Day 52: Dick Jauron, Zack Grienke, LeBron and more

HEADLINES

1) After a 3-6 start to the season and a 24-33 record over his tenure, the Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Dick Jauron. Is it a good move to fire a head coach during the season?

Ben: No. It is never a good idea to fire the coach in the middle of the season. By doing that, you are basically telling your players and fanbase, that the season is over and you are giving up. I don't think Dick Jauron is a great coach, or even should have been the head coach for this long in Buffalo, but it doesn't help you in any way to let him go now.

Now Buffalo has no viable head coach on staff, they could be a potential laughing stock for the next 7 games, and are still searching for enough good players to put together a good team. It's just not a good move.

Boz: I don't always agree with firing head coaches in the middle of the season for any sport. However, I will say that this firing wasn't a bad move. It was clear that the Bills were going nowhere this season and that Jauron, who has been very unsuccessful with the Bills, wasn't going to be retained for the next season. There are a lot of talented and wanted coaches available and by firing Jauron, the Bills are getting a leg up on talking to these coaches and trying to get them interested in Buffalo (they'll need all the time they can get).

2) After posting a 16-8 record with a 2.16 ERA, Royals ace Zack Grienke was awarded with the AL Cy Young Award. Do you agree with the decision?

Ben: Yes. Grienke was, hands down, the most dominant pitcher in all of baseball last year. I would have been upset had it been given to the pitcher with the most wins. Wins are the worst way to judge how good a pitcher is, look at Jason Marquis. Grienke had his ups and downs this season, but his downs were better then 95% of pitchers good days.

He's a fantastic choice, and I'm glad they got it right.

Boz: Absolutely. I understand that he didn't lead the AL with wins, but he was only three wins shy of the leader and he played for the Royals, who only won 65 games all year! I would have loved to have seen how many games Grienke would have won had he played for a better baseball team. He had the best ERA in baseball and deserved to be recognized as one of baseball's best pitchers of the year despite playing for a crummy team.

3) LeBron James has stated that if he had put all of his time and commitment into it, if he dedicated himself to the game of football, that he could succeed in the NFL as a tight end/wide receiver mold. Do you think LeBron could succeed in the NFL?

Ben: No. At 6'8" he couldn't play wide receiver/tight end. He'd have to add weight to his frame to play defense, probably an end, and I don't think he'd have the overall ability to make enough plays to be an effective end. He's not a mauler or a speed guy, so he'd kind of that in-between, type that just hums along for a good 8 year career.

Boz: He's extremely athletic but he would have to show that he could take all of the hits and physical pain that comes along with playing in the NFL. However, I think he would be more successful than Big Baby Davis, who recently said he actually wants to make an attempt at playing in the NFL. If there were a basketball player that could make the transition it would be LeBron. The man is 6'8", 260 pounds and not to mention if he was dedicated himself to football, he would probably put on 20 more pounds of pure muscle. He was an all-state wide receiver in high school, but there are plently of all-state players that don't make it to the NFL. But I have to say, he could be fun to watch.

4) Kansas' athletic director met with several football players to talk about an altercation about head coach Mark Mangino grabbing, yelling and pointing his finger into the chest of a player laughing during a team walk-through. Is this a serious altercation?

Ben: No. Coaches always get in players faces and try to assert force. Now, granted, if things got more physical, it comes a serious situation, but poiting, grabbing, and yelling do not sound like serious incidents to me -- and I think that if you are complaining about this after you've left school -- you are in need of some tough love, because you're kind of cowardly.

Boz: No. The player was laughing during a walk-through, he deserved to be yelled at and everything else. If every coach was fired for yelling, grabbing and pointing a finger into the chest of a player, he wouldn't have any coaches around. The player was disrespecting the coach and the walk-through, so to me he got what he deserved. I once got bear hugged by my sophomore basketball coach for blowing a defensive assignment. And I didn't even disrespect the coach. It's a part of the game. Everyone at Kansas needs to relax.

OVER/UNDER

1) A pair of 1-9 teams square off this Sunday with the Browns and Lions. Over or under 30 points scored between the two teams?

Ben: Under. Neither team is good on offense, and the Browns are especially terrible.

Boz: Under. You know the Browns can't put up any points against any team. The Lions won't put up points because the Browns defense isn't half bad. Lions 17, Browns 6.

2) The Gators have a break from the SEC schedule with a game against Florida International. Over or under 35 point margin of victory for the Gators?

Ben: OVER. FIU can't keep up. The only way is if Tebow doesn't play the 2nd half.

Boz: Under. It'll be close to 35 points but I have to figure that there is no reason to run up the score against Florida International. No starter for the Gators should be playing in the second half.

3) It seems like we do this every single week, but over or under three interceptions for Jay Cutler against the Eagles on Sunday night?

Ben: Over. I think the Eagles secondary is pretty solid, and will make him pay for some errant throws. And I honestly think that confidence is dwindling on the Cutler front and wide receivers are helping the cause by being in the bottom 3 of the league as a unit.

Boz: Under. Maybe it's just hope for my team to pick up a much needed win. Maybe it's just hope that I want Lovie Smith to know that the Bears need to run the ball more often.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 50th Birthday Ahmad Rashad. WOW! What a find? Rashad was all over the TV for about a decade doing basketball specials and helping out all sports. He was also a solid wide receiver for the Vikings, before going into television. Where is he now?

Boz: Happy 40th Birthday to Sam Cassell. The former NBA point guard won three NBA Championships, two with the Rockets and one with the Celtics in 2008. Sammy Cassell had the best pump-fake and draw the foul move that I adored growing up. He's now an assistant coach with the Wizards and I think will eventually be an NBA head coach. Steve Nash said that Cassell was the one who really taught him to be the point guard he is today. Now thats a recommendation to have when trying to get an NBA head coaching position.