Some Notes on the Passing Sports Scene

* The Falcons turnaround season ended this past Saturday thanks to a fairly poor performance. But hey, give Arizona credit. One clear thing we should have learned, that some of us had already learned, is that Keith Brooking's best days are behind him. I don't know how in the hell a 10-year veteran could be that out of position on a 3rd and 16, but oh well. I took issue with Jeff Schultz of the AJC and his seemingly doom and gloom column after Saturday's game. Nope, the Falcons didn't play well at all, but did you really expect them to win the Super Bowl. I thought at best, they'd beat Arizona and then lose to the Panthers or Giants this week. Of course as typical with the Atlanta media, one person said the team might be Super Bowl bound, and they ran with it. Of course, this season could always turn out to be a fluke, and the Falcons could suffer through a couple more bad seasons following this one. Afterall, the franchise has yet to post back to back winning seasons. But with the personnel in place, I can't see them flopping. Matt Ryan should only get better, and his supporting cast of Turner, Norwood, White and Jenkins will add to the success. If the Falcons can address their biggest weakness (pass defense) in the offseason, expect them to field a competitive team in 2009.

* Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno should be nearing their decisions in the next week, and then we should be able to guage the future of the Georgia Bulldogs. Obviously I would like them to stay, but I'd have to say both are probably gone. Assuming they do go, I still feel pretty well about the 2009 season. Georgia has yanked in another strong recruiting class, and their defense should be much better next year with injured players returning. Also, they'll have the entire offensive line back. The running back situation should be solid with Samuel, King, Jackson, Thomas and possibly Ealey looking to make the big impact. And I would welcome a healthy QB competition between Cox, Gray, Murray and Mettenburger, even though I think Cox will get the nod. Georgia could surprise some people in 2009 because their schedule is a little more favorable.

* Can all of us please now say that a playoff system is needed in college football? With Utah's victory over Alabama, the Utes are now staking their claim to the national title. Same goes with USC, who handled Penn State. And if Texas beats Ohio State like they should, they will make their claim as well, especially if Oklahoma beats Florida. I still don't think Utah belongs in the discussion, but out of Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and USC, it's impossible to pick a definitive best team out of those.

* I assume the Atlanta Braves haven't dropped off the face of the Earth and are still trying to improve their club for 2009. GM Frank Wren has made it clear that pitching is the first priority. I doubt the Jake Peavy talks start going again, so that leaves Ben Sheets and Derek Lowe as ace options. The left field position still needs to be addressed, and Adam Dunn might be worth the gamble. Or maybe even Jermaine Dye. And don't forget John Smoltz. Anyway with 40 million still left in the bank, Atlanta needs to get on the ball if they expect to contend this year. They could get their ace pitcher and power bat for left field without having to give up their prized prospects (Hanson, Heyward, Freeman, Rohrbrough). It's really a question of if they are up to it.

I'll have a bigger post on the Braves soon.