CBS Sports reports that the University of Texas is talking with VCU Coach Shaka Smart about replacing oust Head Basketball Coach Rick Barnes.   Smart has turned down numerous lucrative opportunities including jobs at Maryland, NC State and Marquette.   Smart has a 163-56 record at VCU and led the Rams to the Final Four in 2011.

Red thinks Smart would be a smart choice (not many college basketball coaches have a Masters Degree in Social Science), but is rooting for Larry Krystkowiak so that his alma mater can finally have a Coach K with an unpronounceable name.

Rick Barnes who led the UT Men’s Basketball Team to 16 NCAA tournament appearances in his 17 seasons is officially out as Texas’ coach.  Rumors of Barnes’ demise had been circulating for weeks.  Many thought that Barnes’ tenure at Texas was doomed the moment that Steve Patterson (formerly of the Houston Rockets and a serious basketball devotee) was named as Athletic Director.

At a press conference, Barnes revealed some of the machinations that led to the “mutual agreement” of Barnes and UT to part ways.  Barnes claimed that Patterson had told him that he would be back for another season after UT lost to Butler in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Barnes further confirmed Patterson told him a few days ago he had to fire staff or be fired himself.  Barnes told Patterson that he could not fire his assistants. “I couldn’t do that. That would be me saying this is about me. I’ve been carried by a lot of people here. We’re in this together.” Barnes also said his staff offered to quit but he refused to let them.

Barnes leaves as UT’s all time leader in wins (402), NCAA tournament appearances (16), and NCAA tournament wins (19).  That said, his performance over the last few seasons left him vulnerable.  UT had failed to advance past the second round since 2008 when they made their last Elite Eight appearance.  Texas’ free fall from a top 10 ranking early in the season to being easily finished off in the NCAA Tournament probably sealed his fate.

Burnt Orange Report speculates on the likely candidates to replace Barnes.

The Valero Texas Open starts today at the TPC – San Antonio.  The tournament has increased in stature since the days it was played late in the season and functioned largely as a last chance for the tour’s also-rans to pick up a win or some money to keep their cards for another year.  It’s placement along with the Shell Houston Open in the weeks before the Masters has helped draw a more impressive field in recent years.  This year does not feature as many big names from the tour but featured players include Phil Mickelson, defending FedEx Cup champ Billy Horschel, Masters winner Zach Johnson, Texas phenoms Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed as well as Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, and Matt Kuchar.

The editorial board of the Dallas Morning News has a favor to ask of Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett.  They want the coach to get off of his high horse when talking about wanting players of good character and integrity.  The Cowboys’ recent moves indicate that when it comes to building the team, character and integrity don’t mean Jack Squat.  What will the legions of female Cowboys fans think about rooting for players who have abused women.

Garrett’s newest player, Pro Bowl pass rusher Greg Hardy, was accused of grabbing his ex-girlfriend, throwing her into a bathtub, choking her with both hands, picking her up over his head and throwing her onto a couch, which happened to be covered with assault weapons. This allegedly happened in North Carolina in May. A judge convicted Hardy in June and issued a suspended, 60-day sentence. But Hardy appealed and, before his jury trial, settled out of court with the victim, who refused to testify at the appeal hearing. Charges were dropped.

Garrett’s team signed Hardy after its backup running back Joseph Randle was arrested twice in four months, once on a shoplifting charge and once after a 22-year-old woman said he pointed a gun and threatened to kill her. So far, Garrett has kept Randle on the team, alongside Josh Brent, whom the coach reinstated in November after a mere 10-game suspension that followed Brent’s intoxication manslaughter conviction. The drunken-driving wreck killed a teammate in 2012.

After all that, Coach Garrett, we ask this: Please spare us any more talk about “good integrity” or “solid character” having anything to do with who plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett is like any number of NFL officials — up to and including Commissioner Roger Goodell — who talk a big game on the value of integrity and character, right up to the minute those things are outweighed by speed, size or arm strength.

Recently, Garrett was asked by a gaggle of reporters what he seeks in new Cowboys. “Personal character and integrity,” he said. But what of players with checkered pasts? Garrett replied that he’s most interested in “where [the player] is right now.” “There’s always a grey area,” he said.

Apparently, the “grey area” is whether or not a guy can play.

Image from sportscourtmedia.com

Texas led the nation in having 5 teams make the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.  It turns out that was the high point for Texas fans as all five teams lost in the first round.

Butler 56 Texas 48

Arizona 93 Texas Southern 72

Utah 57 Stephen F. Austin 50

UCLA 60 SMU 59

Georgia State 57 Baylor 56

We knew the Longhorns were no good, but Baylor and SMU losing was a surprise.  At least Texas Southern managed to score more than 60 points.

