So that’s who Tim Tebow plays like
I watched the Bears-Packers game Monday night, an interesting game played in the cold that again spotlighted Chicago’s quarterback futility. Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Cade McNown. Really doesn’t matter, does it, who the Bears use at quarterback? Going back to Sid Luckman, seems like, Chicago stinks at quarterback.
And suddenly, I finally realized who Tim Tebow reminds me of.
Bobby Douglass. Tebow is Florida’s 2007 Heisman-winning quarterback who now has the Gators in the national title game against OU.
Tebow is big, left-handed and runs like a fullback.
Douglass was big, left-handed and ran like a fullback.
Douglass came out of Kansas; he took the Jayhawks to the Orange Bowl in 1968, which frankly might be as impressive as winning a Heisman at Florida in the 21st century. Douglass was taken in the second round of the ‘69 NFL draft.
Douglass was 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, which is standard size for an NFL quarterback — nowadays. Not back then. Roger Staubach was 6-3, 197. Fran Tarkenton was 6-foot, 190. Bart Starr was 6-1, 197.
Douglass was a monster-sized quarterback, and he ran like it. Douglass in 1972 rushed for 968 yards, an NFL quarterback record that stood for 34 years, until Michael Vick gained 1,039 in 16 games, two more than Douglass had in 1972.
Douglass was not an effective pro quarterback, just as scouts say Tebow won’t be. Douglass’ career record as a starter in the NFL was 16-36-1, mostly with the Bears. He was a 43 percent passer. Douglass threw 36 touchdowns and 64 interceptions.
Tebow is a wonderful college quarterback. But Douglass was, too. Douglass was a left-handed battering ram, just like Tebow.
Those ‘68 Jayhawks went 9-1 and played Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Kansas almost beat the Nittany Lions; that’s the famous game where KU stopped a Penn State 2-point conversion, but the Jayhawks had 12 players on the field, so Penn State got another chance and won 15-14.
KU’s only loss that season? 27-23, at home, to the Sooners.
A laboratory of overtimes
I covered the Thunder game Sunday night, then drove home while listening to Giants-Panthers on the radio. I got home just as regulation ended.
That means I got to watch the overtime, which was a doozy. Giants win the toss but punt. Carolina threatens but punts, and R.W. McQuarters drops the ball and almost gives the game to the Panthers but corrals the precious jewel. Finally, Derek Ward said enough is enough and rambles 51 yards into field-goal territory, then carried even more, 82 yards on the drive alone, to set up Brandon Jacobs’ winning touchdown.
Heck of a game. Then I thought, well, I’ll watch SportsCenter, which I like on Sundays but really not any other day. I flipped over, and lo and behold the New Orleans Bowl still was in progress.
Southern Miss-Troy. It was tied late in the game, Troy had the ball about midfield, so I said great. I watched Troy gak up its last possession, forcing my second overtime of the young night.
And I got a perfect picture contrasting the NFL and college OTs. The college system stinks. No field position. No kicking game. No strategy, really. It’s football’s version of hockey’s shoot-out.
Southern Miss didn’t do much and had to kick a field goal. Troy didn’t do much and had its field goal blocked. Southern Miss.
Good for the Golden Eagles. Good for old pal Larry Fedora, the Mad Hatter. Good for fans of college football who like bowl games, of which I am one, because this was an entertaining game.
But the overtime was not good. The overtime was unsatisfactory. It wasn’t real football.
For real football in overtime, you have to go to the NFL.
How Press Taylor got his name
Of all the Pete Maravich stories I’ve received the last couple of days, this was the best. It came from Julie Taylor, wife of former Sooner safety Sherwood Taylor and mother of former Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor.
In Friday’s Oklahoman, we ran a short story inside the section on Press Taylor, Zac’s younger brother, signing with Marshall University.
Anyway, we got a note from Julie Taylor. I’ll let her pick up the story. Sherwood and Julie Taylor attended the 1987 All-College, when Maravich was honored, just six days before his death at the age of 40.
“He is absolutely Sherwood’s hero,” Julie wrote, “and he was telling me all about him (Maravich) and his dad, Press. I was nine months pregnant at the time, and when Sherwood told me about Press (that’s also Pete’s middle name), we both just said, ‘great name if it’s a boy.’
“Fourteen days later … so the fact that Sherwood opened the paper today, saw the article about Maravich, then turned the page and saw the deal on Press, well, it was really special.”
I must say, in all the years of my existence, I have heard of two people named Press. Pistol Pete’s father and the quarterback from Norman High.
Emails on Maravich, the Big Bowl and Billy Sims
My column on Pete Maravich’s 1968 All-College performance drew uncommon response. Lots of memories were stirred. Let’s get to it. Bill wrote, “Really enjoyed your story about Pete. I remember driving from Tulsa to OKC to see the game and how bad the roads were.”
Several people referenced the icy roads. I’m just glad to know we had ice back then. When I was a kid, seemed like it was pretty rare. Now it seems like we get hit once a month every winter. I blame it on the TV weathermen. James wrote, “Just a little humorous note on Pistol Pete’s 138-point performance at the All-College. My wife and I were at a Blazers hockey game during that time, and during the intermission between the second and third periods fans were chosen to try to shoot the puck through a slot in a board that covered the south goal. Pete Maravich was invited down to try his luck and promptly shot the puck dead-center throught the slot. 139 points!”
