By Mark La Monica
This week's short list of sports figures who, if we operated in a meritocracy, would be forced to return a portion of their game checks for sub-par performances.
1) Bob Stoops
He coaches Oklahoma into a BCS bowl game nearly every year. And then he coaches them right out of the BCS bowl game nearly every year. Four BCS bowl games in a row, four losses in a row, this time to a West Virginia team that lost its coach a few weeks ago. Seriously, Stoops, you need to try something different next year.
2) Ronde Barber
We always enjoy and appreciate when athletes say substantive things. They are a rarity these days. But when you say "Of course we want to play the Giants," you need to make sure you beat the Giants. Final score: Giants 24, Ronde's Bucs 14.
3) Tyrone Carter
With eight years of NFL experience, you'd think the Steelers cornerback would know how to not to freeze up and make an awful attempt at a tackle when a quarterback comes running at him. His initial attempt to stop Jaguars QB David Garrard on that fourth-and-2 play of the game late in the fourth quarter was just plain awful. It gave Garrard an extra 17 yards and made the field goal attempt that much easier for Jacksonville.
4) Mike Wallace
So much for hard-hitting journalism. Wallace let Roger Clemens off the hook in the "60 Minutes" interview when it came to the Andy Pettitte situation. He needed to follow up, not just do a voiceover and then let it go when Clemens said he was shocked at the Pettitte news. Wallace is better than that, or at least he used to be.
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