I am back and I have a crazy theory! Thanks to ESPN's little trade machine, I might be on to something. Hey Stern I have a four team trade proposal with Stones, Hawks, Blazers and Heat. All players are on 1 to 2 years left on their contract, one player the Stones want and the other will be gone next year. And No, Wade is not apart of this crazy idea.
Thanks to a free NBA League Pass preview and few national televised games I was fortunate to watch the Pistons play. Usually I listen to sweet sound of Mahorn call a game via X-M. Instead of watching a team struggles to find themselves in my head where Rip and A.I struggle contently get to one another and Wwhere I also watched Amir's youth develop in my head like a proud parent, my eyes opened my head to a sluggish team with about as much chemistry as I gathered in my C+ in high school. And as Sheed says "Ball don't lie!"
So as good as the idea was of AI coming to the D was, its time has faded. I have invested about as much faith in AI as he does in having practice on a holiday. Rip and I have a bond, a bond I remember every time I look at my celebration scar on my toe! So I decided to play with that trade machine with AI leaving the D and this is what I worked out;

Stones Get: Shawn Marion and Steve Blake
Hawks Get: A.I
Blazers Get: Mike Bibby
Heat Get: Marvin Williams and Raef LaFrentz

Why this works;

Stones: Stuckey get a well traveled back up as opposed to a younger Bynum (whose not that bad). Rip gets to play and gets that trust and confidence he needs. Marion is 6-7, Tay is 6-9 and Amir is 6-9 so the stones don't lose height but gain a shooter at the 4 and Tay can play D, he built his career on that. Then Marion brings a little more explosiveness to the 3. Then Amir can come off the bench to give that spark he usually did off the bench.

Hawks: I know Bibby was a PG and AI is a SG but Joe Johnson is a bigger SG. Remember Eric Snow was bigger SG during that 76er run with AI. Plus this team is a little faster then Sheed and Stones and I think that's better for AI. The loss of Marvin lets a bigger body of Horford to Move into PF and quicker J.Smith to get outside at the 3.

Blazers: Who doesn't love Steve Blake and Roy as their back court! But Bibby and Roy sounds a little better I think Bibby would love to come back West anyways and show he still has something to give. Raef leaving town would be no different then one Starbucks closing, cause there is another one a block up the street (Joel Przybilla).

Heat: Heat give up some money and get some more youth. I think with Marion gone, Beasly would feel a little more pressure to work. Beasly would now have to compete with a player his age instead of "developing" behind a veteran. Reaf would stay at a 4th string C but he's got experience at

It's just an idea, I am no Joe D., but either has been the AI experience!

Stafford Files

Excuse me! Ummm over here! Hey, Hey, look over hear. Stafford, Stafford listen up quickly its not to late! I did some research! Stafford Stop!!!!! Someone send this to Stafford, NOW! Tell him to wait and see if the Lions turn it around like the Falcons or Dolphins and don't have the number one pick!

Stafford here is a quick, but excruciating look at the history of the Lions. This is also for any dawgs fan looking forward to an "alumni" going pro, especially as the number one pick.

Stafford, this starts in 1989. However, I jump a year ahead. In 1990 the Lions drafted Heisman winner Andrea Ware, great, sounds like a club who drafts winners. Well, Ware was ranked by ESPN as the number one Heisman BUST! Wondering what that has to deal with you Stafford, look at the history of this franchise that could pick you.

1989 Lions draft USC draft pick QB Rodney Pete, who was selected ALL-ROOKIE football digest. In 1989 Lions also drafted a small running back named Barry Sanders and DB Ray Crockett. Looks like the Lions have established a great foundation. Seems like a franchise that would support your strong arm and surround you with a strong running game you are accustomed to.

That brings me back to Andrea Ware, one year later after drafting Pete, the Lions drafted that Heisman winner Andrea Ware. WOW, back to back great draft picks right? Woops, I forgot to mention that Ware was a quarterback. So back to back years Lions draft a quarterback. Reminds me of a time were we drafted consecutive Wide Receivers. Oh, Hey Lion fans, did you know that Scott Mitchell was drafted in the same year by the Dolphins.

Stafford, Mitchell was a Free Agent Lions brought in after a remarkable year he had filling in for Marino. Lions fans and his performance ran him out of town, well, I shouldn't say ran (by the way Lions drafted Rob Hinckley three picks before Mitchell, which was the same year we drafted Ware, yeah right, who cares).

Now, we have two young quarterbacks biding for playing time. But guess what the Lions do after a couple years, they bring in Eric Kramer (not drafted by Lions, but a FA) and he ends up guiding them to the playoffs. Our QB's of the future are warming benches now. Did I mention our second round pick the year before ('92) we brought in Kramer was Jason Hanson, Lions kicker to date. Stafford, you catching a clue yet? Not yet, okay, hold on.

Lions next quarterback pick before the sixth round doesn't come to Rutgers quarterback Mike McMahon (didn't have a college winning record) in 2001. Then go back to the 1999 draft where Lions passed on Culpepper, who is the number one quarterback on the Lions roster now!

Stafford I hope you aren't thinking well I am going to change that. The reason I say that, the Lions drafted Joey Harrington in 2002, the year after McMahon. Now with two young QB draft picks on their depth chart again they go and draft some skill players. The Lions draft Michigan State's Charles Rogers and USC Mike Williams. Not to mention Roy Williams WR and RB Kevin Jones. Last time they did that, Barry panned out but QB's didn't.