Sounds like the story from Seinfeld, when George rescues the beached whale and reveals the problem — something obstructing the whale’s blow hole. He produces a golf ball, which Kramer obviously had been knocking into the ocean. Kramer looks a little sheepish and says, “A hole in one.”
Jon wrote, “Enjoyed your story on Maravich. I didn’t have many idols, but he was one of them. Like a lot of kids, I tried to make sure I wore floppy white socks and had them down around my ankles when playing in the driveway. I also took a marks-a-lot and scrawled ‘Pistol, No. 23′ on my basketball. When I read in Sport Magazine that Maravich would take a basketball to the movies and dribble in the aisle, I tried to do the same and pitched a fit when my parents quickly nixed the idea. But as you know and wrote about, Maravich was like Big Foot. You seldom ever saw the guy. I remember watching him play on TV exactly twice because it was such a huge deal. Once was against Kentucky and Dan Issel and the other was when LSU was in the NIT. The rest of the time was just following his exploits in the paper. “Maravich scores 53 in win” or something like that. Can you imagine today? He’d have his own network.”
I don’t know about the movies, but former Sooner Bo Overton is a friend of mine. We grew up together. And his dad used to say that Bo would get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or something and would dribble a ball on his way to the john.
Chris wrote, “AWESOME article on Pete! Just awesome. Thank you. That brought back so many memories. I was fortunate to be at all three games. We drove in from Kingfisher and you pegged it, with 8,700 packed frenzied fans (who says Oklahoma doesn’t like basketball) it was just unbelievable. Pete probably had 15-20 assists per game as well.”
I wish we had full stats on basketball from the ’50s and ’60s. Wilt Chamberlain, for instance, I’ll bet had a ton of blocked shots. But they didn’t record them back then, so Wilt is largely forgotten as an enforcer.Lynn wrote, “Enjoyed your article on Pete Maravich. It brought back many memories. 1968 was the first year I became at all interested in basketball as a spectator sport. Up to then it had been baseball and football only. 1968 was also the year of the Elvin Hayes-Lew Alcindor dual in the Astrodome, which I believe got many folks interested in college basketball for the first time. So I guess one could say that it was as great a year for basketball as it was a horrible year for politics and social justice.”
Here’s the truth about college basketball in the ’60s. It was a better game, except for the lack of a shot clock. Check out some of these scores from the ‘68 All-College: 94-86, 93-71, 101-85, 104-87, 94-91, 91-81, 83-81. College basketball today has the shot clock and the 3-pointer but is choked by physicality and control-freak coaches.Jim Burgar, a former OU football player, wrote and said, “I enjoyed your article on Pistol Pete. I had the opportunity to see the Hawks vs. the Knicks play in 1972. What a show! I can still see in my mind, Pete with his behind-the-back, between-the-legs passes and Walt (Frazier) with his back-you-up-turn-around jump shot. I wish I could I have seen Pete play in the” 68 All-College, but I think we were preparing for SMU in the Bluebonnet Bowl.”
That Bluebonnet Bowl was a heck of a game, too; 28-27 SMU.Jon wrote, “Most amazing athletic show in my life! My uncle took me and my cousins all from Chickasha. I witnessed Pistol Pete pass between his legs on a fast break which then went between the legs of an OCU player to an LSU teammate down the left side of the lane for a layup. The crowd never cheered for the Chiefs again after that. I was 14 and will never forget!”
What we really don’t know is whether Maravich really did pull off these miracles, or if his flair was even more magical, that it knocked the crust off our imagination. I think the latter makes him even more special, if so.Greg wrote, “It brought back many fond memories of a time long ago. I was one of the fortunate ones to attend the All-College Tournament in December 1968. I was a sophomore at OSU, home on Christmas break, and attended two of the three games at the State Fair Arena. I knew I was watching history be made by having an opportunity to watch the greatest college basketball player ever to don a uniform. Incredible basketball games! Again, great memories of growing up in Oklahoma City and watching historic basketball.”
You know what? I still get a charge out of going to State Fair Arena, if for no other reason than all the history that’s been made there.Another Greg wrote, “I attended these three games also. The Duquesne game is the greatest basketball game I ever saw. My father was one of the originally enrolled foot soldiers for the All Sports Association. When I turned five in 1957, I began going to the All College when it was conducted at the Civic Center (we had seats on the stage, I felt like this was ‘big time’). We always sat by my dad’s best friend. They were opponents in Kansas high school basketball before the war. What made them connoisseurs of Pete’ s basketball talents, they played for two coaches who played fast break basketball in the ’30s before even Abe (Lemons) and Paul (Hansen) had ever been heard. What was interesting was they could almost comment as fast as Pete did something because it was almost as if they were on the floor with him. They were kids again.”
The most important thing about sports are memories. Do not let anyone ever tell you differently.Slim wrote, “Pete, the last man off the court from pre-game warmups, casually puts the ball off the floor between his legs and into the basket from 15 feet. Swish. I would not have believed it had I not seen it.”
