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Post by Timberwolf on Dec 4, 2021 15:16:15 GMT
College football needs to change when coaches can leave a team for another. It's ridiculous seeing coaches jump to another team before the season is even over as is with the cases of Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly.
Kelly's case sucked at first because Notre Dame is still in contention for a playoff spot. They just need Alabama and Michigan to lose today. But the Fighting Irish made a nice hire in promoting their DC to HC and keep the continuity in their program.
Still, NCAA football coaches do this every year. No other sports allow their coaches to jump ship for another team in the middle of a season while still under contract. Just my 2 cents.
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Post by El Marsh on Dec 5, 2021 18:48:25 GMT
I agree that it's a bad look for the coach and leaves the program in the lurch but one of the reasons that it's been permissible to this point is because the primary National Signing Day is usually at the start of February and if a team has a January bowl game, that leaves their departing HC effectively no time to get acquainted with HS players who either intend to or are wavering on signing at the new program. Coaches who leave their previous program at the end of November get two full months to set up things at their new program before NSD. If they went by that time table, a coach whose team finishes on the 1st/2nd week of January would benefit from NSD being moved to the middle of March, around the time of Spring Break. Not really an ideal time for students or their high schools to make major media announcements. They should definitely do something about it but I'm not sure "what" they should do.
As for the Riley and Kelly moves themselves, Riley clearly allegedly wants no part of the much more competitive SEC which is where OU will be in 2025 so he bolted to another "elite" in another conference that traditionally has 3 or so ranked teams in a good year. I don't know if that's the truth or the actual narrative but him spurning the allegedly superior LSU vacancy for USC does spark the above speculation. I'm sure the pay raise doesn't hurt though. Speaking of pay raises though...
Kelly leaving a program that's always around the CFP Final Four and wins 9-12 games every season in favor of LSU who outside of a National Championship 2 years ago, hasn't accomplished much besides putting players in the NFL (IIRC, Louisiana has more active NFL players than any other state and LSU gets the hometown bias for recruits coming from there) seemed very crazy at first reporting. What I've heard suggested is that for all of his success at one of the most prestigious jobs in college football, Kelly was massively underpaid. Granted, he didn't actually win a national championship at ND but his teams were usually pretty close, even losing a NC game on his watch. The fact that that school didn't pay him his relative worth despite their endless supply of funding does kind of speak about their relationship with him. He survived one scandal in ND (that resulted in a season of vacated wins) but walks into a program that's beset by a few of them. He'll make $9 million next season without perks and the contract goes up by $500k in each successive season, through the 6 year duration of the contract. Compare that to the allegedly un-incentivized figure of $2.7 million that he made with ND this past year. It's a tremendous disservice to his players and the program as a whole that he left the way he did but if money was the deciding factor, it's really kind of ND's fault that he bolted.
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Post by El Marsh on Dec 26, 2021 15:49:32 GMT
I find it fascinating that Derrick Henry has been out with an Achilles injury since Halloween yet heading into week 16 (or a few games into it, technically) he is still 5th in the league in rushing yards. There's no way that he wouldn't have eclipsed 2000 yds again had he stayed healthy. As it stands, he's scheduled to return by the Titans' first playoff game, presuming of course that they don't go on a sudden slide at the end of the season.
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Post by Timberwolf on Jan 10, 2022 14:40:21 GMT
Black Monday in the NFL has begun. Matt Nagy of the Bears has been given his walking papers. Who's next?
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Post by El Marsh on Jan 10, 2022 17:15:19 GMT
Broncos fired Vic Fangio yesterday, Mike Zimmer is out at Minnesota, and for reasons I don't quite comprehend, Miami let go of Brian Flores today. Given what little he had to work with in terms of personnel and support from management, I thought he did better than any Find coach has done in a good while. I REALLY hope that the Broncos aren't clever enough to see how well Flores would fit there as he's a defensive coach who's used to having inconsistent QB play (a veritable certainty for them next year, barring Russell Wilson landing in their lap). Not saying he's elite or anything but I think he's a bit better than the record would indicate.
