On Sunday, during the 4th Round of the FA Cup, Liverpool lost 3-2 to Oldham who plays two levels below Liverpool in the Football League system. In conjunction with losses by Premier League sides Norwich City, Tottenham and QPR, all I read in comments how the sky is falling and losing teams are destine to doom, especially with Liverpool.
I have a different take on the reason for the recent losses from Premier League sides to so called "lesser" sides, it could from the UEFA FFP regulations starting to take effect. These rules aim to reduce the heavy losses that some teams take on for short term success at the expense of their long term existence. With these rules, the traditional powerhouse teams are not always able to go out and get the top-notch player they might need, they need to put more of an emphasis on developing players within their own programs
The recent struggles from Arsenal and Liverpool from the top 5 could be attributed to the board paying more attention to their expenses than the short term victory. In America, most of the major professional sporting leagues (except MLB) has a similar way of keeping expenses in line called the Salary Cap. This prevents teams from buying multiple high priced players and preventing smaller marketing teams from succeeding. Teams are now unable to string together multiple championships with these rules and the same thing appears to be starting in the Premier League.
No more in the future should we see the dominance of the Big Four (or Five) as other teams should get in on the mix. You will see more "Upsets" which are really more than a shift in power that should happen more and more as spending comes back to reality. The only difference between the FFP rules and a salary cap is the total revenue matters with the FFP rules. As long as you can generate the revenue, you can get some of the players you want, you just can't get every player you want.
Do not be surprised in the next couple of years you see new teams crack to the Top 5 and teams that spent their time at the top of the table battling at the bottom of the table. These rules will stop the rampant losses for teams all over Europe and it is time for people around the world to take note that the rich teams getting richer is not the Status Quo anymore.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Update: FA Cup 4th Round Predictions
As I previously posted here, I made some predictions for the 4th round of the FA cup. Lets see how the predictions turned out.
I had 9 correct verses 6 incorrect plus I predicted the MK Dons upset of QPR.
| Saturday's Matches | |||||
| Stoke City | 1-3 | Manchester City | **Correct (0-1) | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 0-2 | Everton | **Correct (1-2) | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2-4 | Arsenal | **Correct (2-3) | ||
| Derby County | 1-0 | Blackburn Rovers | **Incorrect(0-3) | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 0-2 | Leicester City | **Incorrect(1-1) | ||
| Hull City | 4-1 | Barnsley | **Very Incorrect(0-1) | ||
| Macclesfield Town | 0-2 | Wigan Athletic | **Correct(0-1) | ||
| Middlesbrough | 3-0 | Aldershot Town | **Correct(2-1) | ||
| Norwich City | 1-1 | Luton Town | **Incorrect(0-1) | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1-2 | Milton Keynes Dons | **Correct(2-4) | ||
| Reading | 3-1 | Sheffield United | **Correct(4-0) | ||
| Manchester United | 2-0 | Fulham | **Correct(4-1) | ||
| Sunday's Matches | |||||
| Brentford | 1-1 | Chelsea | **Correct(2-2) | ||
| Leeds United | 0-2 | Tottenham Hotspur | **Incorrect(2-1) | ||
| Oldham Athletic | 0-1 | Liverpool | **Incorrect(3-2) |
I had 9 correct verses 6 incorrect plus I predicted the MK Dons upset of QPR.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
FA Cup 4th Round Predictions
In today's post I thought I would take a crack at predicting the results for the 4th round pairings of the FA Cup. Here we go....