You know what? I don’t care if they are fish stories. I love to hear them.Steve wrote, “Thanks for the article on Pete Maravich. It brought back memories of those three great games 40 years ago. I was home for Christmas break from college and saw each of the games at the fairgrounds. My college was Vanderbilt of the SEC so I was able to watch him in person four times from ‘67 to ‘70, including his freshman year when he dazzled the young Commodores with skills that Memorial Gym had never before seen. In my view he was indeed legendary in OKC in ‘68. As amazing as he was then, those performances were matched many times in his collegiate career throughout the South. What left us stunned was everything about the Pistol; the dribbling, passing and scoring all done in his own superb and unique style. It was soulful and it was funky.”
I’ve often wondered if Maravich wasn’t discounted somewhat because he was white. I know there’s plenty of discrimination going the other way, but if Maravich had been black, don’t you think his reputation would have gone out of this world? I don’t know. Maybe I’m off. But I’m not sure the world was ready for a white guy to play with the flair that Maravich. Maybe the world still isn’t ready for it.Steve wrote, “Cool article on the Pistol! I was a ballboy at that ‘87 All-College as a high school kid and got to meet Pete one afternoon at the Myriad. I’ll never forget it. He gave me a few great pointers about my jump shot and then spun the ball on his finger and headed it in off the glass. Me and my buddies were in awe. Was a great day.”
What was that I was saying about memories?Ed wrote, “My brother and I went to those games and we talk about the Duquesne game frequently. Right behind one of the goals, we could see his magic unfolding every time he touched the ball. Duquesne was good and had an All-American, Bob Quick. The first LSU possession was coming right at us. I think Duquesne was in a box and one. Maravich flew across half court dribbling furiously and heading for the corner. What was he going to do? I swear to you, two steps before he dribbled out of bounds, he shot a pass between his legs, through the two defenders on that side of the box and right into the hands of an unsurprised Danny Hester for a layup. To this day, 40 years later, I don’t believe what I saw.”
You know, we really ought to have a contest on who can recall the wildest Maravich play from that All-College.OK, now it’s back to my day job as mental therapist for worried OU fans. Chris wrote, “What are your thoughts on Bradford going pro? You think he will? How will the Sooners do without Murray & Granger?”
I think I’d go pro if I was Sammy B. I think OU will Murray in the passing game, not in the running game, and I think OU will Granger in the Florida running game, not the passing game.Derek wrote, “Will OU have 22 guys left to play on Jan. 8? Jeesh. I cling to the thought of Arkansas in 1978. I have this vision in my head of Bradford being sacked six or eight times and a halftime score of Florida 28, OU 7, en route to another less than stellar performance in the national spotlight. Of course, I thought T-Tech was going to beat OU, too.”
It’s interesting how Sooner fans, who some claim are really arrogant, can become so self-defeating so quickly. It really is worth a case study in some psychology class.Shlomo wrote, “So Murray is out. And now Granger is out. And Reynolds was already out. OK. So Madu can play some. And Brown can play a lot. Maybe we hang half a hundred on ‘em. But, wait. How ’bout that D? You said that they’d show up in KC and they sure did. I don’t recall how much, if at all, Granger played in that game. But we are definitely short-handed now. It’s time to circle the wagons. We need a defensive game plan that is inspired. We need our defensive guys to be mobile, agile, hostile and smart. We need to wrap up. We need to tackle low. If we try to ride Tebow to the ground, well, it will probably be a long ride. Isn’t it amazing that a team that averages 54 points a game has to sweat out the defensive game plan?”
Actually, this sounded like a very good pre-game pep talk. Perhaps Stoops and Venables can use Shlomo.Mark wrote, “Can OU contain Tebow? We had trouble with OSU QB, Texas QB and dare I say it Baylor QB, who looked pretty swift a foot.”
Except Tebow’s not all that fast. He’s a battering ram that will knock you into next week, but he’s no roadrunner. Don’t borrow trouble.Mark wrote, “I agree with your assessment of the Murray loss — it should not have a significant impact. What is the latest on the middle linebacker situation? OU really needs this one!”
Well, I think Austin Box is supposed to be back. It’s a good question. You can fool around at middle linebacker against Missouri or Kansas. You can’t fool around at middle linebacker against Tim Tebow.Of course, we had the little matter of the Heisman Trophy since our last batch of emails. Beryl wrote, “Bradford winning the fifth for OU, it seems interesting to me that that makes four Oklahoma high school players to have won at OU. I don’t know of others from other schools who may have gone to high school in Oklahoma - don’t think there are any. I wonder if any other state has a higher number, per capita. It’s an amazing stat it seems to me.”
Well, no, no other Okies have won, even for out-of-state schools. It’s a good solid number. It’s not like Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, which produced both Tim Brown and Davey O’Brien, or Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., which produced John Huarte and Matt Leinart, but still impressive.But the biggest part of the Heisman story, at least for Sooner fans, was Billy Sims and his silly “Boomer” chants. Jason wrote, “When I heard Boomer being shouted, I knew it was Billy Sims. I remembered it from Jason White’s triumph four years earlier, and part of me cringed. But as I contemplated the event Sunday evening, I thought to myself, why am I getting bent out of shape about this? Yes, the Heisman Trophy is quite a prestigious honor in athletics, and other than an Olympic medal it’s right at the top. But we’re not talking about a Presidential address or the burial procession of a soldier who gave his life for our freedom. If what Billy Sims did makes him a clown, then clown does not have the negative connotation I thought it did. He’s our clown, and darn proud to be a Sooner.”
