Popovich deserves praise as one of best coaches in NBA history

On Dec. 10, 1996, regular unleaded gasoline across the United States cost an average of $1.25 per gallon, the top album on the charts was the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” and the Dot-com bubble was still over three years from bursting.

In NBA circles, the day will be forever known as the start of a modern dynasty.

Dec. 10, 1996, saw Gregg Popovich, then-General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs, fire head coach Bob Hill and name himself Spurs head coach following the team’s 3-15 start.

Even with Popovich at the helm, the Spurs turnaround did not happen overnight. Centerpiece David Robinson was among a number of Spurs battling injuries during the 1996-97 season and the team won only 17 games after Popovich took over, finishing 20-62.

Capitalizing on their poor season, the Spurs secured the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery and used it to draft Wake Forest University’s Tim Duncan. Popovich and Duncan have since become one of the most successful coach-player pairings in NBA history.

An era of nearly unmatched success began in Popovich’s first full season as coach and Duncan’s first season as the team’s centerpiece. Robinson returned to good health and Duncan secured Rookie of the Year honors during a 1997-98 season which saw the Spurs win 56 games, a 36-win improvement from the previous season, and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Popovich won his first title as Spurs head coach after the Lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. The Spurs were a league-best 37-13 and steamrolled their way to an NBA Championship, going 15-2 in the postseason on their way to the title. Tim Duncan was the MVP of the NBA Finals.

With Robinson aging, the team began stocking up on younger players to build a new nucleus around Duncan. The team drafted 21-year-old Manu Ginobili in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft, and Ginobili played in Italy for a couple more years before joining the Spurs in 2002. The Spurs also took Tony Parker in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft.

From 1999-2002, the Spurs remained competitive but could played second-fiddle during a period which saw a Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant three-peat under head coach Phil Jackson.

Prior to the 2002-2003 campaign, Robinson announced his plan to retire following the season. With Duncan and Robinson down low and Ginobili and Parker in the backcourt, the Spurs went a league-best 60-22 during the regular season. Duncan was the MVP of both the regular season and the NBA Finals, and Robinson walked away on top at age 37. Popovich also won the first of his two Coach of the Year awards.

Even without Robinson, the Spurs continued rolling. The team captured titles during the 2004-05 and 2006-07 seasons. In the 2005 series, Duncan captured his third Finals MVP award while Parker earned the honor during the 2007 series.

The Spurs have made the playoffs in all 16 of Popovich’s full seasons as head coach. Duncan has been at the heart of the Spurs’ success during the Popovich era, and at age 37, is still the heart and soul of the San Antonio franchise.

Popovich is the longest tenured coach in the league with his current team, at nearly 17 years.

Just to provide context, the second-longest tenured NBA coach is the Boston Celtics’ Doc Rivers who has been with his team for nine years. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia (hired in 1999) and Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz (1997) are the only other coaches in major North American sports leagues with tenure dating back to before the turn of the 21st century.

Entering this year’s postseason, Popovich’s regular season winning percentage was .681, trailing only Jackson’s mark of .704 and the .698 mark of Billy Cunningham who coached the Philadelphia 76ers squad led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone during the 1970s and 1980s.

Popovich trails only Jackson and Pat Riley for most postseason victories as an NBA head coach, and is Top 10 among NBA coaches all-time in postseason winning percentage.

With all this in mind, it should come as no surprise Popovich’s Spurs are one of four squads left with a shot to win the 2013 NBA Championship.

Popovich has never had the widespread popularity of Jackson who flourished in large Chicago and Los Angeles markets. In very much the same way, Duncan has never been viewed by the casual fan as a star in the same light as Bryant, O’Neal or from Jackson’s Chicago days, Michael Jordan.

Still, after nearly 20 years of superior coaching, Popovich has undeniably earned his spot among the greatest NBA coaches ever.

Five Burning Conference Finals Questions

Can the Spurs keep up their three-point efficiency?

Against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that struggles at times to generate points, the Spurs ability to cash-in from three has been a huge edge. The Spurs were a blistering 14 of 29 (48.3 percent) from long-range in their 105-83 Game 1 victory. In Game 2, the Spurs began the night with abysmal shooting, but ultimately shot 9 of 25 (36 percent) from three-point range. The Spurs are shooting 42.5 percent from downtown in the series, compared to 37.2 percent for the entire playoffs and 37.6 percent during the regular season. If the Spurs can keep this up, they’ll be a tough out for the Grizzlies or whoever ultimately advances out of the East.

