Super Bowl Shuffle of Emotions: To Hate or to Hate?

That is the question...

Not that I've had much vested interest in any Super Bowl since January of 1996, but it's particularly troubling to watch two teams I've come to despise play in the big game.....for the second time in 4 years. I can deal with a Packers-Steelers Super Bowl. I can get behind an underdog story like the 2008 Cardinals or 2009 Saints. What I can't deal with is having no dog in the fight. Not even one to be dog for a day.

Who can't appreciate a feel good underdog story like the 2009 Saints? Re-energizing a city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, Brees and the Saints were easy to root for against the Colts.

As much as the fan in me wants to hate on these two teams, there clearly needs to be credit given where credit is due. It's not easy to make it to a Super Bowl. You have to be good, and you have to be lucky. The Patriots and Giants have made their respective runs through the playoffs with a healthy combination of the two.

THE GOOD
Each team is here because they got hot as the playoffs ensued, albeit the Pats had sustained success in the regular season. These teams have had prolific quarterback play all season long, and their defenses are playing well at the right time. A Patriots defense who was among the worst statistically of all-time, yielded just 15ppg in two playoff games. Meanwhile, the Giants defense has re-emerged as a dominant pass rushing force, making the Falcons, Packers, and 49ers offenses look inept (13ppg in three playoff games).

Even though they've annoyingly modified Naughty's "O.P.P." for this guy, he's an absolute beast on the field. The continuity of monster pass rushers on the Giants D-line (Strahan to Osi to Kiwanuka to Tuck to JPP) is uniquely spectacular.

THE LUCKY
Neither team is here because they "made a play" in a big spot in the championship game. Each team is here because their championship game was handed to them. Don't get me wrong, you don't get to a Super Bowl without making a play at some point in your league championship game. It's just that coming down to the wire of each game, it was a costly miscue that yielded the championship result.

Lee Evans was brought in to give the Ravens a viable target to replace Derrick Mason opposite Anquan Boldin. Instead, he did nothing all season, and waited until the worst possible moment to remind Ravens fans he was still on the team.

For the Patriots, it was Ravens WR Lee Evans who didn't maintain possession of the sure-to-be game winning TD. Sure, Pats corner Sterling Moore got a piece of it once Evans had caught it. But an NFL WR makes that catch 9 times out of 10.

The saving grace for Pats fans is that the Ravens then had a chance to send it to overtime after the miscue, and botched the FG attempt.

For the Giants, it was the referees who gave them a chance to advance. Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled in the waning minutes of the game. A fumble that would have given the 49ers a certain chance at winning the game in regulation with a FG. Inexplicably, the zebras blew it dead for forward progress. Even though 99 times out of 100 they let the defense make the tackle in that spot. If that was forward progress, there should be no such thing as a "good second effort" on short yardage. It should be blown dead on the initial contact. Mini rant complete.

Not to be believed...this non-fumble left 50% of the 49er fans in America (data based on a controlled sample size of 2) on the ledge the morning after the game.

The saving grace for Giants fans is that the 49ers also had a chance to seal the game out, but their rookie kick returner handed the ball back to the Giants in two key spots. The last of which set up the game-winning FG in overtime.

SUPER BOWL OUTLOOK
With the sour grapes out of the way, I think this is going to be a very competitive Super Bowl. Having listened to talk radio the last 2 weeks in NYC, the Giants fans have soured me on them even more. Many are not giving the Pats the respect they deserve, assuming that victory is a foregone conclusion. Luckily for Eli and Co., they are likely preparing for the Pats as they have for each playoff game this postseason. While their fans might be taking the Pats lightly, it's certain the actual Giants are not.

The Patriots offensively are going to exploit the Giants weak linebacking corps. Yes, they have played improved football of late. However, it is still the weak link of their defense. Expect Belichick to gameplan for that. You might think they will be hurt by the absence of a healthy Gronkowski (he'll be limited, at best), but you can be sure that Tom Brady will find other targets to pick up the slack. I can see someone like Danny Woodhead coming out of nowhere and having a big impact on the game.

Unheralded Jake Ballard made a number of clutch receptions in the Giants 24-20 victory over the Pats earlier this year, including the game-winning touchdown. Expect an unsung hero like Ballard or the Patriots Danny Woodhead to step up and become a household name on Sunday.

The Giants offensively will attack the Pats secondary. Opposing QB's have blown away the Patroits all season long, and expect a quality performance from Eli Manning. They will have to find a way to control the clock too, to keep Brady and his offense on the sidelines. I'd expect Cruz and Manningham to have a big role in the possession game, with Eli taking periodic shots down the field to Nicks. A sleeper player for the Giants heading into this game is TE Jake Ballard. Eerily #85 (David Tyree?), Ballard was an important part of the Giants regular season win over the Patriots. He'll make an impact again today.

I hate myself for doing this, but....

The Pick:   GIANTS 38, PATRIOTS 35

Championship Vibes

To all my loyal readers..I apologize. As you know, it's been quite awhile since I've blogged. It's been a combination of a hectic personal schedule and a lack of topics on which to vibe. I will admit that I did drop the ball on NFL playoff picks to this point, but what better place to start than with the conference championship games.