Sims also is a guy that on Bradford’s greatest moment tried to steal the spotlight and to some degree did. I think that qualifies for clownness, in all its negativity.Ryan wrote, “It is a shame that such a great moment gets spoiled by Billy Sims — for both Jason White when he won and Sam Bradford. What an embarrassment.”
Spoiled? Probably a little harsh. Embarrassment? Absolutely.Corbin wrote, “I’m the biggest Sooner fan of all, but someone has to get a hold of Billy and get him to cut it out. The Oklahoma stereotype that many have on a national level is only validated when he does that. I know he is excited and I certainly appreciate all he had done and continues to do. But these Heisman presentations when an OU player is involved are getting painful to watch.”
That’s a great point. You almost don’t want to watch, because you’re afraid of what crazy uncle Billy will do.Marshall wrote, “As a Texas graduate and fan I would have preferred to see Colt McCoy win the Heisman. Bradford is the winner and like Obama we’re stuck with him. However, I feel the ceremony was cheapened by some idiot yelling Boomer while the award was being presented to Bradford. I’m pretty sure it was Billy ‘Wanna buy my Heisman?’ Sims. Don’t they realize that this type behavior only reinforces the perception that Oklahoma is just a bunch of big mouthed hillbillies? By the way, I would have the same reaction if Colt had won and someone starting yelling ‘Hook ‘em’ during the presentation.”
Hey, don’t dogpile Bradford and Obama. All they did was win with dignity.Evan wrote, “Another Heisman Trophy presentation has come and gone, and once again, Billy Sims embarrasses not only himself but probably anybody that has anything to do with the University of Oklahoma. It seems that every year this guy thinks that the whole hour is all about him. What made Saturday night even more of a shame than previous years is that it took away (in my opinion) a very special moment from a fellow Sooner. Sam Bradford is such a classy guy and to have the spotlight taken away from him by a 50-something classless Sims was sad. It’s time for someone - Barry Switzer, Steve Owens or the Heisman committee - to step up and tell this clown (good word for him this morning, Berry) that he needs to try and show a little bit of class and stop the antics. Enough is enough.”
Here’s the deal. Sims apologized but said he’s not going to stop doing it, because he loves OU. But that’s precisely why he should stop. He is hurting his school.Jacob wrote, “Do you think we can get a recount on Sims’ Heisman? He just embarrasses the state with his shenanigans.”
Actually, if we’re going to recount Heisman ballots, I think we start with ‘68, not ‘78. 1968 is the year O.J. won.Mitch wrote, “Berry, your comments about Sims were right to the point. Know Billy bleeds crimson & red, but his inappropriate behavior at the Heisman announcement was way beyond acceptable and embarrassing. It’s unfortunate that Billy wanted to draw attention to himself even in a stupid way and detract from Sam Bradford’s moment in the nation spotlight. Billy has had more praise and attention than 99 percent of the people in America, but now it’s time for him to show some maturity and wisdom.”
I’ve generally found that people who have been in the spotlight need more stage time, not less.Dick wrote, “Thanks for mentioning Billy Sims’ childish and disrespectful performance. I though I was the only one who was embarrassed by it.”
No. Turns out there’s an army of anti-Sims.Robert wrote, “I hate to be a scrooge at Christmas, but I think Billy Sims has earned a jeer for his embarrassing behavior. He was calling attention to himself — and away from Sam — with that Boomer yell during the most important 30 seconds in Sam’s life, and he was doing it on national television. This is not the way we want the University of Oklahoma to be represented on such a national stage. Can’t someone encourage him to tone it down a bit? Someone has to have the courage to speak up, or it’s going to happen again.”
Here’s the sad thing. My emails for the week ran about 10-to-1 Sims to Bradford. There is no doubt that Bradford’s Heisman was overshadowed by Sims’ behavior.Craig wrote, “Come on Berry, why punk on Billy? He was proud. I thought it was great.”
Often I’m on the minority side. Not this time.And finally, let’s move on to the woeful Thunder. Tony wrote, “Some buddies and I were bemoaning the current state of the Thunder when someone mentioned that Presti and Co. are just biding time until they can lure some major free agents, either next year or 2010. That prompted this depressing thought: Given the financial straits of Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward and their respective energy companies, will the Thunder be able to spend everything it has in salary cap room? Granted, Clay may be in much better shape, but I have to think he’s been hurt by the recession as well.”
The status of Chesapeake and SandRidge are the least of the Thunder’s worries. A lot better question is this: How will the Boomers lure any self-respecting ballplayer to play for an organization that is 2-24?Nancy wrote, “Any thought to the possibility of the team playing bad on purpose, supported by those in Seattle who were so against the team moving to Oklahoma? Hopefully not, but it just seems strange how badly they are playing. I feel most people did not think this would be a terrific team immediately and would support them anyway going forward just to have their presence in OKC.”
