Various Thoughts

Lets get to some of my various thoughts about whats going on in the wide world of sports.

Lets talk about the vaunted "Dream Team" of in Philadelphia. Now I was skeptical about them from the very beginning. When youe back up quarterback dubs you a Dream Team, you have no shot. Vince Young called them a Dream Team and all the hype about the signing Nnamdi Asomugha was just blown up by ESPN and Sal Paolantonio. What made anyone convince them that this was a Dream Team or even a favorite in the NFC? Because they have 3 good corners? Yeah, Mike Vick had a great year last year but he hasn't won a big game in years. He can almost never stay healthy and his offensive line is crap this year. He's a guy you'd rather have on your fantasy or Madden team that your real life team. The defense has been the worst part for them. Their defensive coordinator this year was their offensive line coach from last year and that line struggled last year. Andy Reid has been known to have moments of utter buffoonery and he's never won a big game ever. Dream Teams don't work. Just ask the 2011 Miami Heat and the 2011 Boston Red Sox. The only time a Dream Team has won anything was the 1992 gold medal.


Lets move on to the NBA. The NBA announced that they are canceling the first 2 weeks of the NBA season. David Stern must be out of his tree if he thinks that fans are going to be in a uproar like they were going to be for the NFL. Only people like me, who really love basketball and really love the Celtics or whoever their individual team is, are going to care that its gone. Most fans causally watch and then only get into it at playoff time. Yes they owners are losing money and they want a 50/50 split from the players but their the ones that hire the idiotic general managers that hand out these horrendous contracts to players that are nowhere near worth half that money. Maybe that's the reason their losing money. Most of these owners are glad that they are going to miss games because they won't be losing money. What's also awful about this is that the deal that's on the table now, is going to be the deal the players and owners will agree upon in January, after we've missed half the season. What a mess.

Last up is Jay Cutler. Now I'm not a Jay Cutler fan by any stretch. I think he's arrogant and entitled and he walks around like hes done something in this league but last night he impressed me. Hes already got one the worst offensive lines in maybe NFL history and he's going up against a young, hungry, and talented defensive line that the Lions have. Every time he dropped back he was running for his life and getting the crap kicked out of him. And he actually played well considering he couldn't set his feet at all. Big ups for Jay Cutler last night. He proved he's got some toughness in him. Too bad he didn't have that in last years NFC championship game. How about that parting shot by me.

Until next time...

The Law Firm

The Patriots took care of business in Foxboro yesterday and dispatched the Jets by a score of 30-21. It was a solid, all around team win that handed the hated Jets their third straight loss and gave the Pats a measure, however small, of revenge over last years playoff loss.

The biggest story of the game was the performance of BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He finished with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ive been saying since last year that Benny is a legit running back in this league. That's why I used to get up in arms when people would say the Pats need a Adrian Peterson type back. Benny is a perfect running back for this team. He doesn't try to anything more than he has too, he just does his job. He always fights for extra yards and he never fumbles. He's also a classic Patriot story. Undrafted guy that had to sit and wait but he always worked hard and now hes getting his chance and hes making the most of it. When you watch Green-Ellis play you can see the difference between him and Laurence Maroney. Benny has worked for everything hes ever gotten while Maroney has more natural talent but doesn't put the work in. Benny fits in perfect with the Patriot Way. He's versitile, I've seen him on special teams a few and make plays in the passing game, and he only cares about winning. Another classic Belichick find. Give me a guy like BenJarvus any day over a guy like Maroney.

The defense actually played OK yesterday. I know how terrible Sanchez is and how inept Brian Schottenheimer is as a offensive coordinator but they did force 7 3 and outs yesterday. Going into the game they had forced 8 3 and outs so its baby steps with this defense. Next week will be a big test with the Cowboys. Dez Bryant will a tough matchup for Devin McCourty, who has struggled this year. Of course if it is close Tony Romo will probably spontaneously combust like he always does.

Baby steps with the defense, keep pounding the ball with Benny, and Tom Brady will be Tom Brady. I like the direction the New England Patriots are heading in.

