Sports Agenda for Monday (11/21/11)
Big Story:
Lots to get to today from the Dolphins being on a full-fledged winning streak to the Miami Hurricanes making a curious, yet strategic decision; and the Marlins have gone quiet in advance of the winter meetings, plus the Panthers just keep winning. And Al Golden, is he done at UM?
Let's hit the agenda harder than the ratings for the American Music Awards hit the floor.
Dolphins:
I said it last week, the Fins should knock off the Buffalo Bills and sure enough, they took them to the woodshed and stomped a mudhole in them.
It was another stellar performance from the defense and the offense over the last few weeks has finally discovered the forward pass!
But, Fins fans let's remember something here….you're still 3-7.
Yes, a three-game winning streak is good, but you're still at the bottom of the league right now.
The team beat three teams going down in flames faster than the Super Committee in Congress.
It's a good start, but it also carries major danger for the future of the franchise.
Why you ask?
Well, let's clear something up first, the Dolphins are not going to win out and go 9-7…NOT HAPPENING.
But, here's where the danger lies, what if the team finishes 6-10 or 7-9.
Then you have a team that played decent down the stretch, so what do you do with Sparano then?
Plus, if you're sick of the team that is out there every week, the more they win, the more likely it is that Jeff Ireland and his band of misfits stay on with the team.
It's a catch-22 for the Fins players.
You win, you keep your coach and your awful general manager. You lose, you lose your coach, but still could keep your general manager. You go in the tank, and then you lose them both and start over again.
For fans, well, it's tough to watch no matter what happens.
Let's face it, the fans are hoping to draft Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, or even someone like Robert Griffin III.
The more wins you have, the less chances you have of getting a franchise-caliber quarterback.
The more losses you have, the less chances you have of getting a big name coach to come in and try to right the ship.
Tough call, eh?
My guess is the Fins will win 2-3 more games and finish 5-11 or 6-10.
After that, Stephen Ross will finally fire Tony Sparano and then all eyes turn to his replacement, because no coach in his right mind is going to want to work for Jeff Ireland. At least no coach who can actually put together a winning team.
Miami Hurricanes:
It was a curious decision for the Canes to give up their bowl game this season.
Strategically it makes sense. By giving up their bowl game, the school is hoping to mitigate any penalties from the Nevin Shapiro scandal.
It's curious because it's not exactly fair to the roughly 45-47 players on the squad who didn't do anything wrong.
But, such is life under the NCAA enforcement system.
The sins of the few will make the many pay.
It's not like the Canes were going to a top-tier bowl, but any bowl is worth going to because you get an extra month's worth of practice with the team.
Considering the team will be breaking in a new quarterback next year, an extra month to work with him would have been gold.
It also sets up another conundrum.
Al Golden:
Is this week's game the last for Al Golden at the University of Miami?
He's been rumored to be on the short list at Penn State, but I can't see a top coach going there with the NCAA investigating a possible finding of lack of institutional control.
FYI, that charge from the NCAA is the gateway to the death penalty.
And if any school since the SMU Mustangs of the 1980's deserves it, Penn State's actions definitely warrant shutting down the football team for at least one year.
Or, how about banning the team from playing home games so other schools wouldn't suffer?
All games have to be away and the team is ineligible for a bowl game the next two years.
Anyways, back to Golden…
I just don't know whether he wants to go to Penn State after weathering the roughest part of the storm at UM in recent months.
Think about it.
Golden can overcome a year or two of sanctions here, and still be in the most fertile recruiting ground in the country…
Or…
He can go to a school whose name is toxic right now and who could suffer even worse NCAA penalties soon.
I know what I would do, but Golden does have deep PSU roots, so who knows.
Miami Marlins:
How quickly the free agency talk in the hot stove league can cool.
The Marlins went from being interested in everyone with a pulse to being awfully quiet the last week.
The team is talking to Oakland's Gio Gonzalez, which I predicted would happen last week.
He's a quality left-handed pitcher from Hialeah.
That'd help put some butts in the seats at the new stadium….maybe.
The Marlins will have to trade for him, which means they may deal Logan Morrison or another top young player.
Awfully stiff price for pitching, so we'll see.
Florida Panthers: (vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Florida)
Apparently, the Panthers have decided to channel their inner Miami Heat and continue to keep winning.
Florida is now all alone on top of the Southeast Division and we're nearly in December.
They came off a big victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and welcome in the New Jersey Devils tonight.
I'd argue that Florida is the most improved team in the league after a spending spree in the offseason.
If you're off this week, go check out the Panthers.
They play Wednesday night against the Rangers and Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
