Sports Bard

…for the sports writer inside.

Josh Randall would have thrived in today’s NFL.

Randall, the fictional bounty hunter with the sawed-off Winchester played by Steve McQueen in the TV western ‘”Wanted Dead or Alive” (1958-1961), which catapulted the laconic McQueen to stardom, traveled long distances on horseback for small pay to catch his man. When he found him, he practiced fair play and sought to “bring him back alive,” despite the show’s title.

Had Randall participated in the National Football League, he would not have been bound by such limitations. He would find his prey directly across the line of scrimmage; the cash rewards would be greater; and he would not have been prevented by his conscience from going all out to maim the opposition.

With the revelation that the NFL Saints under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams engaged in a three -year- long system of rewarding players for injuring their opponents or forcing them out of the game, and that similar shenanigans have been going on for years with other teams, including the Redskins, the NFL is facing a public relations nightmare, and the wrongdoers are facing huge fines and suspensions.

The NFL has determined that Williams, with the knowledge of head coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis, paid $1500.00 to his players for “knockout hits” and $1000 if a player was carted off the field. The money was generated by fines, and by contributions from Williams and other players. Evidently, informal reward systems for big hits and forced fumbles have been going on for years; but this is the first time we have become aware that payoffs have been awarded to players for inflicting injury with the express consent of management.

The reaction among players and some egg-headed talking heads is that similar practices have been going on for so long throughout the league that “it’s no big deal.” But this argument ignores the fundamental distinction between a) accidental injury; and b) management-inspired mayhem. The former is a cost of doing business in the NFL. Long ago, the Courts determined that athletes in team sports “assumed the risk of injury which comes with participation in a violent sport.” But when management plays a role in orchestrating injuries, we have mischief of a different level bordering on criminal conduct.

This scandal could not have come at a worse time for the NFL, which is already facing a barrage of lawsuits alleging that it failed to take proper precautions against concussion-related injuries. Now, add to the list of potential litigants any player who has been injured as the result of a “bounty” program.

There is no way that Williams, now the defensive coordinator at St. Louis, can survive the disclosures. The feeling here is that he will be suspended for the entire 2012 season by Roger Goodell and that the Saints organization will be fined at least a million dollars, plus lost draft picks, which will be the most severe penalty ever imposed by an NFL commissioner against a player, coach, or organization.

Through the televised NFL combine, the Peyton Manning saga, and speculation about the upcoming draft, the NFl has been remarkably successful in keeping itself on the front page of the sports section during its off season. But this is one time when the League might have preferred a little anonymity.

Kentucky Means Business

Since the rule requiring high school seniors to complete one year of eligibility before entering the NBA draft was enacted in 2005, no “one and done” has played a key role in leading his team to a a national championship. Marvin Williams was the sixth man on the 2005 champion Tarheels; freshmen-based Ohio State (Greg Oden, Michael Conley) lost in the finals to Florida in 2007; and Derrick Rose missed by a hair in 2008 with Memphis. If there has been a pattern to recent champs, it is that they have been led by experienced players in their second or third years of stardom. Rookies, it appeared, did not have the savvy to take teams all the way.

But as I have watched Kentucky, led by three star freshmen, repel the challenges of Mississippi State, Vanderbilt (twice) and Florida over the past couple of weeks with a toughness and sagacity befitting a squad of seasoned assassins to finish undefeated in the SEC (16-0) and 30-1 overall, it is clear to me that the Wildcats are about to turn the tables on conventional wisdom.

The three freshmen are 6’10” center-forward Anthony Davis, small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and point guard Marcus Teague. Each has long-arms, off –the- charts athleticism, and fierce determination. When teamed with returning lettermen Darius Miller, Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones, they form a seamless sextet capable of running the table in the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky coach John Calipari has been called everything but a great coach, but how else do you explain his molding a youthful squad in to the best defensive team in the country? On the perimeter, the length and quickness of Davis, Teague, and Kidd-Gilchrist have made life miserable for three-point oriented teams such as Florida and Vanderbilt. In the paint, Davis, a natural forward playing center, has set a record for blocks by an SEC freshmen, recording 146 swatbacks; and like Bill Russell, he keeps his blocks in play. Overall, the ‘Cats defend the two @ 36.4% and the three-ball @ 31.8%. On offense, they shoot 48.9 and 36.4, respectively. Small wonder they play to a 19.3 ppg winning margin.

