Another Meaningless College Bowl Game

It’s that time of year again – where teams that barely finished above .500 get invited to another meaningless college bowl games designed to make them feel good about themselves. Yes, it is the collegiate version of the ‘Participation Trophy’ that small children get so that their self-esteem isn’t crushed. At least those are given for, at most, a weekend’s worth of activity. The bowl games go on for a month.

Some of these games are absolutely ridiculous, such as today’s Pinstripe Bowl. Really? The Pinstripe Bowl? Who would sponsor such a thing? The suits worn by Chicago gangsters during the 1930′s? The New York Yankees? Guess we now know why the Steinbrenners are not spending money on free agents this year. The sponsorship rights for this bowl game must have really cut into their budget.

So, who actually cares about these games? Well, the parents of the players involved. Maybe. Chances are, most of them are bored out of their skulls, like they’re stuck watching some crappy elementary school play. At any rate, the only people that have any real interest in these games are degenerate gamblers and Las Vegas. Yup, more chances to separate so-called ‘experts’ from their cash when they bet on a college they just learned existed.

Seriously, why do these bowl games exist? Just to pump more money into the coffers of the NCAA. Meanwhile, they will just continue to be ignored by the world at large.

All He Does Is Win

In the NFL, the only thing that matters is whether or not a team wins. It doesn’t matter how the victory occurs, so long as the wins column receives another mark. So, the time has come to recognize someone that does nothing but win football games, no matter how ugly it may look out there. A man who has a penchant for leading his team to come from behind victories, often in rather miraculous fashion. A man who didn’t even start for his own team at the start of the season, and was seemingly unwanted by his own head coach. That’s right, we’re here to talk about John Skelton.

John Skelton? Yes, this man is why the Arizona Cardinals were even in playoff contention until this past week. He has managed to put together a winning percentage that is close to another quarterback that, according to his defenders, does nothing more than win in Tim Tebow. In fact, Tebow’s winning percentage is .615 at present. Skelton is at .600.

So, while Tebow gets all the credit for managing to win football games in rather unorthodox fashion, Skelton wins games also. Unlike Tebow however, Skelton does not have a solid defense or a great running game to rely upon. What he has is Larry Fitzgerald, which means that Skelton actually has to play quarterback. Apparently, this is a novel concept for a quarterback to, you know, actually look competent when throwing a football. While he may have accuracy issues (12 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in his career), it should not matter, since he wins games. At least, that’s the argument the Tebow crowd has.

In the end, it’s time to give some love to John Skelton. Since, you know, he actually can play quarterback in the NFL, unlike that fullback that’s simply lining up behind center.

Kris Humphries - NBA's Most Hated

Well, LeBron James has now lost another title – the coveted mantle of being the most hated player in the NBA.

Kris Humphries, he of the 78 day marriage to a Kardashian, was voted as the most heated player by the public, with a whopping 50% of people stating that they hate him. Perhaps this is due to the overexposure of the Kardashian  family (Lamar Odom was 10th). Perhaps this is because he wasted an obscene amount of money on an engagement ring. Or perhaps this is because Kardashian fans are complete and utter morons.

The venom from fans of the Kardashian Show towards Kris Humphries has to do with him telling Kim Kardashian that she “has no talent and a fat ass.” Know what? He’s right! She does have a fat ass. Ever listen to her sing or try to act? She doesn’t have any talent, unless it involves that sex tape that made her famous. Even then, she really doesn’t seem that worthwhile. Seriously, why would anyone want to nail her, especially since they would have to listen to whatever inanity she babbled about afterwards? One can only listen to “I like shoes” and “I’m a spoiled rich bitch” for so long before wanting to throttle themselves with barbed wire.

So, the whole KarHump (what I think they should have been called, since she’s a whore and probably humped in many cars) thing got Kris Humphries a lot more than the multitude of venereal diseases that he now has. It also got him notoriety, as the NBA’s Most Hated Player. Enjoy those fifteen minutes of fame Kris. This time next year, no one will remember you.

Farewell To The Greatest

Sad news came across the sports universe the other day, as the greatest athlete in the history of ever has passed. No, we are not talking about Muhammad Ali or Bo Jackson. This man outshined both. Indeed, Jim Thorpe and Babe Didrickson Zaharias were not even close to the level of pure athleticism possessed by this man, the most natural of athletes in the history of ever. Yes, we are here to mourn the passing of that true legend of sport – Kim Jung Il.

Golf is a difficult hobby to master. Unless, of course, you happen to be Kim Jung Il, a man so amazing that even the Dos Equis guy felt worthless when confronted by his presence. Kim Jung Il had five holes in one. In one game. The first time he ever played. In fact, he shot a 36 for the game. And that was only because he played the last five holes blindfolded. Tiger who? This man would have destroyed the PGA if he wasn’t so busy being the benevolent leader to the masses.

Apparently bored, Kim Jung Il switched his attention to bowling. He then promptly bowled a 300. First time he ever bowled as well. In fact, his bowling prowress was so astonishing that the pins fell on their own accord when he walked up after the first five frames, just to avoid being struck by a ball flung with the power of the gods themselves. It’s a good thing for the PBA that he never joined, otherwise that tour would have been in a North Korean stranglehold for years.

So today, put aside a little time to remember a true legend in the world of sport. Kim Jung Il was the greatest athlete that ever lived. Just check the North Korean newspapers.

The Clippers As Contenders

David Stern has struck yet again, further emasculating Hornets GM Dell Demps as he overvalues the worth of Chris Paul. This time, he has squashed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, Chris Kaman, Al-Faroq Aminu, and Minnesota’s 2012 first round pick. And you know what? The Clippers should be glad that he did.

The Clippers right now have one of the best cores of talent in the NBA. Think about that for a moment – the CLIPPERS, a perennial joke of a franchise that could have the basketball version of Major Leagues made about them, might be the best basketball team in Los Angeles. This is without Chris Paul; in fact, getting Paul would actually hurt the Clippers’ nucleus. Eric Gordon is one of the best young shooting guards in the game, and can flat out score. Kaman is a solid center that can do all the little things needed to win. Eric Bledsoe is a good young point guard, and will now get to learn from the recently acquired Chauncey Billips. Blake Griffin is an absolute beast; and paired with DeAndre Jordan, may give the Clippers one of the best front courts in the NBA. Add Ryan Gomes, the recently signed Caron Butler, and role players like Randy Foye and Mo Williams, and the Clippers have quietly become contenders.

Notice what name is missing from the list? Chris Paul. The Clippers don’t need him, and would be better off not gutting their team to acquire him. In fact, given the demands by Das NBA Fuhrer, Paul is destined to spend the season languishing on a terrible Hornets team, then will end up bolting in free agency. The Clippers could always make a move to sign him then, and grow even stronger.

The LA Clippers could be a contender for years to come if they stay patient and do not overreach for the flashy name. Who would have ever thought that the best team in Los Angeles for years to come may not be the Lakers?

David Stern Must Go

Mark December 8, 2011 as the date that the NBA officially lost it’s relevance in the professional sports world.

Not only did wanna-be mafia boss David Stern block a trade that he authorized the general manager of a team that is owned by the league to make, but he also has permitted a group of whining, petulant owners who have the forethought and reasoning skills of toddlers to determine league policy. The worst part in all of this is that the Hornets actually got the best end of the trade. Now, despite claiming that Chris Paul can still be traded, he has managed to emasculate his general manager on any and all future moves.

Yes, Chris Paul is the biggest name, but he is also the biggest risk. With the Lakers acquiring Paul, they would have based their foundation on Paul and his bad knee, Andrew Bynum’s immaturity, and Kobe Bryant’s two bad knees. Any front court depth would be eliminated. Any consistency from the low post in scoring would be eliminated. And what if Kobe did not want to share the spotlight with Chris Paul? This could have either been a great move for the Lakers, or a move that they would be regretting for years.

The Rockets, meanwhile, managed to get a player that is a top three center in Pau Gasol, and were closing in on signing Nene. Oh, and that three year plan they had where they acquired enough solid pieces to be able to make a move like this one? Well, that just got blown up. Now what are the Rockets to do? They specifically planned for this year, and when players of that caliber would become available. Now they’re destined to mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

The Hornets, meanwhile, managed to turn one petulant superstar into one of the better scoring shooting guards in the game with Kevin Martin, a good big man in Luis Scola, a proven forward who can play either the two or the three in Lamar Odom, a talented young point guard in Goran Dragic, and a first round draft pick. Not a bad haul considering that Paul was trying to dictate where he would end up.

Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert comes across as being a teenage girl. His affinity for the Comic Sans font aside, the e-mail he sent out read like a post ona  fantasy league chat board complaining about the trade. His whining and overuse of punctuation made it feel like he posted his complaints on David Stern’s FaceBook wall. The only things that were missing were a couple of OMGs and a LMFAO. Seriously, who writes his e-mails, some emo teenaged brat? Pathetic.

Try to defend your decision all you want, David Stern. The truth is, the game has passed you by. Any authority and credibility you had is now irrevocably lost. Leave the game while you still have some dignity intact. What’s left of the NBA will be better for it.

Baseball's Dream Team

Apparently, putting together a ‘Dream Team’ has become the latest trend, roughly akin to the latest technological device. And like that new technology, it hasn’t worked out as expected.

Remember when the Miami Heat rolled out the first ‘Dream Team’ and how everyone anointed them as the NBA Champions before a single game had been played? Remember how LeBron demonstrated that he could count to seven as though he was the NBA version of The Count from Sesame Street when discussing how many championships they would win? Or remember how the Philadelphia Eagles were thought to be the future Super Bowl Champions and the regular season was merely a formality? Yeah, how well did that work out for either team?

Now the Miami Marlins are ignoring the lessons of history. And not distant history, such as when military leaders manage to forget that attacking Russia in the winter is a bad idea. This is recent history; in fact, it’s history in their own city. Obviously foresight and recognition of a problem are not amongst the strengths of the Marlins front office.

