Pats’ O’Brien agrees to become PSU coach (AP)
Pats’ O’Brien agrees to become PSU coach (AP)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)—New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has agreed to become Penn State’s first new head football coach in nearly a half-century. Two people in the NFL with knowledge of the search told The Associated Press on Friday that O’Brien has told them he plans to replace fired coach Joe Paterno. Another person told the AP terms and details still needed to be set, that nothing was official and there was no signed contract. The persons spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the search. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, first reported Thursday night an official announcement would be made Saturday, and that O’Brien would remain with the Patriots as an assistant through the postseason. Two people have told the AP the report was credible. Division I’s winningest coach with 409 victories, Paterno was fired Nov. 9 by university trustees following 46 seasons in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. O’Brien has no apparent ties to Penn State and a proud program tarnished by a scandal that also led to the departure of school President Graham Spanier. Penn State coaches had not received any word on O’Brien or anything else related to the two-month long search as of Friday morning. A Patriots spokesman declined comment Thursday night. Messages left Friday for Penn State spokesmen were not immediately returned. Penn State athletics spokesman Jeff Nelson on Thursday night cited department policy to not comment on reports to “protect the integrity of the search.” O’Brien interviewed on Thursday, his agent said. Joe Linta told The Associated Press, earlier Thursday, that O’Brien was “flattered by the interest.” This was O’Brien’s first year coordinating the Patriots’ high-scoring offense, but he has also coached star quarterback Tom Brady since 2009 and spent 2008 coaching receivers. O’Brien recently was in the spotlight when he and Brady got into a heated argument, shown on national television, after Brady threw an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 34-27 win over the Washington Redskins on Dec. 11. “He’s been a great coach and friend. We have a great relationship; probably a very unique relationship in that we communicate all the time,” Brady said Sunday about O’Brien. “I always enjoy working with him and he’s done an incredible job with this team and this offense.” The Patriots are off this week, and will host a divisional round playoff game next weekend. They went 13-3 this season, won the AFC East championship going away, and secured the conference’s No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs. New England closed the regular season on an eight-game winning streak, and scored 513 points, the most in the AFC. Brady threw for 5,235 yards and 39 touchdowns, while being picked off just 12 times. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Brady said when asked if he would miss O’Brien’s coaching. “I hope he’s here for a long time and I told him that, too.” But the selection of a coach without Penn State ties may not sit well with several prominent former players or some alumni. Former standout linebackers LaVar Arrington and Brandon Short had organized a petition in support of interim coach Tom Bradley’s candidacy. Short said the petition only included about 100 names after he was informed by a member of Penn State’s search committee it was enough to sway their opinions. He said he planned to meet with Acting Athletic Director David Joyner on Friday in a meeting scheduled before reports began to surface about O’Brien. He would consider cutting ties with his alma mater if the O’Brien reports were true, and he said some former players—operating independently of the official Football Letterman Club for football alumni—might consider a lawsuit that would prevent the school from using their likenesses or images in the future. Now an investment banker in New York, Short played seven seasons with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. He called Bradley the best candidate for the job. “There are thousands of other players who will tell you the same thing. The administration is under the belief that if they hire an NFL coach, or someone flashy, that they will fill seats,” Short said in phone interview Thursday. “As an NFL player I can tell you that there is a big difference between developing young men and recruiting, then the combine and free agency. It’s two different universes.” D.J. Dozier, a running back on the 1986 title team, said Thursday the search committee should poll current and former players and high school coaches in the region. He planned to sign the petition if more signatures were taken. “Give that person and that staff a chance. I believe the current staff has done a good job,” Dozier said. “Unless there’s politics involved, give them a chance.” Some alumni also lobbied for Bradley, a 33-year veteran of the Penn State staff and defensive coordinator since 2000. Prominent donor Anthony Lubrano, a Penn State graduate, questioned the school’s hiring process. “Bill O’Brien might well be a fine football coach and more importantly an even finer human being,” Lubrano wrote in an email. “But by excluding the football (lettermen) from the search process, this administration has effectively communicated to them that their contributions to the Penn State family don’t matter.” O’Brien joined New England in 2007 following 14 seasons on the college level, including stops at Duke, Maryland and Georgia Tech. He played football at Brown—Paterno’s alma mater. The Patriots are third in the NFL overall in scoring (32.1 points per game), and second in total offense (428 yards) and passing (317.8 yards). Penn State finished a 9-4 campaign with a 30-14 loss in the TicketCity Bowl to Houston on Jan. 2. The Nittany Lions relied on defense much of the year after the offense struggled with a two-quarterback system. Penn State officials had termed the search “methodical and deliberate.” Joyner said earlier Thursday he would like to have Paterno’s replacement in place by Jan. 13, the start of 16-day recruiting window before high school seniors can begin to announce their official intentions to attend college on Feb. 1. Bradley, who took over for Paterno on an interim basis, was among the candidates interviewed. He was on the road recruiting Thursday.