Offensively, Kentucky has been getting better with near geometric progression, particularly Davis, who would be a player of the year candidate if he couldn’t shoot a lick. But Davis, a converted guard, has just begun to display his offensive versatility. Against Vanderbilt last week, his critical 3-pointer beat back a Vandy rush. He shot 8 of 9 from the field and made all six of his free throws. Yesterday, when Florida narrowed a 16 point deficit to 57-53, his lefty jump hook, block, and put back dunk stifled the Gators for good.

There is nothing that Kentucky does not do exceptionally well. Even its 3-point game has improved. But the ‘Cats’ best attribute may be their mental toughness. They may let you back in; but once you get close, they will swat you down like a pesky insect. One blocked shot, a fast break, and a three-ball later, and their two point lead has stretched to seven. But since Kentucky is not deep, like Syracuse, they remain vulnerable to injury and to foul trouble. Ironically, in the upcoming SEC tournament, where they are likely to play Vanderbilt or Florida for the third time, they may also be subject to complacency.

After all, when you’ve got your sights set on a national championship, what’s another SEC title?

In the aftermath of the most exciting NFL season in years, culminating in the Giants’ stirring Super Bowl victory, there remains one piece of unfinished business before we put the pigskin in wraps – the future of Peyton Manning.

In the run-up to the Super Bowl, Peyton’s uncertain status almost, but not quite, obscured the on-field exploits of younger brother Eli. The press spent almost as much time dissecting Peyton’s recovery from neck surgery and his tit for tat with Indianapolis Colts owner Bob Irsay as it did analyzing the upcoming game. Now, with the game in the books, Peyton’s status is front and center.

Peyton’s contract with the Colts requires them to pay him $28 million by March 8th or lose him to free agency. It is unclear whether the parties may mutually extend the drop dead date, but it is perfectly clear that Peyton’s future lies elsewhere. What seemed unimaginable a short several months ago will become a reality in a few weeks. The Colts will release Peyton, and he will be free to cut a new deal with any of several suitors – most likely including Arizona, Miami, Seattle, and yes, the Redskins. When it happens, the pursuit of Peyton in free agency will dominate the headlines.

With an appropriate nod to the Maras and the Rooneys – and to their progeny academy award nominee Rooney Mara – is there any doubt that the Mannings are the First Family of Football? Father Archie was a wonderful college quarterback in the early ‘70’s and a solid pro. Peyton has arguably been the best pro quarterback ever. Brother Eli, a two-time Super Bowl winner, has cemented his status as a top-five quarterback and probable Hall of Famer. In an appropriate twist, the key play in the Bowl was Eli Manning’s 38-yard sideline pass late to Mario Manning-ham.

The fact is, both Mannings are so likable and so smart and so good that the discussion about them could continue indefinitely without much complaint from this writer; but it’s time to move on…. to basketball. Fittingly, the college basketball season is heating up at just the right time. Wednesday’s encounters between Duke and North Carolina, Georgetown and Syracuse, and Kansas and Baylor provided high drama; and the torrid pace continues Saturday with Baylor at Missouri, Michigan State at Ohio State, and Kentucky at Vanderbilt.

Duke – North Carolina It was the best of times. It was the worst of times, for North Carolina center Tyler Zeller. For thirty nine minutes and forty five seconds, Zeller was at his best, registering 23 points and 11 rebounds in guiding the Tarheels to an apparently insurmountable lead. And then came fifteen seconds of hell.

First, with 14.2 seconds left and Carolina up by three, Zeller inadvertently deflected a rebound into his own basket. If he takes it down cleanly, the game is probably over. Then, he missed the second of two foul shots which would have taken the lead back to three. To cap this trifecta of failure, Zeller, 7′ tall and with a wingspan from here to there, failed to adequately contest Austin Rivers’ long jumper, which nestled through the nets at the buzzer for the Duke victory.

After bad losses to Temple, Florida State, and at home to Miami, Duke is back in the hunt for a number one seed, despite a talent deficiency in the front line. If they succeed, it will be at the expense of North Carolina, which was the pre-season pick for the national championship. The Tarheels can reclaim their edge by winning at Duke March 3rd and sweeping the ACC tournament, but their 33-point loss to Florida State Jan 21st and their collapse against Duke suggest they are not as dominant as forecasted.

