Two Word Heap » Play

The Importance of Being Dallas

Robby Stevens — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:48:49 +0000

Last week I nearly chimed in on the controversy surrounding Dallas Braden’s comments toward Alex Rodriguez after he felt A-Rod broke an unspoken rule of baseball. For those who don’t know, A-Rod was on first and a ball was hit that eventually went foul. By the time Mr. Baseball realized it was foul, he decided to take a shortcut across the diamond and the pitcher’s mound. Braden took exception to this and yelled at A-Rod after the inning was over. He also had this to say to the press about the incident:

He should probably take a note from his captain over there and realize you don’t cross the pitcher’s mound in between an inning or during the game. I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his mind — being someone of such status…

…I don’t care if I’m Cy Young or the 25th man on the roster, if I’ve got the ball in my hand and I’m on that mound, that’s my mound … He ran across the pitcher’s mound foot on my rubber. No, not happening. We’re not the door mat anymore.

I played little league and high school baseball and I admit that never once did anyone tell me not to go across the diamond, but I also never did it and I never saw anyone else do it either. It is an unspoken rule for those of us who enjoy the game. My coach constantly told us to hustle wherever we went on the field and it’s pretty obvious Major League players do not feel the need to run to and from a base or after a fly ball^[1]. Most of the buzz on the internet was that Braden should keep his mouth shut since he is a nobody and A-Rod will be a hall of famer.

However, I don’t think people really understand what Braden is trying to say. This isn’t about one incident with Rodriguez; it’s about his attitude toward the game and that of many others like him. Very few players seem to respect the game of baseball anymore. Many of the players have come out and admitted steroid use^[2], but most of them were never caught by MLB. Most of today’s baseball heroes are glorified cheaters and all Braden was saying is that none of them respect the game anymore. I have constantly heard about how baseball is a business for years and I’m tired of it. I don’t pay a ticket to a business meeting between two teams.

This is deeper than just baseball since all of the sports and the players are pretty much the same. I am so jaded by this type of behavior that I have a tough time caring about any of the major sports and I rarely spend money on them. I won’t even buy a Jacksonville Jaguar hat because I think the team is moving soon. I am interested in watching great athletes compete because they want to win and use talent and teamwork to do so. I don’t even care if the ultimate motivation is money as long as each person gives it his or her all every game. That’s why we buy tickets. Well, it used to be anyway.

For instance, I’m tired of hearing that Kobe Bryant gets a foul because he’s Kobe. There is a rule book for the NBA and I’m sure that there isn’t separate rules just for Kobe and LeBron, but you’d think those rule books exist somewhere. I stopped watching the NBA after seeing Shaq elbow his way to an MVP years ago. The rules and standards should apply to everyone and there is an attitude that they shouldn’t apply to elite players. I honestly do not understand this attitude. Shouldn’t we want the players to show how great they are instead of getting bailed out by the refs?

I used to frequent the Sporting News website and I once read a column by Todd Jones that said it is the fans fault for the steroid era. He said that fans had quit going to games and that baseball was in trouble and it took McGwire to bring the fans back. Though it got many people mad at me, I reminded Mr. Jones that the reason fans had quit going to baseball games was because of the strike in the early 90’s where baseball players were complaining that they don’t get paid enough money. I believe that I remember some player saying thing like, “How am I going to feed my kids.” Fans were so sick of hearing millionaires complain about not having enough money that they quit paying to watch them. So, I disagreed with Mr. Jones then and I do now. It’s like Dallas Braden said about A-Rod, “I was always told if you give a fool enough rope, he’ll hang himself, and with those comments, he had all the rope he needed.”

Somewhere inside I still care or I wouldn’t write this, but I can assure you that I am not wasting much of my time watching any sports in the USA. As long as people like Dallas Braden are out there, perhaps there is a chance that things can change, but I doubt it. The corruption in sports is just as bad as Wall Street and I think it will take telling people they won’t make as much money for things to change. Let’s face it, you might as well try and resurrect dinosaurs which would be much cooler anyway.

As for Dallas Braden, he threw a perfect game last night. That’s only been done 19 times before in the over 100 years of Major League Baseball. I don’t think A-Rod can make a claim even close to that, and even if he could, I’d just say it’s because his performance was and probably still is enhanced. I think Braden’s success is so much more than anything Rodriguez has ever done for baseball and I can only hope his attitude is a trend that catches on.

Footnotes

just ask Manny Ramirez
A-Rod included

Is Disc Golf the Next Big Sports Fad?

Robby Stevens — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:29:18 +0000

Typically, when I tell someone that I’m off to play disc golf, I get a chuckle followed by, “what’s that?” I know this because that’s what I did when one of my friends asked me to play. I had thrown Frisbees before, but it was always the cheap ones you buy in a store on your way to the beach. They never went where I was throwing them so it seemed to me that it wasn’t worth dedicating any kind of time to playing something like disc golf.

Then, my buddies got me out to a course. It was out in the woods and we were having to throw discs four to five hundred feet through trees, up hills, and at some places over water. Different discs flew through the air differently and I found myself wanting to get one that would do what I wanted. The courses are challenging and like golf you can find yourself having a great day and lose your entire score on one hole.