Yes, I'm predicting that the MK Dons will defeat QPR at Loftus Road. I also predict that Chelsea will draw against Brentford. This was a difficult choice as I never know what Chelsea team will show up.
| Saturday's Matches | ||||
| Stoke City | 1-3 | Manchester City | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 0-2 | Everton | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2-4 | Arsenal | ||
| Derby County | 1-0 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 0-2 | Leicester City | ||
| Hull City | 4-1 | Barnsley | ||
| Macclesfield Town | 0-2 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| Middlesbrough | 3-0 | Aldershot Town | ||
| Norwich City | 1-1 | Luton Town | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1-2 | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
| Reading | 3-1 | Sheffield United | ||
| Manchester United | 2-0 | Fulham | ||
| Sunday's Matches | ||||
| Brentford | 1-1 | Chelsea | ||
| Leeds United | 0-2 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Oldham Athletic | 0-1 | Liverpool |
Yes, I'm predicting that the MK Dons will defeat QPR at Loftus Road. I also predict that Chelsea will draw against Brentford. This was a difficult choice as I never know what Chelsea team will show up.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
MLB losing touch with fans
A couple of days ago MLB approved a couple of rule changes for the upcoming 2013 season as explained in this article.Normally when I hear about rules changes, I'm ready to jump right into the article and update my knowledge of the rules in the sport. With this article, I was also struck by a sense of disappointment as MLB once again proved to me that they are out of touch with the fan's and their expectations of the game.
Frankly, I don't care about banning the third to first move or adding the seventh coach to the dugout during the game. Along with the on field interpreter rule, if those are the only rules that MLB could come up with this season, they are more out of touch than I ever thought. There are so many other problems that are holding up the progression of the game in America to worry about the assistant hitting coach being in the dugout.
We have been for about five years that MLB continues to look into the use/expanded use of instant replay, but yet we continue to hear week after week during the season about blown close calls that could have been easily and quickly reversed with replay.
The NFL went through the same kind of issues with incorrect calls on close plays back in 1997. The NFL was able to implement an "experimental" system for the preseason in 1998 with full implementation in 1999. It only took 1 year to put in a replay system, yet we are waiting year after year for MLB to get their act together to modernize the game. This modernization of the NFL coincided with major increase in popularity of the game while baseball continue with their slow downward trend. Most every other sport in the world uses some form of reply in their top tier professional league with the exception of soccer, but they are even investing in goal line technology. The young and middle aged people now a days know that these game are judged by the human element and that nobody is perfect, but if the technology exists to quickly correct the play/call, it should be used.
The main argument against instant replay from the anti-replay people is "The game is already running long, this will make the game run longer". My reply to that is, the game is already being held up by the manager auguring the call, replay would take 2 minutes or less to correct the call which would be far less than the time the manger spends yelling at the umpire.
Another argument against instant reply is that "It will interrupt the flow of the game". That is another weak comeback as the flow of the game has already been ruined when the player or manager is arguing the call.
Proponents of instant replay are not talking about stopping the game every five minutes to use instant replay. We are talking about 1-2 calls a game at most that need to be reviewed. Just give each manager 1 challenge per game just like in Little League. MLB seems like they would rather save 2 minutes during the game from not using replay and would rather receive negative publicity for 2 days on all the major sports cast shows.
People who are against replay do not truly care about the game and its future. They care about a past vision of the game, they are trying to hold onto something from their past and not look into the future. They want to remember the game for the black and white images that they see from time to time, but those images are in the past and can never be recaptured.
Another rule that needs to be changed is the DH rule between the two leagues. Most people want the DH to be used in both leagues, but personally I don't care how MLB want to address the issue as long as the rule is consistent between the two leagues especially since there is an odd number of teams now in each league.
It is time for Bud Selig to step down as commissioner. The game has passed him by, he is dragging the progress of the game down while other sport continue their rise in popularity. It should not take to genius to make the needed rule changes in a quick manner to help the game. He always says there are logistical and financial issues with these types of changes, but it has not stopped other sports from quickly put in similar major rule changes. If your focus is on the first to third move or how many people are in the dugout, the game has passed you by and you need to past the reigns to somebody else.
This will not be the last time you will hear me talk about MLB rules, instant replay or Bud Selig, as long as the game continues to fall behind other sports. All I can do is hope that someday baseball will wake up and listen to the fans as they walk away from the game.
Frankly, I don't care about banning the third to first move or adding the seventh coach to the dugout during the game. Along with the on field interpreter rule, if those are the only rules that MLB could come up with this season, they are more out of touch than I ever thought. There are so many other problems that are holding up the progression of the game in America to worry about the assistant hitting coach being in the dugout.
