Still Keeping Score

Coach Don Shula had a great run.  But the world lost a unique influence today with his passing. At least he was a very positive influence on me, and likely dozens of the players he coached and legions of football fans. Better research from other writers will do a far better job covering all of the accolades Don Shula compiled over a lifetime of football. Among those stats, I learned just today that the he also intercepted 21 passes in his brief career playing for three NFL teams over six seasons before he jumped into the coaching ranks. Shula never claimed to be an exceptional athlete, so I imagine a number of those interceptions were because of how well he understood the game. That understanding helped him become the youngest NFL coach in history by the time the Baltimore Colts hired him in 1963. It was Shula's time in Baltimore that endeared him to my Maryland family. In particular, my grandparents continued to be fans of the coach even after he left the Co

A more sensitive league leader may have pushed the upcoming NFL Draft back a month or two. That said, I'll be the first to selfishly admit, I'm glad the commish is of singular mind when it comes to promoting the game that keeps a roof or two over his head. As the horror show COVID-19 global pandemic is likely moving toward it's peak level of damage to humanity here in the United States, sports fans will have tiny beacon of escapism to look forward to amongst the carnage. Despite a number of NFL general managers asking for the event to be pushed back, Commissioner Roger Goodell says the show must go on. On one hand, the NFL seems to lack empathy, or a sense of fair play as teams are on various stages of lockdown, depending on which state they are in. Those are absolutely legitimate concerns. However, for a nation that's had to stay in quarantine away from other people for nearly two months in some places -- an NFL Draft presents some evidence that the world w

It's a comparatively small Colorado football community over the last few decades, especially former players and coaches who remember when the Buffs won all the time. In that small world, the Buffs apparently have found someone who was a part of those good old days with the selection of Karl Dorrell. While the hiring remains unofficial, the pile of internet sources seems to agree the Buffs went with a former CU assistant with 14-years of PAC-10/PAC-12 coaching experience, coupled with some solid NFL stints with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. And yet, some voices yelling into the internet void remain unimpressed, wanting to go with -- according to the modern vernacular -- another sexy hire. Did fans really want Alabama offense coordinator Steve Sarkisian, despite the fact the last hot name/sexy beast of a hire just packed his bags for East Lansing, Michigan? Both Sarkisian and Mel Tucker used the Buffs to pad their bank accounts, and yet some fans seem t

At the time I sat down to scribble these words out, there was nothing official from anyone yet. However, the word seems to be that Mel Tucker is one and done in Colorado. He's off to the much greener Spartan green pastures of Michigan State. I suppose they figure if he can recruit at Colorado, he will have it easier at MSU. It's sad but true. I'm not a part of the angry mob forming around Tucker's sudden departure. He couldn't turn down double the salary and double the resources. To quote Jack Barsch from the Ralphie Report , "I can't get mad at a man who gets that sweet of a deal. Any one of us would take a doubling of salary, plus everything else that makes his life easier." I'm not mad at Mel either, but this departure is a stark reminder of how tough it is to win at Colorado and keep winning at a place that has half the resources of most top flight programs. Some fans don't quite grasp the inequities of NCAA football and how uphill