I like it because the sport is different. It’s not all over television and it hasn’t been exploited yet by sponsors and rich men with no caring for the integrity of the game. If the sport does catch on like I think it will, then all of that would be right around the corner. If it ever does get exploited, I’ll probably take up something like bog snorkeling.

By the way, there is a Professional Disc Golfing Association. I am pretty sure it is not big money, but I would love to play this sport for a living! It’s like Baseketball, but comprised of two lesser sports. Practically a recreational sport comprised of two other sports that most people couldn’t care less about, but they come together like a PB&J.

Anyway, check out the PDGA website and see if there’s a course near you and give it a shot or don’t. I don’t care.

The Importance of Being Dallas

DARE ME! I dare ya…

Grant Tingley — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:12:17 +0000

This is more than likely going to be a horrible idea, but I already let the cat out of the bag on my twitter account and I am not a guy to back down from things. Anyways essentially here is the story, you dare me to do something (within reason; rules to follow) and I will do it, chronicle it, and hopefully have something entertaining to show you as I present it to you here on the site or twitter or youtube… but the site here will obviously be the home base…

OK, here are the simple rules…

The point of the dare can’t be to get someone INJURED! So if you dare me to cut my hand off or cut someone elses hand off… well clearly I won’t do it. Also if you aren’t daring me to hurt myself or others, but the only reasonable outcome is that someone will get hurt… I won’t do it.
If it costs a ridiculous amount of money, I probably won’t do it, WHY!? because I can’t afford that shit! So unless you guys want to donate to me it ain’t happening!
The third rule is that I reserve the right to make up more rules!

Anyways if you want to submit dares, just email me fejimanz@gmail.com and please include your twitter username if you have one, WHY!? Why the heck not people! Obviously at points there might be times when I can’t get to all of them, but I will do my best to get to the best ones, and remember THERE IS NO DARE TO SMALL!

Just a few of the dares that have already come in in the few minutes it has been up on twitter…

Picture of me in my Bicycle Shorts… yeah I am not joking
Shot gun an Oscar blues Ten Fidy… whatever that is
Shot gun a can of guinness… there might be a lot of alcohol ones

So see! those three are easy, I think, so I willl get those nailed down quickly, so please submit more… that is if you want to see me inadvertently hurt myself, vomit, or maybe even simply succeed!

No related posts.

2009 NFL Preview | Part 6: AFC South

Eric Miller — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:46:44 +0000

After a three week hiatus^[1], I’m back with another weekly dose of winners, losers, sleepers and underachievers for part 6 of an 8 part series. I’ll be talking about teams as close to where my heart is as I can in the AFC South.

Indianapolis Colts

Insight: As a Colts fan, I wasn’t really high on the team coming into this season. The loss of Marvin Harrison in the off-season was bad enough, but 3 crucial pieces of the puzzle are gone in head coach Tony Dungy, offensive coordinator Tom Moore, and offensive line coach Howard Mudd. This brings in a group of new coaching for QB Peyton Manning, who has never worked with anyone other than Moore and Mudd at their respective spots. I’m still not crazy about the Colts’ defense. I do like the offensive draft acquisitions of WR Austin Collie, Junior from BYU and NCAA rushing giant RB Donald Brown, Junior from Connecticut. Both should fall into roles nicely. The key factor to the offense are returning players QB Peyton Manning, center Jeff Saturday, and WR Reggie Wayne. Saturday is an elite center, Wayne has glue-like hands, and Manning is arguably a top 10 all time QB.

Final Take: If the Colts’ defense was as high powered as their offense, we’d see a Colts/Patriots AFC Championship game every year that decided the league winner. The Super Bowl would be a formality. Unfortunately, the defense leaves a lot to be desired. They still have pieces that will help them win double-digit games. S Bob Sanders should play most of the season, and if the rest of his secondary mates in CBs Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson, and fellow safety Antoine Bethea can get healthy, they may still make a deep playoff run. This year may still yet be one of the Colts’ last chances to win a Super Bowl in a long, long time.

2009 Prediction: 11-5, AFC South Champs

Houston Texans

Insight: Houston is yet another team, like Oakland, who comes in every year with lots of promise- and then they fall flat. I think this will be the year they finally break through and make a difference. A solid offensive line makes QB Matt Schaub look like he’s ready to keep this offense running strong all season, provided he can escape injury that seems to plague him. RB Steve Slaton gave the Texans a great rushing game as a rookie. Andre Johnson is still hauling in TDs every time a ball is thrown in his direction. Mario Williams leads an underrated rushing defense, and an improving passing defense. If the defense can play solid this year, the Texans have an outside chance of contending for the AFC South crown.

Final Take: I’m really high on Slaton, Schaub, and Johnson. I like these guys to break .500 for the first time in the brief history of the Texans.

