Bobcat Basketball Bits- Ball State

Today's loss inspired me to breakdown the ins and outs of this game. Of course, you can read my take on the whole MAC every week on VanDelay Sports but here is a more focused look at a game the Bobcats let slip away...

- Another eight-point halftime lead blown. This is the third time in MAC play alone the Bobcats have blown a lead of that point total. First at Miami, then at Bowling Green, and now today. Ohio's offense was looking strong in the first half, with good ball movement and aggressive play. That was lost somewhere in the locker room at half. The offense became stagnant, there was no penetration and shots were no longer falling. Give credit to Ball State...the Cardinals are a good defensive team. However, 19 points in the second half is not going to do the job.

- The Bobcats' 2-3 Zone looked effective throughout much of the first half. However, Brawley Chisholm got open for a few threes and Terrence Watson just tore up the Ohio D, with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Credit to KVK for good defense on Jarrod Jones through much of the game. Unfortunately, Jones stepped up in OT and hit the game-winner with seconds left.

- Ohio's last possession of the game= absolute abomination. I like John Groce but someone has to be held accountable for this. Tommy Freeman got the defensive rebound after Jauwan Scaife inexcusably missed a very easy layup with 27 seconds left. In 27 seconds, Freeman passed to Cooper and no one else touched the ball. There was no timeout called, which is not necessarily a big problem. But Groce was talking to Cooper as the clock ticked down under 10 and then Cooper just chucked up a three-point shot from 30 feet out. Talk about a low percentage shot at the end of regulation in a tie game. Why not penetrate to the lane or move the ball? The Bobcats have had a lot of bad final minute possessions during the Groce era, i.e. Bowling Green and Buffalo at the Convo last year.

- Then overtime...first off, I thought the officials in this game were terrible. They missed a pretty obvious foul on Armon Bassett's missed three-pointer with 50 seconds left in regulation. Then with 23 seconds left in OT, Asown Sayles looked to have been fouled on a layup try but no call again.

- Finally, the moment that probably cost the Bobcats this game. Up 66-65 with 13 seconds left, Ohio was called for a five-second violation on the inbound. John Groce was allegedly signaling for a timeout but did not get it. Ball State got the ball back and Jones made the game-winner. This is just poor execution. You have to be able to get the ball in or call a timeout. If Ohio gets it in, it shoots free throws and can make it a two or three-point game. Instead, Ball State won on the possession it got from the Bobcats' turnover.

- Ohio's next game is at Toledo, which should be cake but this is another demoralizing, close loss. The Bobcats have played a ton of close games at the Convo in the past two years and it seems like they're losing more than they're winning. Remember when Ohio rarely lost games at the Convo? So far in '09-'10, they're 1-3 at home in MAC play. They have now dug a pretty big hole, with a 2-5 MAC record.

Perspective in Green and White

It has been a week now since the Jets lost the AFC Championship game. It took a few days but I’m starting to gain some rational perspective on the loss.

With a 17-6 lead, I couldn’t help but imagine the Jets in Miami, in Super Bowl XLIV. It was a good feeling.

Then, with two throws, Peyton Manning made me feel a whole lot less comfortable. Then Jay Feely missed another field goal, Shonn Greene left the game with an injury and my hope slipped away.

There were some sheer exhilarating moments: Sanchez’s 80-yard bomb to Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith’s completion to Jerricho Cotchery and the Jets’ fumble recovery in Colts territory.

Those moments gave me a jolt of excitement that makes me love sports.

Then like cops crashing a high school party, reality entered the building. The fun was over.

Post-loss it was disappointing, no doubt. You don’t get to the final four every year. It hurt to watch the highlights, to see that the Jets had a chance to beat the regular season’s best but just did not have enough. It was not the most heart-breaking loss; in my heart of hearts, I never truly expected the Jets to go to Indy and beat one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. But it was still hard to watch those final minutes tick off the clock. In fact, I just left the TV with the Colts leading 27-17 and time waning. The result was inevitable.

A few days later, though, I can step back and put this loss in perspective. Because not only did I not think the 2009 Jets would be a game away from the Super Bowl; I spent a lot of the season thinking they wouldn’t even make the playoffs.

When, after a 3-1 start, the defense fell apart on MNF in Miami, I thought this was the Same Old Jets. When they fell to 4-6 in a “pseudo-playoff” game, I thought the playoffs would be impossible. When they lost to Buffalo and Miami at home in complete unit collapses, I thought this team was toast. Then when they lost to Atlanta Week 15 and were 7-7, I thought the rollercoaster ride was finally over for good. Even Rex Ryan thought so too.

But somehow these Jets got some luck, took care of business and reached the playoffs. And once they got there, it came full circle. In the two playoff wins, the defense looked like that of the first three weeks of the season. The run game was strong and Mark Sanchez was showing moxie.

Yes, it all came to a halt one game away from what I wanted so badly as a fan. But looking back, I got a whole lot more Jets football than I usually do. And as many ups and downs as this season had, I cannot think of a more memorable one.

