PAGE 20 // THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010
SPORTS
the
pendulum
ONE ON ONE
Conor O'Neill and Tom
Waterman
Sports Commentators
Coaches in the hot seat
Cue the “Jaws" music for NFL coaches. The first axe of the
season came down Monday afternoon, as news broke of Wade
Phillips’ firing. We can hardly be certain that he will be the last
coach to be shown the door this season, so who’s next?
Conor O’Neill:
I’m going to start by looking west, and I’m thinking Mike
Singletary's time is limited in San Francisco. Yes, he was thrust
into that situation before he was ready to be a coach, as
evidenced by his multiple "I’m looking for football players" rants
(note to Mike: telling NFL players they aren't football players
doesn’t inspire them). And yes, Alex Smith clearly is not the
second coming of Steve Young. Or even Jeff Garcia. But there is
a lot more talent on his team than a 2-6 record would indicate.
Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Nate
Clements and Taylor Mays form the foundation for a strong team,
but if that group loses to the Panthers, Singletary doesn’t deserve
to remain employed as a head coach.
Tom Waterman:
You are absolutely right Conor. In the NFL, it is all about
production and winning games, and that is why I think Minnesota
coach Brad Childress has his head on the chopping block.
Childress has arguably more talent on his team than almost any
other team in football, yet his team remains undisciplined and
unfocused. His team's poor start at 3-5 is a reflection of how
Childress has lost his team, a team he lost control of the moment
Steve Hutchinson, Ryan Longwell and Jared Allen traveled to
Hattiesburg, Miss., and made Brett Favre bigger than the team,
and only magnified when he so terribly mismanaged the Randy
Moss reunion tour in Minneapolis.
Conor:
Well said Tom. Childress has no control over what has become
a comical situation in Minnesota. And speaking of teams that
have a lot more talent than their records show, how about Norv
Turner’s San Diego Chargers? At 4-5, the Bolts trail the Chiefs
(5-3) and Raiders (5-4) in the AFC West. People can laugh all they
want about how the team led the NFL statistically in offense and
defense as late as Week 6, but that joke has run cold. If Turner
doesn’t get this team to turn its season around with Vincent
Jackson coming back, he shouldn’t be given a seemingly eighth
chance in San Diego.
Tom:
We talk about it all the time in the NFL. Consistency is the
key to a good team, and the Chargers have yet to find that
consistency this year. Another coach that is, in my opinion, already
firmly on the hot seat is Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis. This team had
incredibly high preseason expectations, and they have been a
major disappointment. The road doesn’t get any easier from here,
as the Bengals play four of their next five games against playoff
contenders, such as the Colts, Jets, Saints and Steelers. It looks
like Marvin Lewis might be joining Wade Phillips on the NFL scrap
heap come seasons end.
ATHLETIC
ELON ATHLETICS
RESULTS
THIS WEEK
NOV. 4 - NOV. 8
NOV 10 - NOV 16
Football
Nov. 6
Friday 11/12
Elon 27
The Citadel
Women’s basketball vs. Fordham — 4
16
p.m.
Volleyball vs. Appalachian State — 8
Men’s
p.m.
Soccer
Men’s basketball @ South Carolina — 9
Nov. 6
p.m.
Elon 0
Appalachian
Saturday 11/13
State 1
Cross Country (NCAA Regionals) — All
Women’s
Day
Soccer
Football vs. Furman — 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 5
Volleyball vs. Western Carolina — 5:30
ElonO
p.m.
UNCG 2
Sunday 11/14
Volleyball
Nov. 5
Women’s basketball vs. Troy — 1 p.m.
Elon 3
UNCGO
Monday 11/15
Nov. 6
Men’s basketball vs. College of New
Elon 3
Jersey — 7 p.m.
Wofford 1
“Hii '
iilKsix \
VI
9
Junior right side hitter Traci Stewart (right) had 13 kills in the Nov. 6 match against Wofford College.
FILE PHOTO
Volleyball alms to capture
division crown Friday
Conor O’Neill
Assistant Sports Editor
The Phoenix volleyball
team is peaking at the
right time, according to
head coach Mary Tendler.
“1 think we’re playing
really well right now,” she
said. “This is my eighth
season coaching and I
think, at this time of the
year, our team is playing
better than any other team
I’ve had before."
The most recent example
of how well the Phoenix is
playing can be seen with
the team’s success last
weekend, when it swept
UNC Greensboro Nov. 5
and traveled to Wofford
College the next day for a
3-1 triumph.
In the match against
the Terriers, the Phoenix
dropped the first set by a
25-18 score. The team then
seized control, winning
the next three sets by
scores of 25-15, 25-20 and
25-16.
“We beat UNCG the
night before, and that was
a huge win, but it didn’t
mean anything if we didn’t
beat Wofford and keep it
up,” sophomore outside
hitter/middle blocker
Allison Johnson said. “So
we just knew we had to get
our heads on straight and
just really play hard and
put it all out there.”
The team showed that
Nov. 6 and emerged from a
late-season five-game road
trip with a 4-1 record, with
three wins coming against
Southern Conference foes.
Because the Phoenix
is playing well late in the
season, the team is in
position to capture a North
Division crown on Friday
night against Appalachian
State University.
Both teams will enter
the match with 9-5 records
in the SoCon. Though the
Mountaineers got the better
of the Phoenix earlier this
i
file photo
(from left to right) Senior middle blocker Sarah Schermertiorn and
defensive specialists sophomore Ali Deatsch and senior Lizzie West
helped the volleyball team to a 2-0 weekend against UNCG and Wofford-
season, the team is ready to
work to avoid another loss
to Appalachian State.
“Appalachian is going to
be a huge game, we lost to
them already once and we’re
not going to let that happen
again," senior outside
hitter Lauren Copenhagen
said. “We’re going to do
whatever it takes this week
in practice to do what we
need to do for Friday."
The Phoenix will be
playing just its third game
of the season in newly
renovated Alumni Gym,
and the team is excited to
be able to close its regular
season at home, according
to Johnson.
“We’re playing
Appalachian State for the
championship of the Nortn
Division, so everything
riding on (that game),
we want to win for our
seniors because they have
done so much for us and tne
program," Johnson said.
In the team’s first ga®'
against Appalachian Stae.
the team fell by a 3-1 defea^
Elon fell behind by losiM
the first two sets, an
despite winning the thir
set, was unable to comply
the comeback effort.