Why 16-0 Doesn't Matter

The New England Patriots are 16-0, the first team in NFL history to win 16 regular season games. Tom Brady and Randy Moss are setting individual records faster then the Celtics are winning games (which if you haven’t been paying attention, is at a ridiculous rate). But in order to be remembered as a truly great team, perhaps the greatest team of all-time, the Patriots have to reach another number: 19.

19-0. That is the only way 16-0 matters. Every team’s goal is to win the Super Bowl. Every player would trade their individual statistics for a championship ring. New England’s won 16 games to put themselves in the best position to win #19. While the Patriots have to be the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl XLII, there are plenty of things standing in their way. Right now, 16-0 is great but not important. What is important?

-The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears. Both finished the regular season undefeated, both lost in the championship game. History shows that just because you dominate the regular season it doesn’t necessarily mean you win the championship. New England will forever be grouped with those teams if they don’t bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Foxboro.

-January in Foxboro: The Patriots rely on Brady throwing the ball. If they can’t throw it, their in trouble. The offensive line and running backs have shown nothing, other than the fact that you don’t want to rely on them to win you a game.

-The Indianapolis Colts: The defending Super Bowl champions are quietly waiting in the bushes. They have beaten New England before, Peyton Manning loves beating Belichick, and with all the focus on the Patriots, they have to feel disrespected. Yes, they are a dome team and the Patriots have beaten them in the playoffs before, but after last year that "mystic" may be over.

-19 games: The Patriots have to win 19 games IN A ROW!!!! That is incredible. As only the second team to win 16 games in a season, we know they can stay focused. But now they will be playing back-to-back games against quality opponents, knowing full well that history is on-the-line with every play. Every mistake will be overblown, every great play over celebrated. The desire to go undefeated will drive them, the chance to knock them off will fuel their opponents. Mentally, the Patriots are going to go through possibly the toughest month ever.

Right now, the 2007 New England Patriots and the 1972 Miami Dolphins are in the same category. If the Patriots lose this season, they get acquainted with the ‘34 and ‘42 Bears. If they go 19-0, they stand alone, atop the NFL mountain, the best football team this world has ever seen.

Would Somebody Please Call Warren Moon A Taxi?

Seahawks radio color commentator and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Friday morning. This is the second time this year that Moon has been suspected of a DUI.

Your a NFL Hall of Famer, legend at the University of Washington, and have a sweet gig as Seahawks radio analyst and FSN Northwest co-host. What in the hell are you doing driving around drunk, even buzzed? Call a taxi.

Maybe this is a sign that Moon has some deeper things to deal with then just being stupid and driving drunk. Let's hope not, but this is a dangerous path to be on.

Moon arrested on suspicion of DUI [Seattle Times]

Primed and Ready

Head on back to Greensboro, Aggies! Get ready for Washington, Cougars! It was an easy win for the Cougs, 67-34, in a game they lead the entire way and rested their starters in the 2nd half. Washington State is 12-0 and ready for Pac-10 play.

The Cougar defense was at it again, limiting the Aggies to 27 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers. As a team, WSU had 13 steals and 3 blocks, frustrating and dominating the Aggies all night long.

Derrick Low lead the way with 19 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. Kyle Weaver chipped in with 9 pts. on 3 of 5 shooting and contributed 3 steals, moving him to #5 on the Cougar’s all-time steals list.

The bench got a lot of minutes, with Caleb Forrest and Nikola Koprivica leading the way with 23 and 22 minutes, respectively. It looks like Bennett is going to go with the 7 man rotation with Abercrombie mixed in until Harmeling can return from his injury. The lack of depth is going to huge with these first 3 conference games on the road against 3 good basketball teams.

This victory ended the non-conference part of the schedule and now we head into the loaded Pac-10. As the #4 team in the nation it is easy to think the Cougars can go 16-2 or 15-3 in conference play. Realistically, with the talent of the Pac-10, 14-4 or 13-5 is what we expect. If the team goes 8-1 at home, and 6-3 on the road then we think you have to be happy. No one is going to go through conference play undefeated, that you can bet on.

Something else you can bet on, the Cougars are primed and ready to go.