Williams squared gone! Jones and Rogers gone! So Stafford as you can see the Lions will try and support you with some skill players. But if they don't work out, they will go and draft you a back up or a kicker.

Then Lions did it again in '05, by drafting QB Dan Orlovsky, Dawg fans or Stafford if you don't know who he is just You-Tube his name. He is running out of bounds to get safetied against the Vikings.

Convinced to be the number one pick yet? I forgot to mention they drafted Drew Staton a couple drafts back in the second round after Orlovsky and Harrington. Did I mention Stafford the Lions also have Drew Henson on the depth chart. He played with Tom Brady at UofM and for the Yankee's. He was cool till Matt Cassell came around and actually played well in the NFL.

As you reportedly said it was okay to be drafted by the Lions. Think! You will be joining a roster with a former second round QB pick from '07, fifth round QB pick in in 05' and FA Drew Henson and Culpper. That roster doesn't have the '02 first round QB pick on it anymore. See, Stafford you don't fit.

You don't even have to throw a pass, run a 40, lift a weight, take a test or anything to see you don't fit in Detroit. If you want the money then fine! If you want to play then no! The Lions have never surrounded a drafted QB with skill players or skill players with a drafted QB. If they don't like you after a year or two they have proved to draft another QB!

I am not a Sam Bradford or a Tim Tebow fan or even hope they become Lions. Yet, for your own sake Stafford, if they stick around another year in college, the Lions wouldn't blink an eye at drafting one of them. Even if you are on the Lions depth chart.

Stay Stafford! Not because I am a dawg fan, because I am the farthest from. I am not even a fan of the QB's mentioned prior. I am a Lions fan and I'd hate to see anyone else suffer!

Big Deal

Just a quick follow up on previous blog on Big 12. Sooners lost, so the big 4 of the big 12 goes 1-3. One of those losses was by another SEC team. The high school anology I mentioned before played out to be this; Florida Beat Oklahoma, Ole Miss beat Florida, Ole Miss beat Texas Tech, Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, Texas Tech beat Texas, Texas beat Oklahoma! As I ask all of my students, " what is the lessoned learned here?" My answer, with all bias installed, Big 12 is not a big deal. Welcome Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma to Big 10 country! But, thanks Big 12 for taking the heat off the big 10 this year!

Big12; A Big Impact or no Big deal

The Longhorns did what they needed to do last night, right. They beat the Big 10's BCS whipping post, dem ole' Buckeyes! Longhorns didn't necessarily take the Buckeyes out to the pasture and put an end to them like thought. The Longhorns were one call and one tackle away from being apart of a possible crumble of the big 12's top 4.

Yes, top 4, Oklahoma State's only season losses were to the Sooners, Red Raiders and Longhorns. Then those top 4 teams played in bowl games. Texas Tech's folded in their home state and put more air into the SEC bubble. Oklahoma State's loss helped the Pac-10 go undefeated in the bowl season. So when 2 of those big 4 went 0-2, I wondered, Big 12 or Big deal?

Then last night, Longhorns did what everyone expected, win. But, the Buckeyes pulled out a great "moral" victory and gave a possible moral loss for the Big 12. The talk or possible belief was when Texas blew out OSU and Sooners possible fell to the Gators, Texas would then be apart of National Championship consideration. Does Texas still deserve that consideration?

Well, they didn't exactly blow out OSU, they had to make a come back after pulling ahead by 11. The only team the Longhorns lost to, lost in their bowl game to a team that beat one opponent in the Championship. The other opponent in the Championship, the longhorns beat. So does that play into any consideration?

But, it doesn't matter till the outcome of Thursday. As we approach the eve of the BCS championship, the Big 12 family has to be worried. This can't be like New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve wondering what prosperous things await. Big 12 needs to be concerned what happens if the Sooners lose, they don't just lose a game, they lose a lot of the glitter the conference gained over the regular season.

A Sooner loss means the Big 12's big 4 would be 1-3 in bowl games. The only win wasn't a blow out that people spoke about and it was against the 1-6 Big 10. The other guns in the big 12 beat two Big 10 teams and the kamikaze called Clemson. That equation to me would equal disappointment. Even if the Sooners win, they can bask in a tarnished National Championship. All the Big 12 has to thank is a hot USC team that everyone loves, undefeated Utah that everyone wishes could have a piece of too, a team within their conference with the same record (and beat the Champs), oh and a .500 record of the top 4 teams!

I am going to say No Deal, No Big Deal to the Big 12.

The Big 5.5

A move from the Dirty D to the Dirty South introduced me to the world of the SEC. For about four years I have tried to defend the big 1o or as they say down here the big 11. The 08-09 bowl season has proved me to be half right in my everlasting defense. The 1-5 record (as of the 4 qrt. of the OSU / Texas game) is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the tale of two football halves.

*Wisconsin down 14-3 at the half, do able right. Not after FSU added 28 points in the second half.
*Gophers were outscored 21-0 in the 2nd and 3rd qrt. and would of tied J'hawks had the only took 1 and 4 qrt. score.
* Spartans took a 6-3 lead into the half against the team formerly known as #1, then Stafford decide to try out for the Lions.
*Psu won the second half of the Rose Bowl, to bad they let USC score 24 points (in the 2nd qrt.).
* Thanks to Iowa's 1st half smack of the other USC, the second half tie didn't matter.
1/2*Northwestern held their head high for both halves, but that little thing called OT

That's the Big 10's bowl season in half a nut shell!