Many people have speculated that LeBron James could become the best player in the history of the NBA while others are still stubbornly stuck in the Jordan era.Even though this article is certainly jumping to conclusions, it's never possible to go "too far" with a statement that's simply attempting to become Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
certified.Now let's think about this for a second.If LeBron James wins a championship this season does he emerge as the best current player in the NBA?For years analysts have compared Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to one another and the conclusion usually came down to the fact that James was still ring-less.Last season 14-year All-Star guard Jerry West had this to say,"Even though it's hard for me to be objective, because I brought Kobe to Los Angeles, I do think LeBron has surpassed Kobe as a player" Although that is just one persons opinion, many agree with West that James is without a doubt the best player in the league as we speak.SizeWhen comparing the two to each other, James physique and overall power simply surpasses Bryant's, enabling the forward to have his way in the open court and virtually during every moment in any game.While Bryant has his own exceptional talents that still out duels James', there is no argument that the King is the most dominate of the two.TeamWinning an NBA highest 66 games last season and 61 thus far this season, it's pretty obvious that LeBron James is the only reason for the Cavaliers success.When taking a look at the teams roster from last season aside from James and point-guard Mo Williams, the entire Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
team was composed of mediocre talent. Replacing James with any other All-star and there looking at a 40 win season if their lucky.James' possesses the rare ability to basically uplift a team that was nothing without him to becoming the most elite organization in the league today.If Bryant was placed onto this squad last season would he have been able to carry the Cavaliers to a league best 66 games?James vs JordanWhile it seems like the only thing preventing James from being viewed as the best ever is one championship trophy, did you know that it took Michael Jordan seven long seasons before he finally made an appearance in the Finals to capture his first championship ring?With so many foolishly believing that nobody can ever compare to Jordan, your ignorance should look no Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
further.James is only in his seventh season in the NBA and since the first day he stepped foot onto the NBA court he has been compared to the league's best.Having not even entering his prime yet, LeBron James will solidify himself as the best player to have ever played the game once he wins the championship and holds his MVP trophy up for the entire world to see
2010年12月30日星期四
2010年12月29日星期三
29 Dec 10 Atlanta Hawks Vs Milwaukee Bucks: Game 1 Preview
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesHawks vs Bucks, Game 1 starts 5:30 PM ET. You might look at this game and say that if no Andrew Bogut then the Hawks have to win. Not necessarily the case, because the Bucks still do have pretty good team with Jennings, Salmons,Delfino, Stackhouse. Ok so maybe Bogut would be nice too. But they still have a dynamic point guard (Jennings), a good defender (Salmons), a deadly 3 point shooter (Delfino) , and a veteran who can provide some energy off the bench (Stackhouse). Despite losing a 7-0 foot tall Baltimore Ravens jersey
beast (Bogut), let's not forget that the Hawks are pretty undersized. There Starting center is Al Horford and he is 6-10, so the Bucks will have a little less trouble scoring in the paint if it was a 7-0 foot center.The Hawks have gotten there first #3 seed since Dominique was with them (yeah it's been that long). But led by MVP candidate Joe Johnson the Hawks look like a dangerous team. The Hawks to me are definitely a team that could knock off the Cavs in the playoffs. At 53-29 the Hawks haven't gotten the respect that they deserved and I think that will be extra motivation for the Hawks coming in.The Bucks are considered to be young team but they do have some playoff experience on the roster. The Bucks lost there most valuable player in Andrew Bogut. Now a most valuable player is very hard to replace, but you better believe former point guard and head coach Scott Skiles will have his team ready to play.Keys for the HawksWin the Battle of the boards: The Bucks are sixth in the league in rebounding, while the Hawks are in 17th in the league in crashing the boards. There is no way you can lose the battle of the board, especially when Andrew Bogut is out.Be Physical: Bogut is out so the Bucks aren't going to be that physical inside, so go hard at that him Buffalo Bills jersey
with everything you have. Al Horford Josh Smith are the best on the Hawks in being physical in the paint. If your the Hawks you have to get a away from the 3 point shot and feed Horford Smith in the paint.Key For BucksGive the Ball to Stackhouse: With Bogut out another player will have to step up on the offensive end. Jerry Stackhouse has done very well in the games he's played for the bucks. But now he has to step it up a notch. Don't try to be the Stackhouse from the Philly Detroit days.But try to be a player that will at least average double figure in points and hit the important shots when your team needs you, be a leader on the floor and make sure to help the young guys minimize their mistakes.Shut down Crawford: Crawford is a guy if he heats up, he won't cool down. Carolina Panthers jersey
So you have to keep hi out of rhythm, and don't give him the easy shots. Make sure there is a hand in his face all the time he's on the floor and the ball is in hand.Prediction: Hawks 120, Bucks 98 Hawks take 1-0 leadIf you wanna see more of my articles on the NBA
beast (Bogut), let's not forget that the Hawks are pretty undersized. There Starting center is Al Horford and he is 6-10, so the Bucks will have a little less trouble scoring in the paint if it was a 7-0 foot center.The Hawks have gotten there first #3 seed since Dominique was with them (yeah it's been that long). But led by MVP candidate Joe Johnson the Hawks look like a dangerous team. The Hawks to me are definitely a team that could knock off the Cavs in the playoffs. At 53-29 the Hawks haven't gotten the respect that they deserved and I think that will be extra motivation for the Hawks coming in.The Bucks are considered to be young team but they do have some playoff experience on the roster. The Bucks lost there most valuable player in Andrew Bogut. Now a most valuable player is very hard to replace, but you better believe former point guard and head coach Scott Skiles will have his team ready to play.Keys for the HawksWin the Battle of the boards: The Bucks are sixth in the league in rebounding, while the Hawks are in 17th in the league in crashing the boards. There is no way you can lose the battle of the board, especially when Andrew Bogut is out.Be Physical: Bogut is out so the Bucks aren't going to be that physical inside, so go hard at that him Buffalo Bills jersey
with everything you have. Al Horford Josh Smith are the best on the Hawks in being physical in the paint. If your the Hawks you have to get a away from the 3 point shot and feed Horford Smith in the paint.Key For BucksGive the Ball to Stackhouse: With Bogut out another player will have to step up on the offensive end. Jerry Stackhouse has done very well in the games he's played for the bucks. But now he has to step it up a notch. Don't try to be the Stackhouse from the Philly Detroit days.But try to be a player that will at least average double figure in points and hit the important shots when your team needs you, be a leader on the floor and make sure to help the young guys minimize their mistakes.Shut down Crawford: Crawford is a guy if he heats up, he won't cool down. Carolina Panthers jersey
So you have to keep hi out of rhythm, and don't give him the easy shots. Make sure there is a hand in his face all the time he's on the floor and the ball is in hand.Prediction: Hawks 120, Bucks 98 Hawks take 1-0 leadIf you wanna see more of my articles on the NBA
2010年12月28日星期二
28 Dec 10 NBA Free Agency Watch: The Top Three Destinations for Rudy Gay
Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesMuch like Carlos Boozer, Rudy Gay stands to make a lot of money this year because of someone else.It doesn't really matter that thechances of a LeBron James or Dwyane Wade departure seem to fluctuate like the tide; whether these icons move or not, they aresetting the table for those players who might be the headliners in any other offseason.Rudy Gay is a bit of a value enigma for this coming summer. He is an extremely talented scorer, who has blossomed on a slowly up-and-coming team.His 20 points per Carolina Panthers jersey
gameare probably made more impressive by his young age (23), and many feel his defensive limitations might be improved with experience. Either way, he has a number of teams that won't feel too bad about making him "Plan B" in their free agency plans.But what is Rudy Gay's true ceiling?This is where many GMs begin to balk a little bit. Small forwards who can put up close to20 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists per game are actually one of the easier commodities to find.Some, like Luol Deng, Shawn Marion,and Corey Maggette, were paid once upon a timeto carry teams as a franchise leader, only todisappointasmerely second-tier players. Others, like Caron Butler and Richard Jefferson, have always been correctly perceived as supporting pieces.Yet, for every question raised by anAndre Iguodalaor Danny Granger, you finda Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony,or Joe Johnson who has definitively proved a small forward can lead a team to successas long as an adequate supporting cast is also provided.So where does Rudy Gay fit?No one knows the answer yet, but as usual,there will be a lot of teams lining up with a lot of dollars to find out. Gay's chances to cash in before the Collective Bargaining Agreement cashes out are also heightened by the fact that a number of hyperventilating franchises may need him aseither a consolation prize orco-star.With most of the biggest names in free agency out of the way(archived here) , we now begin a destination tourfortheless hyped,but stillimportant, free agents of 2010.1. Memphis GrizzliesTo arrogantly quote myself from a previous look at Rudy and the Grizzlies (here) :"If he's honestwith himself though, he'll realize that he's a second-tier guy, and that his greatest success will come with this lineup of young gunswho have quickly complemented both his strengths and hisweaknesses."O.J. Mayo and Zach Randolph have both shaken off theirturnstile reputations and have brought the complete product to the table all season long. The value of Marc Gasol's physicality, efficiency,and unique skill set cannot be underestimated for this squad, and Mike Conley has effectively figured out where he fits on the totem pole."Ronnie Brewer, Hasheem Thabeet, Darrell Arthur, and Sam Young all could be productive rotation players, but they are definitely in need of some steady reinforcements in the second unit. If they can maintain the course, and add the necessary supporting pieces, we'll be talking about Memphis' playoff exploitsin the present tense instead of the future, awfully quick."The long and short of it is that this Memphis team was initially built around Rudy Gay. His strengths and weaknesses are best accounted for inthis custom-built situation, where heChicago Bears jersey
can also play as a co-alpha with O.J. Mayo. In any other city, Rudy Gay will either be asked to overachieve and carry a squad that's starting over, or he will become the supporting player to a bigger name.Why give up a good thing for nearly identical money?2. Atlanta HawksOf course, this is utterly dependent ona scenariowhere Joe Johnson departs for greener pastures and/or greener paychecks.If that unfortunate event were to occur, Atlanta would need tofind an efficient, high-volumescorer who could realistically defer to Josh Smith and Al Horford in a new Hawks' command structure.As of now,John Salmons is currently rumored as the Atlanta fallback plan.I propose that Rudy Gay would provide much more bang for only slightly more bucks.While Salmons has recently shown flashes of aptitudein Milwaukee, he has been previously found wanting during stops in Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Chicago. It's not that he was an ineffective player in any of those places, but rather that his numbers were oftentimes more impressive than his actual influence.Rudy Gay has higher upside, additional years in his prime, and is a more realistic closer. While he's technically listed as a small forward, and Johnson's departure would open up a spot at shooting guard, Gay would easily fit into Atlanta's long-armed lineup at either swing spot.If he's a shooting guard, then Marvin Williams stays in the lineup and Jamal Crawford continues his bench fireworks. If Gay winds up as the small forward, then Crawford starts and the versatile Williams returns to a bench role he's filled before.Rudy Gay is not currentlythe multidimensional star that Joe Johnson is, but Johnson developed into a complete player while in Atlanta, and Gay would be a great candidate to do the same.3. New York KnicksThis is similar to the situation I described with Carlos Boozer (here ).New Yorkfans will be greatly disappointed ifGay is their summer's prize catch. However, if he lands along with a major headliner, like LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, he'll maximize his star power by playing in the shadow of another.Of course, his arrival would create a logjam at the small forward spot along with Danillo Galinari.Yet, Mike D'Antoni's offense can never have enough gunners. Pairing Gay withLeBron James would be preferable, because James could realistically play at power forward with Rudy Gay filling the shooting guard position, thereby allowing Galinarito remaina starter.If Dwyane Wade arrives, Galinari most likely becomes the sixth man scorer in a New York edition of "Seven Seconds or Less."If Gay can be signed for less than a maximum contract, it could also open the door to re-signing David Lee.In the end, Rudy Gay could fit in with lots of Cincinnati Bengals jersey
teams. As stated before, scoring swingmen are fairly interchangeable, yet sought after, commodities. I encourage readers to pose additional scenarios as they see it. I'm interested to hear what you have to say.My reason for assigning Rudy Gay to New York is based on the reality that the Knicks do have a small chance to land James or Wade,but they have an infinitely minuscule chance to land them both.Whether it's Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, or Rudy Gay, New York has to hope that they'll only need one from that list.Trust me on this one. After all, I am a doctor.- "Dr. Trade"
gameare probably made more impressive by his young age (23), and many feel his defensive limitations might be improved with experience. Either way, he has a number of teams that won't feel too bad about making him "Plan B" in their free agency plans.But what is Rudy Gay's true ceiling?This is where many GMs begin to balk a little bit. Small forwards who can put up close to20 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists per game are actually one of the easier commodities to find.Some, like Luol Deng, Shawn Marion,and Corey Maggette, were paid once upon a timeto carry teams as a franchise leader, only todisappointasmerely second-tier players. Others, like Caron Butler and Richard Jefferson, have always been correctly perceived as supporting pieces.Yet, for every question raised by anAndre Iguodalaor Danny Granger, you finda Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony,or Joe Johnson who has definitively proved a small forward can lead a team to successas long as an adequate supporting cast is also provided.So where does Rudy Gay fit?No one knows the answer yet, but as usual,there will be a lot of teams lining up with a lot of dollars to find out. Gay's chances to cash in before the Collective Bargaining Agreement cashes out are also heightened by the fact that a number of hyperventilating franchises may need him aseither a consolation prize orco-star.With most of the biggest names in free agency out of the way(archived here) , we now begin a destination tourfortheless hyped,but stillimportant, free agents of 2010.1. Memphis GrizzliesTo arrogantly quote myself from a previous look at Rudy and the Grizzlies (here) :"If he's honestwith himself though, he'll realize that he's a second-tier guy, and that his greatest success will come with this lineup of young gunswho have quickly complemented both his strengths and hisweaknesses."O.J. Mayo and Zach Randolph have both shaken off theirturnstile reputations and have brought the complete product to the table all season long. The value of Marc Gasol's physicality, efficiency,and unique skill set cannot be underestimated for this squad, and Mike Conley has effectively figured out where he fits on the totem pole."Ronnie Brewer, Hasheem Thabeet, Darrell Arthur, and Sam Young all could be productive rotation players, but they are definitely in need of some steady reinforcements in the second unit. If they can maintain the course, and add the necessary supporting pieces, we'll be talking about Memphis' playoff exploitsin the present tense instead of the future, awfully quick."The long and short of it is that this Memphis team was initially built around Rudy Gay. His strengths and weaknesses are best accounted for inthis custom-built situation, where heChicago Bears jersey
can also play as a co-alpha with O.J. Mayo. In any other city, Rudy Gay will either be asked to overachieve and carry a squad that's starting over, or he will become the supporting player to a bigger name.Why give up a good thing for nearly identical money?2. Atlanta HawksOf course, this is utterly dependent ona scenariowhere Joe Johnson departs for greener pastures and/or greener paychecks.If that unfortunate event were to occur, Atlanta would need tofind an efficient, high-volumescorer who could realistically defer to Josh Smith and Al Horford in a new Hawks' command structure.As of now,John Salmons is currently rumored as the Atlanta fallback plan.I propose that Rudy Gay would provide much more bang for only slightly more bucks.While Salmons has recently shown flashes of aptitudein Milwaukee, he has been previously found wanting during stops in Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Chicago. It's not that he was an ineffective player in any of those places, but rather that his numbers were oftentimes more impressive than his actual influence.Rudy Gay has higher upside, additional years in his prime, and is a more realistic closer. While he's technically listed as a small forward, and Johnson's departure would open up a spot at shooting guard, Gay would easily fit into Atlanta's long-armed lineup at either swing spot.If he's a shooting guard, then Marvin Williams stays in the lineup and Jamal Crawford continues his bench fireworks. If Gay winds up as the small forward, then Crawford starts and the versatile Williams returns to a bench role he's filled before.Rudy Gay is not currentlythe multidimensional star that Joe Johnson is, but Johnson developed into a complete player while in Atlanta, and Gay would be a great candidate to do the same.3. New York KnicksThis is similar to the situation I described with Carlos Boozer (here ).New Yorkfans will be greatly disappointed ifGay is their summer's prize catch. However, if he lands along with a major headliner, like LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, he'll maximize his star power by playing in the shadow of another.Of course, his arrival would create a logjam at the small forward spot along with Danillo Galinari.Yet, Mike D'Antoni's offense can never have enough gunners. Pairing Gay withLeBron James would be preferable, because James could realistically play at power forward with Rudy Gay filling the shooting guard position, thereby allowing Galinarito remaina starter.If Dwyane Wade arrives, Galinari most likely becomes the sixth man scorer in a New York edition of "Seven Seconds or Less."If Gay can be signed for less than a maximum contract, it could also open the door to re-signing David Lee.In the end, Rudy Gay could fit in with lots of Cincinnati Bengals jersey
teams. As stated before, scoring swingmen are fairly interchangeable, yet sought after, commodities. I encourage readers to pose additional scenarios as they see it. I'm interested to hear what you have to say.My reason for assigning Rudy Gay to New York is based on the reality that the Knicks do have a small chance to land James or Wade,but they have an infinitely minuscule chance to land them both.Whether it's Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, or Rudy Gay, New York has to hope that they'll only need one from that list.Trust me on this one. After all, I am a doctor.- "Dr. Trade"
2010年12月27日星期一
27 Dec 10 The End Of an Era: The Climax Of Kobe's Career?
Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesSince the one man KobeReebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
Bryant show began in Los Angeles soon after the departure of his long time teammate Shaquille O' Neal, the city has never been the same. LA prides themselves in have a future Hall-of-Famer, and considerably one of thee all-time greats on their roster. Yet has anyone looked ahead on Kobe's future?Now a 31 year old veteran of the game, Kobe needs to begin to ask himself how much more does he want?A 4 time NBA champion, MVP, and 12 time all-star does not really need add anything else to his illustrious resume. On a quest for a consecutive championship in which he is the primary leader of the team, he now has basically proved to everyone that he really didn't need Shaq to win the big one.He certainly is considered phenomenal. To be compared to Michael Jordan is an honor in itself, but to have a strong argument in which Kobe might possibly be better than him is amazing to me. Jordan's reputation to me was damaged when he chose to push the issue and continue to play far past his prime. Would Kobe walk down the same path?Nobody likes a quitter, but Kobe doesn't necessarily need to continue playingto prove anything to anybody. When will the day come in which Kobe is no longer needed to be double-teamed to be stopped? We seen Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
how age and injury wears down a player, would Kobe's career betarnishedjust how manyothershave fallen.Do not get me wrong, I'm Pro-Bryant. I think he is top 5 greatest players of all-time easily. His ability to change the game is extordinary, he can come through in clutch situations without breaking a sweat, which brings out the true face of a champion.I wrote this to voice my opinion on Kobe's future. I'm pretty sure many have a different point of view. I just believe he should retire at his prime, and NO I'm not stating he should retire this year! I'm Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
saying he should really start to look at his options soon and possibly buy himself a yacht for his future life of luxury. Please feel free to share your ideals and point-of-views on this subject.