To further this point, look at the acquisitions they have made and the players they have been linked to. Already, they have signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell. They have been linked to C.J. Wilson, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder. Now, look at the roster that they are returning. Of the problems the Marlins had, shortstop and first base were not amongst those. Yes, they needed some help in the rotation and Buehrle fits that role, but does anyone really think that C.J. Wilson is truly worth ace money, especially when they already have Josh Johnson? Ridiculous.

Then there is the insanity that was the Jose Reyes signing. They already had an All-Star caliber shortstop in Hanley Ramirez. So why spend a ludicrous amount of money on a shortstop that can never stay healthy? Especially one with a history of leg, knee, and ankle injuries, whose best asset just so happens to be speed? Did they really expect Ramirez to be ok with the move, and quietly slide over the third base? Guess they completely botched their appraisal of that situation.

Meanwhile, the two most glaring holes on their roster have yet to actually be addressed. The primary third basemen for the Marlins hit a total of eight home runs last year. Eight. The had a center field combo that involved Emilio Bonifacio and Chris Coghlan. But obviously, those positions should not be a priority in free agency, when the team is opening it’s checkbook for the first time since 1997.

Sadly, there are free agents available that would have helped the Marlins in those very spots. Aramis Ramirez comes to mind. His bat in the middle of that lineup would make the Marlins rather formidable. Center field would be a bit harder to fill, but David DeJesus would have been a nice addition and can play a bit of center. Of the remaining free agents, Coco Crisp would be a solid signing, and probably would not cost a lot. This would allow the Marlins to spend money locking up their own talented young players. Instead, they will have a total of six players under contract in 2013. Six. Guess they didn’t get the memo that they are not playing fantasy baseball down there.

Like the other ‘Dream Teams’, this one will fail to meet expectations. Expect the Marlins to miss the playoffs, and unless Ozzie Guillen works more of his magic, they will finish below .500.

The Big Not Quite East

The Big East, a conference that has been plundered so often recently that it may as well be considered for a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, has finally added several new colleges. These colleges are Boise State, San Diego State, SMU, Houston, and UCF. Boise State and San Diego State will join for football exclusively, while the other three schools are joining for all sports.

Obviously, Big East schools are paying most of their attention to sports, and not as much to education. If they had even the slightest knowledge of basic geography, they would be aware that Idaho and California are not exactly close to the east coast. In fact, neither are Houston or SMU, but they are a lot closer than Boise Sate and San Diego State. Suppose the argument could be made that Idaho and California are east of some things, like Anchorage and Hawaii, but does that truly matter?

College realignment has completely disregarded the notion of proximety. In fact, the Big East has completely disregarded the notion of having all their schools in the same time zone. They now have their new claim to fame – being the first conference in college athletics to have schools in all four continental time zones. This is such an accomplishment, that the conference trophy should be replaced with a time zone map and each school can play for a year’s supply of No Jet Lag – the medication used by such notable teams as the All Blacks (please send us money for the advertising, thanks).

Then there is the question of what this conference should be named. The Big East Of Alaska? The Big Not So East? The Big Time Zone? The Big Screw All Semblance Of Caring About Education For The Athletes? Or what about getting rid of all pretense of being about ‘amateur’ play, and sell the naming rights for the conference? Seriously, why wouldn’t a company like Jet Blue or Southwest Airlines jump all over this? This conference is tailor made for their area of expertise.

So, at least one conference has the nerve to admit what they truly are. Let’s hear it for the Big East – the first conference that really only cares about their standing amongst athletic programs.

What The Shanahan - Part Five

Remember back in the offseason, when Rex Grossman stated that the Redskins would be the team to beat in the NFC East for 2011? That notion seemed to be as insane as any proposed sequel for Ishtar. So, everyone laughed it off, and basically thought that the NFL drug policy obviously does not check for hallucinatory drugs. Then the Redskins started off the season 3-1, and suddenly people were jumping on their bandwagon, thinking that maybe Rex Grossman was really not that insane all along.
Funny thing about terrible teams – they will eventually revert back to the mean. Week One, the Redskins beat an injured New York Gians team that was still trying to figure out who to start in the secondary. In Weeks Two and Four, they defeated terrible teams in Arizona and St. Louis. Not exactly a murderer’s row of competetion there, especially since half of the teams in the college ranks could defeat them.

The most damning statistic to come out of the first twelve weeks is the flat ineptitude that the offense has shown. Previously, Shanahan had success in plugging in just about anyone as a starting running back, and getting them to produce. But how much of this was the ‘genius’ of Shanahan, and how much was the zone blocking scheme of Gary Kubiak? Fascinating to note that the Texans, who Kubiak coaches, can run the ball with ease, while Shanahan’s Redskins are 29th in the league in rushing yards.

The quarterbacks have been equally, and predictably, atrocious. Aside from Mike Shanahan, did anyone really expect the Disasterous Duo of Rex Grossman and John Beck not to suck? After all, John Beck has NEVER won an NFL game. Think about that for a moment. And this is the guy that Shanahan felt he could turn into an actual NFL quarterback? No wonder they have the sixth fewest points scored in the entire league.

Again, this really comes back to that overgrown Oompa Loompa Shanahan having a reputation for being better than he actually is. For all of the success that he is perceived to have, it all came riding the coattails of one John Elway. In fact, when not coaching Elway, Shanahan is 1-5 in playoff games. Yes, that’s right – one win and five losses. That is worse than the poster boy for playoff futility, Marty Schottenheimer. He’s 5-13 in playoff games. So, without Elway, how good a coach is Mike Shanahan? Answer – not that good.

So, as the Redskins prepare to face a good Jets team this weekend, get ready to laugh, cry, and be astonished. Not that the Jets are as great as they are going to look, but that the Redskins are that terrible. There will be no improvement until Dan Synder comes to his senses, asks What The Shanahan, and makes a coaching change.

The Value Of A Point Guard

With the Celtics rumored to be open to moving Rajon Rondo, there has been some speculation as to why they would be willing to move such an up and coming star, especially when the Big Three are on their last ride. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are both in the final year of their contracts, and will not be returning unless they accept a lot less than they are currently making. Paul Pierce is a free agent in a couple of seasons, and exactly how much will he have left by that point? All signs point to Rondo being the guy that the Celtics try to build their future around.

But what value does a superstar point guard actually have? Over the past thirty years, only Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson have won championships while falling under the superstar classification. More often than not, the point guard is nothing more than a veteran presence who knows how to distribute the basketball, can hit the occasional shot, and can sink free throws. The point guard does not really need to be a scoring threat – just someone that knows how to play the game fundamentally well.

The point guard position, at least over the past thirty years, has thusly been grotesquely overvalued. Look at players like Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, and Chris Paul, or even John Stockton. What exactly have they won, aside from individual accolades? Meanwhile, such luminaries as a past his prime Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, and Ron Harper have all won championships.

In fact, Tony Parker is the third best point guard to win over the last thirty years. However, he fits the concept of what winning teams need the point guard to do in terms of his passing ability, ability to hit free throws, and knowledge of the game. A ‘name’ point guard tries to take over. A solid point guard that plays the position correctly moves the ball to the best options, and puts the team in position to win. Rarely does a superstar point guard have the awareness to do just that; but when they do, you get an Isaiah Thomas or a Magic Johnson.

Trading Rajon Rondo to bring in another scoring option makes sense. Meanwhile, the Celtics will be able to replace him with a smart, court savvy veteran who will do what the superstar point guards cannot do – help a team win a championship.

Justin Verlander And The MVP Award

The MVP award is designed to go to, literally, the most valuable player in his league. Somehow, over the years, this has morphed into the most valuable position player. The line of thinking is that, since pitchers have the Cy Young Award, the MVP should go to an every day player. This line of thought is simply asinine.

In the early days of the MVP award, the voters felt the same. Pitchers would routinely be voted as MVP’s, right on through the mid-1940′s. Then, something in the thought process of the voters changed. This was even back before the advent of the Cy Young, so they did not even have ‘their award’. In fact, the only time a pitcher won MVP between 1945 and 1986 was back in 1968, when Bob Gibson and Denny McClain both won MVP. This was mainly because no one else was even close to being worthy.

Lately, however, the way that awards are voted on has changed. The sabermetric community has brought along new statistics designed to prove a player’s true value to their team, while devaluing the old standby categories, such as wins and RBI. This become most evident back in 2009, when Zack Greinke won the Cy Young award, despite winning only 16 games. Then in 2010, Felix Hernandez finished 13-12, but was voted the Cy Young. Both players deserved the awards, not by conventional thinking, but by measuring their performance differently.

This train of thought had not continued along to the MVP ballot however. Then along came Justin Verlander, and his fabulous 2011 season. Not only did Verlander run away with the Cy Young, but he also managed to become Justin Verlander – MVP. Verlander is the first pitcher to win the award since Dennis Eckersley back in 1992. Looking at the WAR statistic, Verlander tied Jose Bautista at 8.5. Bautista, playing for the also ran Blue Jays, finished third in the balloting.

Verlander was, by far, the most valuable player to his team’s success in a non-statistical way as well. Take Verlander off of the Tigers, and they are a third place team. Take Jacoby Ellsbury off the Red Sox, and they still do not make the playoffs. Take Bautista off the Blue Jays, they still do not make it to the playoffs. Verlander meant far more to his team’s success; which, by definition, makes him the most valuable player.

Now, people will argue that, as Verlander pitched in only 34 games, he is not as valuable as Ellsbury, who played in 158 games. This theory is easily debunked. Ellsbury had a total of 718 plate appearances, while Verlander faced 969 batters. Verlander had, by that measurement, 251 more chances to affect the game than Ellsbury did. Factoring in fielding, Ellsbury had 50 chances, while Ellsbury had 394. When adding plate appearances and total chances for Ellsbury, the total is 1112. Verlander had 1019. The difference of 93 is less than one ball per game. Games played truly has no bearing on who is most valuable, especially this year.

The Most Valuable Player is not always a position player. Hopefully this vote shows that people are beginning to realize that.

