While most people envisioned the Detroit Lions missing the playoffs and floating around an 8-8 or 7-9 record, few envisioned them being 4-9 come Week 15. As a fan of my beloved Lions it pains me to say that I hope they lose out these last three weeks. Not because I want to fire a coach but simply because it improves where we draft come April. The playoffs are out of reach so does finishing this season at 7-9 make it any better than 4-12 or 5-11? No, not in the least. This team has so many problems defensively that a high draft pick helps that problem. Let's breakdown our defensive problems:
Defensive Line
Cliff Avril, Willie Young, Lawrence Jackson, Sammie Lee Hill and Corey Williams are all free agents in the offseason. Avril is 26 and in his prime and should flourish with Suh and Fairley becoming dominant but will the Lions pay him the money he can get elsewhere? Remember he turned down a fairly lucrative deal this past offseason. Young and Jackson are both great complimentary players at DE, but neither of them are valued more than Avril. Retaining one or both would be ideal, especially since KVB has been rather quiet on the other end. Williams has become expendable given the play Fairley has shown the last few weeks, however should he decide to take a bit of a decrease both in playing time and pay he'd be a nice fit. Given the fact though that Hill is cheaper he seems more likely to stay.
The depth at defensive end in this year's draft isn't great so I'd be surprised if the Lions drafted one in the first round, they might be better suited to try and hit the market if they lose any or all of our potential free agents. And there's certainly no need to address defensive tackle in the first round.
Linebackers
The Linebacking core of Tulloch, Durant and Levy has been solid for the most part. However, both OLB in Durant and Levy are free agents. Ultimately I could see the Lions re-signing one (Durant) and letting one walk. They drafted two linebackers last year in Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis. If the Lions feel comfortable handing one of them position next year it could leave the Lions with money to address needs on the d-line and in the secondary.
Jarvis Jones would be a blessing to fall to the Lions should he get there, if he doesn't Alabama's C.J. Mosley could be another option. Outside of those two there isn't much first round depth there given the likely hood of top 10, top 12 pick in April. Texas A&M's Demontre Moore could be another candidate, he's been used as DE/OLB rusher. Also Manti Te'o could be a possibility too but he'd have to move to the outside as Tulloch is still a top ten MLB.
Secondary
Chris Houston and Louis Delmas headline the free agents sitting in the Lions secondary pool. Re-signing Houston should be a priority for the Lions but should he decide to test the market, could see more money elsewhere. Delmas is a conundrum, is he worth the risk and the money? There's no question Delmas makes our secondary better when he's on the field, it's just that he's rarely on the field. The biggest concern with Delmas is his knack for being hurt, he played in 15 games each season his first two year, 11 last year and only five so far this year. Addressing the 30 games he played in his first two seasons, Delmas wasn't able to finish nearly a third of those games. I'd be surprised if Drayton Florence or Jacob Lacey return to this team next year. Expect to see two of the three rookies from this year's draft class get extended playing time next year, assuming they stay healthy.
Sadly, the draft isn't plentiful of DBs this year and it lacks that shutdown corner. Should Alabama's Dee Milliner declare for the draft he'd be the top corner in the draft. Other potential but lower first round picks include: Florida State's Xavier Rhodes and Mississippi State's Johnathon Banks. The Lions didn't take a chance on last year's trouble maker in Janoris Jenkins so could they burn a mid round (3-5) pick on this year's, Tyrann Mathieu? Hard to say since he's been out of football for a year and hasn't worked out for anyone yet. Only safety worth an early first round pick this year would be Texas' Kenny Vaccaro, should the Lions trade down Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson and LSU's Eric Reid could be potential picks.
Offense
Gosder Cherilus is the only starting offensive lineman that's a free agent, but could replaced by either Jeff Backus or Riley Reiff. I say this knowing fully the Lions won't draft one, but wide receiver is a concern. You've seen how bad this group looks without Burleson, Broyles and Young. Calvin can't do it all if this team expects to win, Burleson will be back for the start of the year. I'd suspect Broyles would be back by Week 5 and I'd be surprised if the Lions don't trade Titus Young for whatever they can get. Good news is there isn't a standout receiver out there just yet, so no worries on that front. However, if the Lions don't go defensive they could choose to address their offensive line needs of center, right guard and right tackle.
It's hard to speculate what the Lions will do to fill these holes. The team would need to re-work some deals with some key players (Stafford, Suh, Burleson) to try and free up any sort of cap space for next year if they want to hit the market or keep some of their own guys from potentially testing the market. Scott Linehan's job could be in jeopardy while I'd expect Gunther Cunningham and Jim Schwartz to be safe for now.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Red Wings Lose Out In Suter/Parise Sweepstakes; What's Next?
While I understand it may be hard times for fans of the Detroit Red Wings, I'm going have to ask that those of you who are over-reacting to losing out on Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to please back off the ledge slowly. Yes, the Wings got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, Nick Lidstrom decided to retire at the end of the season. Yes, Brad Stuart and Jiri Hudler have opted to play elsewhere. And yes, Ryan Suter turned down a deal to go play with Zach Parise for an eight million dollars.
Losing out on Suter hurts, it hurts because he was the big, physical, shutdown defense man the Wings and their fan base craved. And while I hate to take credit away from Suter, lets not forget that he's spent the last few years of his career playing next to Shea Weber(who could hit the market next year) but it's going to be interesting to see how Suter does playing with substantially lesser talent.
What about Parise? I'm not fully convinced the Wings were sold on Parise, especially when rumors starting floating about his contract hitting the 100 million dollar range. My theory seemed to be right when on the first day of Free Agency in the NHL the Wings went out and signed not one, not two, but three forwards. You don't sign three forwards when your roster is already full of forwards if you're going to try and land the top forward available. So losing out on Parise doesn't hurt and shouldn't hurt as much to the fans and the organization. Hats off to the Minnesota Wild on landing these two free agents but know what, half of their 70 million dollar salary cap is tied up into five players. Last I checked its hard to fill the other 17 spots on your roster with talent for the other roughly 35 million you left.
So what's next for the Red Wings you may ask. I'll tell you. Ken Holland has had a Plan B, C, D and probably E in place for the moment when Suter said no. Holland has been extremely successful here as the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He's going to go out on a mission to go land himself a forward that scores goals and defense man that moves the puck crisply and smartly. So who are they?
Starting with defense men first, the Wings had probably four or five guys they were looking at after Suter. Jason Garrison, Matt Carle, Carlo Colaiacovo and Sami Salo. Jason Garrison is coming off a career year in Florida, he's a big and strong defense man with booming shot from the point. Unfortunately for the Wings, Vancouver went out and may have slightly over paid for his services before Suter made his decision. Matt Carle is a defense man who likes to skate out with the puck and loves to make the long outlets too, something the Wings d-men were notoriously known for. He fits well here, only down size is his size. He won't outmuscle too many people in front of the net. Colaiacovo is similar to Carle except he's not as efficient offensively and he's injury prone. Salo, while old, still brings a cannon of a shot with him and a little edge physically. Sadly, Tampa Bay swiped him up early. Chris Campoli could be a dark horse the Wings look at if they lose out again here.