2009 Prediction: 9-7, 2nd in AFC South

Tennessee Titans

Insight: I’m going to take a lot of crap for this. Yes, I know Tennessee won 13 games last year. Yes I know they were a sexy pick for the Super Bowl last year. The problem is multi-dimensional. QB Kerry Collins is aging, and while he performed well all last season, he can’t be expected to keep it up with a poor stable of WRs. For that matter, every year increases injury risk, and Vince Young can’t lead this team if/when Collins goes down. Last year rookie phenom Chris Johnson has looked terrible in preseason. I don’t usually consider preseason stats too deeply, but he’s not struggling- he’s been terrible. In 3 games, he has 27 yards on 15 carries, 0 yards receiving with only one reception. LenDale White isn’t capable of carrying the bulk of the Titans’ carries. The loss of Albert Haynesworth on the defensive side is a shot to the gut of this stellar defense. They won’t be able to pressure QBs and rushers like they did last year, meaning the fact that the secondary is still strong won’t matter as much.

Final Take: Fortunately for the Titans, they have a somewhat easy non-conference schedule, outside of games at Pittsburgh and New England. Even the Cardinals coming to Tennessee is somewhat favorable for them, as their secondary can keep a little handle on the Cards’ WRs.

2009 Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars

Insight: The Jags went 35-13 from 2005-2007. Last year, however, they fell apart, finishing 5-11. The differences aren’t easy to see. They compiled 35 wins with a rag-tag group of players. Byron Leftwich and David Garrard weren’t/aren’t Pro Bowl caliber QBs, although Garrard might be one of the most underrated QBs in the league. After WR Jimmy Smith left in 2006, their core of receivers have had no identity. Their defense is solid, albeit not top notch. The only consistancies in the Jags’ camp have been their running game, and head coach Jack Del Rio. Fred Taylor, who carried the Jags’ rushing attack for several years is now gone to New England, but 4th year standout RB Maurice Jones-Drew is more than capable of filling the void despite his small 5’6″, 208 lb. frame. He’s a utility back, cut from similar molds as Philly’s Brian Westbrook and San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson. The defense is still solid, but not great.

Final Take: Jacksonville also has a tough schedule, and happens to be in one of the most competitive conferences in the league. They’ll play in some close games, but in the end, they’ll miss a winning record by 4 games.

2009 Prediction: 4-12, last in AFC South

The crazy thing about this conference is one or two wins fall the opposite way, and Houston wins this division. The team that was once the laughing stock of the league, much less this division, has a chance to lock up a playoff spot. We’ll see where things land come December. Next week, we head on over to the AFC East, and the powerhouse New England Patriots. Remember to leave comments for things you agree/disagree with, or email me with questions/comments here. You can also leave me a voice message at 480-3-tygr20(480-389-4720).

Footnotes

real life gets real crazy sometimes

2009 NFL Preview | Part 5: NFC South

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

2009 NFL Preview | Part 5: NFC South

Eric Miller — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:10:02 +0000

I’m dying to review the AFC South, my Colts, and one of my favorite sleeper teams in Houston^[1] but, by request, I’m headed further south to talk about the Falcons, the Saints, and the rest of the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons

Insight: Matt Ryan exploded as a rookie last year. He, with help from rising star WR Roddy White and Falcons’ newcomer Michael Turner, lead the Dirty Birds to an 11-5 record, and it still wasn’t enough to win their division as the Carolina Panthers just edged them out with a 12-4 record. This year, I see a slight decline in Turner’s production in plain view. He carried the ball an astounding 376 times. That’s too many carries for a guy who has Jerious Norwood to help shoulder the load. The Falcons also added veteran TE Tony Gonzalez, often regarded as the best TE of all time. Gonzalez should give Ryan a big, sure short yardage target and someplace else to look other than Roddy or WR Michael Jenkins in the redzone. The defense was poor in 2008, though their record doesn’t indicate it. They were 11th in the league in points allowed, despite being ranked 17th or lower in almost all defensive categories. They lost two starting LBs in Michael Boley and Keith Brooking, and this only weakens their interior defense.

Final Take: It’s hard not to think the Falcons won’t be able to repeat last year’s wild card season. With some good luck, the Falcons COULD nab the NFC South title outright but unfortunately their schedule is slightly tougher than that of the Saints.

2009 Prediction: 9-7, NFC South Champs^[2]

New Orleans Saints

Insight: This is a very, very tough division to call. No one team stands out so much that the others are pretty much eliminated from the playoffs from the season opener. I like the Saints. They’ve got a great offensive minded coach in Sean Payton, a top tier QB in Drew Brees, a great young receiver in Marques Colston, and a two-headed threat in the backfield of RBs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. Brees is a threat to toss 5000 yards in any season, Bush is a threat to rush 1000 yards and receive another 1000, and Colston, as a rookie, was one of the top receivers in the league in 2006. Their defense, however, has been their undoing for the last 3 years. The Saints could always be contenders to win the NFC and go to the Superbowl, but their defense lacks so much that they can never live up to their potential.

Final Take: While Bush is a great player on paper, he keeps coming up short, finds himself injured, and is generally a letdown every year. Their defense, while bolstered by the 2009 draft, still lacks too much to make them serious contenders. With a middle-of-the-road schedule, their win total could fluctuate by as many as 2-3 games either way.

