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NFL Draft 2010 – Round 2 #33- St. Louis- OT Rodger Saffold

Day 2 is under way.

NFL.com writes- Saffold is a good collegiate lineman who started at left tackle for three consecutive years at Indiana. He lacks the massive stature that teams are looking for in a left tackle and may be lacking a step in quickness to play on the left side but should be able to find a home on the right side or even inside at guard. He has above-average initial quickness and does a good job of getting a fit with his hands to control and steer opponents on by the hole or pocket. He understands blocking angles and does a good job of recognizing stunts and twists up front and keeps his head on a swivel when in pass pro. While he doesn’t really jump off the screen at you, the end result is that he consistently gets the job done and often makes it look pretty easy.

 

Pocketful of Miracles- Iowa beats Indiana 42-24

For the 4th time this college football season, the Hawkeyes launched a successful late comeback. From AP-

Of all the holes Iowa has dug itself, this was the deepest.

Indiana was leading by 14 in the third quarter and just two yards away from the Hawkeyes’ end zone. Given how poorly quarterback Ricky Stanzi was playing, one more touchdown might have brought their charmed season crashing down.

It was the second straight week and fourth time this season that Iowa has won a game after trailing entering the fourth quarter.

Tyler Sash instead returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown, and Stanzi bounced back from a career-high five interceptions to rally the Hawkeyes (No. 4 BCS, No. 7 AP) to a 42-24 victory, yet another improbable finish in a season full of them.

Brandon Wegher had a career-high 118 yards rushing and three TDs for the Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten), who scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to stun the shell-shocked Hoosiers.

“No matter what happens, we know there’s still time left on the clock,” Stanzi said. “There’s a chance to win, so you can’t give up.”

Iowa is off to the best start in school history, thanks to four wins by three points or less. And after needing two blocked field goals to beat FCS school Northern Iowa in its opener, the Hawks control their own destiny in the Big Ten — with a chance to play for the BCS title.

Iowa controls its own destiny but can they continue spotting teams the lead every week? I got a feeling they are in for a tumble before the Bowl games are all worked out.

The Hawkeyes still have games left with Northwestern(5-3), Ohio State(7-2), and Minnesota(4-4). Only the game against the Buckeyes isn’t being played at Iowa.

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Veteran NFL Quarterback Trent Green announces his retirement

He played in the NFL for 15 seasons with four different teams. From AP-

Veteran quarterback Trent Green says he has decided to retire, Fox Sports reported.

Green, whose career was hampered by injuries, played for five teams over 15 seasons and spent last season with the St. Louis Rams as Marc Bulger’s backup. The Rams released him earlier this year.

He was the Kansas City Chiefs’ starter between 2001 and 2005, passing for more than 3,600 yards in each season. But concussions — most notably, a frightening hit in the 2006 season opener — slowed his latter career.

In 120 career games, Green completed 2,266 of 3,740 passes for 28,475 yards, with 162 touchdowns, 114 interceptions and a passer rating of 86.0. He threw for at least 24 touchdowns in three consecutive seasons (2002-04 ) for the Chiefs and led the team to a pair of playoff appearances, in 2003 and 2006, losing to the Indianapolis Colts both times.

One of Green’s injuries helped shape the fortunes of another NFL quarterback.

Green was slated to be the Rams’ starting quarterback in 1999 when he was hurt during a preseason game. Kurt Warner took over and took the Rams to a pair of Super Bowls, winning it all in the 2000 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Green also played for the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.

Green was a good player and a smart person till 2006 when everything began to get scrambled after he suffered a concussion. The Miami Dolphins traded for Green before the 2007 only to see him go down again with yet another concussion. Afterwards Green went doctor shopping as he tried clinging to an NFL job.

After the Dolphins disasterous 07 season, Green was released but the St. Louis Rams picked him up and even installed him as the team’s starting quarterback for a while but his play was less than impressive. Now that he has given up playing, Green might have a future as a quarterback coach. I wish him well wherever life may take him.

 

Former NFL and NCAA Coach Lou Saban dead at 87

Saban, who was a distant relative of Nick Saban, had a history of never liking to stay long at University or pro team he worked for. Ask the University of Cincinnati, where Saban was AD for 19 days before taking the Miami Hurricane head coaching job.

I remember him mainly for his two year tenure at the University of Miami. Army was looking for a new head coach and wanted to talk to one of Saban’s assistants. Instead Saban said he was interested in the job. His abrupt departure from Coral Gables had some local sportswriters predicting doom for the Hurricanes.(Saban was 3-8 and 6-5 in his two years at Miami) Four years later, Howard Schnellenberger took the Hurricanes to a National Championship, where as Saban would spend the rest of his coaching days at places like Peru State and the Arena Football league. RIP Lou.

 

Coach Bobby Knight resigns from Texas Tech

He won his 900th game as a head coach last month. From AP-

LUBBOCK, Texas – Bob Knight resigned Monday at Texas Tech, a stunning midseason move by the winningest men’s coach in major college basketball.

