Jake Fine - Inside the Mind of Fine

Sanchez Departure = Pissed Off Pete

Every year as soon as a national champ is crowned in college football we are almost instantaneously bombarded with the news of underclassmen expressing their intent to either return to school for another year or take their game to the next level by declaring for the draft.  Since the news is made mid-January, most of us take the word with a grain of salt, not thinking much of it, or at least not until March when the draft is really anyone talks about.  For me personally, I found Mark Sanchez’s press conference Thursday was quite interesting, but the best part had nothing to do with his future plans.

Usually with the press conferences the head coach will sit down and say the same generic message.  Either, “We enjoyed our time here and winning games with him…,” to something like, “I am excited to get him for another year.”  Although with Pete Carroll, that wasn’t the case as he was did not shy away from voicing his displeasure with the final decision Sanchez came to, “Mark is going against the grain, and he knows that.”  The most telling moment was after speaking with the press for several moments, Carroll barely acknowledging Sanchez at all providing only a pat on his shoulder as he headed towards the exit.  Carroll reportedly cut his Hawaii trip short so he could be at the press conference, but reportedly spent a lengthy period of time meeting with Sanchez late Wednesday, possibly doing all in his power to change his mind.

If you consider the options, Sanchez is making the right call, especially after Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy of Texas both chose to stay at school, leaving Georgia’s Matthew Stafford as the lone early challenge for Sanchez in the battle for first quarterback’s to be taken in the first round.  The potential big bucks could be there for the red shirt junior who tossed for over 3,200 yards and 34 TD’s, which is the second most in school history, despite it being his first full year as a starter.

When you think of USC you can’t help but think of the constant overstock of talent on the sidelines, even of the guys who never actually see the field.  So why make the big deal of one guys decides to go after money?  Carroll’s reaction could tell you everything you need to know concerning the Trojans’ QB situation for ’09.  It is almost funny to even consider especially how strong it was perceived once the highly touted recruit Mitch Mustain transferred from Arkansas to SC, but in the spring ball, the one time Mr. Football from the Razorback state failed to win the number 2 QB spot as Mustain got beaten out by a Freshman.

Now Carroll realizes what he has isn’t good enough and may already see his chance for a title next season already slipping away.  It’s not a question of weather or not USC will have talent, because anyone who knows anything about football will tell you they do, but with the big names they have already lost on defense like Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, and potentially even Taylor Mays, you will need to have steady play from the quarterback position in order to head to the title game.  What all this says to me is that once again the Trojans are bound for the Rose Bowl- again.  What would be a superb season by nearly anyone else’s standards has been reduced to a mere slap in the face for USC.  Which is why it is so infuriating for Carroll to watch his best QB desert him for the next level.  Until next time, keep your mind on the fine side.

No More Popcorn For You

Recent events have shown me that my brain has appeared to be on hibernation for the past…..well, let’s just call it a significant and unnecessary period of time. Regardless I’m relieved and overjoyed to be back here to provide yet another bridge into the world going on inside my head. Before I go any further I believe it is essential to give props to the Mind Of Fine’s number one fan, none other than Lars $ (HEY LARS!) normally I would go on and say some nice things about you but looking at the current Missouri Valley hoops standings has lead my undying envy to do otherwise, but still thanks Lars.

As we find ourselves in the home stretch of the NFL playoffs this past weekend was another great weekend games, especially watching the Ravens top Tennessee 13-10 this past Saturday. I have always enjoyed watching Baltimore perform in the clutch games with superior defensive strength since winning Super Bowl XXXV. In addition I consider myself a fan of linebacker, Bart Scott. Not only is he too a former Saluki, I greatly appreciated having Scott come on Sunrise Sports as a guest, as he graciously talked to me for nearly a half hour, and since then I have had no problem rooting for him on the field.

Yesterday I found an old issue of Sports Illustrated back from the middle of November. As I was flipping through the pages I came across some quotes from Titans’ running back LenDale White calling out ma’ boy Scott. Not only did White accuse Scott of having, “popcorn muscles,” but also went on to say, “He talks for no reason. It’s one thing to talk when you win, but when you talk when you lose, it doesn’t make sense.”

I’m not the one to do the ha-ha thing but I can engulf upon the complete irony. In White’s defense, Scott has arguably done his share of talking sense he broke through into the starting line-up three seasons ago. Although on the other hand, talking is the ONLY thing White has done since coming into the league.

What drives off the wall is how these two players have come from two completely different paths. White was one of the high performers at USC, and always thought he was a first round talent (if you ask him about that today he would still probably bitch about it). After being snagged up with a pick in the second round, LenDale gripped his way into Nashville while doing everything from spitting on teammates to refuse to walk away from the doughnuts (and it shows), he has caused disturbance everywhere he goes. You can even argue that the only reason his attitude wasn’t paid more attention than it actually was had to do with the fact that White happened to share a locker room with Pacman. While with Scott, he did not come into the league with nearly any hype and had to fight just to have a spot on the roster. Now that he has put together a streak of success is it really any surprise that Scott is still playing and White is at home continuing to shove more food down his throat. But until next time, keep your mind on the fine side.

Best Case Scenario

I was simply going to wait until tomorrow to express my thoughts on the joyous turn of events that allowed our beloved Chicago Bulls to not only cheat death but they walk away Wednesday night with the top pick in next month’s draft.  It simply bottles the mind (please excuse the lame Blades of Glory reference) just to imagine how less than two weeks ago it would have been simple to settle with someone like a Kevin Love with the 9^th overall pick, and hope to fight for the final playoff spot in the Eastern conference, which would give you a top-20 finish in the league if you’re lucky.  But now everything changes.

This will mark the first time the Bulls will pick first in the draft since 1999 when they snagged former Duke product, Elton Brand.  If they had to return to the top spot this isn’t a bad year to get it as GM John Paxson has two very promising freshman prospects to look at in Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and Memphis guard Derrek Rose.  If the pick was made based around all-around hype then Beasley (26.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.6 blg) would be the consensus choice especially after watching him dominate the Big 12 conference last season.  In fact all season I have been guilty of dreaming about the slim possibility of watching Beasley play in a Bulls uniform.  Although now that the opportunity is right there in front of me I have to admit that it is an option that has to be passed on.

When you look at how the NBA has evolved over the past few years there is one position that links to immediate success, point guard.  It’s evident looking at the impacts had by the Nets after acquiring Jason Kidd, the Suns after signing Steve Nash, and the Hornets getting Chris Paul.  If there is strength at that position it can make everyone around him better.  I mean seriously, have we ever mentioned anything ever about Tyson Chandler’s productivity on offense?  I didn’t think so.  Though you will have to factor in some time for growth but I truly feel Derrek Rose can take his hometown team to the next level.  Though he doesn’t have the greatest jump-shot it was clear to witness the impact he had on a Memphis team and could have lead them to a title, had it not been for a few missed free-throws.  Regardless of who the Bulls plan to take it is obvious that Paxson will have do his homework the next few weeks to ensure that the best decision is made with the team in mind.

Also what the prescience of a top-pick, it could make everything else go towards the Bulls’ favor this off-season.  Even though the team is still without a coach, this makes the job more attractive with the possibility to work with a player like Rose or Beasley and that could stick out to an Avery Johnson or Mark Jackson.  And it becomes more enticing for other possible free agents.  Who knows maybe this news could force Luol Deng to think twice about leaving.  Bottom line, all of a sudden the Chicago Bulls have once again entered the garden of relevance, and signs could be looking up.  But until next time, keep your mind on the fine side.