Can the Grizzlies find a way to spread the floor on offense?

During the regular season, the Grizzlies lived off the drives of Mike Conley, Jr. and the low-post play of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Thusfar against the Spurs, a lack of respect for the Grizzlies’ ability to knockdown outside shots has allowed the Spurs to clog the paint and made life difficult for Gasol and Randolph. The duo has gone just 18-54 (33 percent) from the field in the first two games of the series. Grizzlies’ coach Lionel Hollins saw a better performance from his team after substituting Jerryd Bayless and Quincy Pondexter for Tayshaun Prince and Tony Allen in Game 2. Look for Hollins to stick with this lineup if it works early in Game 3.

Will the Heat find a way to contain Roy Hibbert and David West?

Coming into the series, the Indiana Pacers knew the presence of Hibbert and West on the interior should provide them an edge over the smaller Miami Heat. After West and Hibbert exploded for 45 points on 57 percent from the field in Game 1, the Heat may need to reevaluate their interior defense. Early foul problems for Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh did not help the Heat’s cause defensively, but Shane Battier looked like a rag doll at times trying to guard West. All things considered, the Heat were lucky to win Game 1, and lucky to escape only -5 on the boards. But whether it’s better ball-pressure on the perimeter, better denials in the low-post or a completely new scheme, the Heat cannot consistently get torched inside like they did in Game 1.

Where was Roy Hibbert?

When LeBron James drove basically uncontested for the game-winning layup as time expired in overtime of Game 1, Hibbert was nowhere to be found. Pacers coach Frank Vogel had benched Hibbert the previous possession and James had driven for a layup to give the Heat a 101-99 lead. After Paul George made three free throws to give the Pacers a 102-101 edge with just over two seconds remaining, Vogel elected to leave Hibbert on the bench. The logic behind the move was likely that Vogel didn’t want to get burned with Hibbert unable to close out on a shooter. Needless to say, I’d imagine Vogel has learned his lesson. If he’s eligible to play, Hibbert likely won’t be on the bench for any crucial defensive sequences the rest of the series.

Are the Heat’s shooting struggles just a poor stretch or a more significant problem?

The Heat went 5-18 from long-range in Game 1 against the Pacers and needed overtime to win at home. The Heat shot 7-24 from three-point land in the first game of the Conference Semifinals when they fell to the Chicago Bulls. After shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range in the regular season, the Heat have gone cold in the playoffs, at just over 33 percent. With a 9-1 record in the postseason, the team has been able to survive its outside shooting woes thusfar, but poor shooting is surely a disturbing trend to coach Erik Spoelstra.

If they continue, the Heat’s three-point struggles will eventually allow opponents to contract their defenses and make life even more difficult for James and Dwyane Wade. Expect a concentrated effort by the Heat to knock down a few long-range shots early in Game 2 to build some momentum and spread the Pacers’ defense.

Del Negro out too soon as Clippers coach

Three years ago, the Los Angeles Clippers were those Clippers. Their entire existence had been a lackluster haze of mediocrity. Since moving to San Diego in 1978 (and subsequently to L.A. in 1984) the Clippers had made a total of four playoff appearances.

Just as a point of comparison, L.A.’s other team, the Los Angeles Lakers have won ten championships since 1979. In that span, the Lakers have missed the playoffs only twice.

So Vinny Del Negro took over three years ago for a Clippers team with little going for it. The 2009-10 season had seen the Clippers start 21-28 before head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. was fired. Interim coach Kim Hughes had gone 8-25 after replacing Dunleavy, and the team finished the season 29-53, actually a 10-win improvement from the previous season’s total.

Del Negro had been fired by the Chicago Bulls after two .500 regular seasons which culminated in first-round playoff exits. He came to a Clippers team with no tradition of winning and little expectation of becoming a viable contender at any point in the near future.

The Clippers No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009, Blake Griffin, had missed the entire 2009-2010 season with a left knee injury. He returned in Del Negro’s first season with the team and made his way to the All-Star game (the first rookie to do so since Yao Ming in 2003) and ultimately to the Rookie of The Year Award. Griffin became known for his high-flying slam dunks and won the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest his rookie season. The Clippers finished the year just 32-50, but had provided fans with excitement and hope for the future.

That excitement continued to mount during the offseason before the 2010-11 season when the Clippers, with some help from league officials, were able to bring stud point guard Chris Paul to L.A. to complement Griffin. Overnight, a long-time laughingstock had a newfound air of legitimacy. Griffin and high-flying teammate DeAndre Jordan coined the moniker “Lob City,” and with Paul at the point, would become one of the more explosive duos in the league around the rim.