We've got quite the pair (TWSS) of matchups this weekend... Enjoy the games and keep the blog handy as your go-to piece of pregame analysis!

AFC: #1 New England Patriots vs. #2 Baltimore Ravens

In the AFC, you have the teams that have been the two best all season long. A prolific offense against a dynamic defense. Super Bowl champion Tom Brady against Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis. This game is intriguing from a tactical standpoint.

We aren't used to seeing a ton of points out of the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco is usually good for 150-180 yards per game, while they play a ball control offense with Ray Rice (25-30 touches). When Rice breaks out, they are capable of putting up 30 points. However, if held in check, they are capable of, say, losing 12-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.



Paul Posluszny and the Jaguars average defense were able to bottle up Rice and shut down Baltimore's offense. It's not going to take a Herculean defensive effort to accomplish that.

With a reliance on their defense, Baltimore has been able to shut down opposing offenses and keep their offense running efficiently enough to win 12 regular season games. They are top 3 in the NFL in fewest defensive yards allowed and fewest points allowed. As usual, the Ravens can also score on defense, with 5 defensive TD's on the year.
We also aren't used to seeing a ton of points out of the New England Patriots....in the first minute of the game. The Patriots averaged 32.1ppg, while compiling just over 500 yards of offense per game. Among the top 3 in the league in both categories.  Their Hall of Fame QB threw for over 5,000 yards this year. They have the best tight end in football, along with another guy who's a top 5 tight end in football. They've proven that they can run up and down the field, and score almost at will.

The problem is that they also were in the the top 2 in the league in defensive yards allowed, and they yielded nearly as many passing yards as their QB threw for. Their secondary was suspect all season long, as they clearly felt the effects of getting rid of Brandon Meriweather.

OUTLOOK

I just don't see how Baltimore is going to do enough on offense to capitalize on New England's "poor" defense. I delibrately highlight the word "poor," because in a game like this you throw out all the stats, and anything that has happened previously this season. The Pats defense played outstandingly last week against the run-oriented Broncos. Minimize it with Tebow talk all you want, but at the end of the day they allowed only 10 points to a team that put up 30 on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brady's going to be finding holes downfield in the Ravens secondary, and the birds will need a couple of timely turnovers to swing the tide. They'll also need to control the clock with Rice and keep Brady and company on the sidelines.  Flacco will need to have a breakout game in the passing game, not necessarily with statistics, but with timely plays made down the field. Third down conversions, big plays to get them down the field, etc.

Your friendly neighborhood garbage man? Try again...outspoken Ravens safety Ed Reed.  

Ed Reed said it best this week. He knows the deal. The Ravens had trouble putting away the Texans and TJ Yates. How are they going to rally the troops enough to dominate the Patriots? This game will not be as close as people think.

PREDICTION:             Patriots 35, Ravens 24
________________________________________________________

NFC: #2 San Francisco 49ers vs. #4 New York Giants

In the NFC, you have the two hottest teams. A great defensive team whose offense is hot, against a great offensive team whose defense is hot. Super Bowl champion Eli Manning vs. arguably the best defensive front seven in football. Old-school Tom Coughlin vs. wunderkind Jim Harbaugh.



The brash, new baby-faced players coach versus the dignified, canvas-faced disciplinarian.

Yes, San Fran is the #2 seed. However, many were picking the Saints as the odds-on favorite to challenge the Packers. The 49ers defense has been stellar all year, but their offense has been a relative question mark. Even as they methodically won games during the regular season, it was questionable whether they'd be able to make enough plays in the passing game to compete with the big dogs. Well, you got your answer last week, as Alex Smith and Vernon Davis "out-Breesed" Drew Brees and company. They seem to have the necessary mix of offense, defense, and moxie of a championship squad. They are as hot as any team in football.
As an objective blogger, I have to be honest about the Giants. I was super skeptical when they entered the playoffs and fans spoke that it would be "just like '07" because of their inconspicuous route to the playoffs. I didn't think they had enough to pull it together and take down any of the NFC's elite teams. And I was right to a point, because it's not like '07.

In their Super Bowl season, they had a stellar defense most of the year, and were able to pull it together on offense during their playoff run. With this current team, they have had a stellar offense for most of the year, and have seemed to have pulled it together on defense during the playoffs. Either way, they have definitely started coming together at the right time. Their defensive front gets as much pressure on the QB as any in football. They have been clicking on offense and making plays when it counts. They are as hot as any team in football.


OUTLOOK

This one has been killing me all week. As a rooting fan, I have no dog in this fight. I can't root for the Giants, because they are a hated NFC East rival. I can't root for the 49ers, because I grew up hating them and stupid Steve Young. My wife is a die hard Giants fan. My brother-in-law is a die hard 49ers fan (who's stuck around for the last 9 years as they've been abysmal). Either way, I'm at the end of the family bragging rights line.

This could be me tonight once my wife reads this blog...

