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ESPN columnist Bill Simmons is a tool. That fact is not up for debate. However, this doesn't mean he didn't have any decent ideas. One of those: The Ewing Theory.

The Ewing Theory is the often-seen premise where a team loses their best player(s) and then inexplicably gets better. The examples are endless. There are two I can think of off the top of my head. The Seattle Mariners lost Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez all in a relatively short span. In their first season without any of those three they won 116 games. The New York Giants lost Tiki Barber to retirement before last season. That turned out well.

The Patrick Ewing Theory can also apply to scenarios outside the sports world:

Can the Ewing Theory apply to romance?
You betcha. Everyone has one friend who got dumped by their girlfriend/boyfriend, sending them into a tailspin. You worried about them and their well-being, you logged major phone time with them, you wondered if they would ever bounce back... and then, boom! Your friend started working out, dropping 15 pounds and suddenly looking better than ever. They also started going out three times a week, rekindling all their old friendships; within time, they had completely regained their mojo. And inevitably, when they finally started dating again, their new flame put the old one to shame. That's the Ewing Theory in a nutshell.

Right now the Griz, and especially the offense, are livin' the single life.

As most fans probably notice, the Grizzly offense looks a lot different this season. The ultra-conservative offense we'd come to know and hate is gone for the most part. We lost Lex Hilliard and Dan Carpenter (along with Eric Allen and Ryan Bagley) and we're better.

Hilliard and Carpenter are the primary catalysts for the change. We're not pounding the ball into the line on 3rd and 4. We're not settling for three points on 4th and goal from the 2. Hell, we're not kicking field goals on 4th and 5 from the 25 either.

Isn't this fun? The offense is creative. Marc Mariani and Cole Bergquist have combined to form an offensive threat that's every bit as intimidating as the 225-pound Hilliard. They've been given the room and freedom to morph into an almost true spread offense. The options are endless. Pfahler and Ferriter are getting more looks. Mariani is certainly the go-to receiver but not nearly in the way that Lex Hilliard was the go-to player. The options are endless and this team is taking advantage.

Of the four Griz teams I've seen since coming on campus with the 2005 squad, I'd pick this team to make it to Chattanooga over any of those. It's not about talent, it's about having the attitude and confidence. This team has it.

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Above is the last regular season game for now NFL-players Lex Hilliard, Kroy Biermann and Dan Carpenter. Hilliard gets three touchdowns, Biermann chases down a wide receiver way down field and Carpenter knocks a couple big ones through, including a 50-yarder.

After the jump are highlights from Biermann's award-winning season.

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On Sunday, Montana Grizzlies and Montana-natives Kroy Biermann and Lex Hilliard officially became professional football players. Bierman went in the 5th round (#154 overall) to the Atlanta Falcons. Hilliard went in the 6th round (#204 overall) to the Miami Dolphins. The interesting thing is that both were drafted two spots away from players who were, at one point, legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates.

Biermann was drafted two spots ahead of Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who went 156th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This one makes some sense. Dixon lost his Heisman hopes to a blown out knee late in the season. I was still somewhat surprised his stock was so low. I mean, Willis McGahee went in the first round, 23rd overall, after he blew out his knee at Miami.

The situation with the player near Lex is different. Lex was drafted only two spots behind Michigan running-back Mike Hart, who went 202nd overall. Going into the season, Hart wasn't viewed as highly as, say, McFadden, but he was a legit pro prospect and Heisman contender. If you would've told me at the beginning of the season that Hilliard would go only two spots behind Hilliard I would've said that's about as likely as the Griz losing in the first round of the playoffs to a school with less than 1500 students App State beating Michigan Montana moving up to the FBS. Crazy stuff.

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This year's Sports Network FCS All-American team stars three Montana Grizzlies: running back Lex Hilliard and tackle Cody Balogh were named to the second team offense while defensive end Kroy Biermann was named to the first-team defense.

The Missoulian notes this trio's longevity:

Lex Hilliard, Kroy Biermann and Cody Balogh are all members of the Sports Network Division I FCS Preseason All-American team that was released Wednesday.

