Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 1:49pm

College football teams with huge voids to fill

Now that the 2012 recruiting classes have been signed, sealed and delivered, it's time to take a look at the programs around college football with the biggest voids to fill between now and the start of next season.

This is an evaluation not based simply on returning starters' numbers. Instead, it is a look at everything from teams facing critical statistical deficiencies to programs that will have to overcome identity crises after the departure of key players. After taking all those factors into account, it became clear that the following five contending programs from 2011 are facing the toughest personnel challenges heading into the offseason.

The rest of the column is available to those with an ESPN Insider account, and can be read here.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 1:13pm

Cards could give Seahawks competition for Manning

The Cardinals were already one of the teams assumed to be interested in acquiring Peyton Manning should the Colts cut their longtime quarterback.

That was before Arizona announced Wednesday the hiring of Frank Reich, who was at one point Manning's quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis. Reich, who spent 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback, will be the Cardinals wide receivers coach, the same position he held last season with the Colts.

In Wednesday's Wrap Up video, Brock and Salk say this development is another reason why the Cardinals could give the Seahawks competition should each team pursue Manning.

You can download Wednesday's podcast here.

You might also like ...
Cold Hard Facts: What teams would be most attractive to Peyton?
Huard: An open letter to Manning on joining the Seahawks

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 8:42am

Source: New Seattle arena is less likely than suggested

According to a well-connected source with in-depth knowledge of the Seattle arena proposals, the process is not nearly as far along as reports have suggested.

A new arena in Seattle, and the ensuing return of the NBA and NHL, is an enormous undertaking. The process requires millions to billions of dollars and the willingness of numerous parties – municipalities, counties, league officials, neighborhoods, let alone ownership groups – to work together.

The news that landed on all of our doorsteps Sunday, or on our phones Saturday night, that a prospective buyer and his team have been working with the city for the last year to turn his real estate just south of Safeco Field into a new arena has started a frenzy and immense reaction. Most are obviously thrilled, columnists in town are giving it a 70 percent chance, and I am not one to rain on anyone's parade; in fact, I am willing to jump right in the melee and scream as loud as any, "Bring our Sonics back!"

However, in talking to a very respected, source let's be very clear about some of the issues at hand and why both Kevin Calabro (as connected as anyone in NBA circles) and Mayor Mike McGinn have been on the record stating the "planets need to align to make this happen."

First and foremost, according to my source, the possibility of the NBA returning back to Seattle is connected completely to Sacramento. There should be no false aspirations about Milwaukee or Memphis or New Orleans; the relocation plot is centered completely around the Sacramento Kings and their deadline looming March 1 for a new arena proposal.

Unlike the Seattle market years ago, where ownership, the mayor and the city council were pulling in very different directions, Sacramento is not.

Mayor Kevin Johnson is deeply respected by the league, and whereas the momentum turned in such a negative way for our Sonics back in 2008, my source indicates that is not at all the movement in Sacramento.

As Sacramento Bee reporter Marcus Breton told "Bob and Groz" yesterday, "Sacramento's piece of this is going to get done, as the whole community has woken up and said, 'We don't want to lose this and we want to hold onto what we can.' Unlike in Seattle, the politicians in Sacramento have lined up to get this done."

Furthermore, there are two problems with the SoDo site that have barely been discussed:

• Let's remember one thing that frustrates us all in the Puget Sound: Traffic! 60 percent of former Sonic season ticket holders lived on the east side, and with the tolling of the 520 bridge, ask anyone who drives I-90 what their commuting experience has been like since tolling began. On top of that, Sound Transit will have their shovels in the ground with tunnel work and their own construction plans connecting the east side to Seattle via their Sounder.

• Lastly, there is a clear four-hour rule currently in place around the Sounders FC, Seahawks, and Mariners to try to limit disruption. That means that any event would have to begin at least four hours after another event ends. Are there possibly enough hours in the day if both the NBA and NHL are in place, especially if that overlaps with soccer and baseball all in SoDo? The problems seems solvable, but a logistical nightmare.

The issues are problematic and the solutions never as easy and simple as our emotions would like them to be. Let's all keep a very close eye and ear to the ground in Sacramento, for Seattle's NBA destiny lives there. We'll know so much more after March 1.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ 1:16pm

Hockey in Seattle is an exciting possibility

With reports of efforts to build a multi-purpose arena in Seattle, our resident hockey expert says he's excited about the possibility of the sport coming to the Northwest.

