http://www.nikeblog.com/2010/08/25/chrome-oregon-football-helmets/

Tell me you wouldn’t want to play for this guy…. Larry The Cable Guy of coaching….

The recent strings of arrests, citations and allegations surrounding the University of Oregon and Oregon State football programs have garnered a lot of hype in the local media. On the field, both programs are Top 25 programs. On the Police Blotter, they are Top 10.

It is only a click away to track their progress as blossoming powerhouses.

The good people at Sports Argument Stadium, by way of Wikipedia, host the Fulmer Cup, an award given to the most naughty football program in the country. Past winners include Marshall (2006), Illinois (2007), Alabama (2008) and South Florida (2009).

The formula is simple. Each offense committed by a current player on the roster is assigned a point value. The team with the most points at the end of the year gets the Cup.

On top of that, there is the coveted Ellis T. Jones III Award, given to college football’s biggest F-up. The namesake of the award amassed a staggering 31 points on his own during the 2006 season. More than any single program in the four year history of the Cup.

Check out the site… It is worth your time.

I should start this by saying, I have defended Brandon Roy as a Superstar in the NBA to radio show hosts around the country and Blazer haters across the country. You would be surprised how many people question the skill set of not only Roy, but the entire Blazer lineup. I talked to a guy from L.A. who even tried telling me that Marcus Camby’s game has slipped since coming to Portland. I am not sure if it is just because we are tucked up in the northwestern corner of the country, or people just think that once you come here, you automatically a non-factor, but this is a real stigma following Portland. I have the utmost respect for Brandon Roy, his game and the spark he gave to reignite Blazermania in Portland.

Coming off meniscus surgery on his injured right knee may have been a good thing in the friendly confines of the Rose Garden to get the crowd even more amped up, but Game 5 in Phoenix was a different story. He looked slow on the defensive end, off balance on the offensive end and had a problem elevating on both ends. I love the heart he is showing and in a day and age of guys sitting out because of lesser injuries, having a star show this grit is a great thing. But, Brandon isn’t helping, he hurt the Blazers in Game 5. He is not 100%, not even close. At some point the Blazer organization needs to take a step back and realize that too.

Brandon has said he wants to start on Thursday. Lets hope a miracle happens and he either gets back to full strength or Coach McMillan steps in and pulls the reigns back on his star.

There is a lot more basketball to be played for Roy to show he is a star in this league.

I bow down to you now Jim Smith. B-Roy is not ready to go.

The Oregon Ducks may be just two years into a baseball program that laid dormant for over two and a half decades, but coach George Horton’s boys are picking up wins that should start to garner Top 25 accolades. Or at least thoughts for it.

The Ducks opened up the year in California with, then 4^th ranked, Cal State Fullerton and picked up a 7-3 win. They opened Pac-10 play with what is now the 24^th ranked team in the country, Arizona and stole one of three on the road with the Wildcats. Then brought top ranked, Arizona State into PK Park and gave them their first loss of the year, dropping the other two. The following week, the Ducks flew south for a three game set with, then 22^nd ranked, Stanford, stealing two of three from the Cardinal on their home field. And now, with their third straight ranked opponent in as many weeks, the Ducks have clinched a series win against Top Ranked UCLA. Squeaking out a 5-4 win on Friday and cruising to an 8-4 Saturday against the Bruins.

At 23-11, Oregon doesn’t have the sexiest record in comparison to Baseball America’s Top 25. But, in what other sport can you think of, where a team knocks off the top team in the country and doesn’t at least get the courtesy nod into the Top 25? Hell, Appalachian State was getting votes in 2007 as a I-AA when they beat Michigan!

But, now the Ducks are wading in waters that should have them in the Top 25. 7 wins over teams that were either in the Top 25 at the time, or are now in the rankings. Three of which coming against the Top Ranked teams in the country is something that Duck fans need to be happy about. This is undoubtedly a program on the rise.

And, oh-by-the-way… They still have Sunday to play with UCLA…

#6 Portland Trail Blazers (50-32) vs. #3 Phoenix Suns (54-28)

Until these two teams take the floor 7:30 pm, Sunday night (TNT), the “paper test” is all we have to go off. The Blazers held the edge of Phoenix in the regular season, but the Blazer team that will take the floor Sunday is far different than what we saw in the first two meetings. As is this Suns team. Take a look at some of the previous matchups and you will see what I mean.

Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden won’t be taking the floor…. Andre Miller was an outcast both on the floor and in the locker room in the first meeting… Brandon Roy missed the second game of the regular season meetings with an ailing hamstring… Marcus Camby wasn’t even in Portland until the only loss of the season to the Suns… Leandro Barbosa missed the first two meetings due to injury… And as all great playoff teams do, the Suns didn’t start cranking it up until after the All-Star break, which only one meeting happened after… Hell, Goran Dragic started in the first game!