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Post by El Marsh on Feb 14, 2022 19:51:20 GMT
Kind of nice to see Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl but I still don't like how the Rams ended up back in Los Angeles. Regardless, it wasn't the worst Super Bowl that I've ever watched.
I'm an all-purpose sports fan and will get into just about anything but the NFL and MLB were my first sports leagues and thus I'm really hoping that the latter can get itself sorted out before they start lopping off games from the season. Pitchers and catchers should be reporting for spring training like right now but here we are with a lockout that's made zero progress since it began in November. I can only hope that with the distraction of football out of the way, there will be greater public pressure for them to get it resolved.
The Olympics have been pretty enjoyable thus far. I'm hoping the USA women can get their W back against Canada in the gold medal hockey game but if it doesn't happen, oh well. It's not like losing to a nation whose international identity is inextricably linked to the sport is anything to be embarrassed over. Really hoping you other sports heads can find the time to check it out.
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Post by Zealot on Feb 14, 2022 22:15:09 GMT
Overall, the Super Bowl this year was alright. The game was close, the commercials were alright (minus the overload of crypto pushing), and the halftime show was pretty good.
The officiating (or lack thereof) was disappointing at times particularly for missing both the Higgins face mask on Ramsey and Donald being offsides on 4th and 1.
As much as I would have liked to see the Bengals pull off the big upset (particularly because my mother is a huge fan and was born there), The Rams were the clear favorites considering they were built very much to blow up if the Super Bowl didn't come in the next year or two. Happy to see guys like Andrew Whitworth and Stat Padford win one.
I do think the clock has run out on the Rams' window for competing as quite a few of their veterans are mulling retirement. The Bengals on the other hand had quite the Cinderella run there. I knew they were making strides, but they definitely exceeded expectations. There are definitely issues to fix though starting with the offensive line. Burrow appears to be pretty talented and Chase turned out to be a stellar draft pick, but this can't come at the expense of your QB in the season and postseason combined taking 70 SACKS. That is ridiculous.
They could probably do with one more pass rusher and some needed upgrade in the secondary as Eli Apple is proven hot garbage.
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Post by El Marsh on Mar 6, 2022 17:45:25 GMT
Any cricket fans here?
I just saw that Wikipedia has highlighted the recent death of cricketer Shane Warne
They don't usually highlight the death of artists, athletes, performers, etc. unless they were REALLY noteworthy in their field (for example, when baseball legend Hank Aaron died last year)
Just wondering if anybody here was familiar with him and if so, was he really one of the best ever? His article seems to suggest something along those lines but I don't know since I've never really gotten into cricket.
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Post by BakFu on Mar 21, 2022 13:12:43 GMT
I’ve been a big fan of the GLORY kickboxing group since it’s inception, and was worried that the pandemic was the final nail in it’s coffin as there was news of financial issues around that time. Fast forward a couple of years, and I decide to see what’s been going on, they’re still around! Not only are they around, but they’re putting on great matches like this one between kickboxing legend (and unapologetic egomaniac, I swear this is where Connor McGregor got his game from) Badr Hari and challenger Arkadiusz Wrzosek (the rematch turned into a riot that had the match and remaining event cancelled…).
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Post by Zealot on Mar 23, 2022 1:34:02 GMT
Any cricket fans here?
I just saw that Wikipedia has highlighted the recent death of cricketer Shane Warne
They don't usually highlight the death of artists, athletes, performers, etc. unless they were REALLY noteworthy in their field (for example, when baseball legend Hank Aaron died last year)
Just wondering if anybody here was familiar with him and if so, was he really one of the best ever? His article seems to suggest something along those lines but I don't know since I've never really gotten into cricket.
Cricket is definitely a sport I've grown to appreciate more and more as I get older despite how hard it is at times to find coverage of the game in the US. After hearing of Warne's death, I had to do research as my knowledge of cricketers is pretty limited. Turns out this guy was like the Greg Maddux of bowling in cricket. He's known for The Ball of the Century which was a pretty insane delivery and wicket during one of the bigger series in cricket known as The Ashes between England and Australia. It's been said that ball he delivered revived slow spin bowling in the game which was seen as antiquated before that. Either way, 52 is way too young for someone that watching some of his more recent videos looked to be in really great shape.
