Army Football

It wasn't just another hot, summer day for West Point Alumnus Caleb Campbell. The Perrytown, TX native had been drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

Most of his band of brothers from college would eventually be lacing up their combat boots after being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks to a 2005 change in Army rules that allowed athletes drafted by a professional sports team to delay their active military service, Campbell was lacing up his cleats and putting on the helmet and practice jersey that had just been issued to him by the Detroit Lions.

But before he was able to take the field, word came down to the Lions' organization that the Army had reinterpreted this rule, no doubt due to the controversy that athletes in other branches of service were not afforded the same option. Caleb Campbell would be taking the field after all, but it wouldn't be under the bright lights of Ford Field.

The fierce defensive back for the Black Knights admitted to being overcome by his emotions when he found out that the Army had changed their rules, but he recognizes the importance of serving a cause greater than himself. The cause of freedom. 

Campbell even commented on the advantages of remaining on active duty in the Army while taking a hiatus from football will help him "stay in great shape". 

Caleb Campbell joins a rich tradition of athletes who bypass scholarships to other programs in order to train as an officer at a United States service academy.

Life at West Point was very different from the average "college experience" that most of us had. Day to day life is much more regimented and discipline standards are infinitely higher than you will find at your local state or private campus.

It is a testament to the character of these young athletes who know going in that even if they are successful enough on the field to be drafted into professional sports, they will likely have to delay realizing that dream until they have first fulfilled their service to America. 

Add the fact that we are currently a nation at war, and it's easy to see that these young men understand the virtue of strong character.

Our voyeuristic society seems to like to read stories like that of Tennessee's freshman tailback Daryl Vereen being arrested for public intoxication, or LSU's junior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux who was dismissed from the team by head coach Les Miles for several off-campus run-ins with the law as well as violating multiple team rules.

Sometimes it's more serious crimes, like Alabama's senior linebacker Jimmy Johns, who was recently kicked off the team after being arrested for multiple counts of selling cocaine, a felony charge. 

With an offseason littered by stories of the many college athletes who have inexplicably fallen from grace, the story of Caleb Campbell comes as a breath of fresh air. 

According to the Department of the Army, Second Lieutenant Caleb Campbell will serve as a graduate assistant, coaching safeties either at West Point or at the West Point Military Prep School at Fort Monmouth. Lieutenant Campbell will serve at this position for one year, then report to Officer Training for another year. After two years of service, Campbell will be eligible to apply for a release to return to the NFL.

While the initial reaction to Caleb Campbell being allowed to go straight into the NFL after West Point was rife with controversy, the culmination of this story seems to have calmed the waters. Naturally, this young man was upset after being granted the waiver and then having it taken from him right before he became a Lion, but the resolve he has shown in the face of adversity proves that he already has the heart of a lion.  

In this day and age of 24-hour news, reality television, and society's fascination with celebrity train wrecks, our young men and women in uniform remind us of what it's really all about.

Having listened to and read up on the Caleb Campbell issue, and what the mass media calls “a move to help enlistment numbers,” it is time to get it right already. 

Let me take the time to apologize to some ahead of time, but this one hits close to home for this vet, whose brothers are "still in it to win it." I'm just another ignorant soldier talking about sports and the war, the exact same conversation is taking place on every base in the military.

Campbell isn't the first athlete to join the service: Joe Louis joined the Army as did Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams was a pilot in the Army Air Corpse, Hank Greenberg, Billy Southworth, Bob Feller, Billy Martin, Stan Musial, Smokey Bill Read, and Bobby Mercer among many others. They all make soldiers proud, and none; including Caleb, expected special treatment. 

Caleb Campbell was commissioned and signed a contract two years ago locking himself into military service, and pride for country until 2010.  He finished his officer training school and was told he would be eligible to play professional sports in accordance with the then Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

Having already listened to Mike Greenberg this morning on ESPN Radio trash the issue with his self-professed ignorance it is time to set the record straight, before full-blown media hysteria takes place on how evil the military is for not letting poor Caleb play a sport. 

Giving Greenberg a pass, he said that he thought that it was because keeping Campbell active might attract recruits to join up, and increase numbers. 

Now, to correct Mike, Lt. Campbell is a Recruiting Officer – look out Berkeley!  His job is to attain quotas of enlisted men and women, go out into the public; to state parks, to malls, and most of all to high school and college campuses to much the dismay of many. They recruit others to join during a War on Terror with two fronts; Battlefronts Iraq and Afghanistan; and are demonized for it too. 

He is not any closer to going over to Afghanistan or Iraq then he is of going to start as the new quarter back for Green Bay. This is all being sold you by way of some AP reporter who doesn’t know what it means to be a soldier, other than the fact that he is a hired mercenary reporting as he is told.

