I’m glad to be such a proponent for change. After last week’s rant about Tedd Ginn being the only receiver in ESPN’s Heisman watch, Chris Spielman added Calvin Johnson- who by the way still isn’t the best receiver in the NCAA, and kept Ginn in the mix, probably because Kirk Herbstreet paid him.

But I digress.

Spielman is getting closer to getting his list right but here’s how I would have my wide receivers ranked.

- Mario Manningham WR- Michigan –Twelfth in the NCAA in receiving yards with 527; first in the NCAA in touchdown receptions (9).

- Calvin Johnson WR- Georgia Tech – Just ahead of Manningham in yards (559) right behind him in touchdowns (8).

- DeSean Jackson - WR – California/ Robert Meacham WR Tennesee – Solid numbers all around.


In the case of running backs Northern Illinois finesse back Garrett Wolfe has still been overlooked by Spielman even though he has 496 more rushing yards than any other back in the nation. He may play in the MAC, but 353 yards against anyone, even Ball State, is worth a tip of the cap.

Besides, Ball State heads to Ann Arbor in a month, and I’d bet my life Mike Hart doesn’t crack 253 yards against the Cardinals. Spielman still has him on his list though, along with Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma who has 400 less rushing yards and five less touchdowns.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone Wolfe put up 285 total yards on Ohio State plus a touchdown. To find someone with a performance that good you must go back to last September when Vince Young had 340 total yards. I wonder if he was on Spielman's list?

And I've heard so much about this "it" factor- I thought I knew what "it" was, but I apparently I don't know what "it" is when Steve Slaton is listed as a contender, but Garrett Wolfe is left in the cold. If this kid did any more work they'd call him Larry Johnson. 

Thoughts on Michigan Football:

Michigan defeated Minnesota  28-14 this weekend, but before I even had time to watch the replays my State fan friends were already talking smack. 

“If Michigan was so good why did they only win by 14.”

 I must have heard this at least three times since Saturday. People downplaying a fourteen point win, yet when we talk about USC’s 28-14 win over Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl- USC thumped them. Isn’t this a double standard? And didn’t Michigan State just lose Illinois? How comments are like that even remotely justified.

 

Thoughts on High School errrr Michigan State Football Reading the newspaper today I realized that Michigan State cared more about who was planting what on the 50-yard line after Saturday's game- than what was on the scoreboard.

And it's not like a team that just lost to bottom feeding Illinois even has the right to oppose a flag plant in the first place- but the ironic thing is they were the ones who started the flag planting in the first place.

Forget about Notre Dame and the Golden Megaphone trophy- nobody brings the Megaphone trophy to the games anyway. What is important is that the players are more motivated to fight after games they lose, and taunt the Irish after wins, than they are to beat a team with as much prestige as my flag football team.

Say what you want about who was right or who was wrong but ask yourself a question: Would Ohio State ever flag plant, or get in a fight after a game? What about Auburn, USC, Michigan or Texas? Definately not. So if John L. Smith wants his team to become elite like the powerhouses I've mentioned maybe he needs to
have his team act like one. Otherwise they will never play like one.

And its not like he's going to have a long time to do it. Surely the search for John L.'s replacement began moments after the loss to Illinois but is there anyone really out there. Gary Barnett and Rick Nueheisel and Steve Mariucci come to mind as great replacements for the Spartans. They would surely help continue the trend of Spartan coaches who couldn't control their teams actions on and off the field.

Mid-Major coaches are a tough breed to choose from too- Smith has proven that since he came up from Lousville as did Dan Hawkins with this terrible thing he calls a football team over in Colorado. Then you have the coordinators and assistants from around college football in the NFL, but would anyone really leave a job in the NFL to coach for MSU and risk career suicide? And would anyone leave a cushy job as a play caller to take the reigns of a program struggling to breathe right now?

Probably not.

 Thoughts on Howie Long’s thoughts on the Lions:

 During Sunday’s NFL pre game show on FOX Howie Long stood up for Matt Millen crediting Millen with a tough job in managing the Lions. As if his Radio Shack commercials aren’t bad enough, he has the nerve to support Matt Millen the worst general manager in the history of sports. Yes he is way worse than Isaiah Thomas.

