Last Day Of NFL Regular season

Only a couple of spots available today for some in the NFL. Indy can clinch a playoff spot by winning and Jacksonville must win and hope Indy loses.

Green Bay and the New York Giants must win and hope. One will probably not make it even if they both win. I hope today is the last day we have to worry about Brett Farve. To put it bluntly he is over the hill and ready for the senior citizen ward. Hope we don't hear from him again until his hall of fame induction year. That is of course if he retires.

N C State got Tracy Smith back yesterday and he played well in a Wolfpack victory. If the Pack is to make a step toward improvement Smith and Leslie have to play well together and including yesterday and the two games Smith played before his injury it has not happened.

School starts again Monday and basketball returns for the Gryphons Wednesday and Friday. Hertford County is here Wednesday for a non-conference tilt while Friday starts the first round of conference play and Nash Central will be in the house. The Gryphons will be without starting freshman Donte Battle this week for sure as he was injured in practice last week.

I have had a lot of questions as to the status Terrell Hilliard as to why he has not played much so far this year after having been a force in the state championship run. I talked with Terrell during the holiday Tournament and he actually got a stress fracture of his leg during the State Championship game in March. Between a sprained ankle and his leg not quite healed Terrell is hoping to starting playing this week.

Happy New Year

The new year is always the time of making promises to yourself which are never kept. We promise ourselves we will do better but by February we are back to the same old habits. There are times we wish others to have a better new year and I have a wish for the NCAA. Let's throw away the rule book and start all over.

Cheating is cheating and if you are found to have cheated let's let the punishment start now. Case in point five Ohio State players caught with their hand in the cookie jar just like the Carolina players and yet all five can play in their Bowl Game and serve their punishment next season. How many of those five will ever come back and play next year since all are NFL draft eligible.

I want everyone to know that I am not stupid enough to think all of these extra benefits are isolated episodes. Sports agents to boosters with a handshake and a twenty are always going to happen even if they did away with scholarships.

Kansas State lost their bowl game when a player broke a rule after a touchdown and saluted the crowd. That is a penalty and I support after every play hand the ball to the official. How many times just last night did I see a defensive player make a tackle and they take off and run to get away from the crowd to let everyone see that it was me who made that play? Isn't that drawing attention to yourself like the rule says?

Television has made sports into we will give you a lot of money if you play your game at midnight instead of 2.00pm as planned. Today is New Year's day and it is the official last day of college football but TV has added ten more days and everyone makes more money. Players get the opportunity to show case themselves to the NFL and will do just about any dance after a play to get on TV.

The NCAA like our lawmakers in Washington and Raleigh have been consumed by this we are doing what is right for everyone and they have become so big they aren't doing anything for anyone but making it worse.

It might be time to start all over.

A Finish for The Ages

Before we go any further this morning I want all Tar Heel fans to confess. Most of you were so furious with the end of regulation that you turned the TV off and didn't even see the overtime. Luckily for me I went to my computer to look up Shaun Draughn stats on the game and when I came back to flip over to the U Conn basketball game Carolina was lining up to kick a field goal.

I said yesterday here that on paper this was going to be a good game and as it turns out and Instant Classic. Those of you having turned off your TV and went to bed at the end of the game Carolina wins in double overtime 30-27 despite one of the worse coaching job of Butch Davis's career the last minute.

During the stoppage of play for the review of whether Carolina actually caught the ball or not in front of the Carolina bench Davis argued the entire review that Carolina had already snapped the ball and they could not have a review. To me sitting at home I thinking to myself that he knows the ball was not caught and they are going to lose this review. I'm yelling at the TV to get his next play on the field and ready to go. I never saw any evidence that the ball was not caught and all I saw was Davis and company arguing instead of getting ready for the next play and they certainly looked unprepared those last plays.

Finally while shaking hands the officials who had seemed to be skating on ice and about to fall down all night asked for a review and Carolina lives. What in the world was Carolina changing player on that last play when all they needed was to spike the ball?