The Tim Tebow Experiment

Well, Tim Tebow has truly made his mark on the quarterback position. After last weekend’s performance of the ages (2-8 passing, 69 yards and a touchdown) he may have set the quarterback position back eighty years. All these years later, those coaches who refused to adapt and regarded the forward pass as a fad have been proven correct.

Why bother playing the quarterback position with anything resembling skill when you can just run the ball sixty times? Why have solid arm strength and the ability to hit receivers in stride when a toddler could play roughly as well at that position? And yet, somehow the Broncos have managed to win games with this joke behind center, because the opposition is not smart enough to put nine players in the box.

In fact, Tebow’s own coach has admitted that if Tebow were in a real NFL offense that “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.” That statement coming from John Fox is truly damning. Yes, everyone knew that Tebow would be a project if he stuck as a quarterback, but you would expect something resembling progress. Instead, he has regressed to the point where even his own coach does not want to see him throw the ball. And John Fox knows terrible quarterback play – he did see Jake Delhomme over his last two seasons in Carolina. Just wonder why he didn’t try the No Passing offense then….

The notion that Tebow is winning games has to be a nightmare for the Broncos organization. They were going nowhere, and gave in to the public clamoring for Tebow. They wanted to prove to the uneducated masses that Tebow, while he has a lot of heart, is not a quarterback. In this, they have been proven correct – Tebow is most definately not even close to an NFL quarterback.

Yet, the Broncos inexplicably manage to win games that Tebow starts, and somehow find themselves in the race for the AFC West. While this may be due to Tebow being Football Jesus and having magical powers (such as causing amnesia to opposing defenses so that they forget that the Broncos only run the football now), in all likelihood this is due to the unorthodox gameplan. Remember, the Miami Dolphins managed to win games with the Wildcat when it first came out. How long did that last? Well, the Broncos offensive playbook straight from 1904 probably has the shelf life of yogurt on the dashboard of a car during an Arizona summer.

In the end, expect sanity to win out, and the Broncos to fall back to Earth hard. Even Football Jesus cannot cause that many miracles.

Brian Schottenheimer Is An Idiot

Let us suppose, for a brief moment in time, that you happen to be an offensive coordinator. Now, let us imagine that, while in this role, you happen to be facing the worst pass defense in the NFL. A defense that cannot get pressure on the quarterback, cannot cover, and routinely gets torched on plays downfield. This defense is starting street free agents, career backups, and people that even the most die-hard NFL fans have never even heard of. Naturally, the game plan to face this team would be to throw on them until they prove they can stop the pass, right?

Naturally, that would be the logical game plan. Unfortunately for the New York Jets, they have Brian Schottenheimer as their offensive coordinator, a man whose very lineage screams blatant incompetence in even the most mundane of tasks. This ‘offensive mastermind’ put together a brilliant game plan; and by ‘brilliant’, we mean that in the Guinness sense of the term. This man could not create a worse scheme even if he were to channel his inner Terl from ‘Battlefield Earth’.  Of course, only a Schottenheimer would decide to run constantly against the league’s worst pass defense! They’ll never see THAT coming!

Now, Schottenheimer obviously was staring blankly into space or contemplating important life questions, such as how he is still employed, when the Patriots lost their starting cornerback and safety. He was blissfully unaware that backup receiver Julian Edelman was their nickle defensive back due to all the injuries. And of course, this receiver put a hit on LaDanian Thomlinson that will probably keep him from playing in Week 11, proving once again that even soap bubbles are more durable than he is.

Even if Schottenheimer was incapable of noticing such things, he must have seen videos of the Steelers torching the Patriots secondary. Or the Giants torching the Patriots secondary. Or the Bills torching the Patriots secondary. Or, well, anyone that has played the Patriots this season. They made even the immortal Chad Henne look like a real NFL quarterback. Then again, maybe ol’ Rex Ryan was dominating the film room, watching footage of people’s feet.

In the end, the lack of recognition of the Patriots defense led to the Jets downfall. And has once again proven that Schottenheimer is German for ‘incompetent’.

Chad Ocho Cinco's Role

With the news of Albert Haynesworth being released from the New England Patriots today, the attention has naturally turned to their other big acquisition, Chad Ocho Cinco. Already, pundits have begun wondering as to when he will be released. However, despite Ocho Cinco’s lack of production on the field, and his supposed inability to grasp the playbook, neither Bill Belichick nor Tom Brady appear to be overly concerned. Why would that be?

Perhaps the biggest clue to the solution would be to take a look at how the roster, and subsequently, the offense, is constructed. As had been previously mentioned on the blog, Ocho Cinco is presently nothing more than the fifth receiving option at best. In fact, the argument could be made that both Danny Woodhead, and, if healthy, Kevin Faulk would be ahead of Ocho Cinco on the pass catching hierarchy. On the surface, this would make Ocho Cinco quite the luxury item.

All of this masks the probable reason for Ocho Cinco’s continued presence on this roster. Bill Belichick is known for his tendency to acquire the next piece of the puzzle, ready to slot into a starting role, even if the starter has a year or more to go before being a free agent. In Wes Welker and Deion Branch, the Patriots have two starting receivers that happen to be in the final year of their contracts. The Patriots may have Welker’s replacement with Julian Edelman. But do they have Deion Branch’s?

Now, look at the fact that Ocho Cinco signed a three year contract this offseason. Belichick knows how this offense is constructed, and had to know that Ocho Cinco would not get many opportunities this season. What that essentially adds up to is to make the 2011 season a red shirt year for Ocho Cinco. He has no pressure to perform, can work on learning the playbook, and can develop chemistry with Tom Brady. This is a move that would provide the Patriots with a player for the 2012 season who can step right in and pick up where Branch left off.

In the end, Chad Ocho Cinco was not about this season. Bill Belichick signed him for 2012 and 2013, when he will be needed to step in for Deion Branch. And that is a pretty shrewd move.

If A Tree Falls In The Forest......

So, if the NBA season is really cancelled, will anyone truly care?

Coming off of what has been referred to as one of the five greatest seasons in NBA history, David Stern and the owners have done everything that they can conceive off, aside from hiring the corpse of Jack Kevorkian, to kill their momentum. After a season where the NBA could build exponentially off of the various storylines and events, they have instead made a determination to tear it all asunder and leave themselves with nothing.

And for what end? Basically, they are trying to save themselves from….themselves. In no other league is there such blatant stupidity when it comes time to negotiate contracts. Role players and people that are buried on the bench routinely receive millions more than they are worth. It has been so bad, that the owners needed the ‘Allan Houston Clause’ as a one time Get Out of Jail Free card for contracts during the last CBA. This time, since they obviously learned fiscal responsibility from a drunk Kardashian sister, they want another ‘We’re a group of morons clause’ and a hard salary cap.

Naturally, the players want nothing to do with this, and who can blame them? If someone was to offer you eight times what you were worth, are you going to turn it down? And let’s say that you barely needed to do anything for the length of that contract. It’s a pretty sweet deal, right? While the person making you the offer may be a certifiable cretin, what would you care? You’re just cashing the checks.

In the end, the owner’s stupidity is going to be the death blow to the NBA. The present lack of credibility with the officiating, the arrogance of David Stern to recognize the problems that the game has, and terrible play have brought it to the edge. Cancelling the 2011-12 season will only alienate the few fans it has left, and bury the NBA to a spot below Major League Lacrosse, curling, and figure skating in the American sports conscientiousness.

So David Stern, enjoy your 1/5 full arenas. Enjoy the fact that your sport is essentially nothing more than professional wrestling with a ball. And enjoy the knowledge that maybe five people care that your sport is dying from self-inflicted wounds because you are too short sighted and stubborn to actually recognize the problems. Hopefully, there will be a nice funeral.

Drafting the Heir

Peyton Manning has proven his case as the NFL MVP for 2011 without having played a down thus far this season. Given how the Colts have gotten quarterback play that has been worse than what Keanu Reeves displayed in ‘The Replacements’, and how badly the Colts have fallen upon their faces this year, it is time to think about who should be replacing Peyton Manning.

Given the nature of his injury, and how he has had three surgical procedures on his neck over the past two years, this should not have come as a surprise to the Colts leadership. Manning is, after all is said and done, human. His body broke down. They need to find his replacement, yet there are rumors that Manning will attempt to block the Colts drafting of Andrew Luck. What are the Colts to do?

Well, first, it’s time they face facts. Simply stated, they’re terrible. There is a distinct possibility they could join the Lions from 2008 in running the table in reverse. Wonder if members of that team will shower each other in O’Douls when that happens, like the 1972 Dolphins pop open champagne when the last undefeated team takes a loss. However, the Lions had a few players on that team. The Colts have almost nothing. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have disappeared. Only Pierre Garcon appears to have any life in this offense, as he’s actually catching the ball, something he never did with Manning under center. On defense, they have Dwight Freeney and Pat Angerer. That’s it. This team needed to be blown up a long time ago, but Manning disguised all of it’s flaws in a way no one truly appreciated until this season.

Yet, if Manning is going to try to stop them from drafting the next franchise quarterback in Indianapolis, they must say farewell. One player, even if he is the quarterback/offensive co-ordinator/MVP without playing a down of football, cannot stop a team from progressing. And that is what Manning very well may do. 2010 may have been the last time we see Manning with the horseshoe on the helmet, or even as an actual NFL player, for that matter.

The Colts need to rebuild this franchise like they did back when they drafted Manning in 1998. And if that means drafting Andrew Luck and getting rid of the best quarterback in franchise history, then so be it. The Colts can no longer afford to live in the past, especially since they do not have a fallback plan.

Kris Humphries $2Million Mistake - Part Three

Looks like a $2Million engagement ring gets one 72 days of marriage.

Apparently, Kim Kardashian claims that Kris Humphries is ‘not the man she thought he was’. Well, what exactly did she think she was getting? When she heard he was a basketball player on the Nets, did she really think that he would be any good? Did she confuse Kris Humphries and Deron Williams, the only Nets player with any appreciable talent? Did she think that since he was an athlete, that people would know who he was without a google search?