 

When the Lions hired Millen in 2001 he was in charge of rebuilding a mediocre team who had limited success in four previous decades. A few sporadic playoff appearances, a couple wins, and a whole slew of 8-8, 9-7 and 10-6 records. The Lions needed a little help to become a little more consistent, take some shape, and become a contender now and then. But with Millen, the best they have done is 5-11. Basically, Howie Long supports a guy who has managed to rebuild so poorly that it needs to be rebuilt again. He supports a general manager who drafts terrible players, chooses poor coaches, makes bad media decisions (calling Johnny Morton ####) and offends fan more than anything else. He also supports a team president who has presided over the worst stretch of Lions football ever. You look it up. In the pantheon of terrible Lions stretches has there ever been a worse five years for them? No.

 

 I could go on for hours but the point is clear, the Lions have always been terrible, Millen has made them intolerable, he is just as bad, if not worse than any one else in the organization. Every one is to blame, and if Howie Long doesn’t think so, maybe he should ask himself how he would evaluate the situation if this was his favorite team.

I'm not really sure if she did or not but I am pretty sure there were close to 3,000 people out there.

I just want to use this last of my four posts on the Alamo to clear up a few things. (If you didn't read the last ones do that cause they are better and more detailed).

One Michigan player ran on the field and two coaches; not 30. I saw a see of red on the field before anything. On any other play the play would be whistled dead immediately. You know it. I know it. From that point the play was tainted.

The refs were bad and like the announcers said... consistantly bad... still though Michigan still found there way back in the game - and even after the whole Nebraska team ran on the field they still almost won the game.

Props are in order for Chad Henne for not getting sacked with :02 seconds left. Mike Hart for breaking 4 tackles before the end of the craziest play ever. Mario Manningham, Jason Avant, Steve Breaston for keeping that play alive so long. Matt Bihl for having the awareness and knowing well enough not to catch the ball but to knock it back and keep it alive. Tyler Ecker -great job to run down field and give me whatever remaining hope I had left. I know you didn't know Breaston was behind you, and I know you played your tail off. Lloyd Carr - its been about 12 hours since the game and you haven't killed anyone yet. This is a good thing.

Before I go I still want more feedback about this mess. No one has given me their opinion on the inneficient replay system. What about that pass interference no call? Was that even a fumble? And how do they let camera men on the fied? How can the NCAA the greatest sports body besides the NFL let this atrocity occur?

Get at me. And good luck.

---

BEFORE YOU READ THIS READ MY LAST POST.

I must be a terrible person to deserve this and I know I usually get lucky since I am a Michigan fan and all but seriously why does it always have to go down like this. As if last year wasn't bad enough... I get to deal with all my friends at school (Michigan State) of all places.

I never get a word in edgewise about Michigan football and now I get a barrage of instant messages about how Michigan sucks from people who can't tell Mario Manningham from Matt Trannon.

Even my family has stopped rooting for Michigan - they don't even care that we just lost a third straight bowl game- meanwhile my buddy Erik is popping his Nebraska shirt all over my basement.

I mentioned in my last post that I hope this does not signify a coaching change in Ann Arbor. I am fairly certain Carr is planning on retiring in two years and passing the team on to Terry Malone.

I guess what I am trying to say is I don't think firing Carr is justified. Yes he loses a lot of big games. Yes he blows Big Ten Openers and is mediocre in the Bowls but still he has owned the Big Ten lately. He has 5 Big Ten championships and one National Championship in 11 years of coaching. No other coach is that good. Okay well maybe Pete Carrol but he is part robot.

By the way does anyone else think any other team could come anywhere near scoring on that rediculous of a play. USC or Texas? No WAY...... Michigan had Hart.... (get it).

Wow. Yeah I am getting delusional now. This is like my 3rd post in less than an hour about how my year has been ruined by poor refs and the mediocre Cornhuskers. At this point writing has become my only outlet - so it is no wonder I am going to school to become a sportswriter.

I just ask that everyone out there writing please humor me, and leave me comments about this wacky game. Were the refs at fault? Should Michigan get a re-over? How should plays like that be handled? Should Carr be fired? What's the deal with instant replay? And how can a game end like that.

I know that I am honestly cursed or something because the only three teams I care about the Wolverines, Tigers, and Lions have some poor luck. Yeah I know the Red Wings are great but I don't care. I like football and basketball.

I have to go now, I am too angry to write. To tired to think. To dissapointed to argue. My Wrists hurt from striking the keyboard.... after a lot of hard work... like Michigan I gave it my all... this sad Wolverine is calling it quits for the night.

I am the umpteenth person to say this but I think the winner of the Alamo Bowl should be awarded the outright 1997 National Championship. Michigan deserved it in 1997 but was robbed by a Cornusking loving nation. Although I know this will never happen, I do know Michigan will roll tonight because their offense is too potent.