With Paul and Griffin as focal points during the 2011-2012 campaign, Del Negro led the Clippers to the playoffs. The team defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in a thrilling seven-game playoff series before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. The Clippers 40-26 record during the Lockout-shortened season was the their first winning mark since the 2005-06 season.

With the Lakers floundering during much of the 2012-13 season, L.A. was, more than ever before, a Clippers town. The team posted a 56-26 mark, a franchise record for victories in a season, and claimed the fourth seed in the West. In the playoffs, the Clippers won their first two games against the Memphis Grizzlies before falling in four straight to be eliminated from the postseason.

As is often the case when teams fail to meet expectations for postseason success, discontent emerged. Griffin and Jordan were upset Del Negro and Paul opted to slow down the Clippers high-flying offense as the playoffs rolled around. Paul, an elder statesman, was said to have worked his teammates too hard in practice. With a dominant personality like Paul, it was said Del Negro didn’t make the right moves to keep everyone on his team happy, in other words, winning moves.

Some sense of resolution was handed down on Tuesday. The Clippers will not extend Del Negro, whose contract expired after the 2012-13 season. The man who presided over a 24-win improvement during his three-year tenure and brought a historically awful Clippers squad to consecutive playoff appearances is out.

If this move was an olive branch to Paul, a free agent who must decide whether to return to the Clippers or take his talents elsewhere this offseason, fair enough. If Del Negro was a scapegoat for structural issues with the Clippers’ roster, that’s fine. If Del Negro was truly as poor a coach as consensus seems to believe he is, maybe this is the right move.

But when a man presides over the rebuilding of an organization and leads them to previously unseen levels of success, its hard for me to say he was the problem.

Heat, Pacers square off in 2012 Conference Semifinals rematch

Down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, facing an abdominal injury to Chris Bosh and mounting questions about their team’s ability to ever win a championship, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade rallied the Miami Heat to three straight victories, including Game 4 and the clinching Game 6 on the road, to claim the series 4-2 and set up a Conference Finals showdown with the Boston Celtics.

A year later, the Pacers and Heat are set to meet in the Conference Finals in a best-of-7 series to determine the Eastern Conference’s representative in the 2013 NBA Finals. Along with the Knicks who they eliminated in six in the Conference Semifinals, the Pacers were one of two teams with a winning record against Miami this season, taking the regular season series 2-1. All three games were won by the home team.

The first regular season meeting came Jan. 8, when the Pacers held the Heat to a season-low 77 points en route to an 87-77 victory. The Pacers won the rebounding battle 55-36 and capitalized on a strong third quarter to take the lead for good. Pacers David West, Paul George and Roy Hibbert each had double-digit rebounds.

The second meeting Feb. 1 was a higher-scoring affair, but the result was the same, a Pacers victory by the score of 102-89. Against a Heat defense which allowed opponents to shoot an average of 44 percent from the field during the regular season, the Pacers made 39 of 70 shots, shooting nearly 56 percent. Indiana once again had the rebounding edge, winning the battle of the boards 34-25.

The third meeting came in the midst of the Miami’s 27-game winning streak, and on its home floor the Heat rolled to a 105-91 victory. The Heat shot nearly 56 percent from the field against an Indiana team that led the league in field goal percentage defense. Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 41 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by <em>only</em> five, 33-28.

The Heat’s “Big Three” of Bosh, Wade and James have averaged 61 points per game against the Pacers in the teams’ three meetings this year. The bench for the Heat has averaged just less than 16 points per game against the Pacers this season, a number that will have to improve in the Conference Finals.

The Pacers get offensive production from a number of players. George was the high man during the regular season at 19.1 points per game, but West, Hibbert and George Hill also averaged double-figures, with Lance Stephenson just missing the mark at 9.8 points per game.

The Heat forced their opponents into the sixth-most turnovers per game during the regular season in the league. This could spell trouble for a Pacers team which committed the ninth-most turnovers per game during the regular season. With James and Wade, the Heat are as adept as any team in the league at converting loose-ball turnovers into points at the other end of the court.

If the series is decided on the boards, the definitive edge goes to Indiana. The Pacers led the league in rebounds per game during the regular season and were third in offensive rebounds per game, which allowed them to wreak havoc with second-chance opportunities. For the Heat, who lack a true center and often play smaller lineups, rebounding was an issue. Miami had the third-fewest offensive rebounds per game and was dead last in total rebounds.