He probably has a guaranteed location in the states, while others suffer what is referred to as a “Wish List.” What would those he recruited think of him while over-there listening to him play games on the Voice of America Radio while in Baghdad driving a Hum V next to Curly-Joe?

One organization really said that "the NFL draft might actually save a soldier from the war," as if he didn't volunteer at all, and had no parental guidance-or will of his own.  Did the Vietnam draft just happen again and someone forgot to tell us? Maybe that publication was thinking that a game was acutally more important than issues outside the realm of sports - real issues that impact the world, per say. 

There once used to be "community drives" in support of soldiers past, maybe we could bring those days back and start by donating some microphones to scrap for our boys over-there.

Campbell said many classmates approached him with curiosity asking why he didn’t have to serve his term out.  The fact is, regardless of him saying he could have had the best of both worlds in serving/recruiting for the Army while playing for the Detroit Lions, it is a morale issue and Caleb got too big, too fast. 

It is way too public and now all the soldiers know about it, and unless they can release all those boys who have jobs waiting at home for them, than sorry Caleb-drop your rocks and grab your socks.

Plus what if some protestor got really out of hand on 'ole Caleb?

It isn’t about his classmates.  It is about the ones he and his classmates order about on a daily basis, and sometimes to their deaths. The enlisted men are over-there sweating it out every day, stinking like pork sweats and no bath for a month, seeing no loved ones, no girlfriends, eating Meal Ready to Eat kits, not knowing how they’re families are doing, not seeing their kids and living every day under the threat of being shot, or blown up whilst being in 115 degree weather and in a perma-state of ball soup.

They serve so that their kid brothers and sisters, cousins, neighbors, or kids won’t have to do the same thing, and some get injured bad, while others don't make it out, but move on in grace.

The last thing a soldier, or the military wants to think of is how that guy is back in the states, making millions, partying with cheer-leaders (no, not ESPN reporters), playing football and traveling about the United States while they are in a place like Fallujah, or Hallabja - where there is proof of WMD's and it is just not reported.

Take it from a Veteran, this is not about NCAA rules and regulations, this is about the enlisted.  Not the officers, but the millions that serve them and thousands that die under them who need their morale to be positive and need society to be supportive, which doesn’t mean demean their service and all those dead by bringing them home from what some call a worthless war-that smarts.

The troop morale should not be undermined, especially while some say that all the Iraqi government has to do is to care for its’ people and then we can come home.  What has been going on over there for the past thousand years? It is an ongoing religious war that has roots back to the 12th century, along with having ties to Hitler.

Lion's Coach and Vietnam Veteran, Rod Marinelli, said of Campbell, "He was issued a helmet and all ready to go."  Coach would do well to recall the helmet of honor which is required of all who sign to "serve." It is what it is, an unfortunate delay of one who voluntarily made a promise - he wasn't drafted by the military.

This war is not a game and ESPN ought to take better care for those that fight and die in it. Then again, ESPN is owned by Disney who's considering a merger with CNN.  Jane Fonda was married to CNN owner Ted Turner and she was a war sympathizer, just on the wrong side. 

She actually went to Vietnam and visited the Hanoi Hilton where McCain was held prisoner for 5 long years after being shot down in a Navy Jet.  She turned troops over to the North Vietnam officers because they were trying to pass notes to her, that said thing like, "Hey, can you tell my mom I am still alive?" or "What year is it?"

These type politics are of the same mind frame that want to merge with ESPN/Walt Disney so it is consistent that they pollute the subject of soldiers voluntarily fighting for our way of life in such a poor manner.

Ms. Fonda-Turner protested openly in the US against our troops and joined John Kerry in France in support of North Vietnam cheering him on as he threw his medals away…the same medals that represent military-honor and for which millions have died, yet he just casually tossed them aside like trinkets to feed the politically starving.  It's a good thing the 60s aren't around anymore.

So maybe ESPN’s ignorance is just your typical on-the-job training of those wanting to merge with CNN's Ted Turner, which in itself is "TnT."

ABC is also partnered-up with ESPN, and is owned by Viacom who owns cable-wide networking for whom the broadcast avenue is made available to those who report "newsworthy events."  They tell us how bad or most recently successful the Bush Administration has been, but then glorify the war with shows like Generation Kill while young eyes watch in shock and awe.   

Ask a soldier how he feels if you can’t take a vets word for it.

The media’s job is to take your eye off the ball to make you forget the troubles and help you spend your money on its parent corporation and their sponsors. Happy consumers spend the most, and those that the corporations push into office give the best benefits to them.

