The Rome report

College Football

North Carolina lost to Virginia this past Saturday. While UNC losing to the Cavaliers was a surprise, the way they lost the game was even more surprising. Virginia drove 82 yards to score a game-tying touchdown with 47 seconds left. Instead of trying to win the game in regulation, UNC coach Butch Davis opted to kneel on the ball twice and send the game into overtime. When I saw this I was shocked and said to myself that the Tar Heels were going to lose this game.

In football, 47 seconds is plenty of time to drive into field goal range and attempt a game winning field goal. Kneeling on the ball and playing for overtime shows no confidence in your offense.

I am a big Butch Davis fan. He has proven that he knows how to coach at the college level. He built my Miami Hurricanes into a national powerhouse in the ’90s. The coach that followed Davis at Miami, Larry Coker, owes his national championship to Davis because he won the title with the players that Davis recruited. But the fact is, Davis made the wrong decision. By kneeling on the ball he sent the wrong message to his offense and the Virginia defense. He showed the Tar Heel offense that he had no faith in them and he showed the Cavalier defense that he was afraid of them.

Of course in overtime, the Virginia defense held the UNC offense to a field goal while the UNC defense gave up a touchdown. Final score: Virginia 16, UNC 13. I think if this situation presents itself to Davis again, he will go for the win in regulation because in the immortal words of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards, “You play to win the game.”

NFL

I must admit it, I didn’t think that commissioner Roger Goodell would come down as hard on Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones as he did. Last week, Goodell suspended Jones indefinitely but said that the suspension would last at least four weeks. Jones was on a zero tolerance policy after being reinstated from a season long suspension that cost him the 2007 season. The suspension came after “Pacman” got into a physical altercation with one of his personal bodyguards.

I don’t feel sorry at all for Jones. He has been given plenty of chances to get his act together. He was given multiple chances when he was playing for the Tennessee Titans and was given another chance the Cowboys traded for him. Goodell told Jones he needed to get his act together or he would be disciplined. This act didn’t seem to be a big deal. There were no guns or drugs involved and police didn’t even file a report. Obviously, that didn’t matter Goodell. He is showing that he will not allow Jones to mess up.

If Jones wants to continue his career, he better get his act together and he better do it soon. Goodell has already shown Jones that he is not playing when it comes to player conduct. Jones needs to realize this and improve his behavior because playing in the NFL is a privilege not a right.