Not quite seven months ago, Gene Chizik and the Auburn Tigers rode the Cam Newton Wave of Negative Publicity right into the BCS throneroom. Denying (or merely in denial) the rampant allegations that Newton's quarterback services were, essentially, auctioned off to the highest bidder, Auburn's powers-that-be made a decision that the opportunity for glory dwarfed the risk for scandal, and somehow (we leave the reader to fill in the details) persuaded Newton to head for the Tigers.
That was the Ecstasy.
Now, what stands to come is a long road of agony.
With the requisite caveats that nothing "official" has been proven, there's every reason to believe that an NCAA noose is heading Auburn's way. When the rumors of Newtongate first surfaced, some reports indicated that the mechanism Newton's inner circle allegedly used to solicit and receive payment also involved shady financial institutions and even casinos, all under scrutiny by federal officials. So abject was the scrutiny that the products of that federal probe supposedly even include recorded conversations that describe a vast array of corruption schemes. If those recordings truly exist, and if any of those schemes trace back to Auburn in general or Cam Newton in particular, prepare for the NCAA to send a punitive shock wave through the Tigers and college football.
Critics slammed the NCAA for its lack of aggressively pursuing and punishing Southern Cal for its involvement in a scheme to deliver improper benefits to Reggie Bush and his family. And the primary reason for that seeming distance was simple - the NCAA has no subpoena power to extract information from relevant players to prove their allegations. Investigators had to rely substantially on voluntary statements to reconstruct the web of deceit that led to one of the harshest penalties assessed on a football program since SMU received the death penalty some three decades ago.
But this Auburn case may prove to be drastically different, and that difference doesn't bode well for UA. The NCAA has been, in a word, petrified of the potential influence of organized crime and gambling into its sanctioned collegiate sports. The rumors of the mechanism that allegedly routed funds to Auburn football players include the alleged distribution of blank electronic funds cards from a casino, which the players could then take to the casino and cash in while leaving no trail. If that card scheme has drawn the attention of the federal government as a possible source of money laundering, and thus have conversations about its existence on wiretaps, the NCAA would, theoretically, have in its hand the smoking gun necessary to link casino gambling to a major college football team.
That's a recipe for a NCAA punishment hammer to come down on Auburn unlike any school before it. Under pressure to punish improper benefits, yet having scant evidence to punish some suspected offenders, the NCAA would be crazy not to make an example of Auburn if, in fact, the trail of hard evidence really leads to the Tigers' front door. And, of course, until the NCAA's knowledge is made public, everything remains "alleged."
Combine that with the fact that college oddsmaker Danny Sheridan came out this week with his own allegations that the Newton family employed a "bag man" to deliver the "winning" school's cash payment to Newton while giving the family plausible deniability, and further allege the system was apparently well established among recruiting circles, and it all starts to spell the beginning of what may be a very long, dark path for Auburn football.
Tis truly the Agony. And one will wonder if the Ecstasy will truly have been worth it - especially if the BCS title and Heisman trophy won as a result disappear from the record books.
And the rest of college football would do well to take notice.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Can the Horns escape uncharted territory?
The picture cast an image that resonated across the Big 12 in general, and the city of Austin in particular - that of Texas coach Mack Brown walking dejectedly off the field, arm-in-arm with his wife Sally, each with an expression conveying their mutual struggle to absorb yet another Longhorn loss in a disastrous 2010 season. Sally's expression was arguably even more telling, if for no other reason than to convey the frustration in her own inability to help, except to share the pain.
The question for Longhorn faithful going into 2011 is whether that painful picture stands to be repeated. Brown, who enters his 14th season as Texas' head coach, embraced the failure of 2010 with an overhaul of his coaching staff. Brown lost defensive mastermind Will Muschamp to Florida, and released nearly everyone else on staff not waving pompoms. Texas will enter 2011 with new co-offensive coordinators, a new defensive coordinator, a new wide receivers coach, a new defensive tackle coach, and a new strength and conditioning coach.
Texas' biggest problem, however, is that this new staff will be working with largely the same team. Despite what most termed a lackluster spring, Garrett Gilbert is still on tap to return as the Longhorns' starting quarterback in their revamped offense. Colt McCoy's brother Chase stands waiting in the wings, with his family legacy making him the automatic fan favorite. Rumors also hold, however, that this latter-day McCoy doesn't hold the same skills as his famed older brother, leaving Gilbert as the de-facto starter.
The next-biggest problem is an area that has proven a sore spot for Texas in the Brown era - the lack of a star running back. While several high-profile names have gone through Austin with varying degrees of success, none has been a legitimate mention among the nation's elite. Not surprisingly, neither has the Texas running game. As a result, huge hopes are being pinned on incoming freshman tailback Malcolm Brown - but whether it is fair or even reasonable to pin the hopes of an overhauled offense on the back of a kid just out of high school may be unrealistic.
Defense arguably minimized the bleeding for the Horns last year, finishing 7th in the nation in total defense. Contrast that against the 57th-place finish for Big 12 champ Oklahoma in the same category, and it makes Texas' offensive woes all the more painful. That makes the departure of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp just that much more painful, and leaving new DC Manny Diaz with big shoes to fill and bigger expectations to master.