Military Enlisted Numbers actually went up, in some cases by 156%, despite the War on Terrorism, and their Battle Fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq; and in lieu of rising death tolls, yet those at NBC and ABC report that the enlisted numbers are down.  THe military has not made some of it's current quotas because their golas are based on the previous years numbers and the highest amount of enlisted occured directly after 9.11.

Of course you will not hear that from Tom Brokaw of NBC, which is owned by GE, one of the largest of all military contractors; and polluters of the world who actually got tax breaks from the Democrat ruled Congress in 2001 to clean up the Hudson River which they polluted with PCB’s (not WMDs).  Needless to say The Sierra Club and the NY Times are not happy at all about it. 

These reporters on the war come off plainly like sympathetic humanitarians but will not report their own parent companies improprieties - which is of course hypocritical of the disingenuous pontificators.

You can visit the actual military websites "rather" than listen to glorifed boobs - at USAF, USMC, ARMY, and Navy to learn more about troop morale, Caleb Campbell and what the actual soldiers think and then you will not have to listen to what corporate reps want you to believe the soldiers think because you will know first hand, from the soldier himself.

They play for one reason, and one reason only—for the love of the game. Their work ethic, sportsmanship and dedication to their country are the reasons why the Army, Navy, and Air Force epitomize what everything right is about college football.

There are no rumpled jerseys, no earrings, no flashy jewelry, no long hair, nor beards on their sidelines. There are no touchdown celebrations involving unsportsmanlike conduct. Questioning a coach's decision is a foreign thought; the respect they hold for authority is second-to-none.

They are, arguably, the ultimate football players, and more importantly, the ultimate role models.

James Patrick "JP" Blecksmith (Navy '03) was one of those role models—a role model who never came back after graduating from the Naval Academy.

He was killed November 11, 2004, after deploying to Iraq. His unit was taking part (clearing a building) in Operation Iraqi Freedom II in Fallujah, when he took a bullet to the left shoulder; it eventually lodged in his heart. He was 24 years old when he died.

His athletic and academic accomplishments were impressive. He lettered four years in track, two in soccer, and three in football at the tony Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Ca. JP was first team, all-CIF quarterback as a junior and a senior.

He was named to three national All-American teams as a blue chip athlete. He was also all-CIF track in his sophomore, junior and senior years, and was the Prep League's Most Valuable Athlete in 1999. He was also tenth grade class president, a National Honor Society member and a peer counselor.

JP was the kid you wanted your daughter to marry.

After accepting an appointment with the Naval Academy, Blecksmith played four years on the Navy football team, eventually lettering as a senior wide receiver. While most college football players have aspirations of big money in the NFL, Blecksmith had his life already planned out for him.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marines Corps and commanded the third platoon (India Company) of the Third Battalion, Fifth Regiment of the First Marine Division.

Just a few months after celebrating his 24th birthday, he was killed in action in Iraq.

JP had two missions when he deployed to Iraq; to be the best leader of the platoon he commanded, and to bring back all of his men safely. He succeeded in both missions.

His death was the only one in his platoon. JP paid the ultimate sacrifice, and was awarded the Purple Heart, as well as the Bronze Star, posthumously, in front of his platoon, for his bravery.

Many critics of the service academies point out that they are not as competitive (due to height and weight restrictions) as other FBS schools, and in particular, elite schools. The history that these schools enjoy defies that logic.

The Naval Midshipmen and Army Black Knights share five Heisman Trophy winners. The Air Force, with its triple option attack since 1965, has been one of the nation's top ten rushing teams for nineteen of twenty-one years.

More recently, Navy beat Notre Dame, 46-44 in triple OT, snapping a 43 game losing streak going back to 1963. If you don't think that game was monumental to Navy, you obviously didn't watch the game. It was one of the most defining moments of college football, as it showed grit, determination, and the human desire to never give up. 

While many football players look ahead to their potential future in the NFL, the Navy football players know their path is far different. They came to play a game, be their most competitive against a vastly superior talent pool, and hopefully, show some young school-age boys a different view of what sportsmanship, commitment to one's country, unselfishness and sacrifice really mean.  The Navy's sidelines aren't filled with dead-pans into the cameras, or "we're number one" shouts.

Instead, their sidelines are filled with empty chairs; chairs with a set of shoulder pads and jersey of each of their fallen comrades.

A poignant and solemn reminder of really how unimportant football is in the scope of things. Perhaps no game signifies the importance of the contributions made by the service academies more than the Army-Navy game played the first Saturday of every December.

The beautiful sight of college football is completely captured in this game. Young cadets in their formal uniforms, with brass buttons shining in the sun, and their clean-cut, scrubbed faces ready for a day filled with fun, and yet, carrying with them the knowledge that their future is uncertain, but embraced, nevertheless.