But, if you take a look at the numbers, there are some matchup problems that the Blazers pose and some tendencies that if they can exploit, might end up with a series win…

Season Series: 2-1 POR

December 17, 2010 – POR 105-102 @ Rose Garden

POR – B. Roy 27 pts.; J. Przybilla 10 reb.; A. Miller 5 ast.

PHX – A. Stoudemire 27 pts.; A. Stoudemire 11 reb.; S. Nash 13 ast.

February 10, 2010 – POR 108-101 @ US Airways Center

POR – L. Aldridge 22 pts.; A. Miller 7 reb.; S. Blake 12 ast.

PHX – A. Stoudemire 24 pts.; A. Stoudemire 9 reb.; S. Nash 12 ast.

March 21, 2010 – PHX 93-87 @ US Airways Center

POR – B. Roy 23 pts.; M. Camby 16 reb.; A. Miller 9 ast.

PHX – A. Stoudemire 18 pts.; A. Stoudemire 14 reb.; S. Nash 8 ast.

Head to Head

Shooting numbers overall are similar… The difference in the first two meetings was the Blazers ability to slow the tempo and get to the bucket without getting out of their game… Meaning, slow the breakneck pace on the defensive end, but push your offensive game… Portland has the ability to score, but with Steve Nash running the point, one or two need to be getting back to slow them down… Holding Phoenix to under 100 in the season series and cutting their assists/game shows this…. Nash wasn’t getting those slice and dish, push and kickout assists… No doubt, this team can shoot, Portland MUST get back…

Trail Blazers vs. Suns – Individual Averages

Suns vs. Trail Blazers – Individual Averages

Amare Stoudemire is playing the best ball of his career. He has been the workhorse all year for the Suns and the Blazers need to find a way to slow him down. Portland needs to be aggressive and push him out of his comfort zone. Aldridge and Camby need to bring it. Their scoring is nowhere near as important as the physicality and help on the defensive end in this series…. The Blazer numbers are obviously skewed because of all of the injuries. Make no mistake, Brandon Roy’s knee is going to be a key factor. As will Andre Miller’s ability to take Nash down low and impose his will on the smaller guard, while opening up the kickout opportunities for the sharp shooters.

Phoenix Suns – Regular Season Averages

2010 Productivity –

Efficiency Formula: ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers)) [courtesy of nba.com]

The most productive five player combination on the floor for the Suns in 2009-10:

PG- Steve Nash, SG- Grant Hill, SF- Jason Richardson, PF- Channing Frye, C- Amare Stoudemire… Efficiency rating of 152…

The most productive three player combination on the floor for the Suns in 2009-10:

PG- Steve Nash, SF- Jason Richardson, C- Amare Stoudemire… Efficiency rating of 285…

The most productive two player combination on the floor for the Suns in 2009-10:

PG- Steve Nash and PF- Channing Frye… Efficiency rating of 330…

The most productive player for the Suns in 2009-10:

PG- Steve Nash… Efficiency rating of 378…

No, surprise that Nash is the most efficient, but Jason Richardson is the silent killer on this team. His presence on the defensive end is crucial to their success and hits shots that aren’t the buzz beaters, but are game/momentum changers… Good to see Channing Frye being such an crucial piece to a playoff puzzle… He truly is one of the good guys in the NBA…

Individual Season Averages

This was just so you could get an idea of how these guys do when not facing Rip City…

Portland Trailblazers – Regular Season Averages

2010 Productivity –

Efficiency Formula: ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers)) [courtesy of nba.com]

The most productive five player combination on the floor for the Trail Blazers in 2009-10:

PG- Andre Miller, SG- Brandon Roy, SF- Nicolas Batum, PF- LaMarcus Aldridge, C- Marcus Camby… Efficiency rating of 106…

The most productive three player combination on the floor for the Trail Blazers in 2009-10:

PG- Andre Miller, SG- Brandon Roy, PF- LaMarcus Aldridge… Efficiency rating of 106…

The most productive two player combination on the floor for the Trail Blazers in 2009-10:

PG- Andre Miller, PF- LaMarcus Aldridge… Efficiency rating of 242…

The most productive player for the Trail Blazers in 2009-10:

PG- Andre Miller… Efficiency rating of 284…

The Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge haters need to take these numbers to heart. The small, but vocal groups of Blazer fans that knock these guys get lost in the message boards and radio hosts that fuel this fire. The truth is, these guys get it done on the floor and make this team exponentially better…. Now only if Nic Batum was let loose and could score more, how great would his efficiency rating be? The guy is the unsung hero of this team.