That said, I have no choice but to be purely objective and pick this as a sports journalist would. Both teams are hot, so I give neither an edge there. New York's defense is playing well, but have just pulled it together the last 4-5 weeks or so. And they are still susceptible to big plays, which San Fran was able to exploit New Orleans with last week. The Niners, on the other hand, have played consistently good defense all year. They've been less susceptible to big plays, and will be able to get pressure on Eli.

The Giants offense is clearly superior, but it is definitely built on taking chances down the field. If Eli makes 1 or 2 mistakes in that regard, it could decide this one. The Niners offense (even with last week's performance) is not going to put a ton of points up on this Giants defense. However, they also don't take as many risks down the field, and will likely try to control the clock and keep Eli on the sidelines.

With absolutely no confidence in the pick at all.....

PREDICTION:             49ers 27, Giants 24

NCAA Gang Initiation

Before reading this blog.. check out the video below to put it into proper context. If you've already seen the brawl, jump ahead to 2:25 in the clip to view the comments in question:



What a sad day for college sports. What a shame too, that this happens in college basketball, which is most likely the most competitively balanced of all the NCAA's major sports.

It's tough not to be a Monday morning quarterback here, but how do these teams let this happen?

How do their respective coaching staffs allow the negative back-and-forth to ensue this week without squelching it out? Maybe they tried.

How do they not, at halftime, refocus their teams on the basketball game instead of the impending "gangsta" brawl? Maybe they tried.

Most importantly....
How do you recruit players that view themselves as "gangstas"? How do you entrust your program in the hands of people who represent "where they from" by physical means?

I guess we'll never know the exact sequence of events that led up to the final 9 seconds of the game. It's tough not to draw negative conclusions based on what we saw.

To be fair, the climax of the brawl appeared to be escalated by Cincinnati. Absolutely goaded by some jawing by Xavier (Holloway taunting the Cincinnati bench), but certainly escalated by Cincinnati. Their players left the bench to jump in when their player had a Musketeer in his face.

Yancy Gates (Bearcats #34) then lost control. He whipped the basketball at Holloway (self-proclaimed "gangsta"). He rushed into the melee and cold-cocked Xavier's Kenny Freese. Another term would be sucker punch. Another term would be cowardly.

Kenny Freese of Xavier got jacked up in the melee.

 In true "gangsta" fashion, Cincinnati's #13 Cheikh Mbodj went Ndamukong Suh on Freese as he was laying on the ground. Mbodj, from Senegal, has apparently adjusted seamlessly to the American gangsta culture.

Xavier could've come out of this not looking as ridiculous. They would've been guilty of inappropriate trash talking, and Cincinnati would've been viewed as the team that lost its composure. If not for the post game comments of Tu Holloway, this would have been the case. The comments (again, around 2:25 of the video clip above) show that the mindset of both teams was skewed.

How does Xavier head coach Chris Mack NOT sit down with his guys after the game (especially with those going before the media) and talk to them about what they should say?

Why would he even let them face the media if they were going to say things like they said?

At least Cincinnati's head coach Mick Cronin spoke like a human being after the game. He gave us the emotions that most of us were thinking as the brawl ensued, and essentially said what needed to be said. He would've been highly scrutinized had he said anything else, and he probably saved his job by speaking as candidly as he did. 

The Vibe's Take

Both programs need to have a serious refocusing session with their entire basketball programs, starting at the top. I'm not necessarily advocating for firings or anything like that, but both teams need to suspend some guys.

Holloway and Lyons from Xavier should be suspended for the combination of their on-court taunting and their ridiculous post game comments. To recap:

"If somebody put they hand in yo' face or try to do somethin' to you....where we from you gonna do somethin' back" - Lyons

"We grown men over here....we got a whole buncha gangstas in the locker room" -Holloway

So, the impression given is that Xavier taps into the talented gang-ridden streets to target players to recruit....and Senegal. Not saying this is the case, but this is the perception.  That can't sit well with Xavier.

Yancy Gates of Cincinnati should be dismissed from the team. You should not be able to do something like that and continue to play big time college basketball. I mean, he took a step back and did some juking and air jabs (like a boxer) after connecting with Freese. I still don't understand how, in incidents like this, he can escape criminal charges. If he did the exact same thing in a bar, he'd be arrested and charged.

But ironically probably still allowed to play (LSU football anyone?)

This should be Yancy Gates final dunk in organized basketball.

 Cincinnati's Cheikh Mbodj should be suspended for a few games. Although not a sucker-punch, trying to stomp on someone who is laying on the ground bleeding would also garner you criminal charges in a different forum.

It's such a shame, because many people view college basketball as the most pure form of the game. More defense, higher energy games, crisp teamwork and passing. They devalue the NBA because (among other things) thuggish behavior like this is more commonplace. It would truly be a shame if stuff like this started to creep into the college game.

Patern-al Order of Malice

Rarely in the history of The Vibe has a topic required a second blog. In fact, it has never happened.

