KU chancellor calls reports of investigation into AD Lew Perkins baseless

The University of Kansas has issued a statement from the chancellor’s office saying reports of an investigation into AD Lew Perkins are baseless.  Last night John Taylor of NBCSports.com’s College Football Talk wrote a story that cited a school source saying Perkins had a vendetta against football coach Mark Mangino and instigated the recent investigation into abuse by the coach.

The story also claimed that Perkins was the one responsible for leaking damaging information about Mangino to the media but that Perkins could end up being the one fired in the next few days.  While not naming the source, Taylor’s article appears to be tied to the often heard speculation that Mangino isn’t Perkins “guy” because he didn’t hire him.

Wounded Steelers are still a difficult challenge for the Chiefs

Just when things were looking up for the Chiefs, they took a step backwards this week with the four game suspension of Dwayne Bowe for violation of the NFL’s drug policy.

With a wounded Pittsburgh Steelers team coming to town, KC is having to circle the wagons themselves and readjust their receiving corps just when it was starting to make an impact.  With their number one receiver out, recently acquired Chris Chambers becomes that much more valuable.  After two weeks of being inactive, Bobby Wade will be back on the field and coach Todd Haley will be expecting production from the former Viking star and Lance Long, the small free agent who the Chiefs have been giving a long look. 

With the passing game having to readjust, quarterback Matt Cassel may want to rely on the running game.  Jamaal Charles had his first 100 yard performance last week against the Raiders, but running against Oakland isn’t the same as trying to run against the Steelers.  

Pittsburgh is number one in the league against the rush, allowing less than 70 yards per game, they’re 2nd in the league in total defense at 277 yards per game.  KC’s offense will have their hands full even with Troy Polamalu likely out of the lineup.  At some point this season KC has to find a way to start converting third downs.  That starts with leaving themselves shorter yardage situations by having fewer minus plays offensively.

It comes back once again to the offensive line for Kansas City.  Can they create enough running room for Charles and Kolby Smith and can they protect Cassel and give him some time to find the open receiver?

The flip side is whether the Chiefs defense can eliminate giving up the big play and put the pressure on Ben Rothlesberger.  Big Ben will hold the ball and take sacks.  The line has to get some sacks.  Glenn Dorsey is showing continued improvement in the middle and Tamba Hali has been a force to be reckoned with from the linebacker spot.

Haley says if there’s one thing that rises above all else when playing the Steelers, it’s that they will be physical and the Chiefs better be ready to be physical if they expect to have a chance to win.

The fall from grace can be brutally fast for college coaches

Big time college coaches are vastly overpaid.  We all know that.  But I’ve always said, do you want your livelihood dependent on the performance of 18 to 22 year old kids?  Your fortunes can turn on a  dime for a multitude of reasons.

At the University of Kansas, football coach Mark Mangino’s job is hanging by a thread at the moment.  By the time you read to this, he may be gone.  It’s pretty amazing when you consider his team began the season as preseason favorites in the Big 12 north and they were 5-0 just five weeks ago.

They were well on their way to their third straight bowl game for the first time in school history when the wheels fell off.  This week athletic director Lew Perkins held a players only meeting to discuss issues brought to him by players of repeated verbal abuse and physical contact by Mangino.  An internal investigation was launched.

At that point it was probably over for Mangino.  He’d been thrown under the bus by his AD who’d met with his players without his knowledge and once it went public it opened the floodgates for former players  to come out with their own stories.  Whether all of them are true or not, really doesn’t matter at this point.  Perception is reality and the reality is that Mangino’s ability to recruit has been irreparably damaged by the abuse charges.

At his weekly gathering with the media on Tuesday, Mangino told reporters this is what happens when you’re losing and the Jayhawks are on a five game skid.  He couldn’t be more right.  If Kansas was 8-2 or 9-1 and leading the Big 12 north right now, it’s unlikely this would be happening.  That doesn’t make it right.  It’s just a fact.