Individual Season Averages

The Philadelphia Eagles sending to Washington on Sunday seemed like an odd deal to go down. Philly sending their franchise’s all-time leading passer to an in-division rival is very un-Philly like. A team that adheres to their city’s cutthroat style, just doesn’t make sense. This is the team that cuts the heart and soul of their defense, Brian Dawkins. Refuses to get into bidding wars with their “Superstars,” Jevon Kearse. And is in a city that infamous for throwing iceballs at Santa Claus and rioting for big wins.

So, why give up Donnovan McNabb to a team that you are going to see twice a year? Is there that much confidence in the youngster Kevin Kolb? Do they think that Mike Vick is a guy that can lead them to a Super Bowl win? Or is the skill set of the aging McNabb dwindling too far past a Super Bowl window?

McNabb has always got heat for his ability to get the ball out of his hands and down the field. He, for whatever reason, was labeled a scrambler in his early years in the league. But, the fact is that McNabb has always had a good pocket presence and ability to make things happen with his feet when all hell broke loose around him. Taking the sack or throwing the ball away is a trait that we have propped guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning up on a pedestal for. But, with McNabb he HAD the ability to create and instead of 3^rd and 10 or 3^rd and 13, he would give you a 3^rd and 7. Which any offensive coordinator loves because it puts you in a completely different scenario on your 16×11 play card. The difference between Brady, Manning and McNabb is that Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Wes Welker were never slicing through secondaries for Donnovan. Instead he had game breakers like Hank Baskett and Freddie Mitchell runnin’ around like chickens with their head’s cut off, alligator arming everything and anything across the middle. And when that ability to run starts to fade, so does the love with the Philly faithful. They backed not only Donnovan, but the coaches and management into a corner to get rid of him.

The reality of this is, he can still play. At a very high level. No, he isn’t making the plays with his feet, but he never had the guys to get open and dump off too. You look at what he did last year with that Eagles team. His dump off guy, Brian Westbrook is missing for half the year and what does he do? Turns Brent Celek into one of the top tight ends in the league and all of the sudden De’Sean Jackson is one of the hot names at the wide-out position. Yes, they are talented players, but if you think number 5 wasn’t the a big reason for it, you are out of your mind. Jackson came into the league as a return specialist with abilities as a primary receiver in the league as big of a question mark as his ability to figure out where the goal line is on the field. Celek was a 5^th rounder from Cincy in 2007. Every good tight end has a good guy throwing to him. Enough said.

His track record speaks for itself. He can still play and lead a team. But still, why?

Kevin Kolb is a 4^th year guy from University of Houston who has only attempted 130 passes in his career. Four of which have gone to the endzone. Seven to the other team. Hey, but he does have an NFL record, from a 108 yard interception he threw to Ravens safety Ed Reed for a touchdown. I have never been hot on the guy and can’t see why they love him so much either. I hope the guy proves me wrong and is a Hall of Famer.

Mike Vick? Yeah, right…

So, that leaves us with this: Philly gets the 37^th overall pick in the Draft this year, along with a 3^rd or 4^th rounder next year. And the Skins get McNabb. Obviously Philly isn’t scared of Donnovan or his ability to get it to Chris Cooley or Santana Moss or any of the other schmucks running around in D.C..

Hear me out on this scenario. The Patriots are always up to package pick in the draft and are looking for a backup for Brady. The Redskins have five quarterbacks on their roster including Rex Grossman and Colt Brennan. Skins package the 37^th pick and either Rex or Colt for the 21^st pick where the Pats are set to draft. And at 21, you have the possibility of a guy like Dez Bryant whose stock has been falling like an anvil since he got suspended at Oklahoma State last year.

Then, we might have someone Philly might be just a little scared about ol’ No. 5 throwing to. Just a thought.

As this NBA season started, for the first time since 2002, I was excited to see the Blazers play. Then Nic Batum went down. Then Rudy. Then Greg. Then Joel. Then Brandon. I considered this season a wash. Whatever this team did, was playing with house money. If they sealed a playoff spot? Great. If they fell short? Who cares.

Enter the Los Angeles Clippers and Marcus Camby. Just when we thought the days of the “Pritch Slap” were over, and teams got wise to General Manager Kevin Pritchard’s ways. Donald Sterling and the dumb asses in L.A. catch one up side the head and give up Marcus Camby, the NBA’s 2nd leading rebounder and one of the top shot blockers in the game, for Travis Outlaw who’s contract is expiring and hasn’t played since November and Steve Blake.

Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for both Travis and Steve and I have a lot of admiration for them and their game. But, really? REALLY? This is a steal for the Blazers and has rejuvenated Rip City.

The house has evened things up. Time to put on the poker face again.