SUMG
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GoMeanGreen.com
Posts posted by SUMG
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(Story written by the great Norman Chad; syndicated column carried by The Houston Chronicle):
What Doppler was to radar, Peyton Manning is to quarterbacking. In this sublime campaign of an already stellar career, here are Manning's record-setting numbers:
•Most touchdown passes in a season (49).
•Most audibles on first down in a season (117).
•Most words spoken at line of scrimmage while pointing (12,029).
•Most TV commercials concurrently airing (four).
•Most younger brothers winless in first season as NFL quarterback (one, tied with Josh McCown of Arizona).
As I watched the Colts' Manning throw his 48th and 49th touchdown passes to James Mungro and Brandon Stokley on Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, two things came to mind:
One, they were well-thrown balls.
Two, they were well-thrown in a climate-controlled, environmentally pristine setting.
Playing in the dome is like living in Biosphere 2 — you eliminate most of the outside-world deterrents and distractions. And, indeed, Manning plays most of his games indoors. I hate to diminish Manning's wonderful season, but this is an area of expertise I've built my life around.
Quite simply, everything is easier indoors.
Have you tried running a two-minute drill from a one-horse open sleigh? Trust me, you'd rather have Michael Strahan nipping at your heels than Jack Frost nipping at your nose. So before we ship Manning straight to Canton, Ohio, let's see him bundle up and play like his rough-and-tumble predecessors.
Sammy Baugh wasn't slinging it indoors. Otto Graham didn't go to 10 straight championship games indoors. Johnny Unitas didn't throw touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games indoors. Brett Favre hasn't started 204 straight games indoors.
(Relevant personal note: I was a pinball addict back in my heyday. In fact, the 1969 song by The Who, Pinball Wizard, was loosely based on me, I was Middle Atlantic Pinball Player of the Year in 1972, and Pinball Digest named me "Pinball Sportsman of the Year" — a national honor — in 1978. But if you took that pinball machine and stuck it outside in the dead of winter, I would've been as worthless as Ken Jennings at a tractor pull. Do you know how difficult it is to use flippers with gloves on? Or to judge pinball speed in the wind?)
(Final Timmy Chang note ever: In his collegiate swan song, the all-time NCAA passer completed 31 of 46 passes for 405 yards in Hawaii's 59-40 Hawaii Bowl victory over Alabama-Birmingham. It was bittersweet for Couch Slouch — I've hyped the faceless phenom for three long years, yet never have received as much as a thank you note. From here on in, he goes at it alone.)
Anyway, in the annals of time, the most impressive accomplishments always occur outdoors. Ponce de Leon stumbled upon the Fountain of Youth outdoors. Paul Revere made his fateful equine ride outdoors. Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree outdoors.
In addition to playing in "The Great Indoors," Manning has benefited from passer-friendly officiating. In effect, a defensive back can't touch a receiver these days without prior written consent of the National Football League or an extension of the Patriot Act.
Now, I don't want to pile on the league MVP here, but Manning also is one selfish sibling. How else do you explain him allowing Eli to forego a career in San Diego, which is like playing indoors with a gentle breeze, in order to go to East Rutherford, N.J., which is like playing in an air duct with a gentle stench?
Ask the Slouch
Q: First there were endless promos for the ESPN movie 3. Now, every other commercial break, we see Norman Chad doing a cameo for the upcoming ESPN poker drama Tilt. Is this what the all-sports network has come to — prime-time soap operas starring marginal talents? Where is a sports fan supposed to turn?
TOM KING
Flower Mound
A: Might I suggest Celebrity Blackjack on the Game Show Network.
Q: In my friend's bowling league, twice this season his team has had perfect games bowled against them. I suggested that, in practice, they stress defense. What do you think?
DAVE DOHERTY
Arlington, Va.
A: You are a hoot and a holler — and a buck and a quarter richer.
You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just e-mail asktheslouch@aol.com and, if your question is used, you win $1.25.
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UC will be really tough to beat on their home court.
One question any UC fans out there: Your mascot is the Mocs, right? I thought that was short for moccasins.....as in snakes. But, I notice on your website, you have a large bird mascot.
Is Moc short for some kind of bird?
GMGBTHOOUC
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What a meaningless win. I mean it's hard to not want to see your team win....but, by winning yesterday, we put ourselves at least two slots further down on draft day (as our record is now better than the Giants and Skins).