Tarboro's Shaun Draughn playing for the last time in a Carolina uniform ran 23 times for 160 yards and a 58 yard touchdown run in the first quarter. As Hazel use to say on TV Carolina wins a doozy 30-27 in double overtime.

Former Rocky Mount football player Travis Cobb finished his college career in style as he returned five kickoffs for 169 yards the longest being for 64 yards. He also caught one pass for 15 yards but his Wildcats of Arizona lost in the Alamo Bowl big.

Northern Nash's Steven Baker and Rocky Mount's Jacoby(Coby)Jenkins played in the Military Bowl in Washington DC for the Pirates of ECU.

You got to give Carolina credit they go to Nashville and beat Tennessee in a game that had 70,000 Tennessee fans and one little section of Carolina fans. The Vols lose in Nashville for the first time since 1984.

Coach K 880 And Counting

Is it possible that Duke may be a better basketball team this year over last year and a National Championship? They just might be even with out their best player. Duke had little trouble in giving coach Mike Krzyzewski victory number 880 last night which moved him past Dean Smith and 22 short of the all time record of 902 held by Bobby Knight.

Coach K came to Duke in 1980 and everyone forgets he inherited a senior laden team that won 20 games his first season. I had an opportunity to talk with coach K the Monday after the Blue Devils accepted a bid to the NIT after his first season in 1981. While working for the radio station in Ahoskie we had some Duke fans that wanted to get Duke on the Radio for the NIT since there was no coverage of Duke at all in the Northeastern part of North Carolina.

I called the Duke basketball office and who do you think answered the phone but coach K. The world we live in now you are put on hold for twenty minutes and hear elevator music and about once a minute they break in to tell you how important you are to them to keep holding. After explaining what we wanted coach K put down the phone and went looking for the person we needed to talk to. He came back and said they would be right there and instead of putting me on hold he thanked me for wanting to put Duke on the radio. All together we talked about maybe ten minutes about the 80-81 Blue Devils before the person who could give us the rights to carry the game came on the line. It was probably the most enjoyable ten minutes that I have ever be waiting on a telephone.

ECU yesterday was a perfect advertisement why 6-6 teams should not be in a Bowl Game. Coming into the game the Pirates were giving up 43 points a game and yesterday 51. I have never liked the West Coast offense of most of your passes never crossing the line of scrimmage. Yesterday playing their hearts out for out going coach Ralph Fridgen Maryland was all over ECU short passing game.

In minor Bowl games most of the time the team that wins is the one who feels that they are playing a big named school and has something to prove. ECU proved nothing yesterday. The 51 points was the most ever scored by Maryland in a bowl game. The way the Maryland players played for Fridgen you wonder whether the new AD at Maryland will last.

Tonight the Tar Heels get their shot in the Music city Bowl in Nashville. Of all the bowl games this year this might be the most even game on paper of any that will be played. Kick off is 6.40. GO Heels!

O'Brien Wins 100th

Most coaches when they realize the Gatorade bath is coming do all they can to deflect the flow but last night with just a few seconds left in the Champs Bowl Game N C State's Tom O'Brien stood and took the whole jug as if he enjoyed every drop.

It was his 100th as a college coach and squared his record in Raleigh to 25-25. The former Marines four years in Raleigh have been a road map and in other years when the defense needed Red Shirt players to play, O'Brien has stuck with the plan and let them sit a year and finally the fruits are blossoming. Regardless of whether Russell Wilson returns or not the Pack will be in the fight for the conference crown and if Wilson returns will have a Heisman candidate to tout.

Coach K can move past Dean Smith on the wins list tonight in Greensboro as the Blue Devils tangle with UNC-Greensboro. There have been years when this would be a blow out for Duke but not any more. Duke should still move Coach K up the wins list.

Carolina and State had big wins in basketball last night. I see both improving but whether either finishes with 20 wins is still up in the air.

Today the Nations Capitol will be purple as the ECU Pirates invade RFK Stadium. RFK Stadium over the years was my favorite place to watch football games. I remember twice in my life taking the Carolina Express (train) to Washington to watch the Redskins play.

