Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indy Morning Sports List – Top 10 reasons Purdue Boilermakers will go to Final Four

If Purdue coach Matt Painter looks like he’s having a good time coaching the Boilermakers again, the 10 reasons are clear.

Purdue won it’s Big 10 opener last night in Madison, Wisconsin 61-55. Fans are hopeful this might be the year that the Boilermakers finally fulfill their dreams of returning to the Final Four, and they have reason to be excited.

In fact, they have 10 reasons to be excited:

10 – They are due. It’s been since 1980 that the Boilermakers have gone to the Final Four, which means it’s about time for a return. The best player on the last Final Four team for Purdue – Joe Barry Carroll (after whom Kellogg’s or Post should have named a cereal) – will turn 58 the next time he celebrates a birthday. And current coach Matt Painter was nine years-old when Purdue travelled to Indy for that Final Four..

9 – Matt Painter returned Purdue to a culture of toughness. There was a period when Painter tried something new – something un-Purdue. He recruited exceptional athletes whose efforts were unencumbered by grit. The program flagged to the point where pundits believed the job of the guy anointed as legend Gene Keady’s replacement was in trouble. A quick about face toward recruiting tough defenders followed, and Painter is now reaping the benefit of his efforts. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 10 reasons Pat McAfee Show has earned unprecedented popularity as a punter

Pat McAfee makes fans laugh, but he can also make an occasional tackle to earn teammates’ respect.

After the Colts win against the Dolphins, a couple of fans posted tweets that mocked the Colts propensity for celebrating what they deemed meaningless wins and accomplishments.

Punter Pat McAfee took exception and let the two know through a few tweets of his own that featured a word many (not me) consider profane that he wasn’t up for any friendly banter with fan boys who don’t know what wins mean in the NFL.

Here is an example of the tweets that offended McAfee and his response:

Indy_Joe tweet – “@PatMcAfeeShow You guys raising a banner for AFC South Runner Up????? Hey, we did it! Let’s jump in the canal and paaaarty!!!!!!”

McAfee response – “Hey Joe.. The only thing you’ll be coaching… Is how to eat a big bag of s**t”

It’s funny, engaging, honest, and a little bit crude – four words that describe McAfee very well.

10 – McAfee has boundless energy and a love of life. We are attracted to those who are blessed with attributes we covet, and Pat lives his life as many of us would like – with a zest for fun but a relentless eye on responsibility. As a sign of fan admiration, McAfee’s jersey was the 17th most popular in the NFL during 2014 – not among punters, but for all players. That means McAfee’s jersey outsold at least half the quarterbacks in the NFL. A PUNTER! Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 10 reasons for optimism about the 2016 Indianapolis Colts

A healthy Andrew Luck is the biggest reason for hope in 2016.

Here is what needs to happen for the Colts to qualify for the NFL Playoffs:

Colts Win + HOU loss + CIN loses last 2 games + DEN wins last 2 games + NYJ loss + NO loss + KC loss + MIA win + PIT win.

Holy crap! That’s a lot that needs to go right for the Colts season not to end after the regular season finale against Tennessee this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

So let’s assume the end is nigh, and 2016 is the focus for Colts fans.

We need some reasons for optimism moving forward as it appears serious change is coming for the Colts following this oddly unsatisfying season they began as Super Bowl favorites.

Here are 10 reasons to feel really good about the Colts chances to return to the postseason in 2016:

10 – Expectations are likely to be easier to meet in 2016. Leading up to the 2015 season, many smart people thought the Colts offense would be historically explosive, and punch its ticket to Super Bowl L. They will not experience that burden in 2016. No more bets I will bleach my hair if the Colts don’t carry a 13-3 record into the postseason. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 10 reasons to continue watching the Colts

Watching Matt Hasselbeck put his body in continued harm’s way is inspiring. That’s a good reason to watch the Colts the next two Sundays.