According to various media reports, the crux of their issues stem from Humphries partying without her during the NBA lockout. Well, since he is obviously the type of guy to be attracted to skanks, why would he want her around when picking up other gutter trash? Besides, she would probably be cramping his style by getting it on with various other people in the restroom. Or on the dance floor. Or in a cage above the dance floor. Or on the stage, with her reality show producers filming every second of it.

But this marriage was not a complete failure, especially not for Kris Humphries. He has gotten something out of that $2Million he spent and the 72 days spent having to disinfect areas that Kim Kardashian squatted in. He got some fame. People know who he is, outside of the five die-hard NBA fans that are still left. He also probably has herpes, syphillis, gonorrhea, crabs, and a future sex tape or five that he can sell.

So, while we make fun of this sham of a marriage, there is one truly important lesson to be learned here. Kim Kardashian may be a complete whore, but she’s a high priced whore. It cost Kris Humphries $27,777.78 per day just to get her in bed. That is not a good return on investment, when a Kardashian look-alive probably costs a whole lot less. And probably has fewer venereal diseases that one needs to be concerned about.

Rob Gronkowski's Apology

Today, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots apologized for having pictures taken with porn star BiBi Jones. He stated that it was not his intention to hurt the reputation of the Patriots, or to offend anyone with the pictures that were taken. In fact, Jones was adamant that nothing happened between them other than the pictures, even though she was willing.

So, what exactly is Gronkowski apologizing for? He had the opportunity to have pictures taken with an attractive female that just happens to be in porn. That’s an offense that people need an apology for? It’s not like BiBi Jones is a criminal or someone like Casey Anthony. She’s just a girl that’s probably ‘just trying to work her way through college’. Just because she enjoys being on her back, or knees, or on top of multiple guys, means absolutely nothing here.

If anything, Gronk should be apologizing for NOT nailing her. Hell, she’s probably had a phone book worth of guys that can lay claim to sampling her wares. Maybe there just isn’t enough tread left on the tires, and Gronk figured it would be like a hot dog in a hallway. But seriously, who really cares? Who in their right mind is going to get offended by these pictures? Who really thinks that Jones being in Gronk’s jersey is a sign that the Patriots organization supports porn? Idiots, that would be who.

If anything, Gronk was with the wrong porn star. Remember Bernie Kosar? Remember who Bill Belichick essentially ruined his career by trading for Vinny Testaverde when he was coach of the Cleveland Browns? Well, Kosar’s daughter happens to be porn actress Lexxi Silver. Figure that there can be a nice little connection there – Belichick ruined Kosar’s NFL career, and Gronk can ruin Kosar’s daughter for everyone that comes after him. Pretty sure that Belichick and Gronk would be high-fiving each other after that one.

Anyway, let us here at the blog be the first to say that we’re disappointed in Gronk. Not because he was hanging out with porn stars, but because he didn’t close the deal. Seriously, next time, man up and do what hundreds of guys before you have done – BiBi Jones

A Lose-Lose Situation

Every so often, there is a transaction or situation where both parties can claim victory. More often than not, one side will win, and the other side will lose. And still, there are those transactions and situations where both sides lose out. The latter situation is what the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox presently have.

First, the Cubs angle. They can point to the fact that Theo Epstein won two World Series rings with the Red Sox during his tenure. Yes, he did get those rings, but the fact of the matter is that he did not truly put those teams together. The core of the 2004 Red Sox team was put together by Dan Duquette, a man most commonly remembered for saying that Roger Clemens was done after allowing him to leave as a free agent following the 1996 season. Yes, Theo made the trade to get rid of Nomar, bringing in Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera, but who is to say that Duquette would not have made a similar move? Yes, trading Nomar when they did took balls, but Duquette was not afraid to make a huge splash either.

Then there is the 2007 championship. There were still a number of holdovers from that 2004 team, with the biggest additions being Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Both of those happened to come over during ap oint in time when Theo was not with the Sox, having infamously left in a power struggle with Larry Lucchino (more on him later).

So what has Theo actually done? He gets a lot of credit for rebuilding the Red Sox farm system, but a lot of the players that came up during his tenure and stayed with the Sox were, once again, Duquette draft picks. He did manage to sign such notable free agents as Julio Lugo, John Lackey, J.D. Drew, Matt Clement, Edgar Rentaria, Mike Cameron, Bobby Jenks, Carl Crawford, and Daisuke Matsuzaka however. Oh, wait. Those guys sucked. Where did he get that genius label from again?

Now he’s off to the Cubs, calling them the ‘ultimate challenge’. He’s brought over his guy, Jed Hoyer, to be the GM. The Cubs will now be run according to his ‘organizational philosophy’, which involves valuing draft picks over free agents. Over the past nine years, the Sox have had 32 first round and sandwich draft picks (mmmm…..sandwich….). The Cubs, meanwhile, have been dead last with 16. This will change, for better or for worse. At least he can’t be as bad as that previous waste of space they had a GM, Jim Hendry.

Now to the Red Sox.

Part of why Theo left the Sox was that he no longer would have to deal with Larry Lucchino, a man that is roughly as pleasant to deal with as a CarrotTop stand-up routine. Lucchino and Epstein had been in a power struggle pretty much since the beginning, leading the Sox to essentially have two voices trying to shout each other down. Larry would manipulate the public relations side of the team to whatever he felt his agenda was, while Theo would just ignore his verdicts sent down from on high. Yeah, that’s a great situation to be around.
Now that Theo is gone, Larry wins his personal war. But are the Red Sox better for it? For all his faults, Epstein did have a long term organizational view at heart. He truly did what he felt was right to put together a winning franchise on the field. Lucchino, being one of the owners of the team, even if he is a minority owner, is more concerned with filling Fenway with customers and getting ratings on NESN than he is with the won-loss record. If people tune in, why would he care if the Sox win or not?

Lucchino is also, by all accounts, a filthy rat. He is not a man to be trusted whatsoever, unless you want to find a knife protruding from your back. Given the history of the Red Sox in recent years of ripping people as they leave the organization, you can see why most people would trust Lucchino as far as they can throw him.
Now that slimy weasel has control of the Red Sox. Yes, Ben Cherington has been named as the Red Sox new GM, but it’s really going to be Lucchino pulling the strings from behind the scenes. This promises to be a train wreck. Since the Red Sox clubhouse is already in shambles, the team chemistry is atrocious, and the fan base is almost in meltdown mode, how can things get worse?

Well, for starters, they can do what they did and give Lucchino the keys. A person with zero experience making actual roster decisions now having what is essentially the final say over everything in a major market with seemingly unlimited  money to spend? Sounds a lot like what the Yankees were over the mid 1980′s to mid 1990′s. Welcome to bloated payrolls, short sighted signings, and a losing record for years to come. The GM and manager’s positions promise to be a revolving door, but who cares as long as people pack the ballpark and sing to Sweet Caroline?

Both teams lose in this situation. And both teams will continue to lose on the field for a long time.

The Time Is Now

There are no more excuses for Chad Ocho Cinco. No longer can it be said that he’s going through an adjustment period. If he is going to perform at all for the Patriots, it will happen next week, or it will not happen at all.

Let’s put aside the sarcasm for a moment. Stop with the Ocho Stinko and the NoCatchO jokes. It’s time to face facts. First, Ocho Cinco did not have a full offseason to learn the playbook, the routes, and to get extra tutelage from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. His offseason began at training camp; his first six weeks were his preseason. Quite simply, he had not had the time to adjust from being on the Bengals to coming to a perennial playoff team like the Patriots.

Also, expectations of what Ocho Cinco can be for the Patriots have to be tempered. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are major targets in the passing game. Wes Welker is the third down possession guy. Deion Branch is Brady’s favorite receiver, and always has been. So, in all seriousness, Ocho Cinco is, at best, the fifth target in the passing game. How many receptions can he realistically be expected to get?
However, the bye week has come at a fortunate time for Ocho Cinco. He has obviously gotten frustrated with his lack of performance. All he really wants is to be a contributing member of a championship caliber team, which he had never had the opportunity to be a part of.

Come Week 8 in the NFL? The excuses end. Either Ocho Cinco gets it, or he doesn’t. He has had his opportunity, and he must now seize it. If he doesn’t? Well, he will be nothing more than an afterthought, a forgotten man on a deep team that looks like it’s going to have a deep playoff run. And for Ocho Cinco, to be forgotten is worse than not being productive.

The time is now for Ocho Cinco, or it will never come.

The Beginning Of An Error

With the benching of the much maligned Kyle Orton, it is officially Tebow Time in Denver. As the Broncos continue to search for the heir to John Elway, their search is beginning to look a lot like the Dolphins quest to replace Dan Marino. There have been failed prospects, trades that did not work out, and incompetent coaches which have all served to set back the process of moving forward. And Tim Tebow is merely the latest roadblock.

Is Football Jesus an athlete? Yes. But is he a quarterback? The answer is a resounding NO!!! What Tebow happens to be is a college quarterback who made a name for himself with what he is off the field. If one ignores the name on the back of the jersey and looks at what the person does on the field, then Football Jesus is nothing more than a practice squad player if he’s lucky.

Now, it is certainly possible that Football Jesus will have a good career – in the Canadian Football League. To be an NFL quarterback, you need to be able to actually throw the football without a windup that makes it appear that one is doing the old cartoon windup where the arm spins around several times. Yeah, he can run, but can anyone respect his passing game? Defenses will be playing eight man fronts and contain against him within weeks, and what then? This is someone that fumbled three snaps in his brief time last game, and only connected on four of ten passes. Somehow, I doubt that opposing defenses are terrified of his abilities.

The biggest gripe that supports of Football Jesus have is that he has not been given a legitimate chance. Well, there happens to be another quarterback on the team that has not had a legitimate chance – Brady Quinn. Quinn has starting experience, but it was in the cesspool of football that is commonly referred to as the Cleveland Browns. He has had absolutely nothing in terms of weapons, a line, a defense, or a coaching staff to work with. Unlike Football Jesus, he actually progressed this offseason, showing a firmer grasp of the playbook and the finer mechanics of being a quarterback. Football Jesus, meanwhile, spent the offseason making underwear advertisements and pitching his autobiography. Seems a lot of people really needed to know what it’s like to hold a clipboard in the NFL. Oh, and Football Jesus has actually regressed this year in terms of pocket presence, awareness, and reading defenses. Yeah, that’s what the Broncos need at quarterback, someone that has no concept of how to be one.

