The commissioner of a league obviously holds a very important role in the success, or failure, of the league that they run. Over the years we have seen many decisions made that have affected the various leagues in many ways. Rules to help with player safety, changes in how money is handled, expanding leagues, rules to make the games more exciting, etc... Some commissioners have done their job better than others. I would like to take some time to explore some of the successes and failures of the many commissioners and determine the best of them! So here we go!
NFL - I'm going to deal with two guys in talking about the NFL since the current Commish hasn't really been in control all that long. Highly respected by both owners and players, Paul Tagliabue is one of the best commissioners in the modern eras of professional sports. He retired Sept. 1, 2006. Probably his greatest success was the last collective bargaining agreement that he managed to get completed. I believe it was in that same year, but it guaranteed that there would be no labor disputes through 2011. That's a huge deal, because you never know how those things are going to play out. Not to mention, there were no labor disputes, period, during his time as commish. Tagliabue also instilled one of the strcitest drug testing policies in professional sports, one that is still looked at as the best model on the subject.
There are a few things that haven't been so great in his time, or at least thought to be rather controversial by some folks. There used to be 2 teams in LA , for instance. One moved back to Oakland, and the other went out to St. Louis. Now, that isn't exactly his fault, but there were many people that weren't happy about it. Cleveland moving out to Baltimore was thought to be disgraceful, and though we do now have a team back in Cleveland, they haven't really been competitive yet. Same with the Houston teams. Though the Texans have begun to show a bit of competitiveness. Under his tenure, most people also began to refer to the NFL as the "No Fun League" because of his cracking down on showboating. Now, I happen to agree with him on the issue of excessive celebrating. I'm not watching a football to see a guy dance when he scores. I'm watching for the hard nosed competition. So, by and large, I would consider Tagliabue an overwhelming success.
Roger Goodell hasn't had to make a huge decision in the league just yet, but he has managed to show that he's not going to take any crap from the players. Hard line stances against punks like Pacman Jones and Michael Vick are very good things in my eyes. It will be very interesting to see what happens in 2011, when he has his first run at a CBA.
NBA - David Stern is another commissioner that has hide a very successful run. 1998 was his biggest downfall when there was a lockout in the NBA. However, something that he managed to do very well, that many other leagues haven't had a ton of great success with, was expansion. He added 7 teams, many of which have become quite competitive! One of my favorite things that he instituted was the player dress code. I LOVE this, and think it is something that more leagues should consider. Make the players put their best face forward. They are representing the league, and the league wants to look good! I know a lot of the players think that it's silly, but I would much rather see the players in suits than in baggy pants and ridiculous amounts of bling. Another pretty popular commish, I can't count him as successful as the NFL because there was a work stoppage on his watch.
The last 2 I think are both disgraceful, but 1 slightly moreso than the other.
MLB - Bud Selig. A lot of people believe a lot of things about Bud Selig. He has done some good things for baseball. I have loved the instalation of inter-league play. He has introduced stronger punsihments for players who are caught using banned substances. While many people still argue over its worth, I have always liked the introduction of the wild-card into the playoffs.
His downfalls are many, however. Trying to change the postseason so that it will last longer and go into November. It's just plain unnecessary. And pretty much all of baseball looks forward to October, not November. Come on, what reason is there? The player strike in the early 90s is always something that will be a black eye on the league. Making the All Star Game decide who has home field advantage in the World Series is something that I find to be completely and totally stupid! It had always been an exhibition game, I don't see why the game needs to matter. It's supposed to be the best of the AL and NL coming together and having a little bit of fun. Why does it need to determine anything? Because Peter Gammons thinks that certain players shouldn't be on the field during the All Star Game? I remember watching him pout on the air because a player that he didn't like was in the game in the 4th inning. IT'S AN EXHIBITION!!
The last thing that has been the biggest black eye on Major League Baseball has been the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball. It is something that baseball should have taken a strong stand against a long time ago, but because people just turned a blind eye as Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa had amazing home run races year after year. There is now at least a policy about punishment once you're caught, but there are still an amazing amount of Performance Enhancing Drugs that are not tested for. It is because of this that baseball's very intergity has been shattered, and people's faith in the league no longer exhists. Baseball is no longer America's pasttime, football is.
As disgraceful as the actions of Bud Selig have been, he has still had far more successes than the final commish I will discuss.
NHL - Gary Bettman. I am listing Gary Bettman as the worst of the commissioners for many reasons. In recent years, after the lockout, there have been a lot of successes and smart decisions made. Unfortunately, it seems as though there are many other decisions that he made before the lockout that have doomed the NHL to second rate coverage. They NHL has gone from one of the most respected leagues, to the one that the least people know about. Decisions such as not negotiating a reasonable contract with ESPN and jumping over to OLN/Versus (something that only 65 % of houses that have ESPN have) has lessened the exposure of the NHL to the country.
One of the other things that has hurt the NHL is the ridiculous amount of expansion that has happened over the years. We went from a league with 28 teams to 32 teams, in a league that was already hurting financially. Not only did they expand the league, they expanded it to markets that, with the exception of the Wild, don't support hockey. Let's look at this; Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Florida Panthers, Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville, and Minnesota. These are places that care fare more about sports like football, and the activity, yes activity not sport, of NASCAR. Hockey has fallen far behind NASCAR, which is an absolute disgrace. Anaheim has had a few years of success, even winning a Stanley Cup, but when they aren't winning, there is no attendance at their games.
Many teams have also been relocated, for a variety of reasons. Winnipeg went to Phoenix, Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, Hartford Whalers went to North Carolina, and the Nordiques have moved to Denver. Strangely enough, each of these teams, except for the Coyotes, have won a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, some of the more unsuccessful teams are being forced to stay where they are instead of given the possibility to move to a stronger market. Case and point, Phoenix Coyotes. This is a team that is on the verge of financial meltdown, and we have a Canadian owner ready to move them to a town that is hungry for a team, that would support them no matter how good or bad they were, and Bettman is FIGHTING to keep them there. Why?
Lastly, he has no respect for the history of the game. For years he has been giving the Canadian TV stations the snuff for playoff coverage. He changed the conferences and division names from their historically meaningful names to Western vs. Eastern yadda yadda. Many long time hockey fans were made very unhappy with these motions.
Plus, Gary Bettman has had 2 labor issues in his tenure. 1 shortened season, from 82 games to 48 games, and one entirely cancelled season. He's the most embattled commissioner in sports today, and he's the one that has had the most issues. He has alienated the fans, made it harder for all of them to see the games, turned his back on the traditions of the game, and had major labor disputes. For all of these reasons, I rate him as the worst commissioner in sports.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wk 12 picks! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hey all, and happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Things have already started this morning, and I'm a bit late, but things aren't out of hand in any way, so I feel like I can still pick for everything, so here we go!
Green Bay @ Detroit: Green Bay, that one's happening right now, and it's 7-7, so I'm picking Green Bay.
Oakland @ Dallas: Oakland had a big win against Cinci, but I don't see them doing anything decent 2 weeks in a row. They made the right decision, however, going away from Russel. That guy has been a huge bust, and they definitely should not stay with him.
NY Giants @ Denver: Man oh man, this could be seriously ugly for the Broncos. There was a time in the year when the Giants were looking weak and the Broncos were looking unstoppable. I'm not going to say that the G-men are looking unbeatable, but they are definitely looking quite pathetic. G-men, big time.
Miami @ Buffalo: Well, Buffalo looked pretty decent against Jacksonville, but weren't able to pull it out. I think that if they continue to involve TO, things will work out pretty well for him. Their defense, however, is where the issues lie. I just think that the Miami attack will be too much for them, yet again.
Seattle @ St. Louis: A couple of not very good teams, again. A battle for divisional mediocrity. I'll give it to the better Quarterback, so Seattle.
Washington @ Philadelphia: Washington has played very well in the last couple of weeks. Only allowing one TD to Dallas, in Dallas. Not half bad. But, they still only scored 6 points. They won't do much better against Philly. I'll take the Eagles.
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: No brainer, go with the Falcons.
Indianapolis @ Houston: Again, same comment I had earlier. Somehow, the Colts just always seem to be able to beat Houston, even when Houston really should have won many of their recent games. Can't bet against the Colts.
Cleveland @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati needs to bounce back after blowing it against the Raiders. Lucky them, they get the Browns. Should be a serious beat down. Bengals.
Carolina @ NY Jets: Jets are so inconsistent. This is a game that they really should win, but Sanchez is definitely showing exactly how much of a rookie he really is. I'm going to take Carolina in this one.
Kansas City @ San Diego: Big win last week for KC, they have to have a lot of confidence. This could be a pretty good game, but I'm going to have to give it to the hotter team, and San Diego is definitely the hot team. They extend their divisional lead in this game.
Jacksonville @ San Francisco: Jacksonville is on a roll, and I think they will continue to roll into the playoff picture this week against San Fran.
Arizona @ Tennessee: Young is going to have to keep his defense in this game, and I don't know if he'll be able to do that. I'll take Arizona.
Chicago @ Minnesota: Cutler will throw a few more INTs this game, I think. Minnesota takes another one.
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore: Tough game here. I think Baltimore has been more consistent, all in all, so I will go with them. Pittsburgh may have a tough time getting into the playoffs this year.
New England @ New Orleans: The Saints will have to play a complete game in order to win this one. I definitely think this is going to be a hell of a game. New England hasn't been consistent all year long, but they are still formidable. The Saints are far better on defense then anybody gives them credit for. I think that they will continue to impress and may be able to confuse Brady. I will take the Saints in this one in what could be a shoot out.
Happy Thanksgiving all!!
Green Bay @ Detroit: Green Bay, that one's happening right now, and it's 7-7, so I'm picking Green Bay.
Oakland @ Dallas: Oakland had a big win against Cinci, but I don't see them doing anything decent 2 weeks in a row. They made the right decision, however, going away from Russel. That guy has been a huge bust, and they definitely should not stay with him.
NY Giants @ Denver: Man oh man, this could be seriously ugly for the Broncos. There was a time in the year when the Giants were looking weak and the Broncos were looking unstoppable. I'm not going to say that the G-men are looking unbeatable, but they are definitely looking quite pathetic. G-men, big time.
Miami @ Buffalo: Well, Buffalo looked pretty decent against Jacksonville, but weren't able to pull it out. I think that if they continue to involve TO, things will work out pretty well for him. Their defense, however, is where the issues lie. I just think that the Miami attack will be too much for them, yet again.