Let’s face it, the Colts season ended with Griff Whalen’s fumble during the last gasp drive late in the fourth quarter that handed the Houston Texans a win last Sunday and the AFC South crown for 2015.

There are still reasons to watch the final two games for the Colts against two of the worst teams in the NFL – the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans – and here they are:

10 – Dick Stockton might be doing his second to last game in Miami this Sunday. At some point Fox is going to pull the plug on Stockton’s oddly long career, and with that decision his bland bleats will finally be silenced. No one in the history of verbal utterance has communicated less while using more words than Stockton, and while he won’t be missed, the stunning consistency of his tedium will serve as a standard that bland play-by-play guys will strive to emulate for generations. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 10 Christmas wishes for Indiana sports athletes, teams, coaches, and media

Colts coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson made the nice list, and are deserving of a Christmas gift or two.

Whether or not the men and women who play or coach our favorite teams, everyone deserves a stocking stuffer that can bring a better 2016.

Here are the top 10 Christmas wishes for those working in Indiana sports with the greatest needs:

1 – A higher draft pick for Colts GM Ryan Grigson. After three straight 11-5 seasons, the Colts have used their first round picks on Bjoern Werner, Trent Richardson (via trade), and Phillip Dorsett. The best record the Colts can have this season is 8-8, which means the Colts will draft higher than in any of those previous seasons. Hopefully that reduces the chances of a fourth straight mighty swing and miss as the Colts try to get younger and faster.

2 – Someone in Paul George’s inner circle who will advise him instead of praise him. When you are rich, people tend to treat you very nicely – basting your already ample ego with wild and relentless applause. George plays basketball as though he takes all those compliments to heart. George needs someone to regularly remind him that what is next trumps what has already been, and that whining to the refs is wasted energy. Bad defensive possessions that result from attention being diverted to official lambasting are unacceptable for a team hungry for its first championship. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 8 things that need to change for IU Basketball to become successful

I want to help Tom Crean (above) to become a better steward of the Indiana Basketball program, and so I offer eight areas for improvement in performance.

Indiana University’s basketball program is not where anyone wants it to be – not fans, not coaches, not administrators, and not players.

You can tell coaches aren’t happy with where Indiana is in the present because they spend a lot of time and effort selling everyone on a future filled with accomplishment and success. Anytime the Hoosiers achieve any goal – or even a pedestrian win – they celebrate like the 1976 team did when they finished their undefeated season by beating Michigan in the National Championship game.

There have been welcome cosmetic changes in the program, mostly for Tom Crean, who for the first time in my memory is sitting during parts of the game. Does that help players play better? Probably not, but it does convey a sense that Crean understands the action on the floor is more important than his performance. The pacing, posing, clapping, and swigging have diminished. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – 10 best stories of an insanely busy sports weekend

Matt Hasselbeck might be the toughest man ever to play for the Colts.

The tough part of a beautiful fan-friendly event like the Crossroads Classic is that two really good teams are guaranteed to leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse as losers.

The miserable part of playing/coaching/cheering for the quickly aging Indianapolis Colts is that eventually the bill comes due for a lifetime of dings, bumps, bruises, sprains, breaks, and tears. That bill came due yesterday for the Colts.

The wonderful part of watching high school basketball is that every once in a while you get to see greatness before everyone else comes to accept it.

A wide range of emotions were evoked during a crazy weekend of sports in Indianapolis. Here are my favorites:

1 – Matt Hasselbeck was a badass’s badass yesterday. Forget that the Colts lost a huge game yesterday. The result doesn’t diminish the valor shown by a 40-year-old quarterback who came into the game beat to hell and took vicious hits throughout the game. He bounced back again and again, defining a recently overused word – grit. If Hasselbeck retires after the season, he’s going out with a legacy of toughness. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Indiana pro and college coaches ranked by odds they return

Chuck Pagano has told the media, “They can fire you, but they can’t eat you.” as an answer to the question of the possibility he will lose his job. Barring something strange happening, we’re about to find out

We take no joy in expecting coaches to be fired, but coaching is a profession that welcomes close scrutiny by fans and media and the direction of college programs and pro franchises are a big deal to many of us.

