Daily Links for 3/16/11

Jalen Rose Is Ignorant - He called black players that go to Duke 'Uncle Tom's.  Because Duke didn't recruit lower class black athletes, that means to him that the Black players that went there were being subservient to white folks.  WHAT?!?  And be sure you watch the video there.  Skip Bayless offers Jalen Rose about 10 opportunities to step back from what he said and Jalen doesn't.

And Grant Hill Called Him Out For It - Grant manages to both take the high road by not attacking Jalen back AND make his point amazingly well at the same time.

Oh... And So Did Jason Whitlock - Some people say Whitlock bases all of his columns on the fact that he is black and that it somehow makes him a bad writer.  Personally, I see a smart man who knows that his fellow white columnist would be definitely be considered racist if they say what he says.  He covers things in a unique  way and a unique perspective.  It makes him a must read in my book.

NFL Competition Committee To Ruin Kickoffs - They want to move the kicker up to the 35 yard line and make Kick off touchbacks come out to the 25 instead of the 20.  I understand that players get injured at a high rate on Kick offs, but they are one of the most exciting plays in the game as they are now and you get them after every score.  This change is going to end up making there be fewer returns and fewer returns will mean less kick off injuries overall, but I highly doubt the rate of injuries per return will go down.  Kickers will try to kick the ball higher and pin opponents deep on short returns rather than boot it out and let the other team have it at the 25.

Football Outsiders CB Charting Stats - Always good to have charting stats for Cornerbacks but I'd take them with a grain of salt for now.  I don't think the charting numbers account for pressure on the quarterback influencing throws and have asked them for clarification.  Just based on my own eyes I didn't feel like Cromartie had remotely that good a year and feel like the pressure on the QBs may have made his numbers look better than he actually looked in coverage.

EDIT: Late Addition - Jason Whitlock Podcast With Dan LeBatard - Awesome Podcast about LeBatard's writing and his ability to connect with athletes.  This quote is of him telling a story as told to him by Terrell Owens - "This is what Terrell told me 'Do you know how i found out who my father was? I was in my grandmothers caged front yard... My grandmother was always drinking and wouldn't let me leave the front yard. And i found out who my father was because i had a crush on the girl across the street and he came over and said 'Hey you can't have a crush on that girl... Thats your sister.''"  You never think about shit like that when it comes to a guy like Terrell.  You think he's crazy and shit but you never think about how he grew up and how he became the Terrell Owens he is today.