Well, yes, it’s a stupid question and a stupid idea. But you know what? Nancy is right about something. It does seem strange how badly they are playing, since hardly any team ever in basketball history has played so bad. You can’t blame people for trying to figure out some reason why.Craig wrote, “Gee whiz, I think PJ is probably chuckling ‘told you so’ about now. This team is really bad. When is Scott Brooks going to quit giving the same old speech after each game? I know the team wants high draft picks but this is crazy. We are the laughing stock of the NBA. Doormat. Presti should make some trades. Rebounding is an attitude. They apparently have no attitude. Free throw shooting sucks. Perimeter shooting sucks. Turnovers galore. This team has actually regressed in my mind. I am a fan and I am losing my patience.”
Hey, settle down. They’re a bounce here or there from being 4-22.
The original Slingin’ Sammy
Sammy Baugh died this week at the age of 94. Not too many NFL stars left from the 1940s. I talked to Baugh once; called him down in Rotan, Texas, after the Big 12 formed, just to ask him about the demise of the Southwest Conference, a league he helped put on the map with his glory days at TCU. Seemed like a nice enough fellow.
Anyway, I’ve received three really interesting dispatches from readers who had thoughts about Baugh. Definitely worth sharing. They’re from different perspectives; one played for Baugh at OSU in 1962, when he was a Cowboy assistant coach. One interviewed Baugh in his later days. And one was a fan who never met the man we call Slingin’ Sammy.
The first tribute comes from my friend Don Brewington, who was a Shawnee High School star in the 1950s, went to OU to play football and then transferred to OSU, where in 1962 he was a receiver, playing for an assistant coach named Sammy Baugh.
“Just read where Sammy Baugh passed away yesterday. He was not only a super football player but a class gentleman as well.
“In 1962 Baugh was hired to help our offense at OSU, and being a wide receiver I had the opportunity to receive passes from him in practice. He was in his 50s then but still possessed a dead accurate passing arm. He would tell me to run a sideline pass at 10 yards out, and after running the route the ball from Baugh was right in my hands and softly as well.
“Before practice one day, I was walking across the basketball floor and saw Baugh shooting h-o-r-s-e with some of OSU’s better shooters. He beat the best shooter we had on the team. Never seen anything like it.
“On a personal touch, we had just got beaten by KU in football 34-17 in Stillwater. We had led for a half 17-7 and I had caught a TD pass, having a great day so far. Then the half started and Gale Sayers after the first play ran a 90-yard dazzler for a TD. Now the score is 17-14. Baugh had put in some routes that KU could not cover and had no clue how to, either. It is 3rd-and-7; Mike Miller threw a perfect pass to me downfield, the DB covering me fell down and all of a sudden I dropped the ball. Then Kansas went on and controlled game.
“I felt terrible after the game, feeling like I had by myself cost us the football game. As I sat in my locker after the game really feeling badly about the loss and particularly my dropped TD pass, Sammy Baugh comes by my locker and sits by me and says, ‘Hell, son, I have seen a lot better receivers than you drop passes in my lifetime. Shake it off. You had a good game.’ Never forgot what his words meant to me and never did drop another pass, either.
“Wonderful man who had all of his priorities in place all of his life. It was a blessing to have had an association with him and he had a big impact on me as well.”
OK, another tribute. This from my pal Jeremy Cowen, who once wrote sports for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and now is in PR for the Oklahoma Bankers Association.
“I saw where Sammy Baugh died — damned shame. I’m glad I got to do a long sitdown one-on-one interview with him a few years ago. I’ll always remember that. Real good guy.
“Baugh was a hoot. I’ll never forget I asked him if he ever got many visitors out there. His response: ‘Yeah, oh, I guess, here and there. Had a couple in over here last weekend. Came in to talk to me and take some pictures. They flew in from New York, I think it was. Had a guy who plays football now with the guy taking the photos. Big tall feller, real nice, real polite type — guy I’m going to have to keep an eye on. His name was … Pat … Pet … … Peyton!! Yeah, that’s it, a young feller by the name of Peyton Manning, I think it was!’
My mouth about hit the floor when he said that so non-chalantly. Just for reference, it was Sports Illustrated doing the photo thing: they were doing their 1999 NFL preview and were matching up-and-comers of the present with the old-time greats in a photo essay or something. I didn’t find all that info out, of course, until I picked up my Sports Illustrated a couple of weeks later, and there was a photo of Peyton with Baugh at Baugh’s house! He didn’t mention exactly what they were there for — he was just so non-chalant about the whole thing! Great guy, don’t make ‘em like him anymore.”
Finally, from Ed Frost, a lover of history and a lover of football, which makes him ripe for the likes of Baugh:
“Long before there was something actually called fantasy football, I used to engage in my own version of it. Nagurski was the fullback, Grange and Thorpe the halfbacks. And Sammy Baugh was always the quarterback.
“When I opened the paper yesterday morning and saw that Baugh had died, it was truly the end of an era for me and fellow fantasizers. He played in another geological era but did not put down the modern game. He in fact embraced it and wished wistfully he could have played in a time when the forward pass was more utilized and valued.
“He didn’t alibi. After that 73-0 pounding by the Bears (in the 1940 NFL title game), a reporter asked him what would have happened if his receiver hadn’t dropped a pass early in the end zone, and he said, ‘The score would have been 73 to 6.’
“Somebody once wrote that ‘Baugh used to go to training camp with a $5 bill and a new pair of jeans, and when he left, he hadn’t changed either one.’