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Kansas hires Weis as coach (AP)
Kansas hires Weis as coach (AP)
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)—Charlie Weis’ first try at being a college head coach ended in disaster, the longtime NFL assistant unable to live up to the lofty expectations at Notre Dame. He’ll get another chance at a program with much more modest aspirations. Weis accepted an offer to coach Kansas on Thursday, and will set about rebuilding a program that won the Orange Bowl just a few years ago but floundered under Turner Gill. Weis will be introduced during a news conference Friday. The longtime NFL assistant is wrapping up his first season as offensive coordinator at Florida after spending one season directing the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. But his most extensive college experience came with the Fighting Irish, where he went 35-27 in five seasons. The 55-year-old Weis helped the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls on the staff of Bill Belichick, and also spent time with the New York Jets and New York Giants. “There aren’t many opportunities you get to be a head coach,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “I know Charlie, the last one didn’t end the way he wanted it to. He’s an outstanding football coach. He’s a family man, and I’m extremely happy for him and his wife and Hannah and Charlie Jr.” Kansas Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger is hopeful that Weis’ high profile will energize a fan base that had grown apathetic under Gill, who was fired after going 5-19 in just two seasons. School officials would not disclose the terms of Weis’ contract. Gill signed a five-year deal that guaranteed him $10 million, which means the school is on the hook for roughly $6 million after firing him. Weis was making about $800,000 per year with the Gators. It was little secret that Weis wasn’t fond of Kansas City during his time with the Chiefs, and he moved on to the Gators in part so that he could be near his son, who is also on the football staff. He bought a horse farm in nearby Ocala, and has several health issues that include possibly needing hip surgery after the season that could make it difficult to jump right into recruiting. Still, the opportunity to rebuild the Jayhawks appears to be enough of a challenge. “In the recent days, he was contacted about the job and we talked about it and he told me it was an opportunity he wanted to take, and I support him 1,000 percent,” Muschamp said. “Any time, and our profession is no different than the business world, when you’re able to take a step up, I support it. “I asked him, I said, `Is this something you’re really interested in doing?’ He said, `Yeah, I want to talk to `em. If I wasn’t interested, I would not talk,”’ Muschamp said. “So I said, `I support you 100 percent if that’s what you want to do. I think that’s great.’ Now, when guys make parallel moves, I don’t necessarily agree with that. When guys can further their career, I think it’s great.” Weis was considered one of the bright stars of coaching when he took over at Notre Dame, his alma mater. The Bill Parcells disciple had a successful debut and was rewarded with a 10-year extension, but when the program didn’t progress, he was fired with six years remaining. He initially received a “termination payment” of about $6.6 million, but was to receive smaller annual payments through 2015. Zenger rarely spoke publicly about the job search, preferring to keep his cards close to the vest. It was rumored that he was interested in longtime friend Mike Leach, who decided to return to coaching at Washington State, along with coaches like Kevin Sumlin at Houston and Larry Fedora at Southern Miss. Established assistants like Gus Malzahn also were rumored to be in the running. In the end, Zenger’s first major hire since arriving at Kansas turns out to be someone whose stock has suffered since his difficult tenure in South Bend, where he put together some of the nation’s top recruiting classes but failed to turn them into national championship contenders. Of course, expectations will be much lower at Kansas. The Jayhawks beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl in 2007, but for the most part the program has had a bleak history. Mark Mangino was considered extremely successful despite going just 49-48 during seven seasons in charge, and he left Kansas in shambles. Gill struggled mightily, going 3-9 in his first season and 2-10 this past season. Weis will have some talented players to build