“This-That-Some of the Other”

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Random thoughts on a Wednesday.

HOLIDAY BOWL….Was not what we usually see. Credit Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys for not only holding team together after last week’s boycott turmoil, but for coming up with a game plan to choke off Washington State passing star Luke Falk, forced to hold the ball, chased out of the pocket, and play dump-and-run ball all night.The Golden Gophers earned that win, ugly as it might be.

GOODBYE WYOMING…Brian Hill is the greatest running back in Wyoming history, and he is leaving. A bit surprising considering how many other underclassmen running backs are headed to the NFL draft, but you never know about home-life, family needs, financiall issues. He had over 1,600-yards this year. He and the Aztecs DJ Pumphrey will be in the second tier of running backs taken in April.

A CHARGERS RERUN….I don’t think it happens, a tremendous outpouring of sentimental support during the final home game of the season, at least not like last season’s home finale. The city of tired of losing, tired of the Stadium situation, tired of the Spanos family attempts to move to Los Angeles. Sadly, bet there will be more Chiefs red than Bolt blue in the stadium on Sunday.

A CHARGERS RETURN…No one is talking about it, but maybe it signals something different. Maybe there won’t be a retirement from Antonio Gates, still productive at tight end after all these years. Maybe he comes back and plays one more year for the Chargers. He can still catch passes, still run some, and aside from Philip Rivers, is the last link to the greatness of Bolts football, the Martyball era.

CHANGES ARE COMING….The axe has now falled on 3-NFL head coaches, and we haven’t gotten to Black Monday yet. Rex Ryan removed in Buffalo, after two up and down seasons. No playoff games, though they were (15-16) in two years, with an erratic quarterback situation. Ryan’s exit came after the Rams dumped Jeff Fisher and Jacksonville took out Gus Bradley. On deth row right now, the Chargers, the Jets, the Bears and Bengals head coaches.

FINDING A LEADER….San Diego State is playing better together because they are getting production from at least one member on the front line. Super sophomore Zylan Cheatem has become a go-to force, taking some of the scoring burden off Trey Kell and Jeremy Hensley. Malik Pope continues to be an enigma, and the transfers, Tiki Caeser-Gill and Max Hoeztel run hot and cold.

NEW LEADER…Bill McGillis is taking over as the new AD at USD, and his first order of business, help build the basketball program with coach Lamont Smith. How you make this school the next Gonzaga or St. Mary’s in the West Coast Conference, remains to be seen.. Maybe special admits. Maybe not every incoming student has to have a 3.5-to-4.0 GPA.

PADRES PITCHING…The franchise is dumpster diving, offering bare minimum contracts (1.75M) to veteran pitchers to buy innings. Ex-Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin and Clayton Richard have signed. Offers are out to ex-Angels ace Jered Weaver, ex-Cubs setup man Trevor Cahill, and Giants free agent Jake Peavy. They’re all number five starters. You load your rotation with number five starters, you finish in 5th place in your division, don’t you?

SCRAPPING AND STRUGGLING….Year two of the Gulls hasn’t been equal to what the maiden season of the AHL team was. The parent Anaheim Ducks took their top defenseman, called up 3-forwards, and traded a fourth one away, leaving coach Dallas Eakins with a revolving door roster. A very young front line has found it tough to score goals consistently. Crowds are down from a year ago and they are on the outside looking in at playoff spots right now, though there is still half a season to go.

SAD TO SEE…Is this the final go round for the indoor San Diego Sockers. They seem off the radar, fan support is way off, and despite a bevy of good players, including record setting goal scorer Kraig Childs, no one goes to see them play any longer. And they’re in a league that almost resembles semi-pro soccer. A disappointment considering what Sockers soccer used to be.

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“The Holiday Bowl–A Happy Time”

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Tonight should be no different than many of the other nights we’ve had watching Holiday Bowl games in San Diego.

There will be fireworks in the sky, and of course, fireworks on the field.

Washington State plays Minnesota, and you can expect the Cougars of the PAC-12 conference to put on a show. Whether or not the Golden Gophers from the Big 10 can put a lid on the WSU passing package remains to be seen.