2009 Prediction: 9-7, 2nd in NFC South^[2]

Carolina Panthers

Insight: I really like the Panthers for the most part. DE Julius Peppers leads a tough, scrappy defensive team who won this division just a year ago. Combine their great defense with potentially the most lethal two-headed running attack in the NFL in RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, a dash of QB Jake Delhomme to WR Steve Smith, and they were phenomenal until being knocked out by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2009 NFC Semifinals. Unfortunately, Delhomme isn’t the answer to Carolina’s QB question anymore. Take that, add in the fact that I really feel 2008′s breakout performance by Williams is partly a fluke^[3], and the Panthers are set for a decline.

Final Take: The running attack is still the best thing about this team. Delhomme is aging and will be a little less effective this year which will result in a decline in Steve Smith’s numbers as well. The defense has another year on their legs, but they’ll still be largely effective.

2009 Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Insight: At the end of the 2008 season, the Bucs may have made the biggest mistake of the season: they fired head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden was at the helm for the Bucs 2002, 2005, and 2007 Divisional championships, and for their first and only Superbowl win in 2002. A lot of people are quick to point out he won with Tony Dungy’s team, who left at the end of 2001 to coach the Indianapolis Colts, but no one seems willing to also show that Gruden’s Bucs picked apart the Oakland Raiders, the very team Gruden built before leaving to coach in Tampa. Gruden’s former team not only made it to the Superbowl, but they were the heavy favorites. After starting 2008 9-3, they fell apart late, finishing 9-7. Important pieces are gone. Gruden is going to be an analyst now. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is gone. Starting QB Jeff Garcia left to sign with the Raiders. Veterans RB Warrick Dunn, WRs Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, and LBs Cato June and Derrick Brooks have all left the team. The QB job will be decided between veteran Byron Leftwich and first round rookie Josh Freeman of Kansas State. Troubled standout TE Kellen Winslow joins the team, as does former “Earth, Wind, and Fire” Giants RB Derrick Ward. New head coach Raheem Morris was originally slated as the replacement for Kiffin. All of this together makes it hard to believe the Bucs will even be considered contenders in the division.

Final Take: Change is often good, sometimes bad—but this much change can’t possibly work out well for the Buccaneers. Defensively, they’ll struggle. Offensively, they can only offer a former starter at QB who was rumored to have been considering retirement, new WRs that most of the country may not know, and the RB situation is a tossup between Ward and veteran Earnest Graham. This will not be a good season for Bucs fans.

2009 Prediction: 4-12, Last in NFC South

The NFC South will be a tight conference. What about the AFC South? Come back next Tuesday to find out. In the meantime, remember to comment on each of these sections with where you think I’m right or wrong, and who I should have as the top teams in each conference. Remember, you can also email me at tygr20@tygr20.com with your comments or ideas for future columns, or you can call 480-3-tygr20(480-389-4720) to leave voice comments.

Footnotes

That’s what we call foreshadowing, folks!
The Saints and Falcons will split their head to head games, but by virtue of a one conference win more than New Orleans, Atlanta will take the NFC South crown.
not entirely, mind you—you don’t accidentally score 20 TDs

2009 NFL Preview | Part 6: AFC South

2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

Eric Miller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:51:21 +0000

Staying up north in this installment, I get to tell you why the Vikings are better or worse off without Brett Favre, and if it even matters in this division.

Minnesota Vikings

Insight: I’m personally elated that Brett Favre isn’t coming to play for the Vikings this year. Young QB Tavaris Jackson has a good skill set and can lead this team- but the GM didn’t acquire former Houston backup QB Sage Rosenfels for nothing. Rosenfels always looked pretty good in Houston, albeit only playing during injuries to David Carr or Matt Schaub. However, Rosenfels is an injury risk himself. It’s still unclear as to who will be the starter for the Vikings as of now. Oh- and they’ve got this Adrian Peterson guy. Pretty good RB, set the NFL rushing record for yards in a single game last year with 296. Peterson alone is reason to think the Vikes will win their division this year. He’s fast and strong, and a nightmare for defenses. They’ve got great defense as well and DE Jared Allen is just a freak. He should help lead Peterson and the Vikes to a very good record this season.

Final Take: These guys couldn’t have asked for a much better schedule. Also, the Vikings have everything I like in a Superbowl team. They have terrific rushing, great defense, and Florida stand-out rookie, Percy Harvin, brings another amazingly athletic dimension to the team. Minnesota may be the NFC team to watch this season.

2009 Prediction: 11-5, NFC North Champs

Chicago Bears

Insight: The Bears gave up the 18th pick in this year’s draft, their first round pick in 2010, and the 84th pick in this year’s draft, and veteran QB Kyle Orton to Denver in exchange for the hard throwing Jay Cutler. I hate to say this for the Bears fans, but I didn’t like the trade then, and I don’t like it now. Cutler was a good QB last year, but only led the Broncos to a 7-9 record and that was throwing to Brandon Marshall, a top WR, and Eddie Royal, who developed into a mid-level star last season. Now Cutler has a much more shallow set of receivers. The only upgrades Cutler will see on his side of the ball are RB Matt Forte (who lead the Bears in both rushing AND receiving in ’08) and 3rd year TE Greg Olsen. Chicago’s defense is aging faster than the New England Patriots’ entire roster, and will be less effective this year, rendering any upgrades coming via Cutler moot.