They are football players who don't possess the five-star athletic ability of some of their rivals, but whose hearts and minds are so driven, that they are a force to be reckoned with in every game.

To quit is not in their language.

To finish strong is their mission.

To face all odds with bravery, and to finish the game with intensity.

To represent the finest America has to offer, with dignity and class. To play the game the way it was meant to be played. Nothing more.

For most seniors, the last game of the year is the most emotional. Almost every player knows it is their last time on a football field. They also know that for some of them, it's the last time they will see some of their teammates' faces.

Many of them will be deployed, and during wartime, some will not come back.

It is at this point, that they realize they have just played their final football game, and it's time to get serious with life.

It's time to say goodbye to their teammates, time to say goodbye to the other players. Each one of them knows, while they fought tooth and nail to beat each other up on the field, eventually, they all will be working together, on one team, to defeat the enemy and to protect the very precious soil that they stand on. And play on.

After the game is finished, the losing team's alma mater is played, while the winning team's players stand side-by-side with the losing side's players, facing the losing side's academy section of the stadium. And the process reverses for the winning team.

Each side—once enemies on the field—comes together as one after the game, and solemnly recognizes that they all have each other's backs for as long as they live. For sure, there are no losers in this battle on the field.

America, however, has certainly lost some of their finest representatives of real men, and the sport of football has lost some of its greatest players. Not due to their athletic prowess, nor their bowl wins or great comeback-wins.   No, football has lost some of its greatest players because of what they represent—excellence both on and off the field. Sacrifice.

And all of football is truly graced to have these service academies remind us of what is really important in sport. Army, Navy and Air Force capture the essence of sportsmanship—competition, pride and class. Something both college and professional football players need to never forget, and perhaps, even learn.

The next time you watch one of the service academies play, remember JP Blecksmith's face. Remember this young man with short-cropped blond hair, squeaky-clean good looks and a mega-watt smile that could light up a room.

He wasn't just a football player. He was somebody's son or brother who tried to make you proud of his team and proud of your country.

And, more importantly, he made sure your family was safe while he was watching your back. Yeah, they all have our backs. We thank you for giving us these great games. And we thank you for making us proud to be Americans.     

James Patrick Blecksmith, Navy, '0309-26-8011-11-04 Go Navy, beat Army. R.I.P.  *special thanks to JP Blecksmith Foundation, at JPBlecksmith.org.

My top four most likely FCS over FBS upsets for the 2008 season. Be sure to check out parts one and two if you haven’t already!

#4: Richmond at Virginia (September 6^th)

Al Groh’s Cavaliers were one of the better stories in college football last year, spending much of the 2007 season in the ACC title hunt while finishing the year with a 9-4 record. Their success was deceiving however, as Virginia pulled out four net close wins (wins of a touchdown or less) including one point wins over Wake Forest, Maryland, and Connecticut to go along with a two point win over always powerful Middle Tennessee State.  Virginia figured to be rebuilding in 2008 with the loss of all everything defensive end Chris Long (who, to put it bluntly, won several games basically by himself for Virginia last year), but further and unexpected losses on both sides of the ball this off-season have left Groh’s squad desperately inexperienced. Aside from having to break in a new quarterback in 2008, Virginia must replace three offensive linemen and all three defensive linemen, including rising star Jeffery Fitzgerald, who left the team abruptly this spring. 

Richmond, meanwhile, is fresh off an 11-3 season in the ultra-competitive Colonial Athletic Conference in which the Spiders made it all the way to the National semi-final game where they lost to Appalachian State. Richmond returns eight starters on both sides of the football and gets two more back in OL Tim Silver and DE Sherman Logan, both of whom sat out much of 2007 due to injury. They do lose All-American running back Tim Hightower and have a new Head Coach at the helm with Mike London, but the Spiders are no strangers to playing quality competition as their six wins against FCS Top 25 teams were the most of any team in the country last year. Rising senior Josh Vaughan ran for more than 700 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and should fill in nicely for Hightower while duel-threat quarterback Eric Ward continues his development.

After what figures to be a crushing loss to USC in week one Virginia will still be searching for an offensive identity when they return to Charlottesville on September 6^th, while their promising but young defensive line will likely be going through some growing pains. I like Richmond’s rushing attack (12^th nationally in the FCS last year) to shore up Virginia’s front seven, and for the Richmond defense to give Virginia’s already fairly pedestrian offense some problems. In a close game like this matchups matter but despite the coaching matchup of a veteran like Groh and a rookie like London, I give Richmond a great chance of pulling the upset here.