Seattle @ St. Louis: A couple of not very good teams, again. A battle for divisional mediocrity. I'll give it to the better Quarterback, so Seattle.
Washington @ Philadelphia: Washington has played very well in the last couple of weeks. Only allowing one TD to Dallas, in Dallas. Not half bad. But, they still only scored 6 points. They won't do much better against Philly. I'll take the Eagles.
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: No brainer, go with the Falcons.
Indianapolis @ Houston: Again, same comment I had earlier. Somehow, the Colts just always seem to be able to beat Houston, even when Houston really should have won many of their recent games. Can't bet against the Colts.
Cleveland @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati needs to bounce back after blowing it against the Raiders. Lucky them, they get the Browns. Should be a serious beat down. Bengals.
Carolina @ NY Jets: Jets are so inconsistent. This is a game that they really should win, but Sanchez is definitely showing exactly how much of a rookie he really is. I'm going to take Carolina in this one.
Kansas City @ San Diego: Big win last week for KC, they have to have a lot of confidence. This could be a pretty good game, but I'm going to have to give it to the hotter team, and San Diego is definitely the hot team. They extend their divisional lead in this game.
Jacksonville @ San Francisco: Jacksonville is on a roll, and I think they will continue to roll into the playoff picture this week against San Fran.
Arizona @ Tennessee: Young is going to have to keep his defense in this game, and I don't know if he'll be able to do that. I'll take Arizona.
Chicago @ Minnesota: Cutler will throw a few more INTs this game, I think. Minnesota takes another one.
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore: Tough game here. I think Baltimore has been more consistent, all in all, so I will go with them. Pittsburgh may have a tough time getting into the playoffs this year.
New England @ New Orleans: The Saints will have to play a complete game in order to win this one. I definitely think this is going to be a hell of a game. New England hasn't been consistent all year long, but they are still formidable. The Saints are far better on defense then anybody gives them credit for. I think that they will continue to impress and may be able to confuse Brady. I will take the Saints in this one in what could be a shoot out.
Happy Thanksgiving all!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wk 11 Biggest Moments
This was a big week for the NFL, and these kinds of weekends definitely make it tough for people to choose some of the biggest moments of the week, but I'll give it a try.
All is not well in the state of the Denver Broncos. Rewind 5 weeks, before that dreaded bye week, and you've got a team that basically nobody wants to play. A team that shuts teams down in the second half of games, barely even surrendering a first down. A commanding 3 1/2 game lead in their division after knocking off their primary rival in their own building. Now bring us back up to regular time, and what do we have? We have a team that looks beaten, that seems to have quit, and a whole lot of questions to answer. How does one focus on anything positive after this team has scored a grand total of 3 touchdowns on offense in the last 4 games? I really don't know the answer to that question, maybe it's just the whole we've seen you guys score like crazy, we know that you can do it. At any rate, the Broncos seem to have lost all hopes of getting themselves a playoff spot with a very tough finishing schedule. At this point, games against the sorry Chiefs and Raiders, which should be no brainers, aren't a guarantee. McD better think of something quick!
TO! Just wow, what a huge day! 197 yards is not usually a receiving stat that you see from any receiver. Yet TO has had these kinds of days in each of the last couple of years. It seems that Buffalo is finally figuring out how to use him! Need 98 yards? Well, you've got a guy who can give that to you. I don't know why they hadn't been trying to use him more. This guy is a beast! The bigger moment of that game happened when Mike Simms-Walker caught the game winning TD, 91 yards of his own in this game. He proceeded to salute TO, not in a mocking way at all, with his celebration, and asked him for his jersey after the game. Definitely good to see that kind of respect. This guy knows that TO is the type of receiver that changes the way people play the game, and he is showing him the proper respect for his ability. TO's personality has always left something to desire, but nobody can argue with his on-field ability.
Couple of big upsets! KC took down the Steelers. Pittsburgh really needs to have a look at their special teams, because there is something seriously wrong there. I think most coaches would agree that there is never a reason that any kickoff should be run back for a touchdown. Punts you can see more, but kickoffs? You're literally running downfield with a wall of people from your team against a team that is backpedaling. It really just shouldn't ever happen; yet it has happened to Pittsburgh two weeks in a row. The worst of the upsets comes from the Bengals. They didn't only lose to the Raiders, they let the Raiders come back and beat them. I suppose they must have figured the game was over after taking a 14-0 lead. The fact that they lost isn't such a bad thing, in and of itself, losses happen, we know that. The bad part about it was that Cincinnati knew that both their chief rivals had also lost before their game even started. 7-3 is not a bad record, but they could have been 8-2, with Baltimore at 5-5, and Pittsburgh at 6-4, having swept the season matches with both of these teams! That would have put both teams in dire straights. Now, Cinci is just one 2 game losing streak away from possibly letting the division slip from their hands, they need to come to play every single game now.
Vince Young has been quite a catalyst for the Titans. I was talking about him with one of my students this week, and we both agreed that he's not a very good quarterback. He showed that when he was replaced by Kerry Collins last year after his poor display of off the field attitude. Your QB has to be your rock, no matter what situation he finds himself in, and Young is far from that. At any rate, he still gives you a chance to win games simply because the guy is impossible to tackle. You might say, run the wildcat with him, but why bother? Just have him drop back to pass and take off. He does have a big, albeit not very accurate, arm, so the defense has to respect a pass. Plus, they have to dedicate at least one guy to spy him in case he decides to take off! So that's one less guy that can cover. Plus, Young versus most individuals in a 1-on-1 situation, Young will win that. Titans are far from a contender anymore, but they are at least winning a few games again.
Who'd have thought the best game of the day would have come from the Lions and the Browns. I mean, epic quarterback duel between....wait, is this right? Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford? I'm older than both these guys, and I'm only 27! In all seriousness, though, this was an amazing game. You'd expect the Lions to just roll over after allowing 24 points in the first quarter, while scoring only 3 of their own, but they fought back. What an ending sequence, also. The unfortunate part about this is what happened after the game. Instead of railing against his own team for blowing a 21 point lead, Browns coach, Eric Mangini, came out and accused the Lions of faking injuries so they could slow the game down. Then said that the pass interference call, in the endzone, shouldn't have been called because Stafford was "out of the pocket." Ok, firstly, you guys had a 21 point lead. If you can't keep your team motivated to play after you have amassed that kind of lead, no matter how fast you did it, then you're not a very good coach. Don't accuse the other coach of cheating, accuse your players of lolligagging. Then, the only penalty that I know of that is negated by leaving the pocket, is intentional grounding. So because the QB moves out of the pocket, all members of the secondary should immediately try and tackle their receivers no matter where they are on the field? Seriously Mangini? I urge everybody to go look at the replay. Yes, it was a hail mary, and some incidental contact is expected during this; but the Browns player literally shoved his man out of the endzone as the ball was coming down. I'm sorry, that is pass interference. Physically preventing a receiver from getting into a position where he could make a play, that is the textbook definition of pass interference, and it doesn't matter where the QB is. So please, Mangini, hold your players accountable, not the other team's.
All is not well in the state of the Denver Broncos. Rewind 5 weeks, before that dreaded bye week, and you've got a team that basically nobody wants to play. A team that shuts teams down in the second half of games, barely even surrendering a first down. A commanding 3 1/2 game lead in their division after knocking off their primary rival in their own building. Now bring us back up to regular time, and what do we have? We have a team that looks beaten, that seems to have quit, and a whole lot of questions to answer. How does one focus on anything positive after this team has scored a grand total of 3 touchdowns on offense in the last 4 games? I really don't know the answer to that question, maybe it's just the whole we've seen you guys score like crazy, we know that you can do it. At any rate, the Broncos seem to have lost all hopes of getting themselves a playoff spot with a very tough finishing schedule. At this point, games against the sorry Chiefs and Raiders, which should be no brainers, aren't a guarantee. McD better think of something quick!
TO! Just wow, what a huge day! 197 yards is not usually a receiving stat that you see from any receiver. Yet TO has had these kinds of days in each of the last couple of years. It seems that Buffalo is finally figuring out how to use him! Need 98 yards? Well, you've got a guy who can give that to you. I don't know why they hadn't been trying to use him more. This guy is a beast! The bigger moment of that game happened when Mike Simms-Walker caught the game winning TD, 91 yards of his own in this game. He proceeded to salute TO, not in a mocking way at all, with his celebration, and asked him for his jersey after the game. Definitely good to see that kind of respect. This guy knows that TO is the type of receiver that changes the way people play the game, and he is showing him the proper respect for his ability. TO's personality has always left something to desire, but nobody can argue with his on-field ability.
Couple of big upsets! KC took down the Steelers. Pittsburgh really needs to have a look at their special teams, because there is something seriously wrong there. I think most coaches would agree that there is never a reason that any kickoff should be run back for a touchdown. Punts you can see more, but kickoffs? You're literally running downfield with a wall of people from your team against a team that is backpedaling. It really just shouldn't ever happen; yet it has happened to Pittsburgh two weeks in a row. The worst of the upsets comes from the Bengals. They didn't only lose to the Raiders, they let the Raiders come back and beat them. I suppose they must have figured the game was over after taking a 14-0 lead. The fact that they lost isn't such a bad thing, in and of itself, losses happen, we know that. The bad part about it was that Cincinnati knew that both their chief rivals had also lost before their game even started. 7-3 is not a bad record, but they could have been 8-2, with Baltimore at 5-5, and Pittsburgh at 6-4, having swept the season matches with both of these teams! That would have put both teams in dire straights. Now, Cinci is just one 2 game losing streak away from possibly letting the division slip from their hands, they need to come to play every single game now.
Vince Young has been quite a catalyst for the Titans. I was talking about him with one of my students this week, and we both agreed that he's not a very good quarterback. He showed that when he was replaced by Kerry Collins last year after his poor display of off the field attitude. Your QB has to be your rock, no matter what situation he finds himself in, and Young is far from that. At any rate, he still gives you a chance to win games simply because the guy is impossible to tackle. You might say, run the wildcat with him, but why bother? Just have him drop back to pass and take off. He does have a big, albeit not very accurate, arm, so the defense has to respect a pass. Plus, they have to dedicate at least one guy to spy him in case he decides to take off! So that's one less guy that can cover. Plus, Young versus most individuals in a 1-on-1 situation, Young will win that. Titans are far from a contender anymore, but they are at least winning a few games again.
