What Do The Dolphins Get With Tony Sparano?

Well, he's obviously got at least a little bit of a sense of humor as is evident in this "Mayne Event" segment.



But how did the Cowboys teams that he helped coach perform while he was there? Let check out some stats.

Since Sparano contributed mostly to the coaching of the offensive line, I'll compare the sacks allowed and rushing statistics to see how the Cowboys improved(or worsened) under his watch.

Sparano took over in 2003, and inherited a team that was in the lower half in the NFL in terms of average rush yards per game and allowed the third most sacks.

2002(pre-Sparano): 109.6 rush yards/game, 7 rush TD's, 54 sacks allowed

Sparano's impact was noticeable in 2003 when the Cowboys' rush average and rushing touchdown numbers went up, and their sacks allowed went down. Obviously, personnel changes factor into these improvements, but Sparano's coaching did help the Dallas offense perform at a higher level.

2003(Sparano's 1st season): 124.9 rush yards/game, 11 rush TD's, 37 sacks allowed

Sparano continued to coach the offensive line unit into better shape, and they performed well under his guidance. Though, in 2005 they did allow quite a few sacks(50), but that probably had to do more with the fact that the picture of immobility, Drew Bledsoe, was their quarterback.

2004(2nd season): 110.6 rush yards/game, 14 rush TD's, 36 sacks allowed

2005(3rd season): 116.3 rush yards/game, 13 rush TD's, 50 sacks allowed

2006(4th season): 121.0 rush yards/game, 21 rush TD's, 37 sacks allowed

2007(5th season): 109.1 rush yards/game, 14 rush TD's, 25 sacks allowed

By all accounts, Sparano is a no-nonsense type of coach that gets along well with his players. He obviously has a good working relationship with Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland, and both of those guys believe that he can coach the Dolphins back into form. It's going to take a lot of work, but right now I'm confident that he can get the job done. Though, he is taking over a unit that averaged just 98.1 rush yards/game, scored 14 rush TD's and gave up 42 sacks. Lik I said, it will be tough work, but Sparano is the new capo in Miami and he's shown that he has the juice to get the job done.

Norm Chow Won't Be Coordinating The Titans Offense Any More

Norm Chow, the former offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, has been fired. Chow lasted three seasons with the Titans.

Chow took over a team that averaged 21 points and 340 yards on offense in 2004, and never really improved on those numbers. In fact, this season the Titans averaged just 18 points and 311 yards on offense. Chow never got close to the same success he experienced in the college ranks while at USC, which is why the Titans hired him.

He had been linked to the head coach opening at Hawaii, and the offensive coordinator position at UCLA. However, both of those spots are now filled so it's unclear where Chow will be next season.

It's Just More Opportunities For Us To "Get Croomed"

That's right, the SEC Coach of the Year(twice in the same season, no less!), Sylvester Croom, received a two-year contract extension on Monday. That means he's signed through 2011, and provides ample opportunities for his opponents to "Get Croomed".

Women Tennis Players, Being Asked To Fix More Than Just Pies

Who knew that professional tennis could be so seedy and full of cheaters? As if those prior incidents weren't bad enough, it seems that women tennis players have also been asked to throw matches.

Five or six players on the WTA Tour have been approached to throw tennis matches, tour chairman Larry Scott said Tuesday.

"I've said several initially, and I think five or six would be in the ballpark," Scott told The Associated Press. "I don't want to go into any more details because it's part of an investigation.

"But we were surprised by the amount of gambling on tennis in general, and the number of players approached."

Scott said that the WTA has determined that no matches have been affected by gambling. And he also has threatened any player involved with gambling on matches with a life ban.

I am surprised that tennis has seemingly been targeted very heavily by gamblers, and those looking to gain an edge when placing a wager. Though, I suppose it could be because tennis is an international sport, and it doesn't seem to be policed as closely as some sports. Though, I could be wrong in that assessment. Whatever the reason, it appears that officials are serious about keeping any form of cheating out of their sport.

Wasn't Someone Overlooked In The Comeback Player Of The Year Voting?