Bryant show began in Los Angeles soon after the departure of his long time teammate Shaquille O' Neal, the city has never been the same. LA prides themselves in have a future Hall-of-Famer, and considerably one of thee all-time greats on their roster. Yet has anyone looked ahead on Kobe's future?Now a 31 year old veteran of the game, Kobe needs to begin to ask himself how much more does he want?A 4 time NBA champion, MVP, and 12 time all-star does not really need add anything else to his illustrious resume. On a quest for a consecutive championship in which he is the primary leader of the team, he now has basically proved to everyone that he really didn't need Shaq to win the big one.He certainly is considered phenomenal. To be compared to Michael Jordan is an honor in itself, but to have a strong argument in which Kobe might possibly be better than him is amazing to me. Jordan's reputation to me was damaged when he chose to push the issue and continue to play far past his prime. Would Kobe walk down the same path?Nobody likes a quitter, but Kobe doesn't necessarily need to continue playingto prove anything to anybody. When will the day come in which Kobe is no longer needed to be double-teamed to be stopped? We seen Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
how age and injury wears down a player, would Kobe's career betarnishedjust how manyothershave fallen.Do not get me wrong, I'm Pro-Bryant. I think he is top 5 greatest players of all-time easily. His ability to change the game is extordinary, he can come through in clutch situations without breaking a sweat, which brings out the true face of a champion.I wrote this to voice my opinion on Kobe's future. I'm pretty sure many have a different point of view. I just believe he should retire at his prime, and NO I'm not stating he should retire this year! I'm Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
saying he should really start to look at his options soon and possibly buy himself a yacht for his future life of luxury. Please feel free to share your ideals and point-of-views on this subject.
2010年12月25日星期六
26 Dec 10 Kobe Bryant's Exorcist: Act One is a Wrap, Act Two Starts Thursday
Harry How/Getty ImagesKobe Bryant continues to play like a man possessed while trying to exorcise demons. He has now finished Act One of his two-act suspense/drama/thriller. He capped-off Act One on Sunday night inthrilling fashionwith 37 points in aLakers win.What is to be remembered Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
more than the fact that he had 37 points is how and when he got them. The Lakers had an 18 point lead inthe fourth quarter cut down to five due in large part to teammate Sasha Vujacic givingup a six-point play to start the the rally.On the bench at the time, Bryant was sent in to repel therun the Suns were onand that he did. Every shot he took had a degree of difficultyof 10 on them.Hemadeon-the-move three-pointers and pump-fakingjumpersagainst double-teams. Hecould have challenged Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan to a game of HORSE with those shots.Coming into the series, Bryantsaid, "What do you think?" when asked if revenge was on his mind frombeingeliminated by the Suns in 2005-06 and 2006-07. His play showed that those two playoff eliminations still tormented him.In the series he averaged 33 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds per game. He shot 52 percent from the field. That included 42 percent from three-point range. Above all, he took over games when it was time to. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
What an opening act that was! The Demons of 2005-06 and 2006-07have now been exorcised!Act Two will open Thursday at the Staples Center against the Boston Celtics. Will Bryant exorcise the demons of 2007-08? The look in his eyes says he will!
more than the fact that he had 37 points is how and when he got them. The Lakers had an 18 point lead inthe fourth quarter cut down to five due in large part to teammate Sasha Vujacic givingup a six-point play to start the the rally.On the bench at the time, Bryant was sent in to repel therun the Suns were onand that he did. Every shot he took had a degree of difficultyof 10 on them.Hemadeon-the-move three-pointers and pump-fakingjumpersagainst double-teams. Hecould have challenged Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan to a game of HORSE with those shots.Coming into the series, Bryantsaid, "What do you think?" when asked if revenge was on his mind frombeingeliminated by the Suns in 2005-06 and 2006-07. His play showed that those two playoff eliminations still tormented him.In the series he averaged 33 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds per game. He shot 52 percent from the field. That included 42 percent from three-point range. Above all, he took over games when it was time to. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
What an opening act that was! The Demons of 2005-06 and 2006-07have now been exorcised!Act Two will open Thursday at the Staples Center against the Boston Celtics. Will Bryant exorcise the demons of 2007-08? The look in his eyes says he will!
25 Dec 10 Isiah Thomas Officially With The Knicks... Again
Doug Benc/Getty ImagesIn a statement released by Knicks President Donnie Walsh and Garden Chairman James Dolan, Isaiah Thomas is back!You would think that, after his reign of terror, the knicks would like to stay as far away from Isaiah Thomas as possible. Common sense dictates that the Knicks would not want to have any part in making Thomas a piece of their franchise, for a second time. And yet, here he is, again.Officially, Isaiah will be a Part-time Consultant. It will not be the GM position (still vacant) he once held, so Isaiah hasOakland Raiders jersey
nodecisionmaking power (sigh of relief). Regardless, hiring Isaiah is like picking up smoking after you have just beat lung cancer. It makes no sense.He is only there to evaluate talent and help bring in new players. HasManagement just forgot about the kind of talent he has brought in the past? Here is a short list:Jerome James, Renaldo Balkman, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry...Any one of you reading this could certainly extend that list.To his credit, he did draft players like Trevor Ariza, David Lee, and Wilson Chandler. But never-the-less, every single Knicks fan would sleep better at night if Isaiah wasn't around at all.
nodecisionmaking power (sigh of relief). Regardless, hiring Isaiah is like picking up smoking after you have just beat lung cancer. It makes no sense.He is only there to evaluate talent and help bring in new players. HasManagement just forgot about the kind of talent he has brought in the past? Here is a short list:Jerome James, Renaldo Balkman, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry...Any one of you reading this could certainly extend that list.To his credit, he did draft players like Trevor Ariza, David Lee, and Wilson Chandler. But never-the-less, every single Knicks fan would sleep better at night if Isaiah wasn't around at all.
2010年12月24日星期五
24 Dec 10 2010-2011 NBA Season Preview: Milwaukee Bucks
Andrew Bogut is the key to the Bucks success.Mike Zarrilli/Getty ImagesWe’re all waiting around to see how the Bucks additions will improve the team.This summer the Bucks GM John Hammonds added Corey Maggette, Drew Gooden, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Jon Brockman. He also resigned John Salmons, best move of them all. Corey Maggette will have a big effect on the team because he gets to the free throw line a lot. Gooden will also have a big effect because the Bucks had to play undersized Ilyasova at the power Dallas Cowboys jersey
forward position last season. CDR will have a good effect on the Bucks. He will provide the team with some scoring, a little rebounding, and I also hear he is really funny. You can't have enough chemistry guys like that in the locker room. Now to Jon Brockman. Wow, I don’t see why everyone thought he was such a great acquisition. His numbers last year were not good and I also hear he is injury prone. I guess he will have to prove me wrong. Now to the returning players, (most of the roster) with help the Hammonds brought in, the Bucks are looking really good this year. Bogut is recovering quickly, as I have read, and should be ready for the season opener. That is definitely great news, because a healthy Bogut means a deeper run in the playoffs. Any Bucks fan who watched the Hawks vs. Bucks series knows that if Bogut were healthy, the Bucks would have won the series. Brandon Jennings started his rookie season off really impressively. Then everyone claimed he hit the “Rookie Wall.” I say, Jennings started off WAY better than most rookies do, and then settled down to the level that most rookies are at. If he would have played like he did from December till April, all year, then nobody would say he hit the Rookie Wall. Brandon faces new challenges at the opposing point guard position. Newcomer to the East, John Wall, will be a player to watch against Jennings. They both are high energy players and played each other in the preseason. Wall had the better personal performance, but Jennings got the win. And anyone who knows Jennings knows that he only cares about winning. He has said it over and over, “I don’t focus of personal stats, as long as my team wins, that’s all that matters. Denver Broncos jersey
” Jennings also has Rose and Collison to watch out for in his divison. Salmons should be healthy by the beginning of the season. He was a huge part last season and will also be a huge part this season. At the end of the season he was the go to guy. During the playoffs he didn’t show the same shooting percentage. So if he can keep a consist shot into the playoffs, he could help the Bucks make a farther run. The Bucks Rookies: Larry Sanders and Darington Hobson. Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesDarington Hobson underwent surgery on his hip and will later have surgery on his other hip and will miss the entire season. He won’t have much effect on the Bucks this season… Unless he is a good cheerleader. Darington is a good guy though, hopes he recovers well so he can get back on the court. Larry Sanders will have an effect on the Bucks this season. He for sure will host a lot of block parties. He averaged 2.6 blocks his junior year at VCU. Sanders is 6’10 but can knock down mid-range jumpers and even three pointers. As we saw in Summer League and in the preseason. Sanders also will provide rebounding. Overall as a team, the Bucks are looking at winning the Central Division, there only competition being the Chicago Detroit Lions
Bulls. As playoffs go, the Bucks should be anywhere from the 3rd to 5th seed in the East. I am thinking that they will be the 4th seed. But like I said anywhere from 3rd to 5th. They should… Get 50 Wins. Have an all-star or two. Make a good playoff run. Have a great fan base. The NBA should… FEAR THE DEER!
forward position last season. CDR will have a good effect on the Bucks. He will provide the team with some scoring, a little rebounding, and I also hear he is really funny. You can't have enough chemistry guys like that in the locker room. Now to Jon Brockman. Wow, I don’t see why everyone thought he was such a great acquisition. His numbers last year were not good and I also hear he is injury prone. I guess he will have to prove me wrong. Now to the returning players, (most of the roster) with help the Hammonds brought in, the Bucks are looking really good this year. Bogut is recovering quickly, as I have read, and should be ready for the season opener. That is definitely great news, because a healthy Bogut means a deeper run in the playoffs. Any Bucks fan who watched the Hawks vs. Bucks series knows that if Bogut were healthy, the Bucks would have won the series. Brandon Jennings started his rookie season off really impressively. Then everyone claimed he hit the “Rookie Wall.” I say, Jennings started off WAY better than most rookies do, and then settled down to the level that most rookies are at. If he would have played like he did from December till April, all year, then nobody would say he hit the Rookie Wall. Brandon faces new challenges at the opposing point guard position. Newcomer to the East, John Wall, will be a player to watch against Jennings. They both are high energy players and played each other in the preseason. Wall had the better personal performance, but Jennings got the win. And anyone who knows Jennings knows that he only cares about winning. He has said it over and over, “I don’t focus of personal stats, as long as my team wins, that’s all that matters. Denver Broncos jersey
” Jennings also has Rose and Collison to watch out for in his divison. Salmons should be healthy by the beginning of the season. He was a huge part last season and will also be a huge part this season. At the end of the season he was the go to guy. During the playoffs he didn’t show the same shooting percentage. So if he can keep a consist shot into the playoffs, he could help the Bucks make a farther run. The Bucks Rookies: Larry Sanders and Darington Hobson. Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesDarington Hobson underwent surgery on his hip and will later have surgery on his other hip and will miss the entire season. He won’t have much effect on the Bucks this season… Unless he is a good cheerleader. Darington is a good guy though, hopes he recovers well so he can get back on the court. Larry Sanders will have an effect on the Bucks this season. He for sure will host a lot of block parties. He averaged 2.6 blocks his junior year at VCU. Sanders is 6’10 but can knock down mid-range jumpers and even three pointers. As we saw in Summer League and in the preseason. Sanders also will provide rebounding. Overall as a team, the Bucks are looking at winning the Central Division, there only competition being the Chicago Detroit Lions
Bulls. As playoffs go, the Bucks should be anywhere from the 3rd to 5th seed in the East. I am thinking that they will be the 4th seed. But like I said anywhere from 3rd to 5th. They should… Get 50 Wins. Have an all-star or two. Make a good playoff run. Have a great fan base. The NBA should… FEAR THE DEER!
2010年12月23日星期四
23 Dec 10NBA Player News: Steve Nash, Gilbert Arenas, and More
Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesPlayer NewsMiami’sUdonis Haslemhas a torn ligament in his left foot which will sideline him for at least six weeks. This is not good for the Heat as a team, but fantasy owners might take advantage of it by picking up the players who will get the leftover minutes. Buffalo Bills jersey
There’s no clear indication as to who this will be, but some have suggested the Heat are reconsidering signingErick Dampier. There have also been reports that they might bringShavlick Randolphback to the team. Keep an eye on this situation and try to get the jump on the rest of your league. Rajon Rondomissed the Celtics’ Sunday game against Toronto. Rondo is suffering from a tweaked hamstring. There is no indication that this is a serious injury. Doc Rivers and the Celtics are being extremely careful because they know that Rondo is the engine that drives their team. Steve Nashmay not play in any of the Suns’ games during their current road trip. Nash has been battling a groin injury, and Phoenix understands that some time without Nash is much better than the rest of the season without him. Steve Nash will be fine, just give him time.Game Notes Nate Robinsonscored 22 points while filling in for the injured Rajon Rondo in a loss to Toronto last night. Robinson will keep getting the starter minutes as Carolina Panthers jersey
long as Rondo is having hamstring issues. The Celtics will want to make sure their point guard is completely ready to go, so Robinson will be a good play in deeper leagues until Rondo is all the way back.Toronto’sAndrea Bargnanihas filled the scoring void left byChris Boshfairly well. He kept it up last night, scoring 29 points in a win against the Celtics.The Wizards fell short to the Pistons last night, but a couple of Washington players really stuffed the stat line.Gilbert Arenasscored 19 and had 16 assists. He’s shown flashes of his old self this year. This may be his next step toward regaining his Agent Zero form. Only time will tell, but this is a good time to buy low on him. Meanwhile,Javele McGeehad a great game down low. With 20 points and 16 rebounds, Detroit just didn’t have much of an answer for him. If Arenas can continue his solid play and Wall can finish the season as well as he started, the rest of the Wizards’ starting lineup will see an increase in their numbers.The Hornets-Kings Chicago Bears jersey
game had one of the worst looking box scores I’ve ever seen. It was just awful.The Los Angeles Lakers might be the most predictable team in the NBA with regards to stat lines. I’m convinced that their stat keepers could take the night off every few games and just throw in one of the old box scores.Remember Rotoprofessor for all your fantasy basketball news and advice.
There’s no clear indication as to who this will be, but some have suggested the Heat are reconsidering signingErick Dampier. There have also been reports that they might bringShavlick Randolphback to the team. Keep an eye on this situation and try to get the jump on the rest of your league. Rajon Rondomissed the Celtics’ Sunday game against Toronto. Rondo is suffering from a tweaked hamstring. There is no indication that this is a serious injury. Doc Rivers and the Celtics are being extremely careful because they know that Rondo is the engine that drives their team. Steve Nashmay not play in any of the Suns’ games during their current road trip. Nash has been battling a groin injury, and Phoenix understands that some time without Nash is much better than the rest of the season without him. Steve Nash will be fine, just give him time.Game Notes Nate Robinsonscored 22 points while filling in for the injured Rajon Rondo in a loss to Toronto last night. Robinson will keep getting the starter minutes as Carolina Panthers jersey
long as Rondo is having hamstring issues. The Celtics will want to make sure their point guard is completely ready to go, so Robinson will be a good play in deeper leagues until Rondo is all the way back.Toronto’sAndrea Bargnanihas filled the scoring void left byChris Boshfairly well. He kept it up last night, scoring 29 points in a win against the Celtics.The Wizards fell short to the Pistons last night, but a couple of Washington players really stuffed the stat line.Gilbert Arenasscored 19 and had 16 assists. He’s shown flashes of his old self this year. This may be his next step toward regaining his Agent Zero form. Only time will tell, but this is a good time to buy low on him. Meanwhile,Javele McGeehad a great game down low. With 20 points and 16 rebounds, Detroit just didn’t have much of an answer for him. If Arenas can continue his solid play and Wall can finish the season as well as he started, the rest of the Wizards’ starting lineup will see an increase in their numbers.The Hornets-Kings Chicago Bears jersey
game had one of the worst looking box scores I’ve ever seen. It was just awful.The Los Angeles Lakers might be the most predictable team in the NBA with regards to stat lines. I’m convinced that their stat keepers could take the night off every few games and just throw in one of the old box scores.Remember Rotoprofessor for all your fantasy basketball news and advice.
2010年12月22日星期三
NBA Free Agency: Chris Duhon To Orlando, So Is There Magic Left for Otis Smith?