Who'd have thought the best game of the day would have come from the Lions and the Browns. I mean, epic quarterback duel between....wait, is this right? Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford? I'm older than both these guys, and I'm only 27! In all seriousness, though, this was an amazing game. You'd expect the Lions to just roll over after allowing 24 points in the first quarter, while scoring only 3 of their own, but they fought back. What an ending sequence, also. The unfortunate part about this is what happened after the game. Instead of railing against his own team for blowing a 21 point lead, Browns coach, Eric Mangini, came out and accused the Lions of faking injuries so they could slow the game down. Then said that the pass interference call, in the endzone, shouldn't have been called because Stafford was "out of the pocket." Ok, firstly, you guys had a 21 point lead. If you can't keep your team motivated to play after you have amassed that kind of lead, no matter how fast you did it, then you're not a very good coach. Don't accuse the other coach of cheating, accuse your players of lolligagging. Then, the only penalty that I know of that is negated by leaving the pocket, is intentional grounding. So because the QB moves out of the pocket, all members of the secondary should immediately try and tackle their receivers no matter where they are on the field? Seriously Mangini? I urge everybody to go look at the replay. Yes, it was a hail mary, and some incidental contact is expected during this; but the Browns player literally shoved his man out of the endzone as the ball was coming down. I'm sorry, that is pass interference. Physically preventing a receiver from getting into a position where he could make a play, that is the textbook definition of pass interference, and it doesn't matter where the QB is. So please, Mangini, hold your players accountable, not the other team's.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wk 11 picks
Another kinda average week. I'm going to just wait it out and things will get better!! So here we go for wk. 11!
Miami @ Carolina: Thursday night game! So not a fan, honestly, stop with the Thursday games other than Thanksgiving! Wrong post, sorry. Anywho, Carolina has show more spine in the last few games, and no Ronnie Brown in for Miami! That could make things really tough for the Wildcat offense. I think this will probably be a week for Carolina to win, take the Panthers.
Pittsburgh @ Kansas City: KC stinks, Pittsburgh in a laugher.
Indianapolis @ Baltimore: I refuse to pick against Peyton Manning after what he did last week. Baltimore is always strong at home, but Manning is just money. I will take the Colts.
San Francisco @ Green Bay: San Fran is heading in the right direction, but I just don't see them going into Lambeau and winning quite yet. Green Bay definitely fixed a lot of things last week, and if they get rolling can even start thinking about the playoffs. Packers.
Buffalo @ Jacksonville: Kind of tough here, but it looks like Jacksonville could be starting to roll a bit. Bills aren't as good as the Jets, and the Jags are always better at home this year. I'll take the Jags.
Atlanta @ NY Giants: Giants had their bye week, and I think that the things will have been worked out for this week, at any rate. I'll take the Giants at home.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay: New Orleans is doing this thing where they don't really play hard through the first half, and then realize the game has started and start playing in the second half. Eventually, there will be a team that makes them pay for that, but it won't be the Bucs. Saints.
Cleveland @ Detroit: Detroit has the homefield advantage, so I'll give them the edge, but this game could very well end in a 0-0 tie. Lions.
Washington @ Dallas: Dallas is up and down, and could be on a down swing right now. I don't, however, think that they are down enough to lose to the Skins. I'll take the Cowboys at home.
Seattle @ Minnesota: Minnesota will run right through Seattle. Favre, Peterson, and the D should all have pretty big days against a not really good Seattle team.
Arizona @ St. Louis: Happy Birthday to Kurt Warner. The Cards have had a tendency to play to the level of their opponents, but I don't see this receiving core letting the Rams get the best of them, especially when Beanie Wells and the running game is starting to come up. Long day for the Rams....again.
NY Jets @ New England: Jets have fallen far from the start of the year, if they can keep things simple, and reproduce that pressure that they had on Brady earlier in the year, then they could win this game. That being said, I still think that Pats will take it at home, though I'd love to see them lose another one.
San Diego @ Denver: As big of a believer as I was after the first 6 weeks, the Broncos have nearly made me do a complete 180. 3 really pathetic showings. If they prepare, play hard, and don't be afraid of the other team, like they pretty much were in each of the 3 other games, then they can come out and beat San Diego again. Unfortunately, I've seen this ship sail before, and I think the bottom may be falling out. Such a waste of a good start, and I hate to do it, but I'm taking San Diego.
Cincinnati @ Oakland: Oakland will be lucky to cross mid-field in this game. Bengals.
Philadelphia @ Chicago: How many INTs will he throw this week? We know he doesn't do well against pressure, and here comes one of the most high pressure teams in the leagure! Plus, when Cutler has a game that he absolutely needs to win, he doesn't do it. I'm definitely starting to see what people were talking about when he started whining and wanted to be traded. I like the Eagles.
Tennessee @ Houston: Could be a good one, but I'm thinking that if Tennessee couldn't beat them when they had a 200 yard rusher, they probably won't be able to beat them any other time either. I'll take the Texans.
Let me know your picks! Happy week 11!
Miami @ Carolina: Thursday night game! So not a fan, honestly, stop with the Thursday games other than Thanksgiving! Wrong post, sorry. Anywho, Carolina has show more spine in the last few games, and no Ronnie Brown in for Miami! That could make things really tough for the Wildcat offense. I think this will probably be a week for Carolina to win, take the Panthers.
Pittsburgh @ Kansas City: KC stinks, Pittsburgh in a laugher.
Indianapolis @ Baltimore: I refuse to pick against Peyton Manning after what he did last week. Baltimore is always strong at home, but Manning is just money. I will take the Colts.
San Francisco @ Green Bay: San Fran is heading in the right direction, but I just don't see them going into Lambeau and winning quite yet. Green Bay definitely fixed a lot of things last week, and if they get rolling can even start thinking about the playoffs. Packers.
Buffalo @ Jacksonville: Kind of tough here, but it looks like Jacksonville could be starting to roll a bit. Bills aren't as good as the Jets, and the Jags are always better at home this year. I'll take the Jags.
Atlanta @ NY Giants: Giants had their bye week, and I think that the things will have been worked out for this week, at any rate. I'll take the Giants at home.
New Orleans @ Tampa Bay: New Orleans is doing this thing where they don't really play hard through the first half, and then realize the game has started and start playing in the second half. Eventually, there will be a team that makes them pay for that, but it won't be the Bucs. Saints.
Cleveland @ Detroit: Detroit has the homefield advantage, so I'll give them the edge, but this game could very well end in a 0-0 tie. Lions.
Washington @ Dallas: Dallas is up and down, and could be on a down swing right now. I don't, however, think that they are down enough to lose to the Skins. I'll take the Cowboys at home.
Seattle @ Minnesota: Minnesota will run right through Seattle. Favre, Peterson, and the D should all have pretty big days against a not really good Seattle team.
Arizona @ St. Louis: Happy Birthday to Kurt Warner. The Cards have had a tendency to play to the level of their opponents, but I don't see this receiving core letting the Rams get the best of them, especially when Beanie Wells and the running game is starting to come up. Long day for the Rams....again.
NY Jets @ New England: Jets have fallen far from the start of the year, if they can keep things simple, and reproduce that pressure that they had on Brady earlier in the year, then they could win this game. That being said, I still think that Pats will take it at home, though I'd love to see them lose another one.
San Diego @ Denver: As big of a believer as I was after the first 6 weeks, the Broncos have nearly made me do a complete 180. 3 really pathetic showings. If they prepare, play hard, and don't be afraid of the other team, like they pretty much were in each of the 3 other games, then they can come out and beat San Diego again. Unfortunately, I've seen this ship sail before, and I think the bottom may be falling out. Such a waste of a good start, and I hate to do it, but I'm taking San Diego.
Cincinnati @ Oakland: Oakland will be lucky to cross mid-field in this game. Bengals.
Philadelphia @ Chicago: How many INTs will he throw this week? We know he doesn't do well against pressure, and here comes one of the most high pressure teams in the leagure! Plus, when Cutler has a game that he absolutely needs to win, he doesn't do it. I'm definitely starting to see what people were talking about when he started whining and wanted to be traded. I like the Eagles.
Tennessee @ Houston: Could be a good one, but I'm thinking that if Tennessee couldn't beat them when they had a 200 yard rusher, they probably won't be able to beat them any other time either. I'll take the Texans.
Let me know your picks! Happy week 11!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Give Me A Break
Ok, I've read a lot of the sports sites today, and I have to say that I am just plain sick at what I've seen. I will tell you, and you can take this to the bank, if this was Jim Caldwell, Josh McDaniels, or any other coach in the NFL that had decided to go for it on 4th and 2 with a 6 point lead over the Colts from their own 30 yard line and missed it, people would crucify that guy. Not only would they nail him to the wall, they would question whether or not he should even be a head coach in the NFL.
So why is everybody so quick to make certain we all know why Bellichick was right to make the call that he made? I can't stand this whole, "well the statistics say that he made the right call." "The pros outweighed the cons." Blah, blah, blah. To me, this is all the same ridiculous Patriot worship that is so blatantly obvious from all corners of the sports writing world. These writers, and especially the fans that all come in and say that they would have done the exact same thing because who can question the Fuhrer in his all brilliant decision making capabilities which are clearly never ever wrong, need to just bite their tongue on this one.
While the pros may have, technically, outweighed the cons, one of those cons that you list is that you're giving a red hot Peyton Manning the ball at your 29 yard line with 2 full minutes left on the clock. Now, I don't care if it's 4th down and 1/4 of an inch, I play the numbers game. The game that says that it's more difficult for you to go 70 yards in 2 minutes than 30 yards in 2 minutes. Plus, Manning had thrown 2 interceptions in that game that were really poorly thrown balls, and he had been pressured pretty consistently through the evening. Your chances of winning are a hell of a lot better giving them the ball back on their own 25 yard line, as opposed to on your 30 yard line.
