Monday Quarterback

The Gryphon boys basketball team hits the hardwood this afternoon in Raleigh and will try to work themselves into a higher finish in the Glaxo Basketball tournament.

They will meet 4-A North Mecklenberg which gave New York City's St. Raymond's a run for its money. Tip time is scheduled for 2:20 p.m.

The Gryphons have not won (0-2) since the football players joined the team. Their biggest issue is turnovers having produced 30 against Word of God on Friday night. This team does not have the ball handlers to play the helter skelter offense that Mike Gainey wants to run.

Carolina finishes the 2008 part of the basketball schedule undefeated after waxing Rutgers by 22. January 11 seems to loom big right now as that is the date the Heels travel to Wake Forest to take on the undefeated Deacs.

If you take the Rocky Mount Telegram then of course you know that over the last couple of days they have featured Nick Hahula and Chris Pittman. The reason: the Telegram named Hahula the Twin County Offensive Player of the Year and Pittman the Defensive Player of the Year.

At 3 p.m. today on ESPN2, the Wolfpack plays Rutgers in the Papa John's Bowl . As of tonight, there have been 12 bowl games and I have worked myself up to even at 6-6.

Yesterday I went over the NFL's final day and went 13-3. My only three misses were New Orleans, Jets and Tampa Bay. All three were at home and needed wins to make the playoffs.

I expect before the week is out Brett Farve will pull out of the Pro Bowl. He was complaining of an injured shoulder. That will open up the door for the NFL's No. 1 passer to make the Pro Bowl - Phillip Rivers. Rivers is the only quarterback in the NFL that has a quarterback rating over 100 for the season.

He set a Charger record with 33 touchdown passes in a season with two tosses against the Broncos and set an NFL record with winning his 14th game in a row in December.

Don't look now but the NFL has gone back to running the ball and having quarterbacks who don't make mistakes. Exiting from playoffs contention were the two biggest gunslingers in Brett Farve and Tony Romo. Both gave it away a lot in the clutch Sunday.

The NFL has already moved the Charger-Colts game to PRIME TIME Sunday night at 8 on NBC.

Rumors are flying around the NFL that Tom Brady still needs more knee surgery and may miss the 2009 season if surgery happens. Too bad for one of the NFL's poster boys.