Nick Laham/Getty ImagesThe Orlando Magic continued their slow trudge through free agency on Monday.Not one to rush, Otis Smith said so in his own words, “Why rush?”Chris Duhon reportedly agreed to a four-year, $15 million deal.The move once again fortifiesSan Francisco 49ers jersey
the Orlando bench. Smith felt after the Celtics series, that he lacked quality backups for next season.Duhon comes with the Duke brand behind him. He fits the Magic’s organizational profile, and fills a need on the court.Due to Orlando being over the salary cap, and Collective Bargaining Agreement rules, Smith plans to utilize part of the team’s midlevel exception.That now causes a moment of pause for free agent Matt Barnes.In fact, based upon Barnes' words, the Magic have not made any offers. That tidbit came via Barnes’ Twitter account.“Wat orlando fans 5 days n2 the freeagency & NO offer from the Magic yet. Plenty of others teams have reached out but no numbers from magic??”Seems the City Beautiful’s version of a bad boy hoped popular opinion could help sway negotiations.Barnes proclivity to speak freely publicly, ultimately will be one of the reasons he does not re-sign with the Orlando Magic. Character means a great deal to the DeVoe family.Now the Magic must look forward to Thursday.Once LeBron James decides where to call his new kingdom home, the final deals should fall into place.One big question remains for Orlando. What happens with J.J. Redick?Smith remained casual while being interviewed at the Orlando Summer League concerning Redick.“That’s what restricted guys do.”Referring to the fact that J.J. will have the ability to sign an offer sheet come Thursday.The Magic still have someSeattle Seahawks jersey
capability to sign Redick. Much will depend on what the market dictates.One gets the sense that J.J. Redick’s days in Orlando could come down to how much Danny Ainge wants to pay.Duhon always drew attention from Smith. Orlando’s general manager stated, ”He’s our guy.”With such strong words from the top, packaging Duhon in a sign-and-trade sounds improbable.Based upon past behavior, many believe Smith may be quietly orchestrating a deal for a big-name free agent.That could be the case. But on-hand assets make dealing by the Magic complicated.Some scenarios exist.Smith could be holding true to his word. Early in the off-season, he proclaimed the Magic only an “eighth of an inch” from being good enough to win it all.An imminent deal could come involving C.J. Watson.Watson became a restricted free agent this summer, after the Golden State Warriors offered Watson a contract.Outside of Steve Blake, Watson was the only other name publicly St. Louis Rams jersey
offered by Otis himself.What Orlando fans should expect will be a different focus on offense next season.Smith seems to have decided Dwight Howard will have to carry more of the load. Early indications point to Howard becoming more of a scoring option.With that in mind, the Magic could believe only incremental changes will be needed.Don’t be surprised if this is as good as it gets.
the Orlando bench. Smith felt after the Celtics series, that he lacked quality backups for next season.Duhon comes with the Duke brand behind him. He fits the Magic’s organizational profile, and fills a need on the court.Due to Orlando being over the salary cap, and Collective Bargaining Agreement rules, Smith plans to utilize part of the team’s midlevel exception.That now causes a moment of pause for free agent Matt Barnes.In fact, based upon Barnes' words, the Magic have not made any offers. That tidbit came via Barnes’ Twitter account.“Wat orlando fans 5 days n2 the freeagency & NO offer from the Magic yet. Plenty of others teams have reached out but no numbers from magic??”Seems the City Beautiful’s version of a bad boy hoped popular opinion could help sway negotiations.Barnes proclivity to speak freely publicly, ultimately will be one of the reasons he does not re-sign with the Orlando Magic. Character means a great deal to the DeVoe family.Now the Magic must look forward to Thursday.Once LeBron James decides where to call his new kingdom home, the final deals should fall into place.One big question remains for Orlando. What happens with J.J. Redick?Smith remained casual while being interviewed at the Orlando Summer League concerning Redick.“That’s what restricted guys do.”Referring to the fact that J.J. will have the ability to sign an offer sheet come Thursday.The Magic still have someSeattle Seahawks jersey
capability to sign Redick. Much will depend on what the market dictates.One gets the sense that J.J. Redick’s days in Orlando could come down to how much Danny Ainge wants to pay.Duhon always drew attention from Smith. Orlando’s general manager stated, ”He’s our guy.”With such strong words from the top, packaging Duhon in a sign-and-trade sounds improbable.Based upon past behavior, many believe Smith may be quietly orchestrating a deal for a big-name free agent.That could be the case. But on-hand assets make dealing by the Magic complicated.Some scenarios exist.Smith could be holding true to his word. Early in the off-season, he proclaimed the Magic only an “eighth of an inch” from being good enough to win it all.An imminent deal could come involving C.J. Watson.Watson became a restricted free agent this summer, after the Golden State Warriors offered Watson a contract.Outside of Steve Blake, Watson was the only other name publicly St. Louis Rams jersey
offered by Otis himself.What Orlando fans should expect will be a different focus on offense next season.Smith seems to have decided Dwight Howard will have to carry more of the load. Early indications point to Howard becoming more of a scoring option.With that in mind, the Magic could believe only incremental changes will be needed.Don’t be surprised if this is as good as it gets.
Will NBA Free Agency Moves Lead To Instant Championships?
Chris Bosh will join Dwayne Wade in Miami, Amare Stoudemire is in New York, and LeBron James is the biggest remaining question mark.Eager spectators have narrowed the possible destinations for James to three choices: New York, Chicago, and Cleveland (unless you count the Clippers, Nets, and possibly Heat…and wouldn’t it be great if James announced he was going to Phoenix and playing for the mid level exception?).This is the biggest summer of free agency in NBA history. Where these super free agents will land has taken Reebok Baltimore Ravens #52 Ray Lewis Realtree camo Jersey
over sports media completely, and has spilled over into the mainstream news programs.The free agency craze has crossed into the pop culture world as celebrities like Jay-Z, Chris Rock, and even our octogenarian “it” girl Betty White have gotten involved.But whatever moves were made, or are made in the next 48 hours, will they create instant NBA champions?The answer is: not necessarily.The free agency frenzy is allowing teams to upgrade their rosters, but it’s not creating definite champions, at least not immediately.Look at all the teams closely, starting with Miami.Miami was a playoff team without Chris Bosh, so with him it would stand to reason that they would be exponentially better.Wade averaged about 26.6 points per game in 2009-2010, Bosh averaged about 24. This means Wade won’t have to carry the offense alone (Wade was the high scorer in all five of the team’s playoff games against Boston in 2010, accumulating at least 11 more points than the next highest scorer).Bosh will be good for at least ten more wins in the regular season, and he may even help the Heat advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the Heat won the NBA title in 2006.Still, Miami will probably have to go through teams like Boston, Orlando, Chicago, or Atlanta to make it to the Finals.Boston may be aging, but there is still enough talent and experience on the roster to make trouble for whoever they face in the playoffs.Orlando has looked unstoppable at times and have more talent up and down the roster than Miami.Chicago is getting better by the year and may pick up David Lee or even Ray Allen, and Atlanta is not a throwaway team either.Now look at LeBron James.If James goes to New York, it will make the team respectable—a playoff team even.However, James and the Knicks will have the same probably as Miami, they’ll have to go through Boston, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, and an Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
improved Miami.There isn’t enough current talent on the Knicks roster to get James through all these teams.The same problem is true for Cleveland.If James stays with the Cavaliers, he’ll be with basically the same players who have gone backward since their 2007 Finals appearance (Cleveland was swept in the Finals by San Antonio).He’ll have a different coach, and maybe the team can pick up Carlos Boozer, although he hasn’t expressed any desire to play in Cleveland nor is Boozer an answer to the league’s best big men like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.Should LeBron decide to go to Chicago, he will be joining a talented team on the rise.Chicago has some good pieces, and they may be his best chance to win a championship soon.Still, it all boils down to this: adding one or two more great players to a mediocre roster does not make a championship team.Look at the teams that have won championships in the past few years.The LA Lakers are loaded with talent. They have Lamar Odom, a starter on any other team, coming off the bench. They have Kobe Bryant on the perimeter, Ron Artest on defense, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum inside. They don’t have two great players, they have five or six.In Boston, the “big three” mustered two championship appearances, winning one and dropping the other to the Lakers in seven.Even if Ray Allen leaves this season, Boston still has Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Paul Pierce, and, most importantly, a great point guard in Rajon Rondo.On both the Lakers and the Celtics, there is serious talent beyond the big names.Orlando is another organization that contains more than two great players.And when it comes to winning NBA championships, that’s what you need.Playoff and Finals wins, in any sport (NFL Super Bowls in the past three years were won by the Giants, Steelers, and Saints) require a team that has more than two superstars.Great teams win rings, and great Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
players just help.Case in point, Kobe Bryant, the best player on the Lakers, had an awful Game seven—one of the worst of his career. His team still won.In the past four years, the NBA champions have been San Antonio, Boston, and LA—all great teams.Role players are key to winning championships, and Miami, New York, and Cleveland have yet to acquire these pieces.Building high caliber, deep rosters takes time, it doesn’t happen in one summer, even if that summer is the most hyped free agency period in the history of the NBA.
over sports media completely, and has spilled over into the mainstream news programs.The free agency craze has crossed into the pop culture world as celebrities like Jay-Z, Chris Rock, and even our octogenarian “it” girl Betty White have gotten involved.But whatever moves were made, or are made in the next 48 hours, will they create instant NBA champions?The answer is: not necessarily.The free agency frenzy is allowing teams to upgrade their rosters, but it’s not creating definite champions, at least not immediately.Look at all the teams closely, starting with Miami.Miami was a playoff team without Chris Bosh, so with him it would stand to reason that they would be exponentially better.Wade averaged about 26.6 points per game in 2009-2010, Bosh averaged about 24. This means Wade won’t have to carry the offense alone (Wade was the high scorer in all five of the team’s playoff games against Boston in 2010, accumulating at least 11 more points than the next highest scorer).Bosh will be good for at least ten more wins in the regular season, and he may even help the Heat advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the Heat won the NBA title in 2006.Still, Miami will probably have to go through teams like Boston, Orlando, Chicago, or Atlanta to make it to the Finals.Boston may be aging, but there is still enough talent and experience on the roster to make trouble for whoever they face in the playoffs.Orlando has looked unstoppable at times and have more talent up and down the roster than Miami.Chicago is getting better by the year and may pick up David Lee or even Ray Allen, and Atlanta is not a throwaway team either.Now look at LeBron James.If James goes to New York, it will make the team respectable—a playoff team even.However, James and the Knicks will have the same probably as Miami, they’ll have to go through Boston, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, and an Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
improved Miami.There isn’t enough current talent on the Knicks roster to get James through all these teams.The same problem is true for Cleveland.If James stays with the Cavaliers, he’ll be with basically the same players who have gone backward since their 2007 Finals appearance (Cleveland was swept in the Finals by San Antonio).He’ll have a different coach, and maybe the team can pick up Carlos Boozer, although he hasn’t expressed any desire to play in Cleveland nor is Boozer an answer to the league’s best big men like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.Should LeBron decide to go to Chicago, he will be joining a talented team on the rise.Chicago has some good pieces, and they may be his best chance to win a championship soon.Still, it all boils down to this: adding one or two more great players to a mediocre roster does not make a championship team.Look at the teams that have won championships in the past few years.The LA Lakers are loaded with talent. They have Lamar Odom, a starter on any other team, coming off the bench. They have Kobe Bryant on the perimeter, Ron Artest on defense, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum inside. They don’t have two great players, they have five or six.In Boston, the “big three” mustered two championship appearances, winning one and dropping the other to the Lakers in seven.Even if Ray Allen leaves this season, Boston still has Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Paul Pierce, and, most importantly, a great point guard in Rajon Rondo.On both the Lakers and the Celtics, there is serious talent beyond the big names.Orlando is another organization that contains more than two great players.And when it comes to winning NBA championships, that’s what you need.Playoff and Finals wins, in any sport (NFL Super Bowls in the past three years were won by the Giants, Steelers, and Saints) require a team that has more than two superstars.Great teams win rings, and great Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
players just help.Case in point, Kobe Bryant, the best player on the Lakers, had an awful Game seven—one of the worst of his career. His team still won.In the past four years, the NBA champions have been San Antonio, Boston, and LA—all great teams.Role players are key to winning championships, and Miami, New York, and Cleveland have yet to acquire these pieces.Building high caliber, deep rosters takes time, it doesn’t happen in one summer, even if that summer is the most hyped free agency period in the history of the NBA.
2010年12月21日星期二
Washington Nationals: Jayson Not Werth the Money They Gave Him
Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesJayson Werth just received $126 million. This is yet another sign of the Apocalypse.Jayson Werth, one of baseball’s top free-agents, is coming off the best season of his career. The 31-year-old outfielder hit .298 with 27 homers, 85 rbi’s and a .388 on-base percentage.Those numbers are solid, but certainly not worth the money the Washington Nationals just gave him.How much money exactly? Over the next seven years, Werth will make $126 million. ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported, “The Nationals offer to Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
Werth was so far above everyone else that Boras didn’t even ask other interested teams if they wanted to match it.”That’s called overpaying.When news broke on the deal, Stark said, “The words I’ve heard most so far [from those at the Winter Meetings]: ‘stunned’ and ‘shocked.’” Others at the Winter Meetings, like Stark, were flabbergasted.Seven years, four more than Washington had previously given a free-agent, and $126 million, $4 million more than the Nationals were bought for in 2002. All of this for a guy who wasn’t even the best player on the Philadelphia Phillies; he wasn’t even one of the top 10 players in baseball.Starting pitcher Barry Zito received this exact contract in 2006. Since, he has gone 40-57 with an ERA near five as a member of the San Francisco Giants.Then, two weeks later, outfielder Vernon Wells signed the same deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since, he has reached base a measly 32 percent of the time and has averaged only Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
20 homers per season. Werth could be down the same road.But that’s not my reason for mentioning Zito and Wells, though the decline in production is telling. When those two were signed, they were in their mid-20s. Werth is turning 32 in May. Zito was 27 when he signed; Wells was 26.Though neither Zito or Wells has lived up to the contract (as if anyone could swinging a bat or throwing a ball), their respective teams had reason to believe the longterm deals were ones worth giving.But this amount of money and years thrown at Werth, is just pure idiocy.I get that the Nationals wanted to make a big splash. They, just like the Boston Red Sox when they traded for Adrian Gonzalez, wanted to make up for their inability to sign Mark Teixeira two years ago.Yet, to be aggressive in this sense is hard to fathom. I can somewhat understand giving a 26-year-old such length and money. But Werth is no spring chicken, even only started to receive regular playing time at 28.This startling move crosses Werth off the Red Sox list of desired free-agents, among Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
other teams’ lists. Now, Werth’s other suitors can turn their attention to Carl Crawford, the other top outfielder on the open market, if they so desire. But, with this deal given to Werth–this astronomical, incomprehensible, and ill-advised deal–the price for Crawford, two years younger and far more versatile, just skyrocketed.The dollar in baseball just changed drastically, and certainly not for the better. This article is also featured onSwamigp's Sports Blog
Werth was so far above everyone else that Boras didn’t even ask other interested teams if they wanted to match it.”That’s called overpaying.When news broke on the deal, Stark said, “The words I’ve heard most so far [from those at the Winter Meetings]: ‘stunned’ and ‘shocked.’” Others at the Winter Meetings, like Stark, were flabbergasted.Seven years, four more than Washington had previously given a free-agent, and $126 million, $4 million more than the Nationals were bought for in 2002. All of this for a guy who wasn’t even the best player on the Philadelphia Phillies; he wasn’t even one of the top 10 players in baseball.Starting pitcher Barry Zito received this exact contract in 2006. Since, he has gone 40-57 with an ERA near five as a member of the San Francisco Giants.Then, two weeks later, outfielder Vernon Wells signed the same deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since, he has reached base a measly 32 percent of the time and has averaged only Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
20 homers per season. Werth could be down the same road.But that’s not my reason for mentioning Zito and Wells, though the decline in production is telling. When those two were signed, they were in their mid-20s. Werth is turning 32 in May. Zito was 27 when he signed; Wells was 26.Though neither Zito or Wells has lived up to the contract (as if anyone could swinging a bat or throwing a ball), their respective teams had reason to believe the longterm deals were ones worth giving.But this amount of money and years thrown at Werth, is just pure idiocy.I get that the Nationals wanted to make a big splash. They, just like the Boston Red Sox when they traded for Adrian Gonzalez, wanted to make up for their inability to sign Mark Teixeira two years ago.Yet, to be aggressive in this sense is hard to fathom. I can somewhat understand giving a 26-year-old such length and money. But Werth is no spring chicken, even only started to receive regular playing time at 28.This startling move crosses Werth off the Red Sox list of desired free-agents, among Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
other teams’ lists. Now, Werth’s other suitors can turn their attention to Carl Crawford, the other top outfielder on the open market, if they so desire. But, with this deal given to Werth–this astronomical, incomprehensible, and ill-advised deal–the price for Crawford, two years younger and far more versatile, just skyrocketed.The dollar in baseball just changed drastically, and certainly not for the better. This article is also featured onSwamigp's Sports Blog
Arizona Diamondbacks Add Bullpen Help, Sign JJ Putz
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesNew Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers had one goal this offseason. That was to somehow improve the worst bullpen in baseball last season.The Diamondbacks bullpen finished the 2010 season with a 5.74 ERA. That was a full run worse than the next worse bullpen. The Diamondbacks were Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
rolling out "jabronis" such as Chad Qualls, Leo Rosalesand Cesar Valdez.Not only could the underbelly of the bullpen not get to the closer, but when they finally did, nobody could close games for them. Qualls was a clown show and Juan Gutierrez, who replaced Qualls, was no better.Towers has done his best to get rid of these clowns and bring in fresh arms. The latest fresh arm Towers has brought in will be expected to close games with authority in 2011.Towers and the Diamondbacks signed RHP J.J. Putz to a two-year, $10 million contract with an option for 2013. The option is for $6.5 million according to Ken Rosenthal.This is a really good signing by the Diamondbacks.After a disastrous 2009 season with the New York Mets where he battled injuries and the Mets medical staff, Putz had a bounce-back season with the Chicago White Sox. It was like Putz was back with the Seattle Mariners all over again.Putz had a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 10.8 K/9 in 54 innings. Putz was especially tough on right-handed batters last season. Righties hit Reebok Denver Broncos #15 Tim Tebow Realtree camo Jersey
.164 with just three extra-base hits in 120 plate appearances.What made Putz so tough was the return of his split-fingered fastball. He threw more splitters last season (29.4 percent) than at any point in his career.Not only was he throwing it a lot, but it was nasty. His 5.1 wSF was the fifth highest in the Major Leagues in 2010.At 33, Putz appears to have a lot left in the tank and should be a solid signing for the Diamondbacks.
rolling out "jabronis" such as Chad Qualls, Leo Rosalesand Cesar Valdez.Not only could the underbelly of the bullpen not get to the closer, but when they finally did, nobody could close games for them. Qualls was a clown show and Juan Gutierrez, who replaced Qualls, was no better.Towers has done his best to get rid of these clowns and bring in fresh arms. The latest fresh arm Towers has brought in will be expected to close games with authority in 2011.Towers and the Diamondbacks signed RHP J.J. Putz to a two-year, $10 million contract with an option for 2013. The option is for $6.5 million according to Ken Rosenthal.This is a really good signing by the Diamondbacks.After a disastrous 2009 season with the New York Mets where he battled injuries and the Mets medical staff, Putz had a bounce-back season with the Chicago White Sox. It was like Putz was back with the Seattle Mariners all over again.Putz had a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 10.8 K/9 in 54 innings. Putz was especially tough on right-handed batters last season. Righties hit Reebok Denver Broncos #15 Tim Tebow Realtree camo Jersey
.164 with just three extra-base hits in 120 plate appearances.What made Putz so tough was the return of his split-fingered fastball. He threw more splitters last season (29.4 percent) than at any point in his career.Not only was he throwing it a lot, but it was nasty. His 5.1 wSF was the fifth highest in the Major Leagues in 2010.At 33, Putz appears to have a lot left in the tank and should be a solid signing for the Diamondbacks.