Now here is probably the least educated argument that I have ever heard. Reading shutdown corner (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Counterpoint-Pros-outweighed-the-cons-on-Belich?urn=nfl,202797&post_comment=1&success=1) on yahoo sports, the author made a comment about the defense. "What, are we worried about hurting the defense's feelings? Awwww. If they don't like it, they can feel free to get better. Maybe there would be more faith in them in they didn't give up, oh, I don't know, just as an example ... 327 yards and four touchdowns to Manning." Wow. Let's take this apart a little bit at a time. As a head coach, you should absolutely be worried about whether or not your defense believes that you have faith in them. If they don't think that you believe in them, they won't play quite as hard for you, knowing that they always have your faith and trust. That should be something to consider in making a coaching decision. They can feel free to get better? Now there's an educated comment. They had Manning off-kilter all game. It was literally the last 6 minutes of the game when Manning started to dominate. Usually, you get a D that keeps him off his game for that long, you're supremely happy with it. And as for the whole we'd have more faith in you if you didn't allow so many yards, then by that logic, the Colts should have kicked the onside kick instead of booting it deep because they had given up more yardage to Brady, and 3TD. But they not only stopped them on 3rd down, they stopped them on 4th down. Was that misplaced faith as well? Give me a break.
Lastly, I just want to say to all the people who are so dead set on making certain that we all know how right Bellichick always is, get over it. Don't get me wrong here, I hate the man and believe that he has disgraced his whole career by cheating and just by beaing an overall classless jerk, but he is undeniably a very good coach. 3 SBs as a head coach is evidence enough to prove that to anybody. But as good of a coach as he is, he is still human. Just because he says that he'd do the same thing again doesn't mean that that was the right thing to do. Bottom line, it was a bad decision, and the end result of the game shows that. But you know what? It's okay. People are allowed to be wrong, so please, give me a break and just get over it.
So why is everybody so quick to make certain we all know why Bellichick was right to make the call that he made? I can't stand this whole, "well the statistics say that he made the right call." "The pros outweighed the cons." Blah, blah, blah. To me, this is all the same ridiculous Patriot worship that is so blatantly obvious from all corners of the sports writing world. These writers, and especially the fans that all come in and say that they would have done the exact same thing because who can question the Fuhrer in his all brilliant decision making capabilities which are clearly never ever wrong, need to just bite their tongue on this one.
While the pros may have, technically, outweighed the cons, one of those cons that you list is that you're giving a red hot Peyton Manning the ball at your 29 yard line with 2 full minutes left on the clock. Now, I don't care if it's 4th down and 1/4 of an inch, I play the numbers game. The game that says that it's more difficult for you to go 70 yards in 2 minutes than 30 yards in 2 minutes. Plus, Manning had thrown 2 interceptions in that game that were really poorly thrown balls, and he had been pressured pretty consistently through the evening. Your chances of winning are a hell of a lot better giving them the ball back on their own 25 yard line, as opposed to on your 30 yard line.
Now here is probably the least educated argument that I have ever heard. Reading shutdown corner (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Counterpoint-Pros-outweighed-the-cons-on-Belich?urn=nfl,202797&post_comment=1&success=1) on yahoo sports, the author made a comment about the defense. "What, are we worried about hurting the defense's feelings? Awwww. If they don't like it, they can feel free to get better. Maybe there would be more faith in them in they didn't give up, oh, I don't know, just as an example ... 327 yards and four touchdowns to Manning." Wow. Let's take this apart a little bit at a time. As a head coach, you should absolutely be worried about whether or not your defense believes that you have faith in them. If they don't think that you believe in them, they won't play quite as hard for you, knowing that they always have your faith and trust. That should be something to consider in making a coaching decision. They can feel free to get better? Now there's an educated comment. They had Manning off-kilter all game. It was literally the last 6 minutes of the game when Manning started to dominate. Usually, you get a D that keeps him off his game for that long, you're supremely happy with it. And as for the whole we'd have more faith in you if you didn't allow so many yards, then by that logic, the Colts should have kicked the onside kick instead of booting it deep because they had given up more yardage to Brady, and 3TD. But they not only stopped them on 3rd down, they stopped them on 4th down. Was that misplaced faith as well? Give me a break.
Lastly, I just want to say to all the people who are so dead set on making certain that we all know how right Bellichick always is, get over it. Don't get me wrong here, I hate the man and believe that he has disgraced his whole career by cheating and just by beaing an overall classless jerk, but he is undeniably a very good coach. 3 SBs as a head coach is evidence enough to prove that to anybody. But as good of a coach as he is, he is still human. Just because he says that he'd do the same thing again doesn't mean that that was the right thing to do. Bottom line, it was a bad decision, and the end result of the game shows that. But you know what? It's okay. People are allowed to be wrong, so please, give me a break and just get over it.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A Brief Word on Class
It has been a long time since I've played a sport in any sort of competitive fashion. The closest that I've gotten is the night roller hockey league that I played on a few years back when I was in grad school and had to drive 50 minutes from Salem to Corvalis in Oregon to play some late night hockey. Nevertheless, I still remember some of the valuable lessons that I was taught from when I was a kid playing little league baseball and basketball. You know, the lessons like you'll only get out as much as you put into something, hard work leads to success, give things your best effort and you'll never be ashamed of the end result. The most important lesson learned by most all kids should be a lesson in class, it was for me.
I had a great coach for all of the sports that I participated in as a youngster. And something that always stuck with me had absolutely no outcome on any of the games that we played because it took place immediately after. Whether we won, or whether we lost, we gathered up as a team and we gave a team chant that basically carried the message of "Good game, thanks for playing us." Things that still show up in a lot of sports. Hockey players line up at the end of some brutal playoff series to shake hands with each other and say good match up. Tennis players shake hands at the end of each match. Golfers shake hands at the end of each round. Most basketball players stick around to shake hands and give hugs and say good game, and it usually happens in football as well.
I save football for last because this is what I want to address. There are many teams that are revered in the NFL for various reasons. Supreme ability, world class speed, stifling defense, the ability to throw the ball 80 yards, etc... But one thing that people are praised for, but rarely chastised for, is their class. Class is something that is usually learned from a young age, and should stick with you, but it seems to have eluded 2 people in the league that are almost always looked at as the prime example of exellence in the NFL. By a strange coincidence, they are also part of the same team, the New England Patriots. Yes, I hear the groans of people who are so willing to jump on the Patriot band wagon, people who love to talk about how good their team is, but are also unwilling to admit when another team outplayed you.
At any rate, Bill Bellichik and Tom Brady are constantly praised for their game smarts, as well they should be. Yet, it's never more than a casual joke on Sportscenter when we see a clip of Bellichik barely acknowledging the head coach of the other team, if bothering to shake hands at all, and then running off of the field. Same with Tom Brady who always leaves straight off when beaten, never bothers to shake hands with anybody. Why does nobody comment on this? Do you remember how fast people jumped on Lebron James when he left the floor without shaking hands after this last NBA post season? He is the golden boy of the NBA! So why nothing for Brady and Bellichik? Now, I expect Bellichik to have a little less class than most as he is one who was caught cheating in the middle of a game and made no bones about what he had done. Brady, however, loves to feign class. My favorite Tom Brady moment came after a loss to the Broncos this year in week 5. He had made a comment, at the press conference, about how with a game like this, the only thing that you can do with your former QB coach and O-Coordinator is go up to him, shake his hand, and say congratulations. The reporter quickly followed up with the question, "Did you get a chance to shake Josh's hand and congratulate him?" Brady tried to stifle a little smirk and just said, "No." Nice one, Tom. Very nice.
Why does this matter? To any of you who have kids, or have any respect for the sports that you love, this should be obvious. This inherent lack of class and obvious disdain for anybody who has the audacity to play the game better than you did on a given day is something that should disturb us. This should disturb us because who do you think our kids look up to? Kids look up to Tom Brady because of his fame and ability to throw the ball with the same velocity that a cannon might produce. He is looked at as golden, and when something like that is allowed to pass without any kind of reprimand, those kids now are told that that is an okay thing to do. That's what leads to things like kids in the Little League World Series that his a home run and then hot dog around the bases. That's what leads to 15 year old kids expecting some kind of special treatment at school because he plays sports instead of actually trying in class. That kid may then become a coach and tell a kid that it's okay to lie about his age so that his team has a better shot at winning because they have a 14 year old playing in a league of 11-12 year olds.
Is this a little over dramatic? Possibly, but don't, for one second, pretend that I'm wrong about the key arguement here. There are many things about the world that aren't as nice as when I, and many other people, were younger. Remember the places that your kids learn their lessons. The next time you see that Patriots lose and Brady just skulk off the field, remind them that he's being a sore loser and that's not right. Next time you hear of a baseball player being busted for steroids, tell them that that person is a cheater and that cheating to get ahead is wrong. Those are the types of moments, however small, that teach lessons that will stick with kids for a lifetime. They have with me.
I'll close with a personal story. One of the greatest moments I have witnessed, but also a very quick and little one. It was while I lived in Alaska, and my friends had my wife and I over for our weekly Monday Night Football get together. At half time, a story flashed on about Barry Bonds, and their son, a little over 2 at the time, made a great comment. "I don't like Barry Bonds." "Why not?" I asked. "He's a bad man!" His mom said, "That's right, and why is he a bad man?" "Because he cheated, and that's wrong!" Logic so simple that even a 2 year old can grasp it, so why has this eluded our "sharpest minds in sports?" Class in important, and it should never be forgotten.
**off my soap box**
I had a great coach for all of the sports that I participated in as a youngster. And something that always stuck with me had absolutely no outcome on any of the games that we played because it took place immediately after. Whether we won, or whether we lost, we gathered up as a team and we gave a team chant that basically carried the message of "Good game, thanks for playing us." Things that still show up in a lot of sports. Hockey players line up at the end of some brutal playoff series to shake hands with each other and say good match up. Tennis players shake hands at the end of each match. Golfers shake hands at the end of each round. Most basketball players stick around to shake hands and give hugs and say good game, and it usually happens in football as well.
I save football for last because this is what I want to address. There are many teams that are revered in the NFL for various reasons. Supreme ability, world class speed, stifling defense, the ability to throw the ball 80 yards, etc... But one thing that people are praised for, but rarely chastised for, is their class. Class is something that is usually learned from a young age, and should stick with you, but it seems to have eluded 2 people in the league that are almost always looked at as the prime example of exellence in the NFL. By a strange coincidence, they are also part of the same team, the New England Patriots. Yes, I hear the groans of people who are so willing to jump on the Patriot band wagon, people who love to talk about how good their team is, but are also unwilling to admit when another team outplayed you.