You know the market forwards was bad this year when most people had Jiri Hudler as a top five available forward. That said, two big intriguing names are still out there: Alexander Semin and Shane Doan. Now both guys would be looked at for different roles. Bringing in Semin means adding another top six forward to the squad and it would be interesting to see what can of Russian magic he and countryman Pavel Datsyuk could create. The only question to his game is his work ethic. Semin has been viewed as someone who tends to takes games and playoffs off but having Datsyuk around him and on his line could motivate the young man. Turning our attention to Doan, he brings that veteran presence to the team and a big physical nature. The team wouldn't be counting on Doan as a goal scorer but he would do plenty on the stat sheet as a third or fourth liner.
One last possible move the Wings make this offseason is acquiring Rick Nash via trade from Columbus. But I wouldn't bet on it happening. Columbus wants too much and the Wings won't part with the likes of Filppula, Helm, Smith and Nyquist. Getting Nash creates more holes for the Wings to fill.
People need to calm down and realize this team isn't as bad as many of you make it out to be. However, this team is as dominant as they have been either. Things will get better people, have some faith in Ken Holland.
Losing out on Suter hurts, it hurts because he was the big, physical, shutdown defense man the Wings and their fan base craved. And while I hate to take credit away from Suter, lets not forget that he's spent the last few years of his career playing next to Shea Weber(who could hit the market next year) but it's going to be interesting to see how Suter does playing with substantially lesser talent.
What about Parise? I'm not fully convinced the Wings were sold on Parise, especially when rumors starting floating about his contract hitting the 100 million dollar range. My theory seemed to be right when on the first day of Free Agency in the NHL the Wings went out and signed not one, not two, but three forwards. You don't sign three forwards when your roster is already full of forwards if you're going to try and land the top forward available. So losing out on Parise doesn't hurt and shouldn't hurt as much to the fans and the organization. Hats off to the Minnesota Wild on landing these two free agents but know what, half of their 70 million dollar salary cap is tied up into five players. Last I checked its hard to fill the other 17 spots on your roster with talent for the other roughly 35 million you left.
So what's next for the Red Wings you may ask. I'll tell you. Ken Holland has had a Plan B, C, D and probably E in place for the moment when Suter said no. Holland has been extremely successful here as the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He's going to go out on a mission to go land himself a forward that scores goals and defense man that moves the puck crisply and smartly. So who are they?
Starting with defense men first, the Wings had probably four or five guys they were looking at after Suter. Jason Garrison, Matt Carle, Carlo Colaiacovo and Sami Salo. Jason Garrison is coming off a career year in Florida, he's a big and strong defense man with booming shot from the point. Unfortunately for the Wings, Vancouver went out and may have slightly over paid for his services before Suter made his decision. Matt Carle is a defense man who likes to skate out with the puck and loves to make the long outlets too, something the Wings d-men were notoriously known for. He fits well here, only down size is his size. He won't outmuscle too many people in front of the net. Colaiacovo is similar to Carle except he's not as efficient offensively and he's injury prone. Salo, while old, still brings a cannon of a shot with him and a little edge physically. Sadly, Tampa Bay swiped him up early. Chris Campoli could be a dark horse the Wings look at if they lose out again here.
You know the market forwards was bad this year when most people had Jiri Hudler as a top five available forward. That said, two big intriguing names are still out there: Alexander Semin and Shane Doan. Now both guys would be looked at for different roles. Bringing in Semin means adding another top six forward to the squad and it would be interesting to see what can of Russian magic he and countryman Pavel Datsyuk could create. The only question to his game is his work ethic. Semin has been viewed as someone who tends to takes games and playoffs off but having Datsyuk around him and on his line could motivate the young man. Turning our attention to Doan, he brings that veteran presence to the team and a big physical nature. The team wouldn't be counting on Doan as a goal scorer but he would do plenty on the stat sheet as a third or fourth liner.
One last possible move the Wings make this offseason is acquiring Rick Nash via trade from Columbus. But I wouldn't bet on it happening. Columbus wants too much and the Wings won't part with the likes of Filppula, Helm, Smith and Nyquist. Getting Nash creates more holes for the Wings to fill.
People need to calm down and realize this team isn't as bad as many of you make it out to be. However, this team is as dominant as they have been either. Things will get better people, have some faith in Ken Holland.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
What We Learned From Game 1: Preds Top Wings 3-2, Shanaban Fail.
Last night's Game 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators was an odd game to say the least. The game featured 17 penalties called against two of least penalized teams in the league, it had lucky and unlucky bounces go both ways, a season ending injury and even some fireworks at the game. The fireworks of course being Shea Weber slamming Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass, more on that later.
With Gary Bettman in attendance last night(something I'm sure the officials were made aware before the game) you knew something was going to happen. That something was an increase of penalties being called as officials tried to save their job because only 20 officials are selected to work the playoffs and can be removed for doing a bad job. The amount of penalties were so ridiculous that Mike Babcock addressed the issue in-game which will likely earn him a fine(no word yet on it). Babcock was so bothered by the penalties he even complained about them as his team went on to the power play.
I don't want to discredit Nashville on their win last night but it seemed like Nashville caught their fair share of lucky bounce. Their first goal was scored after Paul Gaustad threw the puck to the front of the net, it hit off of Brad Stuart's skate and went it. Their second goal was a tipped shot from about 40 feet out that jumped over Jimmy Howard's shoulder as he reacted to the original shot. After the Wings caught a lucky break and had the puck hit a linesman and redirect to Henrik Zetterberg in front the net the Wings were then robbed as Predators' defenseman Roman Josi blindly threw his leg out and made a kick save to prevent the goal. Earlier in the game, Pekka Rinne made a sprawling save on Zetterberg as his shot grazed Rinne's flailing elbow and missed the open net. That stuff happens, just seems like Nashville had Lady Luck on its side last night.
Darren Helm returned to the Red Wings lineup last night after missing 10 games with an MCL sprain in his knee. Helm played six shifts totaling close to three minutes last night before he was hit with another injury.
Alexander Radulov's skate cut Helm's right forearm after the hit, obviously Radulov didn't try to do that but it still sucks. Helm was taken to the hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair sliced tendons. He's expected to be ready to start training camp in September.
Brad Stuart in my opinion has already made his mind up on where he'll be playing next year and judging by his play it won't be in Detroit. The last month or so of the season Stuart has looked nothing like top four defenseman he played like. He's been sloppy, reckless and just out of position. Last night he a minus three, he got split for a breakaway which Jimmy Howard stopped, he scored another own goal and had a terrible giveaway that led to Nashville's third goal. Unless he's playing through some serious unknown to the public injury it looks like his head and heart aren't in as of late. Shame too the guy had been playing like he was ready to man the top pairing once Lidstrom retires.
Lastly we're brought to the incident between Weber and Zetterberg from last night. Yes, Zetterberg hit Weber in the back trying to jar the puck loose but what Weber did was malicious with intent to injure, it was beyond stupid not "a reckless and reactionary play". The play looked more like you were watching a WWE wrestling match not a hockey game. I won't say that I'm surprised he wasn't suspended given the fact that it would have tilted things in the Wings' favor greatly to win Game 2 and even the series but sometimes the suspension needs to be handed out and this one did.