Once the winds of change start blowing, they are very difficult to stop as Colts coach Chuck Pagano is discovering. Rick Venturi – a coach who has been fired himself – has said many times, every football team is a three game losing streak from chaos.

if the Colts lose Sunday to the Texans, it will bring the Colts their second three-game losing streak of the season.

There is a half-life for every coach, and the only way for virtually every one of them to avoid being fired is to beat their bosses to the punch and quit. The one untouchable college coach seems to be Mike Krzyzewski, who would likely have been fired early in his run at Duke if it happened in 2015 instead of 1982. Joe Paterno was thought to be completely impervious. Not only was he fired – he was killed!

Here is the list of the best known Indiana pro and college coaches ranked by the odds they will lose their jobs in 2016:

Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts – 99.44%. Adios, Chuck. An unfailingly nice and respectful leader of the Colts, he is almost certain to go shortly after the season ends. Sure, he speaks in cliches, but in these days of misinterpreted utterances from coaches, who can blame him? If the Colts don’t advance to the Super Bowl, and that seems a virtual certainty right now, Pagano is going to be gone. It won’t be because he is a bad coach, but because the front office made the call before the season not to extend Pagano’s contract for more than a year after 2015 – the final year of his four-year deal. Pagano demanded more, and refused to agree to a one-year extension. Is it the right call to can Chuck? I’m not sure, but it looks like a done deal. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Seven reasons Bo Ryan led Wisconsin Basketball to consistent excellence

Bo Ryan never looked like a guy interested in being liked, and that was just one of the reasons he won.

Bo Ryan won at Wisconsin.

That’s all you need to know to measure Ryan’s greatness as a coach. Winning consistently at Wisconsin was thought to be impossible, but the coach who retired yesterday brought relentless excellence to a program that was an nothing more than an occasional irritant to Big Ten competition until his arrival.

After the myriad eulogies for Ryan that were published yesterday, you already know the what –

After the program totaled seven NCAA appearances from 1939-2001, Ryan took them to 14 in his 14 seasons.

Wisconsin never finished outside the top four in the Big Ten.

The Badgers won a single regular season Big Ten Championship until Ryan took over. Then they won four.

There’s more statistical evidence of excellence, much more, but we aren’t here to list Ryan’s accomplishments, only to explain them.

Here are seven of the reasons Wisconsin flourished under the singularly consistent leadership of a man who didn’t get his shot at the big time until well after turning 50:

1 – Bo built a culture of development and precision. Wisconsin players improved – always. They grew physically, but the way they understood how their team was designed to function appeared to be at a different level from its competition. Continue reading →

Indy’s Morning Sports List – Top 7 reasons Colts fans should be critical of Ryan Grigson

Ryan Grigson has done some good and some bad. Today – it’s the bad’s turn.

Yesterday, we focused on the positive with the top 10 reasons why Colts fans should be thank Ryan Grigson. The list reminded all of us of some strong moves that led the Colts to three straight 11-5 records and increasingly successful trips to the playoffs.

This is a different list – a list with the opposite intent – to focus upon the Grigson blunders that have rendered this Colts season an aberrational atrocity (an overstatement, but an accurate description of fans’ discontent).

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As with anyone whose job it is to build a constantly evolving 53-man roster, practice squad, and shifting draft boards years in advance, there are touchdowns and blocked punts (it felt wrong to use “home runs’ and ‘strikeouts’ in a post about football).

We yammered away yesterday about the great trade for Vontae Davis and drafts of Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton, and today we will extoll the illogic of the moves that to some extent resulted in the debacle of 2015.