Georgetown – Syracuse Despite being out-rebounded 52-35 and relinquishing 23 offensive rebounds, Syracuse held off over achieving Georgetown 64-61 in overtime on the strength of Kris Joseph’s 29 points, including a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left. Considering the rebounding differential and that Joseph averages just 14 ppg, the Orangemen were fortunate to escape.

But this tight struggle does not dampen the prospects for the Orange. Georgetown,of all their opponents, is best-equipped to handle Syracuse’s 2-3 zone; and the teams will not meet again this season. Syracuse might lose one more time in the regular season, which includes road affairs at Louisville and UConn, but with an at-worst 16-2, they will likely sew up a number one seed even if they fare poorly in the Big East tournament. To prosper in the NCAA tournament, however, they must shore up their rebounding, which has been a recurring problem.

Kansas – Baylor Kansas, the perennial Big 12 champ, was projected to take a back seat to Missouri and Baylor this season; but after the Jayhawks’ convincing 68-54 repeat triumph over the sixth-ranked Bears, in which Baylor again betrayed its lack of physicality up front, Kansas again has the inside track to the Big 12 regular season title. The decider will be its Feb. 25th home encounter with Missouri, which defeated Kansas 74-71 at Columbia with an 11-0 run to close the game.

Baylor – Missouri The season is on the line for Baylor. With two losses to Kansas and a home loss to Missouri 88-89 Jan 21, they must win tomorrow to be taken seriously in the national picture. But it’s unlikely to happen. Missouri, with four seniors among its top seven, and a relentless pressure offense spearheaded by 5′8″ whippet Phil Pressey, the son of former pro Paul Pressey, is unbeatable at home. The Tigers would certainly benefit by another talented body up front, but their tenacity and toughness is likely to be too much for talented but fragile Baylor.

Michigan State – Ohio State The thought of MSU’s Draymond Green and the Buckeye’s Jared Sullinger battling in the low post brings to mind two Sumo wrestlers rolling around in the pits. But Sullinger is backed by sharpshooter William Buford and crafty Aaron Craft at the point, while Michigan State struggles to find scoring elsewhere. Ohio State enlarges its lead in the Big Ten standings and enhances its claim to a number one seed with a comfortable victory in Columbus.

Kentucky – Vanderbilt Over the years, Vanderbilt has maintained a formidable home-court advantage at its 60-year old Memorial Gym. At the friendly confines, Vandy has defeated the last four number one’s it has faced, and Kentucky five of the last six, the lone loss being a one-point defeat to John Wall-led Kentucky two years ago. But it will take all the Commodores can muster to hold off number one ranked Kentucky tomorrow.

Vandy gets all of its scoring from three players – center Festus Ezeli, wing Jeffery Taylor,and sharpshooting two-guard John Jenkins. But the Wildcats have stifling defenders at each of these positions, including all-time SEC shotblocker Anthony Davis, long-armed point guard Marcus Teague, and the relentless Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at the two. To have a chance, Vandy must shoot at least 40% from 3-point land and receive some scoring from its bench, which has been mostly unproductive.

Here are our projected number one and two seeds, in order:

Number ones: Kentucky, Syracuse, Ohio State, North Carolina
Number twos: Missouri, Kansas, Duke, Florida

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Lin Spurs Knicks The impact of Harvard educated, Chinese-American Jeremy Lin as the new point guard for the Knicks has not been limited to the three straight victories the previously woeful Knicks have accomplished under Lin’s leadership.

Lin has, for the moment, a) saved coach Mike D’Antoni’s job; b) energized the fan base; c) instigated a sharp rise in the secondary market for Knick tickets; and c) most importantly, brought into the mix several underutilized Knicks.

From the moment the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last February, the Knick offense stagnated. When the ball goes to Anthony, which is most of the time, ball movement grinds to a halt. On a typical possession, Anthony fiddles and faddles with the dribble, backs in his defender, and hoists an ill-advised shot. Because he is such a talented offensive performer, he scores enough to average about 25 ppg, but the effect on the rest of the team is demoralizing. And the Knicks’ record since they got Anthony provides no vindication of his efforts. They are well under .500 since his arrival.

Now, with Anthony injured, and Lin taking over the point, the Knicks have begun to resemble the fast-moving, free-flowing team they were before the trade. The results were noticable on Wednesday when the Knicks invaded Verizon Center to face the Wizards.

