The Derek Dooley Project

Photo: SB Nation

Well the Derek Dooley project in Knoxville has come to a close. He just didn't win, so the UT Athletic Department will continue their laughable game of coaching musical chairs until they miraculously run into another Phillip Fulmer. This situation generates some interesting questions that could be posed to the "die hard" fans of college athletics.

The first question would be whether or not passionate fans even care about the academic work of the student athletes. Some could argue that outside the moments that student athletes slip up academically and are punished by removal of participating in competition, the fans and patrons of college sports have begun to completely overlook the academic workload and progress of collegiate athletes. This in time, has strongly influenced the ways in which administrators go about getting rid of college coaches in a Laker-like fashion. This comes about simply because I worked side by side many of Dooley's players and once they began to come close to toeing the line academically, he pulled the reins and significant progress in classrooms was a direct result. Unfortunately that doesn't translate into wins in conference play.

The second question is also aimed to be answer by those who consider themselves "die hard" fans. The question would be as to how long of time a new coach gets in order to get his fair crack at a successful season? You hear people talk about 3-4 years so a coach can recruit and develop his guys in a system that he puts in place, but many college fans call for their coach's job like he was running the princeton offense in Los Angelas a week into the season. Heck Dooley's head has been called since day one by many people who had been Vol fans their entire lives.

This approach along with the neglect of the academic priorities that collegiate athletes have and the impact a coach has on a young person's motivation to graduate maybe what Tennessee fans learned about themselves from their test drive with Derek Dooley. So as of right now, Vol fans and Laker fans should open up a bar here in town so all of the negativity can be bottled up and not infest the rest of the sports fans across the country.

Oh, hey Gruden I wouldn't do it. That chair on MNF looks comfy and so does your paycheck.

Photo: Bleacher Report

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Concussed

Photo: The Inquisitor

Alex Smith, Jay Cutler, and Michael Vick suffer concussions in yesterdays games but the suits in the commissioner's office will argue that they are working to protect their players. I don't think a penalty flag is enough to keep those defensemen from passing on an open shot when it is their job to be on their toes and anticipating at all times. A guy on the radio broadcast I was listening to last night made an interesting point about going back to leather helmets. He was 100% sarcastic, but I thought on the idea.

Photo: The Costarican Times

Players now use their helmets no different than they would a club or bat. They use the hard object they are equipped with the connect thunderous blows to their opponents in a reckless fashion. The revolutionary technology of protecting a player's head has quickly backfired and has been turned into a weapon.

I know it sounds stupid when talking about protecting the heads of football players, but think about how it would be if you take the helmets out of the equation. Gang tackling and arm tackling would come back into play. Rugby players do it. I do know that injuries would still be apparent like in rugby, but you can't say it isn't food for thought. Sure it doesn't provide the fans with the much anticipated thunderous boom that echoes in the stadiums, but if we are legitimately concerned with protecting the players then we must admit that the current helmets are used more so as a weapon than a shield.


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But I Thought The SEC Champ Automatically Won the National Title..?

With the Crimson Tide Falling this weekend and two other non SEC teams being on their tail in their respective #2 and #3 spots in the rankings, we may not see an SEC team playing for the title this year. The last time this happened was...I don't even remember when. Was it USC vs Texas in '06?

I am urging all of you to be worried about the well being of the southern part of our country. First Obama gets reelected and now this?

Cue the "Two a Days" show on MTV from 10 years ago. The people in the south will need a replenished sense of pride about their football again.


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Super Bowl Matchup In November

Photo: Houston.sbnation.com

The Bears play the Texans this week and the rest of the games in the NFL seem to have taken a back seat. The Texans are a 1-point underdog in this big game that will take place in Chicago, and there has been many conversations about who is the better team. I am going to pick against my own team and say that the Bears will come out of this battle victorious.

A battle is exactly what this game will be. The Texans will be looking to put an end to a 6 year streak of winning 7 games in a row in a season by the Bears this weekend, and with the weather forecast showing a cool damp day all the factors seem to slant toward the Bears. 

The statistical comparisons of the two teams are dang near identical. With two offenses that know how to score, and defenses that specialize in creating havoc for those who are lined up against them, there is only one thing that is certain about this game. Chicago fans will be out and rowdy. It will be a treat to watch.

Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

The question yet to be answer is: Will these two teams meet again in February for all the marbles? There is a pretty good chance but I am sure all the people in Atlanta would like to argue their place in that debate as well.






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2012-13 NBA Season A Marathon Not A Sprint

Photo: Detroit News

Let's pump the brakes a little. How many games have been played? That’s it? What is all the fuss about? The Lakers have a few new large additions into the starting lineup, and the fact that they haven't jelled off the bat shakes the west coast like an earthquake? 

I don't think the Laker's fans are to blame, I think rather the title hungry East coast is chirping a little too much at the Lakers and their slow start. If I recall, when Miami got a face lift done to their starting lineup it took sometime (and by sometime I mean losing a title to a team from the West with significantly lower numbers on their payroll). 

Coming from a Rockets fan, I cannot stand the Lakers but we can all agree that Kobe is Kobe and the guy doesn't know what it is like putting together a mediocre season. Now, remember how much of grind last season was with the compacted schedule due to the delayed start of the season and ease off of the gas pedal because this season will seem like it is an eternity in comparison. It is a marathon this year not a sprint.

I am already looking forward to Lakers/Heat final. I'd actually take Lakers in game six of that series, with the Rockets losing in game seven of the Western Conference final of course. 

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Marcus Lattimore's Test of Character

I don't even know the guy but I wouldn't hesitate to say that Marcus Lattimore is a great guy. By stopping and thinking about the magnifying glass that all big name collegiate athletes currently live under, you quickly realize that these kids are under heavy scrutiny. Lattimore is a prime example of a guy who has passed the judgment of fans, media, classmates, professors, and many other opinions of the twitter world, and for that I commend him. His character must be everything that it is advertised to be, because if it wasn't and he didn't cross the street at the right time on the wrong day then we would all be talking about that as opposed to his character and injured knee. 

(Photo: By Jeff Blake, US Presswire)

It is a shame that such current athletes aren't commended by the media or the public eye on an equal level as their counterpart screw ups. We as fans are so quick to jump on board of the latest NCAA violation or run in with the law that we forget about the purity of collegiate athletics. The molding of NCAA Football in this post TV contract era is easily seen from one Saturday to the next. Players are getting away with touchdown and defensive celebrations that those who wore the same jerseys ten years ago would have been penalized severely. This coming from someone who is roughly the same age as the athletes on those fields signifies a dramatic shift in not just one sport but all NCAA fields of competition.

What happened to Lattimore this weekend was very unfortunate. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope that his road to recovery still opens the door to an opportunity to play in the NFL, as I am sure that has been a childhood dream of his.