“He loved the game, and he played it well. RIP, Sammy. I don’t play fantasy football, but I’d like my chances with my fantasy backfield.”
Bradford finishes strong
Sam Bradford finished strong. Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, then first-team all-American status by The Associated Press and The Sporting News this week.
Which actually made for an interesting few days. The NCAA historically has certified certain all-American teams; the current five accredited teams are AP, Sporting News, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation.
The first three teams came out last week. Texas’ Colt McCoy was first-team quarterback on the Football Writers and Walter Camp team. Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell was first-team quarterback on the coaches team.
Then Bradford won the Heisman. It was possible that the most unlikely scenario was possible: the Heisman winner might not be an all-American, at least not one recognized by the NCAA.
That would have intensified the 2008 Heisman Trophy debate.
Of course, the two teams selected this week put that matter to rest. The AP is the most prestigious all-American team; it was the team used for decades on the Bob Hope Christmas Special, with the honorees introduced by Hope.
If you’re going to make just one all-American team, the AP is the one to make. Bradford made two, even if it took him awhile to get there.
Bradford and McCoy will both be considered consensus all-Americans, which goes to the player who is listed first-team on the most all-American squads. Bradford and McCoy each were named on two, so if there’s a tie, both are accorded the status.
Bradford joins Jason White (in 2003) and Josh Heupel (2000) as consensus all-American quarterbacks for OU this decade. Ironically, Heupel was consensus all-American in 2000 and Florida State’s Chris Weinke was not, even though Weinke won the Heisman.
And White did not make any certified all-American team in 2004, even though he placed third in the Heisman. USC’s Matt Leinart dominated the quarterback voting that year.
Getting brain wires crossed on Travis Lewis
I confused a bunch of OU football fans today. I wrote that Tyrone Lewis is among the Sooners’ most valuable players.
I meant linebacker Travis Lewis, of course, but this is an excellent study of the human brain. For some reason, I always want to call Travis Lewis “Tyrone Lewis.”
Tyrone Lewis was an OSU wrestler from El Reno a few years back, a four-time all-American who was an NCAA runnerup in 2004.
No reason to mix up the Lewises, other than sometimes you get something in your brain and can’t get it out.
I used to get Jay Johnstone and Rick Monday mixed up all the time. They were outfielders in the late ’60s and ’70s, and no reason at all why I should confuse them, but I did. All the time.
To this day, I can’t remember which one grabbed the American flag out in centerfield when some goober ran out and tried to set it on fire in Dodger Stadium or someplace.
Was it Johnstone? Was it Monday? I don’t know. I’d have to look it up. I think it was Monday, but I’ve mixed them up so much, who knows?
I’m not mixed up on the Lewises. I know Travis is the linebacker and Tyrone is the wrestler. But for some reason, when I write OU football, I want to say Tyrone.
I’ll make a better effort to stay on top of this, but you’re going to have to work with me. If you see Tyrone Lewis in print, and it’s about football, assume my addled brain has gone haywire again.
The dishonor code: Leaving with your team
Tis the season when football coaches who talk about honor and team and loyalty remind us that they don’t hold themselves to the same standard.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard lashed out at departed coach Gene Chizik, who took the Auburn job after just two seasons in Ames, Iowa. Pollard said Chizik twice last week gave assurances he wouldn’t leave Iowa State.
Pollard said ISU players, staff and fans “deserved better” and questioned Chizik’s character. Chizik previously had made his biggest news as a Cyclone by trying to hire a full-time team chaplain, at university expense.
But give Chizik this much credit. At least he didn’t bolt on the Cyclones while this season was in progress. That’s better than some.
Leaving teams before their bowl game has become the fashionable move in college football, and it’s become so common, players and schools seem immune to the damage.
In the NFL, this thing is so uncommon that when it does happen, no one takes it sitting down. Monday, Oakland Raiders assistant coach James Cregg told interim head coach Tom Cable he was leaving the franchise for a spot on Lane Kiffin’s staff at the University of Tennessee. Kiffin was fired as the Raiders head coach in October.
“It’s wrong,” Cable said. “Wrong in this business. Wrong in the business of coaching.”
Cable is right. It is wrong. It’s also become widespread, at least on the college level, where it’s do as I say, not as I do.
Some coaches who are changing jobs choose to try to finish out the season with their old team. Washington’s newly-hired Steve Sarkisian says he will coordinate USC’s offense in the Rose Bowl, and Utah State’s newly-hired Gary Andersen says he will help coach the Utah defense in the Sugar Bowl.
But Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman left to coach Toledo, and Ball State head coach Brady Hoke left to coach San Diego State.
AP mystery revealed
In this crazy season of OU losing the popular vote and still coming out on top — BCS, Heisman Trophy — add another. The Associated Press all-Big 12 team.
If you remember, the AP squad from about 10 days ago had Texas’ Colt McCoy the AP player of the year, but Sam Bradford was the AP all-Big 12 quarterback. Made no sense.
But I ran into AP’s Texas sports editor, Jaime Aron, Sunday night in the Texas Stadium pressbox and asked him how that could occur.
Here’s the story. AP voters pick a first- and second-team. McCoy was named player of the year on 10 ballots and was the all-conference quarterback on all 10 ballots. Bradford was picked the same on seven ballots, to Aron’s best recollection.