With his perpetual penetration, bounce passes to cutters, and hook passes to the corner for open three’s, Lin brings to mind Steve Nash, who enjoyed great success with D’Antoni at Phoenix. On Wednesday, he found Steve Novak wide open for five three’s; Tyler Chandler for several alley-oops; and Landry Fields on the bounce for a couple of lay-ups. Novak and Chandler erupted for season-highs in points, and Fields, averaging 9.9, scored 16. On Monday, against Utah, even back-up center and part-time author (“50 ways to Miss a Lay-up”) Jared Jeffries got involved, registering a season-high 13 points.

Helped by the Wizards’ pitiful interior defense, Lin was also effective on his own. Several times he raced to the hoop with the ease of a speeder on E-Z pass. On consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter, he made a beautiful reverse left-handed lay-up followed by an emphatic driving dunk.

When Amar’e Stoudemire returns to the Knicks next week, following a bereavement leave for the death of his brother, the Knick offense is likely to accelerate since Stoudemire loves to receive the ball on the run for a driving dunk. And Lin is sure to get it to him. The greater difficulty lies when Anthony returns from injury in about two weeks. In light of Lin’s production, and the Knicks’ recent success, the issue should be whether Anthony can adjust to Lin rather than if the team can adjust to Anthony. The self-centered superstar is ripe for an attitude adjustment.

In the short run, the Garden will be rocking tonight for the annual visit of the Lakers. This is the match-up we’ve been waiting for – Kobe Bryant vs. Jeremy Lin.

It’s been joked that the best team in the country is Syracuse, and the second best is their bench. But if the games of last week are any gauge, it may not be a stretch at all to assert that the Orange’s top five reserves could play tough or beat the rest of the Big East and many of the top 25.

Admittedly, it’s shaping up that there are few exceptional teams. In the past several days, top teams have been dropping like flies to lesser foes. North Carolina was pounded by Florida State 90-57. Ohio State lost to Illinois. Duke was upended by Temple, Michigan State by Northwestern. In the Big East, Villanova stinks, UConn has lost to Seton Hall, Rutgers, and Cincinnati; and most surprisingly, perennial power Pitt lost its sixth straight Big East game Monday to Syracuse, which marched to 20-0 for the first time in its celebrated hoops history.

Syracuse has previously suffered from early departures, but not this year. They return four starters and four experienced reserves from last year’s 27-victory squad. Add freshmen Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams, and you’ve got a 10-man rotation, ten players averaging ten minutes or more. Check it out folks – no other team in the top 25 plays nine.

They are not just deep and talented – they are balanced, with several interchangeable parts. Scoop Jardine, Howard Triche and Dion Waiters can all play the point or shooting guard. 7 footer Fab Melo ( Fabricio De Melo), after re-structuring his body, has emerged as a dominating shot-blocker; and his replacement, Baye Moussa Keita, is easily the best back-up center in the country. Kris Joseph and C.J. Fair fill the lane with gusto. Fair can also play the power forward. G-F James Southerland, in limited playing time, has scored 14 pts or more five times this season Freshman Christmas adds bulk up front. It’s been speculated that Syracuse has nine potential NBA players on its roster.

And almost everybody got in the act against Pitt. Five players scored between 10 and 16 points in the 71-63 triumph. Coach Jim Boeheim has so much depth that he could afford to yank Christmas after one minute of the second half for failing to prevent an offensive rebound. The youngster did not return.

In winning, the Orange cemented their hold on the No. 1 ranking for the sixth straight week. Their strength of schedule is 2nd in the country; but of the eleven games left, only road affairs at Louisville and UConn loom as threats to the first undefeated regular season in Division One play since St Joseph’s ran the table in 2004.

Unlike their counterparts at Penn State, the Orange have not been derailed by the sexual abuse allegations hurled at a member of their staff, long-time assistant Bernie Fine. When Fine was named as a youth predator, fresh on the heels of the Penn State situation, it was feared that Syracuse would suffer comparably to Penn State; but Boeheim’s keeping his job, no administrative heads have rolled, and Fine himself will probably avoid indictment.

There is no such calm at Penn State. The Board of Trustees has come under attack for its heartless dismissal of Paterno by late evening phone call. The selection of Pats assistant Bill O’Brien as Paterno’s successor has been widely derided. And administration officials, with knowledge of the pending grand jury investigation of Jerry Sandusky, allowed him to watch Joe Pa’s 409th victory from the presidential box just one week before Sandusky’s indictment on 50 counts of sexual assault.

