I started getting ESPN the Magazine (ESPN-M) in the last couple of months. I didn’t order it. I think it was just a recently added perk for my ESPN.com Insider subscription. I haven’t been too impressed with it. A lot of fluff, and no where near as slick as they think they are.

The latest issue (Dated January 17, 2005 and with Corey Dillon of the Patriots on the cover) has a story on Chris Taft (pp 60-65). The ESPN-M story does not appear on the ESPN website so far as I can tell. Maybe it will get posted in a week or so. It is not the most flattering story of Taft. It talks a lot about his inconsistency and willingness to take plays off when he loses interest. Taft, himself, even admits it without even apologizing for it. Just dismissing it, as not a big deal since it was a blowout. It’s frustrating for a Pitt fan to read, especially in light of the recent struggles for the team.

For an NBA team, this article should be a huge red flag of concern. For all Taft’s admiration and desire to emulate Kevin Garnett, he is completely missing the whole work ethic aspect. Garnett cares on every play. He doesn’t coast. He’s always working to be better and putting the effort on the court. If Taft wasn’t on “my” team, I’d have him pegged as yet another very talented player who will underachieve big-time in the NBA.

Just another challenge for Coach Jamie Dixon. They seem to be piling up quickly.

Looks like Syracuse has found its new football coach:

Texas co-defensive coordinator Greg Robinson will be named head coach at Syracuse, according to two sources close to the Longhorns’ program.

Robinson, 53, was offered the job Monday and accepted after interviewing with new Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross in Los Angeles on Friday, the sources said.
…
Robinson said when he arrived at Texas his ultimate goal was to become a college head coach and that he didn’t want to return to the NFL. Robinson spent 14 seasons in the NFL, including stints as defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, where he won Super Bowl rings in 1997 and 1998.

“I’m making a career change,” Robinson said when he was introduced at Texas last year.

Gross, the former associate athletic director at Southern California, received a strong recommendation to hire Robinson from USC coach Pete Carroll, the sources said.
…
Robinson has a reputation as a super recruiter dating to his days as an assistant coach under Terry Donahue at UCLA (1982-89). Robinson helped oversee a Texas defense this season that reduced its points allowed from 21.5 in 2003 to 17.9 (18th nationally) in 2004. UT also allowed only 107.4 yards rushing per game (16th nationally) this season compared to 152.5 yards last season.

Bo Pelini whiffed again. I am definitely thinking that he must just suck in the interview.

The NCAA just made “sweeping” changes in an academic reform package that will reduce scholarships if teams don’t meet certain graduation standards.

On the last day of the NCAA convention, the Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the 2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions.

Schools will receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a 50-percent graduation rate over a five-year period.

Unlike the dubious stats that often indicate nobody is graduating from certain programs, this seems to be the key point:

The APR will be based on the number of student-athletes on each team who achieve eligibility and return to campus full-time each term.

A plain reading would suggest that means athletes that turn pro early wouldn’t count against the school. Nor would transfers. Something that had in the previous formulations. That makes sense, and I don’t see how any of the power conferences and schools would have gone along with the plan without such protections.

There is also a cap on the number of scholarships a team can lose at 10%.

After what seems like a month of non-stop Pitt news on either basketball or football, we have hit a lull. The City of Pittsburgh is more concerned with the Steelers playoff game this weekend, Pitt basketball is off until Saturday, and there has been no major news regarding an offensive coordinator or recruits for Pitt football.

I mentioned last week about Pitt recruiting, that I considered this class of 2005 something of a lost year as it was one that came in the transition. So I am not expecting a particularly high team ranking in the recruiting lists, “It’s looking like mid-40s. If Pitt can finish in the top-40 classes it should be considered a good thing. Top-30 and you toast a remarkable surge.”

Well according to Scout.com (formerly Insiders.com), Pitt has the 36th recruiting class. Rivals.com has Pitt at #42.

In any given year, a team offers about 18-25 scholarships. A program is allowed only up to 85 scholarship players at a time on the football team. Pitt already has 17 commits, and Coach Wannstedt says Pitt can only offer maybe 3 more. National Letter of Intent Signing Day is in 3 weeks. I’m guessing Wannstedt and the coaches are taking some final runs at some bigger prospects who haven’t committed or might be wavering. Then, will consider some of the other possibilities.