I put alot of stock into NCAA '06. Nebraska is mediocre but their running backs are pretty food. Still not good enough to take down the Wolverines.

The Wolverines enter the Alamo Bowl with a 7-4 record after a season full of close games. All four Wolverine losses were by less than 7 points including an overtime loss to Wisconsin and a loss on a last minute field goal to Minnesota.  (The other two losses being to rivals and BCS game participants Ohio State and Notre Dame).

Although Nebraska enters the bowl with the same record they are hardly the caliber team Michigan is. Nebraska endured a 3-game skid towards the end of the season including losses to underachievers such as Missouri and just plain bad- Kansas.

Nebraska holds very few edges in the matchup. Scouts say Nebraska has a strong defensive line anchored by defensive end Adam Carriker but the true story line will be how Nebraskas line can hold up to a healthy Michigan line. Plagued by injuries all-season to All-Big ten balloters Leo Henige andJake Long the Wolverines finally have had some time to rest. Meanwhile injuries to offensive components Mike Hart, Jerome Jackson and Tim Massaqoui should provide the Wolverines with enough fire power to take down the Cornhuskers.

Even if the Maize and Blue do play without starting halfback Mike Hart lets remember they are the No. 1 winningest team of all-time. They find ways to win even in the event of injuries.

Offensively both teams are solid at the quarterback position. In a ground based offensive attack this season Chad Henne was still able to complete 20 touchdown passes while only throwing 10 interceptions. While his numbers are down from last season - much of that can be attributed to the loss of first round pick Braylon Edwards injuries to Hart, Jackson, Massaqoui, Breaston and junior wide reciever Adrian Arrington.

Henne completed 59 percent of his passes this season opposed to Nebraska's Zach Taylor has only completed 55. Taylor however spurs from a very dissimilar offense than Michigan. With Callahan's new West Coast clusterball Taylor threw for 2400 yards 16 touchodwns and 10 interceptions this season.

At the runningback position Michigan clearly holds the upper hand. Michigan touts 4 running backs who have sported touchdowns this season and a total of five running backs who have run for over 10 yards this season and scored a touchdown. Mike Hart, Kevin Grady, Max Martin, Jerome Jackson and even little Alijah Bradley are too strong and quick for Nebraska. Runningback by committee is stronger than Corey Ross' 700 yards and 4 touchdowns will ever be.

At reciever Michigan once again has some big play makers than Nebraska does not. We have all heard about the quick feat of Steve Breaston but Michigan has two deep threats in Jason Avant and Mario Manningham. Avant one of the leagues best possesion recievers often draws double coverage leaving freshman superstar Mario Manningham to make the clutch catches. Michigan also touts a great blocking and catching tight end with Tim Massaqoui.

Michigan won't have Braylon Edwards but they have a long list of playmakers. Avant, Breaston, Antonio Bass just to name a few.

Defensively Nebraska has arguably the best player in cornerback Cortney Grixby. Still Grixby can only cover one Michigan reciever leaving BIG RED in some BIG trouble. Michigan has many playmakers on defense including linebackers Pierre Woods, Lamar Woodley,and Prescott Burgess not to mention first team All-Big Ten players Gabe Watson and Grant Mason.

Special Teams once again goes to Michigan because when Breaston is fielding punts and kicks there is not much and slow Big 12 team can do about it. Yes Michigan has lost their last two bowl games. By a combined 15 points to USC and Texas - both much stronger than Nebraska.

 

My pick: Michigan 35 Nebraska 13. Nebraska made an egregious error when they hired Bill Callahan it is time to go back to the power attack. It is the only way Nebraska can win games against teams like michigan.

*** Michigan is 45-1 since 2001 when scoring more than 30 points****

A few more quick thoughts (and some not so quick thoughts)  I had while doing the Ickey Shuffle in front of my mirror:

I was reading a blog earlier where this blogger was ranting about talkative sports announcers. For the most part nothing beats a running commentary by John Madden where he turns a routine shovel pass commentary into a 45 second discussion with Al Micheals about snow shovels but tonight one announcer proved me wrong.

Tonight in overtime of the Pistons Grizzlies game Pistons announcer said "Tayshaun got him from behind." It might be the fifth grader in me but, does anyone else find that funny? The only other better awkward announcing mishap occured this football season during the Michigan Indiana donnybrook.