So where are the billboards for Brady Quinn? When does the ‘Free Quinn’ movement begin? Where are the people trying to pressure John Fox into making Quinn the starter? That’s right, Quinn isn’t a name with zero NFL pedigree that has inexplicably created a legion of mindlessly loyal fans who will scream prejudice at anyone who even displays the slightest thought that their Chosen One is not a legitimate football player. Well, those people need to wake up.

Football Jesus is not the answer. Football Jesus will not be the salvation of the Denver Broncos. If anything, he will condemn the Broncos to roam the draft boards like the Wandering Jew is condemned to roam the Earth. Enjoy what you have brought upon yourselves, Broncos fans. Sometimes it is better not to receive what you want.

In Tribute of Al Davis

Oakland Raiders owner and managing general partner Al Davis died today, at age 82. Davis was an NFL legend, whose career in the game began 60 years ago, when he became an assistant with the Baltimore Colts. Davis then became an assistant at the Citadel, then moved on to Southern California. He joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960, before being hired as the youngest general manager/head coach in NFL history by the Raiders in 1963. He would later purchase the team after leading them to a 23-16-1 record as coach.

Davis was also the final commissioner of the AFL, and spearheaded a movement that eventually caused the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. A truce had been established where NFL and AFL teams would not sign each others players, but that truce was broken by the New York Giants, when they signed Buffalo kicker Pete Gogolak. To Davis, that meant that he could go after anyone he wanted, so he pursued multiple NFL players, including John Brodie and Roman Gabriel.

Davis went back to the Raiders after the merger, overseeing a franchise that would win Super Bowls in 1976, 1980, and 1983. He gave a number of young coaches their first chance, including John Madden and Mike Shanahan. He hired not only the first black head coach of the modern era in Art Shell, but also the first Latino head coach in NFL history in Tom Flores. He was a true visionary for the league, and for as much attention as the Rooney Rule gets, Davis never cared about race. He only cared about a person’s football acumen.

Up until the end, the lived by his own beliefs, content to be the rebel. He was the only owner not to vote in favor of the new CBA, stating that he felt that the decrease in practice time that was included in the CBA would hurt coaching. He was also incredably loyal to his players and the Raiders. To be a Raider was to be a Raider for life. He would help former players, old friends, and distant relatives if he heard they were having problems, never caring for any publicity for it. Davis knew his reputation, and did everything he could to maintain it publicly.

While he may have been ridiculed recently for some of his personnel decisions, he appeared to have regained his ability to scout players over the last two drafts. He took on players that other teams were trying to dump in Jason Campbell and Richard Seymour, providing veteran presence to his young team. He found steals in Denarius Moore and Lamarr Houston. He plucked Kevin Boss from free agency, who fits the Raiders tight end mold perfectly. The Raiders appeared to be poised to return to the forefront.

Unfortunately, Davis will not be around to see the Raiders return to the playoffs. Yet Davis, more than the pirate logo or the silver and black uniforms, was the identity of the Raiders organization. He was, and always will be, what the Raiders are. He will be missed, but for as long as the Raiders and the NFL exist, he will never be forgotten.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show

Remember back when the Super Bowl would have halftime performances that people younger than forty knew who the acts were? Well, that ended back when Janet Jackson showed her nipple, and only her plastic surgeon was excited. However, as we live in a country where it’s ok to permit George Lopez to have a television show and Paris Hilton is allowed to exist, yet sexuality is frowned upon, this immediately set off a political correctness firestorm. As the FCC and the media overreact to everything, this was denounced as the biggest travesty since Gerald Ford became President
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Since that point, the halftime ‘entertainment’ at the Super Bowl has involved a series of bands that are further past their prime than Brett Favre. Even though one of the acts featured renowned pervert Pete Townshend, it was still considered better than having a repeat performance of the ill-fated Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson moment. Even if Townshend was to be hitting on some six year old in the audience, it was not like he was going to expose himself publicly. Unless, of course, that six year old was really asking for it.

Now, for this year, we have the news that Madonna is going to be performing at halftime. Madonna does fit what the NFL has used over roughly the past decade – a washed up artist or group that is still well known. However, people are forgetting one very important thing – namely, that this is Madonna. Look at her history. Jose Canseco. Dennis Rodman. The ‘Sex’ book. Making out with Britney Spears at the VMAs. Numerous movie rolls where she has sex with anything. Her well known and deserved reputation as a whore. Was this forgotten about?

Add to this the fact that Madonna’s career is almost as dead as Helen Keller, and this promises to be a special evening. Will she be wearing a velcro suit that she rips off during the performance, and frolics around naked on stage? Will she attempt to masterbate with the Lombardi Trophy? Will she attempt to have sex with every member of both teams before/after/during the game? And will she attempt to coerce some random person from Malawi to let her adopt his kid? Hey, maybe she goes for the gold and tries to do all of that. While doing a couple of the cheerleaders there, just to show that she’s an equal opportunity whore.

Actually, this is a good move for the NFL. People will actually want to do something other than wake up their great grandparents when the halftime act gets on stage, since they were the only ones that could remember when these groups were young. People will be waiting to see if she brings any barnyard animals on stage, and gives an unforgettable halftime show.

Sit back and enjoy the fireworks, because this has all the potential to be a train wreck.

Fixing the Red Sox

Last night, the Red Sox completed a collapse that was reminiscent of 1978 by blowing a nine game lead in the wild card during the month of September. For the last twenty games, they managed to play worse than anyone else in the American League except for the Royals, who they tied with a dreadful 5-15 record. That sort of record can be expected by teams that are going nowhere, as they are giving AAA players a shot to prove they can play, but not from a potential playoff team like the Sox were.

However, there is a way to fix the Red Sox so that their issues do not appear again. So step away from the Take-A-Number machine at the Tobin Bridge, get off the ledge, and stop jumping to your deaths. Also, look at the bright side in this – chances are, there will be fewer Pink Hat fans at Fenway next year, allowing real Sox fans to have greater access to the park.

Step One to fixing the Red Sox – get rid of Terry Francona and Curt Young: Quite simply, Francona’s time has come. He has lost the clubhouse, as evidenced by his admission earlier today that he needed to call a team meeting during their time in Toronto earlier this month, telling the players to focus on the game and not any off-field distractions. That obviously did not happen. The Sox continued to play with their heads buried in the sand for the remainder of the month, as they appeared complacent that their superior talent would allow them to coast into the playoffs as though it was their right. Francona has created an atmosphere where players do not need to take responsibility for their actions or performances (see Lackey, John). They can get time off due to phantom injuries (see Drew, JD). They can be out of shape for the entire season, and it does not matter (see half their roster). He needs to go.

Joining him should be Curt Young. Young was a terrible fit for this organization, as they have a number of strikeout pitchers, but he tried to implement a philosphy of pitching to contact. However, to have that be effective, there needs to be something resembling defense behind the pitchers, and the pitchers have to know how to get the hitter to hit the ball off the end of the bat. Too often, Red Sox pitchers threw absolute meatballs in key situations and were unable to get the big outs when they needed them. This can be placed squarely on Young and his pitching philosphy.

Step Two – Find Cement Shoes For John Lackey: If Lackey was the horse that he looks like, he would have been allowed to eat one last sugar cube before someone took a shotgun and blew his brains all over the pasture. The only thing he would be good for is Tyler Durden’s soap. Lackey is the personification of what is wrong with the Red Sox – fat, complacent, unable to take responsibility for the fact that he sucks, and has a contract almost as bloated as his waistline. If the Sox can get anything at all for him, even if it is a garbage bag of used sweatsocks, they should jump on it in a moment. Too bad that Jim Hendry got fired a couple months ago, because Lackey is his type of player – useless and overpaid. Oh, and you have three more years of this at $15.25Million per. The Sox may actually be better off dumping him entirely and regarding that money as a loss.

Step Three – Change Their Free Agent Evaluation Process: Whatever the Sox are doing, it is not working. They are dangerously close to becoming the New York Yankees of the mid 19080′s to the mid 1990′s. Remember that collection of high priced misfit toys that Steinbrenner would assemble that hated each other and could not play together? Well, that’s where the Sox are heading. Instead of trying to find the best fit for their long and short term goals, they have done nothing but throw money at the problems (see Lackey, John and Crawford, Carl). It does not matter if the players make any actual sense for the organization, it just matters as to whether or not they are big names. The Sox used to be good at finding players that fit their system (Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, Curt Schilling, etc), regardless of their reputations. Now, they are simply throwing big names at a wall and hoping they stick. This is why the clubhouse is so fractured, and why no one cares. Speaking of…..

Step Four – Youth Infusion: Let’s look at the prospective free agents this offseason for the Sox. There are Marco Scutaro, Ortiz, Jason Varitek, JD Drew, Tim Wakefield, Hideki Okajima, and Jonathon Papelbon. Of those players, only Ortiz and Papelbon would be worth bringing back in. This leaves the door open for Jose Iglesias at shortstop, Ryan Lavarnway at catcher, Ryan Kalish in right field, and a couple of players in the bullpen. The Red Sox were nothing more than a bunch of high priced players who simply went through the motions. While the steady influence and calming nature of veteran leadership is valuable during the closely contested games and the playoffs, it takes youthful exuberance to get a team to play with energy during the dog days of the season. The Sox have been lacking that for a long time, and it has proven to be a major detriment. Bring in some of the kids in AAA, instead of blowing money on high priced players that do not fit.

The Sox just need to do the preceding four things and they will be back to where they were during 2004 and 2007 – winning championships. However, that would require the Sox to actually focus on baseball moves, instead of acquiring players that the Pink Hat community will like. Naturally, this process would be about as popular with them as it would be if someone collected every copy of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and blew them up Disco Demolition style. So it will not happen. Why fix the problem when the park is filled with happy slobs that will pay $10 for a beer, just for the experience of being at Fenway?