Luke Falk came to the Palouse as a walk-on quarterback, seventh on the depth chart. Hardly recruited, he wound up moving up the ladder quickly, when injuries and washouts, wiped out some of the other QBs.

It’s been a match made in heaven. A big lanky quarterback with a cannon for an arm, a fire in his gut, and with no fear, linked with a dynamic gunslinger of a coach.

Mike Leach did awesome things in the passing game at Texas Tech, and he has single-handedly revived Washington State football, doing the same thing again.

The school that once upon a time gave us the “Throwin Samoan”, Jack Thompson, Drew Bledsoe, Mark Rypien, Tim Rosenbach, Ryan Leaf, Jason Gesser, Connor Holliday, and so many others, is doing it again.

Falk has thrown 37-TD passes this year, and accounted for over 4,200-yards.

It wasn’t easy getting here. The Cougars were down forever. Injuries, attrition, mistakes in coaching hires after Mike Price left the conference, nearly buried the program.

Leach played Falk as a freshman. They lost, they suffered, they grew together. Now finishing up his junior year, he could come out early and try the NFL, or maybe stay another season up in the Pacific Northwest, and rewrite more record books.

You need dynamic people to fix things, especially at places where they don’t have lots of resources.

Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley restored the Oregon State Beavers program across the state line in Corvallis, Oregon.

Leach picked up the pieces in Pullman, recruiting from Southern California, landing JUCO transfers, and ‘coaching them up’.

They cannot stand in the trenches and slug with the cross-state Washington Huskies. They cannot match up 22-deep with USC’s Trojans. But what they can do, is get you into shootouts, with the spread formation, throw it 70-times a game philosophy.

So tonight should be a reincarnation of so many past Holiday Bowls.

Close your eyes and see Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer, Steve Young and the SMU-Pony Express offense. Colt McCoy and Todd Collins. Marc Wilson and Robbie Boscoe. Barry Sanders and Joey Harrington.

The history is one of big plays, big shows, and big time scores.

It may not be the Grand Daddy of them all, but it’s as great a night watching offense as you’d ever want to see.

Holiday Bowl. About to put on another passing show for college football fans in town, and those watching across the country.

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“Chargers–All Time Low”

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It’s hard to say what else bad could happen to San Diego Chargers fans.

Sunday was about as black a day as a franchise could have, going beyond what happened 6-days earlier.

Then it was the painful sight at Qualcomm Stadium, where Raiders fans overwhelmed the facility, coloring the Stadium in Silver and Black, clinching the AFC-West in the Bolts backyard, and raining boos from start to finish on the home team.

Then there was Christmas Saturday, the lump of coal in the Charger stocking, the choking apple in the throat of field goal kicker Josh Lambo, the ashen look on the face of coach Mike McCoy, and the raging tantrum on the sideline of his quarterback Philip Rivers.

The Bolts lost in Cleveland to a Browns team, (0-14), a team that might be even worse than the Detroit Lions, who went (0-16) just a few years back.

San Diego’s offensive line leaked oil, and 3-starters had to be hauled off with injuries. The defense got dinged again, with the likely loss of another LB-Danzel Perryman with a serious knee injury. They wasted a brilliant 9-sack performance by the defense, though that was against the worst offensive line in the NFL. the one that has toten 5-different quarterbacks injured this year.

Mike McCoy has walked the sidelines of some horrific losses this year, most of them at home infront of passionate Chargers fans, who no longer come to games.

Oh there have been games, and bad seasons in San Diego.

But this is a calamity, because you weren’t looking for a quarterback, like in the Leaf era, but rather hoping you had put enough around your Hall of Fame quarterback to have a good season.

Numbing playoff losses when Norv Turner was coach. Ditto for the time Marty Schottenehiemer was here, and even at the end of the Bobby Ross regime. But those were good teams in those games, who got upset.

Yes San Diego had the (1-15) season in the Ryan Leaf era. And there were (4-12) seasons under Dan Henning. And the horrible drug infested years under Harland Svare.