Sally Jenkins’ interview of Joe Paterno for the Washington Post published this week did little to alter the negative view of Penn State or the dismay over Paterno’s inaction. It provided a sensitive portrait of the ailing ex-coach but little in the way of new facts or explanations for his decade-long failure to stop Sandusky.

Joe said that he was unaware of the 1998 police investigation of Sandusky, and had no suspicion prior to 2002 that Sandusky was a sexual deviant. He did not follow-up, he said, because he did not want to “exert influence for or against Sandusky.” Though the interview did not provide much new information, it did muddle the government’s pending perjury case against Penn State administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz.

Curley and Schultz were indicted for telling the Grand Jury last year that Assistant Coach Mike McQueary in 2002 did not tell them that he saw Sandusky committing sex in the shower on a 10-year old, but rather described “inappropriate behavior or fondling” in the shower. That is substantially the same as what Paterno says McQueary told him. But McQueary told the grand jury that he described Sandusky’s behavior to Curley and Schultz in more graphic detail than he did to Paterno, specifically describing sodomy on a 10 year old in the shower.

The case against Curley and Schultz will rely almost exclusively on the testimony of McQueary, who admits giving two different versions of what he saw. Curley and Schultz will certainly be consistent in their accounts of what McQueary told them. That’s two against one, and the one has already been trapped in an inconsistency. It looks like an uphill climb for the government.

Yanks Shuffle the Deck ….The Yankees’ recent trade of top prospect Jesus Montero for young stud pitcher Michael Pineda and their signing of free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda on the same day signal changes to come throughout the Yankee roster.

Montero, a powerful hitter but a defensive liability at catcher, was projected to catch 30-40 games and serve as the right-handed DH. But Yank GM Brian Cashman must have recognized that DH was no place for a developing player and that he could not trust Montero behind the plate. By trading Montero for a top of the rotation pitcher, the Yankees undid a logjam at catcher and DH, strengthened their staff, and opened up a number of intriguing lineup possibilities.

First, the right-handed DH slot is freed up for more than occasional occupancy by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Eduardo Nunez started over eighty games last year at third and can be counted on to spell Jeter and A-Rod in the field when these aging veterans need rest. When Nunez starts and A-Rod DH’s, the Yankees can come at you with speed (Granderson, Gardner, Nunez) and power (A-Rod, Teixeira, Cano, Swisher). Look for a change in the batting order with Cano batting third and Teixeira fifth. Jorge Posada’s retirement leaves an opening for a left-handed DH. Ex-Yank Hideki Matsui, a free agent, would be perfect.

But the trade may have its most dramatic impact on the pitching staff. The arrival of Pineda and Kuroda marks the downgrading of AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes. Pineda and Kuroda will be slotted second and fourth in the rotation, respectively. Ivan Nova should be number three. That leaves Burnett, Hughes and Garcia to duke it for fifth starter. Expect Burnett as a number 5 to equal or exceed reduced expectations, Hughes to go to the bullpen or be traded, and Garcia to spot start and do long relief.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams will be more sharply penalized for exceeding the luxury tax threshold. In anticipation of the new rules, and with exception for the 1-year deal to Kuroda, the Yankees steered clear of this year’s free agent pitcher class and have instead chosen to stockpile young hurlers under contract by trade (Penada) and through their farm system (Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelo)

These are not the free-spending Yankees of the George Steinbrenner era, who wasted tens of millions on multi-year contracts to free agent pitchers Kevin Brown, Jared Wright, Kei Igawa, and yes, Burnett. Mistakes on pitchers may be made in the future; but if so, they will be made one year at a time.

Giants….. In an NFL season filled with more story lines than a Dickens novel, the late-season run of the Giants continues to be a page-turner

There’s been no shortage of heroes during the Giants’ four-game march to Sunday’s NFC Conference title game against San Francisco: Eli, the defensive line, the resurgent backfields, offensive and defensive, the wide receiver corps. Improvement in each of these areas has contributed to consecutive victories against the Jets, Dallas, Atlanta, and Green Bay altering the course of a season which just a few weeks ago was heading south.

Now, as Giant fans evoke parallels to the 2007 Super Bowl run, they are poised to win it all.

