John Tesh and the good old days...

In my interview with Sam Smith he said that the two "haydays" of the NBA in his opinion was the Russel-Chamberlian-West days of the 60s, and the Bird-Magic-Dr.J era of the early/mid 80s.  Today there are two great sunday NBA games on which always reminds me of what I consider to be the best era in the NBA: Jordan's early 90s.  Sunday was always the day for the marquee matchups, which in those days would frequently  feature M.J. and either the Knicks, Pistons, Lakers etc. You had great rivalries which we don't really see anymore, the greatest player ever, and, of course, the birth of the NBA on NBC theme song.  Thank you John Tesh!






and just for good measure...perhaps the defining moment of the NBA on NBC era Bulls:

So Long Little Brother...

Michigan 61   Michigan St. 57.............in basketball, in East Lansing

Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  I love when Zach Novak says he hates losing more than he loves winning...

Sorry Little Brother, now go to your room!

T.G.F.D.R.

Thank God For Derrick Rose

(click the link)

One last Cutler analysis...

try to ignore the not-so-Chicago-Bear-courvoisier beer glass.

PODCAST: Bears, Cutler backlash, worst 3rd and 4 call ever with Davis

Cutler: Torn MCL

yeah, it sucks but what could he have done?

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/01/24/jay-cutler-reportedly-has-a-torn-mcl-so-when-do-the-apologies-start-streaming-in/

Day After = Very Annoying

By the way, is there anything worse than listening to/reading about all the game breakdown the day after a loss?  Uggh.  Now we have two more weeks of gushing over Aaron Rodgers and his 55.4 passer rating. 

Jay's our quarterback

Full analysis tomorrow via podcast but I feel compelled to write something tonight - for my own sanity.

I can't deny or hide the emotions that the Bears bring out in me.  I wanted the Bears to win as much as anyone.  I wanted Jay Cutler to prove all the critics wrong.  I was perplexed and angry when I saw Cutler sitting on the sidelines.  However, after a few hours to decompress, a long walk with Latke, and a drive home, I feel bad for Jay and I feel a little embarrassed at the fallout from his injury.  We are not privy to his injury and we have no idea what the conversation was like between Jay and the Bears' trainer.  We also have zero evidence to suggest that Jay was not crushed that he couldn't go back in.  We do however have plenty of evidence to suggest that Jay is a tough S.O.B.  Anyone remember the Giants' game, or the fact that no quarterback was sacked more than Cutler?  He missed one game after his head was smashed into the Giants stadium turf.  His sidelines behavior and facial expression leave a bit to be desired but Jay is a damn good quarterback...when he's upright.  Is he a top 5 qb?  Maybe not.  But it's tough to assess when he's running for his life half the game.  Ok. that's enough.  I hope once people get over their initial frustration they'll be able to step back and realize we have a tough QB.

Excitement Level: Defcon Bears

On my way to work today I was trying to look back and remember the relatively recent sporting events that came close to matching my excitement level for the upcoming Bears-Packers slugfest on Sunday.

A few that came to mind:

Cubs vs. Marlins (2003, Bartman game)
Bears-Colts (Super Bowl, obviously)
Michigan vs. Ohio St.  (2006: #1 vs. #2)

Let's hear yours...

And our flag was still....THERE

If Anyone needed any more reason to get pumped for sunday:




Glad this game's not on ABC or one of its affiliates, otherwise they might edit out the overflowing patriotism.

Go Bears !!!!

PODCAST: NBA talk with Sam Smith: Bulls' chances, Rose's ascent, LeBron's stubbornness

Thanks to Sam Smith
check him out at bulls.com and twitter: @samsmithhoops

PODCAST: Davis and I recap NFL and rank the best college football head coaching jobs

If you have 1 1/2 hrs to kill....take a listen.

Can't Wait! Me niether

Jets' linebacker Bart Scott after beating the Pats:



I love it!  The beauty of sports.

I'm with you Bart.  I can't wait until next weekend.  Two great games. 

How to spot a good football team

Everyone knows about needing a stud QB, a monster left tackle, stopping the run, etc, etc....

Here are three, somewhat under-the-radar aspects of football that I feel are mainstays of solid teams:

1.Being able to run consistently successful screen plays
2.Having a reasonable amount of confidence that a cornerback/safety runnng free on a blitz will NOT get juked and end up running straight passed the QB
3.Having wide receivers who run hard with the ball and don't scare you to death that they're going to fumble
4. Special Teams that aren't a net negative (more important in college)

These three small things actually encompass quite a few qualities of good football teams:
athletic offensive lineman, good play calling, solid tackling, defensive awareness, ball security, and fundamentals.  If you can get your prima dona wide receivers to buy in to tough football, then it's pretty clear that you have an overall hard-nosed team.  Having good tacklers in the secondary fits into this "toughness" mantra as well.

Show me these three things, I'll show you a quality team.  I'd say the Bears have 2 of the 3 so we'll see how that works out.  

