FSU Basketball Powerhouse?

I know this is a football blog, but with the Super Bowl now fading in our rearview mirror and National Signing Day behind us--yes Jimbo Fisher and staff snagged the second-best recruiting class of 2012--indulge me in a little Seminole Basketball.

Since joining the ACC in 1992, I cannot remember a better start in conference play for the Noles. They have now reeled off seven straight wins against the best in the conference--and the country--and now sit atop the ACC with a 7-1 conference record. The team is being led this year by sharpshooter Michael Snaer who is sinking 41-percent of his shots behind the three-point arc. One of his most memorable of the season came against Duke, snapping their 45-game winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Seminoles have a history the last two decades of giant-killing, usually beating a top-ranked Duke or North Carolina team in Tallahassee. They don't usually do it on the road in the span of ONE WEEK! In a 10-day stretch during the month of January, they beat the Tar Heels, Blue Devils AND the Maryland Terrapins. Still, the coaches weren't impressed enough to give them more than honorable mention. It took another week of ACC dominance for the Noles to break into the Top 25 in both major polls. With a win over ranked Virginia last week, expect them to crack the top 15 today.

In addition to Snaer's sharpshooting prowess, FSU features a stifling defense that has ranked atop the NCAA-Division I the last two years. Leonard Hamilton knows the old football adage that says "defense wins championships," and he's coaching a tenacious squad nicknamed the "Junkyard D." Scrappy doesn't even begin to describe them. With a huge interior, they are a formidable force in the paint and have totally shut down the league's leading big men, knocking one of them out of a game.

Has FSU become a basketball powerhouse? No, we're still a football school to be sure. But a force to be reckoned with in the ACC? I think that goes without saying. And after all, it IS the powerhouse conference. I'm very pleased with Leonard Hamilton, now turning around his third program since becoming a head coach. GO SEMINOLE BASKETBALL!!!

Clean slate

Okay, now that the season for both teams is over, we can start with a clean slate. Let us put 2011 behind us and look toward the future. The most pressing issues, by far, lie with the Colts organization.

All the pundits on cable are giving every conceivable scenario for the Colts quarterback position moving forward. Yes, Andrew Luck is most likely the QB of the future and yes, ideally, we'd love to have him as PM's understudy for a couple of seasons. But let's look, first, at a very likely scenario. Peyton Manning may not play another down of football. Has he been cleared by anyone to do so? Will his throwing arm ever be the same? These are the most pressing questions that need to be answered. Forget who the heir-apparent is or how he might get along with "the Sheriff." Heck, forget how to pay premiums for both QB's, including PM's 28-mil. due in March. Let's find out if the old guy will ever throw another football in the NFL, first!

Regardless, Andrew Luck is the franchise QB of the future. To pass up on him would be the dumbest decision by the Colts organization since the 2011 signing of Kerry Collins.

And speaking of that lame-brained decision, how about it Bill Polian? Still feeling vindicated? Good riddance you old fart! Don't let the screen door on the barn hit you on the way out! And take Scrappy Doo with you, too!

Okay, I feel much better now. The season is behind us. The Colts have secured #1, i.e. Andrew Luck, and should be on their way to greatness once again.

We'll give the Seminoles a little time to bask in the glory of another bowl win. Then, when recruiting season kicks into gear, we'll look forward to another blue-chipper crop of athletes.

I'm just glad we made it out of 2011 alive. The first half of the Champs Sports Bowl nearly gave me a coronary!

Hibernating

This blog is going into hibernation until next season. See you then.

Curtis Freaking Painter

WTF???

This accumulation of clips from around the web, courtesy of IndyStar.com, pretty much sums up the Colts QB situation. I loved the title, Curtis Freaking Painter.

The problem I have, and there is no excuse for it, is with Bill Polian and his living in denial that future hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning is in the twilight of his career. And the fact that recent neck problems and nerve damage may hasten the end of that brilliant career only heighten my disdain for Polian's willfull ignorance.

I wanted a Manning replacement in the wings two years ago, but did Polian draft one? No. And he still has his head up his ass! Curtis Painter isn't a long-term solution. Hell, Collins isn't even a short-term solution! Where is our quarterback, Bill Polian???

Andrew Luck, even IF we're lucky enough to land him, is at least two years from being game ready. And what if Peyton never comes back? What do we do in the meantime? Settle for Collins-Painter ball? UGH!!!

Bill Polian needs to be called on the carpet on this one, folks. The Indianapolis media and the fans need to wake up and quit giving the guy a pass for faded brilliance. Yes, Polian was the architect of two superbowl teams in Buffalo and Indy, but those are memories of a bygone era. What has Polian done lately???

The team is not very deep. The quality players we have, the Pro-Bowl caliber ones, anyway, are old-timers that Polian drafted years ago. Who do we have at key positions that are quality recent acquisitions? Garcon? Gonzales? Collie? Those guys don't consistently produce. In fact, the latter two have been plagued by injuries. And where did Addai go?

Why am I the only one in Colts Nation bitching about Polian? When is he going to be forced into retirement? And what is Irsay's plan moving forward? These questions, and more, are JUST as important as the status of PM's return.

OY VEY!!!

Did I pick a bad year to start this blog or what?!?!?!

FSU is off to a rocky start, falling way short of all their preseason goals...and it's only the fourth game of the season!

The Colts are a no-show for the 2011 NFL Season. Thank you neck surgeons!