We have been for about five years that MLB continues to look into the use/expanded use of instant replay, but yet we continue to hear week after week during the season about blown close calls that could have been easily and quickly reversed with replay.
The NFL went through the same kind of issues with incorrect calls on close plays back in 1997. The NFL was able to implement an "experimental" system for the preseason in 1998 with full implementation in 1999. It only took 1 year to put in a replay system, yet we are waiting year after year for MLB to get their act together to modernize the game. This modernization of the NFL coincided with major increase in popularity of the game while baseball continue with their slow downward trend. Most every other sport in the world uses some form of reply in their top tier professional league with the exception of soccer, but they are even investing in goal line technology. The young and middle aged people now a days know that these game are judged by the human element and that nobody is perfect, but if the technology exists to quickly correct the play/call, it should be used.
The main argument against instant replay from the anti-replay people is "The game is already running long, this will make the game run longer". My reply to that is, the game is already being held up by the manager auguring the call, replay would take 2 minutes or less to correct the call which would be far less than the time the manger spends yelling at the umpire.
Another argument against instant reply is that "It will interrupt the flow of the game". That is another weak comeback as the flow of the game has already been ruined when the player or manager is arguing the call.
Proponents of instant replay are not talking about stopping the game every five minutes to use instant replay. We are talking about 1-2 calls a game at most that need to be reviewed. Just give each manager 1 challenge per game just like in Little League. MLB seems like they would rather save 2 minutes during the game from not using replay and would rather receive negative publicity for 2 days on all the major sports cast shows.
People who are against replay do not truly care about the game and its future. They care about a past vision of the game, they are trying to hold onto something from their past and not look into the future. They want to remember the game for the black and white images that they see from time to time, but those images are in the past and can never be recaptured.
Another rule that needs to be changed is the DH rule between the two leagues. Most people want the DH to be used in both leagues, but personally I don't care how MLB want to address the issue as long as the rule is consistent between the two leagues especially since there is an odd number of teams now in each league.
It is time for Bud Selig to step down as commissioner. The game has passed him by, he is dragging the progress of the game down while other sport continue their rise in popularity. It should not take to genius to make the needed rule changes in a quick manner to help the game. He always says there are logistical and financial issues with these types of changes, but it has not stopped other sports from quickly put in similar major rule changes. If your focus is on the first to third move or how many people are in the dugout, the game has passed you by and you need to past the reigns to somebody else.
This will not be the last time you will hear me talk about MLB rules, instant replay or Bud Selig, as long as the game continues to fall behind other sports. All I can do is hope that someday baseball will wake up and listen to the fans as they walk away from the game.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Axford Contract Makes Me Nervous
Just a quick thought for today... On Friday it was announced Brewers closer John Axford signed a deal for $5 million to avoid arbitration and this is a little concerning.
I subscribe to the theory that fastball pitchers can not be your primary closer. My thought process behind this logic is that players near the end of the game are generally more cautious when swinging the bat looking for their pitch. Fastball's are generally easier to hit since they do not have much movement to them which makes them bigger targets to hit.
Axford uses the fastball as his primary pitch regardless of the situation. His slider is inconsistent at best and his changeup is still a work in progress. Players learn quickly about pitchers strengths and weaknesses in the major leagues, so the very pitch that led to the ascendent of Axford also led to his struggles last season since there was not another pitch to turn too. Axford seemed to bring it together near the end of the season, but when you are out of the playoff race, some players do "check-out" which leads to easier outs for Axford.
I could see issues were forthcoming with Axford when he started to over-throw the ball without early detection and correction. Normally Axford can throw the Fastball effectively at 95mph, but last season the fastball started increasing to 98 - 100mph becoming more and more wild. This should have been caught early and corrected, but nothing was done until it was too late, the damage was done.