around, particularly on offense, where a young stable of running backs showed promise. But his offenses have also been built around the quarterback, and sophomore Jordan Webb struggled with consistency much of the season. It’s unclear whether Weis will attempt to get Dayne Crist to come to Kansas. The quarterback was recruited to Notre Dame by Weis, but fell out of favor with his successor, Brian Kelly. Crist has already announced he’s leaving Notre Dame, and because he is graduating, he’ll be eligible to play right away. He has one year of eligibility left. Weis was in charge of some of the top offenses in the NFL during his time with the Patriots, and he helped lead the Chiefs to a surprising AFC West title last season, his only one in Kansas City. He was hired at Florida by Muschamp, whose forte is defense, with the hope that he could take some of the pressure off the first-year head coach. But the Gators finished eighth in the league in offense, averaging 334.2 yards per game, and were stifled by the SEC’s best defenses. The Gators lost 38-10 to Alabama, 41-11 to LSU and 17-6 to Auburn in consecutive weeks on their way to a 6-6 finish. Florida accepted a bid to play Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, though Weis will not remain with the team through the Jan. 2 game. “Charlie did a good job,” Muschamp said late Thursday. “It’s a great compliment to our staff. We’ve had numerous schools contact me about prospective coaches on our staff, and for him to have the opportunity to be a head coach again, I know he’s really excited about it.” ——— AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.
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NFL Playoff Wagering Consensus
NFL Playoff Wagering Consensus
NFL Conference Round Consensus Betting Banner -Online Sports Bettingat Bodog Sportsbook NFL Football Game Picks Bears at Eagles Spread Pick Ravens at Steelers Spread Pick NY Giants at New England ATS Pick Tampa Bay at New Orleans ATS Pick NFL Betting Recap – Week 8 San Diego at Kansas City Betting Pick Dallas at Philadelphia ATS Pick Cleveland at San Francisco ATS Pick New England at Pittsburgh Odds NFL Betting Recap – Week 7 Baltimore at Jacksonville ATS Pick Indianapolis at New Orleans ATS Pick Kansas City at Oakland ATS Pick Houston at Tennessee ATS Pick Buffalo at NY Giants ATS Pick New Orleans at Tampa Bay ATS Pick Chicago at Detroit ATS Pick Green Bay at Atlanta ATS Pick Oakland at Houston ATS Pick Bettors Toolbox 2011 NFL Betting Trends 2011 Strength Of Schedule Free Office Football Picks NFL Handicapper’s Database Weather Forecasts NFL Future Odds AFC East Odds AFC West Odds AFC South Odds AFC North Odds NFC West Odds NFC East Odds NFC South Odds NFC North Odds Super Bowl Odds Rookie of the Year Odds Top Defensive Rookie Most Passing Yards Most Rushing Yards Most Receiving Yards NFL Handicapping Halftime Betting Tips Strategy for Wagering NFL Totals Sandwhich Game Handicapping Theory 8 Myths about Betting on Football NFL Key Numbers Halftime Betting Preseason Betting Football Gambling – How to Win Overlooked Handicapping Tools NFL Betting Basics
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Bart Scott: Redskins/Ravens rivalry was based on strippers
Bart Scott: Redskins/Ravens rivalry was based on strippers
Oh, Bart Scott(notes). Please don’t ever stop talking. When you open your mouth, magical things happen. The latest little miracle to come from Bart was on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN New York. Scott was comparing the Jets/Giants rivalry to the Ravens/Redskins rivalry, and implied that the intensity of a geographic NFL rivalry is contingent on the number of local strippers. Via Sports Radio Interviews: Do you sense a rivalry between the Jets and Giants? “Not at all. Like I said when I was in Baltimore I could remember with the Redskins you had guys fighting over strippers and all kind of stuff. I don’t sense that here. I think it is a mutual respect. I think the town is big enough for both of us.” And bless Michael Kay’s heart, there was a follow up. Bart, you gotta help me out. You guys fought for strippers? What does that mean? “When you are in a small place like Baltimore and the temperature is relatively cold — hey, you compete over the same chicks. That’s a football player’s favorite spot. Especially young football players. It was always a rivalry. Guys fight about ‘Hey that is my girlfriend and that’s my girlfriend’, but here? Five million people, maybe more. There is plenty for everybody.” Oh, what I wouldn’t have given to hear some of that trash