Wildcats Shine at Combine

I don't really have any solid opinions this week, so I'm just going to report what's been making news around here at ACU.This past week, ACU showed why they were a serious contender to take home the national title this year.

Former ACU standouts Johnny Knox and Bernard Scott were on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday at the NFL Combine, and both turned in performances that should improve their chances at being drafted in April. Knox was especially impressive as he turned in one of the fastest 40-yard times ever, as he clocked in at a blistering 4.34 seconds. He was unofficially timed at 4.25 before it was adjusted to an official time of 4.34. The former Wildcat all-American wide receiver then put on a dazzling show in the receiving drills, dropping only a couple of balls. He was one of the players mentioned by cnnsi.com writer Tony Pauline as one of his top risers from Day 4 of the Combine.

This would cap what has been the most impressive season for the Wildcats in almost three decades.

Go Home Ladies & Gentlemen,It's Over.

Everybody loves a big dunk. It's a game changer for the players and the fans. That's why the NBA Slam Dunk Contest should be the best form of entertainment of the entire All-Star weekend. Unfortunately, this year's contest was nothing more than a reality TV show.

It featured Rudy Fernandez, Rudy Gay, Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson. In my opinion, this one should have been a classic but it was over before it started.

Rudy Gay was a huge disappointment but Rudy Fernandez has an incredible dunk that should have advanced him into the final round. But that would not be good television.

Dwight Howard had a few amazing jams as did Nate Robinson but none of it mattered because the outcome had already been decided.

The slam dunk contest has become very predictable and watered down. The best dunk contest of all-time was in 2000. Vince Carter brought back the shock and awe of the competition with his breath-taking repertoire of original dunks. Carter will be known best for the show that he put on that night and single-handedly brought back a contest that had lacked action for almost 15 years.

Sadly, the high-flying acrobatics of Howard and Robinson albeit incredible are sort of run-of-the-mill these days. I'm not sure what these new age NBA players will have to do to impress, but for now the originality of the slam dunk contest is pretty much dead and gone.

Super Bowl XLIII: A Quarter for the Ages

As I sat on a couch surrounded by some of my buddies last night I feel like I was not the only one bored to death.

The Super Bowl is the game of all games in my mind. No other sporting event is watched by more people at one time on a yearly basis. It's special because it's the culmination of 17 weeks of match ups plus 5 weeks of premier playoff action. Unlike the BCS Championship game the Super Bowl features the two best teams over the last 5 weeks.

But last night's matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals was anything but a duel between the top two teams in football- at least through the first three quarters. The game started at 5:17 Central time and within hour there were just under two minutes left in the first half.

I picked the Cardinals to win because I love watching high octane offenses go against a shutdown defense. But the lone highlight of the first half was a James Harrison 100 yard interception return for the touchdown as time expired in the first half.

As the third quarter started I figured that some halftime adjustments would be made and the game would slowly start to favor the high powered Cardinals. Wrong. The third quarter was even worse than the first two. The lone highlight: a Jeff Reed 21 yard field that capped a 9 minute 16 play drive with just over 2 minutes left in the 3rd.

Even into the fourth one of my friends made the comment, " What else is on?" Ridiculous. But thank God for Larry Fitzgerald.

After making a ridiculous catch in the corner of the end zone to cut the deficit to 6 at 20-14 we all began to feel the momentum change. Not to mention after a bad holding call in the endzone that cost the Steelers 2 points and shrunk their lead to just 4 everyone knew what had to happen and who the ball was going to. So when Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitz on that slant my house erupted. It was indeed a story-book ending for an organization that had through so many valleys over the last 40 years. As Fitz walked into the endzone with his arms raised and millions of fans watching around the world everyone knew the game was over. It had to be.Wrong again.

Big Ben showed why he was the best QB on the planet when the game was on the line (and Tom Brady is hurt). As he marched the Steelers down the field and made that incredible throw to a darting Santonio Holmes. What a catch. There was the

ballgame.

I'm glad tonight that I was not a true Cardinal's fan.

What a quarter that was...