What enhances my nervousness is we have been through this before with Derrick Turnbow. Another pitcher who used his Fastball as his primary pitch with no consistent secondary pitch. Turnbow blazed a trail through batter after batter for 1 1/2 seasons, but hitters adjust and Turnbow went into freefall.
With the new contract in hand, it will be interesting to see if Axford can handle the pressure of everybody seeing if he is worth the money and pitch at a consistent level.
I subscribe to the theory that fastball pitchers can not be your primary closer. My thought process behind this logic is that players near the end of the game are generally more cautious when swinging the bat looking for their pitch. Fastball's are generally easier to hit since they do not have much movement to them which makes them bigger targets to hit.
Axford uses the fastball as his primary pitch regardless of the situation. His slider is inconsistent at best and his changeup is still a work in progress. Players learn quickly about pitchers strengths and weaknesses in the major leagues, so the very pitch that led to the ascendent of Axford also led to his struggles last season since there was not another pitch to turn too. Axford seemed to bring it together near the end of the season, but when you are out of the playoff race, some players do "check-out" which leads to easier outs for Axford.
I could see issues were forthcoming with Axford when he started to over-throw the ball without early detection and correction. Normally Axford can throw the Fastball effectively at 95mph, but last season the fastball started increasing to 98 - 100mph becoming more and more wild. This should have been caught early and corrected, but nothing was done until it was too late, the damage was done.
What enhances my nervousness is we have been through this before with Derrick Turnbow. Another pitcher who used his Fastball as his primary pitch with no consistent secondary pitch. Turnbow blazed a trail through batter after batter for 1 1/2 seasons, but hitters adjust and Turnbow went into freefall.
With the new contract in hand, it will be interesting to see if Axford can handle the pressure of everybody seeing if he is worth the money and pitch at a consistent level.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Super Bowl Predictions
The teams are now set and two weeks from now the Baltimore Ravens will battle San Francisco 49'ers in the Big Easy also know as the Harbaugh Bowl. With that being said I have a few predictions for the game from the coin toss to the final play of the game
Now for my serious predictions...
- Manti Te'o will be seen at the game with his girlfriend
- Tebow will be mentioned at least once.
- Phil Simms will say Lawrence Taylor's name at least twice
- Total number of times the Harbaugh family will be shown by CBS: 8
- A head coach with the last name of Harbaugh will win the Super Bowl
Now for my serious predictions...
- Number of commercials during the first quarter including the end of quarter commercial: 5
- Rushing yards by Colin Kaepernick: 80
- Halftime Score: San Francisco 17; Baltimore 10
- Missed FG's by Akers: 1
- Final Score: San Francisco 31; Baltimore 20
Saturday, January 19, 2013
NHL start of season predictions
Another NHL season is upon us after the lockout and I wanted to take the time to make some predictions. In this day, it is easy to pick the Kings the "cliché" pick, but it seems to never work out that way. As long as I can remember, I see other networks (like ESPN) pick the previous years champion to repeat no matter the sport with the assumption that the current players will play to their current level and no new players will emerge. That is easy to do with no need to do their homework, but I digress
My predictions as follows:
Playoff Teams:
Finals Prediction:
Minnesota defeats Philadelphia four games to two.
That's right, I picked Minnesota to win it all, but I think there might a future post called at the end of the season "I got all the picks wrong"
My predictions as follows:
Playoff Teams:
- Eastern Conference
- Atlantic
- Philadelphia
- NY Rangers
- Pittsburgh
- Northeast
- Boston
- Toronto
- Southeast
- Tampa Bay
- Carolina
- Washington
- Western Conference
- Central
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Nashville
- Northwest
- Vancouver
- Minnesota
- Calgary
- Pacific
- San Jose
- Los Angeles
Finals Prediction:
Minnesota defeats Philadelphia four games to two.
That's right, I picked Minnesota to win it all, but I think there might a future post called at the end of the season "I got all the picks wrong"
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Green Bay Packers End of Season Grades
In the past, I have always read somewhere on the internet end of season grades given to players for how they performed during the season. I have decided to take a shot at that this year from this fans perspective. Lets start with the QB's....
