My range of emotions today resembles that of a Sine curve...

Today's news of the passing of Tony Dungy's son was not easy to read on the front of the morning sports section. It goes without saying that it is tragic occurrence...and a stunningly sobering reminder that all of sport is but merely a game -- a distraction from what is really happening out there.  As of now, the reason for his death has not been explained. Amidst the media focus on the event, I hope the Dungy family can find peace and understanding in their loss.

Speaking of the media focus on such things, I also hope that this does not derail the Colts from their path or their goals. Despite the loss to San Diego, they have the look of a truly special team.

In an effort to add some levity to the air, I thought I'd detail a hilarious little moment that happened on ESPN last night, during halftime of the Illinois/Missouri game....(a game in which Dee Brown and his supposedly depleted Illini looked as lethal as last year.)

The commentators on Sportscenter were talking about the game and then started talking about the best college basketball teams in the country. So Steve Lavin discusses Connecticut, and specifically, their point guard, Rudy Gay. Then Rick Majerus, (the portly ex-Utah coach), jumps in and says "I'M NOT A BIG GAY GUY." He pauses briefly and then goes on talking about Rudy G...meanwhile, Steve Lavin is trying unsuccessfully to contain his laughter, pursing his lips, with bursts of air coming out.

I thought maybe I had imagined the whole verbal mistep, but I was watching it on TIVO, and I "rewound" it. Sure enough, those were his exact words. It's one of those things that probably won't be replayed on ESPN or elsewhere, as it's a bit politically incorrect. But it was classic stuff, befitting of Saturday Night Live.

In the first half of Sunday's Bears Falcons game, Kyle Orton took all the snaps for Chicago. He muddled around, threw some incompletions...and generally looked nothing like the guy who took over for Rex Grossman a few months back--much less like the QB of a playoff-bound team.

Then suddenly in the second half, Rex Grossman appeared on the field. It was unexpected and yet, amidst all of the recent discussion about him being possibly better than Orton, not so unexpected.

The first thing that was evident in comparing his play to Orton's was that it seemed like a huge difference in arm strength and accuracy. I'm sure you've read or heard that his first pass was a 22 yard completion to Muhammed and another ten yarder after that that--which doesn't sound like much on paper--but they were rockets, and right on target. Plus, they were thrown to the receivers on a slant, leading them just enough so that when they caught it, they could immediately run down field at full speed.

The other thing that was impressive was his ability to hit the quick "out' pass. I was just thinking a couple of weeks ago that Orton doesn't throw that pass, for what ever reason, but that most good offenses use it. Now, with Grossman, the Bears have it. He was hitting it often, precisely and quickly.

Oddly, I didn't even know Grossman was in the game until the announcers said he was in the huddle. (I was working on Christmas cards--sort of half-following the game because both offenses were mainly punting or kicking an occasional 'iffy' field goal.)

When I heard his name I turned around, immediately feeling bad for Kyle Orton...but that feeling evaporated after those first two rocket passes. Soldier Field was going crazy and the defensive players on the sidelines were jumping up and down. The difference in fIrst half versus second half was pretty dramatic...kind of like watching the first Karate Kid film, seeing Ralph Macchio's character limping around in the last match, and you're thinking it was good to see him get this far, but that he wasn't going to beat superior competition. Then suddenly he pulls out this 'praying mantis' move and just decimates the other guy. 

 Now, for the first time all season, the Bears look like superior competition...perhaps on both sides of the ball.