A flurry of notes. …
Not that Champ Bailey is having a career year, but he has nine interceptions and 92 tackles. Deion Sanders’ career highs? That would be seven and 66. …
If Bailey wants to win The Associated Press defensive player of the year award, he would be well advised to finish with 10 interceptions. That’s a rare number in today’s NFL. How rare? Four players – Ty Law, Deltha O’Neal, Anthony Henry and Ronde Barber – have snagged 10 picks since Bailey entered the league in 1999. …
And if he gets two interceptions today and finishes with 11? Then the DPOY award might be his to lose. The last NFL player to have that many was Dallas’ Everson Walls in 1981. …
Now for the fine print: For whatever reason, the DPOY award almost invariably goes to the best defensive lineman or linebacker in the league. Seven defensive backs – four corners, three safeties – have won the award in its 35-year history. …
Darrent Williams on life as the Other Corner opposite Bailey: “I tell him all the time, ‘You’re making it hard for me because I’m not making the plays you make.’ So, oh, baby, I just get bashed. But that’s one of those things. He sets the bar real high and ultimately I want to be on that level one day. But right now, I’m not. I don’t think any other corner in the world is on Champ’s level.” …
Whew! Talk about your wild rides. What’s that? No, not dealing with the back-to-back blizzards. Watching Reggie Evans shoot free throws. …
By the numbers: 5-5. That’s what the Nuggets have to finish to reach Carmelo Anthony‘s stated goal of 8-7 without him in the lineup. So can they get there? Sure, if they can get Allen Iverson to shoot once in a while. …
George Karl, the proud owner of 800 NBA wins, when asked if he were doing his best coaching today: “Am I a better coach? I think I’m a more prepared coach and a more experienced coach, which I think makes me a better coach.
“I make youthful mistakes. Probably not as much as young coaches, but I make mistakes. But all in all, yes, I’m probably a better coach today.”…
Bottom line on Karl’s 800 NBA wins, in the words of the man himself: “I laugh about it all the time. Thank God for good players.” …
Funny how these things work. The Nuggets find themselves in full-scale survival mode with so many bodies missing, but it could make them a better team in the long run. Good thing. Have you checked out their March schedule? “Starting about March 15th, the schedule gets borderline ugly, borderline mean,” Karl said. “Hopefully by then we’re playing at a high level, home and away, and the schedule doesn’t mean anything.” …
For the record, the Nuggets on March 15 will embark on a 10-game stretch against the Lakers and Suns at home, the Nets, Bulls, Raptors, Cavs and Pistons on the road, the Sonics at home, and the Suns and SuperSonics on the road. …
Anybody thrilled for Bobby Knight that he is about to break Dean Smith’s record for Division I wins? Anybody? Anybody? Thought so. …
At this point, Knight has considerably more apologists than fans. They spend most of their time not extolling his virtues, but defending his methods. In the end, that’s the problem. No one has to extol Knight’s virtues. We all get that he is one of the greatest coaches ever. But don’t waste our time and insult our intelligence trying to defend the indefensible. …
Don’t know about you, but I didn’t have Jay Cutler penciled in for two touchdown passes in each of his first four starts. Which brings us to the difference between this Broncos team and its recent predecessors. Win or lose come playoff time, the long-term answer at quarterback has arrived. We haven’t said that in this snowy old cowtown since 1983. …
If there were questions about Cutler among the Broncos veterans before, there aren’t now. Gerard Warren: “You know your coach and your team and the executives believe in this guy. It’s not just the simple fact that we drafted him so we’re going to put him in there. If he wasn’t ready to play, Coach (Mike) Shanahan wouldn’t put him in the game. He’s proven he’s ready week in and week out, from training camp all the way up to now.” …
Headline in The Onion’s 2006 sports year in review: “Barry Bonds Took Steroids, Reports Everyone Who Has Ever Watched Baseball.”
