Archive by Author | Cheval John

RG3 Proved That He Belongs In The NFL

by Cheval John

This year was supposed to have been a rebuilding year for the Washington Redskins.

But somebody forgot to tell Robert Griffith III, a.k.a. RG3 and the rest of the team that statement.

Behind the heroic play of RG3, the Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 to claim the NFC East title and earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Though RG3 didn’t have his best game today, he came through when it was needed.

Griffith III went 9 of 18 for 100 yards and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Many thought that RG3 was not going to do well at Washington because of their failures over the past decade and the fact the Mike Shanahan was the coach.

But RG3 thrived under Shanahan’s offense and made plays that made the casual fan tune in everytime he steps onto the field.

In hindsight, RG3’s decision to go the NFL was a risky proposition, but it turned out to be the right call and the Redskins are now going to the playoffs.

On the other hand, the Cowboys ended their season with another devasting lost and are wishing that RG3 would have stayed at Baylor instead of going to the NFL.

Brooklyn Nets Face A Major Cross Road With Williams

by Cheval John

Avery Johnson became the latest casualty to the star driven National Basketball Association (NBA).

Johnson was fired today from the Brooklyn Nets as a result of a slide that produced a 3-10 record in the last thirteen games.

Previously, he was the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, where they produced four straight seasons with 50 wins or more and made four playoff appearances including one NBA Finals.

He was canned from the Mavericks after the Mavericks was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2008.

Johnson came on board with the Nets in 2010 after they went 12-70 the previous season.

The Nets moved to Brooklyn at the Barclays Center before the season began after spending 35 years in New Jersey and were looking to make a name for themselves under the new ownership of Mikhail Prokorov and Jay-Z.

It seemed as if that was going to happen when the Nets started the season with an 11-4 record.

Johnson was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in November.

Then they went downhill with a 3-10 record during the last thirteen games.

Point Guard Deron Williams haven’t performed well this season as he averaged 16 points a game and shot 39% from the field and 29% from the three-point line.

Instead of pointing the finger at himself and figure out how to improve, he threw Johnson under the bus last week by blaming his offensive system for his shooting woes.

Many suspected that it was the reason why Johnson was fired.

Honestly, I don’t know.

What I do know is that the NBA is filled with a bunch of prima-donas who don’t the fundamentals of playing basketball (with the execption of the San Antonio Spurs).

They want to be the superstar in a league that thrives on the marketability of the players.

In this system, the head coaches always loses because if the “star” player don’t like the way a particular system is run, in the case of Williams, then they can publicly throw the coach under the bus and can go to the upper-management and complain like little babies because they can’t get what they want.

This is why the NBA is so diluted and is not the same as it in the last two decades because these players who only care about themselves and not the team.

I don’t know if the league will ever recapture their essence because if Johnson, who reached 150 career wins in a short period can get canned because of a “star” player performance, then any coach can get let go in this “star” driven league.

As for Williams, well it seems as if he have gone past his prime and is now on the decline.

The dilemma for the Nets is how long they are going to keep him.

And how long will it take for them to realize that he is not part of the solution, but is a huge part of the problem?

Only time will tell.

The Mayans Were Probably Right After All

by Cheval John

Suupposedly, the Mayans predicted that on December 21, 2012, the world will come to an end.

Well, they were wrong.

With the writing of this article, we are still here and alive.

But, they were probably right on a few things on my part.

First, today marks the end of worrying about what other people think, being afraid of taking a risk and doing what I love: writing.

Over the last few years, I’ve been reading books that have allowed me to do things that I never would have imagined.

Books like “The Four Hour WorkWeek” by Timothy Ferris, “Rework” by 37Signals, and “The Education of Millionaires” by Michael Ellsberg.

Each have very important advice that makes a person believe that they can do what they have been longing to do for a long time and make a living at it.

In addition, they destroy the perceived thinking about taking a risk, what marketing is all about, and much more.

So, for those of you who are ready to go after your dreams and try something new, why not start it today.

I would recommend one of these books to jumpstart your journey.

After all, the Mayans were probably on to something here.

Bearkat Safety Earns Another National Award

by Cheval John

The awards keep piling up for SHSU’s safety Darnell Taylor.

Today, Taylor earned a spot in the 2012 Walter Camp All-America Squad.

The senior from Mesquite, TX led the team in tackles this year with 100.