#3 North Dakota State at Wyoming (September 13^th)

After being one of about seventeen people on the East Coast to watch Wyoming dismantle Virginia to begin the 2007 season I was thoroughly convinced on Joe Glenn’s ability to lead the Pokes to a winning season, and after a 4-1 start my suspicions seemed to be confirmed. Yet it was not to be, as Wyoming went on the drop six of their last seven including and embarrassing 50-0 crushing at the hands of Utah. The prospect of watching his team bludgeoned on the field offended Glenn so much that he flipped the bird to Utah head coach Kyle Wittingham during the contest, an act which this blogger eagerly applauded. Still, Wyoming’s downfall in 2007 went largely unnoticed, as the Pokes struggled offensively down the stretch en route to being out-gained by more than 80 yards per game in conference play. Quarterback Karstan Sween was woefully inconsistent, tossing 17 picks to just 12 touchdowns, and the team sputtered under a -12 turnover margin. They do get 14 starters back in 2007 including an explosive running back tandem in Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon, as well as an offensive line which returns its entire two-deep. Defensively Wyoming figures to be strong once again in 2007, although the Pokes will have to deal with the loss of two top flight corners in Michael Medina and Julius Stinson. With so much attention focused on North Dakota State’s running game, Wyoming’s inexperienced cornerbacks could struggle against the experienced and talented NDST receiving corps.

North Dakota State was in a transition state from Division II to the FCS last year and the program wasn’t even eligible for the playoffs. That was probably a good thing for numerous teams throughout the FCS, as the Bison only cruised their way to ten consecutive wins before losing a close game to rival South Dakota State to finish out the year. While all the team’s featured in our countdown are coming off of winning seasons, what separates North Dakota State from virtually every other FCS program in the country was the team’s ability to win two games against FBS competition in 2007, a feat which I believe was never before accomplished since the classifications were established (if I’m wrong on this one, let me know.) North Dakota State’s 27-21 win over Minnesota was well documented by the world wide leader, but an equally, if not even more impressive win came in week three when the Bison shellacked bowl bound Central Michigan 44-14, in the process holding the potent Chippewas offense to 150 yards and sixteen points below their yearly average. North Dakota State spent six weeks as the top ranked FCS team in 2007, and while they lose quarterback Steve Walker to graduation they do return their top skill position players, including one of the best running backs in the FCS in Tyler Roehl (1431 yards, 21 TD last year.) A solid receiving corps returns all the leading pass catchers from last season, including All-American candidate Kole Heckendorf. Defensively they will be adjusting to life after linebacker Joe Mays, but there is a veteran enough presence to keep the team in games and to let the offense go to work. 

This is the one all the FCS fans have circled. It’s not that Wyoming is a bad team, it’s just that North Dakota State looked so dominant in wins over bowl-bound Central Michigan and Big Ten member Minnesota last season that they’ve built a reputation of being able to beat FBS teams. While this could work against them against Wyoming (especially considering Glenn’s background as a NAIA, D-II, and FCS coach) it remains to be seen whether Karstan Sween has furthered his development enough to overcome the inconsistency and turnovers which stalled Wyoming’s offense last season (-12 in 2007.) North Dakota State is a veteran team with senior leadership, and considering the talent level even a solid defense like Wyoming’s could struggle if kept on the field too long. North Dakota State’s potent offense and penchant for upsets make this my third most likely FCS upset of 2008, especially considering continued questions of the productivity of Wyoming’s offense.

#2 New Hampshire at Army (September 6^th)

It’s been a long and frankly depressing slide into mediocrity for the Cadets of West Point, as the once proud team that was producing National Championships and Heisman trophy winners some 60 years ago now struggles to post wins over lower tier MAC teams. Head coach Stan Brock hopes to begin a turnaround similar to the run engineered at Navy under Paul Johnson six years ago, making the transition to an option offense while downgrading the schedule, a move which should actually have Army looking up. Nevertheless the Black Knights are likely to have a very difficult time in 2007, as they’ll have only four starters back on offense while attempting to make the switch to the wishbone. The fact that last year’s starting quarterback Carson William’s is not exactly the most fleet-o-foot individual around compounds Army’s offensive issues going into the year, putting the Black Knights in a potentially no-win situation of making the decision to go with the ill-adapted Williams or a true freshmen in Paul McIntosh. In either case, Army will have to rely on solid fundamentals and scheme work to overcome a lack of playmakers on offense, a point exceptionally tough to accomplish in the first year of a new system (for comparisons sake, see Paul Johnson’s 2-10 season at Navy in ’02.) Defensively Army has been o.k. the past few years, but the loss of seven starters from a unit which allowed over 30 points per game in 2007 will likely drop them to the bottom of the FBS defensive rankings. What concerns me the most is the secondary, which will break in four new starters in 2007 against what was the FCS’ 13^th ranked passing offense and 4^th ranked passing efficiency offense last season.

