The NFL's Average Team

If you have read any of my stuff from the past I talk about the Want a bees at times.  They are the average team that dreams of the day being the New England Patriots but something always seems to get in their way and most of the time it is their own feet.

That first team of average is the Dallas Cowboys.   They are the darlings of NFL TV networks.  About every three weeks they play so well that the media is picking them as the next Super Bowl champion but by the next week they have lost to the winless Tampa Bay Bucs.

The next great average team is the New York Jets.  The news media of New York thinks. That if you live across the East or Hudson River you don't know how to live and you know nothing about sports because all the great teams reside in Giant or Jets land.  The Jets can beat New England one week and get blown out in St Louis.

Then there is San Diego.  Yes they have a great excuse. The worse stadium in the NFL but they even though they have a top five NFL quarterback they always manage to give up a 95 yard drive to lose on the last play of the game or fail to get 30 inches in three plays.

Now this brings us up to the Carolina Panthers  who very seldom are good enough to be considered want a bees.  They ride a six game winning streak which includes the 49's and Patriots back to back. Yes it is time to call the Panthers the next great team of the NFL. If they are as great as the Cowboys are Jets then they are in line for the big flop this weekend against the Dolphins.

If the Panthers are as great as we wish the to be then this Sunday's game with Miami just may be the biggest game the Panthers have played since their Super Bowl game a decade a go.  If they are really the Chargers or Cowboys then they will find a way to lose.  Should they win then Sunday week is the next biggest game in this Panther decade.

Season Is Over Football Review

The three public high schools in Rocky Mount are putting away equipment and for the 2013 football year is over.  What is the future for our three high schools for the next high school season?

Nash Central:  The future can only be up for this team who was 0 for the season.  The first issue of business would seem to be what is the future of the coaching staff.  Unless their is a resignation nothing is going to happen there until the end of the school year.  Those that want change want it to happen now that they want someone in place to start second semester.  Teacher contracts are not like college and pros for every coach teaches a class and any new hire would have to be able to fill a job second semester but if the existing coaches are in the class room there are no jobs to fill.  The number one issue will be what is the Nash Central Administration feels.  Do they think this was just one o years there is no guarantee a change will come.

Northern Nash:  After finishing 4-7 the Knights  made great strides in 2013.  I am sure most folks in Red Oak wanted more and quite frankly it almost happened.  Randy Raper will have a full year under his belt at Northern in January so he begins is second season of attitude adjustments.  Boy, the Knights should look towards Duke in what a new coach can do when all the changes are made.  Randy Raper has too good a history to come to Northern and fail, so look for more wins in 2014.  There are a few areas that Northern  will need to get better in for next year and now that Raper has seen both the JV's and varsity players in action he now knows what players he can look for better play fron in 2014.

Rocky Mount:  Two straight years of eight regular season wins. And two straight first round exits.  Jason Battle's first year he put Rocky mount back on the winning ledger.  I don't know whether anyone thought eight was possible this year so this is a nice surprise to play so well.  When looking at the Gryphons victories Triton was their best one.  There is however disappointment in both lopsided losses to Fike and Hunt in conference. The two years both of the playoff games have been major disappointments last years lost to Jacksonville was unexpected while this one against Orange  not competitive enough.  Jason Battle has proven to be able to communicate with his players.  His next big step is installing more discipline.

Southern Nash is still alive in the playoffs and they seem to be getting better as more players return from injury.  They very we'll make it another week.

Upside Down World We Live In

What is this world coming to.  So far in 2013 Miami has won the ACC basketball championship and now Duke just might be the second best team in the ACC in football.  For all of those who like the world to stay the same this year has rocked the normal world we live.   When you add that Rocky Mount Academy  has now won a football title  this world has fallen off axis.

If there is one thing  that coaches have in common is when ever they arrive in a new place they want to change everything and put their brand on it because every win and loss while they are in charge of the ship falls under their watch.  It is their fault when they lose and most of the time they are there now because the one before them is no longer there because someone wasn't satisfied with the amount of wins.

That new coach always says we have to change the culture but what they are politely saying is the losing attitude has to stop.  It has been five years since David Cutcliffe came to Duke a place that had only won three games the three years before his arrival.  BW Holt's arrival at RMA the Eagles were winless the previous season  before his arrival.

What do both of these coaches have in common that they came to a place that only had football as a thing to do in the fall?  You can believe this that what ever they tell their players they back it up  and as time passes those promises begin to show results in games and player beliefs intensify that what the coach says is coming to pass.

After years of coaching these two coaches have former players return just to be a part  of the coaches wisdom.  If I was a Duke football player and walked into the locker room in the summer and there sat Peyton Manning first of all I would be impressed  and wonder why would he be at Duke but when you remember Coach Cut was his coach when Peyton was at Tennessee.