At any rate, Bill Bellichik and Tom Brady are constantly praised for their game smarts, as well they should be. Yet, it's never more than a casual joke on Sportscenter when we see a clip of Bellichik barely acknowledging the head coach of the other team, if bothering to shake hands at all, and then running off of the field. Same with Tom Brady who always leaves straight off when beaten, never bothers to shake hands with anybody. Why does nobody comment on this? Do you remember how fast people jumped on Lebron James when he left the floor without shaking hands after this last NBA post season? He is the golden boy of the NBA! So why nothing for Brady and Bellichik? Now, I expect Bellichik to have a little less class than most as he is one who was caught cheating in the middle of a game and made no bones about what he had done. Brady, however, loves to feign class. My favorite Tom Brady moment came after a loss to the Broncos this year in week 5. He had made a comment, at the press conference, about how with a game like this, the only thing that you can do with your former QB coach and O-Coordinator is go up to him, shake his hand, and say congratulations. The reporter quickly followed up with the question, "Did you get a chance to shake Josh's hand and congratulate him?" Brady tried to stifle a little smirk and just said, "No." Nice one, Tom. Very nice.
Why does this matter? To any of you who have kids, or have any respect for the sports that you love, this should be obvious. This inherent lack of class and obvious disdain for anybody who has the audacity to play the game better than you did on a given day is something that should disturb us. This should disturb us because who do you think our kids look up to? Kids look up to Tom Brady because of his fame and ability to throw the ball with the same velocity that a cannon might produce. He is looked at as golden, and when something like that is allowed to pass without any kind of reprimand, those kids now are told that that is an okay thing to do. That's what leads to things like kids in the Little League World Series that his a home run and then hot dog around the bases. That's what leads to 15 year old kids expecting some kind of special treatment at school because he plays sports instead of actually trying in class. That kid may then become a coach and tell a kid that it's okay to lie about his age so that his team has a better shot at winning because they have a 14 year old playing in a league of 11-12 year olds.
Is this a little over dramatic? Possibly, but don't, for one second, pretend that I'm wrong about the key arguement here. There are many things about the world that aren't as nice as when I, and many other people, were younger. Remember the places that your kids learn their lessons. The next time you see that Patriots lose and Brady just skulk off the field, remind them that he's being a sore loser and that's not right. Next time you hear of a baseball player being busted for steroids, tell them that that person is a cheater and that cheating to get ahead is wrong. Those are the types of moments, however small, that teach lessons that will stick with kids for a lifetime. They have with me.
I'll close with a personal story. One of the greatest moments I have witnessed, but also a very quick and little one. It was while I lived in Alaska, and my friends had my wife and I over for our weekly Monday Night Football get together. At half time, a story flashed on about Barry Bonds, and their son, a little over 2 at the time, made a great comment. "I don't like Barry Bonds." "Why not?" I asked. "He's a bad man!" His mom said, "That's right, and why is he a bad man?" "Because he cheated, and that's wrong!" Logic so simple that even a 2 year old can grasp it, so why has this eluded our "sharpest minds in sports?" Class in important, and it should never be forgotten.
**off my soap box**
A Tale of Two Teams!
Now that I've cooled down a little bit, just a little bit, from watching my Broncos lay a giant egg, again, against a team they should have beaten with ease, it has become clear to me and probably everybody that was watching that there are some serious issues with the Broncos right now. Now, I'll bring up what I see as a die hard fan/arm chair quarterback and say what I would think is the best way to solve the problem.
First and foremost, I think that we can silence an argument that was around in the Bronco nation from the start of the season about who should be the starting quarterback. After the way Simms "played" during the second half of the game today, I think the only quarterback debate that should be left in Denver is whether or not Simms should even be the back-up anymore. He had 2 locations for his passes; at the receiver's feet, or well over their head. I think Woody Paige won't be calling for Simms to start ever again.
Secondly, the defense is still playing well enough to win games. However, they have made a total switch in their performance. The first 6 games, they weren't great in the first half but were lights out, give away nothing in the second half. Last 3 games, they've played very well in the first half, but have allowed teams to walk through them in the second half. I go back to the game against the Steelers to show this. Right after they had caused a huge fumble and returned it for a touchdown to put them ahead in the game, they allowed the Steelers to go 75 yards in a total of 4 plays, leaving some rather gaping holes. What happened to making adjustments? Where were all of these great changes that the D was making when they were winning these games and keeping people off the score board in the second half? They shut teams down in the first half and then what, assume that they arne't going to make any changes in the second half? It's been ridiculous! They let the Washington Redskins walk all over them this week. The defense needs to take a big look in the mirror and decide that they still want to be that group that was so feared after the first few weeks.
Thirdly, the offense has been just pathetic. We had 2 big plays in this game that got us our points. 2 long passes to Marshall, plus one pass that was overthrown to a ridiculously wide open Eddie Royal. The rest of the play calling has been just awful. I know that this offense thrives on the whole 5-15 yard pass plays that just keep the chains moving, but when teams realize that that's what you're going to do and you never deviate from this, you're going to have issues just like the ones we've seen from the Broncos for the past 3 weeks. Teams are going to load up against your screen passes and let the people who do the hardest hitting come at you. The result of that is fumbles, receivers seemingly afraid to come across the middle, and a flustered quarterback that just makes bad passes. All of those thing have happened for the Broncos, and they still have not changed. The times we did open up the playbook more this week, look what happened, 2 huge TD passes. Any coach will tell you that the second you become predictable you need to either find some way to change what you're doing, or get used to losing. The Broncos haven't changed what they've been doing, and now they've lost 3 straight. McDaniels seems to not realize how much talent he's got on this team. Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Tony Sheffler, Knowshon Moreno. You can't just stick them in a box 5-15 yards deep and expect that they will always win you the game, you gotta turn them lose at some point. Even if that 20 yard play doesn't connect, at least now the defense knows that you're willing to run those and have to respect it. Right now, They just sit 15 yards deep and come forward.
Fourth, after you lose three games in the fashion that the Broncos have just lost, you need to call out the coaches. The coaches have got to prepare their team for the game and make sure that they know that they will be tested and held accountable for what happens. I remember seeing McDaniels reem Orton during the first week of the season because he took a sack at a place on the field where you just can't take a sack. I haven't seen him get into somebody's face like that in the past few weeks. If somebody isn't playing well, bench him. The way that Simms had thrown the ball, there is no reason he should have been in when somebody needed to move the ball at the end of the game. He had shown he didn't know what was happening, and that he was not going to be anywhere near effective. Berger has been a horrible punter these last few weeks, and showed us even more today with a whopping 16 yard punt! Kern might not have always placed the ball in ideal positions, but more of his problems were from poor tackling on the special teams as opposed to punting poorly. Now while you don't usually look at the punter as having a huge effect on the game, when you consistently can't pin the other team in their own zone, you need to be held accountable. Kern was held accountable, now why won't not with Berger?
I digress. The coaching staff needs to be smarter and prepare their team better, bottom line. If they can't hold their own players accountable, then they need to hold themselves accountable.
Last point. The Broncos have hit a spot where things need to be said. People need to be told what they're doing wrong. I remember many times, while watching the Colorado Avalanche during their Stanley Cup years, if they were in a spot where certain people were not pulling their weight, the doors were closed and the players called each other out. People came out and said, "You are letting your team down, and we cannot get back to our winning ways if you continue to drop the ball. So what's it gonna be? Do you want to win, or not?" We need to call out the Bronco offensive line. We need to call out Orton for playing scared. We need to call out the defense and tell them to stiffen up in the second half. And we need to call out the coaches and tell them to do their jobs better. Otherwise, this Broncos team is going to be standing still as they watch other teams that they should have been able to put away go past them and push us out of the playoffs.
So what's it going to be Broncos? Do you want to once again prove people wrong? Or do you want to be the team that is remembered for blowing leads?
First and foremost, I think that we can silence an argument that was around in the Bronco nation from the start of the season about who should be the starting quarterback. After the way Simms "played" during the second half of the game today, I think the only quarterback debate that should be left in Denver is whether or not Simms should even be the back-up anymore. He had 2 locations for his passes; at the receiver's feet, or well over their head. I think Woody Paige won't be calling for Simms to start ever again.
Secondly, the defense is still playing well enough to win games. However, they have made a total switch in their performance. The first 6 games, they weren't great in the first half but were lights out, give away nothing in the second half. Last 3 games, they've played very well in the first half, but have allowed teams to walk through them in the second half. I go back to the game against the Steelers to show this. Right after they had caused a huge fumble and returned it for a touchdown to put them ahead in the game, they allowed the Steelers to go 75 yards in a total of 4 plays, leaving some rather gaping holes. What happened to making adjustments? Where were all of these great changes that the D was making when they were winning these games and keeping people off the score board in the second half? They shut teams down in the first half and then what, assume that they arne't going to make any changes in the second half? It's been ridiculous! They let the Washington Redskins walk all over them this week. The defense needs to take a big look in the mirror and decide that they still want to be that group that was so feared after the first few weeks.
Thirdly, the offense has been just pathetic. We had 2 big plays in this game that got us our points. 2 long passes to Marshall, plus one pass that was overthrown to a ridiculously wide open Eddie Royal. The rest of the play calling has been just awful. I know that this offense thrives on the whole 5-15 yard pass plays that just keep the chains moving, but when teams realize that that's what you're going to do and you never deviate from this, you're going to have issues just like the ones we've seen from the Broncos for the past 3 weeks. Teams are going to load up against your screen passes and let the people who do the hardest hitting come at you. The result of that is fumbles, receivers seemingly afraid to come across the middle, and a flustered quarterback that just makes bad passes. All of those thing have happened for the Broncos, and they still have not changed. The times we did open up the playbook more this week, look what happened, 2 huge TD passes. Any coach will tell you that the second you become predictable you need to either find some way to change what you're doing, or get used to losing. The Broncos haven't changed what they've been doing, and now they've lost 3 straight. McDaniels seems to not realize how much talent he's got on this team. Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Tony Sheffler, Knowshon Moreno. You can't just stick them in a box 5-15 yards deep and expect that they will always win you the game, you gotta turn them lose at some point. Even if that 20 yard play doesn't connect, at least now the defense knows that you're willing to run those and have to respect it. Right now, They just sit 15 yards deep and come forward.