New Hampshire isn’t an overwhelming FCS power like Appalachian State or Montana, but they’ve been a perennial winner under headman Sean McDonnell (60-47 in nine years of work) and more importantly have had a knack for beating FBS teams. New Hampshire has actually won their last three games against FBS opponents, with the latest being a win over Marshall 48-35 in 2007. New Hampshire runs a spread style passing attack that is more than capable of exposing Army’s defensive limitations, including a revamped Army secondary which must break in four new starters. While Ricky Santos does leave for the CFL after a record setting career at UNH the offense figures to still be potent, with Mississippi State transfer Kyle Aufrey coming in to compete for the starting job. UNH did struggle defensively last year but seven returning starters should help shore up the defense. The good news for New Hampshire is that they see an option offense every year with Rhode Island, so adjusting to the presumed Army wishbone look shouldn’t be too radical of a defensive gameplane.

Army has struggled with CAA teams in the recent past, with the Black Knights squeaking by UMass by a touchdown in 2005 and just getting by a mediocre Rhode Island team in overtime last season. Unlike those two teams New Hampshire has the resume of knocking off FBS teams on a regular basis and has the experience on offense to move the ball against Army even with a new quarterback. New Hampshire is arguably a better team than Army talent wise and with the Black Knights undergoing a transformation in offensive schemes it’s tough to see Army having that much success against a UNH defense which returns seven starters. As an Army fan I hate to go against the Cadets like this but we could see a lot of balls on the ground for Army, something which will cost the Black Knights dearly against a perennially explosive UNH offense.

Check back tommorow for my most likely FCS over FBS upset of 2008!

The BCS selection process was supposed to help more clearly define who deserved to be playing for the national championship each year. Some say it is the best process we have found so far, others disagree and are advocates of a "play off" system. Whether one chooses one viewpoint or the other, there is one thing under the current system that seems innately unfair to me and that is the lack of governance in regard to how BCS conference champions are determined. Some play a straight conference schedule, while others are required to play their division teams and then play cross over games with another division and then conduct a conference championship. Conferences that conduct conference championship games find that one good team might suffer a loss that might move them out of the BCS rankings. This seems unfair when other conferences do not conduct championship games and play one game less than those who do.

The BCS does not address this issue and their criteria for participating in a BCS Bowl is as follows:

1. The top two teams in the final BCS Standings shall play in the National Championship Game.

2. The Champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10 and SEC Conferences will have automatic berths in one of the participating bowls after the 2006 and 2007 regular seasons.

3. The Champions of Conference USA, the Mid American, Mountain West, Sunbelt and WAC Conferences will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if they are ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if they are ranked in the top 16 and are ranked higher than a conference champion from the conferences listed in item #2 above. In no case will more than one team from these conferences receive an automatic berth. If two or more teams from these conferences do satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, the team with the highest finish in the standings will receive the automatic berth and the remaining team will go into the pool for selection as an "at large" team.

4. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top eight of the final BCS rankings.

Well, this explanation of who gets in and who doesn't, goes on and on and reads like a contract to purchase Trump Towers. Personally, I am for bringing balance, equity and more simplicity to the process.

The first problem with all of this is that some conferences have conference championship games and others do not because of their size or conference rules. In all fairness, all conferences should be required to have conference championship games. The rules should be the same for all involved. Either all of the conferences should have a championship game or none of them should have a championship game. The conference championships are sources of additional revenues for the conferences as a whole and based on that, one would think that every conference would want to play that extra game. This is apparently not the case.

I believe that the first step towards some sort of parity calls for a realignment of conferences. The realignment I have in mind would boost the size of some existing conferences and essentially eliminate others so that every conference had a minimum of 14 teams. In this way, every conference would be large enough to conduct a rotation of play between divisions and this would also present the opportunity for every conference to conduct a conference championship game. Though this is not a final solution, it is food for thought and I believe it would not only work, but that an NCAA realignment would benefit all conferences and teams involved in terms of revenue sharing.

Here is my realignment:

BIG 10-They would no longer have just eleven teams. Iowa State would move from the Big 12 to the Big 10. Notre Dame would have their "most favored" status pulled by the NCAA and they would be required to join the Big 10 to be BCS Bowl eligible. Pittsburgh would move over from the Big East to the Big 10 and this would give the "Big 11" fourteen members. No excuse to not have divisional play and a conference championship game.

MAC-The MAC already has 13 members and by moving Cincinatti in from the Big East this takes them to the 14 teams they need and they would also be required to engage in divisional play and conduct a conference championship game.