Every year(well, except for 1985) the Associated Press hands out their award for the NFL Comeback Player Of The Year. It's given to the player that shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor performance. This year's recipient was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Greg Ellis. Ellis tore his achilles tendon nine games into the '06 season, and returned in '07 to tally 12 1/2 sacks. I don't really have a problem with him winning the award, but here are the other players that received votes:

10 Votes: Randy Moss(WR-New England)
7 Votes: Ben Roethlisberger(QB-Pittsburgh)
5 Votes: Brett Favre(QB-Green Bay), Jamal Lewis(RB-Cleveland)
3 Votes: Bobby Engram(WR-Seattle)
2 Votes: Patrick Kerney(DE-Seattle), Derek Anderson(QB-Cleveland)
1 Vote: Amani Toomer(WR-New York), Albert Haynesworth(DT-Tennessee), Mario Williams(DE-Houston), Andre Carter(DE-Washington)

Of those players, Engram, Kerney and Toomer missed significant time last season due to injury. Moss missed a few at the end of the season due to an ankle injury. Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident, and had his appendix removed during the offseason prior to the 2006 season. Haynesworth missed some games, but that was because he was suspended for kicking Andre Gurode in the head. The other players receiving votes contributed for the majority of the '06 season, except for Anderson who was a back-up for much of last year.

So those players basically overcame poor performances in 2006, and turned in great ones in 2007. If that's the case, how could Wes Welker not receive any votes? Granted, he hasn't really had a year quite like this one to compare him against, but he definitely perservered through some rough years in Miami and put up stellar numbers this season. Besides, it's not like Mario Williams or Derek Anderson returned to greatness this year.

Welker finished tied with T.J. Houshmanzadeh for most catches in the NFL this season, and he beat his previous best by 45 receptions. He also lead the top 10 receivers in terms of catches with a 5.7 YAC average. And was a consistent contributor on punt and kick returns.

Welker might not have the longest stat sheet to draw from, but he's definitely turned in a performance this year that's worthy of some individual awards. He might have come back from an injury, but he's just as worthy of inclusion on that list as some of the other players that received votes.

Brandon's Wrestling Streak Has Been Suplexed

Brandon High's wrestling team had put together an amazing streak of wins over the past 34 years, but on January 5, 2008 it all came to an end.

In those three decades, Brandon High had amassed 459 consecutive victories and 468 matches without a defeat.

Brandon's streak for matches without a defeat began on November 29, 1973 when they defeated Chamberlain High 40-12. Their streak for consecutive victories began on January 28, 1974 when they defeated Robinson High 32-17. There is a 9 match differential because in between those two matches Brandon tied with Bradenton High 24-24 on January 26, 1974.

During "The Streak", Brandon produced 46 individual state champs, and they combined to win 66 individual titles. To put that in perspective, South Dade is second in the state with 38 individual titles in the entire history of their program. Brandon also put up numerous records for "most individual championships in one meet", garnering 6 three times and 5 once.

Brandon High put together an amazing streak of wins, but like all good things it eventually had to come to an end.

Xavier Lee Done At FSU

It's being reported this morning that Xavier Lee will not return to Florida State for another season of football. If true, it would be the end of a turbulent four years that began with Lee heading to Tallahassee as a top recruit, and finished with him not playing in the team's bowl game against Kentucky.

When he committed to Florida State, it appeared that Lee was going to come in, learn the ropes and then challenge for the starting position in 2005. When Wyatt Sexton contracted Lyme Disease and was ruled out for the '05 season, it seemed that Lee had a shot at beating out Drew Weatherford for the starting quarterback role. However, he wasn't able to outperform Weatherford, and from that moment on he never looked completely comfortable running the offense. He had some flashes here and there, but never seemed to grow into the type of quarterback that Coach Bowden and his staff had envisioned when they recruited Lee.

Eventhough I'm a Florida Gator, it is sad to see someone as talented as Xavier Lee not live up to the expectations that his past success had warranted. I don't think you can place full blame on either Lee or the coaching staff, as I'm sure that they each can share it. However, I was aware of Lee's tremendous talent and potential when he was in high school, and I'm sad to see that his college career hasn't worked out very well. Though, that's sort of the "business" side of college athletics.

Good luck to Lee in his quest to play in the NFL someday.

Could Super Bowl XLII Be The Battle Of The '04 Draft?

It's a matchup that most probably never thought of, and while there still is a ways to go before it becomes a reality, it is a possibility. Yes, what if the Giants and Chargers upset their opponents again, and they both get tickets to the Super Bowl?

Would Eli Manning concede that he may have been wrong about San Diego not being a good place to start his career?

Would Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding, players selected with the picks that the Giants traded to the Chargers, have a big impact in the game?

Would Manning and Rivers duel it out in Arizona, or would they crack under the immense pressure?

