Bravehearts: From the Bottom to...Where?

It's been a rough few days since Bradley endured their worst loss in over 100 years at the hands of Wichita State. However, LitCS correspondent Kevin McClelland says there's still a light at the end of the tunnel for BU.

The Bradley Braves opened up Missouri Valley Conference play Tuesday, and took on the Wichita State Shockers.

Carver Arena had a certain excitement about it—Valley play was opening up; many people had time off between holidays, and in general it was a light atmosphere. While the student section was spartan, the Bradley red was abundant in the crowd.


Unfortunately, the crowd can't get on the floor and make baskets for the Braves, and they desperately needed them.


Bradley shot 25 percent from the field against a Shockers team with more length and depth than the Braves were accustomed to. The only starter to break into double digits was Taylor Brown, although Prosser sniffed at a double double with nine points and nine rebounds.


Our bench got outscored. Our starters were manhandled by their bigs. They changed our shots near the rim. We got out-rebounded, out-hustled, and out-worked, things Coach Ford will likely address at practice.


But even after this paltry performance, I have no doubt that Carver will be packed when the Braves take on the Salukis January 3. It should be a ghost town—Southern is the only team in the Valley with a worse record that Bradley—but Peorians have shown some mix of resiliency and hope, now that the "Jim Les Era" is over and Geno Ford has introduced some offense besides the three-man weave.


They've seen the mediocre teams that followed the Sweet Sixteen run, but they remember that Sweet Sixteen team and tasted a bit of what the NCAA tournament can do for the program, the school and the community. That taste hasn't yet been washed away by the bitterness of those losing seasons, and they know something else is on the horizon.


It just may take awhile to see the sun after all this darkness, and I'm sure Bradley basketball fans won't forget that any time soon.


KDM

Kevin McClelland is a longtime resident of the Ohio city colloquially known as "Believeland". Follow him on Twitter @K_D_McClelland.

Court Vocabulary

I thought I was on another planet the first time I played a gave of five-on-five at Bradley.

"All right, we're going to 15 by ones and twos", the kid said. I stopped in my tracks.

"Ones and twos?"

"Yeah, ones and twos."

"You mean twos and threes?" I said. Now they looked at me like I was from another planet.

I hadn't played or watched any game of basketball that used ones and twos in my life. I was from Chicago, where every single game was played to 32 by twos and threes. Never mind that just about every game stopped after the first few makes to figure out the score, or that fouls only started getting called when one team was two or three baskets away from winning. That's how the game was played.

Basketball, like any sport, has its own unique vocabulary, and Chicago differentiates itself more still. So if you ever do want to play ball with Derrick Rose (or myself), you've got to talk the talk before you can skywalk the skywalk. Here's a quick guide of playground terms:

twos and threes: n. Traditional method of scoring a pickup basketball game. Used in Chicago (and I'm guessing in most of the world).

ones and twos: n. Second method for scoring a pickup basketball game. Used in practice by sanctioned teams and in South Central Illinois.

baby: v. To dominate another player during a game, usually in the post. Synonymous with "son". Ex.: Remember the '01 Finals, when Shaq babied Mutombo?

Oh, you didn't remember? Here's a reminder clip.

cash: n. inj. Phrase shouted when a player shoots a jump shot; used to taunt an opposing player. Syn. money, burner, cookies

crip: n. When players are shooting around and a player's shot is rebounded, he is usually given the ball back for one last shot or layup, called a "crip". If this is not given, it is a sign of disrespect ("You're not going to give me my crip, joe?")

hoop: v. To play basketball. Ex.: Where are people trying to hoop?

joe: n. Way of greeting another person. Used whether the person's name is known or not. Can also be spelled as "jo". Originated in Chicago. Ex.: Wassup, joe?

 "Wassup Jo" by Chicago/Pennsylvania duo Kidz in the Hall

son: n. 1. Way of greeting another person, used whether the person is known or not. Originated in New York City. 2. n. Derogatory term for another person. Ex.: You're not on my level, son.  2. v. To dominate another player on the court, usually in the post. Ex.: Did you see dude just son that fool from Garfield Park?

 As I said, this just a short glossary of terms, so if you have any more that you know, send them to my e-mail jakestanley17@yahoo.com. In the meantime, feel free to use any of these while you're watching the Bulls-Lakers game today. Here's a free one to get you started: "Dag joe, D-Rose just babied Steve Blake hard. Guess the Lake Show didn't come to hoop."

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and see you in the cheap seats.