It will be imperative that James and Wade assist Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Chris Andersen and Shane Battier in securing rebounds on the defensive end. For the Pacers, it will be crucial that George, Stephenson and Hill are secure with the ball and minimize Heat opportunities to attack on the fast break.

This is the third playoff meeting in the history of the two franchises. Miami claimed last year’s meeting 4-2 while Indiana won the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup by the same margin.

The series tips Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in Miami. Game 1 will be televised on TNT.

Spurs, Grizzlies clash for Western Conference supremacy

The day is April 29, 2011. The eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies have just knocked off the No. 1-seed San Antonio Spurs 99-91 to claim their first-round series 4-2 and advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. For just the second time since the NBA expanded its first-round playoff series to best-of-7, the top seed had been bounced in the first round.

Memphis will go on to push the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games before falling in a thrilling Western Conference Semifinal. During the following offseason, many will look back on the team’s captivating postseason run and wonder whether it was a fluke or a precursor of things to come.

For the Spurs, built around a gracefully aging nucleus of Manu Ginobili and future Hall-of-Famers Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, now comes a barrage of offseason questions about whether their “window had closed” for a chance at a championship. Duncan had just turned 35, Ginobili was a couple months from 34 and Parker was just shy of 29.

Now, a little over two years later, the two teams will meet for the chance to represent the Western Conference in the 2013 NBA Finals. The Grizzlies toppled the L.A. Clippers in six before taking out the Russell Westbrook-less Thunder in five to earn their place in the Conference Finals. The Spurs swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round before holding off the upstart Golden State Warriors in six in the second round.

Needless to say, rumors of the Spurs impending demise were vastly overblown. Meanwhile, building around point guard Mike Conley, Jr. and low-post talents Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies have shown their stunning emergence two years ago was no fluke.

All four of the teams’ matchups  during the 2013 regular season were captured by the home team.  Aside from a 21-point thrashing issued by the Spurs on Jan. 16, the teams’ contests were each decided by four points or less, including two games which went into overtime.

The teams met just once after Memphis unloaded forward Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors in late January. The Grizzlies prevailed in that contest by virtue of a Conley layup with .6 seconds remaining.

Parker averaged just over 25 PPG against the Grizzlies this season, dropping 30 points twice. Meanwhile, Conley averaged 18 PPG against the Spurs, more than three points above his season average.

On the glass, the teams were evenly matched. Twice, the teams had an equal number of rebounds. On Dec. 1, 2012 the Grizzlies outrebounded the Spurs 52-48, while the Spurs won the rebounding battle 33-32 during their 21-point victory Jan. 16. The Grizzlies wreaked havoc on the offensive boards, tallying nearly 11 rebounds per game to less than 8 per game for the Spurs.

From beyond the 3-point arc, the Spurs held the edge in these teams’ regular season meetings. The Spurs were 34-95 from long range, good for nearly 36 percent. In less than half as many attempts, the Grizzlies went 10-43, a mark of 23 percent which they will likely have to improve to reach the NBA Finals.

The Spurs have won four championships in the “Tim Duncan Era,” three of which have come with Ginobili and Parker on the team, titles won in 2003, 2005 and most recently 2007. This season marks the eighth time in Duncan’s illustrious 16-year career that the Spurs have reached at least the Conference Finals. In their 17 previous seasons, six of which came in Vancouver, the Grizzlies had never before reached the Conference Finals.

Knicks feel burden of Stoudemire’s contract

The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 106-99 Saturday to win the teams’ Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup 4-2. As is the case in many Knicks games, one of the most important men on the Knicks’ roster was almost invisible.

None of it would have happened if the Knicks hadn’t waived former point guard Chauncey Billups using the NBA’s Amnesty clause in December of 2011. With the move, the Knicks saved themselves $14.2 million against the cap and Billups, who came to the Knicks in a trade alongside Carmelo Anthony, ended up with the L.A. Clippers. The move provided the cap space to sign Tyson Chandler, who would earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011 and has become one of the faces of the Knicks’ turnaround in recent years.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows each franchise to amnesty just one player. For the Knicks, this player was Billups.
The use of the Amnesty clause to waive Billups was a significant step in the rebuilding of the Knicks franchise, but it was not without a price.

The legacy of this move, aside from helping the Knicks land Chandler is that the Knicks are stuck with Amar’e Stoudemire.

Stoudemire will make over $21 million next season as the highest paid player on the Knicks roster. The following season, he will be the Knicks’ second-highest paid player behind Anthony, but will rake in over $23 million, once again well over a quarter of the Knicks total team salary.