Personally, I would love to see a Manning vs. Rivers Super Bowl. As if the circus surrounding the game isn't big enough, this matchup would increase it many times over. Plus, we would get to hear Manning and Rivers doing their best to not put down their opponent while getting slammed with questions about that trade four years ago.

It would be a great storyline. Far better than the machine that is the New England Patriots just churning out another win, and grabbing another trophy for Belichick to wrap his sleeveless arms around.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Technology Smashing Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

Non-existant posting for much of the day thanks to some tangle of the Intertubes. Once again proving that when computers work, they're great. When they break, they can cause "Big Dig" type problems. In the spirit of wanting to smash technology, I present to you another classic "Office Space" clip.



Happy Friday!

Why The Jaguars Will Beat The Patriots

Ok, so the "in" thing to do this week is to predict a Jacksonville win over New England. The reasons are really two-fold. One, a number of people have come to hate New England so predicting them to lose is a popular choice. Two, if you pick Jacksonville to win and they do, then you look like a genius of sorts. If they lose, no one remembers, and they really never bother you about making a stupid pick.

Sounds good to me!

Actually, since it looked like Jacksonville was going to make the playoffs I've wanted them to get matched up with New England as early as possible. The only thing I wish I could change is that it would be the Sunday game instead of the Saturday one. That way the Patriots would know exactly who they were playing if they won, and there might have been the added aspect of them looking ahead a bit. Alas, Commissioner Goodell didn't ask for my input so it's Jax at New England on Saturday night. Now onto some questions and stats!

Jacksonville Went 0-2 Against The Colts This Season So How Can They Beat The Patriots?

Good question! To start, let me say that I think it's different when you're playing a division rival than when you're playing an opponent for the first time in a season. Jacksonville and Indy know what to expect from each other. New England and Jacksonville haven't faced teams quite like each other this season, so it's a different feel for both of them. It's true that in their first meeting the Jags were destroyed by Indy. In Jacksonville no less. However, that game saw Quinn Gray stepping in for an injured David Garrard, and subsequently throwing two interceptions. Without Garrard in the lineup the Colts were able to stack the box and concentrate on shutting down Taylor and Jones-Drew. The second Jags/Colts matchup was much closer, and showed that the Jags are capable of hanging with the elite NFL teams. However, we're talking about them beating one. So just how are they going to do it?

With their returns and running game.

Everyone knows about how dangerous Jones-Drew can be on kickoff returns. Most of us saw it first-hand on that 96 yard return against Pittsburgh last weekend. However, one player that has been overlooked a bit is Dennis Northcutt. He's never been an outstanding receiver, but this year he's been a decent punt returner for the Jaguars. Jacksonville is going to have to make the most out of every possession, and if Northcutt can set them up with good field position, then they increase their chances of pulling off the win. Besides, if Jones-Drew is returning a lot of kicks, then that probably means that New England is scoring. And Jacksonville can't survive a shootout with the Patriots. The only problem is that New England does a pretty good job at covering punts and kicks, so hopefully the Jags have worked some wrinkles into their return game. Though, they've only had 14 punts returned them this entire season(lowest in the NFL), and that bit of inexperience could lend itself to some mistakes.

The other tool that Jacksonville will use to beat New England is their rushing attack. We've seen what a good rushing game combined with a good defense can do against the Patriots. The Colts and Ravens both have good defenses, both rushed for 100+ yards against the Patriots and both almost beat New England. Philly and the Giants also almost defeated New England, but that was more because of defense and quarterback play. The thing is, none of those four teams have a running back tandem like Taylor and Jones-Drew. Addai and Keith are pretty good, but not quite on the same level as the Jags' backfield duo. Taylor grinds it out on first and second downs, but also still has the speed to go the distance like he did against Carolina. Jones-Drew moves the chains on third down, but can also churn out yards on first and second down and is a threat take it to the house whenever he has the ball. He's also a great receiver out of the backfield, and can wreak havoc when covered by a linebacker. New England's rush defense is pretty strong, but I still think that Jacksonville can get Jones-Drew matched up one-on-one at times with their linebackers and that he can exploit that match-up. Jacksonville's strong rushing attack should also limit New England's scoring opportunities, though they do have an explosive offense that can score from anywhere on the field.

Yes, Jacksonville does have a good defense, but they have to do more than just defend New England well. The Jaguars have to control the game. They can control field position with their returns, and control the clock/tempo with their run game. Both of those are crucial if they want to win, and I believe that they'll utilize both to knock off the Patriots.