That never happens

Jerome Bettis never fumbles. Peyton Manning never mismanages the clock. Mike Vanderjagt never misses a field goal. Oh yeah, and quarterbacks make tackles only slightly more frequently than kickers force fumbles.

The only one who could do anything about it was Roethlisberger, who made a critical decision the instant he saw the ball squirt free. His first instinct was to dive after it, but he realized he had no chance and began retreating like a center fielder who'd lost a fly ball but wasn't about to let it get over his head.

Roethlisberger began to serpentine, trying to avoid any potential blockers.

"I think I turned him enough times that he got close to me and couldn't decide which way to go," Roethlisberger said. "I just saw his leg and grabbed it, and luckily he went down."

As Roethlisberger noted, luck played a part in his fortuitous stop of Nick Harper. Still, is that not the most clutch thing you've ever heard in your life?

I've never felt that much of an adrenaline rush over a football game. My heart was literally pounding for quite a while.

The Carson Palmer Hit

Pittsburgh fans do feel bad about it, just in case there's a question. All football fans know the game is physical, but no one wants to see someone permanently injured or taken out of the game.

Something that hasn't been pointed out in the media (that I'm aware of), though: if you watch the video, you'll see an offensive lineman pushing von Oelhoffen toward the place where Palmer had just stepped up to throw. I was watching the Texas Tech basketball game yesterday — it's not the one true sport, but it makes good background noise — and a player went out of the game after he incurred what appeared to be a knee injury.

The commentator, whose name I didn't catch, brought up the Palmer hit and said "When bodies start rolling toward knees, I think there's malice aforethought." My immediate reaction was "Shut up and stick to calling the game in the sport you actually know something about." The linebacker meant to take the future of his team out of the game? I don't think so.

Black and Gold Friday was yesterday, and there was even more black and gold being sported than usual. People are, well, nervous about the Steelers playing the Colts, and there are people who aren't very confident that the Steelers can win. Honus Wagner Sporting Goods has put up signs saying that the Super Bowl isn't on February 5th, it's on January 15th when the Steelers play the Colts. The employees of the county courthouse converted their Christmas tree to a black and gold tree. I shot some pictures, but they were on the film camera for my photography class. Just before the workday ended, they converged in the courtyard where the tree is for a group photo. They were very excited, and a couple of guys were tossing around a ball. It was nice to see.

People are tweaked that the Colts are encouraging ticket holders not to sell them to Steelers fans. I understand it, but I think that the Colts shouldn't need to stoop to that.

Concerning Nick Harper, ESPN is reporting at the moment that he'll probably play. He apparently looks better now, though he was limping around the clubhouse earlier. I don't know anything more than the background given here, so I'm not going to comment for the moment.

Jack No-Football is Gaining on Us

The series will have a championship game next year. Over the past couple of years, this has probably been one of the biggest criticisms of the BCS. As it is currently, the BCS works best when there are exactly two undefeated teams. If there are ever, say, three teams with equivalent records, having a championship game should decide who's "really the best."

In other news, I'm a little disappointed that Santonio Holmes is planning to hit the NFL, even though he apparently has Tressel's blessing. I think another year of college ball could be good for Holmes. It might teach him not to celebrate at inappropriate times, or something. Okay, probably not.

This is the time of year when we feel the cold breath of the Specter of No Football creeping up on us. The college bowls are ending, and the pro playoffs are coming soon. The Super Bowl is practically staring us in the face, though we don't know who will play in it. But once that's over, there will be little football activity until April, when the draft takes place. Well, that's how it usually is. I wouldn't be too surprised if T.O. sues the Eagles in the off-season, or something.

This could be a great rookie class, if Holmes, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, LenDale White, and Vince Young decide to go. Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if I were to receive a message from my future self telling me that Young performed a Grossman-like role for whichever team lands him. His performance at the Rose Bowl suggests that he has the "intangibles" that will allow him to energize his team. I think Leinart's performance would be better than Kyle Orton's, but I haven't seen the evidence that Leinart has the leadership qualities that Young has shown. (He might be more like Donovan McNabb, who some have suggested doesn't have the leadership qualities to unite the Eagles.)

I'm partial to the Titans — I've got family in Tennessee — and my dream scenario is that Tennessee trades up from #3 (if necessary) to get Young. Steve McNair, sadly, is nearing the end of his playing days, and Billy Volek isn't going to cut it as the QB of the future. The Texas would be better served by getting some protection for David Carr, and then seriously asking themselves whether they need Reggie Bush, or whether some free agent running backs, deep threats, and draft picks for next year would serve them better.

New Orleans is number 2. They benched Aaron Brooks, their six-year starter. Their backup had mixed success, but they took a quarterback in the fifth round of the 2005 draft, and they're reportedly pleased with his progress. New Orleans doesn't really need a quarterback, and if they dump Brooks two years early, the last two years of his $5 million signing bonus will count against the salary cap. Saints owner Tom Benson has come across as tight-fisted in the months since Hurricane Katrina forced his team's relocation; he might not be particularly willing to spend big money on another QB prospect. In my opinion, you have to go down to number 10 (Arizona) to find a team that is even close to needing a quarterback the way Tennessee does.

Ideally, the Titans need to trade up to get Young, if he comes out this year. If not, Leinart is their best bet.

I hope you've been taping and TiVoing the best games of the year, because, my friends, NFL winter is upon us.