Has there ever been a topic as inflammatory as this Penn State stuff? I'm not talking college football. I'm not even talking sports. I'm talking in the history of our country. I make that statement not for shock value or to devalue scandals such as Watergate or the Lewinsky debacle. In the moral scheme of things, it just blows everything out of the water.

We (as a society) are going on Week 2 of hour-by-hour Penn State coverage. That speaks volumes. In the thick of an NFL season as competitive as any in recent memory....At a time when the MLB offseason is heating up with firings, signings, and trade rumors....When NBA owners and players are in a historic greed-fest over who will get a piece of the multi-million dollar pie....Hell, there's even hockey going on.

And all we can talk about is Penn State.

One of the only games each year that I rooted for Penn State. After witnessing Ohio State taking a credibility hit this off season, Michigan sees another rival bite the dust. Who cares about the Fab Five anymore anyway?

The last blog dealt with the surface handling of the scandal of the PSU big wigs. It was written pre-Paterno-canning and before the nation had a chance to chew this up and digest it. I too have had a chance to digest this a bit more. And I'm getting angrier and angrier at Joe Paterno as the days pass.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll point out again that I was not in love with Paterno to begin with. I always thought that he had an arrogance about him. I felt that he was completely enamored with the idea of himself as the face of Penn State. I resented how PSU would run up the score (especially in the 90's) against the likes of inferior teams. A classic "kick 'em while they're down" program (81-0 vs. Cincinnati in 1992, 70-7 vs. Maryland in 1993). I don't single them out in that regard, because your Miamis and Florida States did the same.

I was always of the opinion, though, that the Paterno self-enamoration was something that was Penn State's thing. The Nittany Lion faithful were down with Joe Pa's aura, and that was all that mattered. Who cares what a non-Penn State fan thinks of what they had going on? It worked for them, to the tune of tremendous success. Incidentally, I really feel for my PSU-faithful friends who were gung ho Joe Pa. It has to be devastating watching this demise.

Turns out, Paterno was really into himself as the Godfather of PSU. And I'm sorry, but in my opinion that is not debatable. Do I think he went out of his way to definitively orchestrate a cover up of this Sandusky business? No. Do I think that conversations went on behind closed doors about how to make this go away without damaging the PSU image? Absolutely. Was Joe Pa involved in those conversations? You had better believe it.

Joe Pa always loved him some Joe Pa....

 As WFAN's Mike Francesa pointed out, it was no coincidence that Sandusky "decided" to retire after the 1998 regular season ('99 Alamo Bowl) at the ripe young age of 55. Coincidental that evidence came out in 1998 (as reported to police for the first time) of sexual abuse?

Joe Paterno knew nothing of this? News to him? I don't buy it for a second.

This is what I think happened. This is based on the countless hours of media coverage and news articles, and reflects only my personal opinion.

Opinions are like assholes...everyone has one....even this guy!

The Vibe's Take

Joe Pa caught wind of those allegations in '94. But as many a man might, he did not act swiftly because there was no proof, and no criminal charges. He kept Sandusky on and in 1998, the program was rocked internally by the police investigation of Sandusky. PSU officials came to Paterno and they worked on getting Sandusky out as a coach. They gave him the option to go out with "dignity" and he took it.

TURNING POINT....If they had also told Sandusky to stay away from campus, to disassociate from the university completely, and to not show his face around...they would have fulfilled their moral obligation. The onus would have been on the police to whom it was reported to prosecute and investigate. If that happens - no janitor incidents, no Mike McQueary dilemma, no Paterno demise.

But they opted for the low road. Paterno stood idly as Sandusky continued to be a presence around campus. Scratch that...Paterno HAD to have wanted to keep Sandusky around. We all know that anyone Joe Pa really wanted out would be gone at the snap of his fingers. He even allowed him to run football camps using Penn State football as a lure. Joe Pa wasn't giving that the OK?

And then Mike McQueary inadvertently lit the end fuse of a bomb in 2002. At the time, the pelirrojo is likely running around trying to do anything and everything to catch on with Paterno's staff for good. Joe Pa says jump, he asks "How high?" Then he unsuspectingly walks in on this monster, a man who he revered for 4 years as a player and likely the next 4 years trying to break in as a coach. Having no knowledge of the situation, his world was rocked. And he made the morally fatal choice to leave instead of intervening.   

He tells Joe Pa....Joe Pa reports it to the the powers that be. Immediately, they think "Oh shit...this is NOT going to look good....this was brought to our attention in the past and we allowed the guy to continue coming around....we have to make this go away" And people got greased up, paid off, whatever you'd like to call it.

"I'm gonna make him an offer he won't refuse. Okay? I want you to leave it all to me." Don't think for a minute that deals didn't go down in this whole fiasco.... 

This part is NOT MY OPINION.

It is what came of the grand jury testimony. McQueary testified to a grand jury that he witnessed an anal raping of a young boy. Paterno reported to the grand jury that he had been told that Sandusky was "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature" to a young boy. AD Tom Curley and VP Gary Schultz testified that they were told there was some "horsing around in the shower" of an inappropriate nature. President Graham Spanier testified the same.

