 We start with the NFL playoffs. You may remember my predictions from
last Tuesday -- I said take New England, Dallas and Indy at home and
take Seattle on the road (one out of four is pretty pathetic). This
is another great living illustration of why gambling on sports is a
really bad idea (I'm so glad that "bug" never grabbed me):1.
New England beats Jacksonville -- I'll say this much about
Jacksonville -- they showed up ready to go and put a scare in the
crowd at Foxsboro. But in the end, it was way too much Tom Brady,
and the Patriots move to 17-0 with a 31-20 win on Saturday
night. Tied 14-14 at the half, it looked like Jacksonville might
have what it takes to beat the best team in football, but in the
end, New England's defense stepped up, and the Patriots are now just
the second team ever to win their first 17 games in a season --
tying the mark set by the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
2. Green Bay thumps Seattle in the snow -- The Seahawks
couldn't have asked for a better start on Saturday in the great
white north. Two early Packer fumbles turned into a 14-0 Seattle
lead. I'll be honest -- I was thinking blowout city at this point.
And I was right! Green Bay promptly said "this is our time" and blew
out former coach Mike Holgrem and crew 42-20 as both teams
dodged heavy snow throughout the final three quarters. The Packers
now get to host the NFC title match on Sunday and will probably be
heavy favorites to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in a
decade. Brett Favre may be as old as dirt, but boy is he still good.
Packer fans throughout Logan County will have their cheese heads
ready to go this week.
3. Indy loses again to San Diego -- You may remember the
regular-season matchup between these teams played on Veterans Day in
rainy San Diego. The Colts did just about everything they could to
lose the game -- Peyton had six INTs and the Colts were still lined
up for a game-winning field goal attempt in the last 90 seconds of
the game only to watch as the best clutch kicker in NFL history,
Adam Vinatieri, missed a 29-yard field goal and San Diego won 23-21.
Sunday was supposed to be about revenge -- about settling the score.
And then, in the second half, SD's best two players -- L.T. and
Phillip Rivers -- went out with injuries. The result must have been
an Indy blowout, right? Think again. San Diego scores with five
minutes left and then keeps Manning from a game-winning drive --
the Chargers win 28-24 and head to New England for the AFC title
game.
4. New York wins at Dallas -- Was it the curse of Jessica
Simpson (Tony Romo's very public romance/distraction)? Or was it the
curse Terrell Owens (not exactly great chemistry wherever he lands)?
Or were the Giants simply the better team on Sunday? My vote is No.
3 -- the Giants really played good football and won their second
consecutive road playoff game. Another aspect of this matchup that
no one is writing about: Dallas would have needed to beat the Giants
a third time during the season -- and that is hard to do no matter
the sport. I remember in 1989 when Illinois destroyed Michigan twice
in the regular season, only to lose a heartbreaker at the Final Four
in Seattle. It's tough to beat a good team three times in a season,
and NY's 21-17 win on Sunday is an example of such. Can New
York match what Pittsburgh did just two years ago -- win three
straight road playoff games and make it to the Super Bowl? I doubt
it, but that is why they play the games.
5. Illinois basketball plays two good games -- and still can't
get a win -- Let's start with the bad news: Illinois is now 0-4
in the Big Ten and on a five-game losing streak -- the longest such
streak for an Illinois team in almost nine years. Can there be any
good news? Absolutely -- Illinois played both Wisconsin and Indiana
on the road this past week and played two pretty good games. While
losing at Wisky by 10 and just falling short at the other Assembly
Hall by four, Illinois showed a couple of things: First, there is
talent and ability on this team, and progress is being made. Second,
Demetri McCamey can and should see big minutes at point guard the
rest of this year. Finally, the future at Illinois is bright -- and
Weber should focus the rest of '07-'08 on getting ready for '08-'09
and beyond. What does that mean? Heavy minutes for McCamey, Mike
Tisdale and Mike Davis, along with others who can make a difference
next year (like Billy Cole from Peoria). My guess is Illinois gets
their first win of the conference season Wednesday night at home
against a bad Michigan team.
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6. Illinois State basketball is leading the Missouri Valley --
Very few of us have even noticed the almost overnight
transformation that has taken place in Bloomington-Normal, but ISU
hoops is alive and well. New coach Tim Jankovich (who was an
Illinois assistant during the '02-'03 season) has brought a new
sense of excitement to Redbird nation, and the Birds are 13-3 on the
year and 5-0 in the MVC. Led by guard Osiris Eldridge's 15 points
per game, ISU looks like a totally different team from last year,
and a team that is ready to keep on winning. Right now, ISU is the
cream of the D1 crop in the state of Illinois.
7. Lincoln high school basketball continues to play better --
One of my predictions for 2008 was that LCHS would be better in
January and February than they were in November and December. And
after two wins during the first weekend of '08, the Railers lost two
games this past weekend. But, a one-point road loss to Lanphier
brought several positives, and the effort Saturday night against the
No. 5 team in the state, Champaign Central, was really encouraging.
Here's hoping for big wins this week as Lincoln plays in the annual
Winter Classic hosted once again by Chatham Glenwood. LCHS plays
five games in six days and could really gain some momentum for the
rest of the season.
8. Mount Pulaski high school hoops team wins again -- The
Toppers are undefeated in 2008 and moved to 10-6 on the year with an
82-39 win over Greenview Friday night. Coach Jim Jumper's team is
fun to watch and plays a very self-less style of basketball. With
three straight home games over the next week, the Toppers could
really make a statement. Why not make the short drive to Mount
Pulaski and watch the Toppers play against Athens (Jan. 15), or
Delavan (Jan. 18) or Maroa-Forsyth (Jan. 22)?
9. Rashard Mendenhall makes it official -- The worst-kept
secret of the last couple of years was confirmed Thursday in the
Chicago suburbs as Illinois' junior running back said goodbye to
Illinois and hello to the NFL. Mendenhall feels he will be a
first-round draft pick, and if he is correct, he probably made the
right decision. My heart wanted to see Rashard return for his senior
year and make a run at the Heisman Trophy, but it was pretty obvious
to all that his family wanted to see him go to the NFL now and begin
cashing in on his talent. Illinois must now decide who will replace
Mendenhall, and my guess would involve a running back position by
committee for 2008.
10. Scott Rolen or Troy Glaus -- what do you think? If you
follow Cardinal baseball, this proposed trade probably doesn't
surprise you. After all, Tony La Russa is returning as manager, and
La Russa and Glaus get along about as well as Mitt Romney and Mike
Huckabee. La Russa wants Rolen gone, and Glaus is about the same age
and produces about the same with the bat. Two notes of caution for
my Cardinal fan friends: First, Glaus is no Rolen with the glove,
and the Cardinals need to get better defensively -- not worse. And
second, don't forget the pretty significant steroid talk related to
Glaus from 2003 and 2004. In light of Rick Ankiel's fall from grace
due to HGH use, I'm not sure bringing in another player with steroid
baggage is a great idea. (Related
article)
Well, that's it folks -- I'm all done. Check in next week as we
identify the Super Bowl participants and get ready to celebrate an
Illinois victory -- something that hasn't happened yet in 2008.
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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