Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sports NewsCalendar | G.T.'s 'Ten for Tuesday' | Mayfield's Mutterings: Everything's Coming Up Roses

G.T.'s 'Ten for Tuesday'

By Greg Taylor

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[December 18, 2007]  Here we are again -- it's Tuesday, and Mother Nature is once again making her presence felt in central Illinois. So, with no further delay, let's plow through this week's "Drifting and Blowing Snow" edition of "Ten for Tuesday":

1. The Elements really played havoc on several NFL games Sunday: Did you see the blizzard in Cleveland? It turned what would have been a fun, offensive game into an 8-0 snoozer. What about the Jets at Foxboro playing New England? Again, very little offense, and both defenses benefited dramatically. The Patriots won 20-10, but the story was the weather and the defenses. The wind in North Carolina shut down the Panthers and the Seahawks -- both strong offensive teams -- and Carolina escaped with a 13-10 win. And how about the warm-weather Jacksonville Jaguars coming into the snow and wind of Pittsburgh and sending the Steelers home with a loss? The Jags certainly didn't let the snow stop their party!

2. The New England Patriots matched the '72 Miami Dolphins at 14-0: For just the second time in history in the Super Bowl era, a team has won their first 14 regular-season games (article). Back in 1972, teams played only 14 regular-season games, and the Dolphins went on to win three postseason games and finish a perfect 17-0. New England looks to be in great shape to finish the regular season 16-0, but my gut tells me they won't roll through the playoffs unscathed. Also on Sunday, the 2007 Miami Dolphins won in overtime -- their first win of the year (article). It's really too bad -- I was hoping for 14-0 N.E. versus 0-14 Miami this weekend. Oh well.

3. The Indianapolis played another ugly game -- but came away with a win: I've watched a lot of the Colts this year, and it sure doesn't seem like they are 12-2 and a team that has clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Colts don't seem like a dominating team, but they are tied with Green Bay and Dallas for the second-best record in all of football. Sunday, they struggled mightily against the lowly Oakland Raiders before eking out a 21-14 road victory. But guess what -- I wouldn't want to face the defending champs in the postseason, and that is more than likely what New England will have to do in late January.

4. The St. Louis Rams played the Packers tough -- for the first half: Trailing the Pack just 17-14 at halftime, the Rams had to feel a real sense of accomplishment. After all, the three-win Rams really played good for the first 30 minutes of the game and actually had a chance to take the lead toward the end of the second quarter. Everything must have changed in the locker room, but Green Bay came out and dominated the second 30 minutes, winning 33-14, and catching Dallas for the best record in the NFC at 12-2. Brett Favre passed Dan Marino as the all-time career leader in passing yards (article), and the Pack have a chance to seize home field throughout the playoffs (although they would lose a tiebreaker with Dallas due to head-to-head competition).

5. Dallas didn't do much at home against Philadelphia: Call it the curse of Jessica Simpson if you would like, but the Dallas Cowboys really laid a stinker Sunday at home. Dallas didn't look like a 12-1 team -- not by a long shot -- and the Boys don't have much time to figure out what went wrong. Eastern Illinois' Tony Romo might want to tell his girlfriend Simpson to let him concentrate on football, and Dallas needs to reignite their offense if they plan to stick around for long in the postseason. The Eagles, who are not a very good team at all, shut down Dallas, and you can rest assured other NFL teams will be watching a lot of the defensive schemes and formations employed by Philly on Sunday.

6. The Chicago Bulls are starting to play some good basketball: After starting the year 2-9, the Bulls are playing better basketball and check in with an 8-13 record. And while this is nothing to write home about, at least they are starting to resemble the team many thought could contend for the Eastern Conference title this season. Luol Deng and Ben Gordon continue to play good perimeter basketball, and up-and-down point guard Kirk Hinrich has shown some flashes, including his triple-double on Friday night against New York -- 15 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds -- those sound like Mayfield stats. Now, if coach Scott Skiles can just get some consistency from post players Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas, Joe Smith and Joakim Noah, the Bulls could really start clicking in 2008.

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7. Several future Illini played well at the Champaign Shootout on Saturday: OK, the actual name of the event was the Shootout at the Hall. But I like the Champaign Shootout better and this is my column -- so deal with it. Four future Illini strutted their stuff Saturday, including juniors Joe Bertrand of Sterling, Brandon Paul of Gurnee Warren, DJ Richardson of Peoria Central and sophomore Jereme Richmond of Waukegan. All four had good games and look to be really strong contributors in a couple of years while wearing orange and blue. One other Illini target had the best game of the day -- Crandall Head of Rich South, brother of former Illini Luther Head. Just a sophomore and said to be ready to commit to Illinois, Head scored 34 points in a losing effort Saturday and has this Illini fan dreaming about the athleticism the 2010-2011 Illini could possibly put on the court.

8. Illinois is trying hard for Kentucky recruit Alex Legion: Illinois is in the mix for freshman Alex Legion from the state of Michigan -- a McDonald's All-American who quit the Kentucky team two weeks ago. Legion was recruited by Illinois during his high school days and is said to be very close to new assistant coach Jerrance Howard. Legion will reportedly pick between Illinois and Notre Dame, and would begin classes at his new university in January. If Legion picks Illinois, he would be eligible to play for Illinois by mid-December 2008 and would have 2 1/2 years of eligibility remaining. The 6-5 guard could be a real boost to next year's Illini team and potentially help Illinois field an outstanding three-guard lineup of Demetri McCamey, Jamar Smith and Legion. Look for a decision to be announced this week one way or another.

9. Illini offense coordinator Mike Locksley signs a four-year extension: Smart move by athletic director Ron Guenther and head coach Ron Zook, as they make Locksley the highest paid offensive coordinator in the conference and extend him through 2012. Locksley's system has been a huge hit this year for Illinois, but many experts feel it is his recruiting that is just as valuable. With strong ties to the Washington, D.C., area, Locksley helped convince Vontae David and Regus Benn to attend Illinois and continues to help secure commitments from the D.C. region. And while it appears a foregone conclusion that Locksley will become a head coach someday, this financial commitment should allow Locksley to wait for a truly special head coaching situation.

10. Illinois' allotment of Rose Bowl tickets is gone: All 25,000 tickets are gone, and this just reaffirms what I already knew -- the Illini Nation is hungry for a winner, and this year's team has won a place in the hearts of orange and blue fans everywhere. Despite being a 14-point underdog to an excellent USC team, the Illini Nation will descend in droves to Southern California for the Jan. 1 game to support this Illinois football team. By the way, since I'm not going to the game, if you are attending and would be willing to share a couple of sentences related to your experience, I'll be sharing as many comments as possible in the Jan. 8 edition of "Ten for Tuesday" -- just e-mail me your reflections following the game.

Well, that's it, folks. Have a great week and stay safe. Just seven days until Christmas!

[By GREG TAYLOR]

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