Updated Standings - First Night of Elite 8

Here ya go!

1. Dan Weil - 85 pts

2. Sue - 74

3. O-Dog - 71

Janine - 71

4. Brian Weil - 69

PC - 69

5. Gelb - 67

6. Dave - 63

Gallucci - 63

7. Bob Soldano - 61

Joe

Jesse

8. Matt - 60

9. Kevin - 59

10. Jordan - 57

11. Andy - 55

12. Tram - 54

Mike Weil - 54

13. Comack - 53

14. Anne Soldano - 49

15. Stein - 48

So here is where we stand. The following people still have a chance to win Dan Weil, O-Dog, Gallucci, and somehow some way Comack and Mother Soldano. JC and my mom have Baylor winning it all. A UNC win tomorrow would eliminate my mom, even with a Baylor win. A Baylor win and a Kansas win eliminates Comack. Gallucci will win if Ohio State wins the championship. O-Dog will win if UNC wins the championship.

-Matt

WCWP March Madness Standings - After Sweet 16

I'll be posting the standings at the end of the games on the blog from now on so everyone will be able to find it easier. Without further ado...

1. Dan Weil - 77 points

2. Sue - 66

3. O-Dog - 63

Janine

4. Brian Weil - 61

Joe

PC

5. Matt Soldano - 60

6. Gelb - 59

7. Jordan - 57

8. Dave - 55

Gallucci

Andy

9. Tram - 54

Mike Weil

10. Bob Soldano - 53

Jesse

Comack

11. Kevin Gallucci - 51

12. Anne Soldano - 49

13. Stein - 40

Points, as always, will be doubled each round. This weekend's games are worth 8 points. Final four = 16, and national championship = 32. Despite Weil having a dominate lead, there are still a handful of people who could win. If Kentucky wins it all, it will be easily won by Weil. However, Momma Solly D and Comack have Baylor winning it all. A Kansas win and a Baylor win eliminates JC from the competition. Tram is the only one with Cuse winning it all while BG is the only one with Ohio State. Also a few people have UNC so that could be a difference.

-Matt

Tim Tebow The Executioner

by Jason Comack

If the Jets brought in Tim Tebow to be Brad Smith it's a great fit. After all the ex-Jet Smith was a fourth round pick, a jack of all trades and the Jets got a lot of mileage out of him during his five year run with the team. Tebow could be a special teams maven, a short yardage back, a pass catching tight end and of course a “wildcat” QB.

The key word there is could.

Being a utility guy is fine when your Joe McEwing, but it doesn't work when your Tim Tebow.

Tebow is the most polarizing athlete of our generation. He's both beloved and hated for his morals and religious background. He's as likely to be called a winner as he is an arrogant prick. Tebowing even become an adverb widely accepted in today’s lexicon. It's because of these things that Tebow can't be judged on the same scale that any other developing quarterback would be. He's either a winner or a disgrace to the quarterback position. In Tim Tebow's world shades of gray do not exist.

Which is why this move has more downside then is does upside.

Tim Tebows presence doesn't serve as a shot across Mark Sanchez's brow. It serves as a looming guillotine, where the media and fans will cry for the presence of Tebow to act as Robespierre and be Mark Sanchez's executioner. The first bad pass Mark Sanchez throws, the first time the Jets lose a game, the hot button topic on every sports radio show is going to be; should the Jets bench Sanchez.

Acquiring a quarterback for the sole purposes of gimmick packages means you must not be satisfied with your starting quarterback. This is why Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees never come off the field. If the Jets wanted to upgrade over Sanchez that's fine and dandy but of course this is the same front office that felt it fit to extend Sanchez's contract (all but guaranteeing him a roster spot in 2013) this off-season. Mark Sanchez can't be your guy and Tim Tebow can't be your guy. Eventually Mike Tannenbaum is going to have to choose a favorite child.

Of course this all comes down to headline grabbing, something the Jets love to do. When you start making decisions based on the back page, rather then a page in the playbook it's a bad sign for the long term outlook of your organization. It's not that Tebow can't work in the role the Jets define for him, it's just that the Jets want it both ways. They want Tebow's locker room presence, they want his leadership and they want Tebow to be a "winner." However, it's impossible for those things to occur if he's just a backup.

When Mike Tannenbaum says the Jets have a defined role for Tebow he's talking out of one side of his mouth. What he can't say publicly is that defined role is subject to change, rather soon and rather drastically. He can't say he doesn't have total faith in Sanchez. After all Tannenbaum drafted him, failed to develop him and gave him a pity extension when Manning spurned the Jets. If Tannenbaum admitted that was all true maybe the guillotine would be about to be dropped on his head and not Mark Sanchez's.

Connecting The Dots In The Manning Chase

By Jason Comack

It's somewhat surprising that in the age of instantaneous journalism the “mystery team” can still exist. Yet, time and time again the mystery team seems to swoop in and steal the best free agent, or make the trade that no one saw coming. In baseball it happened with Albert Pujols and Cliff Lee. In basketball the Nets came out of nowhere to trade for Deron Williams. Now in the NFL the 49ers have come out of nowhere to make a serious run at Peyton Manning.

It shouldn't shock us that the Niners are a serious contender for Manning. It was always the most logical fit. After all how many teams, that were only a few bad bounces away from the Super Bowl, strive to drastically alter the foundation of their team? Bill Barnwell, amongst others, wrote that San Fran was the best fit. However, we all took it with a grain of salt. It was the best fit, on paper, but the Niners seemed convinced that it was too risky. Harbaugh had worked so hard to repair the relationship with Alex Smith. With some better offensive weapons, a full off-season and some breaks the Niners could win the Super Bowl with Alex Smith. Why risk it all for a 36 year old quarterback that no-one is truly sure can even play any more.

Maybe we all should have taken it more seriously when Tony Dungy, who has obvious close ties to Manning, said the 49ers were the best fit for him. Maybe we should have connected the dots when Jim Trotter reported that a playoff team would be interested in Manning if he was the one who initiated contact. Maybe we all should have pondered why Alex Smith was still on the free agent market, and attracting little to no interest. Now realizing the 49ers were that mystery team all the dots fit perfectly.

The 49ers couldn't risk another blow up with Alex Smith. A public chase of Manning would make for another off-season of breakup/makeup with Smith that neither party wanted to go through again. Look at the other quarterbacks that have been effected by Manning. Mark Sanchez got an extension, Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals certainly have some patching up to do. If the Niners had chased Manning publicly and lost him they could have also lost Smith (likely to Seattle.) That would leave the Niners with Colin Kaepernick at QB and not many other options. A stealthy chase of Manning, and how they handled it certainly makes it easier for them to claim it was due diligence and truthfully, say it was Manning reaching out to them. The Niners needed to know for sure they were in the race before they jumped in with both feet. Having Manning personally call the team would alleviate those fears.

The Broncos were a borderline playoff team, that still have holes all over the roster. The Titans have a meddling owner who has offered Manning a lifetime contract, whatever that means. Harbaugh and Manning both seem to have the same mentality. They care little for pomp and circumstance, they just want to go onto the field and win a Super Bowl. The 49ers stealthy approach is one that should net rewards. The mystery team of late always seems to walk away with the prize. The Manning chase shouldn't be any different. Steve Young isn't the only one who fully expects to see Manning in red and gold next year.