Random Thoughts on 2/8/07

• Noel Devine has so much talent, it would be a shame if it went to waste. He should enroll in Hargrave or Milford and get his life straightened out. Next year, enrolling at a solid program such as West Virginia or Rutgers would be good for him. He should avoid schools that always have controversy and media around them.
• The Trojans signed the top two halfbacks in this years #1 recruiting class. They swiped Joe McKnight away from LSU and signed in-state star Marc Tyler. They don't remind anyone of the Bush-White super squad, but they will definitely be pounding the Pac-10 for awhile.
• Every team in every sport should start including clauses in players contracts regarding clubs. If a player is involved in any scrum or shooting at a club, his club should be able to terminate his contract. I don't know how the legalities would work, but it would probably keep more players out of late night clubs.
• Peyton Mannning. The one and only office-supply store worker. In a few weeks, the Colts QB will have another Peyton Manning on the block. 26 year old Bears fan Scott Wiese signed a pledge in a Decatur bar the Friday prior to the Super Bowl pledging to change his name to Peyton Manning if the Bears lost. Wiese is currently in the process of legally changing his name. The only problem is nobody will mistake him for Manning. Wiese isn't 6'5" and doesn't have a laser-rocket arm.
• Don't be surprised if there is a new QB in Houston next season. The team isn't happy with Carr and there will be a few veterans available. Head Coach Gary Kubiak will look to bring in Denver's Jake Plummer. Jeff Garcia could also be available out of Philly. If the Texans acquire a vet, look for them to draft a QB late in day 1 of the draft. Houston's Kevin Kolb makes sense. He is a hometown QB and has the potential to be a good NFL player.
• Are we watching the downfall of Duke? Doubtful, but I can keep my hopes up. They are now 18-6 and have lost 3 straight, including two games at Cameron. They should, in all fairness, fall out of the top 25. I don't know the exact cause of the problem, but I can speculate. One glaring problem is lack of a dominant player. Nobody on this team stands out. It was supposed to be 6'10" F-C Josh McRoberts, but he is only putting up a paltry 12.9 ppg and 7.9 rpg. The only other players averaging double-digit points is junior G DeMarcus Nelson and frosh shooter Jon Scheyer, averaging 14.3 and 12.3 respectively. Also, PG Greg Paulus isn't the playmaker they need him to be. In a tough ACC, the Dukies will need to step it up down the stretch.
• In more bad news for Duke, North Carolina may actually improve in football. Shocking, I know. North Carolina landed ESPN's 11th ranked freshman class. Butch Davis got some good in-state players to stay close to home and went elsewhere to stock his team. Greg Paulus' younger brother and Gatorades New York player of the year Mike Paulus signed on to be QB for the Tar Heels. Davis also got other big signings in S Quantavius Sturdivant and WR Greg Little, who he stole away from Notre Dame.
• I'm not sold on Wade Phillips being a success in Dallas. He's had two previous NFL head coaching jobs and neither stand out. He is a successful coordinator, but that doesn't always translate to head coach success. It's my belief that Dallas really wants OC Jason Garrett to be head coach eventually, so why not make him head coach now? Surround him with experienced guys at the coordinator spots and let him flourish. By hiring Phillips to be a placeholder for Garrett, the Cowboys are pretty much saying that they hope Phillips flames out within a few years so they can promote Garrett.