Final Take: This is pretty much the same Bears team we saw last year, a little slower, with a little more offensive upside. I still don’t think the addition of Cutler will help them this season, and they’ll drop from last season’s 9-7 record.

2009 Prediction: 8-8, 2nd in NFC North

Green Bay Packers

Insight: The Pack had a disappointing season in 2008, finishing 6-10. Ryan Grant’s faltering at the RB position had a hand in this. The faltering wasn’t entirely his own though as Green Bay’s O-line is less than stellar. If the line can create holes for Grant to burst through it’ll result in a lot more production for Grant and in turn for QB Aaron Rodgers. Defense will have to cheat less if they have to watch the run the way they did in 2007, where Grant exploded onto the scene in the second half of the year. They’re changing the defense this season to the 3-4, which will surely cause a bit of worry early on until it’s fully set in. AJ Hawk still looks like he can be a Pro Bowl DB, and CB Al Harris will still be cracking heads.

Final Take: I don’t see the Pack’s defense as anything special apart from a few somewhat bright spots. Their O-line needs to show lots of improvement over last season to be taken seriously. They’ll still improve, but only slightly.

2009 Prediction: 7-9, 3rd in NFC North

Detroit Lions

Insight: The Lions will easily be the biggest improved team in the NFL this year. Kind of hard not to be when you didn’t win a single game the prior season though. This year, they’ve brought in Matthew Stafford of Georgia fame at QB, veteran DB Larry Foote to help bolster the atrocious defense, and a handful of other pieces to try to fix their defensive puzzle. WR Calvin Johnson is the brightest spot on this squad, and hopefully Stafford’s strong throwing will help him find the end zone more frequently this season. Their running game is marginal.

Final Take: There’s not a lot to be said here- Detroit will improve over last season with a new head coach, and mostly new front office. The coaching seems of a defensive mindset, and with the new defensive pieces in place, Detroit won’t go 0-16 again.

2009 Prediction: 3-13, Last in NFC North

That wraps up the North (with no Brett Favre!). Next time, we’re staying in the NFC and moving way down south with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the rest of the NFC South. Until then, take the time to tell me where I’m wrong on these first four parts. Each column has it’s own comments section- tell me who will do better or worse than I’m predicting and why. I look forward to your feedback!

2009 NFL Preview | Part 3: AFC North

2009 NFL Preview | Part 2: AFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 3: AFC North

Eric Miller — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:01:01 +0000

I know I closed the AFC West segment saying I’d go to the NFC North this time, but Brett Favre says he’ll wait until Friday to make a decision as to whether or not he’ll play for the Vikings this season. With that in mind, I’m going to discuss the AFC North this time and save the NFC for Part 4. So, without further ado, I give you the AFC North.

Santonio Holmes hauls in the game winning catch during Superbowl XLIII

Pittsburgh Steelers

Insight: It’s really, really hard to not pick the Steelers to win this division. They’re coming in off of a last minute win in Superbowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals and they’ve lost no key pieces to the puzzle coming in to 2009. Top 10 QB Ben Roethlisberger is still under center. Veteran WR and all-around tough-guy Hines Ward is still in town to help the young (only in age) Santonio Holmes continue to improve his game. RB Willie Parker is still ready to run wild on other teams’ defenses when given opportunity and he’ll have 2nd year pro Rashard Mendenhall back from injury to help support the load. The offensive line that kept Big Ben and crew out of the defensive fire returns in full form. More importantly, the fearsome Pittsburgh defense is back. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year LB James Harrison has signed an extension. Hard hitting 2008 1st team S Troy Polamalu is back, mane still waving. The ferocious D-line is back. It’s almost open and shut at this point.

Final Take: Baltimore will split their games with Pittsburgh this year, but otherwise, the Steelers will dominate their division (Cincinnati MAY steal their game in Ohio) and likely earn a first round playoff bye. They’re the only sure-shot playoff team I’ve covered so far. They’ve also got an extremely weak schedule and will easily win double-digit games. Actually, they could win as many as 14 games, but…

2009 Prediction: 12-4, AFC North Champs

Baltimore Ravens

Insight: Last year’s rookie QB Joe Flacco exploded onto the scene, fresh from the University of Delaware. Flacco lead his Baltimore Ravens to an 11-5 record, an inversion from 2007′s 5-11 record. He was complimented in the backfield by a three-headed running attack starring journeyman RB Willis McGahee, rookie Ray Rice, and FB turned RB LaRon McClain. To be quite honest, I don’t know who’ll be the definite starting WRs for the Ravens, but Flacco’s passes are accurate enough that it really won’t matter. They won 11 games with a rag-tag bunch of receivers who were tough as nails but, most importantly, with a top 3 defense. The Ravens have resigned meathead (albeit a top 5 guy) LB Terrell Suggs, and captain Ray Lewis is back. Bart Scott’s departure for the Jets hurts but they shouldn’t feel the sting too deeply. Their D-line is amazing and seemingly improves as the season goes on.

Final Take: Baltimore’s schedule could be weak, could be strong, depending on how certain teams perform (or underperform). It really is a shame that they’re stuck in the same division as the Steelers or they’d be a perennial playoff team with Flacco at the helm. As it stands, they have an solid chance, albeit not an open and shut chance, to be a wildcard team this season.