You can download Tuesday's podcast here.

You might also like ...
Columnist: Seattle has 70-30 odds of landing NBA team
Sacramento reporter optimistic Kings will stay

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ 9:18am

Brock and Salk's new game show

Brock and Salk are debuting a new game show today. They'll have listeners call to debate three topics.

They are:

1. What do you think about Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light partying after the Pats' Super Bowl loss?
2. What kind of support would the people of Seattle give to a new NBA team?
3. Are the Washington Huskies a tournament team?

If you feel like playing, consider the questions above and give the show a call at either (206) 421-3776 or (206) 979-3776.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ 8:56am

An open letter to Peyton Manning on coming to Seattle

Dear Peyton,

In the coming days or weeks your run in Indy will likely come to an end. Your incredible investment to that organization and the success you brought to the "Horseshoe" and city won't soon be forgotten. Yet, the Colts will draft Andrew Luck and you'll be left to weigh your options. Knowing how maniacal and task-oriented you are, I am sure you and agent Tom Condon have already begun the preparations and the process of game planning the next stop.

Let me help.

It wasn't all that long ago that as a backup I would watch film and break down opponents, too, and on occasion you would even ask for a little input. So in case you are interested, here's my two cents on just what might be the best fit for your game, your intensity level and your will to win another championship.

Peyton Manning should know what it's like to play in front of the 12th Man, having played at Qwest Field in 2005.

Clearly, you are not headed back to Indy and there will be another 13 teams off the list because of established younger quarterbacks in place with contract and/or draft pick situations that would make bringing you in unrealistic. Those 13 are: the Giants, Eagles, Packers, Lions, Falcons, Rams, Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Raiders, Texans, Panthers and Saints as soon as the ink dries on Brees' new deal.

Further, since winning -- and winning now -- is the ultimate goal, it is my opinion that avoiding massive rebuilding projects with new coaches must be accounted for and thus eliminates Jacksonville and Tampa Bay from the equation.

Brutal weather conditions and brutal divisional play clearly eliminates Buffalo, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

All of a sudden, 31 teams has turned into 13 worth taking a closer look at.

Realistically, Peyton, knowing the way you limit distractions (remember telling Polian the team will not be staying at the same hotel as families during the Super Bowl?) and like order and a sense of control, the Jets with Rex, the Cowboys with Jerry Jones and Romo, San Francisco with the guy you replaced in Indy, Denver with Tebow and an aging Bears team with the floppy-haired Cutler make little sense. Further, the Ravens are really Ray Lewis' team and more than likely will commit to Flacco.

That leaves us just seven: Washington, Minnesota, Miami, Kansas City, Tennessee, Seattle and Arizona.

Miami is fond of Matt Flynn and the addition of Mike Sherman as offensive coordinator means a return to old-school West Coast system philosophy. Minnesota is on the downside of their winning cycle with age and injuries, and they may play in the toughest division in football.

As I see it, we are down to five, and with assets committed to Matt Cassel in Kansas City, Kevin Kolb in Arizona and Jake Locker in Tennessee, those situations are at least entangled. That leaves just Seattle and Washington.

So here's the deal -- I think Seattle may just be the best fit of all and when you weigh the final grouping, simply consider this:

1. After your Irsay experience, ownership matters. Paul Allen is the best in the business. He won't meddle, he has unlimited resources and wants to win a championship in the worst way.

2. Seattle is the most removed geographical outpost in the league. The perception is that you need the masses and crave attention; the reality is that you want to win and winning will bring the only attention at this stage of your career that you really desire.

3. Pete Carroll is as committed to football as you are, and he is willing to cut anyone not as demanding and dedicated to that task.

4. You loved the dome in Indy because of the home field advantage. The 12th Man is in the Seahawks' Ring of Honor for a reason, and I challenge anyone to find an equal in the league when it comes to the advantage gained at CenturyLink. Heck, even bad Seahawks teams still won in this venue.

5. Seattle plays in a very winnable division and will face a third-place schedule in 2012.

6. Pete is in Year 3 of his building process and five Pro Bowlers are an indicator of improved talent. The team has drafted well, turns over every stone in its effort to improve the roster and you can win big with Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Marshawn Lynch and an offensive line that made major improvement in 2011.

