Bowl – Houston beats South Carolina
Insight Bowl – Texas Tech beats Minnesota
Champs Sports Bowl – Maryland beats Purdue

Dec. 30
Meineke Car Care Bowl – Boston College beats Navy
Alamo Bowl – Texas beats Iowa
Chick Fil-A Bowl – Virginia Tech beats Georgia

Dec. 31
MPC Computers Bowl – Nevada beats Miami (Fla.)

Jan. 1
Outback Bowl – Tennessee beats Penn. State
Cotton Bowl – Auburn beats Nebraska
Capital One Bowl – Arkansas beats Wisconsin
Gator Bowl – West Virginia beats Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl – Michigan beats USC
Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma beats Boise State

Jan. 2
Orange Bowl – Louisville beats Wake Forest

Jan. 3
Sugar Bowl – LSU beats Notre Dame

Jan. 6
International Bowl – Cincinnati beats Western Michigan

Jan. 7
GMAC Bowl – Southern Mississippi beats Ohio

Jan. 8
National Championship – Ohio State beats Florida (in-depth preview coming closer to the game)

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Empty Bowls

Think about it. Would a nonconference game pitting South Florida against East Carolina be televised by a national cable network?

Not likely, you'd say. But on Saturday, ESPN dragged its cameramen, announcing crew and satellite truck to Birmingham, Ala. to broadcast the Papa Johns.com Bowl, where the Bulls and Pirates faced off in a not-too-sexy matchup of mediocre teams. South Florida ended up winning 24-7, if you're interested. But it's doubtful you care.

Who would, except alumni of the two schools involved and people betting their Christmas bonuses on the over-under? The World Series of Poker and BodyShaping probably got better ratings than this game.


Sure, nobody is forcing us to to watch this stuff and believe me not many will be tuning in to see Middle Tennessee State play Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. But why are college football fans presented with such an inferior product over the holidays?

The answer, of course, is because somehow somebody is making money. That's great — but in the eyes of many the sport loses its integrity. Too many undeserving teams have qualified for the postseason. And in turn the bowl landscape has become comical with all of the polysyllabic title sponsors and boring matchups that will be forced down our throats over the next 14 days.

The most wonderful time of the year?

Not if you're a college football fan. Sorry but the MPC Computers Bowl does not whet my appetite for the national championship game featuring the two top-ranked teams in the nation — Florida and Ohio State. In actuality, it's a turnoff.

It also adds to the argument that college football's postseason needs to be overhauled. People across the country have called for a playoff system because the current Bowl Championship Series rankings create controversy. But do the NCAA and the college presidents really need any more convincing that something is wrong than by being asked to watch some of these bowl matchups?

Surely not. Even they would probably want to change the channel.