Until next time...

People who are pissing me off.

You know who has been pissing me off lately? Lesbians.

Just seems they are having some private competition to see who can be the ugliest now. Men love hot women, but women love ugly women. I'm lost. Your alright though portia de rossi. keep doin your thing.

Patriots vs Jets Preview

Here we go again. Its Jets week here in New England and its the most intense, most hate fueled rivarly going on in the NFL right now. Belichick vs Rex. Brady vs Rex. Welker vs Revis. Everybody ready? Lets break this puppy down.


Last time we saw the Jets, it was one of the few times that a team and coach was able to fool the tandem of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The Jets game plan was the total opposite of what they did in the game where the Pats blew them out by 42 points. In the 42 point beatdown, the Jets blitzed Brady and Brady eats blitzes up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the playoff game, they rushed 3 or 4 and just flooded the zones and no one could get open.Similar to what the Giants did in Super Bowl 42 and the Patriots couldn't adjust. Welker was covered, Branch couldn't get open, Gronk and Hernandez were lost and Brady couldn't figure it out. Brady didn't play well and the Pats lost. How do the Jets play it this time? You know Brady has watched that playoff game multiple times and has maybe figured out some ways to beat that coverage. Do the Jets mix it up and blitz at times and play coverage other times? Do they blitz like mad men or play the zones? Do they put Darrelle Revis on Welker? I think they do. Its the ultimate chess match.

I'm expecting and hoping for a big defensive game from the Pats on Sunday. The Jets offensive line is banged up and we all know how bad Mark Sanchez is. Of course, this Pats D has a habit of making mediocre quarterbacks look like John Elway. Last year in week 1, Sanchez looked awful vs the Ravens and then in week 2 he threw 3 touchdowns vs New England. Lets hope that history doesn't repeat itself. And it wont if Albert Haynesworth awakens from his slumber and causes some havoc. If there ever was a week from him to do it, its this week against a banged up Nick Mangold. The Patriots have to get at Sanchez and rattle him and force to make mistakes, which he will.

Usually, during Jets week we hear a ton of crap and trash talking coming from the Fat Man Rex Ryan himself and his team full of mouths. But this week, they've been unusually quiet. The only one that's had anything to say is Antonio Cromartie and he was just saying again that he thinks Tom Brady is an A-hole. Yeah, the guys got 9 kids with 8 different women in 6 different states and Brady's the A-hole. Other than that fool there's been nothing. Usually by Thursday, Rex has said that Brady isn't as good as Peyton Manning and just reaffirming that for the 3rd year in a row hes predicting a Super Bowl. He hasn't said much. All hes said is that Belichick is a better coach than him (no kidding). Maybe this 2-2 start has him humbled a little bit and the fact that there coming in slumping against a team that's hot has him a little worried. The Pats have a chance to maybe bury them early and lets hope they take advantage of that.


Tom Brady had his weekly press conference yesterday and it was the most serious, most locked in I've seen him in awhile. We know he hates the Jets, he's said so himself, and he is ready to unleash hell in this game. A couple reporters tried to get him to respond to Cromartie's comments and he wasn't having any of it. A reporter tried to get him to joke about getting the fans hyped up and he shut that down real quick. "I'm not joking any more this year" was the quote. This guys ready. For those of you that say he's soft since Giselle and when he grew his hair out. The hairs gone and he had a look on his face I haven't seen since 2007. Like I said, this guys ready.


On another note, the Bruins put the final chapter to their magical 2011 Stanley Cup season when they raise the banner tonight. Rumors are flying about whats going to happen tonight and who's going to be there. There's gonna be legends there and it's going to be special. Banner nights here in Boston is a special kind of event. When you see that banner go up and you see the looks on the players faces, you remember all the great moments that happened that year as a fan. Sports in Boston is different than in other cities. Perhaps the only city that knows how we feel is New York. Tonight should be a special night for the Bruins players and their fans. And I look forward to defending that Cup now.


