SB Nation Chicago: All Posts by Jordan Sargent

Denver Kirkland and power and leverage in recruiting

2013-02-01T19:43:19Z

Recruiting in college football is a game, but the playing field isn't exactly level. It's a game played between teenagers (the recruits) and grown adults (the coaches), with one side getting to play the game year-after-year and the other watching from the sidelines until they get their one shot to decide their own future. But the balance of power isn't level either -- and that's a good thing for top recruits, provided they know how to wield it.

Denver Kirkland is a top recruit. He is maybe not an elite recruit, but he has a handful of offers from major conference schools that compete in most years for a Top 25 ranking, making him part of a small group of high schoolers. Last night, of course, Kirkland had his scholarship offer to Miami pulled after he refused to tell Miami coaches that he would be a Hurricane. It is being painted as a tragedy by his coach Ice Harris, but as many people have pointed out, if Kirkland truly wanted to be a Hurricane, he could have said so yesterday. What it was instead was a pure power play by Miami's coaches in an effort to force Kirkland's hand, and Kirkland's undoing was not realizing that he still held all the power and leverage anyway.

Power and leverage is simply what recruiting boils down to. The coaches have some power -- they're offering scholarships -- but recruits at a certain level have more of it -- they're the talent. The key for recruits is judging their talent and recognizing how much power and leverage that affords them. Certain players have so much talent, and thus so much leverage, that they can wait until Singing Day -- or, hell, past Signing Day -- to choose where they want to play football. Others do not -- but they still have some power, too.

Coaches need security in recruiting -- even if they're leaving spots open down to the wire, they need to at least know that a certain number of players are guaranteed to be in a class. That's where that second group of players -- the ones that can't take their own recruiting down to the wire -- comes in. Let's use Alex Gall as an example from Miami's 2013 class. Gall is a solid prospect with a solid offer list, but he's not a player with enough talent to take a school like Miami down to the wire. If Gall remained uncommitted until today, it's safe to assume that Miami would have long ago found another offensive lineman to take his spot. Gall, of couse, recognized this early in the process and jumped on the Miami offer, securing his spot. That power Gall had was giving Al Golden security, and he used it.

Kirkland, in Miami's eyes, lied somewhere in the middle of those two groups. He was a prospect whose decision they could wait until Signing Day to hear -- until he wasn't. Kirkland sees himself as a pure Signing Day recruit (like his teammate and friend Matthew Thomas), and that lead to him making a fatal mistake: he told Miami that they would have to wait. What Kirkland failed to realize is that with a handful of days left in the recruiting cycle, he holds the leverage. If he wanted to keep Miami as an open option, he should have just told Michael Barrow that he was in the class, even if Miami made him say so publicly. It still would have allowed him to choose whichever school he wanted on Signing Day, even if that school wasn't Miami.

There would be some downside to that for Kirkland, namely whatever scorn he would have felt from Canes fans. But, on the other hand, the media celebrates kids that make "shocking" Signing Day switches, and he would have been held up in celebration by whichever new school he chose. And if he did end up sticking with Miami, then he would have had his spot secured and no one would have known that he was wavering. If he truly wanted to keep Miami on the table, then he screwed up by not just saying "yes," even if it was a purely false answer.

But once we recognize that dynamic, we have to ask ourselves the following question: Should we expect teenagers to process all this information, and then out-fox a bunch of grown adult professionals? Some kids have stable family situations, with people close to them in their lives that can provide solid advice. Others lean on their high school coaches -- men that look out for them, but also have their own set of priorities at play. It's a question I don't know the answer to.

It seems like Denver Kirkland understood the game, and by telling Miami's coaches that the school was merely in his top three, he hit when instead he should have stood. But what makes the situation so interesting is that we'll likely never really know what Kirkland -- a teenager -- was thinking. And that's why we follow recruiting.

Vikings vs. Packers 2013: Game preview, kickoff time, TV schedule and more

2013-01-05T13:00:06Z

The Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 in what was essentially a playoff game for the men in purple. But on Saturday night, it will be all on the line for Green Bay, too, in the first round of the NFC playoffs. Two major differences await the Vikings as they prepare for Saturday night -- they'll have to defeat the Packers in Green Bay and will be facing a healthier team than they did last week.

When the Vikings last visited Green Bay in Week 13, the Packers escaped with a 23-14 win. In that game, Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson ran for 210 yards on just 21 carries, but the performance was squandered by a lackluster performance from Christian Ponder, who compiled just a 41.9 quarterback rating. Ponder was markedly better in last week's win, and will need that same level of play this week.

The Packers will also have wide receiver Randall Cobb back on the field after working Greg Jennings back into the lineup last week. If all goes according to plan, the Packers will have their top four receivers on the field at the same time for the first time since their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The game kicks off on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.

Andy Reid hired: Chiefs finalize deal with new head coach, according to report

2013-01-04T16:09:16Z

The Kansas City Chiefs have made the first big splash of the NFL offseason, hiring longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid to be the new face of the franchise. Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news Friday morning, roughly an hour after news broke that the team fired GM Scott Pioli.

Andy Reid and the Chiefs have reached an agreement. Lawyers reviewing contract. Added to ESPN story along with @adamschefter
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 4, 2013

Contract details were not available at the time of the report.

Before being fired by the Eagles on NFL's "Black Monday," Reid was the longest tenured coach in the NFL, having spent 14 years as the head man in Philadelphia.

