47 Days Until Kickoff!!

David Pollack (#47), DE, Univ. of Georgia

And we are 47...47 David Pollack days away from the kickoff of college football. And as we've done in this space for the past week, here's a video to help get your mind ready for it. Today's video is of Alabama's regular season win over Florida in The Swamp in 1999. I can't watch this video enough.

50 Days From Kickoff!!

Darryl Gamble (#50), LB, Univ. of Georgia

And we are exactly 50...50 Darry Gamble days away from the kickoff of yet another college football season. And keeping with the week's theme, here is a video highlight to get your mind right for the season. Today's video is from Alabama's 2007 comeback drive against Arkansas. Enjoy

51 Days From Kickoff!!

Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida

We're 51...51 Brandon Spikes days away from kickoff!! Today's video is from the 1979 Sugar Bowl (and National Championshp game) Alabama vs. Penn St. The (infamous around these parts) goal line stand. ROLL TIDE.

The Player vs. the System

So, with Matt Cassell, the new QB of the Kansas City Chiefs, sigining his collosal deal on yesterday, which will pay him upwards of $60 million with $28 million guaranteed, it got me to thinking. This guy hasn't started a full season since high school. But he looked sharp last season in the absence of this generation's 1b best QB, Tom Brady (1a being #18 for the Colts). But did he look sharp because he's a fine player, or because New England has a great system in place. I mean, they were contenders with Drew Bledsoe at the helm..Even went to the Super Bowl (albeit with Bill Parcells, but the system was pretty much the same). And take Brady out of the equation, they're still an 11 win team with Cassell. But was it the system, or was it because he still had a good offensive line, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and a stout defense? Or is it really the system? That defense has gone through a number of changes personnel wise (Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Tebucky Jones, Asante Samuel, Roman Phifer, etc..all gone) and hasn't missed a beat.

And this just isn't exclusive to New England. I've often wondered the same things about my team, the SF 49ers. We had great success under Coach Walsh in the 80s with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig, and Tom Rathman. Okay. So Joe's injuries catch up with him, and he moves on to KC and ultimately retirement. Roger and Rathman both eventually retire. Coach Walsh retires. He's replaced with George Seifert. Roger is replaced with Rickey Watters. Rathman is replaced with William Floyd. And Joe is, of course, replaced with Steve Young. But the system stays in place. Same result. Super Bowl win. Was it the system or was it the players? After all, Steve Young was no slouch. Jerry's often referred to as Jesus in Cleats. And the other guys are all all-pro type players. Which was it? The system or the player?

The same can be said with the Pittsburgh Steeler's defense. Death, Taxes, and the Steelers having at least 3 linebackers each year worthy of all-pro recognition. Lambert, Ham, Russell, Gildon, Greene, Lloyd, Bell, Porter, Farrior, Foote, Harrison, and the list goes on! Is it that these guys are the mobile, agile,and hostile players that they need to be or is it Dick Labeau's system? And that question becomes even more relevant when you see that very few of those guys (especially Lloyd, Gildon, and Bell) have much success once they leave the Steelers' system.

And not only is this question exclusive to the NFL, it also applies to other sports. Basketball for instance. There's no doubt in my mind that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player that I've seen in my lifetime thus far. However, before Phil Jackon/Tex Winters's triangle offense, Michael struggled to get over the hump. Once that system was put into place, Jordan's Bulls proceeded to reel off 6 championships in 8 years. Was it the triangle offense or was it Jordan maturing as a player and as a leader along with the emergence of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant? Maybe it was the player, because the general consensus is that had Michael not played baseball for a year and a half, he would've had 8 straight championships! But then again, the 2nd set of 3 straight wins came with new players like Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr. So the parts were interchangeable in that system, and they were still successful. However, during the time that Michael was off playing baseball, the Bulls were NOT that successful with players like Randy Brown, Pete Myers, and Jud Bucheler being relied on heavily. So is the system really that good without the player?