2010年12月19日星期日
20 Dec 10 Fantasy Football Week 10 Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends
Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesWith Antonio Gates and Zach Miller among the tight ends missing this week due to bye weeks, along with some of the better tight ends putting up bad numbers in 2010, and the tight end group appears a little thin this week. Let's take a look at how they currently rank for me:JacobReebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
Tamme – Indianapolis Colts – vs. CincinnatiAaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – at PittsburghVernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. LouisTony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. BaltimoreJason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at New York GiantsMarcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. HoustonDustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. ClevelandChris Cooley – Washington Redskins – vs. PhiladelphiaTodd Heap – Baltimore Ravens – at AtlantaTony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – at DenverKellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. CarolinaHeath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New EnglandVisanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings – at ChicagoBrent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at WashingtonOwen Daniels – Houston Texans – at JacksonvilleBrandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – at BuffaloGreg Olsen – Chicago Bears – vs. MinnesotaBenjamin Watson – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York JetsKevin Boss – New York Giants – vs. DallasJohn Carlson – Seattle Seahawks – at ArizonaThoughts:Marcedes Lewis has shown a propensity to find the end zone, scoring seven touchdowns thus far this season (putting him second among tight ends). The Texans have allowed a league leading 20 Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
touchdown passes. It certainly appears like this is a perfect matchup for Lewis, making him a definite TE1 this week.It was a big week for Jacob Tamme, who had 11 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. Then again, it is hard to imagine him getting 17 targets again (though, with Austin Collie hurt, it appears much more possible). With the potential for a shootout with the Cincinnati, he should once again be a top option.Last time Brent Celek faced Washington, he had three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. However, on the season he hasn't had more then four catches or 47 yards in any game. He has a favorable matchup and could finally breakout, but he's way too big of a risk given how poorly he's produced.The Giants defense is good, but it did allow Jason Witten to have nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in their last meeting. He's got to be considered a TE1 this week.Owen Daniels has been struggling with injuries and has been inconsistent throughout the season. Until he proves trustworthy, he’s a TE2.Heath Miller's high for the season is four receptions, coming in Week 1. He hasn't had more then 50 yards in a game and has scored just one touchdown. Good matchup or not, he's more of a TE2, though he's usable this week as a TE1 depending on your format.Without Randy Moss, it is very possible Visanthe Shiancoe becomes a big red zone target in Minnesota. He scored in Week 9, though he has just two TDs on the season and the Bears have allowed just five passing Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
TDs. Consider him a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 for this week.What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who is too high? Who is too low?Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor's Week 10 Rankings:Top 25 QuarterbacksTop 40 Running BacksTop 60 Wide ReceiversTop 15 Kickers (coming soon) Top 15 Defenses (coming soon) Waiver WorthyStart ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon) Sunday Sleepers (coming soon) THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL
Tamme – Indianapolis Colts – vs. CincinnatiAaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – at PittsburghVernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. LouisTony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. BaltimoreJason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – at New York GiantsMarcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. HoustonDustin Keller – New York Jets – vs. ClevelandChris Cooley – Washington Redskins – vs. PhiladelphiaTodd Heap – Baltimore Ravens – at AtlantaTony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – at DenverKellen Winslow – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. CarolinaHeath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New EnglandVisanthe Shiancoe – Minnesota Vikings – at ChicagoBrent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at WashingtonOwen Daniels – Houston Texans – at JacksonvilleBrandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – at BuffaloGreg Olsen – Chicago Bears – vs. MinnesotaBenjamin Watson – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York JetsKevin Boss – New York Giants – vs. DallasJohn Carlson – Seattle Seahawks – at ArizonaThoughts:Marcedes Lewis has shown a propensity to find the end zone, scoring seven touchdowns thus far this season (putting him second among tight ends). The Texans have allowed a league leading 20 Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
touchdown passes. It certainly appears like this is a perfect matchup for Lewis, making him a definite TE1 this week.It was a big week for Jacob Tamme, who had 11 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. Then again, it is hard to imagine him getting 17 targets again (though, with Austin Collie hurt, it appears much more possible). With the potential for a shootout with the Cincinnati, he should once again be a top option.Last time Brent Celek faced Washington, he had three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. However, on the season he hasn't had more then four catches or 47 yards in any game. He has a favorable matchup and could finally breakout, but he's way too big of a risk given how poorly he's produced.The Giants defense is good, but it did allow Jason Witten to have nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in their last meeting. He's got to be considered a TE1 this week.Owen Daniels has been struggling with injuries and has been inconsistent throughout the season. Until he proves trustworthy, he’s a TE2.Heath Miller's high for the season is four receptions, coming in Week 1. He hasn't had more then 50 yards in a game and has scored just one touchdown. Good matchup or not, he's more of a TE2, though he's usable this week as a TE1 depending on your format.Without Randy Moss, it is very possible Visanthe Shiancoe becomes a big red zone target in Minnesota. He scored in Week 9, though he has just two TDs on the season and the Bears have allowed just five passing Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
TDs. Consider him a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 for this week.What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who is too high? Who is too low?Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor's Week 10 Rankings:Top 25 QuarterbacksTop 40 Running BacksTop 60 Wide ReceiversTop 15 Kickers (coming soon) Top 15 Defenses (coming soon) Waiver WorthyStart ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon) Sunday Sleepers (coming soon) THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL
19 Dec 10 NFL Fantasy Football WR Rankings – Roddy White Headlines Week 11
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesHere’s my Week 11 wide receiver rankings. 1. Roddy White St. Louis2. Reggie Wayne New England3. Hakeem Nicks Philadelphia4. DeSean Jackson vs. New York Giants5. Greg Jennings Minnesota6. Calvin Johnson Dallas7. Dwayne Bowe vs. Arizona8. Terrell Owens vs. Buffalo9. Anquan Boldin Carolina10. Dez Bryant vs. Detroit11. Marques Colston vs. Seattle12. Andre Johnson New York Jets13. Brandon Lloyd San Diego14. Miles Austin vs. Detroit15. Brandon Marshall vs. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
Chicago16. Percy Harvin vs. Green Bay17. Larry Fitzgerald Kansas City18. Mike Wallace vs. Oakland19. Santonio Holmes vs. Houston20. Michael Crabtree vs. Tampa Bay21. Jeremy Maclin vs. New York Giants22. Chad Ochocinco vs. Buffalo23. Steve Johnson Cincinnati24. Hines Ward vs. Oakland25. Pierre Garcon New England26. Mike Williams (SEA) New Orleans27. Wes Welker Indianapolis28. Johnny Knox Miami29. Mike Williams (TB) San Francisco30. Mario Manningham Philadelphia31. Braylon Edwards vs. Houston32. Steve Breaston Kansas City33. Mike Thomas vs. Cleveland34. Nate Burleson Dallas35. Davone Bess vs. Chicago36. Deion Branch Indianapolis37. Lee Evans Cincinnati38. Mike Sims-Walker vs. Cleveland39. Santana Moss Tennessee40. Danny Amendola vs. Atlanta41. Kevin Walter New York Jets42. Lance Moore vs. Seattle43. Randy Moss vs. Washington44. Steve Smith (CAR) vs. Baltimore45. Robert Meachem vs. Seattle46. Malcom Floyd vs. Denver47. Patrick Crayton vs. Denver48. James Jones Minnesota49. Donald Driver Minnesota50. Roy Williams vs. Detroit Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesInside the numbers: Roddy White gets extra time for his knee to heal. Not that it troubled him in Reebok Denver Broncos #15 Tim Tebow Realtree camo Jersey
Week 10. New England is getting killed by the pass (277.8 ypg). The last time Reggie Wayne faced them he caught ten passes for 126 yards and two scores. The last time he faced the Eagles, Nicks caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. It’s highly possible he catches TD #10 this week. In the first meeting with the Vikings Greg Jennings caught six passes for 74 yards and a score. Expect more of the same. T.O. may not have had any run-ins with Buffalo like he has with his other former teams, but he’s certain to be up for the meeting. DeSean Jackson tormented the Giants to the tune of 256 yards and 2 TDs last year. Any question who’s the top WR in Dallas right now. Forget Roy Williams, Miles Austin can carry Dez Bryant’s shoulder pads. My gut says Hines Ward will be able to play this week. He was dying to get back in their Sunday night. Danny Amendola has scored in three straight games, and has a favorable match-up against Atlanta. I don’t have any Reebok Green Bay Packers #12 Aaron Rodgers Realtree camo Jersey
faith in Randy Moss right until he proves otherwise. Also check out: Sneaky Week 11 Fantasy Football Pick-ups Week 11 Get ‘em or Don’t Sweat ‘em Waiver Wire Advice Week 11 Fantasy QB Rankings Week 11 Fantasy RB Rankings Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings Week 11 Fantasy K Rankings Week 11 Fantasy DEF RankingsWeek 11 Fantasy IDP Rankings Week 11 Start/Sit Advice Week 11 Fantasy Sleepers
Chicago16. Percy Harvin vs. Green Bay17. Larry Fitzgerald Kansas City18. Mike Wallace vs. Oakland19. Santonio Holmes vs. Houston20. Michael Crabtree vs. Tampa Bay21. Jeremy Maclin vs. New York Giants22. Chad Ochocinco vs. Buffalo23. Steve Johnson Cincinnati24. Hines Ward vs. Oakland25. Pierre Garcon New England26. Mike Williams (SEA) New Orleans27. Wes Welker Indianapolis28. Johnny Knox Miami29. Mike Williams (TB) San Francisco30. Mario Manningham Philadelphia31. Braylon Edwards vs. Houston32. Steve Breaston Kansas City33. Mike Thomas vs. Cleveland34. Nate Burleson Dallas35. Davone Bess vs. Chicago36. Deion Branch Indianapolis37. Lee Evans Cincinnati38. Mike Sims-Walker vs. Cleveland39. Santana Moss Tennessee40. Danny Amendola vs. Atlanta41. Kevin Walter New York Jets42. Lance Moore vs. Seattle43. Randy Moss vs. Washington44. Steve Smith (CAR) vs. Baltimore45. Robert Meachem vs. Seattle46. Malcom Floyd vs. Denver47. Patrick Crayton vs. Denver48. James Jones Minnesota49. Donald Driver Minnesota50. Roy Williams vs. Detroit Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesInside the numbers: Roddy White gets extra time for his knee to heal. Not that it troubled him in Reebok Denver Broncos #15 Tim Tebow Realtree camo Jersey
Week 10. New England is getting killed by the pass (277.8 ypg). The last time Reggie Wayne faced them he caught ten passes for 126 yards and two scores. The last time he faced the Eagles, Nicks caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. It’s highly possible he catches TD #10 this week. In the first meeting with the Vikings Greg Jennings caught six passes for 74 yards and a score. Expect more of the same. T.O. may not have had any run-ins with Buffalo like he has with his other former teams, but he’s certain to be up for the meeting. DeSean Jackson tormented the Giants to the tune of 256 yards and 2 TDs last year. Any question who’s the top WR in Dallas right now. Forget Roy Williams, Miles Austin can carry Dez Bryant’s shoulder pads. My gut says Hines Ward will be able to play this week. He was dying to get back in their Sunday night. Danny Amendola has scored in three straight games, and has a favorable match-up against Atlanta. I don’t have any Reebok Green Bay Packers #12 Aaron Rodgers Realtree camo Jersey
faith in Randy Moss right until he proves otherwise. Also check out: Sneaky Week 11 Fantasy Football Pick-ups Week 11 Get ‘em or Don’t Sweat ‘em Waiver Wire Advice Week 11 Fantasy QB Rankings Week 11 Fantasy RB Rankings Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings Week 11 Fantasy K Rankings Week 11 Fantasy DEF RankingsWeek 11 Fantasy IDP Rankings Week 11 Start/Sit Advice Week 11 Fantasy Sleepers
2010年12月18日星期六
18 Dec 10 Dallas Dreams Answered: What a Difference a 'Wade' Makes
Not in the shadows anymoreStephen Dunn/Getty ImagesThe first week in the hands of new leadership, the Dallas Cowboys walk into the ‘rough house’ of the NY Giants. Although many thought Dallas would play a little better than the previous weeks, who would have imagined a totally Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
refreshed Cowboys team that would take it to one of the best in the NFC?Coaching plays such a big role in college and pro sports, it is often overlooked to what degree a change of one individual can make. Being an LSU fan, I can relate to the frustration of having a Buffoon for a coach. The difference in Les Miles and Wade Phillips is that the LSU players still believe in Les Miles. I bring up the comparison of these 2 coaches because they lack the same main skills it takes to be a head coach.1) Discipline2) Motivation3) OrganizationBoth teams, the Cowboys and LSU, have top notch talent. But if that talent isn’t challenged and developed to its potential, it will play lethargic football. Yes, LSU has a much better record than Dallas this year, but the difference is the money. College kids are playing for pride and a future in the NFL, in spite of a poor coach. NFL players already have a fat contract (especially with JJ as the owner), so they need someone with some ‘fire’ to get them going. That is why Les Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
Miles still has a successful record this year, while Wade was at rock bottom. The New Man in ChargeJim McIsaac/Getty ImagesPresent day….Wade is fired, and in comes Jason Garrett. Same Players, Same coaches (all but one)… but boy things are different. You could almost imagine the passion in the locker room the day Garrett came in the first time as ‘The Man’. Whatever he said… whatever he did… that wasn’t the same team against the Giants that we’ve seen the first half of the season. That was a team with a fresh start, a new vigor, a new hope… a future. Well, lucky for you Cowboys fans, you have turned the page. The future will be bright again. Unfortunately, a (end of year prediction) 10-3, 12th ranked LSU Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
team keeps the ‘hiring/firing company’happy with Les Miles, although they have national championship talent. Maybe, as an LSU fan, I’ll get lucky one day with a fresh start under a Head Coach like Boise State’s Chris Peterson. If that’s happens, I’d hate to be the opposing team in college football.Whowould’ve thought....comparing LSU with Dallas.
refreshed Cowboys team that would take it to one of the best in the NFC?Coaching plays such a big role in college and pro sports, it is often overlooked to what degree a change of one individual can make. Being an LSU fan, I can relate to the frustration of having a Buffoon for a coach. The difference in Les Miles and Wade Phillips is that the LSU players still believe in Les Miles. I bring up the comparison of these 2 coaches because they lack the same main skills it takes to be a head coach.1) Discipline2) Motivation3) OrganizationBoth teams, the Cowboys and LSU, have top notch talent. But if that talent isn’t challenged and developed to its potential, it will play lethargic football. Yes, LSU has a much better record than Dallas this year, but the difference is the money. College kids are playing for pride and a future in the NFL, in spite of a poor coach. NFL players already have a fat contract (especially with JJ as the owner), so they need someone with some ‘fire’ to get them going. That is why Les Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
Miles still has a successful record this year, while Wade was at rock bottom. The New Man in ChargeJim McIsaac/Getty ImagesPresent day….Wade is fired, and in comes Jason Garrett. Same Players, Same coaches (all but one)… but boy things are different. You could almost imagine the passion in the locker room the day Garrett came in the first time as ‘The Man’. Whatever he said… whatever he did… that wasn’t the same team against the Giants that we’ve seen the first half of the season. That was a team with a fresh start, a new vigor, a new hope… a future. Well, lucky for you Cowboys fans, you have turned the page. The future will be bright again. Unfortunately, a (end of year prediction) 10-3, 12th ranked LSU Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
team keeps the ‘hiring/firing company’happy with Les Miles, although they have national championship talent. Maybe, as an LSU fan, I’ll get lucky one day with a fresh start under a Head Coach like Boise State’s Chris Peterson. If that’s happens, I’d hate to be the opposing team in college football.Whowould’ve thought....comparing LSU with Dallas.