But Bradford was first- or second-team on every ballot, while McCoy was left off some ballots. That’s not scandalous in a league with so many great quarterbacks; Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell finished fourth in the Heisman voting, though well behind Bradford, McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow.
Anyway, Bradford’s second-place points lifted him past McCoy, just as happened in the Heisman voting, where Tebow gathered more first-place votes but placed third.
The bottom line in all this ballot analyzing? In both the Big 12 and the Heisman, there were astounding quarterback candidates, and voters could not go wrong. Bradford was the lucky guy who came out on top.
Emails on Heisman and Florida
The new emails are in, and no big surprise, Sam Bradford is the talk of the town.
Greg wrote, “If Sam does leave for NFL riches, and I believe he will (and should), most impressive beyond TD/interception ratio is he is a 3.95 student and is flush with real humility. Good parenting, good coaching and a kid with his head screwed on properly. Whatever happens tonight, Sam is a winner, and on Jan. 8, I believe he will lead OU to an eighth.”
Hard to argue now that Bradford should stay.
Jim wrote about the Norman Transcript’s John Shinn voting for Colt McCoy on the Heisman. “What was he thinking? OU fans have proven to be very sensitive and even hostile toward the national media when a negative story or thought is published. This unsavory side of too many Sooners will only be magnified when the hometown writer tries to justify why he voted for the disliked archrival on his Heisman ballot. I find it hard to believe that he did not realize he was getting ready to kick sand into the face of the Monster.”
Maybe Shinn was thinking he ought to do what he was asked to do: vote for whoever he thought deserved the award.
P.J.,not Carlesimo, wrote, “I have an idea for the Heisman Trophy to make it meaningful as the best college player rather than the best QB or running back or an occasional receiver. Wait until all the position awards have been awarded and instruct all the Heisman voters to choose the winner from one of the position awards winners. It would still be a little lopsided in favor of the QBs, but it might give the Butkus Award or the Thorpe Award winner more consideration.”
It also would give the Butkus and Thorpe awards more status, and in the dog-eat-dog world of college football trophies, I’m not so sure the Heisman wants to prop up any competitor.
Matt wrote, “I know who will win. I saw a replay of last year with Tebow, and he had a cast on his right arm. That clinches it. Sophomore QBs with casts on their non-throwing arm win the Heisman. Fortunately for Sooner fans, that is Bradford.”
It’s enough to make Colt McCoy go have surgery next year before the Heisman ceremony, don’t you think?
Jasen wrote, “How do you think Bradford would have done as a true freshman compared to Paul Thompson?”
I think he would have done about like Paul Thompson would have done in 2003 compared to Jason White. Not even close.
Jeff wrote, “Why doesn’t OU ever invite Troy Aikman to some OU games and honor him for his contributions to OU? After all, he was our QB (and becoming a great one) until the ‘Canes broke his leg and Jamelle Holieway took over with the wishbone.”
Maybe the reason he’s not honored is because he started four games and then transferred to UCLA. Aikman started as many games at quarterback as Jake Sills.
Bob wrote, “Do you think Sam is ready for the NFL? I think he has the talent, but I do not think he is ready physically. I’m not sure he can take the pounding he is going to get in the NFL. I know that money can change minds, but I think he also wants to be a great player at the next level and one more year will make a huge difference.”
No one is ready for the physical pounding of the NFL. The way you survive in the NFL is to not get hit.
Eric, an OU fan out in Lubbock, reports that “all the talk out here in Lubbock is how Graham Harrell got snubbed. The media here have a serious chip on their collective shoulders and inferiority complex. One of them said on the radio a few weeks back that in the eyes of Oklahoma, ‘Texas Tech is a pimple on the butt of the Big 12.’ Frankly, I think most of the talking heads out here are full of something. But, what would you say to those critics who say that the Heisman is tainted? That it’s a popularity contest that’s exclusive to only the ‘big’ schools, thereby overlooking schools like Tech?”
I would say they’re probably right.
David wrote, “After only two years on campus (for Bradford), I would go so far as to call him the best OU QB ever, pending how he does on the biggest stage of all. And what astonishes me is how close this came to not happening. Your column reminding us how this might have been Bomar’s senior year was wonderful, but is just half the story there, I think. What I marvel at now is that even after Master Rhett left in disgrace, the job STILL had to be won from the kid many thought of as the future after Bomar: Keith Nichol. This adds even more to the aura of Bradford: he was always the regular guy, not a superstar recruit, who took the job by the horns and showed the world what few knew he had. A story similar to Steve Davis, to me. With the blessings of the football gods, a man named Sam Bradford fell into our laps.”
I’ve got to say. Nothing against Kid Nichol, but no way could anyone see him throw the football and see Sam Bradford throw the football and still think there was a quarterback derby. Recruiting hype again means very little.
Terry also wrote about Bomar, “I agree absolutely that Bomar would have gotten much better and Sammy would still be on the bench. The one thing I’m not so sure about is how well overall the team would have done with Bomar at the helm. I have heard that because of his attitude he was not well liked. I expect Bomar to play in the NFL if he has his head screwed on right, but he was not the team player that Sammy is and that can make a big difference.”
Here’s my take. OU 2007 would have better with Bomar at quarterback. OU 2008 would have been worse.