So, at one point, there was a thought the Cowboys would have two top ten draft choices. Now it's looking more like a 12 and a 20......or something like that.
I would have wanted us to win if Drew or Romo were qb-ing....because that could have helped their confidence and made them better QBs in the future.
As far as I'm concerned this is one of the most wasted seasons in Cowboy history. We now go into the offseason, not knowing if we need to draft a quarterback, try to sign someone like Drew Brees, Drew Bledsoe.....all because the stubborn coach had to prove us all wrong. By the way, is it just me, or is Tuna getting as "draw happy" as Dickey.
Also, I don't think our 2nd round pick Jacob Rogers got any playing time yesterday either.
And finally......wouldn't it have been nice to have seen a little more of Patrick Crayton yesterday? He had two nice catches on the winning drive....including the TD. He and Copper should be getting all the playing at the other WR position (the one other than Keyshawn). Quincy Morgan is a waste......we gave up Antonio Bryant for nothing.
I guarantee you, if Jerry Jones hadn't have already gotten his stadium deal.......there would be no talk anywhere about bringing Vinny back next year. But since he's been able to bilk Arlington out of millions, he and Tuna can take their good sweet time about putting a competitive team back out on the field.
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Anyone ever see the Seinfeld episode....which started out with everyone (except George) really being fond of one of Jerry's friends named Drake? "I Love The Drake!"......Jerry and Elaine both claimed. Well, at the end of the episode due to various circumstances.....the tunes had changed to where they were both now saying, "I Hate The Drake!."
Well, for me.....you can take the above scenario and substitute "Tuna" for "Drake."
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When Leonard Hopkins joined the North Texas men’s basketball team more than four years ago, he set out a simple goal.
Some how, some way, he wanted to be remembered long after he hit his last jump shot in The Super Pit.
“It has always been my goal to leave my mark on North Texas in any way I can, whether it be helping the team win more games, do well in conference or get into the NCAA Tournament,” Hopkins said.
The former Dallas Lincoln standout can ensure his legacy at 7 p.m. tonight when the Mean Green take on Southeast Missouri State in a home game.
Hopkins enters the game just 27 points short of reaching the 1,000-point mark, a milestone only 15 other players have attained in the history of UNT’s program, which first fielded a team in 1916.
“At any level you are playing at, it’s huge to have a chance to score 1,000 points,” UNT coach Johnny Jones said. “When you are playing at a Division I program, facing the quality of competition Leonard has faced, it’s a big accomplishment.”
Hopkins is ready to crash the barrier, despite a series of setbacks that have included a pair of season-ending injuries that have hampered his progress since high school. UNT’s starting shooting guard played just two full seasons in his first four years at UNT because of injuries and has filed an appeal with the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.
Hopkins’ full abilities have begun to show during his senior year when he has been at full strength.
He enters UNT’s game against Southeast ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 17.6 points per game. Hopkins has scored in double figures in every game this season and has reached the 20-point mark three times.
The surge is one he attributes to being healthy and in shape for one of the first times in his career.
“I feel like I am playing the best basketball of my career,” Hopkins said. “My body is where I want it to be. I am in the best shape I have been in. My weight is where I want it, and my hops are back.”
Hopkins’ determination has made an impression on teammates who saw him put in the necessary extra work outside of practice to recover from injuries that could have derailed his career. He missed his entire junior and senior years of basketball at Lincoln while recovering from a broken leg. The same injury forced him to take a redshirt year as a freshman at UNT in 2000-01.
Hopkins came back to play as a redshirt freshman, but participated in just nine games as a sophomore before a foot injury kept him out of the rest of the 2002-03 season. The same injury made it tough for him to prepare for the 2003-04 season.
“There were times when I felt like giving up,” Hopkins said. “I had a lot of injuries to deal with, but I kept my faith in God and worked hard.”
That work has paid off this season in which Hopkins has benefited from playing in the second of back-to-back full seasons for the first time in his collegiate career.
The way Hopkins worked to take advantage of that opportunity made an impression on his teammates and Jones.
“Leonard does not give up,” UNT junior center Justin Barnett said. “He had to sit out two years of high school and had to sit his first year here. He was out of basketball three or four years. For him to stick with it long enough to keep going, show everyone he could do it and excel is a huge statement about what kind of person he is.”