Over the years Holt's staff has been loaded down with former players still learning from the master teacher.  Each one of these players have returned to the man that helped mold them and many would like to be coaches in the future.

There is always a matter of luck in any sport.  Duke has faced in the last four weeks or so teams that had injuries that put them on the field against not a full strength.  RMA caught a break having Hobgood lose their first game and gave RMA a home game in the second round.  Opportunity knocks and for those there to take advantage of that opportunity rewards await.

Most of us get up every day and either go to work or school.  Every day opportunity awaits for those who are prepared. Doesn't seem funny that there are just some coaches that have there players ready for opportunity than other.  Coach Cut and Holt have been good shepards  to their flocks and always have them ready for the next opportunity.

Friday Night Tears

We all as fans want our team to do well in every game they play. People become so tunnel visioned that they become obsessed. Once the mountain top has been toppled you find that those you pull for the hardest wanted what you wanted just as much as you did. I have heard from many that say they saw B W Holt with tears in his eyes Friday night. Don't you think it has been a burden on his shoulders to think he has in his career been with one hand on the mountain top seven times but never get to the top to even pull himself onto the top. I wish I could have been there to enjoy B W and his Eagles in their moment of glory. Just think what a great decision Beth Covolo made just two years ago bringing Holt to RMA. I bet the crowd there Friday night pulling for the Eagles is bigger than all crowds put together at a RMA home games in the last six years. As a child I never understood why my daddy got so much joy from getting one pair of socks for Christmas. Those there Friday night to bask in the glory for B W Holt got a Chrismas present in watching his joy. 248 teams opened play Friday night in all eight NC High School playoffs. It was 124 games played Friday night. Many of you know I despise five games to win the state title. There are simply too many teams in the playoff who don't deserve to be there and when they get to where ever the game is being played to go home in a short order of business getting the living day lights beat out of them. Friday night there were 26 games where the winning team scored 50 or more. Of those seven scored at least 60. There was even a playoff game Friday night in which the winners put a 70 spot on the board. That works out to 18% of the games were laughers. If the playoffs were reduced to four games almost all of the first round games would have been more like Rocky Mount 8-3 at Orange 10-1. To me that is a playoff first round game not Rocky Mount Prep losing 62-0 after having won only two games. Here is another desturbing number twenty games the winners won by more than 40 points. Why do we have to keep enduring these pitiful games. I would love to see how many people were in attendance to these games when everyone knew before the game was played it shouldn't be played. We got rid of the POD system which was a great thing for those in 4-3-and 2-A playoff games. Let's reduce to four playoff games where everyone thinks his team has a shot in the opening round because they are good enough to be there not because we need a filler team. That doesn't do any good for the winning team and it makes a bad team have to endure another crushing loss.

Eight Is Enough

It took B W Holt eight tries to ever make it to a state championship game but when he got to his first he had his team ready to win it. RMA almost scored on the opening kickoff and stuck it home to take the lead. By halftime RMA lead and then Holt had to think I have been here before. Nursing a 36-30 lead and all his Eagles had to do was run out the clock you have to think that some where in the mind of this football coaching legend he had to think back just five years ago his Rocky Mount Gryphons team nursing a 19-14 lead against West Craven and driving for one more score and the dreaded fumble and a WC td late. Not tonight however as the RMA Eagles stick a state championship touchdown on the board in the last two minutes to beat the defending eight man football championship 42-30 over Southampton Academy. An estimated crowd of Twenty five hundred were in the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex to see HOLT and the Eagles win their first state title together. Rocky Mount Prep first ever playoff game will be one to remember a 62-0 loss to SE Halifax. Hunt the top seed from the Big East over came a slow start to win their opening playoff game beating Terry Sanford 35-14. Fike over came a 0-26 score and scored three touchdowns the last three minutes of the third quarter to beat Lee County 41-26. Southern Nash fell behind early but romped in the end 51-22 over Swansboro. Tarboro in a cakewalk advanced to the second round with a 52-0 win over Spring Creek. North Edgecombe loses 40-22 to East Columbus. Rocky Mount will be the only Big East team to lose as they fall at Orange 31-3. they knew they had a toughie but SouthWest Edgecombe failed to score in a 40-0 lost to the top seeded T W Andrews. The end of this week has turned the future of several local girls sports stars. Rocky Mount basketball player Carmen Richardson has signed to play basketball at Queens College in Charlotte with her former high school teammate Tia Hudgins. Richardson as a sophomore was the third leading scorer behind J Kyra Brown and Hudgins. As a junior she moved up to second behind Brown but this year she will be expected to take the lead on this year's Gryphon girls team. Over at Northern Alexis Hill has signed with Gardner-Webb where she will play basketball. Hill the last two years has been the main engine to a high powered Lady Knight basketball team having averaged over the last two years 12.9 points. Jessica Ricks a Lady Knight center fielder who just might be the best hitter in the history of Northern Nash hit over 550 last year and she has all next spring to hit some more before she heads to App State.