And they have something else in common.

All three seniors played as true freshman for the Grizzlies, who will enter the season on Sept. 1 as the second-ranked team in the nation.

Hilliard, of course, was set to finish out his eligibility last year, but the 230-pound running back out of Kalispell tore his Achilles tendon in fall camp. His medical redshirt is one reason there are 24 seniors on this year's Grizzlies.

Another reason is eight current players suited up as true freshmen in 2004. That was out of a large recruiting class of 23. Nine of them played in the Grizzlies' run to the '04 FCS (then I-AA) championship game.

That includes Biermann, who had 22 tackles and three sacks that season, and Balogh, who started at right tackle in the Grizzlies' final three playoff games.

“We were forced to play a bunch of guys as true freshmen because we weren't talented enough to win without them,” said Bobby Hauck, then in his second year as the Grizzlies' head coach. “Now we've got essentially two classes together.”

Also interesting to note that the Big Sky Conference leads all conferences with 11 All-Americans.

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More than 30 percent of this year's preseason All-Big Sky Conference football team will come from the University of Montana. Here's the complete team, with the Montana kids in bold:

Offense

• QB-Cole Bergquist, Montana
• RB-Lex Hillard, Montana
• FB-Bobby McClintock, Portland State
• TE-Shaun Fitzpatrick, Northern Arizona
• OL-Cody Balogh, Montana
• OL-David Hale, Weber State
• OL-George Yarno, Idaho State
• OL-Matt Alfred, Eastern Washington
• OL-Brennan Carvalho, Portland State
• WR-Alex Watson, Northern Arizona
• WR-Eric Allen, Montana
• WR-Eddie Thompson, Idaho State
• K-Dan Carpenter, Montana
• KR-Bryant Eteuati, Weber State

Defense

• DE-Kroy Biermann, Montana
• DE-Cole Smith, Portland State
• DT-Aaron Papich, Montana State
• DT-Dallas Mauga, Sacramento State
• LB-Cyrus Mulitalo, Sacramento State
• LB-Epikopo King, Montana State
• LB-Tyler Joyce, Montana
• LB-Bobby Daly, Montana State
• LB-Jordan Senn, Portland State
• CB-KJ Gerard, Northern Arizona
• CB-Ricky Wilson, Northern Arizona
• S-Torrey Thomas, Montana
• S-Colt Anderson, Montana
• P-Dan Zeidman, Idaho State
• ST-Kenneth Mackins, Portland State

The most debatable UM selection has to be Cole Bergquist at quarterback. Odd that a guy who's never really been #1 on the depth chart and still hasn't been tabbed as the Griz starter would be voted the best signal-caller in the conference.

With almost half their starters on the all-conference team, it's not much surprise they were unanimously voted as the favorite to win the conference.

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• Hilliard's injury was to his achilles tendon and came during a non-contact drill.
  • “It's the old-man, noon-hoop, tennis injury. We've all seen it with the guys our age,” said Hauck, who is 42. “In fact, I've never seen it on a football field before. So that would lead you to ask, ‘Why now?' There was not even a hit on the play.
• Hilliard had already undergone surgery as of Tuesday evening
• What the backups had to say:
  • “It was hard, because Lex is my friend,” said senior running back Brady Green. “I don't even think about it from a football aspect. You think of it as he's a friend...I went to meetings this morning, and I haven't been to a meeting without Lex in four years, you know? It was kind of a sobering thing, but like coach said, you have to go on. Stuff happens....
    Everybody kind of got it out of their system yesterday.  It was somber for a little while here. But it's a new day, a new chapter. It is somebody else's turn to step up, just like Lex did a couple years ago. You just pray for his full recovery.”
    
  • “Coach just told us we've got to keep going and try to win the national championship, still,” said junior running back Reggie Bradshaw, who transferred to UM from Louisville this spring.
• Who they are: "The fall depth chart listed Bradshaw and Iowa State transfer Greg Coleman as co-backups to Hilliard. Bradshaw is 6-foot and 212 pounds; Coleman is 6-1 and 240.
  
