All’s almost quiet on the Tech and Georgia defensive coordinator fronts, but probably not as quiet as the Jackets would like.
A couple of blogs back, I told you that Al Groh was suddenly being presented with job options other than Georgia Tech and I even threw out a few potential backup choice for the team’s defensive coordinator vacancy.
Well, with every passing day, this whole Groh-to-Tech scenario looks more fantasy than reality. At the very least, it’s getting crowded.
The New England Patriots are looking for a new defensive coordinator, after Dean Pees stepped down for health reasons. Media speculation immediately began that the Patriots may get into a bidding war for Groh with the Miami Dolphins.
Groh has worked with Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the past, as well as Dolphins vice president Bill Parcells. It should be noted that whereas Miami has interviewed Groh, there has been no word on whether the Pats will talk to Groh (or already have).
Folks, as I’ve stated before, if money is a factor in the Groh negotiations, Tech has no shot. It’s difficult enough for a college team — outside of some programs in the SEC, any way — to hang with the NFL in salary structure. But Tech is especially hamstrung financially. I don’t know if Jackets coach Paul Johnson gave Groh some sort of deadline to sort things out but I can’t imagine it’s much longer.
About the Georgia search: If you missed it, Tim Tucker had a nice summary of the situation with Dallas Cowboys assistant Todd Grantham. If Grantham is Georgia’s guy, it follows that coach Mark Richt is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan this week
All’s almost quiet on the Tech and Georgia defensive coordinator fronts, but probably not as quiet as the Jackets would like.
A couple of blogs back, I told you that Al Groh was suddenly being presented with job options other than Georgia Tech and I even threw out a few potential backup choice for the team’s defensive coordinator vacancy.
Well, with every passing day, this whole Groh-to-Tech scenario looks more fantasy than reality. At the very least, it’s getting crowded.
The New England Patriots are looking for a new defensive coordinator, after Dean Pees stepped down for health reasons. Media speculation immediately began that the Patriots may get into a bidding war for Groh with the Miami Dolphins.
Groh has worked with Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the past, as well as Dolphins vice president Bill Parcells. It should be noted that whereas Miami has interviewed Groh, there has been no word on whether the Pats will talk to Groh (or already have).
Folks, as I’ve stated before, if money is a factor in the Groh negotiations, Tech has no shot. It’s difficult enough for a college team — outside of some programs in the SEC, any way — to hang with the NFL in salary structure. But Tech is especially hamstrung financially. I don’t know if Jackets coach Paul Johnson gave Groh some sort of deadline to sort things out but I can’t imagine it’s much longer.
About the Georgia search: If you missed it, Tim Tucker had a nice summary of the situation with Dallas Cowboys assistant Todd Grantham. If Grantham is Georgia’s guy, it follows that coach Mark Richt is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan this week
Maia's sloppy standup leads to one-punch KO by Marquardt
Demian Maia's jiu-jitsu is world class but that's where it ends as far as "world class" mixed martial arts for the Brazilian. He found out what it's like to face a well-rounded fighter with 38 fights under his belt. During a short feeling out process, Maia threw two leg kicks then he tried a flying left knee and kept his chin exposed. Nate Marquardt unloaded a huge right. Maia spun around in the air and fell face first onto the ground. Marquardt jumped into to throw a few more shots on the grounded Maia (10-1, 5-1 UFC) but pulled his punch forcing referee Dave Hagan to step in and stop the fight at 0:21 of the first round.
On any other night, Marquardt would be due a fat check for Knockout of the Night. Unfortunately Todd Duffee recorded the fastest knockout in UFC history (seven seconds) earlier in the evening.
Marquardt (29-8-2) thanked god and the fans at the start of his conversation with UFC announcer Joe Rogan. Then he turned his attention to UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.
"I want that belt and I don't know who's going to get the next shot, but if you want someone who's going to kick Anderson Silva's butt, you're going to have to give that shot to me"
The crowd roared and when a shot of Silva went up on the big screen, he smiled and nodded, as if to say, "bring it on tough guy!"
Silva crushed Marquardt over two years ago back at UFC 73. Since then Marquardt has reeled off four wins in fight fights.
Maia's sloppy standup leads to one-punch KO by Marquardt
Demian Maia's jiu-jitsu is world class but that's where it ends as far as "world class" mixed martial arts for the Brazilian. He found out what it's like to face a well-rounded fighter with 38 fights under his belt. During a short feeling out process, Maia threw two leg kicks then he tried a flying left knee and kept his chin exposed. Nate Marquardt unloaded a huge right. Maia spun around in the air and fell face first onto the ground. Marquardt jumped into to throw a few more shots on the grounded Maia (10-1, 5-1 UFC) but pulled his punch forcing referee Dave Hagan to step in and stop the fight at 0:21 of the first round.
On any other night, Marquardt would be due a fat check for Knockout of the Night. Unfortunately Todd Duffee recorded the fastest knockout in UFC history (seven seconds) earlier in the evening.
Marquardt (29-8-2) thanked god and the fans at the start of his conversation with UFC announcer Joe Rogan. Then he turned his attention to UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.