Weber was let go earlier in the season with a fine after a boarding incident, so it's not like Brendan "Shanaban" Shanahan haven't had this talk before. But apparently fining Weber $2,500 was good enough(Weber is making $7.5 million this year) to get the message across. Shanaban says that Weber will be watched the rest of the playoffs now too, big deal. That's like catching a murder and letting him go because he promises not to do it again.
Shanaban took into consideration the fact that Zetterberg wasn't seriously hurt and will play in Game 2 also made it ok not to crackdown on hits to head, which he's been doing all year. For the record, after dropping that tidbit to the public, Zetterberg made it known that his helmet cracked in three different spots from the blow. Just imagine if he didn't have it on how damaging the hit would have been.
I understand Shanaban would hate to suspend Nashville's best player for any amount of time during the playoffs but his failure to suspend him just made a mockery of the quest Shanaban has been on this year to swiftly and harshly punish those who target the head of an opponent. How can players now take him seriously after Shanaban just granted special treatment to a superstar of the league and the marketing department?
And for those who think Gary Bettman played a role in the lack of a suspension then Shanaban needs to step down. He can't effectively do his job he was appointed to if he has to run his decisions by Bettman for approval. If Bettman forced Shanaban into levying this ridiculous fine, he needs to go public and made it known, he owes it to the players and fans to let it be known that Bettman is willing to cut the superstars some slack. However, I speculate that this decision was made solely by Shanaban out of fear that him dropping the hammer on Weber could be viewed as him helping the organization where his career flourished and he won three Stanley Cups. Whatever the explanation or reason may be the Shanaban failed on this one.
With Gary Bettman in attendance last night(something I'm sure the officials were made aware before the game) you knew something was going to happen. That something was an increase of penalties being called as officials tried to save their job because only 20 officials are selected to work the playoffs and can be removed for doing a bad job. The amount of penalties were so ridiculous that Mike Babcock addressed the issue in-game which will likely earn him a fine(no word yet on it). Babcock was so bothered by the penalties he even complained about them as his team went on to the power play.
I don't want to discredit Nashville on their win last night but it seemed like Nashville caught their fair share of lucky bounce. Their first goal was scored after Paul Gaustad threw the puck to the front of the net, it hit off of Brad Stuart's skate and went it. Their second goal was a tipped shot from about 40 feet out that jumped over Jimmy Howard's shoulder as he reacted to the original shot. After the Wings caught a lucky break and had the puck hit a linesman and redirect to Henrik Zetterberg in front the net the Wings were then robbed as Predators' defenseman Roman Josi blindly threw his leg out and made a kick save to prevent the goal. Earlier in the game, Pekka Rinne made a sprawling save on Zetterberg as his shot grazed Rinne's flailing elbow and missed the open net. That stuff happens, just seems like Nashville had Lady Luck on its side last night.
Darren Helm returned to the Red Wings lineup last night after missing 10 games with an MCL sprain in his knee. Helm played six shifts totaling close to three minutes last night before he was hit with another injury.
Alexander Radulov's skate cut Helm's right forearm after the hit, obviously Radulov didn't try to do that but it still sucks. Helm was taken to the hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair sliced tendons. He's expected to be ready to start training camp in September.
Brad Stuart in my opinion has already made his mind up on where he'll be playing next year and judging by his play it won't be in Detroit. The last month or so of the season Stuart has looked nothing like top four defenseman he played like. He's been sloppy, reckless and just out of position. Last night he a minus three, he got split for a breakaway which Jimmy Howard stopped, he scored another own goal and had a terrible giveaway that led to Nashville's third goal. Unless he's playing through some serious unknown to the public injury it looks like his head and heart aren't in as of late. Shame too the guy had been playing like he was ready to man the top pairing once Lidstrom retires.
Lastly we're brought to the incident between Weber and Zetterberg from last night. Yes, Zetterberg hit Weber in the back trying to jar the puck loose but what Weber did was malicious with intent to injure, it was beyond stupid not "a reckless and reactionary play". The play looked more like you were watching a WWE wrestling match not a hockey game. I won't say that I'm surprised he wasn't suspended given the fact that it would have tilted things in the Wings' favor greatly to win Game 2 and even the series but sometimes the suspension needs to be handed out and this one did.
Weber was let go earlier in the season with a fine after a boarding incident, so it's not like Brendan "Shanaban" Shanahan haven't had this talk before. But apparently fining Weber $2,500 was good enough(Weber is making $7.5 million this year) to get the message across. Shanaban says that Weber will be watched the rest of the playoffs now too, big deal. That's like catching a murder and letting him go because he promises not to do it again.
Shanaban took into consideration the fact that Zetterberg wasn't seriously hurt and will play in Game 2 also made it ok not to crackdown on hits to head, which he's been doing all year. For the record, after dropping that tidbit to the public, Zetterberg made it known that his helmet cracked in three different spots from the blow. Just imagine if he didn't have it on how damaging the hit would have been.
I understand Shanaban would hate to suspend Nashville's best player for any amount of time during the playoffs but his failure to suspend him just made a mockery of the quest Shanaban has been on this year to swiftly and harshly punish those who target the head of an opponent. How can players now take him seriously after Shanaban just granted special treatment to a superstar of the league and the marketing department?
And for those who think Gary Bettman played a role in the lack of a suspension then Shanaban needs to step down. He can't effectively do his job he was appointed to if he has to run his decisions by Bettman for approval. If Bettman forced Shanaban into levying this ridiculous fine, he needs to go public and made it known, he owes it to the players and fans to let it be known that Bettman is willing to cut the superstars some slack. However, I speculate that this decision was made solely by Shanaban out of fear that him dropping the hammer on Weber could be viewed as him helping the organization where his career flourished and he won three Stanley Cups. Whatever the explanation or reason may be the Shanaban failed on this one.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Quarter Finals
April 11th means a lot of things to a lot of people: a meaningless Wednesday to some, my sister's birthday, but most people will be celebrating the fact that the Stanley Cup Playoffs start that night. Say good bye to your razors and put your loved ones on notice because the most exciting post season of all professional sports is once again upon us as the Conference Quarter Finals begin. This year's match ups have some real thrillers(Pit vs Phi, Det vs Nsh and Bos vs Wsh) but also features some real snoozers(Fla vs NJ, Phx vs Chi and Stl vs SJ). Before I get into the each series' breakdown, I'd like to remind you every playoff game will be televised this year thanks to NBC, NBC Sports Networks(formerly Versus), CNBC and NHL Network.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa Senators: Season series Sens 3-1. The Rangers are going to have their hands full this series with the Senators. While they finished eighth, the Sens have a good mix of youth to go with their vets. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza lead this team up front while eventual Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar back it up on the blue line. They'll face a tough challenge in New York as King Henrik and company don't have to worry about the President's Cup Curse following them in the playoffs. They'll need to sharpen up though as the Rangers were sloppy down the stretch, something the Sens took advantage of in their four games this season. Biggest concern is if the Rangers can provide Lundqvist with enough offense to win games.
Rangers over Senators 4-2.