The success Hopkins has enjoyed this season has helped UNT get off to a 5-3 start that ranks as its best since the 1994-95 season. The performance is one the Mean Green hope to build on in today’s game against Southeast (3-5).
Former Fort Worth Paschal standout Dainmon Gonner is averaging 20.8 points a game to lead Southeast, which rallied from an 11-point deficit at halftime to beat UNT in Gape Girardeau, Mo., last season.
“Southeast is a very good team,” Jones said. “They run a lot of motion and have been very difficult to play in the past. We found that out firsthand last year.”
The challenge is one UNT feels better prepared to face with Hopkins at full strength.
“Leonard is playing the best he has in his career,” Jones said. “He is not only playing well on the offensive end, he has gotten considerably better defensively and his understanding of how to play is continuing to get better. That is because he has been on the floor and been able to worry about basketball instead of rehab.”
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(I'm glad that the Tuna and his staff aren't good enough to have a 2nd year pro or a 1st year pro, ready to play a game.....15 games into the season. My question is: If Tony and Drew aren't ready to play now (in two meaningless games), then Big Bill.....why the F were they ever the 2nd string QBs? I mean if neither one is ready to play now....what if the Cowboys had been doing well this season, and Vinny had gotten hurt? What would you have done then, Parcells?. Here's the story):
IRVING, Texas -- Bill Parcells still thinks Vinny Testaverde gives the Dallas Cowboys the best chance to win, so he's keeping the 41-year-old as his starting quarterback.
Parcells put off the decision until Wednesday, drawing speculation he was finally going to turn to one of his youngsters, either highly touted rookie Drew Henson or Tony Romo, who was promoted to second string last week.
But with Dallas (5-9) still having a slim chance of making the playoffs, Parcells is sticking with Testaverde for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins. While Testaverde will start, Parcells said Romo will get extra work in practice and may see some playing time.
"I'm of the mind-set that I might use Romo," Parcells said.
The Cowboys have been under .500 since the fifth game and every week Parcells has been asked why isn't he using Henson and Romo. He repeatedly said Testaverde was the better option for the upcoming game, adding that going with youth would be an indication to the rest of the team he was giving up on this season.
While Testaverde has thrown for plenty of yards, he's also thrown 19 interceptions, tied for the most in the NFL, and has the third-worst passer rating in the league. He has 12 interceptions and six touchdowns over the last seven games.
Testaverde has started 13 of 14 games and played the decisive second half of the other. The exception was Thanksgiving, four days after he was hurt against Baltimore. Although he hadn't practiced all week, Testaverde replaced Henson at halftime of a tie game and led Dallas to a victory.
Henson has thrown just 18 passes and Romo none this season, which would seem to make it harder for Parcells to evaluate whether either is capable of taking over next season. Wednesday's announcement is an indication that someone other than Henson or Romo will be the starter going into 2005 -- perhaps even Testaverde.
Parcells already has floated the idea of one or both young quarterbacks going to NFL Europe.
The Cowboys close the season with a road game against the New York Giants, then can prepare building for their future. They have two first-round draft picks and plenty of salary-cap room for free agents. Knowing their plans for quarterback would certainly help determine how they spend the rest of their assets.
Henson has been hailed as next in the Troy Aikman-Roger Staubach lineage because of his pedigree: a standout at Michigan who might've been the No. 1 overall pick after his junior or senior year had he not turned to baseball. After failing to stick with the New York Yankees, he returned to football late last year and the Cowboys won a bidding war to acquire him.
Romo made the Cowboys in training camp last season as an undrafted rookie from Division I-AA Eastern Illinois. He's spent his 30-game NFL career primarily carrying a clipboard -- he's been the No. 3 quarterback nearly every game, getting on the field only as a holder in a few games this season.
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Jalie......what kind of attendance are y'all getting for home games?
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I think Peyton is now one TD pass away from breaking Dan Marino's record.....right?
Anyway....a friend told me that Bryan Cox (former NFL LB) has a radio show, and that Cox says no way would Peyton have broken Marino's record this year.....if DBs were able to still play defense like they used to.
This is no knock on Peyton, btw. The man will break the record, and he has no control over the rules that are in place this season.
But I WILL SAY: Hopefully the people on the NFL Competition Committee will meet in the offseason, and make some changes. It is ridiculous now to watch games, and see any little thing called "Illegal Contact". (or whatever the hell they call it, when you tpuch a guy when he's five yards past the line of scrimmage).