Two years ago when Kansas was 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl, fans were elated when Mangino lit up Raimond Pendleton in what became a youtube moment.  He unloaded on him for a full 20 seconds, grabbing his facemask, poking his chest and screaming just inches from his face for showboating after a touchdown and getting a penalty.  It was OK then, today, he’s verbally abusing players.  If stories from some players about the abuse being very personal and in front of the team are true, he has to go, but it shows you how fine the line is between motivation and humiliation.

What a coach could do a decade or two ago, they can’t do now.  Times have changed.  This is one of the quickest falls from grace by a coach in a long time.  National coach of the year two seasons ago, back to back bowl games, 5-0 just five weeks ago.  It’s obvious Mangino has anger issues, not to mention his obvious weight problem, but he had those before he became a head coach.  He apparently has never seen fit to do anything about either and now it’s going to cost him a very high profile and high paying job.

I've chosen a winner and I don't think it's going to change

This week’s Heisman watch hasn’t changed much in my eyes.  Last week I ran through six players who all deserved mention for the award.  A couple fell back because their performances didn’t overly impress or their teams lost.

Case Keenum saw his Houston team be upset by Central Florida 37-32 and despite throwing for 377 yards, most of it was late with his team well behind.  He’s finally out.

Ndamukong Suh had a quiet day in a win against Kansas and an offensive line that had been struggling to protect their quarterback.  Still, I think he deserves a ticket to New York.

TimTebow led his unbeaten Florida team to another victory against South Carolina and rushed for his 53rd career touchdown in addition to passing for 199 yards, but it wasn’t an awe inspiring performance.  His passing efficiency rating two years ago when he won the Heisman was 172, this year it’s 154.

Everybody’s hot choice, Mark Ingram of Alabama carried the ball 19 times for 149 yards and two TD’s including a 70 yarder against Mississippi State.  I’m just not convinced this is the best college player in the country though.

Toby Gerhart had his second huge week in a row against a top 10 team gaining 178 yards on 29 carries against USC.  His three TD’s gave him 19 for the season and his Stanford team put 50 plus points up against a top 10 team the second straight week.  He’s more of a sledgehammer than Ingram, but he’s hot and getting hotter.

I’m still on the Colt McCoy boat.  He became the winningest quarterback in BCS school history with the Texas win over Baylor.  He only had 181 yards and two TD’s, but he had his team up 40-0 at half and didn’t need to throw much.  He’s hitting 72 percent of his throws and McCoy leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency at 148, but that number would have ranked 7th in the league just a year ago.  Goes to show that defense is back in the Big 12.

If I voted today I’d go McCoy, Tebow, Suh, Ingram and Gerhart, 

If this is Tuesday, it's going to be a long week

It’s been a long sports day with a lot going on around my house, so let’s see what we’ve learned.

I expect Mark Mangino to be fired no later than Sunday by Athetic Director Lew Perkins.   When it became public that Perkins had held a players only meeting to inform the team of an investigation of Mangino, that started the clock ticking on the end of the Mangino era.

He essentially threw Mangino under the bus and he can’t turn back now.  Don’t blame Perkins for this though.  If the reports I’m hearing are true and from the sources I’ve talked to, I believe they are, this is all Mangino’s fault.

My 84 year old aunt wondered what the fuss was about.  She said, “It’s football, why are players upset if they got hit a little?”  Now if he'd fallen on them, someone could've been hurt.

In between the KU football news and the number one ranked Jayhawk basketball team sliding by an underdog but overachieving Memphis club late in the evening, we learned that Larry Johnson had signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

He may have made out like a bandit financially after getting cut loose by the Chiefs and he may end up playing for a playoff team, but he’s still an idiot.  Instead of using Twitter, this time he posted on Facebook, “Gonna gallop all over the Chiefs.  Cleat prints on the chests.  Mud in the face masks.”