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Post by El Marsh on Mar 23, 2022 23:34:25 GMT
I could definitely tell that he was a big deal but I really didn't know the context. Perfecting a playing style to the point of "revival" and emulation across the sport sounds like a hell of a legacy. Really dig the Maddux comparison (like one of my 3 favorite players ever) and that immediately impressed upon me that he was exceptionally dominant while doing so in a way that was atypical of his peers. It really kind of home just how special of a player Warne was.
Zealot, I can't thank you enough for that insight and helping me understand his significance that much better.
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Post by OrochiGeese on Apr 20, 2022 10:07:53 GMT
The first week of the NBA playoffs have been pretty fun for the most part.
I watched the full Brooklyn/Boston Game 1 and it did not disappoint. One of the most competitive games in recent memory and easily one of the best "final few seconds" of a game I've ever seen in any sport. That final play 🧈
I'm also very glad to see the Warriors back to their seemingly alchemic tricks again but poor Denver. They just got an awful match up against a resurging team.
I'm hoping for a Warriors/Celtics Finals but I don't know how far Boston will go.
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Post by BakFu on May 24, 2022 12:31:08 GMT
I kinda went down the rabbit hole a bit while trying to find out if former PRIDE FC standout/legend Igor Vovchanchyn and his family are doing okay and if they’re still in that part of the world or not, and I found this cool article. If you’re a fan/student of combat sports, and especially if watching Igor and Fedor’s atypical striking style from the PRIDE era mystified you with its unorthodox but highly effective technique, this is a pretty cool breakdown article! I hope you enjoy it! www.fightprimer.com/igor-vovchanchyn-like-fedor-but-rounderHere’s a fun highlight reel of the one night tournament Igor was in with IPKL (I think that’s what it was called? Note the spray painted, very OG UFC looking logo in the middle of the ring! 🤣). I remember finding this dvd set in a bargain bin for $3 and almost dismissing it until I read Igor’s name on the back! The card was pretty bad, a few bangers, but Igor’s fights were pretty cool, especially when you consider the height and weight discrepancies!
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Post by BakFu on Jun 5, 2022 3:44:26 GMT
Looks like my hometown Oilers are about to get CRITICAL!’ed, do or die Monday against Colorado. I won’t mind if they’re out, I work less than a block away from their barn (Rogers place), and it’s a SHIT SHOW trying to get out downtown from work on a game day.
Also, Avs and Rangers sounds like the NHL equivalent of watching paint dry. No personality, just the best teams money can buy and boring trap hockey. 😁
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Post by OrochiGeese on Jun 5, 2022 8:31:55 GMT
The first week of the NBA playoffs have been pretty fun for the most part. I watched the full Brooklyn/Boston Game 1 and it did not disappoint. One of the most competitive games in recent memory and easily one of the best "final few seconds" of a game I've ever seen in any sport. That final play 🧈 I'm also very glad to see the Warriors back to their seemingly alchemic tricks again but poor Denver. They just got an awful match up against a resurging team. I'm hoping for a Warriors/Celtics Finals but I don't know how far Boston will go. ⏳😲 First time I got both of my favorite conference teams in the Finals! 😄 I'm really not surprised that Boston won Game 1. They have shown their ability to "hang" until the end then go on a monstrous run. They've also forged a path through some pretty strong teams in the past few weeks. What was surprising is that a Warriors/Celtics game ended with a 3-point onslaught that wasn't executed by the Warriors. That was even more surprising after seeing Curry go Super Saiyan in the first quarter. I really hope we get 6 more games like this 😎 Looks like my hometown Oilers are about to get CRITICAL!’ed, do or die Monday against Colorado. I won’t mind if they’re out, I work less than a block away from their barn (Rogers place), and it’s a SHIT SHOW trying to get out downtown from work on a game day. There's always an upside to a beloved local team getting eliminated and avoiding traffic is often it 👍 Still, sounds like they advanced pretty far in the playoffs so that's good! Also, Avs and Rangers sounds like the NHL equivalent of watching paint dry. No personality, just the best teams money can buy and boring trap hockey. 😁 I don't know much about hockey but "best teams that money can buy" sounds like a NY team 😁
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