The Cooler:

An "After-the-Weekend" hangout to find out what happened in Sports...

Sorry, Charlie:

I sat at a table in BW3's, stunned, listening to the cheers of some Ohio State fans as the final seconds ticked off the clock in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. My beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish were beaten for the eigth straight time in a bowl game. They haven't won since Jan 1, 1994. 

I thought this year would be different. Given Charlie Weis pedigree, his references and his obvious talent, I thought Notre Dame would win by two touchdowns. I was wrong.

Maybe Charlie's buddies Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick were too busy in the last month to give him some defensive pointers--because the Irish defense was nothing short of awful. You can't win bowl games--or any games--giving up 617 total yards. The big play capability of Ted "Ginn & Tonic" looked like it scared ND most of the game. The Irish DB's often had the "Deer-In-Headlights" look for most of the game.

Charlie Weis was a great pick for Notre Dame; he changed the way offense is played in South Bend. But if the Irish are going to have a serious shot at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (site of next year's National Championship), then they've got to reinvent the defensive side of the ball as well.

Two Sides to Every Story

What started out as a footnote nearly a month ago, the fact that Laura Quinn was the sister of ND QB Brady Quinn AND was dating Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk turned into a terrible sideshow by the time the game was over. ABC interviewed her nearly half a dozen times. She wore a two-sided jersey, part Hawk/OSU, part Brady/ND. Apparently, Dr. Quinn thought it would be a great idea to equally support both players, or at least equal value to Brady's 21 years spent as her brother with A.J.'s new dating status. If she wasn't wanting the 15 minutes of fame, as she indicated, perhaps Ms. Quinn should have dressed differently and watched the game somewhere else. Or even refused to do the interviews.

Crow Eating

I'm having a bit of memory trouble, but I'm pretty sure I wrote off West Virginia, even calling out the "Big Least" conference for their automatic BCS bid. Talk about sticking your foot in your mouth: Not only was I wrong about the Mountaineers, but after Louisville's near win over Virginia Tech, I was wrong (at least for now) about the Big East.

Find a way to lose

You've got to love the persistence of the Houston Texans. Mysterious Injuries! Missed Chip Shot Field Goals! Whatever it takes to the get the #1 pick in the NFL Draft, huh fellas? Well, let's just say that the biggest accomplishment might have been getting now former Head Coach Dom Capers to go along with the "Two-Step Tank". If I were the Capers on Sunday, I wouldn't have toed the company line, especially since it was clear I was going to be canned.

For all those who think the Texans shouldn't take Reggie Bush: even if there is a chance he ends up a bust, there's an equal chance he's a superstar. If you're the Texans, what do you have to lose? You're a joke of an NFL franchise anyway. Give it a shot.

"Moore" NFL: Patriots Aren't Dumb 

So if you're Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and you notice that the Cincinnati Bengals are getting pasted by the Kansas City Chiefs, do you jump at the chance to grab the #3 seed in the AFC by beating the Miami Dolphins? At first, most would say yes.

However, upon further review, let's look at the facts: 1) There is no difference in the #3 or #4 seed in the AFC. No bye week and no extra home playoff games. 2) There is a difference is the team you will face.

That's the difference. The Patriots took the loss on Sunday and actually won in the long run. Instead of being the #3 seed and facing Pittsburgh this weekend, they leave that to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Pats will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, a playoff team that's basically just survived without Byron Leftwich. As I say nearly every week now: there's a reason the Patriots have won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls.

As the Ax Falls: Fired NFL Coaches 

They call it 'Black Monday' around the NFL for a reason. Don't feel sorry for these guys, which tends to happen as time goes on. Look, Mike Tice deserved to be fired in Minnesota. His team greatly underachieved, they missed the playoffs and were rocked by scandal. Jim Haslett insane request to the equally insane owner of the Saints Tom Benson was enough to get fired, and he defintely should have been canned. Read my comments on this from last week below.

Mike Martz also lost control of himself and his team over the years. With his health a concern and his coaching philosophy an even bigger concern, it was the right move to dump him in St. Louis.

As we finish up today, I think it's only fitting we shed a tear for the third retirement of Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil.

Now get back to work...