First, he has to play for the Bengals.  That’s not a given yet.  

With Johnson out of the way, the Chiefs needed new problems to deal with and they got them in the form of a 4 game suspension of Dwayne Bowe by the NFL for violating the substance abuse program.  Bowe is claiming it was a diuretic he took back in training camp.  Maybe, but who’s to say it wasn’t something more?  Nice timing Dwayne.

All this news overshadowed what should have been Zach Greinke Day in Kansas City.  The Royals right hander won the Cy Young award.  In typical Zach fashion, when asked if he’d thought about the award since the end of the season, he responded, “Not really. I’ve been playing this World of Warcraft game.”

The Jayhawk basketball team must have felt like they were getting pounded on by Twilight’s Hammer.  With their offense sputtering and Sherron Collins cramping, they couldn’t put away Memphis.  In fact, they needed a last second missed three pointer to survive by two, but survive they did.  Something Mark Mangino is unlikely to do.

Mangino's job may be hanging by a thread

As KU prepares to take on the Texas Longhorns this Saturday on the heels of a five game losing streak, word came out of Lawrence that Athletic Director Lew Perkins held a players only meeting with the the football team to discuss Mangino and concerns that were brought to him.

Perkins confirmed the meeting as did Mangino at his Tuesday gathering with the media.  Sources are reporting that several players have come to athletic department officials to complain about being verbally abused and possibly being struck by the coach.

Mangino would only say to the media that “I may have lost some people around here but not the players. This is what comes when things aren’t going well.”

He admitted that he met with Perkins for 10 or 15 minutes but wouldn’t discuss what was said, saying he would leave it to Perkins to make any public disclosures. 

Players who met with the media tried to avoid answering question regarding the situation, but quarterback Todd Reesing was more open and said Perkins told the team there would be an unbiased person who would conduct an investigation.  Reesing wouldn’t say what was being investigated.

Reesing said he told the team they had to focus on Saturday’s game against Texas and shouldn’t talk about the issue.  He also told reporters there was no turmoil on the team despite the meeting with Perkins.

One source told me this is something that has been building for some time and that the dam may have just broke.  With a six game losing streak staring KU in the face and these issues in public, Mangino’s tenure, despite two straight bowl wins may be coming quickly to an end. 

Greinke wins Cy Young

Zach Greinke won the Cy Young today in a surprising landslide victory, getting 25 of 28 first place votes.  Despite having just a 16-8 record, Greinke had a dominating year on the mound leading baseball with a 2.16 ERA.  He’s the first Cy Young winner for the Royals since David Cone in 1994.

The 26 year old righthander had six complete games, 3 shoutouts.  In 229 innings hitters managed just a .230 batting average while Greinke struck out 242 and allowed just 51 walks. 

If the Royals had been able to give him run support, who knows what his record would have been.  In 17 starts where he had a loss or no decision, the Royals averaged just 2.2 runs per game.  They scored just 15 runs in his 8 losses.

Despite that, he consistently performed game in and game out and has become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Felix Hernandez received two of the other three first place votes, Justin Verlander received the third.

Bowe suspended

Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has been suspended by the NFL for the next four games for violating the performance enhancing drugs policy.  See what happens when you win.

Is Mangino's job on the line?

Is Mark Mangino’s job in jeopardy after back to back bowl seasons?  After five straight losses, it's quite possible.  Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins held a players only meeting Monday night to discuss concerns about head coach Mark Mangino.  http://bit.ly/1WAl6o

Larry Johnson still gaining yards for the Chiefs

He may be about to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, but Larry Johnson is still climbing the Chiefs rushing charts.  Thanks to some slow statistical calculations Michael Eisen of Giants.com unearthed this oddity:

"It took a while, but the Elias Sports Bureau has made a scoring change from the Giants’ game in Kansas City on Oct. 4. With 13:08 left in the game, Larry Johnson was originally credited with a rush for zero yards, but the Chiefs gained 19 yards on a fumble recovery. The new ruling is that Johnson, who is no longer with the team, ran for 19 yards before fumbling. Guard Brian Waters gets zero recovery yards.