We Might Find Out About Duke

When you look at the seven wins that Duke has the Virginia Tech win is the the star on their cap. Saturady the Southern Nash of the ACC Miami rolls in to Durham and what do I mean by that is the injured Hurricanes who has had plenty of wind shear to calm the Hurricanes down as the season has grown into November. Last week I was 5-3 which runs me to 52-22 on the college perdiction business. Miami at Duke: You have to give it to the Devils as they have thrown 7 ints in the last two games and won both. This is the Blue devils last home game of the year and a win here elevates this season even higher with every added win. I think this is their last lost of the season until the Bowl game. Miami 31 Duke 26 Georgia Tech at Clemson: You know Clemson can still work it's way into a BCS Bowl game if they don't lose again this year and I suspect they won't lose this week. Clemson 46 Georgia tech 26. Didn't realize that this was Thursday night game. N C State at Boston College. Before the season started this was already in the win column for the Pack but the rotatation quarterbacks for State continue to see who can play worse than the other. Boston College 27-24 Syracuse at Florida State: This is last real good chance for anybody to derail the Noles. Will be interesting to see if the Cuse defense can slow them down or if all the negative pub this week hurts the Noles. I doubt it FSU 38 Syracuse 20 North Carolina at Pitt: This game will surely show us whether Carolina has improved or caught the slack part of their schedule at the right time. Pitt 31 Carolina 28 Maryland at Virginia Tech: Go Gobblers beat the quitters VT 31 Maryland 17 North Carolina Wesleyan at Methodest: The religious folks are good Meth 38 NCW 23 It seems as if the Big East is the second best soccer conference in the east behind the Coastal with Jacksonville. After Hunt had beaten the other Coastal team White Oak looked as if somebody from the Big East just might beat Jacksonville in the eastern Finals. No way Jax 6- Hunt 1.

First Round Picks

Sure does help to be a high seed in any playoff because that gets you matched up in the early rounds with teams that are about halfway shocked that they made the playoffs. Last week I was 6-1 missing only the Fike loss so for the regular season finished 76-13 on the year. As they say "playoffs start a new year" so let's see where these playoffs are going. East Columbus 4-7 @ North Edgecombe 5-5: This is one of those games where neither team has played the same team during the year so how do you pick such a game. EC has allowed 408 points during the season so do I think the Warriors can score in this one? I sure do North Edgecombe 28 East Columbus 14 Moving up to 1AA Spring Creek at Tarboro: This is one of those games in which the playoffs need to be cut back to four games instead of five. More bad can happen for Tarboro than good. Nothing could be worse than getting an important player hurt in a 45-0 playoff game and can't play rest of the playoffs. I'll take the Vikings with ease. SouthWest Edgecombe: What a reward for being in the playoffs. You get the best team in the tournament first game. SWE 5-6 travels to T W Andrew 10-1 who's only loss all year was the first game of the season to a much larger school. The Cougar defense had better be ready as Andrews has scored at least 35 in ten of eleven games. Andrews 42 SWE 22 Southern Nash 8-3 @ Swansboro 8-3: Oh boy Swansboro is in the league with West Craven, Jacksonville and the likes. I keep hearing rumors that the Firebirds are beginning to get some folks back and if that is true they could be a sleeper in the 3-A race because we all know that the Firebirds were my pick to win the Big East until all those injuries. I like the Birds in a slugfest 36-32 over Swansboro. Fike 10-1 at Lee County 9-2: If the Big East is as good as they think they are then Fike should go handle this one in a close game. This truly is a game of which conference is better because these are two #2's colliding. Fike 31 Lee County 28 Terry Sanford 4-7 at Hunt 8-3: If Hunt has their game face on this is a no brainer. But after beating Fike they could be flat and this game could be closer than needed. Hunt 35 Terry Sanford 21. Rocky Mount 8-3 at Orange 10-1: If Rocky Mount has penalties like they had last week kiss this one good bye. Here we are again looking at the strength of the conferences of these two teams. I don't get any feeling from the Gryphon fan base that they have a chance hitting the road in the opening round. They are could be right Orange 26 Rocky Mount 17 Southampton Academy at Rocky Mount Academy at Rocky Mount Sports Complex. State private school state championship on the line in eight man football. Southampton handled the Eagle at Southampton already this year. Now this one is in Rocky Mount where I hope a big crowd is following the Eagles. Holt and company earn respect but not a title Southampton 34 RMA 28.