Jets are still in this?

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the playoffs so far, unless your a Charger, Cowboys, etc fan. One team that many said walked into the playoffs because teams rolled over for them is the Jets. But after two games and two wins, no one is saying the Jets are walking into the AFC title again. They went to Cincinnati, Ocho Cinco and company, and dominated them in every asset of the game. They then took the road again to San Diego. The Chargers were to throw the ball over the place and LT would finally make it deep into the playoffs, but the Jets defense and the strong running game combined with smart coaching led them to another victory. So now they travel to Indy to take on Peyton and the high octane Colts who seem to win every week and Peyton never has a dirty jersey. LB Ellis for the Jets has a broken wrist but is going to tape it up and play on Sunday, which is the definition of the Jets defense, toughness. They fly to the ball and hit everyone and always seem to make the key play to save or even win the game and of course no one can go against Reivis Island, ask Vincent Jackson and Ocho Cinco. The offense is the big question for the Jets, Thomas Jones does not have the burst he did in the regular season but Shonn Green, the rookie from Iowa is fresh, only a 100 carries in the early season, he has proven to be a great change of pace runner, able to power up the middle and break it to the outside. Sanchez is no longer a rookie and he seems to be comfortable in the game as long as the weight of the world is not placed on his shoulders. He does not have to throw the ball 50 times, he has the defense and running game to support him and he realizes that. Give credit to Rex Ryan and his staff for bringing him into the game step by step, he didn't have a ton of experience even while at USC. So the Jets are in the AFC title game and whether or not they win, they should be applauded for everything they have done this year. Why not keep it going?

Playoff Time

So we haven't spent much time on the NFL recently and its the middle of the playoffs, the true test for players, this is where legends are born and history is made and this year is not failing to prove that history is being made. The Saints are in the NFC title game, something that hasn't been seen in years and New Orleans is going insane. The Vikings are strong and the ageless wonder, Brett Favre, the man that no one thought could continue to play, is having his best year to date and is playing as if he was 27. The Vikings are a strong team and their defense is incredible but will they be able to handle the New Orleans crowd and the high octane offense of Drew Brees and company. If Reggie Bush shows up again next weekend, it could be a shootout of a game. On the AFC side, the Colts are at it again, Peyton is a god among men and continues to destroy defenses, even the vaunted Ravens defense. Don't worry Baltimore, the emergence of Ray Rice and the maturation of Flacco shows that the Ravens will be a force for the years to come. Then there are the Jets, some saying they walked into the playoffs but no one is saying that now as the have knocked off the Bengals and upset the Chargers with solid defense and key offense plays, mostly with the running game and key throws by the rookie Sanchez. Many don't believe they have a chance but in the playoffs and the way their defense is playing, who knows what will happens, that is why you turn into the game and watch the legends happen right in front of you.

Skip Holtz going to work

Well Skip Holtz fever is gripping the Bay area, billboards, shirts, appearances at the basketball games, might as well make him the mayor as well. But for all the fun that Holtz is having, the man is already working on the the next chapter of USF football. He has cleaned out the assistant coaches, gone is Canales, the offensive coordinator and out is Tresey on defense as well. Mark Snyder will replace Tresey, the former Marshall coach and Ohio State defensive coordinator takes over the helm and will put in his new system, a more traditional 4-3 defense and not a heavy blitzer like Tresey wanted to be. Fitch comes in at offense and it should be interesting to see how he runs the offense and if he will develop a number one running back, he was able to make Pikney into a solid starter at ECU and Daniels has much more talent so it should be a good combination. The day after his hire, Holtz had a dinner with recruits and got a solid recruit in Jake Kaufman, at 6'8" and 330lbs, the offensive line should be solid for the next few years. Holtz is moving fast and should be able to get everyone in place for the beginning to the preseason and get everyone on his page. Go Bulls.

We are Back

Sorry there has not been any updates recently, Revolution Sports has been having some tech problems but rest assured we are back and will be coming out with new information soon, starting with this new blog, the hiring of Skip Holtz to USF.