Coach Ryan proved his defense is for real. Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington both suffered season ending injuries that the Jets overcame. They played with five defensive linemen for much of the campaign. Shonn Greene emerged as a cog of the future.

And finally, most importantly, Mark Sanchez looked like a potential future franchise quarterback. There were games in 2009 that the Jets lost at the hands of Sanchez. There were none of those in the do-or-die games of 2010. We learned a lot about these Jets in this fairytale run; the most promising bit…the future looks brighter than it has in a while for this franchise.

Harkening Back

In fifth grade, I learned long division, about the American Revolution and read The Hobbit.

Some of the important facets of the day consisted of being useful on the soccer field at recess, perfecting my skills on the computer game Javanoid and learning not to puff my cheeks while playing my trombone.

Yes, it was a simpler time.

But that year, 10-year-old me made a very important decision…

My fifth grade science teacher was Ms. Von Vange. In her class, we did a bunch of experiments. We learned about batteries and light bulbs and other scientific stuff.

Ms. Von Vange also ran the Environmental Club, for which I went to some meetings. And that year, she taught me to Go Green, environmentally…and football-wise.

Ms. Von Vange was a big Jets fan. Green-and-white adorned her room and she made pretty well known her love for the Jets. At the time, I was a fledgling student, still impressionable. I had been a 49ers fan but my favorite player Steve Young’s career was winding down and it was a transitional period.

In 1998, I was not yet a fully entrenched Jets fan. It was just the beginning. It was Young’s last season and the end of my 49ers love. Along with Young, I rooted for Keyshawn Johnson, Vinny Testaverde, Wayne Chrebet and Curtis Martin (defense was not my forte yet at this age). The Jets had a bye, handled Jacksonville and reached the AFC Championship game.

The hype was big time that week leading up to the game. There was a Wear Green Day at school. You couldn’t help but get swept up in this hysteria. That week in fourth grade started it all.

Then the game happened and the Jets lost. At the time, I didn’t realize the significance of this. I didn’t realize how fleeting these moments could be as a sports fan. At ten years old, I didn’t truly appreciate it.

11 years later, the Jets are back at this same stage. It’s the week before the AFC Championship Game. Instead of worrying about playing Pele on the dusty school soccer field, I’m trying to finish reading bunches of pages detailing media law cases. Instead of putting together batteries, I’m preparing oral presentations in Español.

Junior year of college is just a little bit more complicated than fifth grade at Huntington Intermediate. And I’d like to think I’ve become a bit more sophisticated in this time span. Sophisticated enough to realize the meaning of this Sunday.

11 years later, I know these moments do not come around often as a Jets fan. I’ve felt the heartbreak of thinking Chad Pennington was Joe Montana and seeing it fall apart in the Black Hole. I’ve felt the agony of Doug Brien missing two field goals in Pittsburgh to prevent a berth in the final four.

Some things are still the same. I’m still wearing green and white this week. I randomly get excited thinking about Sunday at 3 PM. The Jets once again have to beat one of the greatest quarterbacks of our generation to reach the Super Bowl. But now I’ll be watching the game in Ohio, not New York. My jerseys say Sanchez and Cotchery on the back, not Testaverde and Johnson. There’s no doubt about my fan allegiance this time.

This week, I’m harkening back to where it all began. To those innocent days, when I was not quite as tall, when my vocabulary was much less full.

It all began then. You might think it’s weird to say that this was a transformational decision. But in the past 11 years, I’ve watched almost every Jet game. That’s three hours every Sunday for 16 Sundays a season (not counting possible playoff contests). So using those times tables I was still perfecting back in fifth grade, it comes out to about 528 hours. That’s a pretty good amount of time devoted to one hobby.

So, yes, I still remember the fifth grade Science battery experiment. But sometimes teachers can help shape us in ways that fall outside of the box. Ms. Von Vange helped shape an opinion that has produced so many memories and conversations with friends over the years. Some of the most important things we discover in school are not hidden in flowery sentences inside a thick textbook. The year after that AFC Championship, I remember taking that full leap, officially becoming a Jets fan in fifth grade and for that I say, thanks Ms. Von Vange and go Jets!

Maybe, just maybe...

Today’s game was the one the Jets always lose.

But today a strange thing happened; they actually won it.

The Jets had not won two straight playoff games since 1982. This is a franchise that never gets on a roll in the playoffs. When they have a high one week, it always comes crashing back down the next. It was the Same Old Jets, year in and year out.

Today, the Jets took the SOJ mantra and crippled it. For once, they exorcised all of the playoff demons of the past. Usually it is the green and white missing multiple field goals, playing conservatively, choking away these important games.

Today? Nate Kaeding: 0-3, Jay Feely: 1-1. Norv Turner choosing an onside kick, instead of pinning the Jets back. The Jets going for the win on 4th and 1…and getting it.