It's like a bad game of telephone.

Just about every picture you can find of the game "telephone" is of kids playing it. Didn't think it would be appropriate given the nature of this blog. Instead...who doesn't love to see hot girls? Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Another pelirrojo disappoints in this blog.

And from there, Sandusky was not charged. Things went back to the way they were, Paterno unbelievably continued to coach with McQueary on staff, all the while having Sandusky in an office upstairs. How could he sit there in meetings, in good faith, with this man who had reported such an unthinkable act to him.....and not feel bad for looking the other way?

"Looking the other way? But Joe Pa testified!"

Once again, if Joe Pa wanted someone gone from that program, it would have taken 10 minutes for it to happen.

How many poor kids were victimized after 1998, when Paterno first heard? How about after 2002, as Sandusky used his PSU credentials to run camps and charities (as an avenue to access victims)?

I wonder how Paterno lives with himself knowing that because he didn't want to make waves in his program, a handful of young boys had their innocence robbed by a monster. How can he make a blase' comment like "I wish I would've done more" and then end with "let's pray for the victims"? How can he smile and say "I love you too" to student supporters gathered outside his residence? How can he minimize his role in this and release a statement saying that he will retire and that the board can "focus on their investigation" and not worry about him?

He still doesn't get it.

With great power comes great responsibility....and not to oneself, but to the greater good...A large amount of the blood is on his hands.
 

White Out at the Wrong Time



Penn State has always been known for their "white outs" at home games.

For years, Penn State fans have flocked in white to Happy Valley to support one of the nation's consistently best football programs. Over the years, fans and haters alike have come to - at the very least - respect the Penn State program as doing things the right way. Love him or hate him, the sight of Joe Paterno on the sidelines conjures up images of one's grandfather overseeing a well-oiled machine that has prided itself on class, integrity, and a genuine family environment.

As it turns out, since 1998 the Penn State upper echelon of decision-makers were employing their own, very different version "white out"...

Who among us wasn't brought up using white out to fix our mistakes? Penn State University's administration apparently learned a different technique.

While the football program sauntered on in a national spotlight (it's only controversy being the "will he" or "won't he" banter regarding Joe Pa's retirement), the unconscionable was occurring behind the scenes. Jerry Sandusky, their defensive coordinator from 1977 - 1999, was apparently sexually preying on young boys. What's more is he was using the university program to help access victims.


Here's what we "know" based on reports surfacing from media outlets:

• In 1998, a parent accused him of inappropriately touching her son. She notified police who set up a meeting between Sandusky and the mother (monitored by their detectives) in which Sandusky stated that "maybe" he touched the son inappropriately, apologized and said that he "wanted to die." Subsequently, the Centre County DA Ray Gricar chose not to pursue charges. In 2005, Gricar went missing, with his work laptop found in the Susquehanna River. By the way, touching a kid inappropriately is pretty cut and dry...
• In 2002, Penn State graduate assistant Mike McQueary (star QB for the Nittany Lions in 96-97) reported to Joe Paterno that he walked in on Sandusky anally raping a young boy. Paterno notified AD Tom Curley and Penn State VP Gary Schulz. The men interviewed McQueary TEN days later, ultimately deciding not to notify police.
• Through 2009, Sandusky ran an overnight football camp for children on the Penn State campus. He also volunteered as an assistant coach at a local high school.

Moreover....he wrote a book (pictured below):


Are we being serious right now!?!?! THIS is the title of his book. You can't make this stuff up. Is he fucking with us? The balls on this guy....

How does this happen? It's funny, you watch movies like "Varsity Blues" and "Friday Night Lights" and you think that this stuff never happens. You think that it's fiction that only happens in menial hick-ish towns where nobody cares what goes on anyway.

We now have a legendary Division I football powerhouse that will never be the same again, because it prioritized its legacy above doing the right thing. They are about to learn what Ohio State just did...The cover up is ALWAYS worse than the initial act. In this case, the initial act is pretty freakin' terrible. But coupled with a cover up? Tough to even put into words.

Let's say, hypothetically, that they truly did not have enough proof to pursue any of these charges. Wouldn't you rid your program of this guy based on the repeated allegations? Wouldn't it be easy to "go in another direction"? I realize that he wasn't "on staff" for most of the time during which the allegations occurred, but they still allowed him to be highly involved with university. They let him host an overnight camp for boys for Christ sake!

"Hey Jerry, we're going to go in another direction. Thanks for everything. By the way, try to stop raping little kids." That's all it would've taken for PSU to sever ties. Proof or no proof, why the need to keep around a former coach with that much baggage. 

If we're going to call a spade a spade....They covered this thing up. The WRONG kind of white out. I have a hard time believing that Joe Paterno was intimately involved in any coverup, but at the same time ... he didn't have a problem with Sandusky hanging around? How did any of them even look him in the face after the 2002 allegations? One of their own, McQueary, SAW him raping a kid. That's not enough?