In the latest sign that we may be entering a new wheeler-dealer era in the NFL, the Texans are reported to have traded veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets.  The 32-year old journeyman will be reunited with former Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey, who is now the Jets offensive coordinator.  The Texans are reported to have received a late round draft pick in exchange for the oft-maligned Fitzpatrick  – who might have led the Texans to the playoffs but for his season ending injury (and the bizarre total team meltdown at the end of the first half of the Stealers game).  Houston area sports radio commentators will have to find someone else to kick around.  They have already engaged in some pre-kicking around of Brian Hoyer – the latest quarterback rumored to be headed to Houston.  It looks like they can still can kick around Ryan Mallet who signed a fairly lucrative deal for a quarterback that has played all of about 1.5 games in the NFL in 4 seasons.  And then there is  Tom Savage, who the Texans did not trust to run the offense last season after Fitzpatrick and Mallet went down.  Instead, the Texans turned to Case Keenum to start the last two games of 2014 both of which Keenum managed to win.  But Keenum is gone too – having been traded back to the Rams for another late round pick.  The merry-go-round doesn’t stop.

Image from http://www.rantsports.com

After 12 mostly outstanding seasons, the Texans released the biggest star in franchise history on Monday when they cut ties with Andre Johnson.  It is a sad day for Texans’ fans, but not surprising in the harsh what have you done for me lately world of the NFL.  Bob McNair’s promise that Andre would finish his career as a Texan was apparently so many words.

Johnson had an outstanding season in 2014 – especially considering who was delivering him the ball.  About the only knock was his 3 fumbles – fully a third of his career total fumbles (9) in 12 years.

Andre’s final statistics as a Texan are:

MLS has apparently avoided a players’ strike and have reached a tentative accord on a new collective bargaining agreement. It looks like both Texas teams will get to open their seasons at home on Saturday night.

Houston Dynamo take on the Columbus Crew at BBVA Compass Stadium.  The Dynamo will be playing their first game under new coach Owen Coyle.  Coyle has reshaped the lineup.  Keeper Tally Hall and defender Andrew Driver were traded.  New players include Forwards Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres and Chandler Hoffman; Midfielders, Leonel Miranda, Jose Rodriguez and Samuel Inkoom; and Defenders Oumar Ballo and Taylor Hunter among others. Torres looks like the key addition slated to join the team later this season.  He netted 15 goals in 26 appearances for now-defunct Chivas USA last year,

FC Dallas takes on the San Jose Earthquakes.  Will FC Dallas repeat its red hot start to the 2014 season with Dominic Kinnear returning to Texas for the first time since leaving the Dynamo. The Quakes still have some physical players like Victor Bernardez and the always dangerous Chris Wondolowski up front.

It now seems obvious that Andre Johnson’s days as a Texan are over.  According to Johnson, he was told by Coach Bill O’Brien that his role on the team next year would be greatly reduced and that he might be a back-up with only 40 or so catches. Around the NFL writer Mark Sessler reports that Johnson laughed when O’Brien told him that.

“I just laughed,” said Johnson, the team’s all-time leading receiver. “They gave me my role, and I just laughed at them. How do you tell a guy who is used to catching 80 balls a year that he was going to catch 40?”  O’Brien wasn’t finished, informing Johnson that he wouldn’t even start next season alongside DeAndre Hopkins. 

“I was floored,” Johnson said. “I don’t feel like there is a guy on that team that can outplay me or outwork me. I mean, who am I going to play behind?  So I was real honest with him: ‘If that’s your role for me, you’re going to be dealing with a miserable football player.’“

Although, we have not heard O’Brien’s side of the story, on its face it makes little sense.  Johnson had a very productive season last year even though the Texans had mediocre quarterback play for most of the season from Fitzpatrick, Mallet and Keenum.  Clearly, DeAndre Hopkins is the number one target now, but who would replace Johnson as number two?  There is no one stepping up.  And a number two in the pass-happy NFL is very likely to get at least 80 catches in a decent season.  So either Johnson didn’t convey O’Brien’s message correctly when he spoke to the media, or O’Brien is orchestrating Johnson’s exit and was hoping to deflect the blame from himself.  Either way, Texans’ fans are most likely to blame the team for the fact that they will not be able to see Johnson conclude his career in Houston – which is something to be expected in the harsh reality of the NFL.

Red’s Prediction –  Texans’ fans will get to see Johnson in person one last time when he suits up in 2015 for the Indianapolis Colts.

CBS Sports  gives us a look at JJ Watts’ now famous “Cabin in the Middle of Nowhere.”  The cabin is actually a 4500 square foot log home on 35 acres about 30 miles from Milwaukee.  It comes complete with air conditioned barn/garage and very nice landscaping.  For Watt, who signed a $100 million deal with the Texans last year, the $800,000 price tag was fairly modest – for what appears to be a very nice home away from home.  Keep in mind that the photos show the contents of the previous owner.