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Hitting the Wall Danica Patrick is the answer.....but she has company. In college football, you could add the South Carolina Gamecocks and the West Virginia Mountaineers. No disrespect to pre-season Top 10 teams Arkansas and Michigan, but they wet the bed last month. A few weeks ago, both the Gamecocks and Mountaineers were riding impressive, emotional conference wins and in the hunt for the national championship. Geno Smith was the Heisman front runner and the HBC had a defense that could compete against Bama in the mighty SEC. Now, both of them are roadkill. West Virginia was mauled at home by Kansas State over the weekend by the unflattering score of 55-14....and this was one week after a 49-14 thumping by Texas Tech in Lubbock. The team that dazzled us on the offensive end has suddenly become....offensive. In the last 4 games, the Mountaineers have given up 212 points and 2,259 total yards....that's incredible. South Carolina looked like the best team this side of Tuscaloosa when they ran Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs out of Columbia. They were great in every phase of the game. QB Connor Shaw was even drawing the attention of the national media as a guy that can beat you with his arm, legs and his mind. After a physical beating in Baton Rouge, the Cocks were embarrassed in the Swamp where Steve Spurrier watched his team get smashed 44-11. QB Connor Shaw was benched at halftime, and the Gamecocks never competed the rest of the way. And just like that, the dreams of a conference title and BCS bid went...poof. The Carolina Panthers hit the wall every week, too. Coming off an open date and talking as if the break would rejuvenate a club looking for a spark....the team proceeded to put up a meager 14 points in losing to the Dallas Cowboys....again. That makes 9 straight regular season wins by Dallas over Carolina....it's the Cowboys' longest current active winning streak over any team in the NFL. For Carolina, the team has now lost 29 of their last 38 regular season games. Fans no longer want to associate with the Super Bowl or even playoff conversation which had reached an all-time high in the off-season. Apparently, reading and listening to enough BS will affect the way you think...a lot of folks thought Ryan Kalil was right...the Panthers would win the Super Bowl this year. It really makes you wonder how damn dumb people can be in this day and age. Personally, I didn't think it was a reach for this team to somehow win 9 games and maybe grab a wild card bid...apparently the aroma from all that pre-season nonsense must have affected me, too. I'm afraid the Panthers will do their traditional late season rush in winning a number of games in December which will have no impact on the playoffs, but only drop them in the NFL Draft.....which by the way, Panther fans can tell you starts on April 25th. Lance Armstrong looks guilty as hell. He can say whatever he wants, but the actions from last week paint a different story. For years, he has dodged the rumors and passed every test that came his way when it comes to doping in the sport he loves so much. However, the latest accusations are so over-powering that even Armstrong has been on the defensive. Last week he resigned as chairman of the Livestrong Foundation....and he also lost 7 corporate sponsors, including NIKE, that can no longer afford to have an association with the cycling icon. Regardless of where you fall on the Armstrong debate, there is no question that last week had to be the ultimate low point for him. It doesn't look good for one of America's great sports figures. In the end, he might end up in the scrap heap like so many others that lived a lie. As I am writing this week's edition of Ripe Gripe, my beloved San Francisco Giants are still battling the defending World Series champs in the NLCS....and the winner meets the well rested Detroit Tigers. What the Tigers did last week to the NY Yankees was impressive. Not only did they sweep the boys from the Bronx, they humiliated them in every phase of the game. The Tigers' pitching was off the charts....and the storylines surrounding the Yanks' decline keep getting deeper and deeper. A-Rod is a classic. Benched, but still reaching 3rd base compliments of his eye for talent in the stands. I know a lot of folks that loved watching NY fail....but the sport needs a villain, and the Yankees are as good as it gets. Granted their last title was 2009, and the core group of players that have brought so much success are getting old....but people watch the Yankees to win...and to fail. What they did last week was fail miserably....and as much as I'm rooting for my Giants to pull off another improbable comeback....it could only be better if they were playing the NY Yankees. But major props to the Motor City Kitties....they were awesome. I need to give major props to the Duke Blue Devils. Their dramatic last-second TD to beat their arch-rival Tar Heels enabled them to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1994. Coach David Cutcliffe has been preaching from day one that Duke can get to the bowl-game level, and he proved his point. What is more remarkable is that Duke heads into their game with Florida State this week as the leaders of the Coastal division....just let that sink in, for a minute or two. Personally, I think they will get destroyed in Tally, but the Blue Devils are playing with house money. It should also be pointed out that Duke is 0-17 all-time against FSU. It also needs to be pointed out that Duke is now officially off Southern Fried Footbal™ Probation....and it is effective immediately. Congrats to Duke....the football power of the state of North Carolina. Marty Hurney was fired by the Carolina Panthers on Monday morning. Many Panther fans jumped with glee and immediately declared that the club was better....that might be a bit premature. Hurney was GM of the club for 10+ years, and his scorecard looked as follows:
I believe that owner Jerry Richardson made a major mistake when he decided to dismiss John Fox without including Hurney as well. By breaking up the tandem, he rolled the dice that Hurney knew what he was doing and that Fox was the weak link in the process. Since then, Fox has gone on to lead the Broncos to an AFC West title and a playoff win....the Panthers since the start of the 2010 season have the worst record in the NFL. Richardson made a major mistake. Now, he fires Hurney a week before the trading deadline....he has to find a new guy to run the show....and if he hires a high profile guy, I can assure you that a new GM will want his own people in place...and that includes the head coach. Richardson wanted to send a message, and he did....but his timing was questionable. In the meantime, the franchise continues to be the butt of jokes as they possess the worst record in the NFC. I wish Marty Hurney the best in his next endeavor...he is a terrific guy...and he always faced the firing squad, knowing that his answers and approach would be in question. But the NFL is all about the "W's", and the Panthers have failed miserably in that department. |
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