He was named the Southland Conference (SLC) “Defensive Player of the Year” for the second year in a row.

Defensively, he played a critical role when the Bearkats won their second consecutive SLC title this year that allowed them to be selected for the NCAA FCS playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Bearkats went through three Big Sky Co-Champions in Cal Poly, Montana State and Eastern Washington to make it to the FCS National Championship Game in Frisco, TX for the second year in row.

It was the first time that the Bearkats have ever made consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs and the title game.

They will have a second go-around with defending champion North Dakota State Bison on January 5 at 1 p.m eastern time on ESPN2.

Both teams played last year in the championship game with the Bison coming on top with 17-6 win.

The Walter Camp All-America squad honors players who made a significant impact for their respective teams from nine conferences and 24 institutions in the FCS.

The honor is named after Walter Camp, who is considered the “Father of American Football” because he developed the present game as we know it.

Here are the list of the Camp All-America Squad

2012 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

OFFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
WR Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois 5-10 181 Jr. Miami, FL
WR Aaron Melette, Elon 6-2 220 Sr. Sanford, NC
TE A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State 6-4 245 Soph. Jacksonville, FL
OL Earl Watford, James Madison 6-4 295 Sr. Philadelphia, PA
OL Mike Sellers, The Citadel 6-0 290 Jr. Summerville, SC
OL Billy Turner, North Dakota State 6-6 300 Jr. Shoreview, MN
OL Chris Howley, Maine 6-3 295 Sr. Runnemede, NJ
C Corey Howard, Central Arkansas 6-1 290 Sr. Wichita Falls, TX
QB Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion 6-1 295 Soph. Atlanta, GA
RB Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook 5-10 205 Sr. Riverhead, NY
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State 6-0 215 Soph. Eagan, MN
PK Patrick Murray, Fordham 5-7 182 Sr. Mahwah, NJ

DEFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
DL Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State 6-3 252 Sr. Billings, MT
DL Colton Underwood, Illinois State 6-4 255 Jr. Washington, IL
DL Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas Pine Bluff 6-2 260 Sr. Augusta, GA
DL Davis Tull, UT-Chattanooga 6-3 230 Soph. Knoxville, TN
DL Joseph LeBeau, Jackson State 6-1 245 Sr. New Orleans, LA
LB Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State 5-11 240 Sr. Decatur, GA
LB Matt Evans, New Hampshire # 6-0 228 Sr. Hanover, MA
LB Stephon Robertson, James Madison 5-11 225 Jr. Alexandria, VA
DB Marcus Williams, North Dakota State 5-11 194 Jr. Minneapolis, MN
DB Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston 6-0 195 Sr. Mesquite, TX
DB Cooper Taylor, Richmond 6-5 235 Sr. Atlanta, GA
DB Jaquiski Tartt, Samford 6-1 220 Soph. Mobile, AL
P Andy Wilder, Northern Arizona 6-3 205 Jr. Scottsdale, AZ
KR Jerodis Williams, Furman 5-11 208 Sr. Prattville, AL

Bearkat MBB Extends Win Streak To Three Games

by Cheval John

The Sam Houston State Bearkat basketball team extended their win streak to three games with an 89-53 beat down over Huston-Tillotson Rams.

SHSU (6-5) shot 50.7% from the field and went 40% from the three point line.

Most of the three point shooting came from junior transfer guard Jeremy McKay.

McKay made four of seven treys and finished with 16 points, four rebounds and an assist.

Both teams played tight early in the first half as they were five lead changes.

Though the Rams (2-11) led 10-7, the Bearkats went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead at 17-10 behind junior guard Aaron Harwell’s three maded shots and junior transfer forward James Thomas’ back-to-back buckets.

The Rams pulled twice with a score to tie the match, but the Bearkats hang on to the lead at 38-30 by halftime.

“I wasn’t happy with our first half,” head coach Jason Hooten said.

“I thought we didn’t came out with energy.”

That energy came in the second half as the Bearkats opened on a 13-2 run that included McKay three straight treys to widened the gap at 50-33.

They didn’t looked back as they cruised to an 89-53 win.

Marquel McKinney totaled 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and four steals.

Terrance Motley and Darius Gatson each had 11 points.

The Bearkats will take a long week off before they face their final non-conference opponent Howard Payne on December 29.