2. Boston Bruins vs 7. Washington Capitals: Season series Caps 3-1. Tim Thomas already cut his first media session short after someone brought up the White House to him, which means he'll be really fired up and play out of his mind or he'll be a basket case and play like a siv. Boston is the better team and really just needs to limit Ovechkin and his line. The Caps are relying on their third string goalie to carry them this series which I don't see happening. The Caps have been Jekyll and Hyde all year long and I'm willing to bet we see more Hyde than Jekyll.
Bruins over Caps 4-1.
3. Florida Panthers vs 6 New Jersey Devils: Season series tied 2-2. The Panthers earned a 3 seed by losing more than they won. Their 38 wins and 18 OTL are all-time lows and highs for a Divison winner post-lockout era. It should also be noted that the Panthers allowed 24 more goals than they scored this year. The Devils earned eight more points than the Panthers but will start this series in Florida, if the Devils and their talent(Kovalchuk, Parise, Zidlicky and Brodeur) lose this series it'll be a shame.
Devils over Panthers 4-2, I refuse to label this an upset.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Season series Flyers 4-2. Two things hold true for this series, it's the best of all eight QF series and these two teams absolutely HATE each other. If you're a fan of hockey you hope this is a seven game slug fest. The Flyers got mixed news today Briere will play while James van Riemsdyk is still a week or two away from being back. The Penguins are healthy as can be and Crosby is back. The goalies will decide this series, one has his name on the cup while the other has imploded the last two trips to the playoffs. However, the Bryz did drop this gem the other day, "I'm not afraid of anything. I'm afraid of bear but bear in forest." Love that Bryzgalov.
Flyers over Penguins 4-3.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks vs 8. Los Angeles Kings: Season series tied 2-2. The Canucks have the dreaded President's Cup Curse looming over them and may or may not be without Daniel Sedin not to mention Roberto Luongo disappears come playoffs. The Kings have a really hard time scoring and haven't gotten out of the first round since 2001. Good news for the Kings, Jeff Carter may be ready for Game 1 which makes their offense slightly better. Good news for Luongo, the Kings can't score(second fewest goals all season). Something has to give in this series.
Canucks over Kings 4-1.
2. St. Louis Blues vs 7. San Jose Sharks: Season series Blues 4-0. The Blues have two really good goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. They combined for 15 shutouts and a 1.78 goals against average(Elliot 9 SO, 1.56 GAA and Halak 6 SO, 1.97 GAA). The Sharks have been notorious for choking in the playoffs, although this year wouldn't be considered a choke. Will the Sharks rise to the challenge? They have the experience factor over the Blues but Ken Hitchcock is a crafty coach and will have his Blues ready for the challenge.
Blues over Sharks 4-1.
3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks: Season series Coyotes 3-1. Like the Florida Panthers, the Coyotes have won their first Divison title in franchise history. And just like the Panthers, the Coyotes have the distinction of being a bad team to win a bad division. The Blackhawks have the more talented team and earned four more points than the Coyotes this season, however the Coyotes have a hot goalie in Mike Smith. That factored with home ice could be what wins it.
Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-3. Also not an upset.
4. Nashville Predators vs 5. Detroit Red Wings: Season series tied 3-3. The Preds went all out at the deadline making moves to improve the team and brought back Alexander Radulov from the KHL on loan. Their depth up front matches the Red Wings which is kind of scary if you think about it but after their top two blue liners the advantage goes to the Wings. Both teams have goalies that can be dominant on their own or be completely useless. The Wings got what they wanted, Nashville. They didn't want to go out West at all regardless of the seed they got. To win this series though they'll need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill. Also, they'll need to show signs of having a power play that can score better than their 16.1% regular season clip.
Red Wings over Predators 4-3.
That's how I see the Quarter Finals shaking out, last year I was 8-0 in QF predictions and called four of them to the very game. Hoping to repeat that luck this year. And for the record I have the New York Rangers beating the St. Louis Blues in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Check back for the Semi-Finals later.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa Senators: Season series Sens 3-1. The Rangers are going to have their hands full this series with the Senators. While they finished eighth, the Sens have a good mix of youth to go with their vets. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza lead this team up front while eventual Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar back it up on the blue line. They'll face a tough challenge in New York as King Henrik and company don't have to worry about the President's Cup Curse following them in the playoffs. They'll need to sharpen up though as the Rangers were sloppy down the stretch, something the Sens took advantage of in their four games this season. Biggest concern is if the Rangers can provide Lundqvist with enough offense to win games.
Rangers over Senators 4-2.
2. Boston Bruins vs 7. Washington Capitals: Season series Caps 3-1. Tim Thomas already cut his first media session short after someone brought up the White House to him, which means he'll be really fired up and play out of his mind or he'll be a basket case and play like a siv. Boston is the better team and really just needs to limit Ovechkin and his line. The Caps are relying on their third string goalie to carry them this series which I don't see happening. The Caps have been Jekyll and Hyde all year long and I'm willing to bet we see more Hyde than Jekyll.
Bruins over Caps 4-1.
3. Florida Panthers vs 6 New Jersey Devils: Season series tied 2-2. The Panthers earned a 3 seed by losing more than they won. Their 38 wins and 18 OTL are all-time lows and highs for a Divison winner post-lockout era. It should also be noted that the Panthers allowed 24 more goals than they scored this year. The Devils earned eight more points than the Panthers but will start this series in Florida, if the Devils and their talent(Kovalchuk, Parise, Zidlicky and Brodeur) lose this series it'll be a shame.
Devils over Panthers 4-2, I refuse to label this an upset.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers: Season series Flyers 4-2. Two things hold true for this series, it's the best of all eight QF series and these two teams absolutely HATE each other. If you're a fan of hockey you hope this is a seven game slug fest. The Flyers got mixed news today Briere will play while James van Riemsdyk is still a week or two away from being back. The Penguins are healthy as can be and Crosby is back. The goalies will decide this series, one has his name on the cup while the other has imploded the last two trips to the playoffs. However, the Bryz did drop this gem the other day, "I'm not afraid of anything. I'm afraid of bear but bear in forest." Love that Bryzgalov.
Flyers over Penguins 4-3.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks vs 8. Los Angeles Kings: Season series tied 2-2. The Canucks have the dreaded President's Cup Curse looming over them and may or may not be without Daniel Sedin not to mention Roberto Luongo disappears come playoffs. The Kings have a really hard time scoring and haven't gotten out of the first round since 2001. Good news for the Kings, Jeff Carter may be ready for Game 1 which makes their offense slightly better. Good news for Luongo, the Kings can't score(second fewest goals all season). Something has to give in this series.
Canucks over Kings 4-1.
2. St. Louis Blues vs 7. San Jose Sharks: Season series Blues 4-0. The Blues have two really good goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. They combined for 15 shutouts and a 1.78 goals against average(Elliot 9 SO, 1.56 GAA and Halak 6 SO, 1.97 GAA). The Sharks have been notorious for choking in the playoffs, although this year wouldn't be considered a choke. Will the Sharks rise to the challenge? They have the experience factor over the Blues but Ken Hitchcock is a crafty coach and will have his Blues ready for the challenge.
Blues over Sharks 4-1.
