***Some NFL Coaches don’t learn! In the past,the Indianapolis Colts under Tony Dungey rested players after clinching their playoff seed. In 2005 and in other years the Colts lost in the first round to San Diego in Indy. The Bears wrapped up the #2 NFC seed in 2005,and Lovie Smith rested ton of players in the season finale with Minnesota,and the Bears lost that meaningless game as well as their Divisional Playoff game at Soldier Field to Carolina a couple of weeks later. Let it be remembered that the Bears and Colts played their people in their regular season finale and those two clubs met in the Superbowl. Now first year Coach Jim Caldwell,apparently not learning from his mentor, pulled Payton Manning and others with the Colts ahead in the fourth quarter,and the Jets rallied for an easy win. My prediction is the Colts will lose again early in the post season,especially if Caldwell sits any people next weekend.
***Now that the New Orleans Saints have laid another egg(losing to the awful Buccaneers),they could blow home field advantage to the Vikings,who just happen to be in Soldier Field Monday night.We’ll find out if the Brett Favre-Brad Childress feud is really over.
***After the Blackhawks impressive “home and home” series sweep over the weekend of the second place Nashville Predators,the question must now be asked: Are the Hawks the deepest team in the NHL? They are in the Western Conference at least. Does that mean this team will be an automatic Stanley Cup winner? No, but they are looking much more dangerous than the only other Blackhawk club to win the Presidents Trophy for the most regular season points, in 1990-91. That Hawks club with Jeremy Roenick,Eddie Belfour,Dirk Graham,Chris Chelios and Steve Larmer to name a few was ousted in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the team with the fewest points to qualify for the post season, the Minnesota North Stars who went all the way to the Finals that year before losing to Pittsburgh. Ironically,the Blackhawks,who were having a so so regular season in 1991-92,got hot AFTER a two week lockout late in the campaign and they beat St.Louis,Detroit and Edmonton to go to the Finals for the last time to date,and they also lost(in four straight)to the Penguins.
***The Northwestern Wildcats are already in Tampa for this coming Friday’s Outback Bowl against Auburn. We’ll be down there starting late Tuesday to cover that event as the Cats try to halt a 6 game Bowl losing streak. In fact, NU’s only ever Bowl win was in 1948 when they beat favored Cal 20-14 in the Rose Bowl. That was the Cats last Bowl game until 1995 when Gary Barnett took the “Purple to Pasadena” only to lose a tough game to Keyshawn Johnson and USC.
***So now,the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Bulls have been in contact(again)with Doug Collins abut returning to the Bulls as Coach. Collins was Bulls Head Coach from 1987-88 through 1989-90. Hmmmmm!
LES