2010年12月17日星期五
17 Dec 10 Cowboys vs. Lions: Week 11 Post-Film Study Notes
Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesI posted a lot ofinteresting notes on the Cowboys-Lions gamelast night.Below are some observations and statistics I gathered after reviewing the game film...Dallas ran 12 red-zone plays: seven runs for 27 yards and five passes for four yards (including a sack for -8 yards) and two touchdowns. I’ve loved Jason Garrett’s red zone play-calling thus far in 2010. A while back, I suggested that he call more passes between the opponent’s 10 and 20-yard lines, and more runs Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
inside the 10-yard line (particularly on first down). He’s doing just that and it’s working well.You may have noticed the Cowboys have runa lotless three-receiver sets of late.Last week, they implemented only 14, and this week it was only 16. This decrease is due to a variety of factors, not least of which is attempting to provide protection for Jon Kitna.Martellus Bennett is a tremendous blocker (better than even Marc Colombo, I’d say), and his receiving skills force defenses to honor him in the passing game.Part of the decrease in three (and four) receiver formations is also due to Dez Bryant’s presence in base personnel packages. He’s earned the right to be on the field for the majority of snaps, and now Garrett isn’t forced to put three receivers on the field to get Bryant involved. I’m not afraid to admit I have a bit of a man-crush on him.The lack of receivers has also resulted in less shotgun snaps (or perhaps vice versa).Through Week 10, the Cowboys were in shotgun on a ridiculous 47.3 percent of all snaps.This week, however, Dallas used shotgun on only 13-of-54 offensive plays (24.1 percent).This comes just a week after using shotgun at the same rate in their win over the Giants. Garrett must have recently realizedhow much more successful Kitna is under center as opposed to in shotgun.The Cowboys motioned 16 times, including on 10 of the first 18 plays. They gained only 85 total yards on the 16 plays (5.31 yards-per-play).Kitna checked out of three plays on Sunday. All of them were passes and they totaled four yards. That sounds poor, but two of them were touchdowns (Bryant’s touchdown and Austin’s first touchdown).In my notes from yesterday, I mentioned I liked a play that didn’t work for Dallas. They had lined Marion Barber up at fullback and motioned Felix Jones to tailback from the slot (in my notes I mistakingly said it was Bryant). When they’ve done this in the past, they’ve usually handed the ball to Barber on a dive. When that doesn’t happen, they’ll pitch it out to Jones. Well, they faked both this week, and may have found themselves another touchdown had Jason Witten and Marc Colombo blocked better. Both guys whiffed on their defender (the same guy, I might add).Speaking of Colombo—he was absolutely horrible. I knew he was bad, but after I reviewed the film, I realized he was even worse than I thought. I credited him with yielding 1.5 sacks, and he also got nailed for a false start and a holding penalty. I think it is time for Sam Young.Kitna has spread the ball around quite well since becoming the starter (in terms of placement of passes). Take a look at the distribution below:You can see that the distribution of throws for Kitna has been nearly identical to the left, middle and right portions of the field. You can also see that he’s been incredibly accurate over the middle ofReebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
the field, while the highest percentage of his ‘off-target’ passes have come when throwing to the right side of the field. Compare these numbers to those of Romo in 2009:Kitna has obviously been more erratic this season than Romo was in 2009, but not bad for a backup. By the way, Kitna threw a season-low four off-target passes on Sunday against the Lions.The Cowboys ran four draws for 44 yards. But they all came late in the contest.The ‘Boys ran quite a few play-action passes throughout the game (eight), and I’m happy to report they threw the ball downfield following those looks. Five of the eight passes traveled over 10 yards, and three of them went 15-plus.It was a big screen game for Dallas as well. They attempted six of them for 46 yards. The targets were Jones (three times), Choice (twice), and Bryant (once).Roy Williams got into the action early, hauling in two passes for 20 yards on the first drive.He wasn’t even targeted the rest of the game, though. Meanwhile, Chris Gronkowski was targeted three times.Of the 28 times Dallas dropped back to pass, Witten was in a route on 18 of them (64.3 percent). That’s a good rate.Bryant did a really nice job of blocking on run plays.He’s a complete player, and his effort on each play is phenomenal.On the fourth-quarter screen pass to Jones that went for 25 yards, Kyle Kosier got away with a blatant block-in-the-back.He missed his guy and pushed him in the back right in front of the ball, so I’m not sure how it was overlooked.The naked bootleg fourth-down play on which Kitna ran for a 29-yard touchdown was a thing of beauty, but I think Garrett should have saved it. Clearly, no one expects Kitna to keep the ball, particularly from a formation (Double Tight I) in which the Cowboys nearly always hand the ball off to the running back. Perhaps Garrett didn’t have as much confidence in it at the time, but it sure would be nice to have that play in Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
your back pocket for a crucial fourth-down play in the future.I’m not understanding why, inthe last two teams the ‘Boys have played, have decided not to blitz them much. The Giants sat back and let Kitna pick them apart last week, and the Lions did basically the same today. I counted only 12 blitzes all day from Detroit. They did disguise them well, showing blitz pre-snap on only three of those 12 plays, but you’d think teams would recognize the Cowboys’ offensive line has trouble against blitzes, stunts and twists and react accordingly.Dallas Cowboys Times is on Twitter.Subscribe to our free e-mail updates.
inside the 10-yard line (particularly on first down). He’s doing just that and it’s working well.You may have noticed the Cowboys have runa lotless three-receiver sets of late.Last week, they implemented only 14, and this week it was only 16. This decrease is due to a variety of factors, not least of which is attempting to provide protection for Jon Kitna.Martellus Bennett is a tremendous blocker (better than even Marc Colombo, I’d say), and his receiving skills force defenses to honor him in the passing game.Part of the decrease in three (and four) receiver formations is also due to Dez Bryant’s presence in base personnel packages. He’s earned the right to be on the field for the majority of snaps, and now Garrett isn’t forced to put three receivers on the field to get Bryant involved. I’m not afraid to admit I have a bit of a man-crush on him.The lack of receivers has also resulted in less shotgun snaps (or perhaps vice versa).Through Week 10, the Cowboys were in shotgun on a ridiculous 47.3 percent of all snaps.This week, however, Dallas used shotgun on only 13-of-54 offensive plays (24.1 percent).This comes just a week after using shotgun at the same rate in their win over the Giants. Garrett must have recently realizedhow much more successful Kitna is under center as opposed to in shotgun.The Cowboys motioned 16 times, including on 10 of the first 18 plays. They gained only 85 total yards on the 16 plays (5.31 yards-per-play).Kitna checked out of three plays on Sunday. All of them were passes and they totaled four yards. That sounds poor, but two of them were touchdowns (Bryant’s touchdown and Austin’s first touchdown).In my notes from yesterday, I mentioned I liked a play that didn’t work for Dallas. They had lined Marion Barber up at fullback and motioned Felix Jones to tailback from the slot (in my notes I mistakingly said it was Bryant). When they’ve done this in the past, they’ve usually handed the ball to Barber on a dive. When that doesn’t happen, they’ll pitch it out to Jones. Well, they faked both this week, and may have found themselves another touchdown had Jason Witten and Marc Colombo blocked better. Both guys whiffed on their defender (the same guy, I might add).Speaking of Colombo—he was absolutely horrible. I knew he was bad, but after I reviewed the film, I realized he was even worse than I thought. I credited him with yielding 1.5 sacks, and he also got nailed for a false start and a holding penalty. I think it is time for Sam Young.Kitna has spread the ball around quite well since becoming the starter (in terms of placement of passes). Take a look at the distribution below:You can see that the distribution of throws for Kitna has been nearly identical to the left, middle and right portions of the field. You can also see that he’s been incredibly accurate over the middle ofReebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
the field, while the highest percentage of his ‘off-target’ passes have come when throwing to the right side of the field. Compare these numbers to those of Romo in 2009:Kitna has obviously been more erratic this season than Romo was in 2009, but not bad for a backup. By the way, Kitna threw a season-low four off-target passes on Sunday against the Lions.The Cowboys ran four draws for 44 yards. But they all came late in the contest.The ‘Boys ran quite a few play-action passes throughout the game (eight), and I’m happy to report they threw the ball downfield following those looks. Five of the eight passes traveled over 10 yards, and three of them went 15-plus.It was a big screen game for Dallas as well. They attempted six of them for 46 yards. The targets were Jones (three times), Choice (twice), and Bryant (once).Roy Williams got into the action early, hauling in two passes for 20 yards on the first drive.He wasn’t even targeted the rest of the game, though. Meanwhile, Chris Gronkowski was targeted three times.Of the 28 times Dallas dropped back to pass, Witten was in a route on 18 of them (64.3 percent). That’s a good rate.Bryant did a really nice job of blocking on run plays.He’s a complete player, and his effort on each play is phenomenal.On the fourth-quarter screen pass to Jones that went for 25 yards, Kyle Kosier got away with a blatant block-in-the-back.He missed his guy and pushed him in the back right in front of the ball, so I’m not sure how it was overlooked.The naked bootleg fourth-down play on which Kitna ran for a 29-yard touchdown was a thing of beauty, but I think Garrett should have saved it. Clearly, no one expects Kitna to keep the ball, particularly from a formation (Double Tight I) in which the Cowboys nearly always hand the ball off to the running back. Perhaps Garrett didn’t have as much confidence in it at the time, but it sure would be nice to have that play in Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
your back pocket for a crucial fourth-down play in the future.I’m not understanding why, inthe last two teams the ‘Boys have played, have decided not to blitz them much. The Giants sat back and let Kitna pick them apart last week, and the Lions did basically the same today. I counted only 12 blitzes all day from Detroit. They did disguise them well, showing blitz pre-snap on only three of those 12 plays, but you’d think teams would recognize the Cowboys’ offensive line has trouble against blitzes, stunts and twists and react accordingly.Dallas Cowboys Times is on Twitter.Subscribe to our free e-mail updates.
2010年12月16日星期四
16 Dec 10 The 10 Best College Football Teams of All Time
Lacking a bona fide playoff system, college football fans are left to wonder each year which team is the best. But there’s no doubt about this list—the SportsLifer’s top 10 college football teams of all time.We used several simple criteria in the selection process. Teams had to finish undefeated, untied and undisputed national champions to quality for the SLTop10. And the quota is one champion per school.Herewith, the 10 best college football teams ever:No. 1—1995 Nebraska, 12-0 Quite simply, the Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
most dominant team in college football history. The 1995 Cornhuskers, coming off an unbeaten 1994 campaign, averaged 50 plus points a game and defeated four teams ranked in the Top 10. The Tom Osborne-coached Huskers won every one of those games by no less than 23 points. Big Red averaged 53 points a game, and gave up 14 per game.Do the math, that’s a margin of victory of 39 points a game.Nebraska trailed for one quarter all season, and handed Florida its only loss of the season, 62-24, in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship. Talented? A total of 27 future pros played for Nebraska in 1995.Some Big Red fans and experts might argue the 1971 team was better, but for sheer gridiron dominance, the 1995 squad stands peerless in the history of college football. The 1994 Nebraska team was pretty good too. Both the ’71 and ’94 squads finished 13-0 and capped off championship seasons with Orange Bowl victories.No. 2—1972 Southern California, 12-0The USC team of 1972 is generally considered the best football team in Trojan history. They went undefeated and beat Ohio State, 42-17, in the Rose Bowl. Led by Coach John McKay and Fullback Sam “Bam” Cunningham, USC plowed through the competition in 1972 with ease, defeating six ranked teams. Only Stanford came within 10 points of the Trojans all year. USC’s offense averaged 39 points a game, and their opponents averaged 10.How good was Southern Cal in 1972?They were the first team to ever receive every single first place vote in every single poll.The 2004 Trojans, who went 13-0 and won the BCS with a 55-19 thrashing of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, also deserve mention.No. 3—1945 Army, 9-0Army absolutely dominated the college football season in 1945. They averaged 48 points a game, while giving up only five and recording five shutouts. None of their games were closer than 19 points. The Black Knights of the Hudson had back-to-back Heisman winners in 1945 (Doc Blanchard) and 1946 (Glenn Davis), and each ran for more than 1,000 yards in the 1945 season. Army beat rivals Notre Dame and Navy by scores of 48-0 and 32-13, respectively.West Point bookended the 1945 team with two other pretty good clubs. The Cadets went undefeated and won the national championship in 1944, and played eventual champion Notre Dame to a scoreless tie in the 1946 “Game of Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the Century.”No. 4—2001 Miami, 12-0Miami was dominant on both sides of the ball in 2001, scoring 512 points and surrendering only 117 during the year. The Hurricanes capped off a perfect season by beating Nebraska, 37-14, in the Rose Bowl for the BCS championship.Miami’s margin of victory was greater against ranked teams than against unranked opponents. The Miami defense allowed 13 touchdowns and Miami also scored 11 non-offensive touchdowns.And the Hurricanes may have been the most talented college football team ever—at least six players on the 2001 roster went on to play in the NFL Pro Bowl.No. 5—1924 Notre Dame, 10-0The most celebrated team in Notre Dame’s glorious history, the Irish finished 10-0—and eight of those opponents had winning records. Notre Dame beat Stanford, 27-10, in the Rose Bowl, the school’s only bowl appearance until the 1970 Cotton Bowl.The hero of the 1925 Rose Bowl was fullback Elmer Layden who scored the first touchdown of the game and later returned passes of Stanford All-American back Ernie Nevers 78 and 70 yards for scores.Coach Knute Rockne’s 1924 Irish were led by the heralded Four Horsemen—quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfback Don Miller, halfback Jim Crowley and Layden—and anchored by the Seven Mules on the line. The 1949 Notre Dame team, which finished 10-0 and won the national championship under coach Frank Leahy, was also considered.No. 6—1956 Oklahoma, 10-0This Oklahoma team was in the midst of their still-standing NCAA record 47-game win streak, and though conference rules in that time prohibited teams from participating in Bowl games in back to back seasons, OU did not need a bowl game to be crowned NCAA champion.The 1956 Sooners averaged 46 points a game and held their opponents to 51 points on the season. The Sooners were coming off an 11-0 season in 1955, when they were crowned national champions. This was legendary coach Bud Wilkinson at his best. The Sooners were led by halfback Tommy McDonald, who ran for 14 TDs, caught four and even passed for three in 1956.No. 7—2005 Texas, 13-0The 2005 Texas Longhorns scored 652 points in 13 games while holding their opponents to 213 points. With Vince Young at quarterback, they beat previously unbeaten and defending champion Southern California, 41-38, in a thrilling BCS title game in the Rose Bowl to finish with a perfect season and a national title.In 1969 Texas finished 11-0 and beat #2 Arkansasa, 15-14, and then Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl.No. 8—1968 Ohio State, 10-0The 1968 Ohio State team produced 11 All-Americans and six first round draft picks. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten title and then topped unbeaten and once-tied USC, 27-16, in the Rose Bowl.Afterwards, USC All-America running back OJ Simpson told the Buckeyes: “You’re the greatest team in the country and don’t let anybody tell you what you aren’t.”In 1968, Ohio State began a string of three straight seasons and nine in 10 in which it won or shared the Big 10 title.No. 9—1979 Alabama, 12-0One of Bear Bryant’s last teams, the Crimson Tide finished 12-0 and beat Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama posted five shutouts, and won seven of 12 games by three touchdowns or more. The Tide ranked first in scoring defense, second in total and passing defense and fifth in rushing defense.No. 10—1902 Michigan, 11-0The Wolverines, in their second year under head Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers 43 Troy Polamalu Realtree camo Jersey
coach Fielding H. Yost, finished the season 11-0 and outscored the opposition 644 to 12, averaging 58.6 points per game.The 1901 Michigan squad was unbeaten, untied and unscored upon (555 to 0), but shared the national championship with Harvard. In 1948, the Wolverines finished 9-0 and was voted No. 1 in the nation.With apologies to: 1913 Harvard, 9-0, no bowl game1940, Minnesota, 8-0, no bowl game1976, Pittsburgh, 12-0, beat Georgia, 27-3, in Sugar Bowl1986, Penn State, 12-0, upset unbeaten Miami, 14-10, in Fiesta Bowl1999 Florida State, 12-0, defeated #2 Virginia Tech, 46-29, in Sugar Bowl
most dominant team in college football history. The 1995 Cornhuskers, coming off an unbeaten 1994 campaign, averaged 50 plus points a game and defeated four teams ranked in the Top 10. The Tom Osborne-coached Huskers won every one of those games by no less than 23 points. Big Red averaged 53 points a game, and gave up 14 per game.Do the math, that’s a margin of victory of 39 points a game.Nebraska trailed for one quarter all season, and handed Florida its only loss of the season, 62-24, in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship. Talented? A total of 27 future pros played for Nebraska in 1995.Some Big Red fans and experts might argue the 1971 team was better, but for sheer gridiron dominance, the 1995 squad stands peerless in the history of college football. The 1994 Nebraska team was pretty good too. Both the ’71 and ’94 squads finished 13-0 and capped off championship seasons with Orange Bowl victories.No. 2—1972 Southern California, 12-0The USC team of 1972 is generally considered the best football team in Trojan history. They went undefeated and beat Ohio State, 42-17, in the Rose Bowl. Led by Coach John McKay and Fullback Sam “Bam” Cunningham, USC plowed through the competition in 1972 with ease, defeating six ranked teams. Only Stanford came within 10 points of the Trojans all year. USC’s offense averaged 39 points a game, and their opponents averaged 10.How good was Southern Cal in 1972?They were the first team to ever receive every single first place vote in every single poll.The 2004 Trojans, who went 13-0 and won the BCS with a 55-19 thrashing of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, also deserve mention.No. 3—1945 Army, 9-0Army absolutely dominated the college football season in 1945. They averaged 48 points a game, while giving up only five and recording five shutouts. None of their games were closer than 19 points. The Black Knights of the Hudson had back-to-back Heisman winners in 1945 (Doc Blanchard) and 1946 (Glenn Davis), and each ran for more than 1,000 yards in the 1945 season. Army beat rivals Notre Dame and Navy by scores of 48-0 and 32-13, respectively.West Point bookended the 1945 team with two other pretty good clubs. The Cadets went undefeated and won the national championship in 1944, and played eventual champion Notre Dame to a scoreless tie in the 1946 “Game of Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the Century.”No. 4—2001 Miami, 12-0Miami was dominant on both sides of the ball in 2001, scoring 512 points and surrendering only 117 during the year. The Hurricanes capped off a perfect season by beating Nebraska, 37-14, in the Rose Bowl for the BCS championship.Miami’s margin of victory was greater against ranked teams than against unranked opponents. The Miami defense allowed 13 touchdowns and Miami also scored 11 non-offensive touchdowns.And the Hurricanes may have been the most talented college football team ever—at least six players on the 2001 roster went on to play in the NFL Pro Bowl.No. 5—1924 Notre Dame, 10-0The most celebrated team in Notre Dame’s glorious history, the Irish finished 10-0—and eight of those opponents had winning records. Notre Dame beat Stanford, 27-10, in the Rose Bowl, the school’s only bowl appearance until the 1970 Cotton Bowl.The hero of the 1925 Rose Bowl was fullback Elmer Layden who scored the first touchdown of the game and later returned passes of Stanford All-American back Ernie Nevers 78 and 70 yards for scores.Coach Knute Rockne’s 1924 Irish were led by the heralded Four Horsemen—quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfback Don Miller, halfback Jim Crowley and Layden—and anchored by the Seven Mules on the line. The 1949 Notre Dame team, which finished 10-0 and won the national championship under coach Frank Leahy, was also considered.No. 6—1956 Oklahoma, 10-0This Oklahoma team was in the midst of their still-standing NCAA record 47-game win streak, and though conference rules in that time prohibited teams from participating in Bowl games in back to back seasons, OU did not need a bowl game to be crowned NCAA champion.The 1956 Sooners averaged 46 points a game and held their opponents to 51 points on the season. The Sooners were coming off an 11-0 season in 1955, when they were crowned national champions. This was legendary coach Bud Wilkinson at his best. The Sooners were led by halfback Tommy McDonald, who ran for 14 TDs, caught four and even passed for three in 1956.No. 7—2005 Texas, 13-0The 2005 Texas Longhorns scored 652 points in 13 games while holding their opponents to 213 points. With Vince Young at quarterback, they beat previously unbeaten and defending champion Southern California, 41-38, in a thrilling BCS title game in the Rose Bowl to finish with a perfect season and a national title.In 1969 Texas finished 11-0 and beat #2 Arkansasa, 15-14, and then Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl.No. 8—1968 Ohio State, 10-0The 1968 Ohio State team produced 11 All-Americans and six first round draft picks. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten title and then topped unbeaten and once-tied USC, 27-16, in the Rose Bowl.Afterwards, USC All-America running back OJ Simpson told the Buckeyes: “You’re the greatest team in the country and don’t let anybody tell you what you aren’t.”In 1968, Ohio State began a string of three straight seasons and nine in 10 in which it won or shared the Big 10 title.No. 9—1979 Alabama, 12-0One of Bear Bryant’s last teams, the Crimson Tide finished 12-0 and beat Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama posted five shutouts, and won seven of 12 games by three touchdowns or more. The Tide ranked first in scoring defense, second in total and passing defense and fifth in rushing defense.No. 10—1902 Michigan, 11-0The Wolverines, in their second year under head Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers 43 Troy Polamalu Realtree camo Jersey