The NFL was better in the 70s and earlier......when they allowed football players to play football. They've gotten overly protective of QBs in the last few decades......and now the new nonsense makes it such that you can't even hardly cover a guy, if you're a DB.
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By Brett Vito / Staff Writer
North Texas officials are seeking an additional year of eligibility for senior guard Leonard Hopkins, one of the top players in the recent history of Mean Green basketball.
The senior is in his fifth season with the team, but has missed the majority of two seasons because of injuries.
Hopkins played three games as a true freshman in the 2000-01 season before deciding to spend the rest of the year as a redshirt to recover from a broken leg that prevented him from playing his junior and senior seasons at Dallas Lincoln.
Hopkins later missed all but the first nine games of his sophomore season in 2002-03 with a foot injury.
UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said the school’s appeal to the NCAA will be based on the total amount of time Hopkins has missed due to injuries during his career. UNT officials do not expect the NCAA to rule on their appeal until after the end of the season.
"Leonard is a great kid and a great leader," Villarreal said. "Kids like Leonard are ones you want to fight for. We are finally seeing what a healthy Leonard Hopkins can play like. He is the type of athlete who would benefit from getting a chance to play a final season."
Hopkins was a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection this season after earning second-team all-conference honors last year. Hopkins averaged 14.0 points last year to lead the Mean Green and is in the midst of his best season at UNT.
Hopkins enters the Mean Green’s game against Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 17.6 points a game.
Hopkins is just seven hours short of earning his degree, but would welcome the chance to return for another season.
"It would be real nice to come back next year," Hopkins said. "What I am going to do is focus on this season and then see what happens."
UNT coach Johnny Jones said he will recruit under the assumption that Hopkins will not be granted an extra season of eligibility, although he is holding out hope his top player will return.
"I would love to see Leonard stay another year," Jones said. "This is the first time he has been healthy to start a season.
UNT has gotten off to a quick start behind Hopkins and enters its game against Southeast with a 5-3 record. A win would give UNT its best start since the Mean Green opened the 1980-81 season with a 6-3 record.
Hopkins enters UNT’s game against Southeast just 27 points short of becoming the 16th player in the history of UNT basketball to score 1,000 career points.
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.
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(Our women won again tonight, and are now 5-4. I am pleasantly surprised as I thought this would be a major rebuilding year, and that we would be lucky to win 7-10 games. Way to go, Mean Green!)
EDINBURG, Tex. (12/20/04) – Erika Bobo poured in a career-high 23 points to lead the North Texas women’s basketball team to a 57-50 win over UT-Pan American at the UTPA Fieldhouse. Bobo scored 14 second half points as the Mean Green lead wire-to wire and picked up its second road win of the season and improve to 5-4 on the year.
“Erika did a great job tonight of breaking their defense down and she was very big for us tonight,” said North Texas head coach Tina Slinker. “I felt like coming in that they (UTPA) wanted her to beat them if someone was and she certainly did tonight”.
North Texas opened the game with an early flurry jumping on top of the Lady Broncs 10-0 in the first five minutes of the game. UT-Pan American (4-7) responded with a 14-6 run over the next eight minutes to trim the Mean Green’s lead to just two points at 16-14.
North Texas went into the break with a three point lead at 23-20 when Bobo came out and exploded in the second half. Bobo scored the Mean Green’s first seven points in the second half as North Texas extended its lead to 30-24 with 17:14 remaining.
UT-Pan American got as close as three points at 43-40 with 4:57 left in the game until guard Natalie Mireles, who tied a career-high with 10 points, iced the game with a 3-pointer two minutes later.
Mireles took a feed from a driving Bobo and hit her second 3-pointer of the game with only 2:13 remaining to give the Mean Green a 55-46 lead.
North Texas closed the game from the free throw line as the Mean Green took 38 shots from the free throw line to only 14 for the Lady Broncs.
“This was a nice win for us because this is a tough place to play but I know that we are going to have to play much against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi”.
North Texas continues its two-game road swing on Wednesday December 22 at Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisit.
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PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs and Super Bowl with torn ligaments in his right ankle.
Owens needs surgery and stands only an outside chance of being able to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 if the Eagles make it that far, head trainer Rick Burkholder said.
Note from SUMG: I don't like to see anyone get injured.....but I do love the fact that this puts a big ole monkey wrench in those Philly Eagle Super Bowl plans.