There was a time when Stoudemire was worth it. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2003, is a six-time All-Star and was first-team All-NBA in 2007. Along with Steve Nash, Stoudemire was one of the faces of a Phoenix Suns team which was among the best in the Western Conference during the first decade of the 21st century.

He opted out of his contract in Phoenix and was signed-and-traded to the Knicks during the summer of 2010, exciting a dilapidated fan base with his proclamation that “The Knicks are back!” The early returns were good on Stoudemire in New York; he was an All-Star in his first season and led the Knicks to the NBA Playoffs.

Since Anthony was acquired in February of 2011, he and Stoudemire have at times struggled to play together. This hasn’t been a major issue, largely because Stoudemire hasn’t been healthy enough to share much court time with Anthony.

After playing 78 games in his first season with the Knicks, Stoudemire played just 47 in his second season and averaged fewer points per game than in any season since his rookie year, aside from the 2005-2006 campaign when injuries limited him to just three games. This season, still battling knee issues, Stoudemire played in just 29 games and did not make a single start.

Looking back, it’s hard to fault Knicks management for signing Stoudemire. His signing revitalized the franchise in 2010. He had played at a high level for 82 games in his final year in Phoenix. In many ways, the Knicks had to sign him and to do so, they had to pay some serious money.

Still, three years and two very bad knees later, the Knicks are looking at $45 million over the next two years to a truly old 30-year-old forward.

After securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference this season, many Knicks fans were flying high with dreams of what could be. Without the ability to amnesty, if the Knicks are going to be flying high anytime soon, they’ll have to do so while dragging Amar’e Stoudemire’s dead weight.

Bulls future looks bright despite playoff burnout

Don’t believe the pundits. The sky is not falling, Chicago.

It’s true that without three of their top players, the Chicago Bulls realistically had little hope of toppling the star-studded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With emotional and physical leader Joakim Noah playing at less than 100 percent and the team sporting a backcourt composed of backups and journeymen, the Bulls faced a daunting and ultimately insurmountable challenge. Despite head coach Tom Thibodeau’s conviction that his team “had to do enough to win,” the Bulls quite frankly did not have enough to win this series.

All that said, the future of the Bulls looks bright.

Initially, the elephant in the room during the Bulls’ playoff run, 2010-2011 MVP Derrick Rose’s recovery from a torn ACL, will be resolved with continued training and rehabilitation during the offseason. Doubts about whether Rose should have played this postseason will ultimately be left behind. Whether the Bulls are “Rose’s team” or “Noah’s team” matters much more to fans than to those inside the Bulls locker room. Those denouncing Rose as “soft” will be cheering once he returns to the floor as a centerpiece for one of the East’s top squads next season.

Injuries are unpredictable. Rose should be back to full strength next season. It’s fair to assume spinal tap symptoms will not sideline Luol Deng next season during the playoffs. With Rose, Deng and Kirk Hinrich in the rotation, the lack of backcourt depth the Bulls experienced during their playoff run becomes a wealth of quality depth.

Thrust into significant roles, both Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson likely earned larger contracts with their play this postseason. Both are free agents. It would be in the Bulls best interest to re-sign Belinelli and let Robinson, who became a folk hero this postseason, walk. In the Thibodeau era, the Bulls have always needed offensive floor-spacers like Belinelli. Furthermore, his defense, thought to be a liability, showed itself to be solid this postseason.

Carlos Boozer, large contract aside, is a viable low-post offensive threat when equipped with a point guard who can get him the ball. Noah and forward Taj Gibson are scrappers with the ability to rebound and stretch the floor with 15-foot jump shots when defenses leave them open.

Thibodeau’s trademark hard-nosed, physical defense will continue to be the Bulls’ M.O. The Bulls’ scoring defense has been top-3 in the league in each season since Thibodeau’s arrival and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue. As a result of injuries, second-year forward Jimmy Butler emerged as a lockdown defender and an offensively talented wing, a crucial piece for a team whose path to success in the near future figures to go through Miami and LeBron James.

A starting lineup of Rose, Noah, Boozer, Deng and Butler would be among the best in the league. After presumably buying out Rip Hamilton this offseason, the Bulls will have cap room to sign role players to join Hinrich, Gibson, and point guard Marquis Teague off the bench.