coach Fielding H. Yost, finished the season 11-0 and outscored the opposition 644 to 12, averaging 58.6 points per game.The 1901 Michigan squad was unbeaten, untied and unscored upon (555 to 0), but shared the national championship with Harvard. In 1948, the Wolverines finished 9-0 and was voted No. 1 in the nation.With apologies to: 1913 Harvard, 9-0, no bowl game1940, Minnesota, 8-0, no bowl game1976, Pittsburgh, 12-0, beat Georgia, 27-3, in Sugar Bowl1986, Penn State, 12-0, upset unbeaten Miami, 14-10, in Fiesta Bowl1999 Florida State, 12-0, defeated #2 Virginia Tech, 46-29, in Sugar Bowl
2010年12月15日星期三
Houston Texans End Losing Skid, Shutout Tennessee Titans
Arian Foster had another superb gameBob Levey/Getty ImagesDesperately needing a win, the Houston Texans beat the rival Tennessee Titans 20-0 to move one game out of first place in the AFC South.The Texans lost their four previous games including two devastating last-minute defeats to the cheap nfl jerseys
Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.Morale was certainly low around the Houston area last week and fans began to write this season's obituaries. Unlike previous weeks, the football gods gave the Texans something positive.His name was Rusty Smith.Smith was nothing short of rusty against a Houston defense that has given up over 280 passing yards per game this season. The rookie struggled to complete passes and get any sort of movement down field.The self proclaimed "best" running back in the NFL, Chris Johnson, didn't make Smith's first NFL start any easier.Johnson finished the game with five yards on just seven carries.On the other hand, Arian Foster was superb. The NFL's leading rusher carried the ball 30 times for 143 yards. He added nine receptions for 75 yards to become the game's leading rusher and receiver.Enjoy the VictoryWhat should Andre Johnson's punishment be?What should Andre Johnson's punishment be?Just a fine79.3%One game suspension6.9%Fine and one game suspension13.8%Suspend him for more than one game0.0%Total votes: 29The Titans may have been banged up, but that shouldn't degrade the Houston Texans effort. The defense played its best game in two years and the offense looked good.Gary Kubiak utilized Arian Foster the way he should.He wasn't perfect, but Kubiak coached one of his better games this season.With losses from both Tennessee and Indianapolis, the Texans have a legitimate shot to win the AFC South. The schedule looks tough but this team has a history of winning big games late in the season.Note to Players: Don't Mess with Andre the GiantAlthough the Texans made advances in their division, Andre Johnson's transformation into "Sugar" 'Dre Johnson in giving CB Cortland Finnegan a well overdue beating was the story of the day.Finnegan, who is renowned for being one of the NFL's dirtiest players, has been punished by Johnson for years. Averaging 147 yards per game against the Titans, Johnson typically shakes off Finnegan's antics and leaves his stats to tell the story.This time things went too far. After attempting to jam Andre Johnson in the neck and face area, Johnson started to spin Finnegan around like somebody tangled in a parachute.Andre lands an upper cut to Finnegan's faceBob Levey/Getty ImagesAfter Finnegan punched Johnson and ripped off his helmet, 'Dre never looked back. Both helmets were off and it was showtime.After one quick judo move and three massive blows to Finnegan's head, the career-long dispute was finally settled.Johnson is well-known for being very passive, quiet and humble. He never gets angry and he is rarely penalized. This time was different. Nobody could have San Francisco 49ers jersey
walked away.Johnson received the game ball from Coach Kubiak and nobody in the Texans organization had anything negative to say about his actions.Clearly, he did what had to be done.Both players were ejected and the NFL's sanctions are still pending. Johnson had nine catches for 56 yards and a TDWorld Class TrashThe Tennessee Titans are known for being a dirty squad. Even a dirty organization.(Remember when Bud Adams flipped off the opposing team from the owner's box?)When these two teams get together, the Titans always start something. They always create an altercation that slows and somewhat degrades the game.Glover Quin had a Texans record three INTBob Levey/Getty ImagesBut as I sat four rows behind the Titans' bench, I was blown away by the Titans degree of unprofessionalism.Multiple players turned to yell at fans with comments like, "You're not going to the playoffs."No player should ever get in a shouting match with fans. And no coach should allow it to happen.As icing on the cake, the Titans players made multiple gestures at the crowd as the brawl ensued. Down 17-0, they just looked stupid.With Jeff Fisher potentially out as head coach of the Titans, there has been a lot of talk in Houston that he would be a suitable replacement for Gary Kubiak.That is NOT the case.He may be a good coach, but anybody who allows his players to carry themselves the way the Titans do is bad for any organization.One at a TimeHope is still alive in Houston and with some big victories on nfl jerseys
the national stage in the coming weeks, the Texans could take first place.Hopefully, the defense can continue to improve against Michael Vick and the high-powered Eagles offense on Thursday night.Gary Kubiak holds the cards. How he plays the hand could determine his fate with this team. All the offensive pieces are their, now he needs to motivate the players and put tallies in the win column.
Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.Morale was certainly low around the Houston area last week and fans began to write this season's obituaries. Unlike previous weeks, the football gods gave the Texans something positive.His name was Rusty Smith.Smith was nothing short of rusty against a Houston defense that has given up over 280 passing yards per game this season. The rookie struggled to complete passes and get any sort of movement down field.The self proclaimed "best" running back in the NFL, Chris Johnson, didn't make Smith's first NFL start any easier.Johnson finished the game with five yards on just seven carries.On the other hand, Arian Foster was superb. The NFL's leading rusher carried the ball 30 times for 143 yards. He added nine receptions for 75 yards to become the game's leading rusher and receiver.Enjoy the VictoryWhat should Andre Johnson's punishment be?What should Andre Johnson's punishment be?Just a fine79.3%One game suspension6.9%Fine and one game suspension13.8%Suspend him for more than one game0.0%Total votes: 29The Titans may have been banged up, but that shouldn't degrade the Houston Texans effort. The defense played its best game in two years and the offense looked good.Gary Kubiak utilized Arian Foster the way he should.He wasn't perfect, but Kubiak coached one of his better games this season.With losses from both Tennessee and Indianapolis, the Texans have a legitimate shot to win the AFC South. The schedule looks tough but this team has a history of winning big games late in the season.Note to Players: Don't Mess with Andre the GiantAlthough the Texans made advances in their division, Andre Johnson's transformation into "Sugar" 'Dre Johnson in giving CB Cortland Finnegan a well overdue beating was the story of the day.Finnegan, who is renowned for being one of the NFL's dirtiest players, has been punished by Johnson for years. Averaging 147 yards per game against the Titans, Johnson typically shakes off Finnegan's antics and leaves his stats to tell the story.This time things went too far. After attempting to jam Andre Johnson in the neck and face area, Johnson started to spin Finnegan around like somebody tangled in a parachute.Andre lands an upper cut to Finnegan's faceBob Levey/Getty ImagesAfter Finnegan punched Johnson and ripped off his helmet, 'Dre never looked back. Both helmets were off and it was showtime.After one quick judo move and three massive blows to Finnegan's head, the career-long dispute was finally settled.Johnson is well-known for being very passive, quiet and humble. He never gets angry and he is rarely penalized. This time was different. Nobody could have San Francisco 49ers jersey
walked away.Johnson received the game ball from Coach Kubiak and nobody in the Texans organization had anything negative to say about his actions.Clearly, he did what had to be done.Both players were ejected and the NFL's sanctions are still pending. Johnson had nine catches for 56 yards and a TDWorld Class TrashThe Tennessee Titans are known for being a dirty squad. Even a dirty organization.(Remember when Bud Adams flipped off the opposing team from the owner's box?)When these two teams get together, the Titans always start something. They always create an altercation that slows and somewhat degrades the game.Glover Quin had a Texans record three INTBob Levey/Getty ImagesBut as I sat four rows behind the Titans' bench, I was blown away by the Titans degree of unprofessionalism.Multiple players turned to yell at fans with comments like, "You're not going to the playoffs."No player should ever get in a shouting match with fans. And no coach should allow it to happen.As icing on the cake, the Titans players made multiple gestures at the crowd as the brawl ensued. Down 17-0, they just looked stupid.With Jeff Fisher potentially out as head coach of the Titans, there has been a lot of talk in Houston that he would be a suitable replacement for Gary Kubiak.That is NOT the case.He may be a good coach, but anybody who allows his players to carry themselves the way the Titans do is bad for any organization.One at a TimeHope is still alive in Houston and with some big victories on nfl jerseys
the national stage in the coming weeks, the Texans could take first place.Hopefully, the defense can continue to improve against Michael Vick and the high-powered Eagles offense on Thursday night.Gary Kubiak holds the cards. How he plays the hand could determine his fate with this team. All the offensive pieces are their, now he needs to motivate the players and put tallies in the win column.
2010年12月13日星期一
NFL Week 13 Odds: Cincinnati Bengals Getting a Touchdown Against New Orleans
Chris Trotman/Getty ImagesThe New Orleans Saints have shaken off any effects of a Super Bowl hangover to win their last four games. They will have an excellent opportunity to make in five in a row when they visit the lowly Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. NFL oddsmakers have listed the Saints as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 45.5. New Orleans routinely lit up the scoreboard as the highest scoring team in the league last season. They started this season, however, by only scoring 30 points once in their first eight games.It appears Drew Brees and company have rediscovered their mojo, scoring at least 30 points in each of their last three games. New Orleans hung 34 points on both Carolina and Seattle before scoring 30 in a win over Dallas on 6 Sanchez White Jersey
Thanksgiving. That’s a good sign, considering how poorly the Saints have performed in the red zone this season. New Orleans has only scored a touchdown on 45.7 percent of its red-zone trips (25th in the league). It ranks 29th overall in red-zone offense, only coming away with points 78.3 percent of the time. What gets lost in this stat, however, is the Saints are first in the league in red-zone opportunities. It’s likely only a matter of time before they really start rolling. Part of the Saints’ red-zone problems can be attributed to injuries to running back Pierre Thomas and tight end Jeremy Shockey. The Saints have missed Thomas’ ability to run between the tackles. They have also missed the sure hands of the physical target Shockey. Thomas is listed as questionable for Sunday with the sprained left ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 3. Shockey’s status has been upgraded to probable, as he is recovering nicely from bruised ribs. Perhaps more important than the return of 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
these two is the return of safety Darren Sharper. He is listed as probable after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. The Bengals have lost eight in a row, and they are 1-7 against the spread in those games. Sadly for Cincinnati, eight-game losing streaks are nothing new. In fact, this is the Bengals sixth eight-game skid in the last two decades. This season’s slide is even more disappointing considering the Bengals won the AFC North last year. Following a 26-10 loss to the New York Jets on Thanksgiving night, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals have the mental makeup to pick themselves back up. Cincy had its worst offensive game of the season against the Jets, gaining only 163 yards. It also turned the ball over three more times, bringing its embarrassing turnover total to 25. Winning the turnover battle is a must for Cincinnati Sunday, and it might just have a chance. New Orleans has coughed it up 11 times in its last five games and Brees has thrown 15 interceptions on the season. The Bengals have forced four turnovers in each of their wins. It is also worth noting that they intercepted Brees three times while winning the most recent meeting—a 31-16 victory in 2006. The Saints 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
are just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games as a road favorite of 3.5 to 10.0 points. Bet with confidence in Week 13 by playing the same award-winning NFL picks as world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd!
Thanksgiving. That’s a good sign, considering how poorly the Saints have performed in the red zone this season. New Orleans has only scored a touchdown on 45.7 percent of its red-zone trips (25th in the league). It ranks 29th overall in red-zone offense, only coming away with points 78.3 percent of the time. What gets lost in this stat, however, is the Saints are first in the league in red-zone opportunities. It’s likely only a matter of time before they really start rolling. Part of the Saints’ red-zone problems can be attributed to injuries to running back Pierre Thomas and tight end Jeremy Shockey. The Saints have missed Thomas’ ability to run between the tackles. They have also missed the sure hands of the physical target Shockey. Thomas is listed as questionable for Sunday with the sprained left ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 3. Shockey’s status has been upgraded to probable, as he is recovering nicely from bruised ribs. Perhaps more important than the return of 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
these two is the return of safety Darren Sharper. He is listed as probable after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. The Bengals have lost eight in a row, and they are 1-7 against the spread in those games. Sadly for Cincinnati, eight-game losing streaks are nothing new. In fact, this is the Bengals sixth eight-game skid in the last two decades. This season’s slide is even more disappointing considering the Bengals won the AFC North last year. Following a 26-10 loss to the New York Jets on Thanksgiving night, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals have the mental makeup to pick themselves back up. Cincy had its worst offensive game of the season against the Jets, gaining only 163 yards. It also turned the ball over three more times, bringing its embarrassing turnover total to 25. Winning the turnover battle is a must for Cincinnati Sunday, and it might just have a chance. New Orleans has coughed it up 11 times in its last five games and Brees has thrown 15 interceptions on the season. The Bengals have forced four turnovers in each of their wins. It is also worth noting that they intercepted Brees three times while winning the most recent meeting—a 31-16 victory in 2006. The Saints 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
are just 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games as a road favorite of 3.5 to 10.0 points. Bet with confidence in Week 13 by playing the same award-winning NFL picks as world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd!
2010年12月12日星期日
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Who To Pick Up in Week 14
If you find yourself in need of a little roster refreshing for the first round of your fantasy football playoffs, take a look at our “Pick Them Up” list for recommendations at each position.
Jason Campbell (Oakland Raiders)
With Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder) now out for the season, Campbell has once again taken over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback.
In Week 13 against the San Diego Chargers, Campbell went 10-for-16 for 117 yards with one touchdown along with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game.
Over the next two weeks, Oakland takes on two defenses that have allowed among the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos, so Campbell could be a major asset to fantasy owners that have a need as the playoffs start.
Owners in two-quarterback leagues will definitely want to consider adding him.
James Starks (Green Bay Packers)
Starks came out of nowhere to get 18 carries for 73 yards in 4 Brett Favre White jersey
Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers and easily lead the Packers in both categories.
With Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn unlikely to make a consistent impact this season, Starks looks to be the primary ball carrier for Green Bay. Since the Packers’ offense is so prolific, any player that emerges as a major part of the offense is immediately worth fantasy consideration. Over the next two weeks, Green Bay takes on the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, who both rank in the bottom part of the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs.
Week 16 brings a fairly tough matchup against the New York Giants, but Starks is widely available (six percent ownership in Yahoo!) and can be a major fantasy asset over the next couple of weeks as long as he can continue to see a lot of playing time.
Anthony Armstrong (Washington Redskins)
Armstrong had a career-high six receptions (on 10 targets) for 97 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 13.
With the injuries the Redskins have at running back and with wide receiver Santana Moss looking limited by a hamstring injury, he could emerge as a primary target in a pass-happy Washington offense.
After a fairly tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, Armstrong gets a couple of favorable matchups against the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 and 16 respectively.
He looks to be a legit deep threat at minimum and could be a real under the radar option in 12-team leagues.
