Tag Archives: Dennis Dodd

Crib Sheet: Giant Chocolate Egg

It’s warmed over, too.  This week’s Crib Sheet celebrates Easter by dropping news eggs all over the place.  Grab your basket and find them buried in the grass of the Crib Sheet.  Don’t get your fingers messy:

  • It looks like Texas new defensive coordinator’s had a weird upbringing in coaching terms.  He’s been at ESPN first, then a video guy at Florida State, and then on to coaching positions.  It also looks like he takes inspiration from other sports, too.  Will this shake things up enough for the Longhorns and turn the defense around?  We’ll find out.
  • The Big 12 Conference announced a mega-deal with Fox for broadcasting rights.  Dan Beebe was right.  They reportedly negotiated a $90 million a year deal through the next 13 years.  The big plus?  Every home game will be on some form of television starting in 2012.  Well that and each school has a the chance to kick up their own network.
  • The officer who shot and killed the Pace University football player, Denroy Henry Jr., received the Officer of the Year Award from the police union where he works.  Their reasoning is that the officer showed bravery through that time and all of his time working for the department.  This angered alot of folks.  It depends on who you believe on what happened.  I just don’t like that it’s a union that gets to dole out the award.
  • Not to be outdone by fellow conference fashionistas Oregon, Arizona State unveiled their new uniforms for the year.  They will be changing colors left and right.  On top of that, their helmets are new, with big giant pointy tridents.  The Ducks did this and they won but they also hired the right coach.  That’s the kind of makeover the Sun Devils could really use.
  • In another case of me-too’s, Auburn will build statues for their Heisman Trophy winners, like what Florida did.  The only difference is that there’s a darker cloud hanging over Cam Newtan than there is hanging over Tim Tebow.  I wonder if they’ll add that to the design.  Oh, and Nick Saban had his own statue erected, too.
  • There will be even more Blubaughs in prison as Tom’s wife, Charlette, will get 57 months in prison for her role in the Kansas ticket scandal.  I didn’t know women’s prisons had Blubaughs too.  Maybe they should make a movie about it.
  • Dennis Dodd of CBS has an interesting article on 7-on-7 leagues in high school.  It seems they are the AAUs of football.  Jay Paterno is correct about how coaches can’t tell if a kid can take a hit.  I hope something gets down soon about these because I don’t want football to turn into a ballet.  We could use a couple of big hits in a game.
  • Now that the Fiesta Bowl is in trouble, they are scrambling to get money back from lawmakers who took the kickbacks from them.  If it’s anything related to government, then it will take a long time before the Fiesta Bowl sees a dime.
  • A couple of rule changes are coming down the pike for next year.  The NCAA approved more stringent below the waist penalties and gave the option for teams to run 10 seconds off the clock on penalties within the final minute of the half.  Nothing earth shattering but an improvement indeed.
  • Notre Dame released the investigation report relating to Declan Sullivan’s death earlier this year.  They found the no single person was responsible but there was a lax in safety.  Apparently the weather data was out of date.  This does seem kind of fishy,  I hope the school pays tons of money to parents of Sullivan to avoid a lawsuit.
  • There was a tussle online about the Boise State’s AD, Gene Bleymaier, and his fiery words about the BCS.  That’s just talk.  What’s more important to me is that the school trademarked the blue turf and will protect the likeness of the field in FBS terms, while allowing it to happen to divisions below.  Since when is a blue field trademarkable?  That seems a little too much to me.  At least one coach in the Mountain West Conference, sees it as an unfair competitive advantage as well.  San Diego State’s Rocky Long hates it and I suggest the Aztecs change their field to candy striped or fractal like patterns.
  • So while the NCAA is busy messing up student athletes and their lack of scholarship funding, they find time to make some even dumber team name penalties.  North Dakota passed a state law to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname but it will not stop the NCAA from administrating penalties because of their perception of the name.  The NCAA considers it offensive and will take money away from the school.  The deeper issue is that two tribes in the area are split over the decision.  Why is the NCAA trying to influence an issue that clearly doesn’t involve them?  Let the tribes and the state figure it out and get out of the way.

Crib Sheet: It’s Starting to Get Drafty In Here

The NFL Draft is coming up quick, no matter how weird it is, and will blow by even faster.  This week’s Crib Sheet is just as windy.  And it’s almost as windy as the weather is outside in the KC metro area.  Hold on tight:

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Crib Sheet: The Groundhog Lied

Spring practice is kicking up the mud hidden from under the snow but I’m not finding it too exciting.  I could talk about the NFL Combine but it would be all about the Wonderlic Test.  So on this week’s Crib Sheet, I will talk about the Groundhog.  I remember him saying something this year about an early Spring.  Then about 5 inches of snow dumped on me.  I’ve got the grill ready, somebody bring me the Groundhog.  That will make things warm real quick.  On to the Crib Sheet:

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Crib Sheet: Pow Wow Kansas City Style

So the athletic director and coaches meetings for the Big 12 are in Kansas City this week and the Crib Sheet is here to fill you in.  We’ll start out this week with the beginnings of the meeting and then wrap up Thursday’s and Friday’s talk next week.  Dan Beebe held a press conference to field questions about the first day of talks.  The big picture?  The league is heading into media negotiations with excitement next year because of the money the ACC got from ESPN.  But they need to stay together and Beebe would like to know if they are a soon as possible, even though he knows it won’t happen.  Among his case for staying together was that potential for more money, the disruption of balance in the league that could force some regulatory structuring, and that the Big 10 could very well do nothing.  Beebe says it’s a young conference and would like to see it grow old together with the members.  Will it happen?  We’ll find out next year, but in the meantime here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:

  • The Big East wants the NCAA to study whether or not the on field head official should be in charge of overturning instant replay calls instead of the in-booth official.  We don’t think this works out to well because even though the head official is in the flow of the game, the in booth official has better looks at close plays.
  • Dennis Dodd over at CBS Sports reiterates what we have been saying about Rich Rodriquez:  he’s on the hot seat big time this season.  Dodd puts the odds at 8-4 and a bowl appearance for him to keep his job.  Any takers?
  • Nebraska’s top receiver Niles Paul got his 2nd MIP and a ticket for urinating in public last week.  If he keeps it up, he might be kicked off the team.
  • The NCAA extended its catastrophic insurance for student athletes up through 2013.  A student athlete could receive up to $20 million in lifetime benefits if they get hurt during practice or competition.  That’s a pretty sweet deal.
  • The cause behind the Urban Meyer drama last year finally came out.  Meyer stated he had esophageal spasms and that he has some meds to take for it.  The pain from the spasms made it ultra painful to eat.  Hopefully the medication will work and he can continue on in his work.
  • The latest road block from Texas Tech didn’t work.  The judge in the case states that Mike Leach can move forward in his lawsuit against the university for his firing late last year.  Notch one win for the pirates.  It’s going to be quite the naval battle between these two.
  • Even though Oklahoma is under some potential violations, the Sooners sent a letter to the NCAA stating that they meet the requirements set by the NCAA for their probation.  A probation period that came from recruiting violations and is expiring soon.  So they are out of the woods but could be right back in it soon.
  • Some officials from Kansas are caught up in a ticket scandal that diverted a couple of million in tickets to 3rd parties for personal gain.  Most of the 6 officials involved have either left or been fired.  Meanwhile, athletic director Lew Perkins stated he didn’t know it was going on.  This shouldn’t hurt the athletics department in terms of probation and what not, but Perkins image is damaged and the school has not only money to recoup but the Feds sniffing around for more.
  • On to football, the Big 12 meetings this week let loose some football schedule nuggets.  The Border War will be on Fox Sports Net on November 27th at 11:30 am.  The Sunflower Showdown moved from Saturday to Thursday night October 14th on Fox Sports Net at 6:30 pm.  Mark your calendars.  Also, note that it’s exclusively on Fox.  Testing for media numbers for the upcoming negotiations anyone?
  • Apparently some exercise equipment loaned to Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins has come around to bite him in the form of a blackmail scheme.  A former disgruntled employee, Bill Dent, tried to extort money in exchange for keeping quiet about the equipment.  Dent also says that Perkins received the equipment in exchange for tickets.  We’ll find out what happens here.  Perkins says he is a victim, because the company that loaned the equipment went under and didn’t recover the gear.
  • Meanwhile at the Big 12 meetings this week, Lew Perkins talked about that as well some talk about the expansion speculation.  The big takeaway?  He says expansion is a super serious threat and that Kansas may or may not have been contacted by the Big 10.  Diversion tactic is a go!

Crib Sheet: Hitting the Half Way Mark

half-way-mark-on-rarotonga

This week marks the middle of the college football season.  What have we learned so far?  The top teams are still at the top.  Texas and Florida hold destiny in their hands.  Florida might have a rougher road but the coarse has been set for the predicted title match up.  The rest of pack?  Not so much.  Especially in the Big 12.  Oklahoma fell off the map big time, with Sam Bradford getting knocked out early with a shoulder injury.  Kansas State is first in the Big 12 North, which punctuates the mediocrity thriving up there.  The BCS busters are hanging around, except for the teams from Utah thankfully.  The KCCGD crew is batting over .500 for hitting up good sports bars.  Let’s hope the last half of the season is as exciting as the first half.  Here’s the crib sheet :

  • Former Penn State running back Austin Scott filed suit against all of the people involved in the rape charge against him that was eventually dropped a couple of years.  There was not enough evidence to bring to jury.  Scoot claims that everyone involved injured his career and is seeking damages.  Rape is a serious charge and if someone gets wrongly accused and is ousted because of that, then the people involved should get punished.
  • Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount is on the campaign trail to revive his status with the team, this time talking in front of teens with other current players.  It’s going to be a long road back but the more work he does, the better chance he will have at getting back on the field.  Let’s hope he makes it.
  • Dennis Dodd for CBS clearly points out the writing on the wall of Oklahoma Sooners fans, Sam Bradford’s college career is over.  After going down again against Texas, we doubt he’s gonna come back and try to re injure the shoulder or something else.  Landry Jones will be your guy from now on.
  • On the BCS front, we have a new political action committee started to fight the BCS.   Yup it’s the Playoff PAC!  A bunch of Belt Way people will get together and try to elect Congressmen to vote on playoffs for the BCS.  Never mind that the guy running it just happens to be a Utah alumnus.  Seriously, people from Utah suck.
  • Maryland and South Carolina will wear camo uniforms for their game November 14th for Veterens Day.  Sweet!  Now if Army could only buy a clue and bring back the sweet camo garb they sported last year.  Bring it back!
  • Jasper Howard,  a Connecticut cornerback, was fatally stabbed after their homecoming game Saturday as well as another player.  Head coach Randy Edsell claims that there wasn’t any fighting but some ‘verbal jostling’ that started it.  So far there are two arrests made but they may not be connected directly to the stabbing.  Our thoughts go out to the Uconn players and Jasper Howard’s family.