JS

Bravehearts: Bradley Women vs. Western Illinois

It's getting ridiculous out here.

Basketball is supposed to be difficult. It's supposed to be a seesaw affair, a teeth-clenching battle of wills where every loose ball counts and the ref's whistle makes the crowd draw a single, halting breath.

It's not like that at the Coliseum.

Bradley was facing an easy game tonight against Western Illinois and they made sure there would be no trap against the Leathernecks. Braves took the W, 93-64, behind 29 points from Catie O'Leary.

Ball don't lie

If you're looking for heart-stopping basketball excitement in Peoria right now, please stay away from the Bradley women's squad. If you're looking for close games and fast finishes, don't come out to the Coliseum.

In short, if you don't want to see a blowout, go somewhere else. That's what you're going to get from Bradley right now: hot shooting from the arc, points in the post, second-chance opportunities and solid free-throw shooting.

I may be getting ahead of myself; the conference schedule hasn't started and the grind of mid-season hasn't taken effect. Still, the Braves have not made the same mistakes that plagued them last year. They're limiting turnovers (they haven't crested 20 in the past two contests); they're rebounding well; the shooters are spreading the floor for the slashers and everyone has a role.

Kelsey Budd and Catie O'Leary, the Wisconsinites, are shooting the daylights out of the bucket. Budd tallied 31 Saturday night in the win over Iowa; O'Leary came off the bench with 29 tonight. Katie Yohn continued to break out of her slump with 11 points and Leah Kassing picked up another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Individual numbers don't nearly tell the story, though: Bradley dominated this game. They held the 3-8 Leathernecks to 32 percent field-goal shooting and 15 percent from three-point range. Bradley outrebounded Western IL 46-39, shot over 50 percent overall and from beyond the arc and picked up 53 points from their bench.

If all basketball was this easy, everyone would be playing.

On Wisconsin! And Iowa, and Minnesota...

It's no secret that Paula Buscher has recruited from the northern Midwest over the past six years. Renee Frericks and Jenny Van Kirk both hailed from Minnesota, as does freshman Michelle Young. Budd and O'Leary are from Wisconsin, while Mackenzie Westcott and Alyson Spinas-Valainis head back to Iowa on breaks. I don't know if the air is thinner or what, but the Wisconsin kids in particular can shoot from almost any spot on the floor. Kelsey Budd has the ability to control the game with shooting or passing (10 points and nine assists tonight), while Catie O'Leary can run the second unit.

The Braves' greatest asset might be their depth. There are five potential point guards on the team, two of whom can shift to the three of whom can shift to the shooting guard position. Westcott and Frings can both play small or power forward, and both can shoot from beyond 15 feet. Spinas-Valainis still needs to improve, but she clocked five points and six rebounds tonight, a building-block performance.

In short, the out-of-towners are really turning the cogs for the Braves tonight.

Grades

Offense: A+. I only saw one interior pass get stolen tonight, and the Braves outscored the Leathernecks bench 53-16. Next.

Defense: A. Six blocks. Ten steals. 23 points off turnovers. And Coach Buscher got a warning from the refs after the sixth bad call on what should have been a jump ball. The Braves didn't have to worry about an inside offensive presence, so they swarmed the basketball on the perimeter.

Atmosphere: C+. Again, sparse crowd, but the Morton Junior High Band did their best imitation of the BU Basketball Band and got loud on free throws. The guys next to me were all over the refs about fouls and got several glances from the zebras. Nice job, guys.

So.....what?

I'm sure that's what people are thinking after reading this, if they read to the end. "So what? Why should I care?" they're saying to themselves.

Right now, this is the streaking basketball team in Central Illinois. Bradley has won four in a row since dropping a four-point game to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on November 28. They're 9-3 going into conference play. They shoot, they drive, they make julienne fries! What more do you really want to see?

Two more games on the homestand starting next Thursday. Either find your seats on the bandwagon or get left in the dust. I know one thing: we're making noise in St. Charles come March.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

Great Clips! A Seismic Shift in Los Angeles

There are sports franchises that are never supposed to win. I would say "in this day and age", but the old-timers remember the Washington Senators, who never won a World Series even with Walter Johnson pitching, or the St. Louis Browns, who needed World War II to win a pennant.

Some teams never catch a break, never draft the right player, or just don't get the right bounce at the right time.

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of those teams. This is the team that let Elton Brand go to Philly, kept Michael Olowokandi over Lamar Odom, and had two stars sustain terrible injuries on freak accidents in the preseason (Note: these videos are not for the easily squeamish).