I am stunned by the lack of intensity and preparation shown by the defensive coaching staff at Florida State. Is Mark Stoops for real? Or is the guy a total buffoon? Because he looks like the latter to me.

After holding the Oklahoma offense to less than 200 yards last week, his defense gave up more than FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY yards to Clemson today! The defensive secondary was SHREDDED by the Clemson offense. Players were out of position, out of shape and totally caught off-guard by the speed of a kid from Fort Myers named Watkins. That freshman speedster made our entire secondary look like Pee-Wee leaguers. And speaking of being out of their league, Mark Stoops was outcoached by a Clemson OC who was coaching high school kids three years ago!

If you can't tell, I'm having serious doubts about Mark Stoops' ability to coach a speedy, but lackluster Florida State defense. Maybe he should have sought more time under his brother's wing. Bob Stoops, now Oklahoma's Head Coach, was a great defensive coordinator for Steve Spurrier at Florida. His brother is not even close to his level!

FSU had a defensive back, #20, Joyner, who nearly lost the game today singlehandedly. After running into the punter once, he took the kid out of the game on another punt, costing the team the ball twice! He also got beat numerous times, the last one for a Clemson score. And that was only half the story for our defensive secondary. They couldn't cover. They couldn't tackle. Those things point to lack of preparation and poor coaching. Period.

Mark Stoops has a WHOLE lot to prove to Seminole Nation. We are LOADED with defensive talent and speed. We were spoiled by the years Mickey Andrews gave us. We thought we were ready to start the new dynasty under Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, but not with this underachieving defense.

It doesn't matter how one-dimensional our offense gets, nor how many points they score. It used to be our defense that would keep us in tight games, not lose them. Stoops, you've been put on notice, bud.

Big Road Test for Noles

The Noles, fresh off their home loss to #1 Oklahoma, face one of their toughest tests of the season. They travel to the always hostile confines of Death Valley in Clemson, S.C. It is their first ACC road game and Clemson is bolstered not only by a ravenous crowd hungry for victory, but by an upset win over ranked Auburn last week.

To complicate matters for the Noles, starting QB Manuel has not practiced due to a sore shoulder. He'll likely sit the bench while back-up Clint Trickett gets to start. That wouldn't be so bad if it were a home game against NC State, but this is Clemson. They call it Death Valley for a reason. If Trickett doesn't show nerves of steel, he's likely to get his cage rattled by the Tiger defense. They are tough, especially at home.

FSU knows how tough it is to win there all to well. Bobby Bowden lost more than one game to his eldest son, Tommy, this decade. And while the Bowdens may be gone from active coaching, Jimbo Fisher has his hands full with a surging Clemson team. They do not fear FSU the way they did in the years just after the famous puntrooskie. They know FSU is vulnerable, especially coming off a loss that resulted in costly injuries (FSU's wide receiver corps is depleted, as well).

As Seminoles.com points out in their game preview, a lackluster running game won't help the freshman QB or the offensive line. If the team remains one dimensional, that Tiger D will just pin their ears and come after him. Trickett is skinny as a rail and I'd hate to see him get hurt by repetitive hits and takedowns.

The game is being broadcast by ESPN at 3:30 tomorrow and I have a front row seat reserved in my condo living room. It's the best luxury suite available! GO NOLES!!!!

Football news

Okay, here are the latest headlines from the NFL and the ACC...

NFL (Colts related) News:
The Colts suck under Kerry Collins' veteran (read "old man") leadership. They are 0-2. Not the end of the season, but have you SEEN them play? The offensive line is pourous and so is the defensive secondary, so even if the game HADN'T passed Collins by, the Colts would give up too many points, anyway.

In the "make matters worse" category, owner Jim Irsay spouts off like the idiot he is, by way of Twitter, bashing what he perceives as "Colts haters." No one really hates the Colts, Jim, just your blind allegiance to Bill Polian. The game has passed him by, too. There is no reason the Colts shouldn't have a capable backup ready to take Peyton's spot in a few years. Which brings us to...

"Making it even worse" category features the latest from the Manning camp. After undergoing progressive stem-cell treatment on his neck in Europe, he returned stateside just to undergo a third neck surgery. He is out indefinitely. I have a really bad feeling about that.

One last note on the weekend's NFL action...did anyone see the INT return by the Patriot's Vince Wilfork? That was hilarious! I was surprised Boomer didn't say, "rumblin, bumblin, stumblin" during the ESPN highlight footage. It was too funny.

And did I just see Howard Mudd on the Philly sidelines last night? In a funny clip which closely rivals Wilfork (above), Mudd was seen leaping to chest bump one of his players. The dude is just out of retirement, facing hip replacement and trolling the Philly sidelines with the aid of a cane!

ACC News:
The Atlantic Coast Conference has just added Pitt and Syracuse to what is sure to become a super conference in college athletics. I, for one, welcome the additions...just more fodder for the Noles in football. More teams are expected to leave the Big Least Conference for the ACC. I say, "bring 'em on!"

In watching the replay of the FSU game on SunSports this afternoon, I couldn't help but notice all the big penalties---holding, unsportsmanlike and personal fouls---called by the Big 12 officials, most of them on Florida State. I'm wondering if anyone within the AD's office is considering a call to the Big 12, which by the way, is about to be a NON-conference. The Pac-12 is trying to steal Texas and Oklahoma away for another super conference out west.