"I'm gonna ask you again, Mike...Are you sure they weren't just wrestling?" All kidding aside, I find it hard to believe that Joe Pa was involved in any cover up....but he let this scumbag use his PSU brand to market his camp and - even worse - to access his victims.

McQueary has stayed on and is currently the recruiting coordinator and WR coach for the program. Wonder how he feels about his school's "faith" in his credibility. This makes Ohio State look like the University of Divinity. What small potatoes now. You're talking about supposedly credible men (the AD and university VP) consciously covering this up, and a slew of others (Paterno included) who are guilty of at least looking the other way.

Honestly, I didn't like Penn State before this. But that was of a rooting interest. I've always respected their program for the ideals that they have embodied. It will be tough to root for them moving forward if they don't gut the whole program.

It's sad that it has to end this way.....but it's time to clean house.

Yanks for Nothing

The 2011 postseason will be remembered as the postseason in which the Yankee fan had exactly a week and a half to celebrate. A postseason that began for Yankee fans with an epic September collapse by the rival Boston Red Sox ended with a dose of utter disappointment in the Bronx.

Yankees fans had a week and a half to enjoy the collapse of Pedroia and the Sox.

When the Bombers drew Detroit in Round 1, all the buzz was around Verlander. Could the Yanks survive a short series with Detroit trotting its all-world righthander out there for 2 starts? As it turns out, it wasn't Verlander who did the Yanks in, it was their own bats. Specifically, their own bats when the game was on the line.

Justin Verlander's right arm  was enough for him to get his fair share of creampies to the face this year. However, it was not what ultimately did the Yankees in. 

It's ironic, because if you look at the series statistics, the Yankees were supreme in almost every offensive category. But that was largely due to offensive outbursts in Game 1 and Game 4, with most of the numbers coming when the game was on its way to being in had.

Don't get me wrong. As much as we joke about it, you really "can't predict baseball." These players are only human. It's hard to hit a baseball. Real hard. (That's what she said) But when you have players hitting 4-5-6 making $62.5 million, you have every right to expect them to produce when the game is on the line. As a Yankee fan, I grew up watching players like Jim Leyritz, Luis Sojo, Shane Spencer, Scott Brosius, and the soon-to-be-discussed Joe Girardi come up with big time October hits. These were not highly paid superstars putting up video game numbers in the regular season. They were hard-nosed players with the moxie necessary to slow the game down in a big spot.

Before starring as a derelict, Leyritz was once a Yankee postseason hero.

The 2009 World Series team was more-or-less the exception to this, as a star-studded lineup made its run through the playoffs. The only role players on that team of the same ilk as the previous list were Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner.

Aside from this 2009 championship, we have seen a run of "hired guns" brought in by the Yankees to sculpt an all-star caliber lineup. In their defense, clearly the run of 1996-2000 significantly raised the expectations of fans. When you are expected to be in the World Series every year, it's pretty difficult in New York to answer the question of "How are you going to address your open RF situation?" with a name like Cody Ross or Scott Podsednik (to name a few unsung postseason heroes in recent years). Brett Gardner is the current closest thing to that, and look at the scrutiny he was under this year when he slumped. By the way, he was one of the Yanks who had a good series against Detroit.

Ahh..What ever happened to the Scott Brosiuses of the world? Mediocre regular season numbers, but an absolute stud in the clutch. A member of the 98, 99, and 00 World Champions, and did all he could in 2001 in search of a 4-peat. The World Series MVP in 1999.

Today's fan falls in love with regular season stats, but if you aren't getting it done in October, what is the regular season really worth?

Joe Girardi has been highly scrutinized for almost his entire tenure as Yanks manager. His biggest critics will say that he micromanages. I have more-or-less always defended Girardi, as with the bullpen for example, it's difficult to manage a perfect game if you don't have the horses. Clearly not talking about Mo here, but when you consider recent bullpen arms such as Kyle Farnsworth, Edwar Ramirez, Alfredo Aceves, Brian Brunney, Damaso Marte, and Rafael Soriano this year, this statement makes sense.

How do you manage a bullpen with guys like this as an option? Edwar once gave my friend a ticket for spitting in the pedestrian bridge to Yankee Stadium. True story.

My immediate reaction last night was to "jump ship" on Girardi when he started emptying the bullpen. I felt like I was watching an all-star game, as every 1-2 innings a new pitcher took the hill. I was skeptical that Nova was truly hurt, but it turns out that he was (MRI reveals strained forearm). It also turns out that Girardi's bullpen revolving door worked out for the team. The only run after Nova's first inning was a run that ace CC Sabathia surrendered. To that end, I can't kill him too much for this loss.