Fourth, after you lose three games in the fashion that the Broncos have just lost, you need to call out the coaches. The coaches have got to prepare their team for the game and make sure that they know that they will be tested and held accountable for what happens. I remember seeing McDaniels reem Orton during the first week of the season because he took a sack at a place on the field where you just can't take a sack. I haven't seen him get into somebody's face like that in the past few weeks. If somebody isn't playing well, bench him. The way that Simms had thrown the ball, there is no reason he should have been in when somebody needed to move the ball at the end of the game. He had shown he didn't know what was happening, and that he was not going to be anywhere near effective. Berger has been a horrible punter these last few weeks, and showed us even more today with a whopping 16 yard punt! Kern might not have always placed the ball in ideal positions, but more of his problems were from poor tackling on the special teams as opposed to punting poorly. Now while you don't usually look at the punter as having a huge effect on the game, when you consistently can't pin the other team in their own zone, you need to be held accountable. Kern was held accountable, now why won't not with Berger?
I digress. The coaching staff needs to be smarter and prepare their team better, bottom line. If they can't hold their own players accountable, then they need to hold themselves accountable.
Last point. The Broncos have hit a spot where things need to be said. People need to be told what they're doing wrong. I remember many times, while watching the Colorado Avalanche during their Stanley Cup years, if they were in a spot where certain people were not pulling their weight, the doors were closed and the players called each other out. People came out and said, "You are letting your team down, and we cannot get back to our winning ways if you continue to drop the ball. So what's it gonna be? Do you want to win, or not?" We need to call out the Bronco offensive line. We need to call out Orton for playing scared. We need to call out the defense and tell them to stiffen up in the second half. And we need to call out the coaches and tell them to do their jobs better. Otherwise, this Broncos team is going to be standing still as they watch other teams that they should have been able to put away go past them and push us out of the playoffs.
So what's it going to be Broncos? Do you want to once again prove people wrong? Or do you want to be the team that is remembered for blowing leads?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday Night Football
Now is the time in the football season when a lot of things start to happen. The playoff picture starts to get just a little bit more in focus, teams start planning out their best course of offseason action (Rams, Raiders, Chiefs, Lions), the wild card battle begins and changes with such frequency that nobody can possibly tell what will happen next, and the NFL starts scheduling games for Thursday night.
When did all of this begin? I mean, I know that we've had the traditional Thanksgiving day games for years and years. Dallas and Detroit have just always done it. But then the NFL network decided that it would be a great new idea to start broadcasting games on Thursday night. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's silly. I've never really minded the Thanksgiving game because it has always been tradition, and it's always been the only 2 games out of the year that have been on a Thursday. Now, the ultimate question, why does it matter? I'll tell you.
If you follow football a lot, then you know what the general practice schedule is for basically every single team in the NFL. Monday and Tuesday are off days, and practice happens Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with any additional film study sessions or walk throughs to happen on Saturday, and game day is Sunday. That's just the schedule that teams follow. And they don't exactly break that schedule if they happen to know they are playing a game on Thursday. When my Broncos played the Browns last year on a Thursday, all the after game interviews had some comment about what a difficult preparation it is with 1 day of practice in a short week. That's all that they get! 1 day! I would argue that this takes the excitement out of the games because you can't possibly have a really good game plan, on either side, with just 1 day's worth of practice. Routines are thrown off, everybody is a bit more discombobulated, and you're just bound to have a bit more of a mess of a game. Take, for instance, just last night when Jay Cutler threw 5 interceptions in a 10-6 loss at San Fran. Now, forget the fact that I am completely tickeled at the fact that Cutler threw 5 interceptions, which I am; isn't it possible that a portion of that has to do with the lack of preparation time that they had for the game? I mean, I suppose it could be that the 49er defense was just that much better than the Bears offense, but I highly doubt it. Instead, maybe he only throws 3 interceptions because, let's face it, he is still Jay Cutler.
Next, I think that making regular Thursday games takes the special nature of the Thanksgiving day games away. I mean, yeah, it is still just a regular season game that will usually result in the Lions losing, just like the rest of the regular seaon (sorry Lions fans), but it's part of everybody's Thanksgiving tradition. While food is being prepared, wine is being drunk, and family is getting together, those Turkey Day football games are definitely on in the vast majority of American households. It's special for those teams, too, because they may be teams that don't generally get the attention of an entire national audience, like the Lions, and gives them a chance to play for the whole country. Now we also have to deal with this after Thanksgiving? I think more teams are dreading the Thursday games than looking forward to them more than anything now.
Now, I realize that this is a way for the NFL to try and generate more revenue by having another game on national television on another random night of the week; and, more than that, I realize that it is probably working for them pretty well. But come on! Is it really needed? It throws teams off, creates average games that aren't so fun to watch, and takes away from the 2 Thursday games that people actually care about. If I were in charge, which I know that I'm not but a guy can dream can't he!, then I would get rid of it.
When did all of this begin? I mean, I know that we've had the traditional Thanksgiving day games for years and years. Dallas and Detroit have just always done it. But then the NFL network decided that it would be a great new idea to start broadcasting games on Thursday night. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's silly. I've never really minded the Thanksgiving game because it has always been tradition, and it's always been the only 2 games out of the year that have been on a Thursday. Now, the ultimate question, why does it matter? I'll tell you.
If you follow football a lot, then you know what the general practice schedule is for basically every single team in the NFL. Monday and Tuesday are off days, and practice happens Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with any additional film study sessions or walk throughs to happen on Saturday, and game day is Sunday. That's just the schedule that teams follow. And they don't exactly break that schedule if they happen to know they are playing a game on Thursday. When my Broncos played the Browns last year on a Thursday, all the after game interviews had some comment about what a difficult preparation it is with 1 day of practice in a short week. That's all that they get! 1 day! I would argue that this takes the excitement out of the games because you can't possibly have a really good game plan, on either side, with just 1 day's worth of practice. Routines are thrown off, everybody is a bit more discombobulated, and you're just bound to have a bit more of a mess of a game. Take, for instance, just last night when Jay Cutler threw 5 interceptions in a 10-6 loss at San Fran. Now, forget the fact that I am completely tickeled at the fact that Cutler threw 5 interceptions, which I am; isn't it possible that a portion of that has to do with the lack of preparation time that they had for the game? I mean, I suppose it could be that the 49er defense was just that much better than the Bears offense, but I highly doubt it. Instead, maybe he only throws 3 interceptions because, let's face it, he is still Jay Cutler.
Next, I think that making regular Thursday games takes the special nature of the Thanksgiving day games away. I mean, yeah, it is still just a regular season game that will usually result in the Lions losing, just like the rest of the regular seaon (sorry Lions fans), but it's part of everybody's Thanksgiving tradition. While food is being prepared, wine is being drunk, and family is getting together, those Turkey Day football games are definitely on in the vast majority of American households. It's special for those teams, too, because they may be teams that don't generally get the attention of an entire national audience, like the Lions, and gives them a chance to play for the whole country. Now we also have to deal with this after Thanksgiving? I think more teams are dreading the Thursday games than looking forward to them more than anything now.
Now, I realize that this is a way for the NFL to try and generate more revenue by having another game on national television on another random night of the week; and, more than that, I realize that it is probably working for them pretty well. But come on! Is it really needed? It throws teams off, creates average games that aren't so fun to watch, and takes away from the 2 Thursday games that people actually care about. If I were in charge, which I know that I'm not but a guy can dream can't he!, then I would get rid of it.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
NFL wk. 10!!
Another rough week for yours truly. But we must remain positive!! Here we go, and let me know what you think of my picks!
Chicago @ San Fran: This game is going on right now, but when I looked it was 0-0, so I figured I'm still allowed to make a pick. Bears aren't really that good, and I think San Fran is looking for a pick me up. Both teams are in need of a win, but I think that San Fran answers the bell better here, especially since captain pampers, Jay Cutler, hasn't done so well in must win games. San Fran.
Atlanta @ Carolina: Atlanta is going to solidify their lead in this division after taking it to Carolina. Falcons win.
Tampa Bay @ Miami: Tampa had a good performance against Green Bay, but the Packers aren't that good this year. Tampa still stinks, and will not be able to stop that Wildcat. Fins!
Detroit @ Minnesota: Beat down city, Vikes pound the Lions.
Jacksonville @ NY Jets: Jets need a good win, and lucky for them, they get a really bad Jacksonville team that eeked one out against the Chiefs. I like the Jets here.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh: Cinci won a thriller in the first one against the Steelers, but the Steelers are much improved since that game. Definitely gelling. Plus, this one is at home. Cinci will play them very tough, but I like the Steelers to come out on top in this one.
New Orleans @ St. Louis: Man is it going to suck to be a member of the Rams secondary, yet again. Brees eats the Rams alive in a laugher.
Buffalo @ Tennessee: 2 teams going nowhere fast. We really haven't seen anything out of either of these teams, and we probably won't see much to change that after this one. Tennessee at home in this one.
Denver @ Washington: What is going on with the Broncos? Their offense has literally looked scared the last couple of weeks. Well, now they get a weak Skins team that has been a struggling team's best friend all year long. They have to know that they're in serious trouble if they lose this one, especially with San Diego coming to town next week. Broncos will rise to the occassion of this one and beat the lowly skins.
Kansas City @ Oakland: One of those who cares games? Both teams playing to see who will have the better draft position at the start of next year. I'll take the Chiefs though, they have been playing decently by their standards.
Seattle @ Arizona: Arizona is so inconsistent, they can either amaze or totally disappoint you. I think they play to the level of their competition. Hopefully they'll realize the importance of a division game and beat up on the seahawks, which I think they will.
Dallas @ Green Bay: Man, the Packers lost in pathetic fashion to the lowly Bucs, and now get a hot Cowboys team that just took the lead in their division. This could be a long one for the Pack, and I'm taking the boys.
Philadelphia @ San Diego: Philly has bounced back well. After an atrocious showing against the Raiders, they laid a whooping on the Giants. They didn't play badly against the Cowboys either. Yes, they are all the way in San Diego, but I think that a slower Chargers D and their anemic run game will play right into the hands of a Eagles team that needs the win. I go with Philly!
New England @ Indianapolis: Always a good one. Both teams are playing pretty darn well, but the Pats haven't really been tested of late. You can say they were tested against Miami, but the fins are nowhere near as good as the Colts. Peyton Manning has been on fire this year, and I don't see this being any different. Colts D will make the difference here, and I think they will make the few key stops and beat the Pats.
Baltimore @ Cleveland: Boring monday night game. I don't think anybody has any high expectations of a competitive game, and neither do I. Ravens, easily.
Let's go week 10!! I need a better week this week!
