outKoached...

for one day, Ted roof was not the worst coach for a high-profile Duke athletic teams.

some highlights from our basketball team tonight

- young players who haven't developed
- an offense that runs away from its most effective weapon in the 2nd half
- an defense that can't adjust to a change in strategy from the other team
- poor decision making at key positions
- horrible unforced turnovers
- your best offensive weapon form the first half sits for most of the second.

I could write a book about this. But if coach K wasn't famous with 25 years of success, everyone would be calling for his head.

Jim Harbaugh... classless

Kind of ironic it happens during Superbowl week. But the former Bears and Colts QB has realy made his mark as Stanford's new head football coach. Already with a good recruiting class in tow, Stanford rescinded an offer to Eddie Morgan, a fast Texas DB. Not that much interesting there, though academic schools tend not to yank schollies the way teams Mack Brown coaches do.

However, when terminating the scholarship, their method is a bit unusually. THEY DID IT VIA EMAIL. Yes, the same way Harriet dumped Matt Albie on Studio 60. Via Email. I know Palo Alto is in the middle of Silicon Valley, but a little class here would have gone a long way. I hope any football player thinking of going to Leland Stanford Junior College thinks about this.

Duking it out on campus

Get your bets in now people. Duke is going to a bowl in 2008. Don't believe me. Ask head coach Ted Roof. Or Duke President Dick Brodhead. Or Duke Athletic Director Joe Alleva. Apparently, the pieces are in place to get to a bowl in TWO year.

Quite impressive and ballsy for a team that hasn't beaten a division I opponent in two and a half years.

This weekend was the 1st Annual Duke University Football summit. A rah-rah meeting attended by former football alums and some other friends of Duke athletics.

So quick summary-- noone is accountable for anything for another year. We are going to "stay the course." Gee, I wish I could get a job where I didn't have to deliver any results for 4 years before being held accountable. Boy, I'm glad to be an alum.

If this enrages you and you want to complain, go here

today's news

A few very good things online today..


- From Jonathan Kaplan: Interesting post about the stock options activity at Apple with backdated stock options. What I didn't know, though, was that Al Gore served on the board of directors and didn't say a word. Kinda suprising and it will definitely kill any chances Al has of getting elected President. Interesting since I think that he is the most electable Democratic BY FAR in the next election.

I also posted a reply on why legal backdating of stock options is not necessarily a bad thing due to the inherent assymetry of interests between shareholders and optionholders.

- From Bill Simmons Lots of good stuff today from the huge demise of Dante Hall (Are you listen Devin Hester) to the why Chris Collinsworth is the best announcer in the business. however, the best part was his arguments of why all football teams should have a Assistant coach of strategy.

Which leads me to wonder: I've already made the argument for coaches hiring a clock-management consultant (Andy Reid clearly needs one) and a VP of common sense (to talk them into things like, "Definitely try to punch it in on fourth-and-goal, otherwise you're giving up either an extra four points or 30 yards of field position and you're showing no confidence in your offense" and "Maybe we shouldn't call that quick pass to Terry Glenn on our own 1-yard line and just run the ball three times; we have the lead, for God's sake"). Well, why wouldn't they also have some slacker college student who has played 250,000 hours of "Madden" the past three years and faced every conceivable football situation on hand to throw out advice like, "Dude, let them score here; we can get the ball back down eight?" With those three advisers flanking him on the sideline, even Bruce Coslet would have been unstoppable.

Other than being my dream job, it just makes good sense. What other company do you have a key executive making decisions with little to no analysis nor training in the area of risk? None. You need a specialist game theorist to make specific recommendations to the coach during a game. Especially in the NFL with no limit on coaches or coaching salaries. Kinda surprised little Danny Snyder doesn't do this. I know Mark Cuban would if he owned an NFL team.

High comedy in the NFL

There is comedy, there is high comedy and then there is Nick Saban. Check out this link for the most mind numbing press conference ever. At this season ending press conference when asked about whether or not he would return next year as a dolphins coach.

If he won't answer that question, what will he answer?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIoqLcP1X1s