Known as much for his fiery temper as his basketball brilliance, Knight gave no hint a change was coming. He will be replaced by his son, Pat, a Red Raiders assistant.

Chris Cook, a spokesman for athletic director Gerald Myers, confirmed the resignation, which was first reported by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Related links
Bob Knight’s milestone wins
In September, Knight signed a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2011-12 season. In 2005, Pat Knight was appointed his father’s successor.

“Coach Knight has had a great career. His coaching record speaks for itself. His love for basketball is clear, but most importantly his love for teaching and the students has been a hallmark of his tenure here at Texas Tech,” said Sally Logue Post, a spokeswoman for Texas Tech.

Bob Knight has 902 career wins, more than any coach in the history of Division I men’s basketball. Win No. 900 came last month against Texas A&M. The Red Raiders are 12-8 this season.

Knight arrived at Texas Tech in March 2001, six months after being fired by Indiana for what school officials there called a “pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

I expect Knight is done with coaching. He certainly was a successful if controversial coach. Good luck in retirement Bobby.

 

Indiana University Football Coach Terry Hoeppner dead at 59

He was the Hoosiers head coach for two years and before that coached Miami of Ohio.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner died Tuesday of complications from a brain tumor, a university spokesman said. He was 59.

Hoeppner, who had two brain surgeries in the past 18 months, missed nearly four months on medical leave. He died at 6:50 a.m. at Bloomington Hospital, said J.D. Campbell, the school’s sports information director.

Late last week, the school said assistant Bill Lynch would replace him as coach for the 2007 season.

Hoeppner, who went 9-14 in two seasons as Indiana’s coach, had taken three medical leaves since December 2005. He hadn’t been seen publicly since late February.

Very sad. RIP.

 

Bobby Knight Wins 880th, Most Ever

Bob Knight is now the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history.

Bob Knight has been the game’s orneriest coach forever. Now he’s the winningest, too.

Knight earned career victory No. 880 the hard way when his Texas Tech Red Raiders blew a 20-point lead but withstood a 3-point miss at the buzzer to beat New Mexico 70-68 on Monday in a game lacking the fanfare of his first attempt.

None of Knight’s famous friends made it to West Texas to see him break the men’s Division I record he shared with former North Carolina coach Dean Smith. Steve Alford, John Havlicek and Fuzzy Zoeller were among about 30 buddies here when he tried Thursday night, but none of them stayed for a morning tipoff on New Year’s Day.

The Red Raiders (11-4) trailed 64-60 with 6:25 left, but went back ahead 70-68 on a 3-pointer by Jay Jackson with 2:04 left. Things were tense the rest of the way — including a controversial call that didn’t go in Knight’s favor — and it wasn’t until a long 3-pointer by J.R. Giddens bounced away at the buzzer that the celebration could begin.

Pat Knight, Bobby Knight’s son and successor-in-waiting, put an arm around his dad’s neck as they walked to shake hands with New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay. They looked as relieved to have won this game as to have the hoopla of the record behind them.

The crowd already was on its feet and the cheers turned louder. Knight did a television interview, then “My Way” by Frank Sinatra blared, a not-so-subtle reminder of Knight’s personal and professional credo.

Soon, red confetti fell and a ceremony began. Knight singled out Alan Voskuil, who made a key play down the stretch, then tapped the chin of forward Mike Prince, the player who Knight made contact with in a game earlier this season. He then motioned to his wife, Karen, to join him on the court.

“The first 15 minutes of the game was Karen’s game plan,” he said of his wife, a former high school coach. “The rest of it was mine, unfortunately. I just say thank you.”

[...]

Already a Hall of Famer, Knight’s overall record is 880-354 with three national championships, including a perfect season in 1976 that has yet to be duplicated. Of course, he’s just as well known for his run-ins with players, bosses, officials and others. He punched a policeman in Puerto Rico and sent a chair tumbling across a court in protest of a referee’s call.

[...]

Arizona’s Lute Olson is second among active coaches with 772 wins. But at 72, and also under contract through 2011, he is not likely to make up enough ground.

Krzyzewski has 765 wins and is 59. However, Coach K would be 64 in 2011 and might still be 100 wins behind.

Even if Knight only bumps the mark to 900, it would take 45 years of 20 wins per season to match that. At the unlikely rate of 25 wins per season, it would take 36 years.

Knight had the advantage of breaking into the business at Army when he was only 24. Hence his nickname, “The General.” While the mark is impressive, Knight admits it’s a byproduct of longevity. The ultimate standard of college basketball coaching excellence is the 10 national titles won by UCLA’s John Wooden, all in a 12-year span.

Also worth noting: Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt has won the most NCAA games, 925; and Harry Statham of NAIA McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., has won the most men’s games at a four-year college, 925.

Summitt is an outstanding coach, but it’s an insult to Knight and the others to pretend that winning in the women’s game, which has until recently had zero competitive balance, is in any way comparable to what they have achieved.

I can’t imagine anyone will again be given a chance at coaching a Division I team at the age of 24, making Knight’s achievement almost impossible to equal. It’s not at all inconceivable that he will extend the record well past 900

 
 


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