But what we saw Sunday was in Cleveland was as low as a team can go, losing to a losing franchise. The Browns were (87-189) since 1999, and had lost 17 in a row.

I don’t know how Mike McCoy survives the ‘elevater down’ season this year, on top of last year’s gutter performance.

I don’t know if Tom Telesco needs a vote of confidence at this time.

I wonder if the football paying fans think John Spanos has much credibility left in the bank, except his father gave him that job.

And Dean Spanos has to understand he’s got more problems than just a Stadium crisis to deal with, and has more than just a January 15th decision date on the franchise.

It’s not the fans fault. It’s not the critical media’s fault. They should “own it” and “do something about it.”

Start with an apology to season ticket holders and the fans, then follow with a cleansing of leadership.

The only thing worse that could befall this franchise, would be a devastating injury to Rivers, or the team moving to Los Angeles.

And there’s still a week to play, so anything is still possible.

You’d have to argue hard with me that this was not ‘an all time low’ in Chargers football history.

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“The Best to the Worst-Browns Fans”

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It was so long ago, they were so good.

It’s the only thing they have to grasp, Cleveland Browns fans. They remember back then and have to deal with the frightful times of this team now.

Municipal Stadium, and it’s 82,000-thousand seats, on the edge of Lake Erie, is long gone. And so is good football too in Cleveland.

The Browns are (0-14) as they host the Chargers. They are about to become only the 2nd team in NFL history, and that dates back to the 1920’s, to likely go (0-16) in a season. The Detroit Lions were the only other one.

Hard to imagine teams like the Pottsville Maroons, Duluth Eskmos, Decatur Staleys. They were all in the NFL ‘back in the day’. and all pretty bad, but not this bad.

The NFL has seen the misfit Chicago Cardinals. They observed the John McKay-Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ve lived thru the end of the Al Davis-Raiders regime.

But this is something, especially for a franchise that once had Hall of Famer Paul Brown as Coach and GM. Once had Otto Grahame. Once had Jim Brown.

It was the home of Brian Sipe and the Cardiac Kids. Home of Martyball (Schottenheimer) and the Dog Pound.

The city and its fans lived thru the Art Modell move of the franchise. They built a new stadium, got an expansion team, kept the name and the colors.

And that was the last thing they accomplished, and that was 1999.

Since then, a revolving door of coaches, from Chris Palmer to Butch Davis. A young Bill Belicheck to a failing Eric Mangini. Short term mistakes like Mike Pettine and Rob Chudzinski. And now, a struggling Hue Jackson.

Add on turmoil filled ownership, from the current regime of Jim Haslam, to the more recent run of the Lerner family, and of course the terrible end to all the things Art Modell hoped to be, but could not accomplish.

Their last championship was in 1964. Since they came back in 1999, the franchise is (87-189)…second worst only to the Raiders decade plus run when they went (56-136).

It’s been a horror show of bad drafts, some bad luck with injuries, but in the big picture, just a badly run franchise.

They chose Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch with a lst round pick in 1999. He was the future,but they were so bad, he got so beat up, he left the NFL.

They have gone thru 25-different starting quarterbacks since returning to play in 1999. So much for continuity…25-QBs in a 17-year span. This year, they’uve used five different starters because of injuries, and actually used a 6th, when former Ohio State QB-Terrelle Pryor, moved from tight end to QB for part of a game.

On Saturday, Robert Griffin III, trying to resurrect is career, starts vs San Diego.

Browns football gave us Johnny Manziel, his ego and issues. The dragged out people like Jeff Garcia and Kelly Holcomb. Played courageous guys like Josh McCown and Bryan Hoyer, till they got hurt.

Sampled the likes of Colt McCoy, Brady Quinn and Ty Detmer.

Somebody must remember Spurgeon Wynn and Charley Frye?

It’s unbelievable that an organization could make so many mistakes.

Of recent washout vintage, 6-of their last 9-first round picks are gone.

Cornerback Justin Gilbert, nose-tackle Phil Taylor, running back Trent Richardson, quarterback Brandon Weeden, pass rusher Bark Mingo, defensive end Courtney Brown, and of course, Johnny Football, Manziel.