3. Phoenix Coyotes vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks: Season series Coyotes 3-1. Like the Florida Panthers, the Coyotes have won their first Divison title in franchise history. And just like the Panthers, the Coyotes have the distinction of being a bad team to win a bad division. The Blackhawks have the more talented team and earned four more points than the Coyotes this season, however the Coyotes have a hot goalie in Mike Smith. That factored with home ice could be what wins it.
Blackhawks over Coyotes 4-3. Also not an upset.
4. Nashville Predators vs 5. Detroit Red Wings: Season series tied 3-3. The Preds went all out at the deadline making moves to improve the team and brought back Alexander Radulov from the KHL on loan. Their depth up front matches the Red Wings which is kind of scary if you think about it but after their top two blue liners the advantage goes to the Wings. Both teams have goalies that can be dominant on their own or be completely useless. The Wings got what they wanted, Nashville. They didn't want to go out West at all regardless of the seed they got. To win this series though they'll need to tighten up defensively and on the penalty kill. Also, they'll need to show signs of having a power play that can score better than their 16.1% regular season clip.
Red Wings over Predators 4-3.
That's how I see the Quarter Finals shaking out, last year I was 8-0 in QF predictions and called four of them to the very game. Hoping to repeat that luck this year. And for the record I have the New York Rangers beating the St. Louis Blues in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup. Check back for the Semi-Finals later.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Helping You With Your Brackets
Everyone loves to be able to tell their friends, "I told you so!" Especially when money and bragging rights are on the line. By no means do I consider myself an expert when it comes to selecting the right National Champion come March Madness time but over the years I have picked my share of winners. My luck started in 1997 when I first fell in love with March Madness at the age of 10, I don't know why or how but I rode Arizona to glory that year as they knocked off Kentucky making me feel proud. Two years later and I selected a UConn led by Rip Hamilton. I feel like that's when I first developed my hatred for Duke only because they knocked off like three of my picks down the stretch. Going on a three year dry spell, I had faith in Maryland to get it done and they did. '05 and '09 UNC made me look like a genius but then again they were slam dunks those years and lastly I chose an unbelievably UConn team again to win it after winning five games in five days to claim the Big East tourney.
So that being allow me to give you some pointers to help your bracket along:
Upsets happen early, not so much later.
Everyone knows that 12 seed will undoubtedly take out 5 seed or that 13 will knockoff a 4. That's fine and dandy, don't be afraid to pick two or three. However, use caution about riding them any further than a game or two. With the exception of Butler and VCU the past two years, these underdogs tend to flame out by the second weekend.
Don't let conventional wisdom scare you.
Last year everyone was telling you UConn wouldn't have the legs to make it past the first weekend of the tournament after winning five games in five nights leading up to the Big Dance. Well guess what, UConn and their "dead legs" continued their hot streak through the tournament and cut down the nets when it was all said and done. If you don't know, Louisville just put together a similar streak in the same conference tournament.
Trendy picks tend to bust.
Everyone loves being the first one to try and start the new trend. Well don't because like most trends, they come back to bite you in the butt. No, this isn't the year that the 16's start to pick off the 1's. And no this isn't the year a double digit seed wins it all. If you're thinking these things, it might be time to cut your skinny jeans off.
Don't select all the 1 seeds.
It is inevitable that a one 1 seed will slip up in the tournament and not make the Final Four. But did you know that in 27 years only four times have three or more 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Say good bye to two or more by the Final Four.
Duke wins... sometimes.
Duke has won their fair share of titles throughout the years but while they don't always claim a National Championship, they do make it to see the second weekend. 20 out of 25 times Coach K's teams have gotten past the first two rounds.
Never tip your hand.
If your friends ask for your picks or advice, give them the wrong advice. Why would you want to share your money making picks with the rest of your pool? Keep your picks to yourself, unless of you don't like winning money.
Beware the "luck of the Irish."
Notre Dame fans may want to turn away or skip over this, but the truth is the Irish are notorious for flaming out early in the NCAAs. Notre Dame has only seen the Sweet Sixteen once over the last ten years. This year wouldn't appear to be the year this streak changes.
Trust your gut.
You know your first instinct is right so why fight it? Don't let your buddies or the talking heads on TV influence you from your original pick. Also, don't pick based off of colors or mascots. Listen to your gut!
Never pick based on your location.
Most people who get into these things pick based on location because they know they have a good team but they don't know the rest of the field. Don't be afraid to go away from schools in your area(i.e. Michigan State and Michigan for me).
Hope these tips helped aid you in winning some extra money and bragging rights, I know I'll be celebrating when I see that VCU v Michigan final!
So that being allow me to give you some pointers to help your bracket along:
Upsets happen early, not so much later.
Everyone knows that 12 seed will undoubtedly take out 5 seed or that 13 will knockoff a 4. That's fine and dandy, don't be afraid to pick two or three. However, use caution about riding them any further than a game or two. With the exception of Butler and VCU the past two years, these underdogs tend to flame out by the second weekend.
Don't let conventional wisdom scare you.
Last year everyone was telling you UConn wouldn't have the legs to make it past the first weekend of the tournament after winning five games in five nights leading up to the Big Dance. Well guess what, UConn and their "dead legs" continued their hot streak through the tournament and cut down the nets when it was all said and done. If you don't know, Louisville just put together a similar streak in the same conference tournament.
Trendy picks tend to bust.
Everyone loves being the first one to try and start the new trend. Well don't because like most trends, they come back to bite you in the butt. No, this isn't the year that the 16's start to pick off the 1's. And no this isn't the year a double digit seed wins it all. If you're thinking these things, it might be time to cut your skinny jeans off.
Don't select all the 1 seeds.
It is inevitable that a one 1 seed will slip up in the tournament and not make the Final Four. But did you know that in 27 years only four times have three or more 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Say good bye to two or more by the Final Four.
Duke wins... sometimes.
Duke has won their fair share of titles throughout the years but while they don't always claim a National Championship, they do make it to see the second weekend. 20 out of 25 times Coach K's teams have gotten past the first two rounds.
Never tip your hand.
If your friends ask for your picks or advice, give them the wrong advice. Why would you want to share your money making picks with the rest of your pool? Keep your picks to yourself, unless of you don't like winning money.
Beware the "luck of the Irish."
Notre Dame fans may want to turn away or skip over this, but the truth is the Irish are notorious for flaming out early in the NCAAs. Notre Dame has only seen the Sweet Sixteen once over the last ten years. This year wouldn't appear to be the year this streak changes.
Trust your gut.
You know your first instinct is right so why fight it? Don't let your buddies or the talking heads on TV influence you from your original pick. Also, don't pick based off of colors or mascots. Listen to your gut!
Never pick based on your location.
Most people who get into these things pick based on location because they know they have a good team but they don't know the rest of the field. Don't be afraid to go away from schools in your area(i.e. Michigan State and Michigan for me).
Hope these tips helped aid you in winning some extra money and bragging rights, I know I'll be celebrating when I see that VCU v Michigan final!
Monday, February 27, 2012
NHL Trade Deadline: Rick Nash Stays in Columbus... For Now.
The talk of the 2012 NHL Deadline was undoubtedly would Columbus move Rick Nash especially after they trade Jeff Carter to the LA Kings last week for Jack Johnson and a first round pick. Today's answer is no, no they would not but following the deadline's passing the answer is leaning to yes, in the Summer of 2012.