The Redskins use to have a Carolina Day at RFK and a train left Wilmington and made stops all through eastern North Carolina. Living in Ahoskie we use top get on in Weldon and the entire train was full of North Carolina people on the way to see the Redskins. When the Redskin band would play"Hail To The Redskins" the lower level of the stadium would bounce up and down. Today's world of having to buy season tickets teams no longer allows for such trips as Carolina Day.

The Pirates sold more than three times more tickets than Maryland the home team. It would not surprise me at all if the Pirates don't win by 20 or more. Bowls games are won by teams that want to be there and Maryland does not in Ralph Fridgen's last game.

NFL Playoff Spots Filling

The defending Super Bowl Champions the New Orleans Saints bought a ticket to the NFL playoffs last night by beat Atlanta in the Georgia Dome. There is only one spot left in the NFC and the Packers and Giants are hoping they get in.

Last night Georgia Tech began the Bowl Season for the ACC losing to Air Force 14-7. Today the Wolfpack will try to give the ACC their first victory playing West Virginia in Orlando. The big question of the night will be whether this is the last game for Russell Wilson. My guess is yes this is it.

Wilson having played professional baseball last summer did not sit well with Tom O'Brien showing up for summer camp right off the baseball field. It was nearly half the season until Coach O'Brien quit saying that Wilson was trying to get into football shape. The last home game Wilson walked with the seniors. O'Brien does not want to half to go through Spring Football and all summer without his #1 player preparing for his last season.

Field conditions being the way they are it will be interesting to see if the Coleman Pitt baseball camp is able to hit the field this week. Proceeds from the camp are to help support the baseball program from Post 58 American Legion. Nash Central is the site if it goes on. The biggest problem with moving the dates is the availability of coaches like Billy Godwin of ECU. Once school starts back his focus will be putting a baseball team on the field in the middle of February.

Greg Crudup told me last week during the Nash County Christmas Tournament that fifteen players showed up for the try outs held at South Rocky Mount Community Center and fifteen more were in Greensboro all trying to make the Renegades. They will be a new team in the ABA from North Carolina next season and he is sure that the team will be competitive.

NFL Super Bowl-Up For Grabs

Before the NFL season kicked off most people might have said yes the Cowboys have a chance to become the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl on their home field. A new billion dollar stadium on display Jerry Jones openly talked of the Cowboy chances. It only took one preseason game to give Cowboy fans a look at the over rated Cowboys who never got any better after that.

So the race is wide open for who ever wins the Super Bowl. New England and Atlanta have the best records heading into the final seven days but is there any team in the playoffs scared of either team. New England can be an offensive machine when they are in the groove and then lose at Cleveland. Why I feel this way I do not know but Atlanta is the San Diego of this years playoffs. One and Done.

The Bears and the Steelers are right behind the leaders in their leagues. Jay Cutler is a four interception game waiting to happen. Put a little pressure on him and he loses any concept of fundamentals. Since Big Ben's return from his suspension their offense has been stale.

Philadelphia and Michael Vick's come back is a bigger story than Brett Farve's. Lost in all the Vick clamour is the best player in football is DeShawn Jackson. Kansas City got better under the pressure from San Diego when they had their quarterback Cassell on the field.

The defending Super Bowl champs New Orleans is playing as good as anybody. Remember the Ravens kicked New England's butt at New England last year. They just might wind up there again this season.

There may be a team in the playoffs with a losing record with St Louis or Seattle. Neither scares the Panthers who is close to the worse in the league. Indy still trying to get in a far cry from last year when they laid down in a game and gave away an undefeated season. Jacksonville isn't dead yet. The only question for Jacksonville is how are they still alive.

Green Bay and the Giants, one probably will not make the playoffs depending on the Atlanta -New Orleans game tonight. Green Bay would be one team I wouldn't want to play while as long as Eli quarterbacks the Giants they always have a chance to lose.

If you think you know who is going to win the Super Bowl, your are a good guesser. Just six weeks to go before we know who wins the Super Bowl but we must add this disclaimer this year. Weather permitting.