Game Day: North Carolina A&T

North Carolina A&T Aggies at #4 Washington State Cougars, 7 p.m., No TV

Time for one last tuneup before Pac-10 play. One more chance to get the kinks worked out before facing the rival Huskies. A chance to match the best start since 1991-92, 12-0, with a win over the Aggies. With a win tonight, odds are the Cougars finish 2007 ranked in the Top 5. Who'd a thunk it?

The 5-7 Aggies will have played 3 of the remaining 9 undefeated Division 1 teams after tonight (Pittsburgh, Miami, WSU). They've also played Tennessee, so you can't expect them to be star-struck with the #4 team in the nation, unlike The Citadel last week. All in all, this game should be an easy 20-25 point victory for the Cougs, a great way to end the non-conference schedule, and give them 7 days to prepare for those guys in the purple jerseys. Cougar Nation wants 6 in-a-row!!!

Things to watch for tonight:
-Kyle Weaver seems to be going through the motions. Maybe it's because of the lack of competition, but we would like to see him step-up his game.

-How will Tony Bennett use his bench? With Daven Harmeling out at least 3 weeks, will he use this game to tinker with the rotation to see which guys work best with each other? If Low and Weaver are forced to play 30 minutes a game now, by February they will be wore out.

-Like to see Low continue his hot shooting the last few games. The team won't play another game till January 5, 7 days, so let's get the shooting stroke going tonight and keep it going into January.

North Carolina A&T Starters:

F Jason Wills - Best player on the team, Weaver should guard him

F Trahem Chaplin

C James Porter

G Steven Rush

G Austin Ewing

Levenseller Should Stay

New Washington State football coach Paul Wulff is forming his staff. We're all for starting anew and bringing in guys who are "your" guys, but Wulff would be making a mistake to let Mike Lenvenseller go. Not only has he been an assistant with the team since 1992, but he played WR for WSU and held many WR records at the school. He is known as one of the best WR coaches in the country, evidenced by the strong group of receivers WSU perennially puts out there.

The only real question was if Levenseller would accept a "demotion" from OC to WR coach. That question was clearly answered by George Yarno in the PI article:

"He (Levenseller) wants to stay more than all of us," Yarno said. "He's the real Cougar of the group."

Wulff should do the smart thing, keep Levenseller and use the other 8 positions for "his" guys. What can it hurt, you have a WR coach who is loyal, hard-working, smart, and knows how to recruit kids to Pullman. That sounds like the kind of guy we'd want on our staff.

Wulff begins shaping coaching staff at WSU [Seattle PI]

Cooper High School Copyrighters

Cooper High School, located in Abilene, Texas, has been asked to change its logo since it is very similar to Washington State's. The Cougars are working with the school to help them change the logo so it doesn't break any copyright laws.

This is the second time in 3 years that the state of Washington has fought with the state of Texas. In 2005 Texas A&M claimed the Seahawks stole their 12th man theme. Eventually, they settled out of court, with Seattle maintaining the rights to the 12th man in the NFL and Texas A&M having them in college.

This time there will be no compromise. Cooper High School has to change their logo, which is going to very costly for them. Looking at the logos, they are very similar and chances are the person who designed the Copper logo used WSU's as a reference. Should they have to change it? We don't know, and frankly, we could care less. Its just interesting to see what people do for a living, hunt down bastard high schools who steal logos from prominent universities.

Legal challenge means CHS must redesign its logo [Reporter News]

So Which Mariners Will Be In The Mitchell Report?

The countdown is on to the release of the Mitchell Report, something that can ruin the late 90s and early 2000s for many baseball fans. The question we have up here in the Northwest, a.k.a the end of the earth, is what, if any, Mariners will be named?

We have to believe that Bret Boone will be on the list. Jose Guillen for sure will make it, but what about Adrian Beltre? Beltre did have an abnormally great year in 2004, leading to the Mariners sinking millions of dollars into him. Was that year the product of a steroid-infused body?

The person's name we are most worried about seeing in that report: Edgar Martinez. He is the real Mr. Mariner and was part of our most unforgettable Mariner memories. If he is outed as a steroid abuser it will permanently scar our perception of him and the many great memories we have of him.