Shawn Livingston's ACL tear

Blake Griffin's broken kneecap

Such was the fate of the Clippers, the team forever in the shadow of the Lakers.

Was.

On Monday night, the Clip Show served the Lakers to the tune of a 19-point victory. And they did with a subpar effort from Blizzy Blake.

It's too early for everyone to scream it from the rooftops, so I'll do it for you:

THE CLIPPERS ARE THE TEAM IN L.A.

Flash back to...

...last season, when the Clippers had just pulled a home victory over Miami, further adding to the consternation of Heat fans. I said then that Los Angeles' other team was moving in the right direction with the parts they had, but it would take a long time for them to challenge the Lakers for L.A. dominance.

After a flurry of in-season and offseason moves, the landscape is very different. The Clippers were the winners of the Chris Paul Chase, picked up Mo Williams in a midseason trade and also acquired veteran Chauncey Billups. They did lose key players Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, but with Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler in the frontcourt with Paul and Billups in the backcourt, the Clippers suddenly have one of the most exciting starting rotations in the West.

Meanwhile, the Lakers lost their temper in their playoff series with the Mavericks and haven't stopped throwing temper tantrums since. After dangling Lamar Odom in their own proposed trade for Paul, Odom demanded his walking papers and went to, of all teams, the Dallas Mavericks. Can you imagine how many snide phone calls and text messages Mark Cuban sent Jerry Buss that day?

The Lakers picked up Josh McRoberts from Indy but not much else, and now Kobe's day-to-day with an injured wrist. Add to the mix Mike Brown's first season at the wheel and you have the perfect sh&t storm in Hollywood. Can things get worse for the Lakers?

Christmas magic

The San Andreas Fault sits right underneath Los Angeles, and scientists say eons from now, Lakerland will break off from the continent and float out to sea. That is also the generally accepted amount of time it will take for the Clippers to move past the Lakers as Los Angeles' favorite team.

I think it's coming sooner than that. The Laker fan base is dedicated enough to their team, especially from the glory years of the '80s and 2000s, but the Lakers are losing their. Kobe's 33 with mounting injuries; Derek Fisher is four years older. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will do their thing, but who's behind them in the rotation: McRoberts, Troy Murphy? Joe Smith? Theo Ratliff? 

The intagibles of Metta World Peace (yes, I will be calling him that until further notice) are not to be overlooked. Still, the Lakers have a slew of rookies and Luke Walton off the bench. Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter aren't ready. Shannon Brown is gone. How will the Lakers survive the second and third quarters of games?

The Clippers have lower billing against the Warriors Sunday night, but Golden State will be without Stephen Curry in another mini-miracle for the red and blue. The Lakers, meanwhile, have to contend with a better, hungrier Bulls team at Staples.

The time is right for the Clippers to move up the L.A. star charts. Will it be this season? The future isn't clear, but the magic 8 ball says, "Signs point to yes." If you don't believe me, ask DeAndre Jordan.

Rising over Gasol and Bynum? Can you say, "foreshadowing"?

Suffice it to say, Bill Simmons should be very happy this year. I will be, too, once I get my custom-made "Lob City" shirt.

See you in the cheap seats, Clippers fans.

JS

Note: Shouts out to Bradley alum Zack Andrews for making the Lakers' roster! Congratulations to #21, throw a power move from Sac-town.)

Bravehearts: Bradley Women vs. Iowa

Two years ago, you would be hard-pressed to say, "We still have a chance to win this game even if Katie Yohn doesn't score 20 points." Very hard-pressed. Even a year ago it would have been a stretch of the imagination.

To say Bradley could win if she scored less than 15? Crazy. Chalk up that 'L' and take it home.

That's exactly what happened Saturday night at the Renaissance Coliseum. Yohn struggled (by her standards) once again, and there was the Bradley women's basketball team, hooting and yelling as the final buzzer sounded on a 96-88 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

One more time: 96-88.


Never mind the torrid Bradley offense: a women's college basketball game that saw one team score more than 90 points and only win by eight? That's a Christmas miracle of it's own accord.

Considering this was the first women's game of the season I had a chance to see, I'll go ahead and call myself "the key to victory." Why not?

Three-mendous


Imagine a glass case with liquid suspended inside, precariously balanced on a fulcrum. The liquid shifts back and forth endlessly, moving toward one end, then toward the other. Sometimes, the case never settles on one side, but most of the time, the liquid moves inexorably in one direction as the case finally drops to the surface.