"Johnson’s rushing totals for the game are now 18 carries for 71 yards. Kansas City’s team totals are 25 attempts for 124 yards, and the Chiefs’ total yardage was 212 yards."

If this keeps up Johnson could still become the teams leading rusher.

Butler wins Royals Player of the Year

Billy Butler was named the Royals Player of the Year following his best season in the majors.  In his third season he hit .301 with 21 home runs and 93 RBI's while appearing in 159 games.  


He also had 51 doubles and hit .361 in Kauffman Stadium, the sixth best home average in team history.  He became just the fifth major league player under the age of 24 to hit 50 doubles and 20 home runs in a season.

Butler showed up to spring training with a new physical look after an intense off season fitness program.  As he heads into his fourth season in the majors, Butler, who lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho in the off season says he's already begun his conditioning program for next year.  

In a related note, the American League Cy Young Award is handed out tomorrow and all indications are it will go to KC's Zack Greinke.

Chiefs get their second win in Oakland, but boy was this ugly

First game of the post Larry Johnson era for the Chiefs and they get a victory  It wasn’t easy.  In fact, I’d call it ugly.  Coach Todd Haley called it hard.  Either way, it’s a win and the Chiefs didn’t seem to miss Johnson as Jamaal Charles rushed for 103 yards in the 16-10 victory.

When Haley said it was hard, he meant it.  Second offensive play of the game, Oakland’s Michael Bush broke loose on a 60 yard run before being caught at the Kansas City four.  Justin Fargas leaped in two plays later for the score, the first TD on an opening drive this season for the Raiders.

After an interception thrown by Matt Cassel on a deep ball on the Chiefs first possession, KC looked in early trouble, but the defense responded and shut down the dysfunctional Oakland offense the rest of the game.

On their third possession, the Chiefs Ryan Succop managed a 50 yard FG after a terrific catch by Chris Chambers for a 30 yard gain.

Sebastian Janikowski matched Succop on the next possession with a 50 yarder of his own to make it 10-3 Oakland.

Early in the 2nd quarter, Haley chose to go for it on fourth and one and Charles used a great cutback to break loose for a 44 yard TD run.  The first of his career and first rushing TD of the season for the Chiefs.

Next possession KC got three more points but could have had more as they moved quickly from their 26 to the Raider 7 but consecutive miscues forced another FG by Succop, 13-10 Chiefs.

The lack of offense by both teams was evident in the fact neither team could covert a 3rd down opportunity in the first half, going 0 for 16.

Both teams missed FG’s in the third quarter, for Janikowski it was his first miss of the year.  Not much else happened right offensively for either team.  Haley brain locked and  decided to go for it on 4th and 1 at the 13 when his team could have gone up 16-10.  They failed and turned the ball over on downs.

After the game he said he didn’t regret the decision, but did regret the decision to attempt the 53 yard field goal early that gave the Raiders good field position.

“I’ll probably regret’em both tomorrow,” said Haley, “but that one I really regretted.”

Credit the defense which bottled up the Raiders.  also give credit to JaMarcus Russell, who was absolutely awful again going 9 of 24 for just 67 yards in the game.  

Bruce Gradkowski came in and took over at the quarterback spot for Russell with little improvement and with under two minutes to go on the final Oakland drive the Raiders moved to the Chiefs 26 thanks in part to a very questionable replay ruling of a completion, But Darius Heyward Bey had a pass go off his hands and Mike Brown got his second interception of the game and secured KC’s 2nd win of the season.

Matt Cassel was an efficient 19 of 24 for 215 yards and Jamaal Charles rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries, but the Chiefs were 1 of 15 on 3rd downs.  Still a win is a win and KC leaves Oakland with a 16-10 victory.