Offense:
- Quarterback
- Aaron Rodgers - Grade: A. The heart and soul of the Green Bay offense who carried the team on his back just like in 2010. Rodgers was able to take care of the ball and drive the team to wins. I think Rodgers could be more successful if the Packers had a running game.
- Graham Harrell - Grade: C. The use of the backup quarterback in the NFL is one of my biggest grips with most teams. There was no major concerns from Harrell, so he gets my average grade It is hard to grade the backup because when he plays, he gets the watered down offense consisting of handing off the ball or the 1 yard out pass play to the tight end. This hold no more true than with Graham. My personal thoughts are if you are afraid to teach your backup your normal offense for whatever reason, maybe you should be looking for another backup. Remember, he is only one play away from coming in the game.
- Running Back
- DuJuan Harris - Grade: B. This guy is the possible light at the end of the tunnel. Harris has the ability to make one cut and use his speed. It is scary how many yards this guy could pick up if had competent run blocking and I'm interested to see what 2013 holds for this guy.
- John Kuhn - Grade: C. Kuhn does not have the "surprise" ability that he showed a couple of years before. He does show average ability to run and pass block, but is unable to run the ball consistently for the needed yardage.
- Alex Green - Grade: C-. We keep waiting for Green to break through, but he continues to disappoint, but then again who can blame him with poor run blocking. Therefore those two factors along with his pass catching give him an average grade.
- James Starks - Grade: D+. Starks shows flashes of hope, but overall can not stay off the injury report.
- Ryan Grant - Grade: D. Our mid-season desperation move that did not pan out. Grant has lost more than a step or two.
- Wide Receiver
- Randall Cobb - Grade: A. This was Cobb's breakout year and a go-to target for Rodgers. This guy has done everything this year, catch, run and return.
- James Jones - Grade: A-. This was Jones breakout out season with a significant decrease in the number of dropped passed along with leading the league in TD catches.
- Jordy Nelson - Grade: B. Jordy had another good year catching the ball, but was hampered at different points in the season with injury.
- Greg Jennings - Grade: B-. It appears that Greg has lost a step or two and injuries have taken a toll. The lost of the step has reduce the down field threat from Jennings.
- Jarrett Boykin - Grade: C-. In a stacked receiving chart, Boykin was unable to break into consistent playing time. During the time he did play, he seem tentative and not always sure of his hands. He also needs to to work on his timing with Rodgers.
- Donald Driver - Grade: D+. He has been slowly shuffled down the depth chart the last couple of seasons. He has lost a step or two, but did not complain about his role on the team.
- Jeremy Ross - Grade: D. Minimal playing time during the season on offense, with more of a presence on special teams. Had a costly muffed punt against San Fransisco.
- Tight End
- Jermichael Finley - Grade: C-. You get the good with the bad with Finley. He was able to resolve his dropping problem has the season progressed, but could not keep out of trouble with his mouth. Also, for someone with his size, I would expect him to be more dominate and create more issues for the defense. He also could improve in his run blocking.
- Tom Crabtree - Grade: C-. While a better run blocker than Finley, he does not posses the skills in the pass game yet.
- D.J. Williams - Grade: D. This guy has not develop yet with minimal playing time on offense.
- Ryan Taylor - Grade: D. Like Williams, minimal playing time on offense with most time spent on special teams.
- Offensive Line
- Josh Sitton - Grade: B. This a tough position to grade because I was unsure if there was a play issue or a offensive scheme issue. Out of the all the linemen, Sitton appeared to be the most consistent.
- Evan Dietrich-Smith - Grade: B-. He was the biggest improvement on the offensive line and it will be interesting to see how he does in 2013.
- T.J. Lang - Grade: C. We did not hear much from Lang this season and if you do not hear anything from him, that must mean something is working sometimes.
- Marshall Newhouse - Grade: C. Most people would say a "C" grade is average shows no sign of improvement, but Newhouse was able to improve over last season to reach a "C" level.