We will never forget Edgar's last game. We had the game on the TV, muted so we could listen to Dave Niehaus call his final at bat. It was the end of an era, the end of the career of the only major player who stuck around. Edgar will always be remembered for being a great teammate, community member, and loyal Mariner. Let's hope, after tomorrow, we aren't remembering him for anything else.

Breaking News: UW AD Todd Turner Resigns

The University of Washington has announced that Athletic Director Todd Turner has resigned. A statement was released, saying that Turner and President Mark Emmert meet and decided it would be best to move in a different direction.

His resignation is effective at the end of January 2008.

We'll have more on this story as it becomes available.

*Update - This looks like it was a mutual decision, not one where Turner walked away or Emmert fired him. The big question this decision sparks: Will Tyrone Willingham still be kept as football coach? It was only a week ago that Turner and Emmert publicly said Willingham will be back, but was that only a public front? Did Turner and Emmert disagree about this decision behind closed doors, leading to Turner's resignation? Was it Turner's inability to get funding for the stadium renovation? These questions may never be answered, but we can always speculate.

Cougars Go With Wulff

Washington State found their coach and he wasn't very far away. Today the Cougars will announce that Paul Wulff is their next head football coach. Wulff comes from Eastern Washington where he was very successful with a limited budget.

Wulff's first order of business: Go to Prosser and steal WR Cody Burns from Tyrone Willingham and the University of Washington.

This is a popular hire among Cougar fans and alumni. We advocated for Mike Price, but we didn't know much about Wulff before this process started. After reading many articles about him, we like the move for a variety of reasons, including that he's a Cougar coaching the Cougars.

Now we look forward to seeing what, if any, assistants Wulff keeps and how many inroads he can make in recruiting to get this team more then 3 recruits.

Huskies Looking to Change Schedule

12 games in 12 weeks is tough. That's why the Huskies are looking to move 3 games next season. Hoping to get three byes during the season, UW wants to move the Oregon game to Opening weekend. We have to ask: Is that the best way to start out Jake Locker's sophomore season? On the road against arguably your biggest rival. The Ducks won't have Dennis Dixon, but they still hate Washington and will see this as an opportunity to grab an early Pac-10 lead.

The other games they want to move: Oklahoma at home, up one week to Sept. 13 and the California game to Championship weekend on December 6. Either the Huskies really like playing another team after the Apple Cup or Ty Willingham thinks that playing in early December means your improving.

UW already has a break next year, all 3 of their nonconference games are at home. Add in 3 bye weeks and UW will be spending a lot of time in Seattle, hoping to be somewhere else in late December.

Clarifying Our Lute Olson Story

We broke the story earlier in the season that Lute Olson's son was sick and that was why he had taken a leave of absence. Then last week we found out that he was divorcing his second wife. A number of sites and blogs are now saying that his oldest son has AIDS, therefore Olson will spend the rest of the season with him.

We are sticking with our source that said it is because of his son being sick, not his pending divorce. We still do not know for sure if his son does have AIDS so we do not want to report that it's the reason he is sick.

All we know is that Olson has to be going through a very tough patch in his life and we want to wish him the best. College basketball and the University of Arizona need you Lute, so stay strong and make it through this.

2007 NFC West Champions!!!

They just blew a 12-point halftime lead, lost in OT on a field goal, and fell to 4-4 on the season. It looked like they were going to be in a fight for the division until Week 17. Then the offense opened up, the receivers stepped up, and Hasselbeck proved he has to be in the conversation with Tony Romo and Brett Favre for the best QB in the NFC. The Seahawks became dangerous again.

5 wins in a row, 4 straight division championships, 5 straight playoff appearances

Question: Which 3 NFL teams have made the playoffs the last 5 years?
Answer: Indianapolis, New England, Seattle

Critics will say that Seattle plays in the weakest division. Compare the NFC West with the AFC East this season. New England is clearly the best team in the NFL, but the rest of the division is weak. You don't hear any pundits talking about how facing the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins twice a season has helped the Patriots on their undefeated run. If you played 1vs.1, 2vs.2, etc., the NFC West would win 3 of 4 from the AFC East.

Michael Irvin, Sean Salisbury, Tiki Barber, and Dan Marino can say what they want about the Seahawks. Their opinions determine exactly zero games. The only words you need to pay attention to: 4 Straight Division Championships.