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I wonder if Adrian is going to play basketball this season. Last year, I think he sat out so that he concentrate on football and be involved in Spring (actually at UNT late winter) football drills.
With Barnett out for 5-7 more weeks, we could certainly use the bulk inside. Even when JB comes back, I think AA could give us some valuable minutes each game.
Any thoughts?
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Rick Majerus, who agreed to coach USC in basketball, starting with the 2005-2006 season......has already resigned.
He will remain as an analyst with ESPN.
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Evansville Indiana is close to where I live.
They have a very solid basketball program and were recently the last team to wear short sleeve jerrseys, not the tank tops.
I sat on the front row of therir gym about ten years ago and watched NorthTexas give them all they wanted. Evansville beat UNT on a last second shot as I recall.
I think Evansville is in the Missouri Valley Conference. Is that correct?
I do know that the Evansville basketball program has faced tragedy in the last 20 years or so. I believe it was in the 1980s.....when their team plane crashed, killing all their players and coaches.
They are currently a good program, as their record is 6-1, I believe.
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Oh.....one more thing....we do have another OOC game. We play UT--Permian Basin on February 14.
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I would say the toughest of the bunch would be Chatanooga....because we have to play them on their home court.
When we play either Tennessee-Martin or Birm--Southern in the 2nd round of Chatanooga's tourney, that game would be on a neutral court.
With those tough teams, I figure that we'll split in the tournament......but, you never know, the way this team can play....8-3 is definitely possible.
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Final UNT 95 Southern 73
We're now 5-3.
Southern lost to our conference mate UALR by only 7.......
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We're up 44-25 at the half.
Leading scorers: Jones--11
Hopkins---10
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We must have fallen apart at the end of this game:
Final: UT 79 UNT 54....even though we were only down by 7 with 10:40 left and only down by 11 with 4 minutes left in the game.
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Our UNT women's team was ahead of 4th-ranked UT 34-31 at half-time.
Now in the 2nd half, UT has pulled ahead 45-38.
Anyway, so far our gals are giving them a heckuva game.
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114 Texas A&M LOL even hader
I think A $ M is 7-0.
But I looked at their schedule....they have played absolute nobodies. (Maybe the toughest team they've played so far---ULM).
And they don't play their first road game until January 2.
So, they're 7-0, but it's a weakass 7-0.
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I drove by the Pit this morning and the flashing billboard said that there was a double header tonight.
"Women: UNT vs. Hampton; Men: UNT vs. Southern"
That's embarassing. Hopefully, someone will have that corrected before UT gets to the colesium. Also, it might help attendance if women's b-ball fans actually saw that we were playing UT on the sign; not Hampton.
I see UT beating our women by about 30. (Would be thrilled if we gave them a game, but UT is just so good).
I think the men's game will be close, but we will prevail (by less than 10).
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So we know that the great all-knowing Tuna won't play Drew Henson or Tony Romo next week, against Philly.
So then, after Philly puts the final nail into the playoff hopes coffin....will the genius let a backup QB play the last two games?
And if he does....will they have enough time (two games) to show what they have?
No.
Parcells blew this season when he put Testaverde in the 2nd half of the game on Turkey Day.
At that point, he could have given either Drew or Tony 6 weeks to show what they had.
But no, we got Vinny.....who was pathetic today. You gonna tell me that the other guys couldn't have been at least that good?
Parcells may be a great coach. But he sure isn't planning well for the Cowboys future. I guess they go into next year with VT as their QB. Of course, then he'll be 42 (but have the body of a 32 year old).
Yeah right.
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UNT alum and actor Thomas Hayden Church (he played Lowell, the mechanic on the sitcom "Wings" is getting a lot of accolades for his role in the movie, "Sideways"---I've heard it's a great flick, btw.
After reading this about one of UNT's own, I wonder if he might have a good shot at an Oscar nomination:
LOS ANGELES - "Sideways," a quirky comedy about two friends on a road trip through California's wine country, was picked as 2004's best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the group announced Saturday.
The movie won four other awards: best director for Alexander Payne; best supporting actor for Thomas Haden Church; best supporting actress for Virginia Madsen; and best screenplay, which was written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor.
Next UNT home game 1/20/05
in Mean Green Basketball
Posted
Well.....you could go watch the Mean Green women play. They're 5-5, and have 4 home games between now and Jan. 15 (including one on Thursday against UTA).