- Jeff Saturday - Grade: C-. The guy who was suppose to be the anchor of the offensive line was the source of confusion. I'm unsure if that was due to the change of teams or scheme, but this was definitely a down year for him.
- Don Barclay - Grade: D+. This guy was throwing into the lion's den and did a average job at times, but showed his inexperienced as a un-drafted free agent.
- Greg Van Roten - Grade: D. Another un-drafted free agent who played minimally.
Defense:
- Defensive Line
- B.J. Raji - Grade: B. He did improve this year, but has a way to go to be a dominate inside presence.
- Mike Neal - Grade: C+. I was ready to write this player off, but he did improve during the season which led to the increase in the grade.
- C.J. Wilson - Grade: C. Like Neal, Wilson did improve this season, but he only played to average.
- Jerel Worthy - Grade: C. In this first season, he was able to record 2.5 sacks playing in 13 games.
- Ryan Pickett - Grade: C-. Pickett continued to be a force on the inside run, but we are seeing a slight decline in the ability of Picket.
- Mike Daniels - Grade: C-. Daniels did have a good game against Detroit, but did not play significant time this season
- Linebacker
- Clay Matthews - Grade: A. While listed as a linebacker, Mathews plays more like a defensive end but the key is, he does it well. He shows great instincts and power.
- Dezman Moses - Grade: C-. This guy surprised me this year with his play, but did play like a rookie.
- Frank Zombo - Grade: C-. This is a guy who let me down this season, with injuries allowing him to play, I expected more out of him given he has been in the league now a couple of years.
- Brad Jones - Grade: D+. He under-utilizes his strength and sometimes he is too slow to the ball, but somehow we keep this guy around.
- Terrell Manning - Grade: D. Played a minimum role on the Packers this season as rookie.
- Jamari Lattimore - Grade: D. Another guy who has played a minimum role.
- Erik Walden - Grade: D-. A speed linebacker who seems to lost most of the time whether rushing the QB or in coverage. He is incapable of identifying his player pre-snap and staying with him throughout the play. In my personal opinion, he was responsible for shadowing Kaepernick most of the game and letting run wild during the Divisional game as he was chasing the false shadows. His saving grace from an "F" grade was his ability to make a tackle if someone happen to end up near him.
- A.J. Hawk - Grade: F. Mr. Magoo could have played the middle linebacker position better than A.J. Hawk. He has poor gap responsibly, unable to tackle the running back, unable to cover the tight end and has poor reaction time. This area should be a focus for the Packers in the off season.
- Cornerback
- Casey Hayward - Grade: B+. This guy was the surprise for me. I enjoy the way the guy plays the position and how he adapted to the NFL. A little on the smaller size which means he does not match up well to big No. 1 type receivers.
- Sam Shields - Grade: C+. Shields played a little better down the stretch. The only issue with Shields is for him to get caught looking the wrong way at times.
- Tramon Williams - Grade: C. While still playing the corner position well, Tramon has regressed since 2010. He does not trust his ability and takes too many chances.
- Charles Woodson - Grade: C. Injuries plagued Woodson this season and it would have been interesting how the season would have went with Woodson at a safely role
- Davon House - Grade: D+. We saw flashes of good play from House, but he has not been consistent.
- Jarett Bush - Grade: D- When Bush plays corner, he wanders around like a lost little lamb. His only saving grace from a "F" grade is his play on special teams.
- Safety
- Morgan Burnett - Grade: D+. Burnett is always out of position and is afraid to make the open field tackle. He also seems to get beat deep sometimes which is a problem when you are the safety,
- M.D. Jennings - Grade: D. I thought this guy was robbed during the Fail Mary game, but as the season progressed, I became to realize that M.D. Jennings had what was coming to him during the Seattle game. A number of interceptions went right past him this year including one right through his hands at Minnesota week 17. His ability to make the sure play seemed to elude him and he also seemed to have issues from time to time with gap control.
- Jerron McMillian - Grade: D: This guy did play like a rookie in the Nickel and Dime packages this year. Hopefully in year two he is able to improve at the safety position.
