By George Ofman
This should come as no surprise. The Bulls lose back-to-back games to inferior teams after doing something no other NBA team had ever done: win five straight road games against teams with above .500 records. Then again, how do you classify the Bulls? Are they a playoff team, simply mediocre or, when it’s all said and done, inferior like some of the opponents they’ve lost to?
MARTZ: I’ve never seen this much ink spilled, voices raised and blogs blogged for an assistant coach. But Mike Martz and the Bears more than welcomed it with the hiring of the offensive guru. First he met with Lovie (who wanted him all along even though Jerry Angelo didn’t), then he courted Jay Cutler in Nashville. Here’s what worries me most about the Martz offense: His quarterbacks have ranked sixth or higher in interceptions thrown during each of the last nine seasons. Last I looked, Cutler was already near the top of that category last year, and that was with Ron Turner. And in each of the last seven years, Martz’s teams have finished sixth or worse in giving up sacks. So remember these two words for next season: pickoffs and maimed!
YEAH, HE SAID IT!: Ron Zook got just about bupkis when it came to recruits. This is what happens when your program stinks and you’re Lovie Lite. Another words, he’s history after next season . . . or during it!
BLACKHAWKS: Everyone is talking about the Blackhawks, but mostly they’re talking about who they can acquire before the early March trading deadline. Goaltender? Doubtful. Big hitting defenseman? Likely. Big time scorer? Who wouldn’t want Atlanta’s Ilia Kovalchuk, who turns 27 in April, is a prolific goal scorer, and has twice scored more than 50 goals and more than 50 three times? The New Jersey Devils would and got him last night. Sorry, Hawks fans. But let’s remember defense is crucial and I’d go for the backliner unless the Hawks stun everyone and add a veteran goalie.
DENT: Don’t you think it’s about time the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened its doors for Richard Dent? It seems as if he’s been a finalist forever. All he did was average nearly 11 sacks a season during his 12-year career. If he doesn’t make it tomorrow, he might as well shack up with Ron Santo.
DEL NEGRO: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Vinny Del Negro refuses to play Tyrus Thomas during crunch time, which makes it a whole lot tougher to trade him, one would think. I understand Del Negro wants to win and, for now, Thomas doesn’t give him the best chance of doing so. But unless Thomas gets quality minutes, his trade value decreases.
NU: You have to love Northwestern’s basketball squad. Saddled with the loss of its best player in Kevin Coble and a key reserve in Jeff Ryan, the Wildcats are 4-6 in the Big Ten and 15-7 overall. Seven of their remaining eight conference games are against teams with a combined record of 9-28, including two against Indiana, Iowa and winless Penn State. The Cats also play at Wisconsin. A Big Ten record of 10-8 would get them into their first dance; 9-9 might be a stretch. Right now it’s hard to pick anyone but Bill Carmody as conference Coach of the Year.
SUPER BOWL: Here’s what I want out of the Super Bowl: A well-played game and top-notch commercials. I’m not rooting for anyone in particular, just for a game with drama – and not drama produced by the officials and instant replay. Says here the Colts beat the Saints 27-23. Instead of putting down money on the game, just send it to me.
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You can catch me on Twitter and Facebook.
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George Ofman is now with WGN radio after a 17-year run with The Score. He also blogs for ChicagoNow under the banner That’s All She Wrote.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on February 5, 2010