Hang up another banner.

Top 10 State of Washington Sports Moments of 2007

People will remember the sports world of 2007 for its trials, judges, and indictments as much as they will remember it for its touchdowns, home runs, and 3-pointers. While the legal battles stayed mostly out of Washington, the battles on the court, field, diamond, and links make up the State of Washington’s Top 10 moments of 2007.

10. Ryan Moore finishes 2nd at Dublin, Ohio - Puyallup native Ryan Moore had the best finish of his young career when he came in second to K.J. Choi at The Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus. During the offseason Moore is said to be working hard to earn a cameo appearance in Tin Cup 2, as he’s a big Kevin Costner fan.

9. Apple Cup 2007 - The 100th Apple Cup, coincidently the 100th meeting between the best two college football teams in the state of Washington, although it recent years that distinction has started to mean less and less. Cougars won 42-35 and as of yesterday, the UW secondary was still trying to find Brandon Gibson.

8. UW fires Tyrone Willingham - After 3 seasons and a 11-25 record the University of Washington decided it was moving in a different direction.....wait, they didn’t fire Willingham? They decided to give him another year because they were encouraged by his recruiting? On a side note, Jake Locker has decided to give that baseball thing a try, not wanted to endure another 4-9 season, instead aiming for a 4-9 day in a June double-header.

7. Mariners still in playoff talk in August - On August 25 the Mariners were 73-54, 1 game back of the Angels and tied in the loss column. Then they played the Angels in a huge series at Safeco Field, got swept and finished 6 games back. We Mariner fans had to endure another October without playoff baseball, instead dealing with the side effects of listening to Dave Sims talk all summer.

6. #’s 3, 4, and 5 for Cougar Basketball - Let’s just say it: the University of Washington is a volleyball school. Not only did the Cougars take back the Apple Cup Trophy for the 3rd time in 4 years, but they beat the Husky basketball team for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th straight times. The presence of 10th overall pick Spencer Hawes could not scare the Cougar trio of Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill. If you wanna be scared, see Derrick Low up close on HDTV.

5. Locker plays 1st game in Purple & Gold - Jake Locker, the savior of the floundering UW football program, made his debut against Syracuse on August 31. The Huskies won the game easily 42-12, but it turned out to be costly because Locker left his accuracy in Syracuse, NY. It is still M.I.A.

4. Skyline comes from Behind to be Champs - The 3A football championship game was the spread, passing attack against the in-your-race running attack. For most of 3 quarters it looked like O’Dea and RB Johri Ferguson were going to be bringing the title back to First Hill. Then a horrible fake FG, some beautiful throws, and a little luck and Skyline had won its 3rd state title. We are taking bets on how Skyline coach Steve Gervais is going to celebrate his 6th state title. Currently off the board, hunting trip to Northern Alaska.

3. Super Bowl Curse is Broken - Shaun Alexander suffered the Madden Curse, but the Seahawks broke the Super Bowl Loser Curse. Before last season, the last 5 Super Bowl losers failed to make the playoffs the following season. Not only did Seattle win the division, make the playoffs, and beat the Cowboys in the 1st round, they got a little good karma when Tony Romo fumbled the FG snap. After the season, Romo received his good karma when he dated Carrie Underwood, Sophia Bush, and Jessica Simpson.

2. Washington State Basketball - Bennett ball took on a whole new meaning last season. Before, it was known as a slow-it-down defense with an even slower run-the-set offense. In 2007 it still had the same basic principles but now it was leaving the Cougars on the winning side of the final score. The students of WSU caught Wazzu basketball fever, and January games that normally would have drawn 800 fans were now drawing 8,000. Half the crowd (the boys) were there to watch the game, the other half (the girls) were there to checkout Tony Bennett.

1. Sonics get #2 pick; select Kevin Durant - The lottery balls bounced Seattle’s way, allowing them to select a future superstar in Kevin Durant. With the future of the team in Seattle uncertain, it puts a lot of weight on Kevin Durant to bring the fans to the arena. Considering Durant can bench press 185 lbs. exactly zero times, Sonics fans may be in big trouble.