In the midst of the Leavitt crisis and the ongoing legal problem trouble that is coming from him and Joel Miller, USF made a strong move to move forward with the future of the program and has hired Skip Holtz as the new head coach. Skip was the head coach of ECU, before coming to the Pirates 5 years ago they had lost 22 of 25 games and were one of the worst programs around the nation but Holtz took them to a new level. Going 38 and 27 in his 5 years there, 4 straight bowl games and winning back to back Conference USA titles, Holtz has proven himself as a good coach with a load of talent, first taking the Uconn program from division 2 to the FCS Bowl division. At ECU, Holtz had a limited recruiting base, battling for limited players from North Carolina, Clemson and the SEC powers, but he now comes to USF and the state of Florida, full of talent and players, more than any team can handle, so the talent in Florida means that Holtz will be able to build and get the players he wants. The ECU fan base is upset and rightly so, he was a great coach for them, often selling out the games. It will be interesting to see if the energy he had at ECU follows him here and will sell out Ray Jay, so far, the fans seem excited and ready for the new chapter in USF history.

On the behalf of Revolution Sports, welcome Skip Holtz, welcome to Tampa and USF. The program is ready to take it to a new level and make its way to the promised land and follow you to glory, welcome Skip Holtz.

More on Kiffin

So Kiffin, his father Monte and coordinator Oregron are headed west to USC which leaves Tennessee looking for answers and many recruits already beginning to leave the team, so does this effect the coaching search for USF? The answer, no. Tennessee already has a list of names they want to go after and will fill the position very quickly. They are not under investigation or dealing with major legal issues like USF is doing so it is a pretty quick switch from Kiffin to a new coach and the names of who it could be have yet to surface, but keep your eyes to the south for the new coach, most likely someone with experience or background with the SEC and even Tennessee itself. USF has its own list for the next head coach, Skip Holtz seems to be the hot name on their list and he has major interest in the job, so hopefully they will get this taken care of very quickly, even the present players are wanting a solution to the problem right now. So USF fans, relax a bit, Tennessee is not going to come in and take all of the possible coaches for USF. We just need to find the right man and not worry about Tennessee, we have our own major issues to deal with right now.

Are You Serious?

Well college coaching continues to get even more crazy as the breaking news tonight that Lane Kiffin, the troubled coach of Tennessee and all the allegations against him for the NCAA violations he committed and talking trash to UF and other SEC teams is going to quit and become the coach of USC, after Pete Carroll leaves for the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL level.

Kiffin was an assistant under Carroll from 2001 to 2006 then went to the Oakland Raiders under much controversy because of his age and experience and it ended badly, as the Raiders usually do. He was fired and went to Tennessee and continued to cause a stir by challenging UF and making insane claims about his program that has had major legal trouble and recruiting violations from the NCAA and even brought his father, Monte Kiffin, the former defensive genius of the Tampa Bay Bucs, to help sure up his defense. Tennessee was a decent team this year before getting blown out by Virginia Tech in the bowl game.

Kiffin goes to USC, to a program that is under major investigation and in turmoil as many recruits are beginning to look for other teams. Will the NCAA follow him and continue to pile up the investigations? It is a very interesting situation that leaves Tennessee in chaos as they will have to find a new coach as many other teams are doing the same, such as USF. USC may have a new coach but is he the answer and will the legal shadow of the program clear up for USC so that they may simply play football or will this issue continue to get worse? Stay tuned, this is getting good.

Enough Already

Well in case you haven't heard, Jim Leavitt is suing USF to gain his job back because he believes he was fired without just cause. This is just a sad case, it would be incredible if USF let him come back and the legal issue could get really messing making nearly impossible for Leavitt to come back and coach again. USF fired him and it should be over with, Leavitt should just accept what has happened and move on with his life. USF must move forward and find a new coach and renew the energy in the program. USF is a good job and could become a major power in the Big East and the nation and the list of candidates is growing, including former coach Phil Fulmer, former coach of Tennessee, Skip Holtz of East Carolina and the list goes on. USF must move on and get on with their lives and not get into a long, drawn issue with Leavitt and the drama and problems he is going to bring to the university.

Here we go again

Well it's the same story for USF men's basketball. The team showed great promise, starting the year 10-2 and had many thinking this would be the year that Stan Heath took USF to a new level, he has done it before at Arkansas and Kent State, but after the loss of Gilchrist to injury for another 2 weeks at least and key guard Justin Leemow left the team due to family issues, USF entered Big East play with only 8 active players and everything fell apart for them. First came a loss at Louisville where the team played well, then a close lose to Notre Dame by only one point and today a huge lose to #7 Syracuse. The Bulls find themselves at 0-3 in conference play and at the bottom, a place where it is hard to come back and win from. The Bulls will get back Gilchrist and Sanchez soon to add both depth and scoring to the roster but its going to be rough to make a charge in the best conference in the nation. The Bulls need answer quickly but so far it's looking bad for our team.