2009 Prediction: 10-6, 2nd in AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals

Insight: The Bengals have had a couple of rough seasons in a row. This season could be the time for them to right the ship. Unfortunately, it could also be a rehash of the last 2 seasons. The best news the Bengals have seen in a while is that superstar QB Carson Palmer has appeared to fully recover from previous injuries and should be set to play all 16 games. If Palmer stays healthy, Cincinnati could sneak into the #2 spot in the AFC North. Problem child receiver Chad Ochocinco (formerly Johnson) is back, and if he can keep his head on straight—he can’t—is always a threat to lead the league in yards, receptions, and TDs. His left side counterpart, T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be missed, having left for Seatlle, but new Bengal Laveranues Coles should more than fill the role. The RB role should be filled by Cedric Benson, who ran well for the Bengals in late 2008. Their defense is atrocious, their DBs are horrible, but their D-line holds a little strength.

Final Take: Even with a potentially high-powered, potent offense, the awful defense Cincy brings to the table will be their demise (I’m noticing a pattern with these poor defensive teams). Combine this with being in the same conference with the Steelers and Ravens, and Cincy will fall below .500 again.

2009 Prediction: 5-11, 3rd in AFC North

Cleveland Browns

Insight: New head coach Eric Mangini, last year’s NY Jets coach, has walked into a mess. The Browns are a team with oh-so-much wasted potential. After QB Derek Anderson burst onto the scene in 2007 after bust Charlie Frye displayed a lackluster performance against the Steelers. Anderson compiled amazing numbers for a guy in his first season as a starter, even earning a Probowl spot. Everything changed in 2008, however, and Anderson was replaced late in the season by the highly-touted Brady Quinn. Quinn broke a finger in week 17, giving Anderson a second chance, which he blew. RB Jamal Lewis was solid for most of the season, but age is slowing him. WR Braylon Edwards has terrible hands and drops more passes than he’ll catch. Opposite side WR Donte Stallworth missed most of last season with an injury and will miss all of this season after a DUI manslaughter charge landed him in the can for 30 days. TE Kellen Winslow is gone, likely replaced by former Bills TE Robert Royal. The Browns’ defense is good on paper but fails to deliver on game day.

Final Take: If there were a Toilet Bowl after the Super Bowl, the Browns would be fighting hard with the Rams and Broncos to take the title. Unless Quinn can come out and make these guys live up to their potential and Mangini can find and fix all of their bugs, they’re destined to sit at the bottom of the league again.

2009 Prediction: 3-13, Last in AFC North

Next week, I’ll take a shot at the NFC North, with all new hate for Brett Favre. Or maybe I’ll just be covering a Tavaris Jackson/Sage Rosenfels led Minnesota Vikings.

2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 2: AFC West

Michael Vick: Free Man

Eric Miller — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:28:15 +0000

Some of you may not like what I say today and that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I encourage you to share yours with me down in the comments section only after you’ve read this whole article.

In case you missed the gigantic media showcase on one of the biggest headlines of 2007, I’ll recap. Michael Vick was quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons from 2001 to 2007. He was arguably the most exciting player on turf during that stretch. Vick was highly agile, very fast, and had a cannon arm. His running ability often made it difficult for other teams’ defense to stop the Falcons. Double cover his receivers? He’d hand the ball off to his running back. Stuff the line? He’d throw a long bomb down the field. Manage to jam up the running back AND stop the receivers? He’d take off like a rocket downfield. Vick was arguably the best dual threat offensive weapon in the history of the NFL.

Vick, however, made a horrible off-field decision. He started a dog-fighting ring based out of his home in Surry County, Virgina. In April of 2007, police executed a search warrant looking for drugs owned by Vick’s cousin. Instead, they found Vick’s dog fighting ring. Vick was accused of not only hosting the dog fights, but allowing illegal betting on the illegal sport AND also torturing and executing animals that didn’t perform well enough in their matches. Sick stories are told of what occurred in his facility. In the end, Vick and three associates were convicted and sentenced to prison sentences. Vick began serving a 23 month sentence in December of 2007. Just this last week, he has been freed from Federal custody. Now begins NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s task of deciding whether or not to reinstate Vick.

The animal lover in me says it’s not enough- serving 18 months of a 23 month sentence for the things I’ve heard Vick did isn’t enough. I’m SURE it’s not enough for PETA^[1]. The only thing that makes me waver on that point is the fact that a federal judge, who would surely want to make an example of Vick, is satisfied with 18 months. I’m still torn on this subject.

I’ve heard sports radio hosts discuss how Vick should or shouldn’t be suspended from the NFL by Goodell now that his sentence is over. Should he be suspended? Let me ask you this: if you ran a multi-billion dollar corporation and one of your star salespeople were convicted and served felony time on these charges, would you welcome them back with open arms? The fact of the matter is, if Vick were a common worker and not an athlete, this discussion wouldn’t be happening. Open and shut, he’s a felon in a gross capacity. Not only is he fired and barred from working for that company again, he’d have a hard time finding work elsewhere.