But ask yourself what if Victor Cruz does not make that 99 yard catch and run against the Jets in week 16. Here’s the scenario – Fresh off an abysmal defeat to the Redskins, the Giants were 7-7 and on the brink of a lost season. They needed to win out to make the playoffs. The Jets, at 8-6, had been modestly successful, but had the inside track to a playoff berth. Before the game, Jets coach Rex Ryan stoked the fires by claiming that the Jets were the better team.

The Jets dominated the early going, and led 7-3 with 2:12 left in the half and the Giants pinned back on their own one yard line with a 3rd and 10. If the Jets stopped the Giants and got the ball back at midfield, they had a good chance to take a potentially crippling 14-3 lead into halftime.

Instead, Eli completed a short toss to Cruz over the middle. Cruz eluded one tackler, dashed to the sideline, leaped over another defender and cruised 99 yards for the score. It was the play that sent the Giants soaring, and the Jets reeling.

Since Cruz’ touchdown, the Giants have out-scored their opponents by 118-43, and have registered four touchdowns of sixty five yards or more in four blow-out victories. Since Cruz’ touchdown, the Jets lost their last game of the season to miss the playoffs, fired coaches, and have been riddled with dissension. The franchises have been heading in opposite direction at warp speed.

On the Giants’ march to a Super Bowl victory, there may be many more big plays, perhaps even a game-winning one. But of all the plays in all the games, the one that changed the course of the season, the one Giant fans will most cherish will be Victor Cruz’ gift of a 99-yard catch and run against the Jets on Christmas Eve.

Ali …… Muhammad Ali, nee Cassius Clay, turned 70 Tuesday. Incredibly to men of a certain age, it’s more than 50 years since The Mouth that Roared won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics; and it’s just under 48 years since he toppled Sonny Liston in the sixth round in Miami Beach in February, 1964 in what many consider to be the greatest sports upset ever.

Clay entered the fray as a 7-1 underdog. An examining doctor, shocked at Clay’s heart rate, expressed concern for his safety against ex-mob enforcer Liston, who had destroyed Floyd Patterson twice with his savage right hand and was considered unbeatable.

After achieving Olympic Gold, Clay plowed through a slew of pretenders and contenders, boldly predicting the final round by rhyme. When he narrowly edged Doug Jones in an elimination bout at the Garden in 1963, he became 18-0 and in line to fight Liston for the title.

The fight was much anticipated, but by today’s standards, it was conducted in secret. There was no home TV and only limited closed circuit availability. Some early cable systems carried the fight, and this writer drove 75 miles to Ithaca, New York to watch the bout in grainy black and white.

Clay surprised the world by dashing and slashing and jabbing Liston for six rounds, so befuddling the Big Ugly Bear that he didn’t come out for the seventh. Clay bounced hysterically around the ring shouting “I am the Greatest.”

Shortly thereafter, Clay announced his conversion to the Muslim faith and his new name, Muhammad Ali. Three years later, he was stripped of his crown for resisting induction to the armed forces. While in exile, he embarked on a speaking tour of liberal-leaning colleges, including the University of Michigan, where he conducted an hilarious monologue of black-white jokes. He was handsome, witty, and gracious.

Ali was the most polarizing athlete of his generation, but he transcended sports. He had a world championship game and a world championship personality. That is a package we may never see again.

The look on John Elway’s face said it all.

As his quarterback, Tim Tebow, led his team, the Denver Broncos, to the most improbable of touchdown drives to defeat the Jets Thursday night, the camera panned in on team president John Elway. Elway did not demonstrate unbridled joy.

Instead, he wore a worrisome look, as if to say, “Now what do I do?” Then upon realizing that his Broncos were now 5-5 and in the thick of the AFC West race, he broke into a broad smile.

Elway’s quandary was understandable. Elway inherited Tebow. He didn’t select him. That was the work of former coach Josh McDaniel, who selected Tebow with the Bronco’s first pick in the 2010 draft before being bounced summarily 12 games into the 2010 season. Elway, a legendary quarterback for Denver from 1983 to 1998, came on board as President and part owner of the Broncos during the summer of 2011.

Word was that neither Elway nor new Denver coach John Fox was enamored of Tebow. In a view that was shared by most NFL pundits, they felt, and may still feel, that Tebow’s unorthodox run-first style of quarterbacking did not translate well to the NFL. They began the season by installing Kyle Orton, a traditional drop back passer, as the starting quarterback.