Defending Jose Reyes

Today, during the 2011 finale for the New York Mets, Jose Reyes got a bunt single in his first at bat. He then immediately took himself out of the game, knowing full well that the 2011 NL Batting Title was in hand. Naturally, Mets fans (all five of them) are regarding this with outrage, infuriated that he would disregard their desire to see them and that he would show such little regard for the organization.

Look at this from Reyes’ point of view. This is his contract year, and he will be one of the marques free agents available. He has a unique skillset with his deadly speed and he plays at a premium position. After seeing the contract that Carl Crawford received in the offseason, he is angling to get something comparable. While Reyes does have injury issues, he now has something that Crawford does not – a batting title. Reyes is looking to get paid, pure and simple.

Meanwhile, Mets fans are whining that he is disrespecting the organization with his actions. What they are conveniently forgetting is that the Mets disrespected him first. Remember when Wilpon went on that rant about Reyes? He made the best player on his failure of a ballclub the target of his ire, saying the he does not deserve to get paid. Meanwhile, he has several fine examples of carbon based wastage on the payroll in Jason Bay, Angel Pagan, K-Rod (at the time), or Oliver Perez. But no, he singled out the best offensive player on the team, and it is not even close (Reyes has a WAR of 5.8. The next closest hitter on the team that is still there is Daniel Murphy at 1.9).

Respect is a two way street. Reyes was disrespected by ownership and by the Mets front office. Now, he is positioning himself to get a better contract. If the Mets had anything resembling baseball acumen, they would have locked him up and built the team around what he can provide them. However, they alienated the only reason people have to go out to that ballpark. Reyes is as good as gone, and the Mets will have absolutely nothing on offense next year. Forget any notion that they can spend in free agency; they still have the Madoff mess to deal with and possibly pay for. Where do the reinforcements come from then?

Jose Reyes did what was the right thing for Jose Reyes. Professional sports, the players, coaches, and even the owners, are nothing more than a collection of mercenaries. Nothing more, nothing less. They sell themselves to the highest bidders, maximizing the brief time that they can make maximum money in a child’s game. Do not romantize it. Accept it for what it is. And then realize that Jose Reyes is not at fault.

Crashing The Wave

If you have been to a sporting event, or watched one on television any time in the past thirty years, you have seen it. It is one of the most annoying sports occurrences, distracting viewers from the action on the field. It has spawned an entire generation of ‘fans’ who know nothing about the teams playing, or the sports in general, but who want to go out to the ballpark for the experience. It sucks people into it’s trap like a spider and a fly. It is the wave.

To rip apart the wave, one must understand it’s origins. The wave began in the early 1960′s, when a male cheerleader named Bill T. Peterson would run around the court at basketball games for Pacific Lutheran University, urging fans to rise up as he passed. From that point, it disappeared until it unfortunately resurfaced during the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and then in the NHL. Yes, this is a good time to blame Canada. Eric Cartman would be proud.

An alternative theory on the origins of the wave lays the blame squarely at the feet of one ‘Krazy’ George Henderson, who started it during the 1981 AL Championship game between the Oakland A’s and the New York Yankees. He claims the wave was inspired by accident when he jumped up at an NHL game while trying to lead cheers in the arena.

First, who are these people that think it’s their right to perform such a distracting and mindless task? They continually cajole and demand for people to stand up and do the wave, even in situations when it is not appropriate. Yeah, do the wave in a game when your team is losing 15-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Yeah, that’s the perfect time. Who cares if the game is out of reach and there is a better chance of Jesus, Nero, Hitler, and Charles de Gaulle performing a conga line through the aisles than of your team winning? The wave is FUN, and you just want to say you where there.

The wave is, in part, the beginning of the ‘pink hat’ phenomenon, leading people to want to have fun and hang out as opposed to watch the game. Go to Fenway after a Red Sox home game, find one of those pink hat fans (they are everywhere), and ask them basic baseball questions or questions about the game. At almost every moment, they will be unable to answer the questions. Yet, they will gush on about singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ or about doing the wave, or how they drank a lot of beer.

Do not think this is an epidemic only for the Red Sox, because it is not. The Jets have that annoying twit Fireman Ed, who prances around in the stands, leading cheers by force until he gets his ugly mug and white fireman’s hat on television. The Yankees have ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ playing for the seventh inning stretch. The Braves have the tomahawk chop. And it goes on, and on, and on. The rot has infected every stadium.

In the end, it all comes back to the wave. If not for that, all of these other ballpark gimmicks befitting independent minor league teams would not be around. Real fans know when it’s appropriate to engage in such things according to the game. Real fans understand the sport they are watching, and actually pay attention to the games. Pink Hat fans and those who just want the experience participate in the wave and singing songs that make rational people want to puncture their own eardrums if only to get the song out of their skulls. Which one do you want to be?

Peyton Manning For 2011 MVP

One would think that the Colts organization, by all accounts a rather astute group of football minds, would have realized that getting a legitimate backup for Peyton Manning should be on their list of priorities. Yes, before this year, Manning was more durable than the scalpel used by Joan Rivers’ surgeon; however, teams need to plan for emergencies. Seriously, Jeff Garcia wouldn’t have taken that job in a heartbeat?

But no, the Colts proceeded to go through the likes of Jim Sorgi and Curtis Painter as their primary backups to Manning. Apparently, players like Spergon Wynn were beyond the talent level needed at that position. The questions asked by Colts management must have been whether or not they can carry a clipboard while wearing shoulder pads and if they like hats. If you answered yes to both of those questions, then you could have been a Colts backup quarterback as well.

All of this ignored that Manning was literally everything to that organization. Their head coach’s coaching style is reminiscent of a blaxploitation version of the corpse from Weekend At Bernie’s. In fact, are we even sure that Jim Caldwell is alive? Has anyone seen the man blink? And what is he doing with that headset on, monitoring the drive-thru worker at the local McDonald’s as he takes orders? Useless.

And yet, Caldwell is not the only problem. They have not had a useful running back since the reign of James I (Edgerrin) ended in 2005. Their attempts to draft a running back have met with the same success that Vanilla Ice had with his album ‘Mind Blowin’. This even includes the coming of James II, Edgerrin’s cousin Javarris. In fact, despite spending two first round draft choices on the position since 2006. In fact, they have blown their last five first round picks. Winning franchises do not do that – they find actual playmakers. Teams like the Bengals, Bills, and Lions blow all of their first round picks, not teams that are supposed to be in the upper echelon of franchises like the Colts.

Then there is the train wreck that is loosely referred to as the Colts defense. They would not be able to an opposing offense that was comprised of eleven Helen Kellers. Dwight Freeney is still considered an impact player, but he is almost as old as Jeanne Calment was when she died. Pat Angerer has a great name for a linebacker, and is a tackling machine, but he is not a playmaker at all. The cupboard is completely barren on this side of the ball.

The only reason why the Colts were contenders year after year was Peyton Manning. Even though the season is only two weeks in, this has been proven beyond any doubt, given the absolute inability by the Colts to display even gross incompetence on the field. Yes, the Indianapolis Colts are playing football worse than France fares when it comes to a war since the times of Napoleon. Was their plan to find a backup to Manning to go 0-16, draft Andrew Luck, and hope he will be ready when the time comes? Because it sure seems like that was the plan.

Sadly, this also seems to be the plan being taken by the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing more like the Chefs presently. At least they can point to numerous injuries as to why they have problems. In fact, avoid football entirely during Week 5 of the NFL season, in case you accidentally see any part of the Chiefs-Colts battle for the first overall pick. People that see this game may experience symptoms such as vomiting, breaking out in cold sweats, and having flashbacks of watching Jack Trudeau attempting to play quarterback. The only way to get rid of these symptoms would be to swallow a shotgun. Sorry, but terrible football is a fatal disease. Wonder if this suckfest will end in a 0-0 tie……

By not playing, Peyton Manning has proven to be more valuable than any one person currently playing for their teams. It’s time for the voters for the annual NFL awards to step outside the box, and vote Peyton Manning for 2011 MVP.

Shut Up Tim Tebow Supporters

Fans of third string, and hideously overrated, quarterback Tim Tebow are planning to purchase billboards, urging Denver Broncos coach John Fox to bench Kyle Orton and start Football Jesus. First, this assumes that Fox would actually care what these obviously delusional people think about the quarterbacking situation in Denver. Second, this assumes that Football Jesus not only can walk on water, model underwear, and praise God while playing quarterback with some level of competence. Tebow has managed to do the first three on this list, but he is not ready to do the fourth.

If a quarterback with a similar set of skills was to come out in the NFL Draft, and not have been named Tim Tebow, he would have been no more than a fifth round selection. Quite frankly, he needed to revamp his throwing motion, which is still a work in progress, learn a complex offensive system, learn to read a defense, and to make plays with something other than his legs. In fact, in most cases, the same player would have been converted to tight end. But since he’s the Football Jesus, he stuck at quarterback and was a first round pick.

Naturally, Tebow’s supporters are blind to this. To ‘attack’ Tebow (mention his shortcomings and how he needs to improve his game) is to attack his religious beliefs. Apparently, those people that notice the problems with Tebow’s game are against religious people, puppies, super happy sunshine, freedom, the sanctity of marriage, Swedish Bikini Teams, teddy bears, rainbows, and beer. But, that is not the case. No one cares who Tebow worships. He can praise God, Allah, Satan, or Cocidius for all anyone cares, as long as he plays football with some degree of skill. The reality is, that he cannot do that. So shut up, religi-freaks.

Lost in all the Football Jesus hype is the fact that the fact that Orton is actually a good quaterback. Last year, before the ill-advised Tebow games at the end of the year. He has completed 58.1% of his passes in his NFL career, has not had a quarterback rating below 79.6 in any full season that he has been a starter since his rookie year, and knows how to win football games. Tebow won games in college. Let’s put it this way – if Tebow throws for more than 70 touchdowns in his NFL career, I will eat my boxers on air during a podcast The Mad Sportsmen – you should give us a listen *shameless plug*). Take it to the bank.