Chicago @ San Fran: This game is going on right now, but when I looked it was 0-0, so I figured I'm still allowed to make a pick. Bears aren't really that good, and I think San Fran is looking for a pick me up. Both teams are in need of a win, but I think that San Fran answers the bell better here, especially since captain pampers, Jay Cutler, hasn't done so well in must win games. San Fran.
Atlanta @ Carolina: Atlanta is going to solidify their lead in this division after taking it to Carolina. Falcons win.
Tampa Bay @ Miami: Tampa had a good performance against Green Bay, but the Packers aren't that good this year. Tampa still stinks, and will not be able to stop that Wildcat. Fins!
Detroit @ Minnesota: Beat down city, Vikes pound the Lions.
Jacksonville @ NY Jets: Jets need a good win, and lucky for them, they get a really bad Jacksonville team that eeked one out against the Chiefs. I like the Jets here.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh: Cinci won a thriller in the first one against the Steelers, but the Steelers are much improved since that game. Definitely gelling. Plus, this one is at home. Cinci will play them very tough, but I like the Steelers to come out on top in this one.
New Orleans @ St. Louis: Man is it going to suck to be a member of the Rams secondary, yet again. Brees eats the Rams alive in a laugher.
Buffalo @ Tennessee: 2 teams going nowhere fast. We really haven't seen anything out of either of these teams, and we probably won't see much to change that after this one. Tennessee at home in this one.
Denver @ Washington: What is going on with the Broncos? Their offense has literally looked scared the last couple of weeks. Well, now they get a weak Skins team that has been a struggling team's best friend all year long. They have to know that they're in serious trouble if they lose this one, especially with San Diego coming to town next week. Broncos will rise to the occassion of this one and beat the lowly skins.
Kansas City @ Oakland: One of those who cares games? Both teams playing to see who will have the better draft position at the start of next year. I'll take the Chiefs though, they have been playing decently by their standards.
Seattle @ Arizona: Arizona is so inconsistent, they can either amaze or totally disappoint you. I think they play to the level of their competition. Hopefully they'll realize the importance of a division game and beat up on the seahawks, which I think they will.
Dallas @ Green Bay: Man, the Packers lost in pathetic fashion to the lowly Bucs, and now get a hot Cowboys team that just took the lead in their division. This could be a long one for the Pack, and I'm taking the boys.
Philadelphia @ San Diego: Philly has bounced back well. After an atrocious showing against the Raiders, they laid a whooping on the Giants. They didn't play badly against the Cowboys either. Yes, they are all the way in San Diego, but I think that a slower Chargers D and their anemic run game will play right into the hands of a Eagles team that needs the win. I go with Philly!
New England @ Indianapolis: Always a good one. Both teams are playing pretty darn well, but the Pats haven't really been tested of late. You can say they were tested against Miami, but the fins are nowhere near as good as the Colts. Peyton Manning has been on fire this year, and I don't see this being any different. Colts D will make the difference here, and I think they will make the few key stops and beat the Pats.
Baltimore @ Cleveland: Boring monday night game. I don't think anybody has any high expectations of a competitive game, and neither do I. Ravens, easily.
Let's go week 10!! I need a better week this week!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Michael Vick
I read this story off of yahoo sports yesterday about Michael Vick. I have to say, it was a little ridiculous. Apparently, Michael Vick isn't happy on his team. He wants to be a starting QB in the league again, and isn't happy with just being a "Wildcat guy." He says that he was born to be a QB in the league. Well, this is a valuable lesson that Mr. Vick, and many people in this world, need to learn. It's a simple lesson of cause and effect.
Here's my take on this. Michael Vick, quit whining. You are the luckiest guy in the world that anybody has even allowed you anywhere near a football field again. Weren't you the one who, at the start of the year, was talking about how fortunate you knew you were and how you were just going to do what you could to make the best out of the situation? What happened to that? You signed with a team that you know has a solid, every year started in Donovan McNabb. And you have a coach that has always stood with his QB no matter how many times people called for his head. What did you expect to happen? Did you expect them to take you in and groom you up to be the starter again? The bottom line is this, you spent the previous 2 years in prison and hadn't played football.
Here is the cause and effect lesson. If you knew that what you were meant to do in this world was play the position of quarterback, why did you go out and participate in illegal, and disgusting acts that put your career in jeopardy to begin with? A person who is meant to play quarterback, and knows how lucky they are to be doing it, does not put him/herself into that kind of a situation. You did, by funding and running a dog fighting ring. Nobody should ever forget the disgusting act that you participated in. You bet on animals trying to kill each other, and you did it for fun. That caused your suspension from league. That caused your criminal trial, and that caused you to spend 2 years in jail. Now what is the effect? 2 years off of the field takes you out of game shape. Your body doesn't have the same routine that you went through during your offseason work outs and mini-camps. As a result of those, you're not going to get picked up and put into a starting situation. For many reasons.
In addition to all the physical aspects that are keeping people from looking at you, imagine the image issues for the team that signs you. Now, not only do we have this quarterback who hasn't played in 2 years, but they have a convicted felon who fought dogs. That is going to be a hit on that team's image no matter what you do for them. You are forever connected with that crime, Michael Vick, and no amount of playing, or community work, will erase that.
Now you're coming out and complaining about being stuck in the Wildcat role? It seems that the whole lesson of this has been lost on you, Michael Vick. If you truly realized how fortunate you are to even be allowed near a professional team again, if you completely understood that every cause has an effect that you have to deal with, if you had even a little bit of remorse about what you did to innocent creatures, then you wouldn't open your yap and complain about your playing time. You would be out thanking the Eagles and the NFL for the limited role that you have been given. Now be grateful for the opportunity that you've been given, and please shut up.
Here's my take on this. Michael Vick, quit whining. You are the luckiest guy in the world that anybody has even allowed you anywhere near a football field again. Weren't you the one who, at the start of the year, was talking about how fortunate you knew you were and how you were just going to do what you could to make the best out of the situation? What happened to that? You signed with a team that you know has a solid, every year started in Donovan McNabb. And you have a coach that has always stood with his QB no matter how many times people called for his head. What did you expect to happen? Did you expect them to take you in and groom you up to be the starter again? The bottom line is this, you spent the previous 2 years in prison and hadn't played football.
Here is the cause and effect lesson. If you knew that what you were meant to do in this world was play the position of quarterback, why did you go out and participate in illegal, and disgusting acts that put your career in jeopardy to begin with? A person who is meant to play quarterback, and knows how lucky they are to be doing it, does not put him/herself into that kind of a situation. You did, by funding and running a dog fighting ring. Nobody should ever forget the disgusting act that you participated in. You bet on animals trying to kill each other, and you did it for fun. That caused your suspension from league. That caused your criminal trial, and that caused you to spend 2 years in jail. Now what is the effect? 2 years off of the field takes you out of game shape. Your body doesn't have the same routine that you went through during your offseason work outs and mini-camps. As a result of those, you're not going to get picked up and put into a starting situation. For many reasons.
In addition to all the physical aspects that are keeping people from looking at you, imagine the image issues for the team that signs you. Now, not only do we have this quarterback who hasn't played in 2 years, but they have a convicted felon who fought dogs. That is going to be a hit on that team's image no matter what you do for them. You are forever connected with that crime, Michael Vick, and no amount of playing, or community work, will erase that.
Now you're coming out and complaining about being stuck in the Wildcat role? It seems that the whole lesson of this has been lost on you, Michael Vick. If you truly realized how fortunate you are to even be allowed near a professional team again, if you completely understood that every cause has an effect that you have to deal with, if you had even a little bit of remorse about what you did to innocent creatures, then you wouldn't open your yap and complain about your playing time. You would be out thanking the Eagles and the NFL for the limited role that you have been given. Now be grateful for the opportunity that you've been given, and please shut up.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NFL wk 9 picks
Man, didn't have such a great week last week. Only 7 wins for me! But it's all good! We're going to turn it around this weekend! So here it comes! Week 9 my friends!
Washington @ Atlanta: I remember the days when the Skins were winning super bowls!! This franchise has fallen far, and they are a long way from getting back up. Atlanta is a franchise on the rise. They may not be Super Bowl caliber, yet, but they are a lot higher caliber than the skins, Falcons take this one.
Arizona @ Chicago: This will depend on which Arizona team shows up. Will this be the team the surprised and confused the Giants? Or will it be the team that got beat down by the lowly Panthers. It's just hard to tell with them! I'm going to say that if they can confuse Eli Manning and hold the Giants in check, they should be able to do the same against Jay Cutler. I'll take the Cards.
Baltimore @ Cincinnati: This is another good one in the making. Ravens have their confidence back, but will now face a test against the team that gouged them running the ball a few weeks back. Defense will still be tight on both sides, but I think the Ravens will pull this one out, since their offense came back last week.
Houston @ Indianapolis: You know, some teams just have another team's number. Indy has had trouble with Houston in the past, but they've always managed to beat them some how. I don't see it being any different here. Colts.
Kansas City @ Jacksonville: Remember when people thought of the Jags and immediately thought of a team that was tough as nails and would grind one out against you? I mean, they were in the AFC Championship game 2 years ago! They aren't much more than an afterthought now, and they will be even less than that after KC beats them this week.
Miami @ New England: It's really hard to beat New England at home, but this team has done it. For some reason, New England just has a ton of trouble against that Wild cat. If the fins can control the game with the wildcat and keep brady and the offense off of the field, we could see another big upset here. I am, however, going to go with the Pats because they just tend to win at home.
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay: Same comment that I used with the Jags, but this time with the Bucs. Nobody fears them anymore, and they just aren't very good. Pack.
Carolina @ New Orleans: This will be a long one for the Panthers. Saints stay unbeaten and pummel the Panters.
Detroit @ Seattle: Another game that would have the potential to be good if the teams weren't both so bad. I'll give the edge to the more experienced QB here and take Seattle.
San Diego @ NY Giants: San Diego needs to keep winning in order to keep their hopes alive in the AFC West. I'm not so certain that that will happen. I think the Giants are looking to come out and hurt somebody, and a not so great Chargers team might be the ones to do it. They aren't quite as much of a vertical threat as Philly and New Orleans both were, and the Chargers run game has been anemic. I'll take the Giants at home.
Tennessee @ San Francisco: Same comment about the Jags, but with the Titans here. Who knew Albert Haynesworth meant THAT much to that defense. Obviously he meant a lot, but you've gotta be kidding me here! 1 win? San Fran is another team that is still learning how to win, so this could be a close one. Vince Young may be the X factor here. I'm actually going to take Tennessee in this one, because of Vince Young.