The case in a liquid is a mirror of a good basketball game. One team makes a run before the game settles to a medium, then the other team pushes back. That's what Bradley and Iowa went through for the first half of their game Saturday night. The Braves shot better and hit more threes than the Hawkeyes, but Iowa controlled the glass and only trailed by six at the break.

The Hawkeyes picked up two quick baskets after the half, and even after a Kelsey Budd jumper from the arc, Bradley's lead had shrunk to three points.

Then the liquid in the case became a flood of points.

Budd hit another three, then a jump shot. Shronda Butts connected for three, then three more. Budd hit another distance J, followed by Kelly Frings and Yohn. With more than seven minutes to go in the game, Bradley led 74-55.

As I tweeted to Hayden Shaver, it was as if we had morphed into one giant Kyle Korver.

On the run again


When I first came to Peoria, the Bradley men's basketball team had just shocked the world by beating Kansas and Pittsburgh in the NCAA tournament. A large part of that was due to Patrick O'Bryant sonning the mess out of Aaron Gray, but the glue turning the Bradley wheels was in the person of their three-guard lineup. In 2006-07, that lineup was anchored by Daniel Ruffin (the Speedster), Will Franklin (the Slasher) and Jeremy Crouch (the Shooter).

The days of Jim Les and the three-man weave are gone from Carver Arena, but it seems his philosophy might have been passed on to Coach Buscher and the women's team.

Kelsey Budd's defining sequence Saturday was not one of her three that totaled 31 points. It was a call that didn't go her way: on a Braves turnover, Iowa was out in transition looking at an easy layup. Budd raced back alone, cut off the right side of the rim, and blocked the shot. She was called for an anticipatory foul (don't get me started on the officiating that night), but the message was clear as Kevin McClelland's announcer voice: no easy baskets.

Shronda Butts did not impress me at the Red-White Scrimmage, to tell you the truth. I thought she would be coming off the bench in favor of the quicker and taller Michelle Young. Butts, however, dropped 18 points against Iowa and showed an ability to get to the hoop and draw contact at will. She's not a true point guard and was more comfortable at the shooting guard spot, but the always-dangerous left-hander will be effective slashing to the hoop this season.

Katie Yohn has been cold lately, according to my boy Clark Benjamin, but she is still the main threat for Bradley. Remember, before this game, Budd's career high was 12 points. Katie hit a few shots and might be getting back into a rhythm, and she can still play solid perimeter defense (when she doesn't gamble for steals, of course). Having Katie put up 18 points on a minimum of shots spells victory for Bradley.

The Grades


Offense: A. The passing was the only problem; too many interior passes were stolen, especially in the second half. Bradley had eight turnovers at the half; they finished with 19. But what can you say about 96 points?

Defense: C-. The Braves had no answer for Iowa's Morgan Johnson, who led all scorers with 37 points, most of those on easy slip-screen layups. The Braves need to do a better job rotating in the post to contest those shots or deny the entry pass.

Atmosphere: C+. "Cram the Coliseum"? I doubt it was half-full. The women's basketball team has outperformed the men in the past few years, but you wouldn't know it from the fan support. This team deserves to get a better showing now that they're back on campus, period. If more fans don't show up at their next game, then Bradley fans don't really care about their school's basketball teams. Print it.

The Bradley women's basketball team is not a juggernaut, but their record is 8-3 with two weeks to go before the conference season begins. Coach Buscher has built a balanced team of perimeter shooters, post players (Leah Kassing didn't get lost in the shuffle, posting 10 points and outrebounding the taller Johnson 10-8) and bench contributors. The Braves have three more games at home before they go on the road again. I'll be there for all of them and I'd better see the cheap seats filled when I get there.
Otherwise you're going to miss out on the surprise team of the season. Let me spell it out for you:

"Northern Iowa, ISU: we comin' for you, baby!"

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

Voices from the Cheap Seats: Why Tim Tebow Isn't So Unbelievable

Another guest writer? I'm not being lazy, folks, I just keep getting submissions. Here's a piece from my boy Kevin McClelland (@K_D_McClelland on Twitter) on the truth about Tim Tebow (Bears fans, stop gnashing your teeth for a few minutes).

He did it again. We saw it happen.

"Unbelievable," they say. "TOTALLY believable," I say.

There were no secrets going into the Bears/Broncos game on Sunday: the Bears defense needed to stop Tim Tebow from running the ball and pressure him in the pocket so if he chose to throw, he would have little time to do so. The Bears offense only needed to not mess up.

On paper, and through a majority of Sunday's game, that's exactly what happened. Tebow was 3 for 16 with one interception at one point, and his passer rating was hovering in the 60s, if that.