  Beyond those two is Green, 5-9 and 192. The senior out of Brighton, Utah, has been a special teams standout and carried the ball 98 times in three seasons with the Griz, for 396 yards."

From: The Missoulian

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There is no dispute. Going into this season, Lex Hilliard was the best football player in Montana and probably the entire Big Sky Conference. Now, he's done for the season after suffering a serious foot injury that will require surgery.

We’re very disappointed for Lex Hilliard,” said fourth-year Griz head coach Bobby Hauck. “For him to lose his senior season, especially one that he has prepared so hard for, is a hard pill to swallow. It’s difficult to put into words just how bad that myself, our coaches and our players feel for Lex.

“Obviously it is a tremendous loss to our football team and certainly puts a damper on our championship aspirations since we lost our best player for the season,” Hauck said.

Looks like Swogger will have to carry the offense as the injury leaves a crater where a great running game once was.

In a way, Lex is to Hauck as Terrell Davis and John Elway were to Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos. Hauck has proven that he can win with Lex, lets see if he can do so without.

I do acknowledge the fact that Hauck did lead the Griz to a 9-3 record in his initial season in 2003 without much help from Hilliard. Sorry for another NFL reference, but  Bill Callahan led to the 2002 Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl because of the system put in place by Jon Gruden. Callahan was fired only a [4-12] season later.

During the 2004 run to the National Championship game Lex failed to break the 1000 yard (950 yards) mark but he did rumble into the endzone 17 times.

In 2005, Hilliard ran for 1,332 yards and the Griz were BSC co-champions before losing their opening round playoff game.

Lex will return in 2007 after redshirting for the 2006 season.

From: The Missoulian

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The Cat-Griz Insider notes that Lex is a average (for him) year away from breaking the career rushing record at UM.

Senior running back Lex Hilliard needs 1,186 yards to become the Montana Grizzlies’
all-time leading rusher. Yohance Humphery (1998-2001) currently holds that title with 4,070 yards.

Lex ran for 1,322 yards last year so the record is definitely within reach. I'm sure he'll be as motivated as ever enteting his senior year and looking to re-establish the Griz as the I-AA powerhouse they are. However, it'll be interesting to see if the Griz return to their airborn ways with the talented senior transfer Josh Swogger at quarterback.

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Last season the Montana Grizzlies football rode Lex Hilliard to a Mountain West Conference Championship and an 11-0 record. Lex Hilliard won the Heisman after breaking Barry Sander's single season record of 2,628 yards and scoring more than 50 touchdowns.

Despite their record, the Griz were shutout of a BCS National Championship game berth and were forced to settle for playing USC in the Fiesta Bowl. USC shut down the Griz rushing attack but Jason Washington launched an airborn assault that led to an upset and a BCS victory in the Grizzlies' very first season in I-A ball. Or so it played out on my Xbox.

This season, I don't have that option as I recently purchased an Xbox 360 and the 360 version of the game only contains Division I-A teams. Blowing up the USC defense is great with the likes of Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija, but it doesn't quite compare to bumblin' and stumblin' with our own Lex Hilliard. I'm not the only one that's a little disappointed their team didn't make the game.

The Xbox version of this year's game does include UM and almost all of the Big Sky Conference. The only exception being the Bears of Northern Colorado. EA Sports, the game's publisher, had no idea that UNC made the move to the Big Sky Conference. Here's a story out of the Greeley Tribune on their disappointment.

The school's absence occurred because EA Sports did not include UNC with the Big Sky Conference, which the Bears officially joined June 30. When asked about UNC's absence from the game, Nick Straw, the public relations coordinator at EA Tiburon, said none of the Great West Conference is included. Straw said he and the programmers were unaware of UNC's move from the Great West to the Big Sky.

Straw said the Bears could appear in the 2008 version.

"Ultimately it's our goal to have all the college teams," Straw said.

So, no repeat Heisman for Hilliard. I guess I could settle for a I-AA National Championship.

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