The Chiefs have been searching for the right fit at head coach since general manager Scott Pioli took over the direction of the franchise in 2009. Todd Haley, hired in 2009, led the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2010 but repeatedly clashed with Pioli and his front office before being let go near the end of the 2011 season.

Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was named interim head coach. Pioli promoted Crennel to head coach after the 2011 season, but Crennel was fired after a disappointing 2-14 record this year.

The Chiefs announced they had fired Pioli earlier Friday.

Reid has the strongest resumé of almost any head coaching candidate on the market. He was allegedly the top target of the Arizona Cardinals. Hired by the Eagles in 1999, his career record as head coach stands at 140-102-1. He led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in 2004.

No. 11 Illinois vs. Purdue final score: Boilermakers upset Illini, 68-61

2013-01-03T04:24:44Z

The Purdue Boilermakers entered Big Ten play with just a 6-6 record on the season, but on Wednesday night they scored a 68-61 victory over the No.11 Illinois Fighting Illini that could kick their 2012-2013 season into gear. The Boilermakers were led by junior guard Terone Johnson, who scored 25 points on 9-18 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and four assists.

Illinois was powered by All-American candidate Brandon Paul, who dropped in 15 points on 5-10 shooting to go along with three assists and three rebounds. But he was the only member of the Illini to play up to par on on Wednesday night, as the team shot just 35 percent from the field. Tracy Abrams and Joseph Bertrand were the other two Illini in double figures, but they shot a combined 9-27 from the field.

Purdue, meanwhile, shot a steady 41 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 38-31. Things will only get tougher from here, though, as the Boilermakers will face Michigan State and Ohio State in their next two games. Illinois, meanwhile, will face the Buckeyes and Minnesota in their next two battles, both of which are top 10 teams.

Cavaliers vs. Kings final: Cleveland clipped by Kings at home, 97-94

2013-01-03T03:18:51Z

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Sacramento Kings by the score of 97-94 on Wednesday night, their third loss in a row and their eighth in their last 10 games. Cleveland (7-26) was led by Kyrie Irving, who scored 22 points and added six assists and five rebounds, but could not get over the hump in the fourth quarter and secure the lead.

With Anderson Vaerjao still out due to an injury, Cleveland was battered down low by Sacramento's front line. Embattled Kings center Demarcus Cousins put up 18 points and 16 rebounds, while power forward Jason Thompson chipped in with 19 points and 10 boards. Alonzo Gee and Tyler Zeller put up a fight down low, but were ultimately overmatched.

An encouraging development for the Cavs was rookie Dion Waiters, who scored 20 points off the bench on 8-of-19 shooting against a talented, though defensively feeble, Kings backcourt.

Cleveland will be back on the court on Friday night when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats.

Pete Carmichael will reportedly interview for Bears head coaching job

2013-01-03T02:34:58Z

The Chicago Bears have brought in New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to interview for the team's open head coaching position, according to Pro Football Talk. Carmichael has been with the Saints since 2006, working his way up from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, a position that he's held for the last four seasons.

In New Orleans, Carmichael has helped orchestrate the Drew Brees-led offense, which has become one of the most consistently lethal scoring outfits in the league. Carmichael has been coaching since 1994, and has spent time with the Browns, Redskins and Chargers.

He is reportedly the first coach to interview for the job once held by Lovie Smith, who was fired by general manager Phil Emery on the NFL's "Black Monday." This will be Emery's first coaching hire in Chicago, and may define his tenure as a first-time general manager.

The team has also not yet fulfilled the league's "Rooney Rule," which stipulates that teams must interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching positions.

Vikings injuries: Christian Ponder limited by bruised throwing elbow

2013-01-03T01:57:24Z

Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Christian Ponder was limited in practice on Wednesday by a bruised throwing elbow. The injury is not considered to be serious, and it figures that the Vikings held Ponder back in practice as a precaution. Head coach Leslie Frazier classified the injury as "soreness," but said that he doesn't believe Ponder will be held back come Saturday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Elsewhere around the team, running back Adrian Peterson was given a second straight day of rest and missed practice on Wednesday, but is expected to get some work in on Thursday. Both Harrison Smith and Brian Robison are banged up but participated in practice. Antoine Winfield, who has a broken hand, did not practice on Wednesday, but Frazier indicated that he believes he will play on Saturday.

Notable players listed on the injury report who participated fully in practice were Jared Allen, A.J. Jefferson and Phil Loadholt.

Bulls vs. Magic preview: Game time, TV schedule and more

2013-01-02T17:04:01Z

The Chicago Bulls celebrated Christmas by getting wiped out by the Houston Rockets and rang in the New Year with a lackluster 91-81 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. On Wednesday Chicago will visit the Orlando Magic as they look to shake a losing slump that has seen them drop three of their last four, with the lone win being a 10-point victory over the Washington Wizards.

The Magic, for their part, didn't finish 2012 much better. Orlando looked poised to be one of the surprise teams in the East as Christmas approached, but they'll enter Wednesday night's game riding a six-game losing streak. Orlando faced the Heat on New Year's Eve, taking them to overtime before losing 112-110 and despite the losing streak they're not a team that this Bulls squad can take lightly.

The game is likely to be won in the trenches, where Chicago's formidable frontline will get a test from the likes of Nikola Vucevic -- who set a franchise record with 29 rebounds against the Heat, Glen Davis and rookie Andrew Nicholson. The game tips at 6 p.m. CT on CSN Chicago.