Weekend feel good moment

The microphone went out on this little gal mid-way through the national anthem. The crowd chimes in to help out....USA! USA! USA!



She seemed unfazed afterwards.  Good for her.

It's Michigan for God's Sake! You're damn right, Brady!

Just listened to the Brady Hoke interview.  One question stuck out in particular.  A reporter from Toledo asked if the Michigan head coach position was still an elite job.  I love Brady Hoke's answer:

"This is Michigan for God's Sake...."

'nuff said.  I agree.  This is Michigan. 

It's the newly minted, "This is ----" test.

When you fill in that blank does it carry weight?  You're damn right Michigan does. 

PODCAST: College FB, Michigan Coach chatter with Big Ten Network's Chris Martin

This was a fun one!

Hello: Brady Hoke

New Head Football Coach at The University of Michigan:  Brady Hoke

I think this is a good hire.  I know essentially nothing about Brady Hoke, but my intuition tells me that he'll do well at Michigan.  Obviously, Hoke was always on the radar but Michigan's A.D. was snooping around assessing interest of other possibilities, namely, Harbuagh, Pat Fitzgerald, Les Miles and possibly others.  Harbaugh saw greener pastures and a lot of "green" in the NFL.  Fitzgerald, perhaps not so inexplicably, decided not to abandon his alma mater for the long time big papa of the Big Ten.  I get it.  Les Miles might have a screw loose.  No, I'm not saying this in the context of "How could anyone even think of not taking the Michigan job", but rather it seems that his coaching methods and shady dealings leave a lot to be desired.  LSU very easily could've lost 3 or 4 games this year to overmatched opponenets (NC, Tennessee, Ole Miss).

Michigan was in a tough spot.  There was a lot of pressure to hire a big name to get the program back on the map and get the fanbase excited.  This may have lead to a short sighted hire.  Jim Tressel came from Youngstown St., Urban Meyer came from Utah, Gene Chizik came from Iowa St., etc etc.   Some of (not all) the best coaches in the game today were identified as up and coming football minds.  Hopefully Brady Hoke fits that bill.  Hoke is a Michigan guy and will do whatever it takes for success.  I'm behind it. 

He has a track record of turning around two miserable programs.  My only concern, again without knowing many details about what Hoke's teams looked like, is that he hovered around .500 at Ball St. and was there for nearly 7 seasons.  That seems like a long time for a supposed up and coming coach to be lingering at a lower level University...but who knows.  Leading San Diego St. to a poinsettia bowl victory over Navy may qualify as an incredible accomplishment for the Aztecs, but the bar is set just a tad higher for Big Blue.

And......what happens to Denard?

Podcast Time: NFL, Davis hates on Michigan, and More...

Sign of a Champion

In the Bulls' recent 90-79 win over Boston, the number that stuck out to me was 19 - the number of free throw attempts by Derrick Rose.  In the NBA, especially in the playoffs, you need your stars to get to the line.  This is the semi annoying part about the NBA in general but that's the way it is.  Kobe, Wade and Pierce can all get to the line virtually at will which is huge come playoff time when open shots are harder to find and haulting momentum is key.  Unfortunately, no one gets to the line that frequently, and consistently, unless the refs aknowledge that you're a legit star.  I guess Rose has been anointed.  Hopefully this trend continues.

Oh yeah, he made 15 of the 19.

Harbaugh to Niners

Well, I hope SF goes 5-11 next year, never sniffs the playoffs, and is forced to shuffle between Troy Smith, Craig Krenzel, and who knows, maybe Terrelle Pryor.

Gotta look Big Picture

The Bulls lost last night to the 10-25 New Jersey Nets.  I didn't see much of the game (was working) but listened to the last 8 minutes on the radio during the drive home.  The last thing you ever want to do in sports is make judgements after one game, but there's been a clear lingering problem with the Bulls for most of the season - outside shooting.  The Bulls have one true jump shooter: Kyle Korver.  Rose and Deng are improved but still not great outside shooters.  In a way, this leads indirectly to another major Bulls flaw - free throw shooting.  The Bulls are 28 out of 30 in team free throw shooting %.  In the playoffs this will be fatal, for sure.  While the Bulls have managed to rattle of a fantastic winning percentage in the last month, they haven't looked great for most of it.  Shaky defense, lack of energy and scoring droughts have been all to common.  The Bulls are in a tough spot right now.  Can they blame these deficiencies on missing either Noah or Boozer for essentially the entire season?  Maybe.  But maybe they're missing something.  When you're winning, even if it's not pretty, it's hard to rationalize roster changes.  So maybe, in the long run, would it be beneficial for the Bulls to lose a few games to make it easier for management to make a move?  Not sure.  I see them standing pat and hoping that once they get Boozer AND Noah playing together it will be good enough.  Just don't be fooled into thinking that "a win is a win".  In the playoffs we're not going to be able to feast on the Cavs, Raptors, Pistons, and Wizards.

So what's with all that one in a million talk?