Dallas @ Philadelphia: Philly is rolling. Dallas is quite inconsistent. The Philly D is always bringing the heat, and you know that Romo is quite inconsistent, especially when heavily pressured. I give this one to Philly.
Pittsburgh @ Denver: Well, I have to say that Denver really surprised me last week. Not by losing, there's always a chance of losing when you play the Ravens in Baltimore. It was the fashion in which they lost. They honestly looked like they were playing scared, and refused to deviate from a seriously conservative game plan. They had been great at making adjustments all year to this point, but didn't adjust against the Ravens. I'm not down on the D, the D was the reason they still had a shot at the start of the fourth quarter. At any rate, Big Ben will have a big test. He always seems to be running for his life, and the Denver D is quite fast and capable of keeping up. I'm going to go ahead and stick with Denver, as long as they realize that they need to not play so cautiously especially against sure tackling defenses. It'll be a good one, but I think Denver can pull this out.
Washington @ Atlanta: I remember the days when the Skins were winning super bowls!! This franchise has fallen far, and they are a long way from getting back up. Atlanta is a franchise on the rise. They may not be Super Bowl caliber, yet, but they are a lot higher caliber than the skins, Falcons take this one.
Arizona @ Chicago: This will depend on which Arizona team shows up. Will this be the team the surprised and confused the Giants? Or will it be the team that got beat down by the lowly Panthers. It's just hard to tell with them! I'm going to say that if they can confuse Eli Manning and hold the Giants in check, they should be able to do the same against Jay Cutler. I'll take the Cards.
Baltimore @ Cincinnati: This is another good one in the making. Ravens have their confidence back, but will now face a test against the team that gouged them running the ball a few weeks back. Defense will still be tight on both sides, but I think the Ravens will pull this one out, since their offense came back last week.
Houston @ Indianapolis: You know, some teams just have another team's number. Indy has had trouble with Houston in the past, but they've always managed to beat them some how. I don't see it being any different here. Colts.
Kansas City @ Jacksonville: Remember when people thought of the Jags and immediately thought of a team that was tough as nails and would grind one out against you? I mean, they were in the AFC Championship game 2 years ago! They aren't much more than an afterthought now, and they will be even less than that after KC beats them this week.
Miami @ New England: It's really hard to beat New England at home, but this team has done it. For some reason, New England just has a ton of trouble against that Wild cat. If the fins can control the game with the wildcat and keep brady and the offense off of the field, we could see another big upset here. I am, however, going to go with the Pats because they just tend to win at home.
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay: Same comment that I used with the Jags, but this time with the Bucs. Nobody fears them anymore, and they just aren't very good. Pack.
Carolina @ New Orleans: This will be a long one for the Panthers. Saints stay unbeaten and pummel the Panters.
Detroit @ Seattle: Another game that would have the potential to be good if the teams weren't both so bad. I'll give the edge to the more experienced QB here and take Seattle.
San Diego @ NY Giants: San Diego needs to keep winning in order to keep their hopes alive in the AFC West. I'm not so certain that that will happen. I think the Giants are looking to come out and hurt somebody, and a not so great Chargers team might be the ones to do it. They aren't quite as much of a vertical threat as Philly and New Orleans both were, and the Chargers run game has been anemic. I'll take the Giants at home.
Tennessee @ San Francisco: Same comment about the Jags, but with the Titans here. Who knew Albert Haynesworth meant THAT much to that defense. Obviously he meant a lot, but you've gotta be kidding me here! 1 win? San Fran is another team that is still learning how to win, so this could be a close one. Vince Young may be the X factor here. I'm actually going to take Tennessee in this one, because of Vince Young.
Dallas @ Philadelphia: Philly is rolling. Dallas is quite inconsistent. The Philly D is always bringing the heat, and you know that Romo is quite inconsistent, especially when heavily pressured. I give this one to Philly.
Pittsburgh @ Denver: Well, I have to say that Denver really surprised me last week. Not by losing, there's always a chance of losing when you play the Ravens in Baltimore. It was the fashion in which they lost. They honestly looked like they were playing scared, and refused to deviate from a seriously conservative game plan. They had been great at making adjustments all year to this point, but didn't adjust against the Ravens. I'm not down on the D, the D was the reason they still had a shot at the start of the fourth quarter. At any rate, Big Ben will have a big test. He always seems to be running for his life, and the Denver D is quite fast and capable of keeping up. I'm going to go ahead and stick with Denver, as long as they realize that they need to not play so cautiously especially against sure tackling defenses. It'll be a good one, but I think Denver can pull this out.
World Series
Yes, I realize that I'm a little bit late to comment on the whole World Series thing, but I figure that, since it has ended, I might as well make mention of it, otherwise I'm not exactly doing a good job writing about sports things. So here we go.
Yes, once again, the Yankees have won it all. I have to say, I really do try to at least care a little bit about the World Series, but I find it harder and harder every year. Now usually, if the Yankees are involved, I find it quite easy to care about the Series because I hate the Yankees so much. I can't stand teams that are stylish to like, a topic I'm sure that I will cover more extensively in a future post, but most especially when it's the Yankees. But still, I just find it so hard to care about the World Series. I find it boring.
Now, how can the World Series be boring? Well, here's my take on how it can be boring. Firstly, baseball has been forever tainted to me. Now, admittedly, I haven't really cared that much about baseball since I was in high school, but all of the steroids stuff just makes it seem to me that it is a game full of cheaters, and that any accomplishments don't really mean that much. I say this because, even though I know that not all of the players are guilty, it just seems highly probable that, with the number of people who are using, every single team in the league has people that are contributing to the team with use of performance enhancing drugs. So to me, all accomplishments are tainted. So a championship doesn't mean anything when any one of the members of the team cheated to get it.
Second, baseball is a sport that doesn't have any type of salary cap, which means larger market teams do have a distinct advantage. That is more true of the Yankees than any team in the history of professional sports. Every year you see them go after 3-5 seriously big name free agents and give them each more than 100 Million dollars worth of contracts. Frankly, I find it shameful of Major League Baseball to allow this to happen every year. It has gotten out of control! Don't get me wrong, I find it disgusting that anybody gets paid that much money for 6 months of playing a game, and then getting an offseason while teachers and other people who make serious contributions to our society are left scrambling to make a decent living. At any rate, the enormous payroll of the Yankees is bound to give them an unfair advantage.
The third, and final, reason that I will give today rests with the fans. I do blame fans for a lot of problems in baseball today. So many people have said that juicing has been encouraged by organizations not only for the sake of gaining an advantage, but because fans want big numbers. And yes, I'll admit that I enjoy it most when my team is scoring at will, but I don't want them to do it at the cost of the game's integrity. Yet people like Barry Bonds have been thrown lavish celebrations for records that were caused as a direct result of his juicing. True, he is also reviled by the large majority of baseball fans, but tell me that you'd boo him if he'd have been on your team during that time, and I'll tell you that you're lying through your teeth. The league has seen it fit to enable these players to get away with these things because they knew that it would bring in the numbers. You know the right way to stop this from happening? Stop buying their merchandise, stop cheering them, and start calling them out for exactly what they are, cheaters. And call out the organization for not taking stronger steps to prevent it. And call out the league for not having a more stringent test and punishment. But no, the second our big guy comes back and hits a couple of jacks, suddenly all is right with the world.
At any rate, congrats to the Yankees for another world championship, **yawn** I'm sure the players will all be back next year, ever so slightly bigger but who can possibly tell why, to have another run at the trophy for the juiced.
Yes, once again, the Yankees have won it all. I have to say, I really do try to at least care a little bit about the World Series, but I find it harder and harder every year. Now usually, if the Yankees are involved, I find it quite easy to care about the Series because I hate the Yankees so much. I can't stand teams that are stylish to like, a topic I'm sure that I will cover more extensively in a future post, but most especially when it's the Yankees. But still, I just find it so hard to care about the World Series. I find it boring.
Now, how can the World Series be boring? Well, here's my take on how it can be boring. Firstly, baseball has been forever tainted to me. Now, admittedly, I haven't really cared that much about baseball since I was in high school, but all of the steroids stuff just makes it seem to me that it is a game full of cheaters, and that any accomplishments don't really mean that much. I say this because, even though I know that not all of the players are guilty, it just seems highly probable that, with the number of people who are using, every single team in the league has people that are contributing to the team with use of performance enhancing drugs. So to me, all accomplishments are tainted. So a championship doesn't mean anything when any one of the members of the team cheated to get it.
Second, baseball is a sport that doesn't have any type of salary cap, which means larger market teams do have a distinct advantage. That is more true of the Yankees than any team in the history of professional sports. Every year you see them go after 3-5 seriously big name free agents and give them each more than 100 Million dollars worth of contracts. Frankly, I find it shameful of Major League Baseball to allow this to happen every year. It has gotten out of control! Don't get me wrong, I find it disgusting that anybody gets paid that much money for 6 months of playing a game, and then getting an offseason while teachers and other people who make serious contributions to our society are left scrambling to make a decent living. At any rate, the enormous payroll of the Yankees is bound to give them an unfair advantage.
The third, and final, reason that I will give today rests with the fans. I do blame fans for a lot of problems in baseball today. So many people have said that juicing has been encouraged by organizations not only for the sake of gaining an advantage, but because fans want big numbers. And yes, I'll admit that I enjoy it most when my team is scoring at will, but I don't want them to do it at the cost of the game's integrity. Yet people like Barry Bonds have been thrown lavish celebrations for records that were caused as a direct result of his juicing. True, he is also reviled by the large majority of baseball fans, but tell me that you'd boo him if he'd have been on your team during that time, and I'll tell you that you're lying through your teeth. The league has seen it fit to enable these players to get away with these things because they knew that it would bring in the numbers. You know the right way to stop this from happening? Stop buying their merchandise, stop cheering them, and start calling them out for exactly what they are, cheaters. And call out the organization for not taking stronger steps to prevent it. And call out the league for not having a more stringent test and punishment. But no, the second our big guy comes back and hits a couple of jacks, suddenly all is right with the world.
At any rate, congrats to the Yankees for another world championship, **yawn** I'm sure the players will all be back next year, ever so slightly bigger but who can possibly tell why, to have another run at the trophy for the juiced.
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