So Phil takes the system to LA and has the same success. 3 titles plus 1. The first 3 he had the most dominant center in the history of basketball in Shaquille O'neal, the most clutch player of this generation in Robert Horry, and the closest thing yet to being heir to Jordan's throne in Kobe. So was it the players or the system? Because along the way during those first three, several NBA superstars well past their primes made LA their final pitstop just to collect hardware, like Mitch Richmond, Glen Rice, Horace Grant, and Ron Harper. So the question is asked again...is it the players or the system? Right after Shaq left, the player, Kobe, was maturing into the premiere perimeter player in the game but playing alongside the Smush Parkers and the Kwame Browns of the world was no threat to win the NBA Title. So clearly the system wasn't that helpful. Plug in Pau Gasol, a player who epitomizes that sort of system, and everything runs smoother and the 2 finals appearances and a title later, the system (and the players) comes out smelling like roses. But what's responsible for it; the players or the system?

52 Days From Kickoff!!

Miami Hurricane MLB, Ray Lewis

And we're 52...52 Ray Lewis days away from the kickoff of college football season!! And the video spots keep coming to get your mind right for football season. This video is a clip from the 1995 Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn) and it highlights a couple of great cracback blocks on a kickoff return. Enjoy!

53 Days from Kickoff!!

We are 53...53...Randy Gradishar days away from the kickoff of college football season. WOOO HOOO!! Here's a clip (as I'll try to post one or more per day) to get your mind ready for it.

This first clip is of the Bama vs. Penn St. game in Tuscaloosa in 1982. Joe Paterno brought his Nittany Lion squad into Alabama for the first time ever. Both teams were undefeated in 1982 but Bama coach Bear Bryant had Penn State's number. 1982 would see Joe Paterno win his first National Championship by defeating #1 Georgia 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl, but not before taking the worst beating a #1 team has ever taken during a national championship season: 42-21 at the hands of Bear Bryant who went undefeated against Joe Paterno; defeating him in the 1975 Sugar Bowl, the 1978 Sugar Bowl, and the '81 and '82 regular seasons.

NBA's All-What If team (1990s version)

The term "What If" is a very interesting term. You often say that to reflect back on certain situations that have taken place and wonder (aimlessly as it may be) how things may have turned out if one think would've happened differently. Well, when talking sports, we tend to do that more often than not. The fate of franchises and entire cities are turned around by singular instances (see Bill Buckner's fielding error, or the Tennessee Titans coming up 1 yard short in their quest for a SuperBowl victory, or Portland drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan). Well, here today, I'll give you that opportunity to wonder what if about 6 guys that played (and in some cases, are still playing) in the NBA. I want to relive what they were at the top of their games and compare it to how they were post-injury or post-incident.

Point Guard - Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway
Before those ridiculous Nike puppets of LeBron & Kobe, there was Lil' Penny. This guy was an absolute phenom with the basketball in his hands. He and Shaq made magic in Orlando (no pun). And even after Shaq's departure, he played All-Star caliber ball. Let's remember Penny.



Shooting Guard - Grant Hill
The craziest thing about all of this is that last season was his first time in several years that he played in (or at least was healthy for) the full docket of 82 games. Had this guy stayed healthy, he was well on his way to being exactly what Kobe Bryant is today.


Small Forward - Larry Johnson
He was supposed to be the next Karl Malone (while Malone was playing). A bum back didn't allow it. But before his back went out, he, Alonzo Mourning, and Mugsy Bogues took Charlotte by storm!! But even after his back went out, he went to NYC and transformed into a combo small forward/power forward and was very formidable in the Big Apple. Then he retired quietly and disappeared into oblivion.


Power Forward - Antonio McDyess
Growing up in Alabama (where McDyess played his college ball), I can assure you that the same player that Blake Griffin is today, McDyess was that and then some!! As agile as a deer and as powerful as a bear. And he had the sweetest midrange jumper (much of which you still see today). And then the knees went out.


Center - Alonzo Mourning
Before his kidney gave out, he was the only center in the league that actually posed any sort of challenge to Shaq during his prime! (Hakeem doesn't count. Shaq was a pup at the time). But before that he was a master shot blocker and defender with a limited, but improving, offensive package. That time off with the surgery hurt his timing and other stuff. And that guy that you saw flailing awkwardly all over the floor during Miami's title run against Dallas was NOT the same guy he was before the kidney transplant.


6th man - Derrick Coleman
If he saw this, he'd probably be upset about it. Just the fact that he's 6th on the list. His biggest downfall was that someone told him he was good and he believed it. The truth is that this guy had ALL the tools. But his attitude and subsequent injuries kept him from becoming the superstar that he was no doubt destined to be.



Thoughts? Agreements? Disagreements? Let me hear them all.