It is an odd journey being a Jets fan. It is very easy to be pessimistic; very. It’s why I was not comfortable until the clock ticked under a minute and San Diego had no way to stop it.

But over the past five or six weeks, everything has gone right for the Jets. It’s the Jets’ Summer of George; the opposite of everything that fans have come to expect. It's a bit surreal.

The Jets got all they help they needed to get into the playoffs. Curtis Painter was sent down to make Week 17 mean something. Then the Jets crushed the Bengals first in a game that did not mean much to Cincy. And then came back it did again the next week in the playoffs. They beat the Chargers when it seemed completely improbable.

Right now, it all feels really good. But there’s still that worry that Jay Feely will turn into Doug Brien. Rex Ryan will become Eric Mangini. That these Jets that are playing with the moxie they did the first three weeks will become the team that couldn’t beat Buffalo or Atlanta at home. That it will all come crashing down. But right now, another week of watching it all unfold sounds pretty fun.

A few more thoughts from today's game:

- Kerry Rhodes finally looked like the player Rex Ryan wanted him to be in this defense. Getting to the quarterback, forcing a fumble and then leaping to catch that onside kick. For all the grief he has gotten, he showed up today.

- Rookies. Three rookies are playing integral roles in the Jets' success. Shonn Greene ran through that Chargers D and the Jets' run offense looks even better with him in right now than Thomas Jones. Greene just will not go down. Mark Sanchez only threw for 100 yards. But he was only picked once and his scramble then TD throw to Dustin Keller was clutch. Finally, Rex Ryan, rookie head coach, has transformed the mentality of this franchise and brought an unbelievable defense.

- Defense. Unbelievable. This defense is for real. Shutdown LaDainian Tomlinson. Jackson and Gates had good games but did not do enough. They were all over Rivers in the second half, flustering him and forcing mistakes.

- Does any coach do less with more talent than Norv Turner has done with the Chargers?

- Funny that it now all comes back to Colts vs. Jets, as the Colts' pulling of their starters gave the Jets life. Ever since Peyton Manning came out of that game, the Jets have looked stellar.

LT: Super Charger, Super Dancer?

I was watching NFL Live today and on came this video. After watching, I was just...speechless.



Is this funny or just ridiculous? I don't even know. Let's just hope he doesn't "electric glide" through the Jets D. Okay, DJ Revis?

But seriously? Somewhere Jim McMahon and the '85 Bears are having a good laugh...



Or we're still just laughing at them.

Garrett Gilbert, the Rose Bowl and video game mulligans

You’re playing Madden, you start the game and your starting quarterback gets hurt right away. You think ‘this is lame,’ turn off the Playstation and start a new game.

Well, Thursday night, Texas did not have that luxury my gaming system offers.

Colt McCoy gets hurt on the first series. Out comes Garrett Gilbert. Who’s that? 18 years old. True freshman. 100,000 plus fans in the national championship at the Rose Bowl.

Welcome to meaningful college football snaps.

A day later, I have finally wrapped my finger around how crazy this really was.

It wasn’t just a Madden exhibition game you were playing because you had a little time to kill. This was the Super Bowl of your franchise. The game you’ve spent countless hours trying to reach. You can’t quit. You have no choice but to go on…or risk losing your stellar but unsaved season.

So, that’s what Texas had to do: find a way to go on. Not only did they do that. They almost won the game.

For all the grief I have given the Longhorns for their less-than-stellar performance against Nebraska and my disenchantment with the little guys not getting a fair evaluation, the guys in burnt orange gave Alabama a real fight.

They were down 24-6. It looked over. Then it was 24-13 and 24-21. You couldn’t help but root for the Longhorns. With every pass Gilbert hung up in the Pasadena air, I hoped his receiver would somehow come down with it. You didn’t want this kid to fail in the biggest moment of his young life, that he never even saw coming until McCoy’s shoulder went numb.

As I watched the game with a bunch of freshmen in college, I thought wow, this guy is the same age as them and right now, he is at the Rose Bowl, instantly thrown into the spotlight, playing the sport’s most analyzed position for a national championship.

We are in a college dorm room.

Imagine being in his shoes. The 18-year-old that sat on the sideline all season. He’s the kid at the high school dance standing at the back of the gym sipping punch and watching everyone else dance. Then for the last dance, the prettiest girl takes his hand and pulls him on the dance floor. Don’t mess up, man. Everyone is watching.

Well, everyone was watching Garrett Gilbert play quarterback. And it wasn’t too long ago he was probably at a high school dance or Prom.

Yes, Gilbert surely had his ups and downs in a game that may have been different if McCoy was at the helm. And yes, Alabama won the game and the national championship. But I will always remember this game for the story of Gilbert. For this true freshman being thrust into enormity, struggling in the first half but not giving up and almost leading his team to a classic comeback.

That’s why you don’t turn the Playstation off; the epic comeback with the backup quarterback always makes a better story to tell your friends.