Pistol Pete smiles tonight

By Rick Morris

Early disclaimer -- I love Pistol Pete Maravich. I'm too young to have seen anything other than the tail end of his career, but to me he was just awesome. When you watch tapes of him -- there are no words for that. He was just a freaking artist. I'm not much of a pickup player, but on the rare occasions I'm out there, I'm firing up a myriad of odd shots like the Pistol (surprisingly, I'm not bad on some of them) and having fun just like he did. Plus, I respect everything he accomplished later in his too-short life when he was trying to spread the Good Word to people. In short, I'm just a huge Pistol Pete mark.

So now that we've established that I am completely biased here ...

I was very happy to see John Brady get whacked from his perch as LSU hoops coach today. You probably will be too when you read this paraphrasing from the book "Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich."

How? How do you hold down a job as head coach of the alma mater of your school's greatest legend -- and coach in a gym named for him -- and crap all over one of his sons who has chosen to play for you?

To clown him by saying to another player in practice, "You just let Josh Maravich score on you, son?"

Disgusting.

Anyone with an ounce of class or decency would never have treated the son of a legend -- put that aside for a second, he was a great man -- in such a manner. It was John Brady's privilege to walk every day in the footsteps of the Bayou hero and to even have some association with his family by coaching his son. And he never appreciated it.

Hope he appreciates his pink slip. Good luck in your next job, coaching in front of 150 people in a small, smelly fieldhouse somewhere.

BCS Title Game preview

By Rick Morris

EDITED TO ADD POST-GAME THOUGHT: Two years in a row, Ohio State has jumped out to an early lead in the National Title game only to end up getting smoked. If the Buckeyes make it to the championship game again next year, could we spot them another 14-21 points off the bat just to make it competitive?


The final game of college football's screwiest season ever matches two teams who arrived under fairly controversial circumstances. This has been the most difficult season ever to narrow a title game selection to two teams -- and when you look back over the last few decades, that's saying a mouthful.

Nevertheless, the BCS title will be decided tonight, and with Georgia and USC both rolling in their respective bowl games, LSU won't worry about having to share a disputed crown again as they did four years ago if they win tonight. Here are the major factors in the game:

^ Two quarterbacks who can make the plays they need to, but who are erratic -- and both could end up splitting time with backups tonight.

^ Like Florida a year ago, LSU does have superior speed, but injuries to some of their top players negate their advantage in athleticism to a certain extent.

^ Wanting to avoid the fate of Michigan, LSU will jam the box and try to take Beanie Wells out of the game. If Todd Boeckman can avoid mistakes (a big if!), the Two Brians could thrive in single coverage.

^ The wars in the trenches on both sides of the ball will be awesome, with the talent on both offensive and defensive lines.

^ Intangibles are fairly even: LSU has been getting rightfully disrespected for being underachievers this year and will have that motivation -- plus what remains of the Hurricane Katrina storyline -- at home no less. Ohio State came in doing the "Hollywood" routine a year ago and got humiliated in front of the world. Think they'll be amped up?

^ Ohio State has the edge in special teams, although a punt or kickoff return for a TD won't be followed by a group pile-on this year!

Ultimately, Ohio State has a ginormous edge in coaching. Les Miles has yet to prove that he is a big-game coach, and last year aside, Jim Tressel has a sizable resume in that regard. In the BCS era, a team with a significantly inferior coach has never won one of these games. Look for a game played mostly between the 20 yard lines, with a few intermittent big plays. Ohio State wins on a late field goal, 23-20.

'08 NFL Draft Profile. . .Glenn Dorsey

by Jason Jones

Glenn Dorsey – DT – Louisiana State University – 6’2, 305 lbs

Glenn Dorsey is worth the hype. I am not a fan of taking any defensive lineman #1 overall, signed Courtney Brown. However, as much as I am not a fan of DL going #1 or LSU at all, he may just be deserving. Dorsey is a monster in a position where you don’t expect much monstrous characteristics. This may just be the kind of talent that could compete in statistics like sacks and tackles for loss with those of Defensive Ends. He is the most explosive DT we have seen since Warren Sapp. Although we don’t think much of Sapp now, no question he would have been worth the pick as early as 4 years pre-Buccaneers Super Bowl victory (2000). Explosiveness is the first word that comes to mind when describing Glenn Dorsey. He gets great penetration and can take on two blockers consistently without slowing down. Unlike most defensive lineman in this or any draft, Dorsey could and based on where he will get drafted should start yesterday for whoever drafts him. Most believe that will be Miami. Dorsey is the ideal height and weight to play in a standard 4-3 defensive scheme. He is the prototype at his position. He is a run stuffer as well as a DT that will consistently collapse the front side of the pocket. As the kids say, Glenn Dorsey is the truth. Any team who need to address DT or run defense, can all but fix their issues in both categories by simply selecting Glenn Dorsey in the draft. The only problem is that there are at least 29 teams who have not shot unless they trade up, which Parcells is probably willing to entertain. The best Defensive Tackle and/or Defensive Player in the draft. A can’t miss prospect. Most favorably compared to a young Warren Sapp with Reggie White like tendencies.

2008 NFL DRAFT PROJECTION: First Round - #1 Overall (no lower than 4 overall)