He should be available in over 90 percent of Jets 6 Sanchez AFL50th jersey
Yahoo! leagues and if you have the roster space, go ahead and grab your hands on the emerging wideout.
Ed Dickson (Baltimore Ravens)
With Ravens’ starting tight end Todd Heap leaving Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after the game’s first play with a hamstring injury, the door was open for Dickson to see playing time. He had three catches for 21 yards in the game, while being targeted seven times.
Heap has already been ruled out in Week 14 and Dickson will be able to take advantage of the Ravens' favorable matchup.
The Texans entered Week 13 allowing league highs in catches (70) and yards (811) to opposing tight ends, along with a second-most in the league seven touchdowns to the position.
Dickson should be available in all fantasy leagues and makes for a sneaky play in Week 14 on Monday Night Football.
Jason Campbell (Oakland Raiders)
With Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder) now out for the season, Campbell has once again taken over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback.
In Week 13 against the San Diego Chargers, Campbell went 10-for-16 for 117 yards with one touchdown along with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game.
Over the next two weeks, Oakland takes on two defenses that have allowed among the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos, so Campbell could be a major asset to fantasy owners that have a need as the playoffs start.
Owners in two-quarterback leagues will definitely want to consider adding him.
James Starks (Green Bay Packers)
Starks came out of nowhere to get 18 carries for 73 yards in 4 Brett Favre White jersey
Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers and easily lead the Packers in both categories.
With Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn unlikely to make a consistent impact this season, Starks looks to be the primary ball carrier for Green Bay. Since the Packers’ offense is so prolific, any player that emerges as a major part of the offense is immediately worth fantasy consideration. Over the next two weeks, Green Bay takes on the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, who both rank in the bottom part of the league in fantasy points allowed to running backs.
Week 16 brings a fairly tough matchup against the New York Giants, but Starks is widely available (six percent ownership in Yahoo!) and can be a major fantasy asset over the next couple of weeks as long as he can continue to see a lot of playing time.
Anthony Armstrong (Washington Redskins)
Armstrong had a career-high six receptions (on 10 targets) for 97 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 13.
With the injuries the Redskins have at running back and with wide receiver Santana Moss looking limited by a hamstring injury, he could emerge as a primary target in a pass-happy Washington offense.
After a fairly tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, Armstrong gets a couple of favorable matchups against the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 and 16 respectively.
He looks to be a legit deep threat at minimum and could be a real under the radar option in 12-team leagues.
He should be available in over 90 percent of Jets 6 Sanchez AFL50th jersey
Yahoo! leagues and if you have the roster space, go ahead and grab your hands on the emerging wideout.
Ed Dickson (Baltimore Ravens)
With Ravens’ starting tight end Todd Heap leaving Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after the game’s first play with a hamstring injury, the door was open for Dickson to see playing time. He had three catches for 21 yards in the game, while being targeted seven times.
Heap has already been ruled out in Week 14 and Dickson will be able to take advantage of the Ravens' favorable matchup.
The Texans entered Week 13 allowing league highs in catches (70) and yards (811) to opposing tight ends, along with a second-most in the league seven touchdowns to the position.
Dickson should be available in all fantasy leagues and makes for a sneaky play in Week 14 on Monday Night Football.
2010年12月11日星期六
Pittsburgh Steelers "Standouts from preseason opener
It was surely nice for Steelers fans to see their team emerge triumphant in its preseason opener, but the exhibition schedule isn't about wins and losses; rather, the point is for teams to gel, position battles to be solved and rookies to adjust to new surroundings. That said, here are five performances from Pittsburgh's 16-10 victory over Philadelphia on Friday that have the Steelers' coaches and players feeling good.Offensive linePittsburgh's biggest concern is its offensive line, but the entire unit had a solid performance against the Eagles. The Steelers 43 Polamalu jersey
line often pushed Eagles defenders backward when it came to running the ball, allowing the Steelers to rack up 118 ground yards on 35 attempts. That's only 3.4 yards per rush, but when Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall were in the backfield, they averaged 5.4 a try. In the passing game, the O-line allowed only one sack. Center Justin Hartwig had a strong performance with the second unit, and it will be interesting to see what he can do with the first-string line on Thursday against Buffalo.Parker and MendenhallParker was only in for one drive, but he still showed the burst of speed that led to his nickname -- "Fast Willie" -- in the first place. His three carries for 20 yards should restore faith in those who weren't sure if he was fully recovered from last season's broken leg. First-round pick Mendenhall was fairly impressive in his first pro appearance, amassing 34 yards -- including a nice 15-yard pickup on a left-side sweep -- on seven carries. He also returned a kick 28 yards. Mendenhall will have to continue working on moving vertically instead of horizontally, and he needs improvement on short-yardage situations. Still, it was a solid debut for the former Illinois star.Linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley Timmons, a 2007 first-rounder, flashed the same speed he's been showing all camp. In the late first quarter, Donovan McNabb found Correll Buckhalter in the right flat. Timmons, not anywhere near Buckhalter, was playing zone when the runner caught the ball at the 13. Suddenly, Timmons exploded toward the ball and held a possible first-down play to only 3 yards. A couple plays later, Timmons kept pace with a wide receiver at the back of the end zone to prevent a touchdown. Even if he doesn't take the mack linebacker job away from veteran Larry Foote, it's obvious that Timmons will make an impact this season.Woodley, last year's second-round pick, had a nice first start at left outside linebacker. He seemed to own Eagles right tackle Jon Runyan, a solid 13-year veteran. Runyan was penalized once for tripping Woodley after being tossed to the ground, and Philadelphia used a fullback to double team Woodley on at least one occasion.Rookie wide receiver Limas SweedThis year's second-round choice caught three passes for just 23 yards, but it was Sweed's toughness and fearlessness that was really impressive. In the second quarter while jumping high over the middle to make a catch, Sweed was hit in mid-air and landed on his head. It was only a 3-yard play, but he held onto the ball. Then, in the first play of the fourth quarter, he kept both feet inbounds on a nice sideline grab.Rookie quarterback Dennis DixonThe former Oregon star tore his ACL only nine months ago, but you couldn't tell it from Friday night's performance. Dixon was 6 of 9 for 30 yards -- not bad for a rookie -- and a 50-yard play was called back because of a hold that happened away from the play. However, it was one of Dixon's incomplete passes that was truly impressive. In the third quarter on a third-and-long play, it looked like Dixon was about to be sacked for a safety. But at the last moment, Dixon spun right, evaded the pressure Steelers 43 Polamalu jersey
and set back up to pass. The throw was incomplete, but it showed Dixon's confidence and composure. The Steelers just signed Byron Leftwich to replace the injured Charlie Batch, but head coach Mike Tomlin says he won't be putting Batch on injured reserve. That means Dixon will probably only make the team if the Steelers keep four quarterbacks on their roster. Regardless, Dixon is making his case for a roster spot, which is his first step toward the goal of eventually becoming Ben Roethlisberger's backup.Fantasy Playbook: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
line often pushed Eagles defenders backward when it came to running the ball, allowing the Steelers to rack up 118 ground yards on 35 attempts. That's only 3.4 yards per rush, but when Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall were in the backfield, they averaged 5.4 a try. In the passing game, the O-line allowed only one sack. Center Justin Hartwig had a strong performance with the second unit, and it will be interesting to see what he can do with the first-string line on Thursday against Buffalo.Parker and MendenhallParker was only in for one drive, but he still showed the burst of speed that led to his nickname -- "Fast Willie" -- in the first place. His three carries for 20 yards should restore faith in those who weren't sure if he was fully recovered from last season's broken leg. First-round pick Mendenhall was fairly impressive in his first pro appearance, amassing 34 yards -- including a nice 15-yard pickup on a left-side sweep -- on seven carries. He also returned a kick 28 yards. Mendenhall will have to continue working on moving vertically instead of horizontally, and he needs improvement on short-yardage situations. Still, it was a solid debut for the former Illinois star.Linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley Timmons, a 2007 first-rounder, flashed the same speed he's been showing all camp. In the late first quarter, Donovan McNabb found Correll Buckhalter in the right flat. Timmons, not anywhere near Buckhalter, was playing zone when the runner caught the ball at the 13. Suddenly, Timmons exploded toward the ball and held a possible first-down play to only 3 yards. A couple plays later, Timmons kept pace with a wide receiver at the back of the end zone to prevent a touchdown. Even if he doesn't take the mack linebacker job away from veteran Larry Foote, it's obvious that Timmons will make an impact this season.Woodley, last year's second-round pick, had a nice first start at left outside linebacker. He seemed to own Eagles right tackle Jon Runyan, a solid 13-year veteran. Runyan was penalized once for tripping Woodley after being tossed to the ground, and Philadelphia used a fullback to double team Woodley on at least one occasion.Rookie wide receiver Limas SweedThis year's second-round choice caught three passes for just 23 yards, but it was Sweed's toughness and fearlessness that was really impressive. In the second quarter while jumping high over the middle to make a catch, Sweed was hit in mid-air and landed on his head. It was only a 3-yard play, but he held onto the ball. Then, in the first play of the fourth quarter, he kept both feet inbounds on a nice sideline grab.Rookie quarterback Dennis DixonThe former Oregon star tore his ACL only nine months ago, but you couldn't tell it from Friday night's performance. Dixon was 6 of 9 for 30 yards -- not bad for a rookie -- and a 50-yard play was called back because of a hold that happened away from the play. However, it was one of Dixon's incomplete passes that was truly impressive. In the third quarter on a third-and-long play, it looked like Dixon was about to be sacked for a safety. But at the last moment, Dixon spun right, evaded the pressure Steelers 43 Polamalu jersey
and set back up to pass. The throw was incomplete, but it showed Dixon's confidence and composure. The Steelers just signed Byron Leftwich to replace the injured Charlie Batch, but head coach Mike Tomlin says he won't be putting Batch on injured reserve. That means Dixon will probably only make the team if the Steelers keep four quarterbacks on their roster. Regardless, Dixon is making his case for a roster spot, which is his first step toward the goal of eventually becoming Ben Roethlisberger's backup.Fantasy Playbook: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
2010年12月9日星期四
San Francisco 49ers Defense Commentary Week 6
Unlike many journalists, I can actually admit when I'm wrong. I was wrong last week when I argued that if the 49ers would attack from various angles, disguise their blitz packages, and stop playing basic coverage on third downs, they would be much better off. I was also wrong when I said their scheme predictability was the main reason why the Niners had struggled on defense for the majority of the season. For the record, this is what I said: When the 49ers have the opposing offense at third down and five or more, they drop into zone coverage and rush only three or 36 Bettis Black Jersey
four nearly every time. This works to the other team's advantage ... that is a big part of the reason why San Francisco is ranked 24th against the pass and is allowing its opponents to convert over 46 percent of their third-down attempts for the year.What I failed to notice was that all season long, the 49ers' coaching staff has been more concerned with avoiding big touchdown plays than forcing the other offense off the field quickly. They don't mind if teams convert on third downs. They would rather play basic defenses and force the opposing offense to sustain long drives down the field to generate points. Total yards be damned, it's the total points they're concerned with. Upon this realization, it became obvious that the Niners' defensive philosophy is bend-but-don't-break (typed as BBDB from now on). All the blitzing in the world would do very little to help the Niners' defense. In fact, it would contradict the entire concept of the scheme and hurt the unit in the long run. You don't want to run a Jekyll and Hyde type of team. You want to pick what you believe would fit your squad the best and stick with that.Teams with exceptional talent like the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles are best-suited to the attacking philosophy. Talented and experienced units such as those are able to create favorable individual matchups with their talent in the secondary and linebacker positions, then use their strength and skill on the D-line to overwhelm the offense. The 49ers, however, do not have that luxury. Not only is their defense young, but their talent level is average (or worse) at many key positions. Their defensive line has proven that they are not effective enough to sustain any type of consistent pass rush against decent offensive lines. Their linebackers are either young (Lawson) or just not that talented. Their entire secondary is average at best, and occasionally veers toward below average in both talent level and field awareness.Mike Nolan and the rest of the coaches obviously know this, and have decided to use the BBDB style. Rather than attacking, the BBDB defends. When run correctly, it uses all 11 players as one cohesive unit to mitigate the talent advantage an offense might have with individual matchups. The goal of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
the BBDB is to force the opposing offense to be patient and put together long drives to move the ball down the field and put points on the scoreboard. The longer the drive goes on, the more of a chance there is for a mistake by the offense, be it a turnover or penalty. Holding the other team to a field goal is considered a win in the BBDB scheme, but obviously forcing turnover is more conducive to victories. Imagine it as an umbrella during a rain storm. If there are no holes in the umbrella, the person standing underneath is usually not going to get wet, right? It's the same way with the BBDB. As long as there are no lapses in coverage (holes in the umbrella), the other team is usually not going to break through.The Niners' personnel are still adapting to this style of defense, and they have struggled early in the season because of it. As I mentioned last week, the Niners have consistently allowed big pass plays on third down, and against the Eagles they were burned on several big plays. Most of this has been a result of all the new faces on the unit. A group of players can't just step in and play well together. It takes time for a team to develop chemistry -- to know what to expect at all times from your teammates. But the 49ers are coming around; of that I can assure you. Just look at the Oakland game.One of the keys to measuring the success of a BBDB defense is to look at the long drives allowed that either resulted in a field goal or no points. In their first four games of the season, there were seven drives of eight plays or more that resulted in a field goal or less:vs. ArizonaTen plays for 63 yards: FGThirteen plays for 68 yards: FGvs. St. LouisThirteen plays for 44 yards: missed FGSixteen plays for 66 yards: FGTen plays for 42 yards: FGvs. PhiladelphiaNine plays for 57 yards: FGEight plays for 47 yards: fumblevs. Kansas CityNone, though there were two seven-play drives (of 38 and 46 yards) where they forced a punt.Against the Raiders, there was significant improvement, with three drives of eight plays or more resulting in a field goal or less: Eight plays, 50 yards: interceptionEight plays, 39 yards: interception Eleven plays, 59 yards: FGHere's the rub: in order for the BBDB to work, the offense can't turn the ball over and allow the other team's offense to start with a short field. It negates the entire idea behind the BBDB and puts the defense at a serious disadvantage. So far this season, the 49ers have given up 24 scoring drives by the opposing offense. Out of those 24 drives, eight began inside the Niners' 45-yard line and resulted in 37 points -- 1/3 of the scoring drives allowed. (Just for the record, their combined score thus far this season is 146 to 105. I'm just saying....)Another problem is that the 49ers are giving up entirely too many touchdowns. As I mentioned earlier, holding a team to a field goal is considered a win for the BBDB. However, of the 16 drives of 55 yards or more this season, the 49ers have allowed 12 touchdowns to just four field goals. In 10 Santonio Holmes White jersey
order to maximize the success of the defense, this figure needs to flip-flop.All in all, the Niners' defense is getting better. The only question is, Can the unit develop the oh-so-important chemistry that makes a defense great and start holding teams to field goals, or will it continue to give up big plays and allow touchdowns in the red zone because of mistakes? Judging by what we witnessed against Oakland last Sunday, I'd put my money down on the former.
four nearly every time. This works to the other team's advantage ... that is a big part of the reason why San Francisco is ranked 24th against the pass and is allowing its opponents to convert over 46 percent of their third-down attempts for the year.What I failed to notice was that all season long, the 49ers' coaching staff has been more concerned with avoiding big touchdown plays than forcing the other offense off the field quickly. They don't mind if teams convert on third downs. They would rather play basic defenses and force the opposing offense to sustain long drives down the field to generate points. Total yards be damned, it's the total points they're concerned with. Upon this realization, it became obvious that the Niners' defensive philosophy is bend-but-don't-break (typed as BBDB from now on). All the blitzing in the world would do very little to help the Niners' defense. In fact, it would contradict the entire concept of the scheme and hurt the unit in the long run. You don't want to run a Jekyll and Hyde type of team. You want to pick what you believe would fit your squad the best and stick with that.Teams with exceptional talent like the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles are best-suited to the attacking philosophy. Talented and experienced units such as those are able to create favorable individual matchups with their talent in the secondary and linebacker positions, then use their strength and skill on the D-line to overwhelm the offense. The 49ers, however, do not have that luxury. Not only is their defense young, but their talent level is average (or worse) at many key positions. Their defensive line has proven that they are not effective enough to sustain any type of consistent pass rush against decent offensive lines. Their linebackers are either young (Lawson) or just not that talented. Their entire secondary is average at best, and occasionally veers toward below average in both talent level and field awareness.Mike Nolan and the rest of the coaches obviously know this, and have decided to use the BBDB style. Rather than attacking, the BBDB defends. When run correctly, it uses all 11 players as one cohesive unit to mitigate the talent advantage an offense might have with individual matchups. The goal of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
the BBDB is to force the opposing offense to be patient and put together long drives to move the ball down the field and put points on the scoreboard. The longer the drive goes on, the more of a chance there is for a mistake by the offense, be it a turnover or penalty. Holding the other team to a field goal is considered a win in the BBDB scheme, but obviously forcing turnover is more conducive to victories. Imagine it as an umbrella during a rain storm. If there are no holes in the umbrella, the person standing underneath is usually not going to get wet, right? It's the same way with the BBDB. As long as there are no lapses in coverage (holes in the umbrella), the other team is usually not going to break through.The Niners' personnel are still adapting to this style of defense, and they have struggled early in the season because of it. As I mentioned last week, the Niners have consistently allowed big pass plays on third down, and against the Eagles they were burned on several big plays. Most of this has been a result of all the new faces on the unit. A group of players can't just step in and play well together. It takes time for a team to develop chemistry -- to know what to expect at all times from your teammates. But the 49ers are coming around; of that I can assure you. Just look at the Oakland game.One of the keys to measuring the success of a BBDB defense is to look at the long drives allowed that either resulted in a field goal or no points. In their first four games of the season, there were seven drives of eight plays or more that resulted in a field goal or less:vs. ArizonaTen plays for 63 yards: FGThirteen plays for 68 yards: FGvs. St. LouisThirteen plays for 44 yards: missed FGSixteen plays for 66 yards: FGTen plays for 42 yards: FGvs. PhiladelphiaNine plays for 57 yards: FGEight plays for 47 yards: fumblevs. Kansas CityNone, though there were two seven-play drives (of 38 and 46 yards) where they forced a punt.Against the Raiders, there was significant improvement, with three drives of eight plays or more resulting in a field goal or less: Eight plays, 50 yards: interceptionEight plays, 39 yards: interception Eleven plays, 59 yards: FGHere's the rub: in order for the BBDB to work, the offense can't turn the ball over and allow the other team's offense to start with a short field. It negates the entire idea behind the BBDB and puts the defense at a serious disadvantage. So far this season, the 49ers have given up 24 scoring drives by the opposing offense. Out of those 24 drives, eight began inside the Niners' 45-yard line and resulted in 37 points -- 1/3 of the scoring drives allowed. (Just for the record, their combined score thus far this season is 146 to 105. I'm just saying....)Another problem is that the 49ers are giving up entirely too many touchdowns. As I mentioned earlier, holding a team to a field goal is considered a win for the BBDB. However, of the 16 drives of 55 yards or more this season, the 49ers have allowed 12 touchdowns to just four field goals. In 10 Santonio Holmes White jersey
order to maximize the success of the defense, this figure needs to flip-flop.All in all, the Niners' defense is getting better. The only question is, Can the unit develop the oh-so-important chemistry that makes a defense great and start holding teams to field goals, or will it continue to give up big plays and allow touchdowns in the red zone because of mistakes? Judging by what we witnessed against Oakland last Sunday, I'd put my money down on the former.