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tried his hardest to trade the prolific winger and captain but no one was willing to meet his high demands so Howson did what was best for his team, he held onto Nash. But this is where the story gets interesting. Howson called Nash to inform that he was not able to move him at the deadline and also inform him that he would be going public with Nash's demand to be traded.
Howson spoke with the media after the passing and dropped this bombshell on the Blue Jackets' fans who had been showing up with signs urging the team to keep Nash, "With respect to Rick Nash, he approached us and asked us to consider trading him. We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with cornerstone pieces to help us to compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years. It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interests."
That sound you heard was the echo of the collective fan base (all 500 of them) and their hearts being broken. The best player their franchise has seen and most likely ever will see wants out. In his eight year career, Nash has seen the playoffs once and was bounced in four game by the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 2009 after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history Nash signed an 8-year extension to take play in 2010-2011 having no idea rookie phenom Steve Mason would turn into a siv. Nash doesn't want to risk being the next Mats Sundin, sticking around trying to be the guy and captain to turn the franchise around and win a Cup only to see his talents wasted by a terrible surrounding cast who chokes or ever worse can't make the playoffs.
So what happens next? If the fans turn on Nash, which they probably will then GM Scott Howson will contact teams in the summer leading up to the draft. His asking price likely won't drop but teams might be more willing to strike a deal then instead of messing with chemistry now. Likely suitors will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and depending on the retirement of Nick Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings. While Howson likely won't drop his price, Nash likely won't be willing to go just anywhere and waive his no-trade clause.
All we and Rick Nash can do now is sit back and play the waiting game... (Fast forward the 0:45 mark to get the joke)
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tried his hardest to trade the prolific winger and captain but no one was willing to meet his high demands so Howson did what was best for his team, he held onto Nash. But this is where the story gets interesting. Howson called Nash to inform that he was not able to move him at the deadline and also inform him that he would be going public with Nash's demand to be traded.
Howson spoke with the media after the passing and dropped this bombshell on the Blue Jackets' fans who had been showing up with signs urging the team to keep Nash, "With respect to Rick Nash, he approached us and asked us to consider trading him. We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with cornerstone pieces to help us to compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years. It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interests."
That sound you heard was the echo of the collective fan base (all 500 of them) and their hearts being broken. The best player their franchise has seen and most likely ever will see wants out. In his eight year career, Nash has seen the playoffs once and was bounced in four game by the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 2009 after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history Nash signed an 8-year extension to take play in 2010-2011 having no idea rookie phenom Steve Mason would turn into a siv. Nash doesn't want to risk being the next Mats Sundin, sticking around trying to be the guy and captain to turn the franchise around and win a Cup only to see his talents wasted by a terrible surrounding cast who chokes or ever worse can't make the playoffs.
So what happens next? If the fans turn on Nash, which they probably will then GM Scott Howson will contact teams in the summer leading up to the draft. His asking price likely won't drop but teams might be more willing to strike a deal then instead of messing with chemistry now. Likely suitors will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and depending on the retirement of Nick Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings. While Howson likely won't drop his price, Nash likely won't be willing to go just anywhere and waive his no-trade clause.
All we and Rick Nash can do now is sit back and play the waiting game... (Fast forward the 0:45 mark to get the joke)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Highs and Lows of the 2011 Bowl Season
Now that the re-match between Alabama and LSU bored everyone for a second time, it means that we've officially wrapped up another successful Bowl season... well maybe it was successful. Let's take a look at some of the highs and lows from this past Bowl season.
The Highs:
The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl: The BCS had to be extremely happy with the way their first three games started out, close and exciting. The Rose Bowl saw a 45-38 shootout between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, the game ended when Badgers' QB Russell Wilson decided to try and spike the ball with :02 seconds remaining.
Moving on to the Fiesta Bowl, we had Oklahoma State (who should've been in the National Championship game) take on Stanford. Stanford jumped out big early behind the soon-to-be number one NFL Draft Pick, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal running game. But the Cowboys woke up and showed that they were determined to show they belonged. Justin Blackmon proved why he's going to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft, 8 catches 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime thanks in large part to 3 missed field goals by Stanford but it's a win still.
The Sugar Bowl might not have been as exciting as the two games preceeding it but it ended with a lot of excitement. A called touchdown in OT for Va Tech overturned on a judgment call led to their third string kicker missing a field goal after converting his first four attempts. That set Michigan up to put it on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons to knock home a 37 yard attempt for the win, the same Gibbons who was 1 for 5 last year on field goals. Gibbons told reporters after the game that he was "thinking of brunette girls" before the kick, something Coach Hoke encouraged. Worked out well.
The SEC: The SEC continued it's recent dominance in college bowl by going 6-3 in Bowl play including winning the conference's sixth straight National Championship. In fact, since the NC was an SEC affair they went 5-2 against all other conferences. As much as I hate to admit it, the SEC is still miles ahead of the rest of the game. Oh by the way, the two newcomers to the SEC next year, Missouri and Texas A&M also won their bowl games. So that means 8-3 for the SEC.
The BCS Winner Shirts: Nike was the official sponsor of the BCS apparel this year and did a nice job the t-shirts that the winners threw on after the game. Here's how they rank in order of how I liked them, "Nacho Victory" for the Fiesta, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the Sugar, "Rose To Power" for the Rose and "Orange You Glad We Won" for the Orange.
The Alamo Bowl: Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears won 67-56 over the Washington Huskies en route to RG3 turning pro. Washington QB Keith Price actually outplayed RG3 and put his name into the Heisman race early for next year, this game set all sorts of records and lacked defense. So if you like offense then you loved this game.
Kellen Moore: The Boise State QB is going out as the most winningest quarterback in NCAA history as Moore won his 50th game of his career when BSU beat Arizona State badly, 56-24 in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lows:
The National Championship Game: As if the 9-6 game between LSU and Alabama wasn't horrible the rematch might have been just as bad if not worse. Bama of course won 21-0 and LSU just barely got over the 50-yard line in the game. Oklahoma State has to feel robbed and disappointed. A bad loss at Iowa State late in the year cost them. While the Cowboys probably would've lost due to a faulty defense, they would have at least put up points.
Nelly: ESPN tabbed Nelly and his God awful song "The Champ" to be their theme for the Bowl season, a decision I'm sure not only they regret but the rest of the nation as well. Nelly hasn't come close to duplicating Country Grammar, heck he hasn't come close to duplicating Nellyville and that CD wasn't even that good. Hopefully ESPN gets it right next year.
The Orange Bowl: This game started out promising, looking like the Alamo Bowl Part 2 until West Virginia decided to start playing defense. WVU went on to hang 70 points on Clemson which ultimately cost the Tigers defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, his job. The best part of the game was when WVU's Darwin Cook tackled the Obie the Orange Bowl mascot after his 99-yard fumble return. Check out Darwin's reaction after he found out Obie was a girl:
The Big Ten: While Michigan State and Michigan saved the conference from complete embarrassment with their respective wins, the Big ten still went 4-6 in the Bowl season. Their other two wins were Purdue over MAC Western Michigan and Illinois who beat a terrible UCLA that finished 6-8 this season. The last two years, the Big Ten is 1-9 in their January 1 Bowl games, which is where they showcase their "marquee" teams.
