Welcome back, Greg Mattison: The wreckage of Michigan's defense awaits

The good news for new Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison: He's done this gig before, and well. Mattison spent four years in Ann Arbor under head coaches Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr in the mid-nineties, overseeing a pair of Wolverine defenses that held 19 of 25 opponents to 20 points or less in 1995 and 1996, and didn't allow 30 points even once. After his departure for Notre Dame in 1997, the group he helped develop turned in the best defensive effort in the nation en route to a national championship as upperclassmen.

The bad news: The group he officially inherited today couldn't be a much further cry from the units that produced Sam Sword and Charles Woodson more than a decade ago. In fact, they couldn't be much further from almost any Michigan defense that came before: Each of the last three Wolverine defenses under coordinators Scott Shafer and Greg Robinson since 2008 ranks among the worst in school history, with the attrition-ravaged 2010 unit redefining the local conception of "rock bottom."

After hitting all manner of new lows in Robinson's first year, the '10 Wolverines were in free fall almost from the beginning, eventually finishing dead last in the Big Ten in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense, and near the bottom of the conference in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense and takeaways. They allowed at least 34 points in eight of nine Big Ten games, and went out with a big 52 stamped to their forehead, courtesy of Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Nine of 13 opposing offenses racked up at least 435 total yards, including Indiana and Massachusetts. Even if head coach Rich Rodriguez had managed to survive the carnage, Robinson certainly would not have.

At least there's nowhere for Mattison's new charges to go but up, and plenty of reason to expect an uptick with or without the brain transplant on the sideline. In the first case, seven regular starters and 11 of the top 15 tacklers return in the fall, including every member of a beleaguered secondary that was devastated by an apocalyptic plague of attrition and injury before the season even began.

By the end of the year, following yet another season-ending injury to cornerback J.T. Floyd, the rotation on the back end consisted of half a dozen freshmen (Cameron Gordon, Courtney Avery, Ray Vinopal, Thomas Gordon, Carvin Johnson and Terrence Talbott), an overmatched journeyman who spent much of his career at running back (James Rogers) and one walk-on (Jordan Kovacs). None of the above would have seen the field during Mattison's first go-round.

Those growing pains will begin to pay off in 2011, with mainstays Mike Martin and Craig Roh back to anchor the front seven as third-year starters. And if the overall talent level is still well below what you'd generally expect from a Michigan defense, at least the majority of the projected starters this time around were once four-star recruits.

Still, the best thing the Wolverine D will have going for it is Mattison's resumé, which includes successful stops since his first stint in Ann Arbor at Notre Dame, Florida and, since 2008, as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, where all three of his defenses finished among the top three in the NFL. He's a "family" hire, a close friend and former colleague of new head coach Brady Hoke, coming aboard to restore the "Michigan Way," or whatever it was that supposedly sent the program tumbling from its usual perch under Rodriguez. The lineup is in no position for anything like an overnight, worst-to-first turnaround, but Mattison can guarantee the faithful this much: It's not going to get any worse.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Is Bill Clinton the answer to the Hope?s decline?

The Bob Hope Classic is sinking, and the only thing that can save the tour staple is a life vest. A big life vest. With the tournament currently boasting a Fall Finish-esque field and fighting the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship -- one of the richest tournaments on the European Tour -- for players, it's become increasingly clear that something drastic needs to be done before the Hope sinks for good.

The life vest the tournament desperately needs could come in the form of former President Bill Clinton. While no deal has been officially announced, there are some strong indications that the former President could be the next host of the Bob Hope Classic.

PGA Tour brass even went as far as to release a statement earlier today surrounding the Clinton-Hope rumors: "The Commissioner and the PGA Tour have been in discussions over the past several months with the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative regarding a broad partnership," the statement said. "... This includes the potential for leveraging the Bob Hope Classic as a focal point for this partnership."

The idea of Clinton hosting the event is one that's already gaining steam with some players on tour. As GolfDigest.com's John Strege noted, Joe Ogilvie, who is part of the tour's player advisory council, thinks Clinton could give the tournament the spark its been lacking in recent years.

"I think it might need an A-list host that says, 'you know, this is an important event. The Eisenhower Medical Center has touched a lot of people's lives,'" Ogilvie told GolfDigest.com. "I think the guy I'd have host this tournament is Bill Clinton. I think he was a Republican's best friend, even though he was a Democratic president. He obviously holds huge cachet with the Democratic party. And this tournament has always had a political element. I remember watching it when [former Speaker of the House] Tip O'Neill played it, and it had the three presidents play [in 1995, when Clinton, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush played]. A Bill Clinton would add instant cachet. He also would bring in an A list-clientele and he could walk a sponsor in."

It sounds like a great idea. With tournaments like the one currently going on in Abu Dhabi throwing one-million-plus appearance fees at players like PGA Tour member Phil Mickelson, the event obviously needs an edge.