More on Leavitt

Well one of the candidates for the USF head coaching job, Tommy Tuberville is now the head coach at Texas Tech, a deal that should make him about 3 million dollars over the course of several years. Tuberville was a name that had been mentioned for USF and would have been a huge gain for the Bulls. Tuberville is a strong defensive coach and has a offensive mind about running the ball and smart play calling, something the USF offense seems to have a problem with, changing from zone read, spread offense, power game to just have Daniels run around all day. Plus he has experience in the South after his stint with Auburn and would have been able to recruit the south very well and even steal recruits away from SEC teams. So now USF has to look else where but has teamed up with Neinas Sports Services, a consultant group that has helped teams find coaches like Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops and Mac Brown for their respective teams, this shows that maybe USF is willing to look across the entire nation and spend the money to bring in a coach that is fit for the job, a job that so many say is one of the best in the country and a sleeping giant in the Big East conference.

They may go for defensive line coach McCarney from UF, he seems to be the name that keeps surfacing at this time but with the moving of Pete Carroll to Seattle and the coaching changes that are going to occur out west may have some effect on the east. You may seem some coaches move around and leave, like Mike Riley of Oregon State if he wants to take the USC job, OSU will have to find a new coach and the moving around of coaches out there could have an effect on the names available for USF. Let us hope they are able to handle this situation fast before all of the recruits that are suppose to come to USF decide to change their mind because USF does not have a coach, stay tuned for more updates and feel free to chime in about this issue.

Another one?

The college coaching world is going crazy it seems this off season, Leavitt, Leach, Mangino all fired, Bobby Bowden retires, Myer did for a few hours then comes back, it has been a wild couple of weeks and it looks like it is going to continue this way, the new name that is moving is Pete Carroll of USC.

Pete Carroll has been the coach of USC for the past decade, going 97-19 during this time, winning 7 straight Pac-10 Titles, multiple BCS victories and always having the men of Troy on the national title hunt. But this year it fell apart. A young team, injuries and key loses to Oregon and others saw their streak come to an end. Carroll who usually makes his players stay and tries to convince them all the time was quiet and allowed them to make their own decisions. He usually turns down all the offers to the NFL but this time has not come out to put it down and it is all but done that he is heading up I-5 to Seattle to take over the Seahawks and become president of the team after they fird Jim Mora after an 5-11 campaign.

This is huge news for not only the Pac-10 but the college world. Carroll and USC are a powerhouse and everyone knows who they are, winning tons of games and producing tons of pro players but it seems the dynasty is going to be changing up. There are some minor things to clear up but unless something dramatic happens, Carroll is leaving L.A. Carroll is a good coach and should be interesting to see what he is able to do with an NFL team for his 3rd time in the league and with an owner that has a ton of money, meaning the team will be able to make many key moves to keep Carroll and the fans of the loudest stadium in the nation happy.

What does USC do now? Well they continue to recruit well and are loaded with talent, including the defense. Possible names are Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguar, Jeff Fisher of the Tennesse Titans and Mike Riley of Oregon state. A few others that are truly interesting and should not be thrown away are Petersen of Boise State, Harbaugh at Stanford, Sarkisian at Washington and Patterson at TCU. At this point, no one has a clue as the issue is still be sorted out at this point. USC has major legal trouble with the Joe Mcknight issue as well as O.J. Mayo, so the athletic department better make a strong move and get a coach that will be able to handle the profile of the job, not a Mike Leach at this point.

What a Mess

Hope everyone is staying warm during this cold snap here in Florida and everyone around the country as well. I have been getting a lot of questions about the Jim Leavitt firing so I am going to take a few minutes to go over what has happened, why he was fired and what the Bulls are going to do next.