"I want that belt and I don't know who's going to get the next shot, but if you want someone who's going to kick Anderson Silva's butt, you're going to have to give that shot to me"
The crowd roared and when a shot of Silva went up on the big screen, he smiled and nodded, as if to say, "bring it on tough guy!"
Silva crushed Marquardt over two years ago back at UFC 73. Since then Marquardt has reeled off four wins in fight fights.
I've been remiss in not following up on the podcast discussion that Salon's Glenn Greenwald and MSNBC's Chuck Todd gave yesterday, that I previewed on these pages. I got a lot of emails from people who found the discussion to be really lively and valuable. I've only read the transcript myself, but I was really impressed at how engrossing and candid it was. Both men deserve big-time kudos for making this happen, and getting it done so quickly. If you haven't listened to it by now, you can catch the podcast here, or peep the transcript by clicking here. Folks know where I stand on the issue of torture and accountability -- including Glenn and Chuck-- so I'm not going to get into a prosecution of either argument. But I'll pull one part out: Look, I am no way excusing torture. I'm not excusing torture, and I bristle at the attack when it comes on this specific issue. But I think the political reality in this, and, I understand where you're coming from, you're just saying, just because something's politically tough doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. That's, I don't disagree with you from 30,000 feet. And that is an idealistic view of this thing. Then you have the realistic view of how this town works, and what would happen, and is it good for our reputation around the world if we're essentially putting on trial the previous administration? We would look at another country doing that, and say, geez, boy, this is-- GG: So what do you think happens - I think what has destroyed our reputation is announcing to the world that we tolerate torture, and telling the world we don't -- CT: We have elections, we also had an election where this was an issue. A new president, who came in there, and has said, we're not going to torture, we're going to do this, and we're going to do this-- GG: What do you think should happen when presidents-- CT: Is that not enough? Isn't that enough? GG: When, generally, if I go out and rob a bank tomorrow, what happens to me is not that I lose an election. What happens is to me is that I go to prison.Chuck Todd And Glenn Greenwald Debate Torture And The Media
GG: Let me ask you about that, then. If a president can find, as a president always will be able to find, some low-level functionary in the Justice Department -- a John Yoo -- to write a memo authorizing whatever it is the president wants to do, and to say that it's legal, then you think the president ought to be immune from prosecution whenever he breaks the law, as long as he has a permission slip from the Justice Department? I mean, that's the argument that's being made. Don't you think that's extremely dangerous?
CT: That could be dangerous, but let me tell you this: Is it healthy for our reputation around the world - and this I think is that we have TO do what other countries do more often than not, so-called democracies that struggle with their democracy, and sit there and always PUT the previous administration on trial - you don't think that we start having retributions on this going forward?
I've been remiss in not following up on the podcast discussion that Salon's Glenn Greenwald and MSNBC's Chuck Todd gave yesterday, that I previewed on these pages. I got a lot of emails from people who found the discussion to be really lively and valuable. I've only read the transcript myself, but I was really impressed at how engrossing and candid it was. Both men deserve big-time kudos for making this happen, and getting it done so quickly. If you haven't listened to it by now, you can catch the podcast here, or peep the transcript by clicking here. Folks know where I stand on the issue of torture and accountability -- including Glenn and Chuck-- so I'm not going to get into a prosecution of either argument. But I'll pull one part out: Look, I am no way excusing torture. I'm not excusing torture, and I bristle at the attack when it comes on this specific issue. But I think the political reality in this, and, I understand where you're coming from, you're just saying, just because something's politically tough doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. That's, I don't disagree with you from 30,000 feet. And that is an idealistic view of this thing. Then you have the realistic view of how this town works, and what would happen, and is it good for our reputation around the world if we're essentially putting on trial the previous administration? We would look at another country doing that, and say, geez, boy, this is-- GG: So what do you think happens - I think what has destroyed our reputation is announcing to the world that we tolerate torture, and telling the world we don't -- CT: We have elections, we also had an election where this was an issue. A new president, who came in there, and has said, we're not going to torture, we're going to do this, and we're going to do this-- GG: What do you think should happen when presidents-- CT: Is that not enough? Isn't that enough? GG: When, generally, if I go out and rob a bank tomorrow, what happens to me is not that I lose an election. What happens is to me is that I go to prison.Chuck Todd And Glenn Greenwald Debate Torture And The Media
GG: Let me ask you about that, then. If a president can find, as a president always will be able to find, some low-level functionary in the Justice Department -- a John Yoo -- to write a memo authorizing whatever it is the president wants to do, and to say that it's legal, then you think the president ought to be immune from prosecution whenever he breaks the law, as long as he has a permission slip from the Justice Department? I mean, that's the argument that's being made. Don't you think that's extremely dangerous?
CT: That could be dangerous, but let me tell you this: Is it healthy for our reputation around the world - and this I think is that we have TO do what other countries do more often than not, so-called democracies that struggle with their democracy, and sit there and always PUT the previous administration on trial - you don't think that we start having retributions on this going forward?