You simply have to hit in a big spot. That's the bottom line. And so, it leaves us as Yankee fans with some burning issues heading into 2012:

• CC Sabathia can (and will) opt out to look for more money. The Yanks will have to pay him. They have no choice. Despite his postseason woes, there are no more-viable alternatives on the open market. It's scary to imagine the rotation if CC leaves.
• Nick Swisher has a club option for 2012 at $10.25 million. That's not getting picked up. But will they bring Swish back? No one has been more of a fan favorite than Swish, but three straight awful postseasons will punch your ticket out of town (.169 career postseason hitter). I'll root for him wherever he ends up, but I'm ready to move on in RF.
• Alex Rodriguez has SIX more years left on his contract at $20 million plus a season. And he looks like he's starting to break down. His bat speed has slowed down, and he has looked overmatched at the plate for the first time in his career. Consider that in 2017 he'll be 41 and making $20 million. Scary. They had better start winning some more championships to make that pay off. One is not enough.
• Jorge Posada is a free agent and will surely try to find a way to stay with the team. Going off Girardi's "wherever he plays" comment after Game 5, it doesn't look like the Yanks will bring him back. And they shouldn't. Please retire Jorge. I want you to have a civil end to your Yankee carrer. I don't want to see you DHing for the Minnesota Twins.
• AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes, who both entered the season with high hopes for being a part of a stellar rotation, had forgettable 2011's. While we are counting the days until AJ is out of town, Hughes' situation is one of greater urgency. In the span of a year, he went from looking like the next Yankee stud to looking like he could go the way of Sterling Hitchcock. 
• The catching situation. Russell Martin looked lost at the plate, but solid behind it. However, with Jesus Montero and Austin Romine seemingly ready to be in the show, how will this play out? Montero projects as a position player, but could also be traded for a starting pitcher. Martin should come back for another year, but not without a shorter leash.

It will be a long, and very interesting, off-season.

NFL Week 1 Banter

Week 1 of the NFL season usually brings its share of surprises, flashes in the pan, and bold statements that begin to lay the foundation for the rest of the NFL season. The best way to attack what was an eventful Week 1 is to separate the performances into The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Many of the usual suspects will show up in the Good, while the Bad contains some players and teams that were not a huge surprise. The Ugly is littered with those who were not only bad, but were bad in style.

The Good

With the good, we've gotta begin with Panthers QB Cam Newton. Under much scrutiny due to the failures of previous athletic but inaccurate QB's in the NFL (Vince Young, Tim Tebow, etc.), all Newton did was respond by having the best statistical QB debut of any rookie QB in history. As a Cam detractor, I've got to give him props. We should temper our expectations going forward, as this was only one game (and against the Cardinals D to begin with). And it should be pointed out that his team lost. But at the very least, he's proven that he's capable of being an NFL quarterback. Oh by the way, it helps to have a resurgent Steve Smith catching deep balls and putting up 2007-esque numbers. Along with the QB ilk are some of the usual suspects, Thursday night phenoms Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, who were predictably outstanding. Meanwhile, on MNF Tom Brady and Wes Welker proved that they have a lot left in the tank as a dynamic duo. Brady threw for an insane 500+ yards, while Welker continues to post #1 WR numbers out of the slot. Lastly, a forgotten Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 4 scores against the Chiefs, while everyone else had left the Bills offense for dead. He found 6'7 specimen Scott Chandler for 2 scores, and made everyone think twice about the role of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

Cam may have been the most watched player this weekend. "He's an athlete, not a passer" is what many an analyst said. All he did in response was throw for 422 yards and prove that he'll never end up in the Akili Smith/Ryan Leaf realm. 

Ray Rice and the Ravens offense went wild in Pittsburgh, while the Ravens Defense coaxed a consistent, conservative offense into 7 turnovers. Darren McFadden went all Barry Sanders on the Broncos defense, rushing for a million yards with no touchdowns. Cedric Benson took awhile to get going for Cincy, but closed the game out for the (1-0) Bengals. Enough so to compensate (???) for the loss of starting QB Andy Dalton. Usual slashers Matt Forte and LeSean McCoy put up huge numbers for their teams, while I'm still not sure what to make of San Diego's Mike Tolbert. A fullback's physique. Looks slow in highlights. But finds the end zone at an amazing clip. A rich man's Charles Way, he's a major reason why the Bolts were able to eke out their win versus the Vikes.

In one of the least interesting games, Tennessee's Kenny Britt shined in a loss with no running game and an aging quarterback. Must have read the PepeVibe's July 21st entry (Not So Goodell?) before the game. All in all, his team still lost, but Britt has proven that at the very least he's a delinquent who can be productive. Some usual suspects put up big games at WR. Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson did Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson things, and Reggie Wayne put numbers up despite playing in an anemic Peyton-less offense. Last, but certainly not least, is the 49ers Ted Ginn Jr., who actually put up better numbers for the 49ers D/ST than he did for himself (in fantasy football circles). Two kick returns to paydirt to seal the game is legit. Although Ginn's performance as a WR in the NFL has certainly been disappointing (for a #9 overall pick), his special teams value cannot be understated.

Umm...Can we get one of these tight ends please?

While many teams (ahem..Giants....ahem) are reeling at the position, Patriots tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski managed to each post Top 5 numbers (13 collective receptions). They've got to be thanking God every night they were drafted into Tom Brady's offense. Fred Davis emerged in Washington to counteract an aging Chris Cooley, while Dustin Keller brought down several key receptions in the Jets gritty win against the Vibe's Cowboys.