The Lack of a Playoff: Honestly when will the BCS go to a Plus One system or a four team playoff, maybe even an eight or sixteen team playoff? Never. Which means the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys will go down in infamy with the 13-0 2004 Auburn Tigers and 2001 Oregon Ducks as teams who got screwed from their shot at the National Championship.
Anything you feel I left off the list? Let me know and speak up.
The Highs:
The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl: The BCS had to be extremely happy with the way their first three games started out, close and exciting. The Rose Bowl saw a 45-38 shootout between the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers, the game ended when Badgers' QB Russell Wilson decided to try and spike the ball with :02 seconds remaining.
Moving on to the Fiesta Bowl, we had Oklahoma State (who should've been in the National Championship game) take on Stanford. Stanford jumped out big early behind the soon-to-be number one NFL Draft Pick, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal running game. But the Cowboys woke up and showed that they were determined to show they belonged. Justin Blackmon proved why he's going to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft, 8 catches 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cowboys won 41-38 in overtime thanks in large part to 3 missed field goals by Stanford but it's a win still.
The Sugar Bowl might not have been as exciting as the two games preceeding it but it ended with a lot of excitement. A called touchdown in OT for Va Tech overturned on a judgment call led to their third string kicker missing a field goal after converting his first four attempts. That set Michigan up to put it on the leg of redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons to knock home a 37 yard attempt for the win, the same Gibbons who was 1 for 5 last year on field goals. Gibbons told reporters after the game that he was "thinking of brunette girls" before the kick, something Coach Hoke encouraged. Worked out well.
The SEC: The SEC continued it's recent dominance in college bowl by going 6-3 in Bowl play including winning the conference's sixth straight National Championship. In fact, since the NC was an SEC affair they went 5-2 against all other conferences. As much as I hate to admit it, the SEC is still miles ahead of the rest of the game. Oh by the way, the two newcomers to the SEC next year, Missouri and Texas A&M also won their bowl games. So that means 8-3 for the SEC.
The BCS Winner Shirts: Nike was the official sponsor of the BCS apparel this year and did a nice job the t-shirts that the winners threw on after the game. Here's how they rank in order of how I liked them, "Nacho Victory" for the Fiesta, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the Sugar, "Rose To Power" for the Rose and "Orange You Glad We Won" for the Orange.
The Alamo Bowl: Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears won 67-56 over the Washington Huskies en route to RG3 turning pro. Washington QB Keith Price actually outplayed RG3 and put his name into the Heisman race early for next year, this game set all sorts of records and lacked defense. So if you like offense then you loved this game.
Kellen Moore: The Boise State QB is going out as the most winningest quarterback in NCAA history as Moore won his 50th game of his career when BSU beat Arizona State badly, 56-24 in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.
The Lows:
The National Championship Game: As if the 9-6 game between LSU and Alabama wasn't horrible the rematch might have been just as bad if not worse. Bama of course won 21-0 and LSU just barely got over the 50-yard line in the game. Oklahoma State has to feel robbed and disappointed. A bad loss at Iowa State late in the year cost them. While the Cowboys probably would've lost due to a faulty defense, they would have at least put up points.
Nelly: ESPN tabbed Nelly and his God awful song "The Champ" to be their theme for the Bowl season, a decision I'm sure not only they regret but the rest of the nation as well. Nelly hasn't come close to duplicating Country Grammar, heck he hasn't come close to duplicating Nellyville and that CD wasn't even that good. Hopefully ESPN gets it right next year.
The Orange Bowl: This game started out promising, looking like the Alamo Bowl Part 2 until West Virginia decided to start playing defense. WVU went on to hang 70 points on Clemson which ultimately cost the Tigers defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, his job. The best part of the game was when WVU's Darwin Cook tackled the Obie the Orange Bowl mascot after his 99-yard fumble return. Check out Darwin's reaction after he found out Obie was a girl:
The Big Ten: While Michigan State and Michigan saved the conference from complete embarrassment with their respective wins, the Big ten still went 4-6 in the Bowl season. Their other two wins were Purdue over MAC Western Michigan and Illinois who beat a terrible UCLA that finished 6-8 this season. The last two years, the Big Ten is 1-9 in their January 1 Bowl games, which is where they showcase their "marquee" teams.
The Lack of a Playoff: Honestly when will the BCS go to a Plus One system or a four team playoff, maybe even an eight or sixteen team playoff? Never. Which means the 2011 Oklahoma State Cowboys will go down in infamy with the 13-0 2004 Auburn Tigers and 2001 Oregon Ducks as teams who got screwed from their shot at the National Championship.
Anything you feel I left off the list? Let me know and speak up.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Apparently Xavier Has Gangsters On Their Team
The annual crosstown shootout between Cincinnati and Xavier took things to a new level today when the two teams decided to slug it out at the end of the game. The two schools are only a few miles apart leaving the game to decide yearly bragging rights. Last year Cincy won by 20 points on their home court and this year Xavier got their revenge winning 76-53.
These games are always intense, with their hard fouls, trash talking and general hatred for the other school. The trash talking got so out of hand that Xavier junior guard Mark Lyons was warned by officials in his locker room at halftime to cut it out or get hit with a technical. Lyons shut up in the second half.
I'm all for running up the score in games, especially in rivalry games but Tu Holloway a senior guard for Xavier has a lot of blame for what happened. After his layup he made with time running out he ran back on defense yelling at everyone and anyone on Cincy's bench before getting in the face of Cincy's Ge'Lawn Guyn. That's when freshman Dezmine Wells came over to help Halloway and then shoved Guyn. Here's what happened next:
Bearcats senior Yancy Gates is the player who sucker punches Xavier's Kenny Frease in that video. A Bearcat player appears to stomp on Frease while he is bloodied and on the ground and more punches are thrown while coaches tried to separate the teams. Not shown after the game was called with 9.3 seconds remaining was Holloway jumping on the scorer's table celebrating the victory.
Then in the post-game interview Holloway dropped this bomb on everyone, "That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati,” Holloway said. “We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We’re a tougher team. We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room—not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game.”
The sad thing is neither Halloway nor Lyons apologized for their actions rather they seemed to be proud of themselves for "not letting people get in their faces". We'll see how proud they are when the NCAA and the teams' respective conferences and ADs figure this mess out and hand out their suspensions.
Good news is at least the coaches understood how incredibly dumb this was. Cincy coach Mick Cronin made his players turn in their jerseys afterwards, he even had to take them off some players. "I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school, what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be here let alone have a scholarship." Cronin also said he'd be meeting with his AD and school President hoping they wouldn't ask him to resign after this.
Xavier coach Chris Mack tweeted this after the game, "No one, no one regrets our ending to the UC game more than me. My 5 and 6 yr olds were in the stands. Both teams were at fault period. I'm disappointed to the enth degree. I've got good kids. Mick's got good kids. They made DUMB decisions."
Sad thing is Xavier was a legit Final Four contender but after today's game who knows what they'll be or who will still be on the team.