Here are the Top 10 reasons Colts fans critical of Grigson are justified for being so:

1 – The trade of a first-round pick for overweight and slow-footed Trent Richardson. The pick dealt to the Cleveland Browns for Richardson wound up being the 22nd overall in a 2014 draft that will never be remembered among the NFL’s best, but with gaping holes on the offensive line and defensive front, and Richardson was a colossal bust, it still qualifies as a disaster. Regardless of how long Grigson remains GM, he will be remembered for this trade.

2 – Historic misses in sixth and seventh rounds. Here are the players Grigson has drafted in the last two rounds of his four drafts – LaVon Brazill, Justin Anderson, Tim Fugger, Chandler Harnish, John Boyett, Kerwyn Williams, Justice Cunningham, Andrew Jackson, Ulrick John, Josh Robinson, Amarlo Herrera, and Denzelle Good. That’s quite a list. No one expects greatness from sixth and seventh round picks, but I don’t know who most of those guys are. Those I do know, I have not seen do a lot to help the Colts win.

3 – Pep Hamilton was hired to be Chuck Pagano’s offensive coordinator. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I believe in a managerial hierarchy where assistant coaches report to the head coach. Owner hires a general manager. General manager hires head coach. Head coach hires assistant coaches. Hamilton might have been a solid offensive coordinator or a coach with complex schemes that were rarely executed confidently, but he wasn’t Pagano’s coordinator. As a result, he needed to go. Not because he was bad at his job, but because he wasn’t hired by his direct report.

4 – The 2013 free agent class was a train wreck. Gosder Cherilus, Ricky Jean Francois, Donald Thomas, and LaRon Landry were all signed as a group of veterans who were thought to be the missing ingredients for a run to the Super Bowl. Nearly $100 million was committed to those four players, and none lasted into the 2015 season. Some ceased to function as Colts because of health issues, others never played up to expectations, and Landry brought some of both to the party.

5 – Continued shuffling of offensive line. Continuity of a competent offensive line is one of the keys to consistent and continued offensive success in the NFL. The Colts offensive line continues to be a work in progress. There have been issues caused by injuries, but in his four drafts Grigson has invested exactly zero first round picks on offensive linemen. His o-line picks have been Justin Anderson (208th pick, 2012), Hugh Thornton (86th, 2013), Khaled Holmes (121st, 2013), Jack Mewhort (59th, 2014), Ulrick John (232nd, 2014), and Denzelle Good (255th, 2015) are the offensive linemen drafted by Grigson. Free agents like Todd Herremans (cut yesterday), Gosder Cherilus, A.Q. Shipley, and Donald Thomas have been signed as free agents, but the effect has been an unstable line and injured quarterbacks.

6 – Handling of Chuck Pagano as a lame duck leader caused unrest. If the die was cast prior to the 2015 season, it would have been better for the organization to immediately part ways with Pagano. To the extent it was Grigson’s decision to not extend Pagano, it threw the team into a leadership vacuum that may have doomed the 2015 season.

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7 – Minus the obvious use of the #1 pick in 2012, Grigson’s first round picks have not contributed. Maybe Bjoern Werner and Phillip Dorsett will wind up being lynchpins for a championship Colts team, but to this point the past three first round picks (Trent Richardson counting as the third as he was acquired for the 2014 first round pick) have not performed at the level expected of a first rounder. Because they haven’t contributed in a meaningful way, resources were diverted toward holes a different draft strategy might have filled.

Sure, there were only seven reasons on this list of criticisms while there were 10 on the list of reasons to say “Thanks, Ryan,” but that isn’t necessarily an accurate measure of the good and bad. Many of the reasons for criticism combine multiple flawed acts. The 2013 free agent signings are an example of that.

The point of the two lists is to underscore the fact that when a person is in charge, both good and bad happens. There is plenty of ammunition on either side of the debate on the Grigson era in Indianapolis to justify either a positive or negative assessment.

Look at the two lists filled with both positive and negative moves and make your own decision.