Until next time...

Is Redemption Possible?

We've had 4 weeks of NFL football and it seems that Tony Romo has been the lead on shows like Around The Horn and Pardon The Interruption and rightfully so. Romo's been the main story in Week 1, Week 2, and Week 4. Week 1 and Week 4, he's added to his resume of epic chokes in games. Against the Jets on the opening week, on national TV, Romo fumbled on the 1 yard line and threw just a God awful interception to allow the Jets to set up a game winning field goal to complete blowing a 14 point lead 4th quarter lead. He seemed to shake that off and came back and won an overtime game vs the 49ers the next week with cracked ribs but this past week he collapsed yet again and it was almost predictable. The Cowboys led the Lions by 24 points in the second half and the Lions started their comeback after Romo threw another pick that made you scratch your head. Bobby Carpenter picked it off and ran it back for a TD. Then Romo threw another Pick 6 on the next possession. The most egregious interception was an off balance, off the back foot, into triple coverage throw to Jason Witten that I and two of my friends predicted and then laughed at how bad it was. The next day on all the NFL shows, all they talked about was Tony Romo's collapse and how bad it was. But there is a bigger story here. Can Romo overcome these debacles and redeem himself?

Many athletes in the past have been labeled as chokes and have been able to redeem themselves. The most recent and perhaps most inspiring story happened in Tony Romo's own city. In 2006, Dirk Nowitzki had such a public failure on his games greatest stage. The Mavericks lead the Heat two games to none in the NBA Finals and they blew a 13 point 4th quarter lead with Dirk at the center of the collapse. In game 4 Dirk bricked potential game winning free throws. While Dirk came up small, Dwayne Wade on the other side made every big play for the heat. It was one of the worst choke jobs by a team and player in NBA history. The next year was somehow worse. Dirk won the MVP and led the Mavs to 67 wins and the top seed in the NBA. Then in the playoffs, The Warriors ousted the Mavs and Dirk looked utterly lost. The critics were on Dirk more than ever and he widely became known as the biggest choke in the NBA. He continuously kept coming up small in big spots and was well on the way to becoming known as the best player never to win a championship.

Then the 2011 playoffs came around and Dirk took no prisoners. He led the Mavs to a dominant sweep of the two time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers, took down the up and coming Thunder and rewrote his legacy by taking down the Miami Heat than left him broken 5 years before. Dirk hit every big shot while Lebron James was the one getting criticized like Dirk once been. You could see the emotion on Dirk's face when he finally won. He ran back into the locker room to have the moment to himself and he deserved it. He was a guy that deserved a championship more than anyone in the NBA that year. He took all the shots from the experts and talking heads weather fair or unfair and kept coming back until he finally shook the choke label, won a championship and cemented his legacy as one of the greats to ever play in the NBA.

So, yes, redemption is possible. Romo just has to look down the street at Dirk. Romo has had just as many collapses as Dirk had. The botched field goal in the playoffs. The playoff ending interception vs the Giants in 2007. It'll be tough to shake those cobwebs because I think he is a little sensitive and his every little move in monitored in Big D. But he just has to stay strong, learn from his mistakes and just keep playing football. Who knows if he can overcome his habit of blowing up at the wrong time but it is possible. Redemption is always possible.

Until next time...

Pats vs Raiders Week 4

The Patriots went down to Oakland and took down the Raiders 31-19. But what did we really learn? It was reinforced again that Brady to Welker is unstoppable and that our defense continues to struggle. Well get to the defense later but for now lets talk about the positive. Tom Brady knows that he can throw to Wes Welker anytime he wants and that Welker will make the play. This is Welker's 5th year and he still amazes me every game. The guy is 5'8 185 and he's the toughest player on the field. Every week he goes over the middle and takes shot after shot and he keeps getting up, getting open, and making plays. That double move back shoulder throw where he somehow got both feet in bounds was ridiculous. Shame on the Raiders for letting him free and do what he wants. Then again what do I care. Another thing about Welker is that he'll always be looked at as a slot receiver and wont get the same hype that guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald get. Welker's leading the league in catches and yards by wide margins but you probably wont hear his name when the "best receiver in the league" discussion comes up.