Denver wrote about Bradford/Bomar: “I think it all comes down to karma. It is a funny thing, maybe because I played baseball and we are all kind of goofy when it comes to things like karma. Bradford is such a good person and has not changed a bit through all of his success. Bomar was cheating and when this came to surface, it paved the way for Bradford. Jason White is another example of good karma. He couldn’t be a nicer guy and look at all he went through but came out great. On the flip side look at O.J. Simpson!”
Well, generally, yes, I think you’re better off not breaking NCAA rules or state laws.
Now, on to general Sooner stuff. Bob wrote, “Just think of the things that did happen and didn’t happen for OU to get into the championship game. Tech had to beat Nebraska in overtime. Tech had to beat OSU. Tech had to beat Texas. Texas had to drop two easy interceptions against Tech. Cincinnati and TCU had to keep winning. Penn State had to lose one of its last three easy games. Southern Cal had to lose to one patsy in the Pac-10. All of this had to happen just for OU to get into the Big 12 game and it did. This is destiny for OU, and I believe that as long as everyone keeps bragging on Florida, OU will win that game.”
Actually, not all of that stuff had to happen. The Sooners needed Tech to come through against Texas. Everything else went about how you’d expect.
Steve, like many an OU fan, already has started worrying. But he’s got a good point: “It seems to me that with a few exceptions, the OU football team doesn’t handle the layoff very well. They get the offense humming toward the end of the season and then the layoff seems to throw off the timing. It’s been that way for at least 30 years. The Arkansas Orange Bowl in 1978 was a perfect example. In the Stoops era, I don’t think OU played that well in a few bowl games they won with Arkansas in 2002 and Florida State in 2000. The difference is that the defenses played very well.”
Maybe it comes down to this question. Would OU fans take less offensive production against Florida if it meant a stiffer defensive game? Or would you play it like it is?
Cindy wrote, “When my daughter married the love of her life, I knew he was a Florida fan. Now, here we are facing a bedlam for the ages. HIs family and our family, Gators vs Sooners. Here we go. Never thought it would come to this. We are blessed in that we received tickets through OU. What a deal.”
These are situations that should be discussed before holy matrimony.
Jim wrote, “It seems that the SEC pitted their two best teams on a neutral field at the end of the year, while the Big 12 pitted theirs in October. It just happens that the two best in the SEC didn’t meet mid season this year, and the Big 12’s did. I think that Bama and OU’s season parallel each other, and Texas and Florida the same. So why shouldn’t Bama be in there? OU got in on the same scenario. Just played the most important game a different time of the year. Unless the ‘whole body of work’ doesn’t account for much anymore. It must not. Bama got screwed. Or Texas got screwed. There should be two national championship games, the other pitting Texas and Bama, and then let the people and the computers rule.”
Alabama and OU aren’t close in body of work. Cincinnati and TCU put the Sooners way over Alabama. Don’t overthink this stuff.
Lew took exception to my statement that the USC Orange Bowl was Bob Stoops’ most embarrassing defeat. “That was an embarrassment, sure enough. But let’s recall that USC was 12-0 and ranked No. 1. They finished as national champions. Though the score was quite bad, losing to that USC team was not an embarrassment, per se. What about the loss to Boise State? That was one of the most horrible OU games I ever watched. For my money, that was more embarrassing to Coach Stoops than the loss to USC.”
It’s an interesting argument. But I don’t buy it. No one came away from the Fiesta Bowl scratching their head about the Sooners. They raved about Boise State. But everyone came away from that USC game thinking the Sooners were frauds.
Speaking of body of work, Randall wrote, “Did you happen to see a comparison of teams vs. the top 10 and top 30 teams in Sagarin’s rankings? Oklahoma was 2-1 and 6-1. Florida was 1-0 and 3-1. Texas was 1-1 and 3-1. Texas Tech was 1-1 and 3-1. USC was 1-0 and 3-1. Penn State was 1-0 and 3-1. Alabama was 0-1 and 3-1. Utah was 1-0 and 3-0. TCU was 0-2 and 1-2. Ohio State was 0-2 and 1-2. So OU played at least one or two more games against teams in the top 10 than did anyone else. And three to four more games against the top 30 than did any other team in the top 10.”
But I thought the OU and Alabama seasons were comparable.
Bernard wrote about OU’s sportsmanship: “I want to compliment you on your grading of OU sportsmanship. However, I think you were a little generous. I would have given them an F-. I suspect we both know the reason for Mr. Stoops running up the score. He wanted to break the record of consecutive 60+ points in a game and he wanted to give Bradford as much exposure as possible for the Heisman Trophy. The same is true for the OSU game. Why else would he want to score an easy touchdown with less than a minute left to play with the outcome of the game well determined, and the opposition relaxed, expecting OU run out the clock?
Well, I gave Stoops a D, but when you put it like that, hard to rip a coach for trying to break NCAA records an d win his guy the Heisman.
Darin wrote about Mack Brown’s ballot in the coaches poll:, “Specifically where he voted Texas Tech. He had them at No. 8 and UT at No. 2. I thought it was interesting given his non-stop mantra of head to head results being important.”
Well, not to try to figure out what’s going on in Mack’s head, but it makes sense. His theory is you basically throw out Tech, so he was consistent. You throw out Tech.