Could one man really bring Phil and Tiger back to the event? Probably not. But the one thing he could do is make the tournament relevant again. At this point, that's all you can really ask for.

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Teeing Off: Should Phil Mickelson start his season in America?

Welcome to Teeing Off, where Devil Ball editor Jay Busbee and head writer Shane Bacon take a day's topic and smack it all over the course. Suggest a future topic by writing jay.busbee@yahoo.com, or hit us on Twitter at @jaybusbee and @shanebacon.

Today, we're discussing Phil Mickelson. Lefty is starting his season in Abu Dhabi while the PGA Tour comes ashore for the Bob Hope Classic. Is that right? Is that just? Should Phil go wherever he pleases, or should he have an obligation to his homeland and his home tour? And so we begin:

Busbee: It's time for the Bob Hope again, and once again it's time to compare that field to the star-studded one half a world away in Abu Dhabi. Leading the charge of the international brigade is none other than ... Phil Mickelson? Hey, Phil, what the heck? You're playing internationally and not in America? What gives, man? Where's your stars-and-stripes pride? Lee Greenwood is shedding a tear, are you happy?

Bacon: First things first ... are we really going to get on Mickelson for taking the money that everyone else takes throughout the year? And we care that he misses the Bob Hope, one of the weakest tournaments of the season? He hasn't played in the Hope since 2007, and he's joining all four major winners from 2010 to highlight the European Tour event. I don't see the reason to get on these guys for taking money when it's offered to them. I know I would.

Busbee: To be honest, I agree with you. I think the PGA Tour has rested on its rep for far too long, and it's not only the players' job to rep the tour, it's the tour's job to attract the players. That said, for the sake of argument: Shouldn't Phil throw some love to the tour that's served him well for all these years? His presence would do wonders for the Hope; shouldn't he be strongly encouraged to play at home?

Bacon: I get what you're saying, but have to disagree. It isn't his job to carry the tour, as much as it has served him, and Phil playing overseas just shows the beauty of this game. Sure, he's going for money, but he's also taking the PGA Tour on the road with him in a sense. If Phil wins, or plays decent, he's being a solid ambassador for American golf, and showing that we can cross the ocean and win just like a lot of non-Americans do on the PGA Tour. Go forth, hit it straight, and show 'em who's boss, Mr. Mickelson.

Busbee: U-S-A! U-S-A! The globalism is a key point, and one that Mickelson himself has mentioned. The America-first mindset is what let the PGA Tour get overtaken -- or, at least challenged by -- the European Tour. Still, I'd love to see the big names play the less-notable tournaments. All the more reason to get one-in-four (each player plays each tournament once every four years) up and running, pronto.

There you have it. And now it's your turn. Should Phil start in the U.S., or can he go where he pleases. Have your say!

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Cutler cried when told about player's criticism of his toughness

When Jay Cutler was told that other players around the league had questioned his effort and toughness in the wake of the recently discovered sprained MCL he suffered in the NFC championship game, the Chicago Bears quarterback showed a side of himself we haven't much seen: vulnerability.

Jim Trotter writes on SI.com:

Cutler appeared genuinely hurt when asked about the comments, saying: "No comment on that." He then turned his back to reporters, fiddled with some things on a shelf and bit his lip as tears welled. He had been battered and beaten during the early part of the season[. ...] Yet he never complained or pulled himself.

Though some have already used Cutler's tears to prove their point that he's a wimp, shouldn't the opposite hold true? (This isn't elementary school. We should know by now that crying isn't necessarily a sign of weakness.) If I was someone who doubted Cutler's injury (and I'm not), the fact that he cried about it would indicate to me that he cared more than I thought. An apathetic man doesn't tend to cry. A quitter would probably feel the need to defend himself. Those tears suggest he's neither of those things.

[Related: See the tweets of other NFL players attacking Cutler]

MJD is right when he says it was unfair to call Cutler a quitter without knowing the full extent of his injury. And now that we know it was an MCL sprain that didn't fully rupture, it's still not fair to speculate whether he could have played. Some have suggested that he could have gone on the injured knee because other people have done so in the past. That's ridiculous. It's like saying he should be able to run under 10 seconds in the 100-meter dash because Usain Bolt can. Everyone has different limitations. If doctors, trainers and Cutler himself didn't think he could go, shouldn't that be enough? (And that's what reportedly happened. Doctors advised Cutler not to go back in the game but he did anyway. He pulled himself when he realized he couldn't plant.)

All of this Cutler talk raises another question: Why is it bad form to question a player's toughness? Should it be off limits? Why is every other negative trait about football players fair game, but not this? (Again, I'm not talking about Cutler here.) We can criticize a quarterback's inability to get rid of the ball or the decision-making involved in throwing into triple coverage or how he runs the two-minute offense, but we can't question ability to play through injury? Isn't toughness the foundation upon which football greatness is built? We celebrate Jack Tatum for playing on a broken leg and revere Emmitt Smith for his dominant performance with a separated shoulder. If you can be tough, surely it reasons that you can be soft too. You don't think someone, somewhere hasn't milked an injury to avoid getting onto the field?

