This past week might have been the longest I've gone without posting since I started this blog almost two years ago (I didn't check). I've been sick. I haven't really done much of anything in the past week besides lie on the couch and watch bad movies on Starz! and marathons of Top Chef. I barely got up to eat, let alone fire up the laptop to write.

So, here it is a week later, and actually there isn't too much I missed. Good thing it's the off-season.

Austin Blythe, Heavyweight Champion of the State of Iowa

I watched a lot of the state wrestling finals on Saturday night. The split screen to show the matches for all 3 classes at the same time made it difficult to follow, but I managed to keep my eye on the top-right quadrant for Blythe's match. Blythe became the first Iowan to reach the finals at heavyweight all 4 years of his high school career and he became a 3-time champion on Saturday pinning his opponent about half way through the third round.

Blythe controlled the match from the very beginning. He scored an early take-down and never let up. He showed his burst, his strength, and his technique and was just all-around impressive. It's easy to see how his wrestling talents will translate into an interior offensive line spot.

Hawkeyes in the NFL

Good and bad news on the NFL front. Good news first... Former Hawkeye and son of Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz got a promotion with the Patriots last week and is now the tight end coach. He's been coaching for New England the past 3 years as an assistant.

Now the bad news... It's not really that bad, but still uncool--the Colts have decided to release Bob Sanders. Injuries are ultimately what brought an end to the relationship. Sanders has played in just 9 games in the past 3 seasons after winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. So it's an understandable decision. I have been rooting for the Colts for a while now, as much as I root for any NFL team (not much), because of all the Iowa ties. I loved watching Sanders and Dallas Clark (and most recently Pat Angerer) make big plays in Indianapolis and remember their huge contributions in Iowa City. It's sad to see that end.