Orton played poorly, and with the Broncos at 1-4, the fans clamored for Tebow. Fox relented and announced that Tebow would start Sunday October 23rd against Miami. Tebow proceeded to stink up the joint, and Denver trailed Miami 15-0 with 2:44 on the clock. But Tebow spirited Denver to two touchdowns and a two-point conversion to tie it in regulation, and a field goal to win it in overtime.

Following a trouncing by Detroit in which he was awful, and victories over Oakland and Kansas City where his combined passing numbers were 12 -28 for 193 yards, it was not clear where the Tebow experiment was going. He was described by one analyst as “the worst passing quarterback for a starter ever.”

For the first fifty five minutes Thursday night, Tebow played the part. He compiled a statistical nightmare, going one for eight on third downs in the third quarter with seven straight three and outs. He missed open receivers repeatedly while under no pass rush. If not for a pick six, Denver wouldn’t have been in the game. In the words of Mike Francesa, Denver did not move the ball “one inch” before then. The Jets defense hadn’t give up a point.

But it all changed with that final drive, which will be known henceforth as The Drive II. Taking over at his own five yard line, Tebow called twelve straight plays out of the shotgun often going with an empty backfield. It was like a two-minute drill without the passing. Systematically, and with incredible poise, he picked and slashed and bulled his way around and through the Jets defense, concluding with a 23-yard touchdown run where he ran over Darrell Revis.

For the moment, Tebow is being hailed as a hero and winner by his supporters; but to his critics, one final drive does not obscure his deficiencies as a passer. When he performs erratically for 58 minutes but somehow finds a way to win at the end, he fans both sides of the controversy.

Elway remains unconvinced. He told a Denver reporter yesterday that he is “no closer” to deciding on Denver’s quarterback of the future, and “we can’t go 3 for 13 on third downs and win a world championship.” Clearly, Tebow does not fit Elways’s image of what a franchise quarterback should be.

But Elway has no choice but to play out the season with Tebow as his starter and see what develops. If the Broncos finish poorly, they may be tempted to draft a quarterback in the first round. If they finish strong, they may be tempted to draft a quarterback in the first round.

Tebow or not Tebow?

That is the question.

Preserving the Brand

“ If self preservation is an instinct you possess, you better fuck’n do it, and do it quick,” snapped Winston Wolf to the dilatory Jules and Vincent in “Pulp Fiction.”

In trying to figure out the motive behind Penn State’s and Joe Paterno’s unfathomable failure to take action against Jerry Sandusky when they first learned of the long-time assistant’s nefarious activities in 1998, and then again in 2002, look no further than their fanatical desire to preserve the Penn State brand, which includes a squeaky clean reputation for playing within the rules, Joe Pa’s burnished image, and its $70 million/year football program. “We are…. Penn State,” goes the slogan.

According to the Centre County Grand Jury Report, Sandusky’s activities reached back to 1994, but were first investigated by law enforcement in 1998, when the campus and local police responded to the complaint of Victim 6. The investigation was closed when District Attorney Ray Gricar, who disappeared mysteriously in 2005, decided there would be no criminal charges. In June, 1999, Sandusky, then 55, retired as defensive coordinator after thirty years on the staff with professor emeritus status and full use of campus facilities, including his own office and parking space, and a faculty benefits package.

Making full use of his privileges, Sandusky in 2000 was discovered by a janitor performing oral sex on an 11-year old in the showers of the football building. The incident went unreported. Then, in 2002, he was observed by graduate assistant Mike McQueary performing anal sex on a 10-year old in the locker room shower. McQueary reported the matter to Paterno, who passed on the information to the athletic director, Tim Curley. Curley and administrator Gary Schultz subsequently met with McQueary, who described to them what he saw.

No one from Penn State ever reported the incident to the University or local police. Sandusky’s only sanction was that he was instructed not to bring children into the locker room. McQueary remained on the football staff until Friday, when he was placed on indefinite leave.

The Grand Jury, conducting its investigation during 2010 and 2011, called McQueary, Paterno, Curley and Schultz as witnesses. Paterno, Curley and Schultz testified as to what McQueary told them. Curley and Schultz were indicted for falsely characterizing McQueary’s report. Curley testified that he was not told by McQueary that Sandusky was engaged in sexual conduct. Schultz testified that McQueary’s allegations were “not that serious.”