The familiar refrain is "we don't know how injured he is." OK. We also don't know what Bill Belichick knew that caused him to call a fake punt at the end of the first half last week or why the Jets were so ineffective at stopping the Steelers' rushing attack or what was going through Jim Caldwell's mind when he called that timeout in the wild-card game. That didn't stop anybody from ripping them, though. Why do we get self-righteous about injuries?

Other popular stories on Yahoo!:
• Video: Emotional Roethlisberger breaks down after Steelers' win
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NASCAR shifts start times during Chase races

In the battle of NASCAR vs. the NFL, NASCAR has blinked.

NASCAR announced Thursday that the start times of certain Chase races will move from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, presumably to avoid conflict with the kickoff of the first round of NFL games — and, depending on the length of the race, kickoff of the 4:15 p.m. games, too. 

Six races — Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Dover, Kansas (above), Talladega and Martinsville — will start at the new time. Texas, Phoenix and Homestead will begin at 3 p.m. The tenth race, Charlotte, is a Saturday night race. 

Still unknown are the start times for races during NASCAR's regular season. But if they're going to go for 2 p.m. during the Chase, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to go with 2 p.m. during the rest of the year, as well. Consistency, consistency.

Of course, if there's no NFL this season because of the lockout, we'll have an extra hour of prerace festivities to sit through. Ah, well ... it's the price we'll have to pay for the nation's attention.

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Fight for the Troops 2: McKenzie reps TUF 12 well in loss to Edwards

Cody McKenzie lost to Yves Edwards, but he proved he's a pretty solid mixed martial artist. The goofiest character to emerge from Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter" built his reputation on finishing opponents with a guillotine choke and talking to smack to Josh Koscheck. At Fight for the Troops 2, Edwards finished McKenzie with a rear-naked choke, but the bearded Alaskan showed he's got more to his arsenal.

McKenzie (12-1, 1-1 UFC) is learning on the job. His striking is very unorthodox, so he got picked apart in the first by Edwards. That may have led the veteran to sleep on him a bit to start the second.

McKenzie dragged Edwards (40-16, 8-4 UFC) to the ground with 3:33 left in the second, eventually got his back and pounded away for a few minutes. McKenzie's attack was relentless. Edwards survived that near two-minute onslaught and scrambled back to his feet. McKenzie got a little overanxious when he tried to get it down again. Edwards won the scramble this time and McKenzie found himself mounted. He eventually gave up his back where Edwards slapped on a nasty choke. McKenzie refused to tap and went out at 4:33 of the second.  

Johnson finishes Guymon with nasty body lock

DaMarques Johnson has had trouble showing consistency since his stint on TUF 9. Tonight might be a leaping point for Johnson. He schooled Mike Guymon on the ground eventually taking the veteran's back and locking his legs in a body lock. Guymon tried to get to his knees, but was flattened out. Johnson (12-8, 3-2 UFC) wisely squeezed the hold and pulled up on Guymon's neck. "The Joker" couldn't take the pain for more than a few seconds and verbally tapped.

When he tried to rise to his feet, Guymon (12-5, 1-3 UFC) yelped and rolled back to the floor. UFC analyst Joe Rogan said he thought he saw something protruding from Guymon's back. 

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'We're not saying Kyle Busch should be fed to a velociraptor...'

[WARNING: Satire/absurdity alert. If you're one of those humorless types who wants nothing more than to gripe about how NASCAR's not like the good ol' days, skip this post and wait for the next one.]

Dinosaurs. Racing. Both cool on their own ... but how cool would they be together? Adam Jacobi and Join Bois, a couple writers at SB Nation, consider the idea of Dinosaur Racecars with one of the most ridiculously funny posts you'll read this offseason. Consider this exchange:

Bois: We already have NASCAR, F1 racing, rally racing...the list goes on. Is there really a market for yet another motorsport?

Jacobi: [Dinosaur racing]'s not just "another motorsport;" it's an evolution, if you will, of all motorsport. For example, you're a fan of natural science, yes? Which includes geology, magnets, and the food chain.

Bois (laughs): Certainly! Who isn't?

Jacobi: So, if Kyle Busch and a dinosaur had to fight each other because they were hungry and they wanted to get into the racecar, the dinosaur would certainly kill Busch and eat him as food, then use the racecar. Now, we're not saying that Kyle Busch should be fed to a velociraptor or anything. But certainly the dinosaur has a greater right to the racecar than a human.

Bois: Might makes right. I can respect that.

As can we. Check out the full article right here. It makes at least as much sense as, say, changing a points system four weeks before the start of the season.

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