It doesn't look like Harbaugh is going to Michigan.  But maybe, just maybe this is all a show which will end in Ann Arbor.  Harbaugh obviously has strong ties to Michigan and has retained his loyalty through the years.  It seemed only natural that when the writing was on the wall for Rich Rod that Harbaugh would take over.  However, it appears not.  Unless.....

Maybe Harbaugh wants to coach at UM but knows the money will be nearly twice as much in the NFL.  In order to drive the price up for his ideal college gig he's decided to go around to a few NFL teams (Niners, Dolphins) and make it apparent to the UM A.D. what the ballpark contract would need to be.  In fact, maybe the conspiracy goes even deeper.  Maybe the UM A.D. needs Harbaugh to show the UM nation that hiring him would be pricey so when UM offers Harbaugh to be the highest paid coach in college it wouldn't be scoffed at.  I personally think UM should give Harbaugh a blank check.  Harbaugh just doesn't strike me as someone who would want to coach the Dolphins.  It seems like the two obvious choices are the Niners (he's from the Bay Area and lives there now) or UM.  So maybe going to Miami is a negotiating ploy.  Maybe?

Probably not.  If I had to guess I'd say that Brady Hoke will be UM's next coach.  It's safe, he's a "UM guy", and wouldn't break the bank.  Don't get me wrong however.  You don't fire Rich Rod and then hire Hoke.  How about......PAT FITZGERALD.

First Podcast (with some rookie mistakes)

First podcast recorded 1/4/11 with the one and only Mike Davis

I had to due some trimming since I was unaware that there was a megabyte limit to these things...so there's a rather abrupt start with first round NFL playoff talk and ending with ND football 2011 outlook.  I had to delete our UM/Rich Rod talk so I could upload the podcast....oh well.  We'll talk Rich Rod and/or his replacement next week!  There are clearly a few other details that need to be sorted out...it'll work for now.  enjoy!

The Waiting is the hardest part, right Tom Petty?

....and with that, welcome to perhaps the most important 48 hours in recent Michigan football history.

My feeling is Harbaugh is an ideal college football coach, over-flowing with intensity, which doesn't always correlate to the NFL (though intense coaches like Cowher and Gruden certainly have had success, they're few and far between).  The interesting thing in my opinion is that the 49ers, apparently Harbaugh's biggest NFL suitor, recently fired an equally intense, in-your-face coach in Mike Singletary.  Will they go back to that well or opt for more of a Lovie Smith type?  It seems the Niners' interest in Harbaugh is legit......so we wait...

Joakim Watch

3 weeks already crossed off on the Joakim-thumb-recovery calender...5-6 more to go.

With Boston's injuries, Miami's slow start to the season, Orlando's bipolar-ness, and the putrid Eastern Conference, Chicago is looking good right now for a solid playoff seed.  Plenty of hoops left, I know, but at the beginning of the year most figured that the Bulls were locked into the 4th seed (behind Boston, Miami, Orlando).  If Chicago can stay afloat until the Noah return (they've been doing much better than merely "staying afloat" lately, as only two teams have better records since Dec. 4th) a top 3 or even 2 seed seems within reason.  This would be huge.  When teams are so evenly matched, having that game 7 at home could be the difference.  Further, it can't hurt that Noah and Boozer should be well-rested for the long playoff run, each having missed significant time.  I'd be more worried about Garnett's knee injury even though he'll only miss a week or two.  In an older player with previous significant knee injuries, this could be something that lingers.  We'll see.

The team that worries me most is clearly Boston.  I want to avoid them in the semi-finals which would mean finishing 2 or 3...assuming Boston finishes first.  Miami would be tough, but I don't think it would be a physical, grudge match....and it would be pretty damn entertaining.

Sexy Rexy

Saw a headline that made me laugh:

"Ex-Bears QB Grossman still battling inconsitency"

Seriously?  maybe he just sucks.

Bears on 3rd Down

Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about the Bears being in the playoffs and am still a bit amazed at how they managed to pull off a #2 seed.  However, I think it's clear that the Bears potential downfall will no doubt be their impotent 3rd down conversion rate.  The Bears are ranked 27th, barely ahead of the putrid 5-10 Niners and 4-11 Broncos.  On the flip side, the league leaders are familar names such as the Saints, Patriots, Falcons, and Colts all of whom are nearly 15% better on 3rd downs.  In my opinion this is one of the more telling and important football stats.  There are obviously several reasons for the Bears' failures on 3rd down, the most glaring being the offensive line.  Also the lack of a stud #1 receiver diminishes the play call options.  But the one play I can't stand is this quick pass where Cutler passes as he's back peddling.  It seems like this pass is either intercepted, batted down or behind the receiver.  STOP THAT PLAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adios Rich Rod

Was unsure how I felt about firing Rich Rod after only 3 years but this program is not improving, in fact they're regressing.  If it weren't for Denard they probably wouldn't have won a Big Ten game this year.   It's over.