Leavitt has been accused of slapping a player, Joel Miller, but Millers stated later that Leavitt did not do this. His father is also saying he did not do this, yet reports still come out about Leavitt in the locker room and his insane attitude. He headbutts players and is very intense, yelling and most likely this can cause some hatred in the lockeroom by players that do respond to this type of coaching. So the issue was Leavitt was accussed and he stated he did not, so who really knows the true story here. The second report was that Leavitt throw out the personal belongings of Colby Erskin, a RB that has been injury plagued and seems to have a grudge against Leavitt. He was the one who broke the story of the slap to AOL fanhouse (not the most respected sports coverage out there to say it lightly) and said that he knew it was Leavitt that threw out his belongings, yet was not in the lockeroom at the time and Leavitt denies it. Reports say that Leavitt hated Erskin because of his attitude and him leaving the team and then coming back. There is more to this story but the truth will most likely be never known. Reports also say that Leavitt had his players lie to cover his story and his attitude towards the athletic department led to hard feelings about if he should remain. Fans have wanted him gone because of his failures to take the team to a higher level and seems to have peaked.

Leavitt started the program and in 13 years has put it in a BCS conference and ranked the last 3 years and two straight bowl wins, for this he must be congratulated for doing this. No Leavitt, No USF football program, it is simple as that. But the case is a messy one and most saw it coming because the investigation was ongoing and if it had been a simple case, it would have been over very fast. So what do the Bulls do now? Carl Franks is interim head coach during the recruiting period, which is going to be bad with players leaving because Leavitt is gone and will shake things up. Many names are being thrown out their, Dan McCarney has been mentioned, the defensive line coach at UF, was the same position at USF when Selvie came into fame. Offensive coordinator names are being thrown out there, from West Virginia all the way to Michigan State. Maybe Charlie Strong, the new coach at Louisville. Maybe John Gruden or one of the Bowden sons, who knows at this point. The story is still on going so stay tuned for more updates.

National Champs

Hope everyone watched last night as the Crimson Tide won the BCS National Championship over Texas, 37 to 21. The game started out intense as Saban made a bad gamble with a fake punt that led to a field goal then the bad kick off by Bama let the Horns get the ball again and it looked like Texas was going to roll, until Colt McCoy went down with an arm injury, now being called a dead arm feeling, after getting hit by Barreus, linebacker for the Tide, weighing 300 lbs. After that, Gilbert, the freshman back up came in for the Horns and they struggled. McCoy tried to come back, throwing on the sidelines but the staff and his father told him not to do it, he could risk his entire career. A gutsy move by McCoy, shows his heart to win the game, but smart not to come back in, especially against the Tide defense which was unstoppable and confused and shut down the injured Texas offense. The Texas defensive did all they could but the depth of running back, Ingram and Richardson were just too much and ran all over the Horns Defense. I wish McCoy could have stayed healthy in this game and gave Texas a better chance to compete in the game, he is a senior and it’s a tough way to end your career by sitting on the sideline of the national championship and loosing.

Congratulations have to be said to Nick Saban and the Tide. He has made this program a powerhouse; they are loaded in depth and stars. Saban is one of the few coaches to win a National title at two college schools, the first at LSU. The Tide appear to be the power for a while, Ingram is only a junior now, so keep that in mind SEC fans. Great game and a great ending to the college football season, now the recruiting period begins, wish there were more games to be played.

Was anyone watching last night?

Last night saw mighty TCU, the darling of the college football world, ranked 4th in the nation, the toughest defense and a great and explosive offense fall apart at the hands to the Boise State Broncos, that team from Boise, the same that plays on the Smurf turf, the same team that believes they belong with the BCS teams yet has done nothing to move to a better conference.

I was disappointed by the effort by TCU, their defense played well for the entire game and showed why they are able to beat Utah and Oklahoma on a regular basis and their offense seemed unstoppable with its new zone read, a wrinkle taken from the Oregon playbook, but the offense seemed to be sleep walking through the first 3 quarters of the game and did not get going against a solid but not a dominant defense in Boise. Boise was able to get interceptions and make the big stops when they needed and held the Horned Frogs in check for the entire game, nothing new in the Fiesta Bowl which most of the games are low scoring for some reason (not like the Sugar Bowl this year!)

I am not the biggest supporter of the Broncos (Oregon Duck fan here) but you have to admit that Kellen Moore played a good solid game and was able to make the plays when he needed to. Many believed he could not do it because the competition he faced all year was a lower level and TCU would destroy him but it was not to be.

The game is over and now its time to turn our attention to the national title, should be a great game!

One and Done?

The Bucs finished a poor season, winning just 3 games all season and find themselves looking for answers on how to repair a depleted team. The name that is on everyone's list to be fired is Rahemm Morris, the head coach, after just one season. The Bucs struggled but seemed to play hard in every game and could have won a few more if their luck had turned their way. But is it fair for the Bucs to fire Raheem after just one year, the answer, surprisingly, no.