Since Michigan was up by nearly a dozen touchdowns they put in wide reciever Doug Dutch who sees less action than the backseat of my Ford Focus. As Dutch saw more and more action - and ultimately made more mistakes the announcers started shifting their focus towards Dutch's play using a play on words with his last name.

It went something like this:

Anouncer 1: Dutch just dropped a pass, that means Dutch is in Lloyd Carr's Oven.

Announcer 2: Dutch will have to get another catch to get out of the oven

two plays later

Announcer 2: Dutch makes the catch and he is out of the oven.

Announcer 1: Wait a penalty on Doug Dutch, Dutch is back in the oven.

I kid you not folks. I can not make this stuff up. I realize though this probably has zero comical value because (a) you are not nine. and (b) you had the be there. By the way you ever notice when someone says "you had to be there" that its a sort of forshadowing that whatever they are going to tell you or whatever they did tell you was a waste of time. Yeah. In case I forgot... you had to be there. I know there has to be more of these announcer slip ups though so if anyone knows of any let me know I would love to hear them. And no that Ball State student

Another quick note on announcing. Rick Mahorn keeps mentioning the Pistons rebounding prowess. He has said it like nine times tonight . I give it five minutes before he reaches Jay Bilas NBA draft status with the phrase "tremendous upside".

Staying with college football I noticed that a few Texas players have some off the field issues specifically Romance Taylor and Cedric Griffith. Now while I am usually pretty knowledgeable about college football... BUT there are 117 teams and nearly 100 players on each squad... .the least the AP could do in their stories is refer to them by thier numbers or overall rating in NCAA '06 so I can properly guage a teams chance of winning without them.

By the way why doesn't NCAA '06 have the flea flicker - other than because it's the only play I would ever run. Tecmo Bowl had it.

This guy didn't get loose off the flea flicker he's running away from the Dutch Oven.

I'm still watching the Pistons Grizzlies 9 hour extravaganza - the teams still haven't scored 100 points and Im starting to realize that the Suns would have had about 267 by now, but still can't beat the Spurs or Pistons. The way both those teams are owning their conferences right now is there any doubt in anyones mind that they will return to the championship? You can make a case for the Heat, Spurs maybe the Mavs or Cavs but why bother?

I just noticed that Chauncey Billups is incredibly clutch. My boss thinks that Rasheed is more clutch but I think he is wrong. Even so... is there a bad option for the Pistons when they are in a clutch situation. Its like they each inherited part of Larry Birds soul when he left the game. Except for Darko. He inherited Kurt Rambis's awkward demeanor.

Poor Darko.

Okay theres number 10 for Rick Mahorn - rebounding prowess is officially a sports cliche. If this was wrestling someone surely would have hit him with a chair or thrown salt in his eyes by now.

 

 Rick Mahorn has tremendous upsides repetitive sports cliches are not one of them.

Pistons finnally hit the 100 point plateau meanwhile I think the DJ for the Grizzlies is on coccaine. He wont stop playing music at inoportune times. During time outs yeah, but during injuries, and gameplay... c'mon. They just got done playing Cypress Hill's Rap Superstar when Damon Stoudemire drove the lane... wouldn't Afro Man's Because I Got High been more appropriate. Since they have Cypress Hill, I wonder if they play Insane in the Membrane when Ron Artest plays or maybe like "I am Wierd Long and Gangly and I Have a Watermelon Shaped Head" for Tay-Tay- that has to be a Wierd Al song or something.

Okay Rick Mahorn is officially on my hitlist.

Im done with him and I am done with the NBA in this column.

I mentioned in the title that this entry would have something to do with the NHL. But like everyone else I like the NHL about as much as I like stepping on rusty nails. Anyone who doesn't agree can just watch as this entry sits atop the NHL updated blogs page for like 13 days while it will be bumped off the other pages in mere minutes.

Okay last thing I swear: Yesterday I mentioned there was a Chuck Norris fact generator could be found through google.com but apparently there is Mr. T fact generator too.

Here is my favorite Mr. T fact: Mr. T is allergic to doorknobs, that is why he kicks doors over when he walks through doorways.

Check out the site folks. Tremendous upside.

Chuancey A.K.A. "Mr. Big Shot" is gesturing for Mahorn to keep it down meanhwile keeping it real and clutch like the bird man.

Jon Gunnells is trying to become the Nex Great Sports Writer with his writing and rebounding prowess... leave him a comment or buy him a Grilled Stuffed Burrito- in either case he will thank you.