Turning around the fortunes of a 5-7 program in a single season with one of the most extensive staff overhauls not involving the departure of a head coach is almost certainly asking too much. New systems, new people, new personalities, and new attitudes with the change of even one or two staff members can take a season to resolve - let alone those covering a half-dozen major staff positions. Combine that with the thinly veiled expectations that Malcolm Brown will revive the nascent Texas running game speaks volumes about just how bereft of offensive answers Texas was last year, and, to a degree, still is going into 2011.
Brown, to be sure, was caught off guard by last year's failure, and put in a position of having to do something to appear involved and concerned - particularly with the constant strength of Big 12 rivals Oklahoma, resurgence of Texas A&M, and emergence of Oklahoma State. In contrast, a coaching staff overhaul in response to a single seven-loss season could be seen as reactionary. In that vein, with new philosophies on both sides of the ball, but many of the same faces on the field - especially at quarterback - it's hard to see drastic improvement ahead for the Longhorns in 2011.
The question for Longhorn faithful going into 2011 is whether that painful picture stands to be repeated. Brown, who enters his 14th season as Texas' head coach, embraced the failure of 2010 with an overhaul of his coaching staff. Brown lost defensive mastermind Will Muschamp to Florida, and released nearly everyone else on staff not waving pompoms. Texas will enter 2011 with new co-offensive coordinators, a new defensive coordinator, a new wide receivers coach, a new defensive tackle coach, and a new strength and conditioning coach.
Texas' biggest problem, however, is that this new staff will be working with largely the same team. Despite what most termed a lackluster spring, Garrett Gilbert is still on tap to return as the Longhorns' starting quarterback in their revamped offense. Colt McCoy's brother Chase stands waiting in the wings, with his family legacy making him the automatic fan favorite. Rumors also hold, however, that this latter-day McCoy doesn't hold the same skills as his famed older brother, leaving Gilbert as the de-facto starter.
The next-biggest problem is an area that has proven a sore spot for Texas in the Brown era - the lack of a star running back. While several high-profile names have gone through Austin with varying degrees of success, none has been a legitimate mention among the nation's elite. Not surprisingly, neither has the Texas running game. As a result, huge hopes are being pinned on incoming freshman tailback Malcolm Brown - but whether it is fair or even reasonable to pin the hopes of an overhauled offense on the back of a kid just out of high school may be unrealistic.
Defense arguably minimized the bleeding for the Horns last year, finishing 7th in the nation in total defense. Contrast that against the 57th-place finish for Big 12 champ Oklahoma in the same category, and it makes Texas' offensive woes all the more painful. That makes the departure of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp just that much more painful, and leaving new DC Manny Diaz with big shoes to fill and bigger expectations to master.
Turning around the fortunes of a 5-7 program in a single season with one of the most extensive staff overhauls not involving the departure of a head coach is almost certainly asking too much. New systems, new people, new personalities, and new attitudes with the change of even one or two staff members can take a season to resolve - let alone those covering a half-dozen major staff positions. Combine that with the thinly veiled expectations that Malcolm Brown will revive the nascent Texas running game speaks volumes about just how bereft of offensive answers Texas was last year, and, to a degree, still is going into 2011.
Brown, to be sure, was caught off guard by last year's failure, and put in a position of having to do something to appear involved and concerned - particularly with the constant strength of Big 12 rivals Oklahoma, resurgence of Texas A&M, and emergence of Oklahoma State. In contrast, a coaching staff overhaul in response to a single seven-loss season could be seen as reactionary. In that vein, with new philosophies on both sides of the ball, but many of the same faces on the field - especially at quarterback - it's hard to see drastic improvement ahead for the Longhorns in 2011.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Welcome to the ENDZONE REVIEW!!!!
Welcome to the INAUGURAL POST for the ENDZONE REVIEW!!!
Here we talk and post about all things FOOTBALL, although the author here tends to prefer COLLEGE football (particularly since, at this point, we technically have no NFL version). The hope here is to post no less than once per week, and hopefully much more frequently. Here are a few ideas we'll hit as we find ourselves a mere six weeks from football season:
* Big Ten: Pretenders to the national crown again?
* Texas: Big comeback ahead, or five wins in 2011?
* Big 12: That's more like *Castrated* 12, isn't it?
* Stanford: Can Luck carry the day without his lucky Harbaugh?
The idea here isn't just for me to post thoughts and keen insights, its to provoke thought and response from YOU. Join us every week, and we'll hope you join us here in the "EndZone!"
Here we talk and post about all things FOOTBALL, although the author here tends to prefer COLLEGE football (particularly since, at this point, we technically have no NFL version). The hope here is to post no less than once per week, and hopefully much more frequently. Here are a few ideas we'll hit as we find ourselves a mere six weeks from football season:
* Big Ten: Pretenders to the national crown again?
* Texas: Big comeback ahead, or five wins in 2011?
* Big 12: That's more like *Castrated* 12, isn't it?
* Stanford: Can Luck carry the day without his lucky Harbaugh?
The idea here isn't just for me to post thoughts and keen insights, its to provoke thought and response from YOU. Join us every week, and we'll hope you join us here in the "EndZone!"
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