 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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