SEC-The SEC is already in good shape but by moving the Louisville in from the Big East and moving Georgia Tech in from the ACC it expands the conference to 14 teams and retains its regional integrity.

BIG 12-The Big 12 would have to replace Iowa State but in order to expand the conference and continue to maintain its regional structure, TCU, Colorado State and Air Force would all move in from the Mountain West. TCU in the south and Air Force and Colorado State in the North.

PAC 10-The Pac 10 would remain unchanged except to absorb Hawaii and Fresno State from the WAC and BYU and San Diego State from the Mountain West. This gives them 14 teams and the requirement for divisional play and a conference championship game for BCS eligibility.

ACC-The ACC would have to replace the loss of Georgia Tech to the SEC but they expand to 16 teams adding S. Florida, Rutgers, West Virginia, Connecticut and Syracuse.

MTN West/Sunbelt-These two conferences would join one another in two divisions of 9 teams each. Arkansas State, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Troy, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico and Western Kentucky in one division and UNLV, Utah, Wyoming, Boise State, Idaho, Nevada, San Jose State, Utah State and New Mexico State in the other.

C-USA-Conference USA would expand to two eight team divisions of 16 teams absorbing LA Tech, Florida Atlantic, Army and Navy.

This would eliminate any "independents", the Big East and the WAC Conferences as well.

This is not to say that this is the only solution, let alone the "right" solution. What it does do is add teams to each conference and provides for divisional play and conference championships in every conference. This could potentially increase each schools share of conference revenues unless the teams that are added have less than the current average revenue that is generated by existing teams.

I believe every conference should be required to conduct a conference championship game and under this proposed format, that could be accomplished. If a conference does not have a conference championship game, I believe that they should have to play a "BCS Qualifying Game" against a conference of similar strength that also does not have a CCG. This too, might lend more parity. Still, I believe the combining of conferences as I suggested above would help everyone have more confidence in the system we have right now. At the very least, it would put everyone on more level ground.

But that is just my view........from outside the boundaries.

For years Detroit fans spent the days following the draft shaking their heads in disgust. Years after, the woes only got worse as the draft busts grew into NFL busts. This year however has left fans with a  slightly different taste in their mouths. For most, it's not excitement or disgust, it is a feeling of content. The Lion's didn't take any gambles and they didn't get any superstars, but they did get their guys and players that should work well in the system. Let's take a look at the newest Lions.

1st Round

Gosder Cherilus          OT          Boston College          17th overall

The Lions had the 15thoverall pick and had the chance to take offensive lineman Branden Albert, who was one of the best lineman in the draft and could have given their offensive line a well needed boost. Instead they traded down with the Cheifs to get the 17thoverall pick, swap third round picks, and pick up a fifthround pick. At this point everyone was thinking that the running back Rashard Mendenhall would be selected by the Lions. Wrong. The Lions shocked their fans withthis selection especially passing on Albert. At first I was completely disgusted with this pick, but overnight i was able to sleep on it and get the facts.

Gosderis a great run blocker witha massive frame and plays with a mean streak. What stood out most to me however wasn't his quick feet or his huge arms or hands. It was his interview. The pick made sense after his interview. It showed that all he knows is football and that's all he wants to do. He is the high integrity football character guy that Marinelli has been talking about since he got here. I don't think it was the best pick that could have been made at the time, but we will see in a few years.

How he will affect the team

He will most likely start at right tackle this season and I wouldn't be surprised to see plenty of runs to the right either. This leaves Jeff Backus to start at left tackle. My hope is that if the Lions can't get a better left tackle in the coming seasons, Gosder will be moved over to the left and another tackle is plugged in on the right side.

Second Round

Jordon Dizon          OLB          Colorado          14th/45th overall

Linebacker is a huge need for Detroit with the only note worthy linebackers on the roster being weak-side linebacker Ernie Sims and Paris Lenon who played middle linebacker last season for Detroit. Dizonis an undersized linebacker that isn't the fastest and has trouble in man-to-man coverage. So how did he record 160 total tackles (120 solo) in his senior year alone? He has amazing recognition skills and is very quick to react when the play starts. When in zone coverage he is rarely caught out of position and moves from sideline to sideline with the best of them.

How he will affect the team

The Lions will be looking for Dizonto start at middle linebacker in the upcoming season. Obviously there are some concerns about his size and power withplaying in the middle, but you cannot argue with his production. He is a smart player who will learn the "Tampa Two" system quickly. This will more than likely move Lenonto the strong side, which I believe he will be more comfortable with.