Let’s say Vick is reinstated after a 4-8 game suspension (which I think will absolutely happen). If you were the GM of an NFL team, would you sign him? Why or why not?

Footnotes

Who I think are a bunch of whackjobs

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

Michael Jackson – Liberian Girl

Dr. Favrelove

2009 NFL Preview | Part 2: AFC West

Eric Miller — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:43:21 +0000

Last week, I broke down what I see happening in the NFL’s NFC West division. I’m staying out west for this installment, covering the AFC West.

San Diego Chargers

Insight: San Diego had a run of good luck at the end of last season. The Denver Broncos fell apart and San Diego wound up winning the AFC West with an 8-8 record. 6th year Philip Rivers will try to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle he found last season to lead his troops back into the playoffs. RB LaDanian Tomlinson and stud TE Antonio Gates struggled last season, both fighting injury for the largest part of the season, producing just over 1100 yards and just under 1000 yards, respectively. Both were their lowest numbers of their careers since becoming full-time starters. The Chargers are a real enigma this season. Receivers Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers return as the probable starters, but Chambers has a history of injuries and Jackson under-achieves as a number 1 receiver. The defense is flashy and makes a lot of big plays, but also give up a lot of big plays as a result of their highlight-driven mentality. The brightest spot on the defensive side is that LB Shawne Merriman is back from injury.

Final Take: Rivers will play well and probably make the Pro Bowl. Head coach Norv Turner still doesn’t seem like a head coach as much as he does an assistant. The Chargers will make the playoffs again by virtue of playing in a weak division, but will falter in the playoffs.

2009 Prediction: 9-7, AFC West Champs

Kansas City Chiefs

Insight: New GM Scott Pioli brings with him QB Matt Cassel who, in Brady’s absence, guided the New England Patriots to a double-digit win season. Cassel will have returning target WR Dwayne Bowe, a solid young receiver, to throw to. On the opposite side, fresh from Seattle, Bobby Engram should be the other starting WR. Gone is perennial Pro Bowl TE Tony Gonzalez. At this point, the spot is wide open but 2nd year TE Brad Cottom seems like the obvious heir-apparent. RB is another spot where the Chiefs are a bit uncertain. I’m told by NFL insider Sam Farmer (LA Times) that former starter Larry Johnson has looked good in pre-season activities and should be named the starter. I also know Jamaal Charles looked pretty good in LJ’s absence late in 2008. The defense is lackluster at best. No real standouts as KC traded away their best defensive player last year in DE Jared Allen. Their pass rush isn’t anything special and only had 10 total sacks against opposing QBs last year. The additions of aging LBs Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas may make for some big plays here at the end of their careers, but won’t be enough to win them half of their games.

Final Take: The biggest wild card this season is new head coach Todd Haley. If he can get this team on track, they have the offensive weapons to take a shot at the Chargers and the AFC West title.

2009 Prediction: 7-9, 2nd AFC West

Oakland Raiders

Insight: Al Davis has run this franchise into the ground, throwing a $60M contract at subpar WR Javon Walker, another $72M at CB DeAngelo Hall (only to cut him 8 weeks later), and just generally making poor decisions for a general manager. That said, he actually did ok—though not good—in this past off-season. The Raiders acquired veteran QB Jeff Garcia who just came off of his contract in Tampa Bay. Garcia will either start or at least mentor young QB Jamarcus Russell. Rookie receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey falls in line with Al Davis’ love of speedy players. Young RB and college phenom Darren McFadden may be able to right his ship that was set off course by injuries last season, and could explode as a top 5 RB this season. Their pass defense isn’t terrible, but it isn’t good. Nnamdi Asomugha is a great CB, even having lost a step or two. Their run defense is lacking so much that it makes their pass defense look better. Sure, they may hold a team to a low passing yardage, but it’s because their opponents will be running all over them.

Final Take: The Raiders aren’t really that bad of a team anymore—but their schedule isn’t really that easy and it’ll spell their demise. McFadden has the chance to be a sun spot on this otherwise dark team. If Russell starts at QB, his strong arm could make Heyward-Bey a successful rookie and spell a good season for himself as well. Only time will tell.

2009 Prediction: 4-12, 3rd in AFC West

Denver Broncos

Insight: I don’t even know where to begin with the Broncos anymore. They fired head coach Mike Shanahan (dumb move). They traded franchise QB Jay Cutler (dumber move). Their legendary running game is a joke, pieced together by RBs that other teams haven’t been willing to give a chance. And, they’ve let their once fearsome defense deteriorate into the kind of squad that makes an opposing QB rub his hands together with glee just considering the prospect of taking them apart. The best things Denver had going for them last season were the combination of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, and the emergence of Eddie Royal as a true #2 receiving option. Cutler is gone after new head coach Josh McDaniels—another piece of New England’s Belichick squad—was rumored to be pursuing free agent QB Matt Cassel before he landed in Kansas City. Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears and the starting QB this season appears to be Kyle Orton, a guy known for mediocrity in Chicago. To make matters worse for the Broncos, #1 WR Brandon Marshall wants out too, citing the Broncos didn’t appropriately handle an injury he sustained. Everything seems to be working against the Broncos this season.