But then, in the fourth quarter, he came alive. He suddenly had time to move around and find his receivers. He completed 10 of 12 passes during one stretch.

We can attribute this to a few things. The first is prior performance: over the past few starts, Tebow has been abysmal in the first three quarters, and electric in the fourth. The second is brains. Tebow has the football smarts and acuity to understand what a defense is doing, and after seeing that plan for three quarters, I'd imagine he'd figure it out. Third is his offensive line. They stopped the Bears' defense when they had to, when they saw the Broncos had a chance to make things interesting and possibly win the game down the stretch.


Tebow's Fallibility

Part of what makes Tebow's story so remarkable (understandable) is how well he knows himself. He knows that is not equipped with the fundamentals of Brady, the vision of Rodgers, or the offensive firepower of Brees.

He plays to his own strengths, as does the entire team. The offensive line bought him time in the pocket, and it was up to Tebow to read and see if he should throw, run, buy more time, or get sacked by Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and company (okay, maybe that last one wasn't an option, but the point is that credit goes to his offensive line). Credit is also due to the defensive unit that forced several three-and-outs in the fourth quarter when they realized Marion Barber was pretty much the only offensive option the Bears had and stuffed him several times.

That wasn't all Tebow's doing. He certainly inspired some of it, I'm sure, but his play until the last quarter was downright disheartening.


Clawless Bears

Caleb Hanie played arguably his best game as a starter: 12 for 19 for 115 yards, no TDs and no INTs. Definitely a great game considering how sloppy he has been with the ball of late. But with no one in their right mind kicking to Hester, Forte still out, and Hanie's inexperience in making big-time plays, the Bears didn't have the chutzpah to complete a third down conversion in the fourth. Credit the Broncos defense, which has helped keep them in games all year, but you also blame injuries: I can imagine if Cutler and Forte were around, the game would never have come down to the 4th quarter; it would have been an early rout.


For Broncos fans: keep believing in your "unbelievable" quarterback. Your story is an incredible one, but understand that Tebow will falter at some point. You will lose again. Ride this streak, but don't be surprised if it comes to a stop—and soon.

Bears fans, put your elbow on your knee, and start "Tebowing" that you can win next week and keep your playoff chances alive.

KDM

Kevin McClelland currently works Bradley University's admissions department. When not at work, K-Mac campaigns to change the name of the Cleveland Indians' stadium back to Jacobs Field. Donate to the "Remake the Jake" campaign on his site, http://atleastwerenotdetroit.wordpress.com/.

"Suck Now, Luck Later": Indy's Season of Despair and Contemplation (Part 2)

This is the continuation of Brian Spicklemire's post on the Indianapolis Colts' disastrous season and the decision they may have to make in the very near future: take Andrew Luck and say goodbye to their franchise player? (If you haven't read Part 1, check it here.)

Peyton's place

It's a rough topic to think about for a die-hard Colts fan. For many, Peyton is the only player they've ever seen take meaningful snaps. He was transcendent; watching him play against a defense and finding the open receiver was as close as sports come to poetry or a breathtaking Chopin etude. His preparation was unmatched. His intangibles were what separated him from QBs of equal physical talents: not just being able to make the throws, but knowing that you were going to make the throws and convincing the defense that they couldn't stop you. Remember a couple years ago, when Bill Belichick went for it on fourth and two deep inside his own territory because he didn't want to give Peyton the ball back with under two minutes left? That was what separated Peyton from other elite QBs, knowing that he could go Keyser Soze on you at anytime. It made Colts fans complacent; we didn't know how good we had it.

Your heart says that you don't want to see Peyton go, that he means too much to this city not to retire as a Colt on his own terms. He won a Super Bowl for this city, and essentially built Lucas Oil Stadium, which is bringing the big game (and the prominence and local economy stimulus that comes with it), to Indy this February. There's a children's hospital that bears his name, and his charitable outreach is impressive. With apologies to Uncle Reggie, Peyton Manning is the most important professional athlete this city has ever had. And we could be four months away from discarding him in a cold, mathematical business move.

Conventional wisdom says there's only one logical thing we can do: draft Andrew Luck with the top overall pick after either trading or cutting Peyton (cutting being the more likely of the options, as it's unlikely that anyone outside of Dan Snyder is going to trade for Peyton and be on the hook for the $28 million roster bonus he's due in March, and the Colts won't pay it just to draft a new QB a month later), and move on to a post-Manning landscape. 