Football Jesus was a great college quarterback, make no mistake. But there have been quite a few great college quarterbacks that have not done anything in the NFL. Just look to Rodney Peete, Gino Torretta, Eric Crouch, Brad Banks, Troy Smith, and Danny Wuerffel, amongst others. They were terrible in the NFL, and in fact, some players like Jason White, never made it in. THAT is the company that Tebow will be in – not in the Steve Young or Randall Cunningham level.

So shut up Tim Tebow fans, and get over yourselves. The criticism of Football Jesus has NOTHING to do with his religion – just the fac tthat he is not and never will be an NFL quarterback.

2011 NFC West Preview

Welcome to the eighth and final installment of the 2011 NFL Preview. In this edition, we take a look at the NFC West. As always, teams are listed in order of their expected finish.

1. St. Louis Rams:Over the past few years, the offense has been all about Steven Jackson. Jackson has been on the receiving end of a lot of hits over that time, and has shaken off the nagging injuries to account for 72% of the Rams carries since 2008. Jackson will not have to shoulder that much of the lead this year, as the Rams have finally gotten some actual depth behind him in Jerious Norwood and Cadillac Williams. They have also finally found themselves a quarterback in Sam Bradford. Bradford looks like a future star in the league, and has Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator. This will only help his development. At receiver, he has what is essentially Wes Welker West in Danny Amendola, and Mike Sims-Walker, who is looking to jump start his career after faltering over the past season and a half in Jacksonville. Lance Kendricks will make an immediate impact in the passing game at tight end.

The defense, particularly the defensive line, could be outright scary for the opposition this year. Chris Long is beginning to tap into his potential, and appears to be on the verge of becoming a dominant player. James Hall is still a steady player, and Robert Quinn will be worked into the rotation. As he develops, he could become yet another steady player on that line. At linebacker, James Laurinaitis is solid in the middle, but the rest of the linebacking corps is a bit lacking. They gave up a lot of big plays last year, but should see an upgrade with the signing of Ben Leber. The biggest problem the Rams defense will have is in the secondary. The loss of Oshiomogho Atogwe will hurt a lot, but they attempted to lessen the blow by bringing in Quintin Mikell and Al Harris. The cornerbacks do not have any depth at all, with the injury to third corner Jerome Murphy. If either of the starters gets hurt, the Rams are in a lot of trouble in the passing game. Look for the Rams to attempt to generate a lot of pressure with the line and through creative blitz packages to help the secondary.

The Rams have the pieces in place to be the dominant team in the NFC West for a long time. It starts this season, as they will finish above .500.

2. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals season was doomed from the start last year, as they attempted to go with the combo platter of suckage at quarterback. After realizing that Derek Anderson, John Skelton, and Max Hall are not NFL quarterbacks, they went out and traded their top defensive back in Antonio Rodgers-Cromartie (aka the Good Cromartie) for Kevin Kolb. Kolb is an accurate quarterback, but there are durability issues here. He has also displayed a penchant for turning the ball over, with eleven interceptions against fourteen touchdowns. Can Kolb be anything more than a backup? The running game is thin, as Tim Hightower was traded and rookie Ryan Williams is out for the season. This leaves the job solely to Beanie Wells, who has yet to show that he can actually do anything as a running back. Look for Chester Taylor, he of the 2.4 yards per carry last year, to get a lot of touches. The receivers may as well be Larry Fitzgerald, Larry Fitzgerald, and Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a top three receiver, and should sue for a lack of support. The other starter is either going to be Andre Roberts or Early Doucet. Todd Heap was brought in as a free agent, and Rob Housler was drafted in the third round, but when do the Cardinals use the tight end? This could be yet another mess on offense.

The defense was absolutely terrible last year, looking at times old and at other times inexperienced. While they would like to trun the defense into Pittsburgh West, there is simply a lack of talent on this side of the football. Going with their third defensive co-ordinator in three years does not help, since unless he happens to be Gandalf and can turn nothing into a formidible cast of characters, it won’t matter. There is nothing even close to resembling a pass rush, either from the line or from the linebackers. Speaking of the linebackers, Joey porter and Clark Haggans were a travesty last year. They ae simply too slow to be able to make the types of plays that are required in this defense. In the secondary, Adrian Wilson is solid, and great on blitzes. Patrick Peterson will start immediately, and will need to fill the void left by Rodgers-Cromartie being traded. Look for the Cardinals to go four for four on new defensive co-ordinators next year.

The Cardinals need a lot of help, so why pick them to finish second? Because the rest of the division is even more of a train wreck.

3. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers seemingly have a lot of talent on offense, but can never make it work. Why is this? Quite simply, it is due to the quarterback. News flash for those of you that didn’t know (probably Alex Smith’s family), but Alex Smith is terrible. If he is going to do anything with his career, aside from being known as the guy the 49ers drafted instead of Aaron Rodgers, it has to be now. Otherwise, expect to see Colin Kaepernick after the bye week. The offense will once again feature a heavy dose of Frank Gore, and will need him to stay healthy. Kendall Hunter looks like he can develop into a Brain Westbrook type of player, but can he shoulder the load if when Gore gets hurt? The receivers have a lot of talent, but have not realized their potential. Vernon Davis finally lived up to the hype, but can he continue to do so without Mike Singletary? Backup Delanie Walker should have an increased role in the offense, as the 49ers want to use the two tight end set in the passing game. Michael Crabtree remains an enigma, missing all four preseason games for the third consecutive year, and having much more hype than production. Braylon Edwards can make the spectacular grab, then can drop a ball that hits him in the numbers. Josh Morgan may actually be the most oconsistant of the receivers, but is at best the number three guy.

The defense had a lot of turnover, as six starters from last season are no longer with the team. Isaac Sopoaga moves over to nose tackle, taking over for Aubrayo Franklin. Justin Smith is a solid pass rusher on the line, and might actually be the best at putting pressure on the quarterback in San Fran. The linebackers are the strength of this unit, and are why the 49ers have a solid run defense. Patrick Willis is in the discussion for best middle linebacker in the NFL, and rookie Aldon Smith will provide a much needed pass rusher from the edge. NaVarro Bowman gets a chance to start with the departure of Takeo Spikes, and looks ready for the responsibility. Getting that pass rush will be important for the secondary. While Carlos Rogers and Donte Whitner are solid players, they are not even close to being elite. Forcing the quarterback into mistakes will dramatically help them, and make the secondary look better than it actually is.

The 49ers have some talent, and are taking the right steps. They need another solid draft, and they could be in contention as soon as next year.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Do not be fooled by Seattle making the playoffs and winning a playoff game into thinking that they are a good team, because they quite simply are not. They took a major step back when they allowed Matt Hasselbeck to depart as a free agent and brought in Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson was terrible to the point that his Vikings teammates flew to Mississippi to beg Brett Favre to return. Not exactly something that makes you have any confidence in Jackson as a starting quarterback, right? Marshawn Lynch had perhaps the greatest run in playoff history, but can he be the answer as the every down back? The receiving corps actually improved, with the addition of Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller. Adding Robert Gallery to the line helps as well, but there is not a lot of talent elsewhere on this side of the football.

The defense could actually be surprisingly good. Colin Cole, Red Bryant, and Brandon Mebane were out for a combined 18 games last year, but if healthy, will help solidify the run defense. While the front four only had 24 sacks last year, the number will improve as long as the line stays intact. Linebacker is a position that is in transition, as Lofa Tatupu was released. For the defense to truly emerge, Aaron Curry needs to live up to the hype that comes with being the fourth overall pick in the draft. Leroy Hill seems to finally be back from injury, and will add a dimension of toughness and an attitude to the defense. The secondary is flat out huge, as Pete Carroll has specifically targeted taller cornerbacks and safeties. Safety Kam Chancellor is 6’3. Cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman are 6’4 and 6’3, respectively. In fact, not one member of the secondary is under 5’10. If this experiment works out as well as Carroll is hoping it does, then the Seattle secondary could be rather formidable.

Seattle needs a lot more help on offense to be able to compete. Look for them to draft a quarterback in 2012, and attempt to drag themselves out of the cellar once again.

2011 AFC West Preview

Welcome to Part Seven of the 2011 NFL Season Preview. Here, we take a look at the AFC West. As always, the teams are listed in the order of their expected finish.

1. Oakland Raiders:If you want bold predictions and a team no one is talking about – here you go: The Oakland Raiders win the AFC West. And no, I am not heavily intoxicated as I type these words. Here’s why. The Raiders may have the best stable of running backs in the AFC, as Darren McFadden finally hit his potential, Michael Bush could start for half the teams in the league, and Taiwan Jones is a star waiting to happen. Jason Campbell displayed leadership and actually has enough skill to get the ball to his receivers, unlike the steaming pile of excrement that was JaMarcus Russell. Jacoby Ford is actually a solid receiver, and they may have uncovered a diamond in fifth round pick Denarius Moore. Derek Hagan has all the makings of a late bloomer, a la Brandon Lloyd. If they can get anything out of Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey, this could be a dangerous group. Campbell also likes to throw to the tight ends, and while the loss of Zach Miller will hurt, Kevin Boss is a solid replacement. Look for Marcel Reese to get a solid amount of work in the passing game as well.

On defense, regression is expected with the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha. The starting cornerbacks are going to be Stanford Routt, and one of a pair of rookies in DeMarcus Van Dyke or Chimdi Chekwa. However, the safeties are solid, particularly with Michael Huff. The lack of experience at the cornerback position actually should be well disguised this year, as the Raiders have the potential for a truly dominant defensive line. Remember the theory of the pass rush for fantasy defenses, as pressure on the quarterback leads to turnovers? Expect that to happen here. Richard Seymour is still an absolute beast, and Tommy Kelly is a nice compliment as a true run stuffer. The ends of the very underrated Matt Shaughnessy (expect him to be at least a Pro Bowl player this year) and Lamarr Houston can get after the quarterback. Add in a linebacker of the caliber of Rolando McClain, and there are enough pieces to make this defense work.

The Raiders will make the playoffs this year. Time for Al Davis to stop being referred to as past his prime.