Bowls, Old Footballs, and Other Such Round Things

You've probably heard about Doug Flutie's retro kick. But did you know that he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week? The Courtier pointed me to a great page on the history of the drop kick. Must have been impossible to throw a spiral with one of those old-style balls.

I agree with Schadenfreude Dave: nothing is more canonically Tressel than giving someone a collar stay. We are talking about a guy who stuck to his uniform — the sweater vest — in 72 degree weather. I felt bad for Weis and company by the end. Tressel and Weis have a lot in common, though: they both have their dream jobs, and both took their teams to a bowl in their first year. For Ohio State it was merely the Outback Bowl, and the loss felt ignominious. But the next year, Ohio State had a championship season. Notre Dame will be back next year, better-stronger-faster, even though things look grim now.

I wasn't sure Ohio State could pull it off, but they did.

I stayed up late, and was gratified to see Penn State come away with the win. Guess firejoepaterno.com will be making that branding switch any day now. Well before I lived in Pennsylvania, I learned to appreciate JoePa at my mother's knee, mainly for his wide-reaching commitment to Penn State.

I admit to surprise that Texas is leading USC, even though it's arguably by virtue of a touchdown that should not be. (That was a strong drive — they might have gone in on the next play even if Young had been ruled down. But we'll never know now.)

Enjoy the rest of the game. Switching gears, though, Tangerine Penguin has a shrewd analysis of the president's probable stance on the McCain Amendment.

P.S. I love the people who come here via Google, but "vince young prostitutes" and "dana jacobson is an amazon"? Care to clue me in?

The blogging equivalent of a clip show

One of my local papers printed Boot to the Head, an article about a college professor who spent four days at a Marines boot camp. It's an interesting read.

From News of the Weird:

Japan's Pro Baseball Owners' Association decided in August that, beginning next season, leaders of cheering sections will be required to submit to
background checks and be licensed. Permits will be required for anyone who
plays drums or trumpets at the game, waves flags or banners, or leads organized
chants. Owners say organized-crime gangs were moving into the cheering
sections and shaking down fans for tips.

Jeez. And we thought we had a problem with those guys who come up to you when you're stopped at a traffic light and wash your windshield. (Clearly, they should follow the Eagles' lead and put a courtroom in the stadium.)

In conclusion, here's an interesting article comparing women's hockey to the post-lockout NHL.

"This is the game the NHL is trying to get to," says (male) coach Chris
Ciardi. "The women's game is much more of a skill game."

"If this is love it breaks my heart"

One of the downsides to covering pro sports, or blogging about it, is that sometimes you have to talk about young men screwing up their lives. (Off the top of my head, it seems the group of said young men is disproportionately black, but that's a gut feeling and not based on any actual statistical analysis.) Case in point: Maurice Clarett.

Ohio State fans were delighted with his breakaway runs. We worried when he got injured, felt stabbed in the back by his accusations of NCAA rule violations, and mostly cynically disinterested when Denver drafted him.

I personally kind of hoped he would get it together and succeed in Denver. I thought it would in a way make up for his off the field actions at Ohio State. Sadly, he was cut there, because of "injuries and other reasons." Maybe he just isn't emotionally mature or physically strong enough to play professional football.

I hope that this story turns out to be false. Even though Clarett ultimately disappointed Ohio State fans, he was a big part of the team's championship season.

Bowl Notes

If you haven't seen this lovely article on the Patriots' Mike Vrabel as the Robert Horry of the NFL, you really should give it a look. How is he not in the Pro Bowl?

I was in transit yesterday, but I just finished watching the crazy lateral play at the end of the Alamo Bowl. Herbstreit and Tirico spent a good bit of time trashing the officials for bad calls and forcing Lloyd Carr to burn time outs to kick-start the replay process. Interestingly, the announcers who covered the Champs Sports Bowl praised the officiating crew in that game for their handling of the replay process and difficult calls. The crews in both those bowls were from the Sun Belt conference, which doesn't have instant replay.

Herbstreit was very quiet during Michigan's last-minute attempt to pull out the win. Given that he's a Buckeye alum, I doubt he wanted to see Michigan win. I certainly didn't — but you do have to admire the attempt.

Good luck to Nebraska with that restoring the order thing. Oh, and try to keep your guys off the field until the game is actually over, okay?

Scouting Indy (2)

The Indy Star has a Let It Out column. Readers can submit short rants anonymously. Here's one from yesterday:

The RCA Dome is around 20 years old, so the city has secured a 35-year loan for
a new dome. Will it last only 20 years, too?

I went past the site of the new dome. I'd have taken a picture, but well, just visualize a giant pile of dirt. They haven't gotten very far.

Problem: right next to the new site is a bean factory. Of course they want to buy the land, and apparently they've offered to relocate the factory and build him a new one. But the owner's ostensible reason for wanting to stay put is that it would negatively affect his workers, who would find it difficult to travel to a different neighborhood.

My theory — and it's only a theory — is that the owner likes the thought of having an office right next to the stadium. He could conceivably watch the game from the plant. I mean, imagine the improved morale from the company parties for home games. (Especially if he could get a building permit to add a glass-topped tower on the side, or something. But I doubt that would happen.)

He's letting the construction workers park for free now. (Skip the top part of the column about Giambi the Disco Deer. No, really.) But I bet he could make some nice money on the side by selling parking spots to game attendees.

In its first issue of 2006, ESPN the Magazine ran an article suggesting that Tony Dungy was underappreciated for his role in the team's dominance. I shot this picture a few hours before James Dungy's death was announced; at least locally he's getting some credit. (And let's not forget Dungy Drive.)