Add to that the recurring drug problems of oft-suspended receiver Josh Gordon and the failures of people like Kellen Winslow, Greg Little and Jabaal Sheard.

It must be so hard to be a Joe Thomas, or a Joe Haden, what little quality is left from past drafts.

This was a franchise that passed on LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees amongst others.

Yes they’re stockpiling alot of draft picks, but that is never a guaranteed it works out.

So tough to be a Browns fan. You ache for that city, for the Browns are the ‘fabric’ of the city. They rallied the city when the steel mills shutdown and the rubber industry vacated.

What we see tomorrow is far removed from what we used to see, yesteryear.

Memories of Frank Ryan and Gary Collins, Don Colo and Bob Gain, are what keep bringing people back. Greg Pruitt, Doug Dieken, and Ozzie Newsome still tug at your heart, when your heart aches with the current product on hand.

Even Milt Plum looks better now than what the Browns have today.

Truly that old Cleveland slur, “Mistake on the Lake” properly fits the NFL franchise on Lakeshore Drive right now.

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“Mountain West Conference–What If?”

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Sitting here during a driving rainstorm, as BYU and Wyoming slog thru the Poinsettia Bowl, which turned out to be a pretty good game once it stopped pouring.

Thinking out loud of where the Mountain West Conference is right now, considering where they used to be, and brainstorming what they could do next.

You remember the old Western Athletic Conference, BYU and alot of have nots. Struggling programs like UTEP and New Mexico. Program drifting like Colorado State and even San Diego State.

Then somebody had the idea of expanding and forming the Mountain West, and here came TCU and others.

Then Boise State arrived and took over control of the conference.

We then moved to the poaching season, where everybody was stealing from everyone else, as conference tried to cherry pick schools, to develop strong conference TV deals to generate money.

It still does not seem natural Nebraska is in the Big 10, or Texas AM is an SEC member. Yes some of us are ‘old school’ and don’t accept change all that well.

Out the door went BYU, to independent status. TCU headed to the Big 12. the shuffling of the deck, or the defections, scared all those left behind in the MWC.

The Mountain West, appeared on its death bed, and suddenly we had the idea of a merger with what was left of the carcass of the Big East Conference. They had lost Boston College, Syraucse and Pitt.

I couldn’t wait to see the Aztecs play at U-Conn or East Carolina. Not.

Thru all the chaos came some law and order. Suddenly the Mountain West had expanded. On came Utah State, back came Hawaii.

Fast forward to where we are this morning. Is the Mountain West anywhere near a Power 5-Conference? No. But it is a solid Group of 5-Conference, probably better than the Mid American, Conference USA, the AAC, and the rest.

And if you look at the Mountain West roadmap, you see better days ahead. Boise State is still dominant, even with Chris Peterson leaving to go to the Washington Huskies.

Look at what Rocky Long has delivered as San Diego State. Who could have imagined ex-Notre Darme coach Bob Davie, doing what he did at New Mexico?

Colorado State has a bright light coach, Mike Bobo, is a shiny new stadium. Old school Craig Bohl brought his 1AA portfolio of success and philosophy to Wyoming.

Jeff Tedford is recruiting skill players, and his track record carries success, so that helps Fresno State come back. Air Force is Air Force and Troy Calhoun is staying which means they will be good.

Yes there are weak links in the chain, San Jose State and Utah State, and Nevada must rebuild.

Try this idea on for size. Recruit BYU back. Maybe make a run at the University of Houston, and see if you can grow this conference a bit more.

You can solve the whole Sunday sports stigma that surrounds Brigham Young. They are a stand alone independent, and struggling for identity and scheduling games.

Houston is hurt by the Big 12-snub again. They don’t fit the AAC, or whatever they call it. Sure you’d be stretching the conference into the state of Texas again, but it’s a bigger TV market, with a quality program as part of the deal.

Good coaches on board, more to come. More quality games. Kids to be recruited from lots of new recruiting areas.

Maybe the Mountain West should think outside the box, and think 14-schools, especially if their initials are UH-and-BYU.

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