Final Take: If Marshall sticks around, Orton will wind up looking a little better than he did in Chicago and they may pick up an extra win or two. Peyton Hillis is the only returning RB from last season. Look for newcomers Correll Buckhalter (Eagles’ second option to Brian Westbrook), Lamont Jordan, and rookie Knowshon Moreno to all have a shot at being THE RB for the Broncos this year. The RB situation is still a mess, but starting out better than last season. The defense is still bad, but the offensive line may be the strongest part of this entire Denver squad.

2009 Prediction: 3-13, last in AFC West

Next week, I’ll cover the NFC North. This should be a fun one, as it includes the Minnesota Vikings and my favorite love-to-hate QB, Brett Favre. Be sure to check back by mid-week!

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

2009 NFL Preview | Part 5: NFC South

2009 NFL Preview | Part 1: NFC West

Eric Miller — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:21:47 +0000

I’m a big, big NFL football fan. I’m guilty of wasting many a Sunday inside, glued to whatever game is on; it’s my other sport besides hockey. Over the next month, before pre-season starts, I’m going to break down the league and make some possibly bold predictions. I’ll tell you why you which teams are for real, and which ones are just pretending. I’ll welcome anyone to pick ‘em better than I do. This week, we’ll start with:

Arizona Cardinals

Insight: Arizona’s problems look like the same ones from 2008. Quarterback Kurt Warner is getting old. Really old. I think Warner will struggle this year, despite wide receivers Fitzgerald and Boldin (provided Boldin comes back) being the best receiver tandem in the NFL. Larry Fitzgerald was the best receiver in the league last year and nothing looks remarkably different this year–except that whole pesky Madden Curse thing. Newcomer “Beanie” Wells was a pure power runner for Ohio State. Running back Tim Hightower, the returning RB for the Cards, is also a power back. 2 power backs, 0 speed. This will give them a one-sided running attack. Oh, and their defense: typically lackluster. They need to keep taking whatever they were taking during the ’08 post-season.

Final Take: Even with an aging Warner, a less-than-stellar running game and a suspect defense, the only team in this division who could give the Cards trouble are the Seahawks.

2009 Prediction: 11-5, NFC West Champs

Seattle Seahawks

Insight: QB Matt Hasselbeck has been the only offensive stalwart on the Seattle roster since Shaun Alexander’s breakthrough season in 2005. He’s worked with receivers no one had ever heard of before their tenure in Seattle, and still came out pretty well. Hasselbeck spent a large part of 2008 injured, but should be back with no problems for 2009. RB Julius Jones will be back, a 2008 Seahawks acquisition, as well as newcomer WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Housh spent 2008 in Cincinnati in the middle of a pure clusterscrew and suffered. Instead, look back to 2007 to see a real example of his work. An upper echelon WR who was playing behind loudmouth Chad Ochocinco, Housh should flourish in Seattle. Their defense is solid, with a great core of linebackers, and should rank in the top half of the league.

Final Take: New head coach Jim Mora will strengthen this defense, but will need to make the offense click as well. The absence of former head coach Mike Holmgren will be seen on the offensive side. In the end, Seattle will fall by the wayside again, even finishing 2nd in the NFC West.

2009 Prediction: 6-10, 2nd in NFC West

San Francisco 49ers

Insight: New head coach Mike Singletary is just a train wreck. I mean that in a good way- you can’t not watch him, and he’s making big things happen. They won 5 of their last 7 games, including wins over Buffalo and the Jets. There’s no solid QB candidate, meaning we’ll probably not know who will be leading them until mid to late August. The addition of rookie WR Michael Crabtree should give whichever quarterback starts a target not named tight end Vernon Davis. It should also help take pressure off do-it-all RB Frank Gore. In case you’ve been under a rock for the last few years, Gore is versatile- one of the best all around backs in the league. He should have a great season thanks to Crabtree. The bad thing is the 49ers are still just a mediocre team with a disappointing defense. They finished 2008 in the middle of the pack in yards allowed per game right around 325 per game. Their run defense is solid, but they’ll be killed over the top.

Final Take: I just can’t see San Fran getting much done this season. Give new WR Crabtree some experience and a real QB next season and these guys might contend for the NFC West title.

2009 Prediction: 5-11, 3rd in NFC West

St. Louis Rams

Insight: The Rams are just plain bad. QB Marc Bulger got his contract extension following the 06-07 season, and immediately fell into the tank. He hasn’t looked back, even being replaced as the starter last season. WR Torry Holt has left Dodge for greener pastures in Jacksonville, and the offensive line is still looking awful despite the addition of highly-touted rookie tackle Jason Smith. All of this adds up to a bad looking situation for a great running back like Steven Jackson. I don’t even know where to begin here. I’ll just leave it at the 2009 Rams have the best chance in the league of being the 2008 Detroit Lions.

Final Take: There is nothing good about this team. A little more help up front on offense, a solid WR target for Bulger, and a complete retooling of the defense is in order.

2009 Prediction: 2-14, last in NFC West

Check back later this week for Part 2: AFC West.

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2009 NFL Preview | Part 6: AFC South

Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

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Atlanta Falcons

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2009 NFL Preview | Part 4: NFC North

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