3rd Round

Kevin Smith          RB          Central Florida          1st/64th overall

Detroit traded the third round pick they swapped with Kansas City and their sixth rounder to move up to the first pick in the third round. With him they finally upgraded their abysmal run offense. He ran for 2,567 yards in his final year in college alone. That puts him behind only one collegiate rusher, former Lion Barry Sanders. He also led the nation in scoring and recorded a record setting 450 carries in a single season. It is hard to argue with that production. He is a workhorse and is a welcomed addition to the Lion's offense.

How he will affect the team

My guess would be that he would be the primary part of a two back tandem with Tatum Bell. The new zone blocking scheme that Detroit has talked about using should help him put up productive numbers. He does have some durability concerns, but not being the feature back should take some of that worry away. The thing that Kevin needs to worry about is not getting caught up in the comparisons of him to Barry Sanders.

Andre Fluellen          DT          Florida State          24th/87th overall

Just like Dizon, Andre is a typical Marinelli type-player. He has a great motor and is known for playing relentlessly from the snap until the whistle. He is a bit undersized and has a few durability concerns, but plenty of time in the gym could help remove some of those doubts. The same can be said about any concerns about his lower body strength.

How he will affect the team

He will most likely compete for a starting job as the #2 defensive tackle. He will at the very least be involved in a rotation of Cory Redding and Chuck Darby. He is in a great position because he won't be forced to start on day one and will be given time to learn the system and bulk up a bit.

Cliff Avril          DE          Purdue          29th/92nd overall

Yet another Marinelli guy. This guy is a speed rusher with 4.5 40-time speed who plays with a good motor. He has some size concerns, but has long arms that he uses effectively in getting to the quarterback. When he plays with a mean streak he can take his pass rushing ability to the next level.

How he will affect the team

He is going to come in and could compete with Jared DeVries and Dewayne White to start on either end. Most likely he will be a primary back-up used in a rotation where he sees work mostly on pass defenses. He can add to the Lion's almost non-existent pass rush as early as next season.

Fifth Round

Kenneth Moore          WR          Wake Forest          1st/136th overall

Huh? I wonder if this pick was just bad habits coming back to haunt them. I realize that a Lion's draft without a receiver is seen about as often as the Loch Ness monster. With Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey, and Shaun McDonald already in the ranks, I would like to think that they didn't select him as a fifth receiver as he isn't better than any of those four. This leaves him as a return man, and although he is a very athletic and versatile player, he isn't a good enough return man to be drafted this high or maybe at all.

How he will affect the team

Assuming he makes the team, he will most likely be a fifth receiver and will compete to be the kick/punt returner. The team hasn't had a good return specialist since Eddie Drummond, and unfortunately i don't see him changing that anytime soon. Hopefully I will get proven wrong.

Jerome Felton          FB          Furman          11th/146th overall

I thought that the Lion's had more pressing needs than fullback. Yes their running game was bad last year, but when you run as little as they did, it is to be expected. Besides, Jon Bradley and Casey Fitzsimmons did a good enough job. Jerome isn't even a dominant blocker. He is a rushing fullback who would add more in short yardage situations than he would as an every down fullback. Personally I believe that Owen Schmitt would have been a better pick if the team was looking for a fullback.

How he will affect the team

Not sure on this one. If he gets used, it will be in short yard situations, so look for him there. Then again he could work on blocking from now until preseason and then win the starting fullback job. If that happens, then the pick could pay off as he is a good runner for a fullback and would give the team another running option every down. Only time will tell.

Seventh Round

Landon Cohen          DT          Ohio          9th/216th overall

They took another defensive tackle? As questionable a call as this is, let's look at it. The one thing that he is really good at it disrupting the rush. Well there is a plus, now here is the down side. His size would make opposing offenses want to rush straight at him. Not too many professional offensive lineman would have any trouble pushing him around.

How he will affect the team

Honestly, he probably won't. His biggest impact will be pushing the five defensive tackles ahead of him on the depth chart a little harder during training camp. I don't expect him to stick. Mostly because as it is the Lions will have five defensive tackles that are better than him (assuming they sign Andre Fluellen).

Caleb Campbell          S/OLB          Army          11th/218th overall

He is the highest drafted player out of Army since 1947. He has good range and plays at his best when defending the run. I can't imagine that his discipline and intelligence would be qualities that Marinelli would hate. If he were to bulk up a bit (say 10 to 15 pounds) he could make a decent outside linebacker.

How he will affect the team

I wouldn't be surprised if he made the team. Marinelli says that he wants guys that love to play the game and are willing to do what it takes to get on the field. I have to think that Caleb can fit that part. His alternative his possibly going to fight in the war. If he does make the team, he will be a strong special teams player.