talk. Bart Scott, back in his Ravens days, wrapping up Clinton Portis(notes) for a loss, then having a long-overdue talk about the affections of Sparkle. Scott: Take that, Portis, And SPARKLE IS MINE, YOU STAY AWAY.Portis: Oh, shut up, Bart, I saw you in the champagne room with Coco the other night. Sparkle’s my baby.Scott: Sparkle loves ME. I bought that girl two cars and paid her tuition at Maryland. KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF HER.Portis: But I paid her tuition at JMU.Scott: Hm. My baby Sparkle sure does love school.Portis: She’s so smart. She’ll be a great doctor one day.Scott: She told me she’s majoring in Economics.Portis: So much ambition.Scott: Yeah, my baby studying econ AND medicine.Portis: She ain’t your baby.Scott: SHE LOVES ME. Me and Sparkle gonna get married and have babies and name them SPARKLE BART or BART SPARKLE. CAN’T WAIT.Portis: Coco says she’s pregnant with your baby. Bart’s in New York now, though, where there are enough strippers that no one has to share. If Bart Scott and Jake Ballard(notes) each want their own Destiny, they can have them. This is the path towards peace in the NFL. Related: Bart Scott, Jake Ballard
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Game 5 start Wilson’s Texas swan song? (AP)
Game 5 start Wilson’s Texas swan song? (AP)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—St. Louis’ Allen Craig(notes) had no chance of getting another pinch-hit RBI off Texas reliever Alexi Ogando(notes) in Game 3 of the World Series. Craig pulled off that feat to win Game 1, then did it again for the first run in Game 2. His success earned him a spot in the starting lineup Saturday night. He was batting second and playing right field, with Lance Berkman(notes) moving to designated hitter. Craig is the first player to have two pinch hits in a single World Series. For them to come in his first two World Series at-bats, and both to be so crucial, is pretty incredible. For them to come off the same pitcher, and on virtually the same pitch in the same spot is “kind of weird,” Craig said. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. It also was the byproduct of a lot of hard work. As a rookie in 2010, Craig went 1 for 7 with three strikeouts as a pinch hitter. He didn’t exactly embrace the role for all the obvious reasons—coming off the bench means you’re not starting, and the odds are stacked against a guy coming in cold with only one chance to make something happen. But Craig took a different approach this season. He accepted that it was his way of making a difference when he didn’t start. He talked to coaches Mark McGwire and Mike Aldrete about the best mindset for those chances, and the results showed. He went 7 for 22 with only a single strikeout. His .318 as a pinch hitter was even a smidge better than his .315 average in all other at-bats. “I try to take it for what it’s worth—a brief chance to impact the game,” Craig said. “Most of the time, you’re not going to be successful because it’s that hard to do. I just try not to put too much pressure on myself and trust my ability and keep it simple. Don’t try to hit the ball too hard or anything like that. Just see it, hit it and hope they can’t catch it.” So is it fair to say that he no longer considers it a pain? “It’s grown on me a little bit,” Craig said, smiling. GUNNING FOR 80: Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was so excited about taking the mound for the ceremonial first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series that he tweeted about it before heading out to Rangers Ballpark. He wrote: “Fired up for tonight. Already warmin up in my backyard. Radar gun gonna read mid 80s. Let’s do this. Go rangers.” Nowitzki threw out a first pitch this summer, soon after leading the Mavs to their first NBA championship. As the MVP of the finals, he received a huge ovation and lots of laughs for walking out carrying a basketball. He did his trademark step-back jumper with the big ball, then threw the pitch so high that Michael Young had to jump to catch it. Young was to be behind the plate again. Nowitzki was in the stands for Game 6 of the AL championship series, wearing his Rangers jersey with his name and basketball number, 41. Between him being a fan, and the championship connection, it only made sense for him to have this honor—except, apparently, to some MLB officials. Nowitzki initially was told he couldn’t do it, supposedly because of something to do with the NBA lockout. Once word of that spread, and was roundly panned, baseball officials gave the green light. Meanwhile, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa went to dinner Friday night with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “I asked him about what we do to get an edge in this series, and he said, `Hand the ball to Dirk,”’ La Russa said. “And I said, `I can’t do that.’ He said, `This is Dallas, I can’t be telling the Cardinals how to beat the Rangers.”’ GRIDLOCK: The Rangers and their NFL neighbors, the Cowboys, are doing all they can to spread the word to people with tickets on Sunday—leave early. Like, now. The Cowboys kick off at 3:15 p.m. Sunday against, of all teams, the St. Louis Rams at their stadium, just a few blocks from the Rangers’ ballpark. The Rangers and Cardinals begin Game 4 of their series at 7:05 p.m. Because of the proximity of the venues, each team uses the others’ parking lots. They can’t this time, and there will be the traffic nightmare of roughly 80,000 football fans leaving around the time 50,000 baseball fans will be arriving. “We encourage everyone to be patient and arrive early,” the Cowboys wrote in a news release issued Friday. To try unclogging things, the Cowboys are opening their parking lots at 10 a.m. The Rangers are opening their lots at 2 p.m. FLIP IT, FLIP IT GOOD: Sluggers Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Lance Berkman of the Cardinals will be down the street a few hours before Game 4 on Sunday taking part in the pregame coin toss for the game between their cities’ NFL teams. Hamilton will represent the Cowboys, and Berkman the Rams when the referee makes the flip. Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m. The Rangers are scheduled to take batting practice at 4:15 p.m., and the Cardinals at 5:15 p.m. GAME 4 STARTERS: Texas left-hander Derek Holland was a joke in his World Series debut last year. He walked all three batters he faced in Game 2, only to see them all score after he left. Seriously, Holland himself says he jokes about how things went “because if you let it eat you up, it’s going to hurt you more.” He also proudly notes that he bounced back with a scoreless inning in his only other outing, the final inning of a loss in Game 4. On Sunday night, he’ll get a chance for a better World Series memory when he starts Game 3 against St. Louis and right-hander Edwin Jackson. “To be honest, now that I’m getting to start, I have a lot more that I want,” Holland said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove after what happened last year, but it’s obviously not going to take me out of my game or what I have to do for this next start.” Jackson’s World Series history is similarly underwhelming. In 2008, he pitched two innings in relief for Tampa Bay in a Game 4 loss to the Phillies. “I’m definitely going to take advantage of it and do my best and leave it on the field,” Jackson said. Both starters are 1-0 this postseason, and both their teams are 3-0 when they start. They haven’t exactly been innings-eaters, though. Jackson has gone from six innings to 4 1-3 to two innings. His ERA is 5.84 and opponents are hitting .314. Holland has gone 2 2-3 and 4 2-3 in his last two starts. Jackson started once against Texas this season and lost, giving up four runs on 11 hits over 5 1-3 innings while pitching for the White Sox. MISSING MITCH: A year ago, rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland was a surprise standout for the Texas Rangers in the postseason as the went to their first World Series. Going into Game 3 of this year’s World Series, Moreland was hitting only .105 (2 for 19) in the playoffs and hadn’t yet played against the St. Louis Cardinals. And the left-hander wasn’t in the lineup against a right-handed pitcher Saturday night. “It’s obvious he hasn’t had a very good playoffs compared to last year,” manager Ron Washington said Saturday. “We certainly haven’t given up on Mitch.” Moreland didn’t make his major league debut until late July 2010 after Justin Smoak was traded for Cliff Lee. But Moreland played 15 of 16 playoff games last year (starting 13 at first base) and a team-best .348. He was 6 of 13 in the World Series, including a homer in Game 3 at Rangers Ballpark, and was the only Texas player with a hit in every World Series game. In 134 games this season, his first full season in the majors, he hit .259 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs. “He’s progressed a heck of a lot,” Washington said. “He handled himself well when things didn’t go as well. That’s growth. We’ve still got a lot of confidence in Mitch.”
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