The Bad

One of the harder things to do is differentiate between The Bad and The Ugly. It's tough to be "bad" in the NFL without being ugly. We'll start with a few "systems" that disappointed this weekend. The Giants running game and the Buccaneers running game left fans scratching their heads. With proven playmakers in the fold, each failed to give its top two running backs over 20 carries. The Broncos running game, meanwhile, posted fewer than 50 yards. QB Kyle Orton rushed for over half of Knowshon Moreno's total. And he rushed for 13 yards. The 49ers Offense had their own offensive woes, only to be outdone by the Seahawks Offense. With each posting just over 200 yards, I feel badly for anyone who watched this whole game. On Thursday night, a hyped Saints Defense let Super Bowl Champ Aaron Rodgers hang a 42-spot on them. This team will be in the playoffs, but they had better hope they straighten things out on that side of the ball.

Tavaris may help the Seahawks ultimately exact revenge on the Niners...by leading them to the finish line of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. That'll show Jim Harbaugh..

Holdout extraordinaire Chris Johnson was a non-factor for the Titans (49 total yards) opening up the floodgates for scrutiny as to how prepared he is for an NFL season. Staying in the AFC South, poor Kerry Collins completed just over 50% of his passes and fumbled twice in the first half. It's interesting that the Colts landed on him as the security blanket for Peyton. I don't know what else to say, except that it feels like you are watching your grandfather out there taking lumps. It may be strange that I'm mentioning Falcons QB Matt Ryan here, as he threw for 300+ yards, but he failed to orchestrate any kind of productive offense. Meanwhile, he was responsible for 2 turnovers.

Does Gramps still have a few wins left in him? Didn't look like it on Sunday. A modern-day Steve DeBerg...

It's tough to list WR's as "Bad," because sometimes poor numbers are a function of the quarterback or of offensive play as a whole. See the blurb on McNabb and the Vikings below. Chad Ochocinco does not apply here. His quarterback threw for 500 yards, and he had 1 catch for 14 yards. While the Pats are happy with the resounding win, Chad can't be happy with his Week 1 showing.

The Ugly

Where do I begin with Tony Romo...I want so badly to support him. He plays so well, and with swagger, most of the time. But he just morphs into a different person in the 4th quarter. I could write another whole blog about this, but I'm going to take the high road. I won't lie, I thought that Dez Bryant was the best player of the field in the first half of that game. But why was he on the field after he bruised his quad and clearly couldn't run? What's more, why was Romo continuing to target him, especially with Revis covering? Ugh, one demerit to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett.

As ugly as it gets....Has there ever been a player with as much talent who has imploded in clutch moments? He's officially on the clock to show something, or get out of town.

The Redskins looked out of their mind this offseason by jettisoning Donovan McNabb. Boy, do they look like geniuses after Week 1. McNabb was a Ryan Leaf-esque 7/15 for 39 yards. His touchdown pass was countered with a costly pick, and he failed to help the Vikings capitalize on a Chargers offense that could not seem to finish its drives.

And where do I begin with the Chiefs Offense? Matt Cassel managed to throw for just 119 yards while trailing big most of the game. You would think he'd at least compile yards (a la Collins, above). Their leading receivers (Breaston, McCluster, and Leonard Pope) had 26, 25, and 24 receiving yards respectively. Which means that Dwayne Bowe needs to get called out for failing to have an impact on this game.

On Monday Night, the Broncos Front Office has put itself in a position where their starting quarterback (who's actually not too bad) will be in an impossible situation this year. By not trading Orton away, the Denver execs will be listening to "Tebow, Tebow, Tebow" chants all season. The fans have every right to feel that way, wanting to see what their 2010 first round pick has. But Kyle Orton doesn't deserve it. I'm sure he wants to start chanting "We want a running back, we want a running back.."

Giants fans have got to be growing tired of Coughlin's sideline antics and failure to produce on the field.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants. Let me be clear, this is not a dig. Hell, I'm coming down hard on my own team in this same blog. It's just that the Giants made no moves all offseason, while telling the fans and media that they were "good to go" with the players they had on the roster. Don't get me wrong, they've been hurt by injuries, but their performance on Sunday was nothing short of ugly. Coughlin gets the call out for two reasons. #1 failure to demand that Gilbride call more running plays, and #2 his body language on the sidelines. His looks of exasperation, coupled with his red-faced tirades at officials and his own players, make Eli Manning look like he's got a poker face. I feel bad for Eli. Not because he's got certain receivers who are unreliable. Not because he's got no tight end. You can't hang that whole loss on him, but he's simply just not as good as people want him to be. As a former Super Bowl champ, he's moving more towards Trent Dilfer status than Tom Brady status.

-----

And to close out the blog...I could care less that Jay Cutler threw for 300 yards, 2TD, and only had one turnover in a Bears win. He still isn't getting props from me. He should consider himself lucky he did not end up in the Ugly section for his despicable aura.

Begins with a D...and rhymes with "whoosh"