As for the Bulls struggles to execute offensively at the end of games, a healthy team will have far fewer issues. With Rose as a facilitator or scorer, Deng and Butler as floor spacing threats who can generate their own shots, and Boozer and Noah with offensive skills and a knack for gathering offensive rebounds, the challenge of bottling them up in a do-or-die possession is a scary one.

Simply put, Chicago was outmatched against Miami in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals. But with the heart displayed this postseason and the promise of reinforcements returning from injuries, the Chicago Bulls will be back and much better next season.

Time is now for NFL safety advocates to pounce

In Week 10, the NFL witnessed the loss of 1/8 of its starting quarterbacks. Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick, San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler were all forced to leave mid-game with injuries.

Roethlisberger is dealing with both a shoulder injury and a rare rib injury, which could be “life-threatening” according to a cbssports.com report. Roethlisberger, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s toughest players, put his pain at a “9 out of ten,” and faces an unclear future.

The other three injured QBs were victimized by one of the hot-button issues facing the NFL, concussions. Vick, Cutler and Smith were all forced to leave in the first half of their Week 10 contests after sustaining hits which left them dazed.

So what should the response be to the string of injuries which hit high-profile athletes playing the most significant position in professional sports?

(That’s your cue, people who have been clamoring for a safer NFL)

Now is the time for those clamoring for change to stand up and demand it. Those of you who want stricter rules, safer equipment, the abolition of football (well maybe not that) or any other changes to be implemented, now is the time to go on the offensive.

The NFL is a $9 billion industry. It could probably lose many more marquee players and realistically suffer little to no financial damage. Money then, won’t be the issue in bringing about change, it will be vocal outcries by frustrated fans.

Few would argue that safety in general is a bad thing. Few would argue that the NFL product is somehow better when stars are lost for periods of time due to injury. Few would argue that every single safety precaution possible is being taken by the league and the players.

Those are all positive arguments, especially when contrasted with their negative alternatives, many of which were on display during last week’s action.

If change is going to happen, something will have to cause it. And I don’t see any outcome better than last week’s for advocates of change.

I understand Michael Vick’s troubled past has turned off some fans and his less-than-stellar play as of late has alienated the fickle sports fans of Philadelphia.

I understand Alex Smith is viewed as a game-manager and the 49ers will likely be able to survive in his absence, as long as he returns by the postseason. 

I understand Jay Cutler is aloof and turnover prone, and has at times come up small in situations demanding leadership.

I understand Ben Roethlisberger’s alleged past misconducts have not won him too many fans either.

They may not be your favorite players. But that doesn’t mean fans and former players’ calls for safety shouldn’t cover them too.

New England QB Tom Brady’s “ACL tear heard round the world” in 2008 almost single-handedly inspired a rule change to protect the legs of quarterbacks. We can only hope that this week’s high-profile injury list plays some role in advancing a similar agenda to reduce concussions.

Either that, or we as fans could wait to call for change until the face of our franchise suffers an injury that increased safety measures could have prevented. 

Coincidence, I think not

Depending on where you looked, Western Kentucky was getting 37.5, 38 or 39 points in the betting line against Alabama for their gridiron match up earlier today.

This game came on the heels of a week which saw Alabama vault to number one in the rankings despite last week’s number one, USC, defeating Hawaii by a convincing 49-10 score.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban came out this week criticizing the media for their praise of his team and by extension, disrespect of his team’s opponents.

“I hate to be negative with anybody, but when you people start writing stuff about people that we’re playing that doesn’t give them the proper respect, that’s not fair,” Saban said. “It’s not fair to them, to their players who work hard to earn it. It’s not fair to our players, who need to respect them. And to make presumptions like you all make, it really really upsets me.”

According to Saban, his Alabama team is not as good as the media (and many knowledgeable, impartial fans) portray it as being to be. Likewise, according to Saban, opponents match up better against his team than outsiders perceive.

So when I saw that Alabama shut out the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky by a score of 35-0 today, it caught my eye that Alabama was unable to cover the point spread.

How convenient.

Is it possible Saban’s Alabama squad was so far superior they could shut it down  prior to covering the point spread just to prove a point?

Nick Saban is unquestionably the best coach in all of college football at this point in time. And whether he likes it or not, his squad is, for now, the best team in the land. 

So when he came out saying people think too highly of his team and then the team fell slightly short of prognosticators’ “expected performance” in a game they could probably have won by more, it caught my eye. It’s probably nothing…

But well played Coach Saban, well played

*DISCLAIMER* Of course Saban wasn’t actually shaving points. Any individual alluding to such a thing would clearly be way out of bounds.