These games are always intense, with their hard fouls, trash talking and general hatred for the other school. The trash talking got so out of hand that Xavier junior guard Mark Lyons was warned by officials in his locker room at halftime to cut it out or get hit with a technical. Lyons shut up in the second half.
I'm all for running up the score in games, especially in rivalry games but Tu Holloway a senior guard for Xavier has a lot of blame for what happened. After his layup he made with time running out he ran back on defense yelling at everyone and anyone on Cincy's bench before getting in the face of Cincy's Ge'Lawn Guyn. That's when freshman Dezmine Wells came over to help Halloway and then shoved Guyn. Here's what happened next:
Bearcats senior Yancy Gates is the player who sucker punches Xavier's Kenny Frease in that video. A Bearcat player appears to stomp on Frease while he is bloodied and on the ground and more punches are thrown while coaches tried to separate the teams. Not shown after the game was called with 9.3 seconds remaining was Holloway jumping on the scorer's table celebrating the victory.
Then in the post-game interview Holloway dropped this bomb on everyone, "That’s what you’re going to see from Xavier and Cincinnati,” Holloway said. “We got disrespected a little bit before the game, guys calling us out. We’re a tougher team. We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room—not thugs, but tough guys on the court. And we went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game.”
The sad thing is neither Halloway nor Lyons apologized for their actions rather they seemed to be proud of themselves for "not letting people get in their faces". We'll see how proud they are when the NCAA and the teams' respective conferences and ADs figure this mess out and hand out their suspensions.
Good news is at least the coaches understood how incredibly dumb this was. Cincy coach Mick Cronin made his players turn in their jerseys afterwards, he even had to take them off some players. "I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school, what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be here let alone have a scholarship." Cronin also said he'd be meeting with his AD and school President hoping they wouldn't ask him to resign after this.
Xavier coach Chris Mack tweeted this after the game, "No one, no one regrets our ending to the UC game more than me. My 5 and 6 yr olds were in the stands. Both teams were at fault period. I'm disappointed to the enth degree. I've got good kids. Mick's got good kids. They made DUMB decisions."
Sad thing is Xavier was a legit Final Four contender but after today's game who knows what they'll be or who will still be on the team.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Lions Still Don't Get It
The most frustrating part of being a Detroit Lions fan during their Week 13 loss, 31-17 to New Orleans wasn't the loss itself but the fact that if not for boneheaded plays and poor officiating the Lions could have upset the Saints at home. Now while I hold the Lions more accountable for this loss the officials had some critical calls that we saw the 0-16 Lions get time and time again when no one respected them.
The Lions, one week after watching teammate Ndamukong Suh selfishly stomp on an opponent and put the team in a bad spot committed three more selfish and uncalled for personal fouls this week. It started early in the third quarter when rookie Titus Young tagged a Saints defender in the facemask while a referee was trying to separate the two. Instead of 3rd and 1 from New Orleans 5-yard line it became 3rd and 16. The Lions settled for a field goal and not a touchdown that they most likely would have scored. Young was benched for most of the game after this, seeing the field for a handful snaps when needed.
Then in the fourth quarter return man Stefan Logan flipped the football into the face of an opponent after a return. Logan who hasn't been an impact on returns this year has been understandably frustrated but this selfish act came back to haunt the Lions as they settled for a 55-yard field goal attempt. They missed and gave the Saints the ball on their own 45, the seven point game quickly became a 14 point game and was pretty much over. There's no guarantee the Lions drive like they did and kick a 40-yard field goal if Logan didn't get that penalty but it's still a dumb penalty to commit nonetheless.
And lastly Brandon Pettigrew picked up a personal foul for contact with an official as he shoved an official who was trying to separate him from a Saints defender. There's absolutely no excuse for what Pettigrew did here and while his penalty didn't cost the Lions points it did cost them position.
Head coach Jim Schwartz has said that the plan is to bench those who continue to make these selfish and costly penalties. If I were him or front office personnel you can bet that not only am I benching them but I am fining them whatever amount it is under the new CBA that I can. You thought Suh's suspension would have opened their eyes, it didn't so maybe this will.
Ultimately the Lions cost themselves the game with the Saints but I do have some qualms with the officiating in that game. Right before the half the Saints clearly jumped offsides en route to blocking the Lions field goal which wasn't called. Nate Burelson was flagged not once, not twice but three times for offensive pass interference. Has there even been three OPIs called all season long? To me you can call offensive pass interference is 99 percent of the one on one jump balls and under throws, so why all of sudden was the crew working that game deciding to call every little hand check battle Nate got into? Conveniently enough they also missed the defensive pass interference on Nate which led to Stafford's only interception on the night. These were the calls and officiating when the Lions were irrelevant and the laughing stock of the league. Like I said I don't blame the officials so much but that was an awful officiated game.
Schwartz says it's on him to stop this "trend" of idiotic personal fouls let's just hope for our sake, his sake and the playoff's sake that the guys get the memo.
The Lions, one week after watching teammate Ndamukong Suh selfishly stomp on an opponent and put the team in a bad spot committed three more selfish and uncalled for personal fouls this week. It started early in the third quarter when rookie Titus Young tagged a Saints defender in the facemask while a referee was trying to separate the two. Instead of 3rd and 1 from New Orleans 5-yard line it became 3rd and 16. The Lions settled for a field goal and not a touchdown that they most likely would have scored. Young was benched for most of the game after this, seeing the field for a handful snaps when needed.
Then in the fourth quarter return man Stefan Logan flipped the football into the face of an opponent after a return. Logan who hasn't been an impact on returns this year has been understandably frustrated but this selfish act came back to haunt the Lions as they settled for a 55-yard field goal attempt. They missed and gave the Saints the ball on their own 45, the seven point game quickly became a 14 point game and was pretty much over. There's no guarantee the Lions drive like they did and kick a 40-yard field goal if Logan didn't get that penalty but it's still a dumb penalty to commit nonetheless.
And lastly Brandon Pettigrew picked up a personal foul for contact with an official as he shoved an official who was trying to separate him from a Saints defender. There's absolutely no excuse for what Pettigrew did here and while his penalty didn't cost the Lions points it did cost them position.
Head coach Jim Schwartz has said that the plan is to bench those who continue to make these selfish and costly penalties. If I were him or front office personnel you can bet that not only am I benching them but I am fining them whatever amount it is under the new CBA that I can. You thought Suh's suspension would have opened their eyes, it didn't so maybe this will.
Ultimately the Lions cost themselves the game with the Saints but I do have some qualms with the officiating in that game. Right before the half the Saints clearly jumped offsides en route to blocking the Lions field goal which wasn't called. Nate Burelson was flagged not once, not twice but three times for offensive pass interference. Has there even been three OPIs called all season long? To me you can call offensive pass interference is 99 percent of the one on one jump balls and under throws, so why all of sudden was the crew working that game deciding to call every little hand check battle Nate got into? Conveniently enough they also missed the defensive pass interference on Nate which led to Stafford's only interception on the night. These were the calls and officiating when the Lions were irrelevant and the laughing stock of the league. Like I said I don't blame the officials so much but that was an awful officiated game.
Schwartz says it's on him to stop this "trend" of idiotic personal fouls let's just hope for our sake, his sake and the playoff's sake that the guys get the memo.
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