Since Paterno testified to the same subject matter and was not indicted, it can only be assumed that he accurately described to the Grand Jury what McQueary told him. In other words, he admitted being told by McQueary that Sandusky performed anal sex on a 10-year old and doing virtually nothing about it. Maybe this is what Joe had in mind when he admitted at his press conference Wednesday that he “could have done more.”

After the 2002 incident, Sandusky continued to enjoy preferred status and to entertain children at the Penn State facilities. As recently as the summer of 2011, he performed recruiting tasks for Penn State.

There can be little doubt that Sandusky’s ouster as assistant coach in 1999 was inspired by the criminal investigation of 1998. But why was it necessary to treat him like departing royalty? And then, in 2002, why did the administration fail to report the crime committed on its property and continue to treat Sandusky with kid gloves?

“To what do we owe such generosity?,” Don Corleone asked of Virgil Solozzo when he offered him a one-third interest for mere finance.

So now do we wonder why Penn State put itself on the line for a pedophile. The answer, as with the Don and Solozzo, is “for selfish reasons.” Jerry Sandusky was a Penn State lifer. He was the heir apparent to Joe. He knew where all of Penn State’s recruiting bones were buried. There was no one in better position to topple the Nittany Lions’ house of cards if he were crossed. Silence and inaction were in everyone’s interests.

We have only begun to scratch the surface of this story. It may wind up having more legs than a tarantula. Already, there are rumors that Sandusky’s Second Mile foundation was a front for a pimping operation. At a minimum, there was an embarrassing interlocking of interests between the foundation and Penn State. Paterno has retained a prominent defense lawyer. Though it is not clear that he will be charged with a crime, he is certain to be named as a defendant in civil suits.

Penn State’s possibly criminal cover-up is a fitting coda to a year where the college football landscape has been dominated by episodes of illegal benefits (North Carolina, Ohio State), pay- for- play recruitments (Auburn, Miami), and rampant conference-hopping. So long as college presidents and administrators place power and money above principle, the carnage will continue.

NBA Strife Gives College Game New Life

In 2008, eighteen freshmen and sophomores were chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, including six of the first seven. Last May, in anticipation of the NBA lockout, that number shrunk to five.

Premium stars Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, all certain high first round picks, opted to return to college, where their teams will contend for the national championship in the 2011-2012 college basketball season, which tipped off last night.

Several mid-level stars projected to go late in the first round are also back on campus. Senior Kris Joseph is at number five ranked Syracuse. Seniors Jordan Taylor and Ashton Gibbs return to Wisconsin and Pitt, respectively. Projected number ones seniors Jeffery Taylor and Festus Ezeli, and junior John Jenkins are again taking courses at Vanderbilt. Senior Trevor Mbakwe is back at Minnesota. And there’s more.

For the past eight years, the lure of the NBA ravaged the college ranks of its best players. Not just the one-and-dones left early. Many late developing players who emerged as stars as sophomores or juniors jumped ship at the first opportunity, leaving their teams short. Think DuJuan Blair, Joe Alexander, and Wes Johnson. Could Pitt have used Blair in the paint last year instead of Gary McGee? What if Johnson had been filling the lane for Syracuse?

And how many marginal stars with raw talent, but undeveloped skills, left school after one year only to languish or be rendered obsolete in the backwaters of the NBA? Think Donte Green, Anthony Randolph, and Lance Stephenson.

But in a turnabout, because of the lockout, this year it became fashionable for stars that were on the fence to remove their names from the draft and return to college. Those who did leave early – including Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, Tobias Harris, Darius Morris, and Jordan Williams – are probably regretting their decision to depart.

Because while they are embroiled in a dispute which threatens the NBA season, the college game they left behind is primed for its best season in a decade. Had these stars stayed in school, they might have polished their skills, enhanced their fame, and padded their resumes.

The primary beneficiaries of the new ground rules will be North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State and Connecticut. Each returns a heralded star who was projected to leave early, a strong supporting cast, and an influx of talented freshmen. They will be great from the get-go and are certain number one seeds. Competing for the number two and three seeds will be Syracuse, Pitt, Memphis, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Florida.

It remains to be seen how the new collective bargaining agreement affects the flow of talent from the colleges to the NBA. But for one year, and perhaps one year only, the talent has been flowing upstream.