San Francisco 49ers "The Santa Clara 49ers? Boo!"
I don't know about y'all in California, but I smell a curse coming on...In the peak of summer, left to our own vices and with little news outside the police blotter, football fans' minds fill with speculation about the future. Thanks to the dead space between minicamps and training camps, Patricia Mahan may have been the key player in 49erland this week.Mahan is the mayor of Santa Clara, Calif., the would-be new home to the San Francisco 49ers. Her Honor got more headlines than any lady politico outside of Mrs. Soprano this 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
week simply by hosting a couple of NFL executives in her town on Tuesday.To drive her point regarding the feasibility of relocating the 49ers but still keeping the fan base (no doubt seeking to allay memories of Al Davis' half-baked move to L.A. in the '80s), Mayor Mahan actually walked the interested parties from team headquarters/practice facility to a proposed site adjacent to the Great America theme park, showing that infrastructural changes in this regard need not be made. On their part, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and related interests touted Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, a site on the bay which is currently propped up as a federal "Superfund" site and has, um, certain issues with toxic pollution. (Yeesh.) This can be cleared up by 2012, assured Newsom.Most press accounts have Santa Clara as a favorite (the oft-quoted quote from one of the NFL officials proclaimed the site "beautiful") to replace dilapidated Monster Park (a.k.a. 3Com Park, a.k.a. Candlestick Park) as home.Of course, before anything is finalized, environmental impact studies must be undertaken and some $160 million must be found from the NFL and/or the generous taxpayers of Santa Clara to break ground on the $854 million stadium. Surely, this is never a problem; the 49ers are destined to move. (Isn't it nice to move in the realm of the multi-billionaire?)Niners fan should be concerned. History says that Candlestick Park and San Francisco proper have been home to one of the two or three most successful football franchises of the modern NFL. And 2007 could very well see both Barry Bonds' 756th career home run and a return to greatness for the footballers. Is this the way to close up shop?But superstition and its dreaded descendant - a curse - is surely raising its slimy head.Imagine Bonds' round-tripper greeted by boos. Imagine the 49ers making consecutive Super Bowl appearances, led by league MVP Frank Gore. Imagine Alex Smith joining Joe Montana and Steve Young. And then imagine that shot of the wrecking ball tearing down Candlestick Park, where Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice once roamed.Old fuddy-duddy, curmudgeonly, mindful-of-history buggers like myself say that sports curses are karmic payback for 6 Sanchez White Jersey
forgetting history. The Niners will be playing the 2012 season somewhere else; this much is certain. I, for one, will be rooting against those new-fangled Niners in full grumpy old man throat.The Santa Clara 49ers? Come on...RealFootball365.com: Where we contemplate moving the franchise to Las Vegas all year 'round...Make sure to checkout our new "News & Fantasy" section on the upper right-hand side of the homepage.
week simply by hosting a couple of NFL executives in her town on Tuesday.To drive her point regarding the feasibility of relocating the 49ers but still keeping the fan base (no doubt seeking to allay memories of Al Davis' half-baked move to L.A. in the '80s), Mayor Mahan actually walked the interested parties from team headquarters/practice facility to a proposed site adjacent to the Great America theme park, showing that infrastructural changes in this regard need not be made. On their part, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and related interests touted Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, a site on the bay which is currently propped up as a federal "Superfund" site and has, um, certain issues with toxic pollution. (Yeesh.) This can be cleared up by 2012, assured Newsom.Most press accounts have Santa Clara as a favorite (the oft-quoted quote from one of the NFL officials proclaimed the site "beautiful") to replace dilapidated Monster Park (a.k.a. 3Com Park, a.k.a. Candlestick Park) as home.Of course, before anything is finalized, environmental impact studies must be undertaken and some $160 million must be found from the NFL and/or the generous taxpayers of Santa Clara to break ground on the $854 million stadium. Surely, this is never a problem; the 49ers are destined to move. (Isn't it nice to move in the realm of the multi-billionaire?)Niners fan should be concerned. History says that Candlestick Park and San Francisco proper have been home to one of the two or three most successful football franchises of the modern NFL. And 2007 could very well see both Barry Bonds' 756th career home run and a return to greatness for the footballers. Is this the way to close up shop?But superstition and its dreaded descendant - a curse - is surely raising its slimy head.Imagine Bonds' round-tripper greeted by boos. Imagine the 49ers making consecutive Super Bowl appearances, led by league MVP Frank Gore. Imagine Alex Smith joining Joe Montana and Steve Young. And then imagine that shot of the wrecking ball tearing down Candlestick Park, where Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice once roamed.Old fuddy-duddy, curmudgeonly, mindful-of-history buggers like myself say that sports curses are karmic payback for 6 Sanchez White Jersey
forgetting history. The Niners will be playing the 2012 season somewhere else; this much is certain. I, for one, will be rooting against those new-fangled Niners in full grumpy old man throat.The Santa Clara 49ers? Come on...RealFootball365.com: Where we contemplate moving the franchise to Las Vegas all year 'round...Make sure to checkout our new "News & Fantasy" section on the upper right-hand side of the homepage.
2010年12月2日星期四
Good on his own, Tony Ugoh is even better by comparison
It turns out that this Colts offense is somewhat fond of throwing the ball. Also, my extensive research indicates that, in American football, the left tackle is the one directly responsible for keeping the quarterback from being attacked from the blind side. With these factors in mind, Tony Ugoh, a rookie playing the most important position on the line for one of the league's most pass-focused teams, had a season successful enough that he could already be considered one of the league's better tackles. He's only played 11 pro games, but he's so far Dallas Cowboys jersey
put forth a shining performance, especially when compared to others with the same job title.The easiest way to qualify Ugoh's season is by looking at what he didn't do, namely all that much bad. He was whistled for exactly one false start and no holding penalties over the entire year, which is as amazingly notable as watching a Will Ferrell movie and laughing. Hey, maybe he'll make a dreadfully half-baked football film next!Even better, Ugoh allowed a paltry grand total of 1.5 sacks. That fantastically miniscule number looks even more impressive when judged against the sums conceded by a few of the league's premier left tackles. For example, Flozell Adams of the Cowboys surrendered 3.5 sacks last season, although, unlike Ugoh, he started every game. Further, perhaps-soon-retired Raven Jonathan Ogden was victimized for 2.5 sacks in 2007 while appearing in the same number of games as the rookie.Matt Light of the Patriots gave up 6.5 sacks over the course of his team's perfect (regular) season. Meanwhile, Jason Peters of the Bills, often considered the position's emerging embodiment, allowed six during 2007 in an admittedly worse situation offensively; he also played 15 games, four more than his Indianapolis equivalent. Regardless, Ugoh kept perhaps the most important player in the game upright on virtually every play, as he was beaten on fewer occasions than some of the NFL's best at the spot.To be fair, there is the question of who's most responsible for the paucity of sacks Indianapolis suffers. Including the two Jim Sorgi sustained in their meaningless season finale, Colts quarterbacks were brought down only 23 times in 2007; that was seventh-fewest in the league. Part of that has to be attributed not only to Peyton Manning's sense for pressure but also the coolly capable way in which he eludes rushers and releases the ball quickly.Still, Even though Manning is adept at avoiding sacks, particularly for someone who didn't double as a high school and college track star, he can't do it alone. At least some of the credit must be doled out to the man quelling flank attacks from that week's right defensive lineman, and in that sense Ugoh could have been a rookie of the year candidate if 1) he made more appearances, 2) blockers ever got recognition for anything, and 3) Adrian Peterson didn't happen to be in the same draft class. While both Manning and the line kept sack totals low before Ugoh joined the team, the rookie has to be praised for stepping in and helping to prolong that tendency.The biggest problem with Ugoh is not regarding his talent but whether he can stay on the field and make use of same talent. He missed a stretch of five games during his rookie campaign due to neck and shoulder troubles; he also sprained an ankle versus the Texans in late September, although that didn't cause him to be excused from any live action.Perhaps it was coincidental, but the games he sat out happened to include the Colts' two significant regular season losses. On the other hand, perhaps it most certainly was not: in those games against New England and San Diego, Manning was sacked a total of five times. That decreases the 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
likelihood that it was just random chance: there's an absolute correlation between Ugoh sitting out and the squad's bad stretch.It's better that durability is the issue rather than skill, but Ugoh still needs to find a way to stay off the injured list. A statistically fine rookie season is evidence that he did far more than simply coast on the efforts of his talented, established teammates. That's especially obvious when he's either held against other top tackles in the league or isn't on the field.
put forth a shining performance, especially when compared to others with the same job title.The easiest way to qualify Ugoh's season is by looking at what he didn't do, namely all that much bad. He was whistled for exactly one false start and no holding penalties over the entire year, which is as amazingly notable as watching a Will Ferrell movie and laughing. Hey, maybe he'll make a dreadfully half-baked football film next!Even better, Ugoh allowed a paltry grand total of 1.5 sacks. That fantastically miniscule number looks even more impressive when judged against the sums conceded by a few of the league's premier left tackles. For example, Flozell Adams of the Cowboys surrendered 3.5 sacks last season, although, unlike Ugoh, he started every game. Further, perhaps-soon-retired Raven Jonathan Ogden was victimized for 2.5 sacks in 2007 while appearing in the same number of games as the rookie.Matt Light of the Patriots gave up 6.5 sacks over the course of his team's perfect (regular) season. Meanwhile, Jason Peters of the Bills, often considered the position's emerging embodiment, allowed six during 2007 in an admittedly worse situation offensively; he also played 15 games, four more than his Indianapolis equivalent. Regardless, Ugoh kept perhaps the most important player in the game upright on virtually every play, as he was beaten on fewer occasions than some of the NFL's best at the spot.To be fair, there is the question of who's most responsible for the paucity of sacks Indianapolis suffers. Including the two Jim Sorgi sustained in their meaningless season finale, Colts quarterbacks were brought down only 23 times in 2007; that was seventh-fewest in the league. Part of that has to be attributed not only to Peyton Manning's sense for pressure but also the coolly capable way in which he eludes rushers and releases the ball quickly.Still, Even though Manning is adept at avoiding sacks, particularly for someone who didn't double as a high school and college track star, he can't do it alone. At least some of the credit must be doled out to the man quelling flank attacks from that week's right defensive lineman, and in that sense Ugoh could have been a rookie of the year candidate if 1) he made more appearances, 2) blockers ever got recognition for anything, and 3) Adrian Peterson didn't happen to be in the same draft class. While both Manning and the line kept sack totals low before Ugoh joined the team, the rookie has to be praised for stepping in and helping to prolong that tendency.The biggest problem with Ugoh is not regarding his talent but whether he can stay on the field and make use of same talent. He missed a stretch of five games during his rookie campaign due to neck and shoulder troubles; he also sprained an ankle versus the Texans in late September, although that didn't cause him to be excused from any live action.Perhaps it was coincidental, but the games he sat out happened to include the Colts' two significant regular season losses. On the other hand, perhaps it most certainly was not: in those games against New England and San Diego, Manning was sacked a total of five times. That decreases the 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
likelihood that it was just random chance: there's an absolute correlation between Ugoh sitting out and the squad's bad stretch.It's better that durability is the issue rather than skill, but Ugoh still needs to find a way to stay off the injured list. A statistically fine rookie season is evidence that he did far more than simply coast on the efforts of his talented, established teammates. That's especially obvious when he's either held against other top tackles in the league or isn't on the field.
He’s only been shelved in the midst of the schedule once
Betting that Marvin Harrison’s career is over is like gambling that the Yankees won’t make the playoffs: This could be the year that it happens, but it’s better to just see if the unlikely event actually takes place and keep your money pocketed. Talk that the Colts will place a cautious wage at the draft, namely by using an early pick on a wide receiver, overlooks the fact that a player who’s as quiet as laryngitic Tony Dungy nevertheless demands attention as a far-from-spent competitor.Harrison didn’t get to 1,042 receptions or into the 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
end zone 123 times while coasting on natural skill: His levels of fitness and preparation will serve as great assets on his way back to game action. While the fact remains that he turns 36 before 2008’s first game, players at his talent level are often renowned for enjoying extended careers as determination becomes an ingrained portion of their personalities.If his past had been checkered with frequent wounds and trips to injured reserve, Harrison’s current mysterious knee ailment would be more of a concern. But he didn’t miss much time up until this past campaign. He’s only been shelved in the midst of the schedule once, for the final four games of 1998 with a shoulder issue; in retrospect, adding him to the season-ending list last year would have been for the best, but his past history made it difficult to concede that it would have been prudent to shelve him permanently for 2007.Even factoring in last season, Harrison has played 175 out of a possible 192 career games, a fine record of sturdiness in addition to what he’s actually done with his time on the field.As for the feelings of the player himself, we can’t tell: Harrison has adhered to his monk-like refusal to speak, much less speak up. He isn’t, say, proclaiming that he’s on the path to a massive comeback during interviews on sports highlight programs or from a personal Web site; but, the refreshing lack of braggadocio aside, that also means that there aren’t first-person updates on his condition or reappearance status. More convincing than offseason words are his midseason actions since 1996.Plus, he just can’t leave like this. It’s hard to accept that Harrison would let his last significant moment on a football field remain having the ball jarred from his possession after finally getting back on the field during the playoffs against the Chargers. If nothing else, leaving the game on his terms has to appeal to a ceaselessly dominant player.Either way, drafting a prominent receiver with a high choice would be a luxurious waste. Even if Harrison has played his final NFL game, the Colts could get by without adding another wideout: With Reggie Wayne as the primary man, Anthony Gonzalez as his sidekick, and Dallas Clark re-signed to play in his tight end/slot hybrid role, the Colts would have a receiving corps that most fans and general managers would envy.Add a recuperated Harrison to that group, and opposing defensive coordinators will have to compose themselves to keep from weeping. It’s 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
not a guarantee that he’ll return to being spectacular, much less return at all, but Harrison’s silent professionalism and drive mean that Indianapolis could address other needs with its initial picks. It’s of course a decision that’s up to him, and it’s possible that his body may finally be betraying him, but the evidence over time suggests that believing Harrison will come back is a worthwhile risk.
end zone 123 times while coasting on natural skill: His levels of fitness and preparation will serve as great assets on his way back to game action. While the fact remains that he turns 36 before 2008’s first game, players at his talent level are often renowned for enjoying extended careers as determination becomes an ingrained portion of their personalities.If his past had been checkered with frequent wounds and trips to injured reserve, Harrison’s current mysterious knee ailment would be more of a concern. But he didn’t miss much time up until this past campaign. He’s only been shelved in the midst of the schedule once, for the final four games of 1998 with a shoulder issue; in retrospect, adding him to the season-ending list last year would have been for the best, but his past history made it difficult to concede that it would have been prudent to shelve him permanently for 2007.Even factoring in last season, Harrison has played 175 out of a possible 192 career games, a fine record of sturdiness in addition to what he’s actually done with his time on the field.As for the feelings of the player himself, we can’t tell: Harrison has adhered to his monk-like refusal to speak, much less speak up. He isn’t, say, proclaiming that he’s on the path to a massive comeback during interviews on sports highlight programs or from a personal Web site; but, the refreshing lack of braggadocio aside, that also means that there aren’t first-person updates on his condition or reappearance status. More convincing than offseason words are his midseason actions since 1996.Plus, he just can’t leave like this. It’s hard to accept that Harrison would let his last significant moment on a football field remain having the ball jarred from his possession after finally getting back on the field during the playoffs against the Chargers. If nothing else, leaving the game on his terms has to appeal to a ceaselessly dominant player.Either way, drafting a prominent receiver with a high choice would be a luxurious waste. Even if Harrison has played his final NFL game, the Colts could get by without adding another wideout: With Reggie Wayne as the primary man, Anthony Gonzalez as his sidekick, and Dallas Clark re-signed to play in his tight end/slot hybrid role, the Colts would have a receiving corps that most fans and general managers would envy.Add a recuperated Harrison to that group, and opposing defensive coordinators will have to compose themselves to keep from weeping. It’s 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
not a guarantee that he’ll return to being spectacular, much less return at all, but Harrison’s silent professionalism and drive mean that Indianapolis could address other needs with its initial picks. It’s of course a decision that’s up to him, and it’s possible that his body may finally be betraying him, but the evidence over time suggests that believing Harrison will come back is a worthwhile risk.
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