Now on to the defense. Yesterday was pretty much the same thing we watched last year. Sit back in zones, get no pass rush, and get hopefully get a key turnover at a crucial point. The defense gave up over 500 yards to a team quarterbacked by Jason Campbell. They did do a good job on Darren McFadden, holding him to only 75 yards, but he did gash the D a few times. The defense has to get better. It cant be the same as last year. We all know how last year ended up. We need Albert Haynesworth to get healthy cause he was the center piece to the attacking 4-3 that Bill Belichick wanted to run this year. Getting to the quarterback is a necessity now. Sitting back and hoping they make a mistake doesn't cut it in the NFL these days. We can't count on Vince Wilfork to keep making interceptions week after week. Only 34 away from the franchise record, Vince Also, reports are that Mayo isn't out for the year which is good news but that he will miss the next 6 weeks. Hes one of the best linebackers in the league and our defensive leader so we have to hope Brandon Spikes and Gary Guyton step up.

To end this on a positive note it was great to see some offensive balance yesterday. Its good to see that Tom Brady doesn't have to throw for 400 yards for the Patriots to put up 30+ points and win. The running game, which has been little used up until yesterday, really came alive against a pretty good front four. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley combined for 172 yards. Ridley showed great burst on his touchdown run and If Danny Woodhead is out for a extended period of time, Ridley seems to be a good fit for that change of pace back to split carries with BenJarvus.

All in all a solid road win in a tough place to play. Now on the Fat Man and the New York Jets. Let the talking begin.

Until next time...

Staying or Going?

Its been two days since the train fell off the tracks for the Red Sox and stories are starting to fly. It also appears that the first domino to fall is the the choice to not have Terry Francona return to Boston for his 9th season. The report is that Tito had a meeting with the Red Sox brass and that no decision has been made on if he is going to come back. Gorden Edes reports that Francona has told some staff members that he wont be back and Edes, at times, is a credible source.

My gut says that Francona isn't coming back. Like I wrote about yesterday I think the players started to tune him out and stopped working hard. Yesterday at the press conference Francona said that he had a team meeting in Toronto after a 14-0 win. That shows the problems this team had where they had to have a meeting after a 14-0 win. You also hear reports about drinking in the clubhouse during games and little things that added to this collapse. This team really wore on Francona with how arrogant and entitled they thought they were and I don't think he can take it anymore. I think the choice is Tito's here. Frankly, I don't think he wants to comeback. He's has had a history of health problems and this job could kill you. Its been a miracle he lasted this long. 8 years is a long time. The average length for a manager with one team is 4.3 years. I think hes tired of the media, tired of the questions, and just tired of the prima donnas in that locker room. He looked dead tired at the press conference yesterday. Right when it ended he jetted out the press room so fast. By far the fastest hes ever moved.

Lets get another thing straight, Red Sox fans- he's not being fired. His contract is up and its up the front office in weather to pick up his option for a new two year deal. This is going to be a mutual parting of the ways here I think. I would love Francona to stay. Hes been a unbelievable manager here. Hes been the guy for two World Series championships. He handles the media tremendously and he handles a clubhouse tremendously. Well up until this year. I don't know who we are going to hire to replace Tito but I doubt it will be anybody better. Bobby Valentine wont. Tony Larussa wont. Maybe Joe Torre. Who knows.

After the Francona situation is done, the next decision to make is the status of Theo Epstein. Theo has one year left on his deal. They can't give extend him or promote him to president after this fiasco. That would be an awful PR move and their so PR conscience down there. I think Theo wants to stay and fix this. Theo was very accountable yesterday. He stood up and took blame which I give him credit for. Theo's John Henry's golden boy so maybe he'll stay. I think Theo is the guy to fix it here if management doesn't butt in. Your up next, Theo. Fix this thing.

Until next time....