Look at the facts, the Glaezer family loves Morris and paid him well, if they fire him they owe him quite a sum of money and they are not doing so well themselves in this financial world so it would be a bad move on their part. Morris had a bad team, a rookie at QB, star receiver Antonio Bryant out most of the year, they had 2 offensive coordinators, even a new one at the very beginning of the season. The offensive line was porous at best, the running backs, all 4 of them, could not get it going although Cadillac seemed to be returning to his former glory. The defense was bad and the front office made bad decisions by getting rid of most of the veterans yet kept Ronde Barber. The defense had no talent yet played well and held opponents in check for as long as they could. The special teams played well and were among the best in the league. The Bucs have a early first round pick and many other draft picks should allow them to rebuild and add some weapons around Josh Freeman who looked at times like a good, solid quarterback.

The other name that is going around is Bill Cowher. Let's be honest here. Do you think he could do better? Unless he is going to suit up and play linebacker with the Bucs, he won't be able to change much for the team, they need talent and they need the Glaezers to spend some money on playmakers and not on running backs, we have enough already.

So although the Bucs had a bad year and many fans wondered why they even showed up to the last game of the season (another lose) the truth is clear. The team has talent and will get better, but they need time. It is easy to see they are rebuilding and need time to and the fans must understand what the franchise is doing and be patient. After one year, a new coach is not going to change anything, its the players on the field that make the coach, give Morris a chance.

GO BULLS

Today was a great victory for USF over NIU in the International Bowl up in Toronto. The Bulls came out and played a tied first half 3-3 with the Huskies from the MAC conference. The Bulls offense looked flat and did not seem to have the energy, many thought that the Bulls did not want to play in this game and might sleep walk through this game, which was the case early in the game. The defense played well though, giving up under 50 rushing yards to a team that averages over 200 a game in MAC conference play. The second half the Bulls woke up, led by Mike Ford and his 207 yard game on the ground and a few big pass plays by BJ Daniels, the Bulls were able to win the game 27 to 3, the defense, the last game with Selvie, Allen and company played well and shut down the Huskies offense, they never could get the ball going. Even Jerome Murphy who has been questioned in the past by his poor play came up with a key interception to seal the game for USF. The Bulls needed this win for the program and for Jim Leavitt who is still under investigation from the university because of his treatment of a player, Joel Miller. From what we know, it seems as if this investigation will be over soon and Leavitt should be ok. The program also won its first back to back bowl victories, a USF first and finished 8-5, not a bad mark for the Bulls who had lost 2-5 to finish the year.

We will have another blog soon about the state of the program and what to expect from the Bulls next season. GO BULLS!

Smell of Roses and Defeat

Let's just be honest, I am angry. I am an Oregon Duck supporter and last night was a terrible lose for the Ducks. The Big Ten and Ohio State think they are champions of the world and did play a solid game that because of the problems Oregon has was unable to overcome the Buckeyes.

Oregon on defense was pushed around. Also the depth in our secondary hurt us as well, loosing three starting corners to injury throughout the year, TJ Ward the starting safety being out most of the season with injury and our defensive front in a rebuilding stage was bad. Then our offense was shut down and loosing LaMichael James the best freshman tailback in the country with an injury in the middle of the game was rough when the Ducks had a chance to get back into the game at the 2nd quarter.

But this was not our year, looking at the depth chart, the players on the scout team that will be coming in next year along with the players returning, Masoli, James Barner, etc. The Ducks will have a solid team for next year, this year they were supposed to finish 5th in the conference and ended up winning it instead. Wait til next year when the Ducks have all of their play makers healthy and ready to go. Go DUCKS!

Happy New Year

Revolution Sports would like to say Happy New Years to everyone, hope everyone has a happy and healthy year and a year of new beginnings for everyone. Revolution Sports is looking to take their game to a whole new level this year. Look for more interactive blogs, updates and even reaching into the social networks to connect with our fans out there.

Real quick though for the new year, Florida State wins the game and sends Bobby Bowden out with a win, he is truly a great coach and changed the college football game like no one ever has. He has had so many wins and took an FSU program that was dead and brought them back to the national level. College football is loosing a legend and we would like to say thank you Bobby for everything you have done!