Those of us in Indy with rose-colored glasses (me among them), will cite that with the new CBA, keeping both Peyton and Luck at a new low rookie wage-scale price isn't unthinkable, though it cripples the team to try to build around either QB for the present or the future. Also, it's unlikely Luck would want to sit for more than two years at the most, and might try to Eli-force a trade out (and no, the irony isn't lost on me there) if the Colts pick him come April. Which brings us back to looking towards the future with Andrew Luck, and letting Peyton go to finish his career elsewhere.

Pujols and Peyton

As a fan, it hurts to think about this, hurts to type the words that our sports icon could be on the move before long. Sports fans like the idea of the "hometown guy", someone who played in whole career for one organization. But not everyone gets to leave in a way that makes everyone happy. Brett Favre didn't. Joe Montana got traded from a team he won multiple Super Bowls for. At the end of the day it's business. Cold, hard, emotionless math. I can't imagine Peyton Manning in a uniform other than the Colts, or maybe I just don't want to.

[Full disclosure: When I wrote the original draft of this column, I made a joke about seeing Manning in another uniform being akin to Cardinals fans seeing Pujols in a Cubs next year because 1.) the image of him playing for St. Louis' most hated enemy seemed like a funny and easy way to rile up any Cards fans, and 2.) at the time, I didn't think there was any way he wasn't staying put. He meant (maybe still means, we're too early in the five stages of loss to tell yet) as much to that city as Peyton does to Indy. I never thought he'd go somewhere else just to chase money. When I went to bed Wednesday, the Marlins had essentially completely dropped out of the contest, and all the baseball insiders I was reading made it seem Pujols would be back with the Cardinals next year. When I woke up the next morning, he was am Angel.

I don't think Pujols and Peyton's situations mirror each other completely (just like Pujols and He-Who-Took-His-Talents-To-South-Beach-And-Shall-Not-Be-Named-On-This-Blog are less comparable than some irate St. Louis fans would lead you to believe), but there are several parallels. Both are stars that outshine their current or former market. Both were the driving forces in bringing championships to their respective cities. And both are aging to the point that they might not be worth the money they'll be making at the end of their current contracts. Pujols' deal was a reported $254 million for 10 years (That's "I'ma buy me an island" kind of money), which will put him at 41 years old at the end of the contract (and that's the conservative estimate. Remember, there are a lot of people around baseball that think he's two to three years older than he says he is). This is perhaps do-able in the AL, where he can play the Jim Thome-perfected "Old Guy Who Hits the DL Every Few Games" routine, but this would have been a crippling contract after about year six for an NL team like the Cardinals. And I think most Cards fans know it was the right move business-wise, but it still hurts to see a player like that go. To all my Cardinals friends, I can only offer a sincere "sorry," and a promise to buy the first round after Dan Snyder inevitably backs a Brinks truck into the Manning driveway.]

The end of Indiana (Jones)?

For what it's worth, I don't think it is Peyton's last year. His replacement is coming closer than we expected, but I don't think we know his name yet. I don't think [owner] Jim Irsay will ever trade or cut Peyton if he still thinks he can play (and when it's your franchise player, your owner gets to make that call). I think Irsay will do everything he can to either make Manning and Luck co-exist (doubtful), or find out Luck's willingness to sit for a few years isn't there, trade for more picks, and get into "win-one-for-Peyton-now" mode. Then maybe take a QB with the first pick in the second round (practically where Andy Dalton landed last year) and go from there (Don't think this is that crazy of an idea. Remember, we live in a world where Alex Smith and Joe "Freakin'" Flacco lead teams are in first place in their divisions).

There's improvements to be made all over this team, and that includes the front-office (Polian has had some really weak drafts in recent years, setting us up for our current predicament) and coaching staff (Jim Caldwell has to go. Sorry, but you don't get to go 0-fer and get another chance. If Irsay has any brains in that rock-n-roll loving head of his, he'll fire Caldwell when the game clock hits 0:00 on New Year's Day and be knocking on Jeff Fisher's door the next morning). But past all of that, the question still remains, do you take Luck or do you gamble on Manning's health for a few more years? 

In a league where one hit can end your season or career, a situation where one player has a lot more years left in him than the other, and a price tag that makes it supremely easier to build around the talented rookie than the hailed veteran, it's an easy decision for your head to make.

But not for your heart. That's what really sucks.

Brian Spicklemire is a composer and percussionist, staunch Indianian and current graduate student at Butler University. Check out his work on Soundcloud and on his website at http://www.brianspicklemire.com.