2. San Diego Chargers: So, how does a team have the top statistical offense and defense, yet still manage to miss the playoffs? By having special teams so bad that Helen Keller could even see that they were terrible. Philip Rivers catapulted himself into the discussion of the top four quarterbacks in the game with his performance last season, even though he was throwing to street free agents and guys that were bagging groceries or washing cars two weeks prior to seeing the field. Having Vincent Jackson back for the entire season paired with Malcolm Floyd will only make Rivers look that much better. Antonio Gates may be slowed by a persistent foot issue, he is still the top tight end in the game. The only drawback may be in the running game, where Darren Sproles will be missed far more than people expect. Ryan Mathews needs to show that he can stop fumbling and stay healthy. Mike Tolbert was the ultimate touchdown machine last year, but can he withstand the pounding of 20+ carries if Mathews falters?

The defense was a strong unit last year, and only improved thruogh the draft and free agency. Corey Liuget is a pure run stuffer, and will add sorely needed depth to the defensive line. Free agents Bob Sanders and Takeo Spikes can make huge impacts to the defense. If Sanders can stay healthy, look for him to regain the form he had back in 2007, when he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Coupled with Eric Weddle, the safeties are strong. Spikes, even though he has been in the league for 14 years, has yet to participate in the postseason. He can almost taste it here.

The Chargers should be a better team and have a better record. While most people expect them to make the playoffs, keep one thing in mind – Norv Turner. Hopefully the talent can overcome his deficiencies, but you never know.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have some nice pieces on offense, but there are a number of concerns. Matt Cassel has a rib injury, and is likely out for at least the first week. If the injury turns out to be serious, that means that Tyler Palko or Ricky Stanzi will see a significant number of snaps. This does not bode well for a team hoping to return to the playoffs. At running back, Jamaal Charles had a great year last season, but had fewer carries than Thomas Jones. While the plan is for Charles to get majority of the carries, there is a question as to whether or not he can hold up under the workload. Dwayne Bowe is a good receiver, but put up a career year last season. Rookie Jonathan Baldwin will help to stretch the field, and Steve Breaston is an excellent slot receiver, but is there enough talent in the receiving corps? Tight end Tony Moeaki is out for the season, costing Cassel one of his favorite targets. Who knows what is going to end up replacing him.

On defense, there are a few solid pieces. Tanba Hali put up a great season, and appears to have finally found his ability to get at the quarterback. The pass rush is solid, and should only get better with the addition of third round draft pick Justin Houston, who will step right in for Mike Vrabel. Eric Berry is a playmaker in the secondary, and will only get better with experience. While the offense could be a disaster, the Chiefs defense looks capable of keeping them in games this year.

The Chiefs had a lot of things break right for them to make the playoffs last season. A tougher schedule, questions on offense, and a regression to the mean will keep the Chiefs from contending for a playoff spot.

4. Denver Broncos: Kyle Orton is a very good quarterback who does not get the respect he deserves. People keep expecting Tim Tebow to unseat him this year, but Tebow is not even close to be ing a viable NFL quarterback. If anything should happen to Orton, expect Brady Quinn to get the nod first. While Orton is the unquestioned starter, everything else is unsettled. Brandon Lloyd is the number one receiver, but can he duplicate his success in a different system? Even if Lloyd turns out not to be a fluke, there is still the inconvenient problem of finding someone opposite to him. Demaryius Thomas is still dealing with an injury to his Achilles. Odds are that Eric Decker gets the chance, but is he ready? Turning the attention to the running game, Knowson Moreno has been a disappointment. Willis McGahee was brought in to compliment Moreno, but does he have anything left in the tank? The offense could be an absolute train wreck this year.

On defense, the Broncos were terrible. They were unable to generate anything even remotely resembling a pass rush, sacking the quarterback only 25 times last year. The return of Ellis Dumervil from injury will help, as will the selection of Von Miller with the second pick of the draft. Champ Bailey and Brain Dawkins return in the secondary, but both are almost as old as Methuselah. One has to wonder how much more they have left, if anything. Aside from the ability that Dumervil has as a pass rusher, nothing in the front seven has proven that they are capable of starting for an NFL team. While the passing defense may be decent, the Broncos will get shredded by the run.

The Broncos are going to have a rough season, yet will be just good enough to avoid being able to draft Andrew Luck. The next few years will be long in Denver.

2011 NFC South Preview

Continuing with our annual football preview, we take a look at the NFC South today. As always, the teams are listed in order of expected finish.

New Orleans Saints: The fact that the Saints were able to make the playoffs with all of the injuries they dealt with last year is nothing less than miraculous. Sean Payton actually prefers to pound the football, regardless of how prolific the Saints passing game is with Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Robert Meachem. The plethora of injuries suffered at the the running back position led the Saints to have to give significant carries to such luminaries as Julius Jones and Ladell Betts. And yet, they still won eleven games last year. The offensive line received an upgrade with the addition of Olin Kreutz, and Darren Sproles will take over the Reggie Bush job. Despite not being as much of a name, Sproles is probably better at what the Saints want him to do than Bush was. Jeremy Shockley left as a free agent, but the Saints actually upgraded with second year player Jimmy Graham.

The defense had it’s issues last year, particularly stopping the run. This was on full display for the world to see when Marshawn Lynch essentially ran over the entire Saints defense en route to one of the best touchdown runs in NFL history. To rectify this, the Saints drafted Cameron Jordan, who will start from Day 1. New Defensive tackles Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers were signed as free agents, and will make it difficult to move the ball through the middle of the line. The Saints need to put pressure on the quarterback in order to protect their secondary, where the only playmaker they really have is safety Malcolm Jenkins. The linebackers are getting younger, as new faces will be starting around Johnathan Vilma, who has entirely resurrected his career in New Orleans. Expect a dramatic improvement on this side of the ball.

The Saints improved dramatically, and should be considered a legit contender.

2. Atlanta Falcons: There is a lot of hype surrounding the Falcons this year to be a major player in the Super Bowl hunt this year, but that is completely asinine. In theory, the addition of Julio Jones should help Roddy White and Matt Ryan, but he is a major question mark. All throughout college he displayed an ability to make great catches, but would drop passes that hit him in the chest. The only way he can help the offense is by being a deep decoy. Expect Harry Douglas to be a better fit, and to contribute more this year. Tony Gonzalez is still considered by people to be an elite tight end, but his production is closer to Todd Heap than anything else. He is elite in name only. Michael Turner is getting older, and, let’s face it, is due to slow down as he approaches his 30th birthday.

The defense is, again, not as good as advertised. They play a base 4-3 without anything exotic. The coverage packages are conservative and vanilla. For them to be any good, they need to generate a pass rush. John Abraham continued his revival in 2010, but the rest of the line was unable to generate much pressure on the quarterback. Enter Ray Edwards, who signed a lucrative contract as a free agent to attempt to be the answer. This is a risky proposition, as Edwards never posted double digit sacks, despite playing with the Williams Wall and Jared Allen in Minnesota. How will he fare when he becomes the target of double teams? The linebackers, headed by a healthy Curtis Lofton, are solid. Sean Weatherspoon may be a future star at linebacker, but he needs to stay healthy. The secondary is average, and plays assignment based football. Brent Grimes is solid, but Dunta Robinson needs to recapture his form from back in Houston.

The Falcons should be good, but not great. They will be on the cusp for a wild card slot.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs are an extremely young team that had a lot of things go well for them last year. While they managed to win 10 games, only one came against a squad with a winning record, and that was when the Saints sat their players on week 17. The Bucs will need to continue their progression, particularly on offense. Josh Freeman enters his second full season as the starter, and looks like he could be a legitimate starting quarterback. In fact, he seems destined to become another Roethlisberger type, only wihtout the off-field incidents. Rookie free agent LeGarrette Blount came out of nowhere to gain over 1000 yards, depsite only starting eight games. Four round draft pick Mike Williams exploded, leading the Bucs in receiving yards and touchdowns. Kellen Winslow is still a top tight end, but they need to find a second receiver. Arrelious Benn was hurt last year and is expected to get that job, but Dezmon Briscoe may be the eventual starter there.

The defense, much like the offense, needs to progress. The defensive line could start players that are all either rookies or second year players. Mason Foster will take over for Barrett Ruud, who was the Bucs leading tackler last year. However, Ruud did not make a lot of plays, so they drafted what they feel is an upgrade. The secondary still have the venerable Ronde Barber, and talented plays like Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson. However, Jackson is coming off a year long suspension, and Talib has had a number of legal issues since entering the NFL. The biggest issue will be finding leadership. While Barber is still around, someone needs to step up and be ready to take that mantle when he retires. Chances are, it will be Gerard McCoy.

The Bucs will make strides this year, but it will not show in the record. They are, however, a team on the rise.

4. Carolina Panthers: Let’s talk about the positives here first – the running game has three solid backs, and they still have the good Steve Smith. Greg Olsen will provide a nice red zone target, and help the young quarterbacks when they are running for their lives. Now for the rest of the team. Cam Newton managed to parlay one good season in college into being the first pick overall in the 2011 draft, just one year after the Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen in the second round. That essentially was the equivalent of lighting a draft choice on fire. Clausen may not have been great, but Newton will be worse. Remember Akili Smith? Meet this generations version – Akili 2.0. They have not had a number two receiver since Mushin Muhammad left the first time, and they even brought him back in an attempt to give Steve Smith some help. At this point in time, Smith may as well just sit down on the field during plays to force his way out of town.

The defense has it’s bright spots. Charles Johnson stepped into the void left by Julius Peppers, and performed at a level that was completely unexpected. Terrell McClain could be a beast in the 4-3, and will help the Panthers stuff the run. Also helping the defense is the return of several veterans that had to deal with injuries last year. Thomas Davis may finally be healthy, and Jon Beason is an extremely talented player. The secondary has solid starters, but less than nothing for depth. The Panthers will try to blitz often in passing situations in order to allievate pressure on that group.

The Panthers are not as bad as they were last year, but they are not that much better either. It’s going to be another long year in Carolina.