 1. Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy: The Florida quarterback
became the first sophomore in history to win the award given yearly
to the best player in college football. (Article) Obviously, Tebow now has a
chance to become the first three-time winner in the history of the
award. I didn't have a vote (maybe next year), but I thought
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniels and Arkansas running back Darren
McFadden should have been honored ahead of Tebow. Good news for many
is that Daniels and McFadden will match up on Jan. 1 in the non-BCS
Cotton Bowl. Tebow did a have great year, throwing for and running
for more than 20 touchdowns -- a remarkable statistic for a
quarterback. Look for Illinois to really push either Rashard
Mendenhall or Juice Williams as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2008.
2. Many geniuses in the land don't want Illinois in the Rose Bowl:
Man, is there a lot of hate flowing in the direction of Illinois and
the Rose Bowl-bound Illini. Everyone loved the turnaround story
until the folks at the Rose Bowl made the correct call and invited
Illinois to play USC on Jan. 1. From espn.com to Sports Illustrated
to political commentator James Carville (and I've got one thing to
say to him -- see "Primary Colors" and get back to me!), everyone is
tearing down Illinois. In fact, some are even wondering if the game
should even be played. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Illinois
go to Columbus, Ohio, and dispatch then-top-ranked Ohio State?
Didn't Illinois just complete the best one-season turnaround in
college football this year? And didn't USC lose at home to 41-point
underdog Stanford just two months ago? I thought so! Thus, to my
"genius" friends like Pat Forde and Stewart Mandel and James Clinton
Carville, I ask that you sit back and let the game be played -- you
might actually be able to eat some crow before all is said and done.
3. Illinois hoops struggle again to seal the deal: I was in
the Explorer headed home with the kids Saturday morning and started
to listen to the beginning of the Illinois-Arizona game. Illinois
jumped out to a 12-0 lead and I thought to myself, "Finally --
blowout city!" For most of the first half, Illinois found themselves
with a double-digit lead. Even into the second half, Illinois was in
control, but toward the end, the No. 22 Wildcats clawed back into
the game and forced an extra five minutes of play with a basket at
the five-second mark. In the OT session, it was all Arizona, and
Illinois found themselves saddled with a third loss in the
nonconference portion of the schedule -- not good for a team that
will probably ride the NCAA bubble most the year. Why did Illinois
lose? Too many issues to share in one short paragraph, but my good
friend Jeff Mayfield was at the United Center on Saturday and shared
a special
"Illini Hoops" article this week. One stat screams at
me, however: 10-22 from the free-throw line -- unacceptable and more
than likely the single reason Illinois lost on Saturday.
4. The Bears and Rams go from bad to worse: Wow -- is this a
nightmare? Can I wake up and drink some of the Super Bowl Kool-Aid?
Are the Bears really 5-8 this year? Are the Rams really 3-10? What
in the world is going on? Thursday night, the Bears had a great
chance to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a game in the
nation's capital against the Redskins. And when the Bears found
themselves with first-and-goal from the 1-yard line with six minutes
to play -- down by seven points -- I thought the comeback would
happen. However, instead of a touchdown, the Bears went backward,
and any thoughts of a playoff appearance disappeared in D.C. The
Rams are just as frustrating -- losing a very winnable game Sunday
in Cincinnati.
5. New England moves a step closer to perfection: Now at 13-0
after dismantling the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday (sorry, Fos),
the Patriots look destined to finish the regular season undefeated
at 16-0. (Article) This hasn't happened since 1972, when the Don Shula-led
Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season on their way to a 17-0
Super Bowl championship season. And while the Pats are not my
favorite team and their coach's attitude and approach leave much to
be desired, I am kind of hoping New England goes 19-0, if for no
other reason than so the '72 Dolphins will go away and quit reveling
in their 35-year-old accomplishment each season. Seriously, do
realize these guys get together and root against any team close to
matching their feat, and then break open champagne and toast
themselves when the final NFL team loses their first game each
season? If that doesn't have "get a life" written all over it, I
don't know what would.
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6. Indianapolis makes a Sunday night statement: Can you say
statement game? The Colts sure can, especially after they destroyed
the Baltimore Ravens in Maryland on Sunday night. (Article) From Peyton
Manning to Joseph Addai to Reggie Wayne, the Colts were clicking and
jumped out to a 44-7 lead on a team that had New England on the
ropes just six days earlier. Make no mistake -- I'm a Bears fan
through and through -- but I would love to see Indy start clicking
on all cylinders again and make a deep run in the playoffs. And
while New England has beaten the Colts once this season, a possible
AFC championship game at Foxboro between the Pats and the Colts
could possibly be one for the ages.
7. The Detroit Tigers are loaded for 2008: OK, we all knew
Detroit was one of about 10 teams that look headed for postseason
contention in 2008. But now the Tigers have added Florida Marlin
studs Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for a bunch of players who
wouldn't see the field next year and Detroit is probably the most
loaded team in the game. Add in shortstop Edgar Renteria from an
earlier trade and Detroit looks poised to win 100 games or more.
Crazy quote of the week? That would be from White Sox general
manager Kenny Williams (who has acquired almost no one this
offseason, by the way), who stated in regard to these acquisitions
by Detroit, "All that does from them is help them try to compete
with us more in 2008." Yeah, sure, Kenny, your 90-loss team from
2007 minus Jon Garland will be favored over Detroit -- maybe he is
general manager for the wrong Chicago team?
8. Michael Vick gets 23 months in prison: The word came down
on Vick on Monday -- the former Pro Bowl quarterback who
revolutionized the quarterback position will be behind bars for
almost two years. If all goes well, Vick might be able to see his
sentence reduced by four months and could find himself thinking
football in late summer 2009. Here is hoping the man who had it all
can redeem himself and make a difference with his life from here on
out.
9. Deron Williams makes an all-star statement: The former
Illinois point guard exploded for a career-high 41 points on
Saturday night in a tough loss at Dallas, but he is making a
statement with almost every game and here it is: He might be the
best point guard in the NBA. It is hard to imagine that just three
years ago Williams was playing at Illinois and leading Illinois to
the best season in their history. Today, he is one of the
up-and-coming superstars in the game -- not bad for a kid who was
once referred to as "a chubby kid that can't shoot." He's looking
pretty good in my book.
10. Christmas is just two weeks away: I can't believe it --
just 14 days until Christmas. What in the world is wrong with me (or
maybe what is right with me)? -- I haven't bought a single Christmas
present. Don't let this Christmas season pass you by without
connecting with family, friends and faith!
Have a great week. We'll see you next week.
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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