7. Lastly, put in a call to Brett Favre. Ask him what working with Darrell Bevell was like in Minnesota. In fact, this set-up is eerily similar to the one you thrived in with the Colts, where Tom Cable acts in much the same capacity as Howard Mudd did for you in installing the run game and pass protections while Bevell, like Tom Moore, puts in the passing packages.

So there you have it, Peyton, there should be plenty of suitors and if you decide to take Mr. Allen up on his offer of a seaplane trip into Seattle you will find the finest football complex in the league and a head coach as driven as you are to win a world championship. Wishing you a speedy recovery, and I promise not to bother you as much as I did back in the day.

Sincerely,

Brock

Monday, February 6, 2012 @ 11:48am

Audio: Manningham, Nicks make big plays for Giants

Listen >>> Joe Buck's call on Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks

Listen >>> Joe Buck's call on Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham

Sunday, February 5, 2012 @ 8:31pm

Are we all watching the same game?

I guess I must see the world in my own weird way.

I guess I'm nuts.

I guess my game narrative was just different from the one seen by many of you and the good folks at NBC.

Patriots WR Wes Welker reacts to a missed catch from Tom Brady during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVI. (AP)

Welker caught 122 balls in the regular season and is generally considered to be one of the surest handed receivers in the league. And yet...

He drops the ball.

Deion Branch drops the third down pass (which also hits his hands) and the Patriots punt. Minutes later, Eli Manning becomes a Super Bowl legend once again.

Pardon me, but every person who made Baltimore receiver Lee Evans a goat two weeks ago needs to be even harder on Welker. Evans had the ball knocked away by a defender - debatably even his fault! Welker dropped a ball that hit his hands. Was it an easy catch? No. But it needed to be caught.

I've heard all the opposing voices on this. Brady could have been more accurate...Welker had to turn his body...you don't know what would have happened if he had caught it... None of those arguments are wrong and yet none of them put the blame where it needs to be: on the player who had the chance to, as Bill Belichick says, "just do his job."

If we are assigning roles, Welker is my goat.

* * *

Minutes later, we all witnessed one of the greatest clutch catches of all time. Mario Manningham (MANNINGHAM!) has body control for days. That catch he made to set up the final score of the game was immense. And I understand the desire to compare it to another great play in history.

Fortunately, we saw it's equal just three years ago when Santonio Holmes used every millimeter of his 5'11” frame to haul in Ben Roethlisberger's bullet, dragging his toes just inside the boundary to set up the Steelers' win over the Cardinals.

That was a fair comparison. But to compare Manningham's heroics to David Tyree's helmet catch? That is just plain unfair to Manningham! One was amazing skill. The other was amazing luck.

I guess I just don't see the comparison, unless it's as obvious as the same white jersey with red numbers. But we're better than that, right?

* * *

What does this teach us? That while the quarterback is still the most important position in all of sports, the quarterback can't win it alone. If Welker catches a ball he cathauls in "100 out of 100 times" according to Chris Collinsworth, Brady wins and is likely known as the greatest ever. If Manningham doesn't find a way to drag his feet in bounds, Manning isn't surpassing Big Ben and joining the elite ranks in the NFL.

Both quarterbacks put the ball where it had to be when it had to be there. Only one of their receivers made the play that needed to be made.

Maybe the national media narrative will change in the next few days, but right now it's hard to see Eli (and his hangdog look) labeled a hero.

* * *

Finally, I don't understand why people were upset about Madonna and the halftime show. Yes, she lip-synched. No, I don't care.

Salk doesn't understand why people were so upset about Madonna's halftime show.

Last year, everyone complained about the Black Eyed Peas NOT lip-synching. People were shocked that they didn't sound great as they leaped around on stage shouting something akin to the lyrics of their hit songs. Now, the same people are upset that Madonna didn't have that problem?

What am I missing?

The halftime show is an opportunity to appeal to the masses, to throw a bone to non-football obsessed viewers who fill out the party. It tries to appeal to the greatest cross-section of the population so as to make the day an even bigger event.

How do you do that? Easy. Choose pop singers.

Pop is not rock. It isn't about the purity or difficulty or complexity of the music. The goal of a pop concert is to create an amazing spectacle. The music isn't complicated, but the dance and the presentation is just as important as the singing itself. If the best way to get the best sound is for a pop star to lip-synch, that works for me just fine. Good on you, Madonna!