Special Teams:
- Mason Crosby, K - Grade: D. This was tough year for Crosby who went through a prolonged slump mid-season, but was able to recover to make his kicks at the end of the season. It still might prudent of the Packers to try out other kickers for next season.
- Tim Masthay, P - Grade: B. He has been the best punter I can remember since Hentrich.
- Brett Goode, LS - Grade: C+. If you not talking about bad kick and punt snaps, then this guy must be doing his job right.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
End of an Era for the Packers?
After the 45-31 loss Saturday to the San Francisco 49er's, I came to the realization that what I was watching was the end of an era in Green Bay Packers football from the Super Bowl winning team in the 2010.
The way the NFL works now in the salary capped free agency era and the way players change teams, you have a 2-4 year window to win the Super Bowl before players either retire, sign bigger contacts or their skill diminishes below a useful capacity and are released. Also other teams start to figure out how these players skills which reduces their impact. After the 2-4 years have passed with no Super Bowl, the team can no long win the Super Bowl without an overhaul on the team. Since the early 90's, this is how the NFL works.
I would like to to cite the example of the 1996 Green Bay Packers who won Super Bowl Super Bowl XXXI. During the lead up to the Super Bowl winning season the Packers were able to acquire or draft many key players in forming a championship winning team. But after the 1996 season the pieces to the puzzle started to go missing:
All in all, it will be interesting how this off season will go for the Packers and what changes are made (or not made) and if the Packers are able to continue this streak of success, but I fear that last night was the end of an era and now we begin the slow decline to our final destination .... Failure.
The way the NFL works now in the salary capped free agency era and the way players change teams, you have a 2-4 year window to win the Super Bowl before players either retire, sign bigger contacts or their skill diminishes below a useful capacity and are released. Also other teams start to figure out how these players skills which reduces their impact. After the 2-4 years have passed with no Super Bowl, the team can no long win the Super Bowl without an overhaul on the team. Since the early 90's, this is how the NFL works.
I would like to to cite the example of the 1996 Green Bay Packers who won Super Bowl Super Bowl XXXI. During the lead up to the Super Bowl winning season the Packers were able to acquire or draft many key players in forming a championship winning team. But after the 1996 season the pieces to the puzzle started to go missing:
- Keith Jackson retired
- Edger Bennett got hurt in the 1997 preseason and never played for the Packers again
- Andre Rison bolted for Kansas City
- Desmond Howard bolted for Oakland, did return to Green Bay a couple of years later, but it was too late
- Chris Jacke bolted for Pittsburgh, got hurt, then signed for Washington
- Reggie White was plagued with injuries in the coming seasons and left Green Bay after the 1998 season.
- Sean Jones final game was in the 1996 season
- Eugene Robinson bolted for Atlanta after the 1997 season.
- Coach Mike Holmgren left after the 1998 season for Seattle
- OC Sherman Lewis left after the 1999 season
- Andy Reid left after the 1998 season
- TE
- LT/RT
- DT
- LB
- FS/SS
All in all, it will be interesting how this off season will go for the Packers and what changes are made (or not made) and if the Packers are able to continue this streak of success, but I fear that last night was the end of an era and now we begin the slow decline to our final destination .... Failure.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Milwaukee Bucks: Another losing season ahead and Skiles is gone
Another year of hearing the excuses from players, another year of hearing statements from Scott Skiles how the team is trying. That all changed Tuesday with the "Mutual" parting of ways with the Bucks. Personally I was never a fan of Skiles before he even coached his first Bucks game with too many question marks.
The team has not been consistently winning along with an underfunded roster, aging arena in a odd location. With the elections over which replaced Herb Kohl, it will be interesting if he sells the team since there will be less oversight to completing a transaction.
The losing is also caused by the poor draft choices in recent years including:
Until the chain of issues is broken like during the late 90's - earlier 2000's. This streak of losing will continue. I personally do not want to the see the Bucks leave town, nobody does. The economic impact another would be a blow to the Milwaukee area. But if we continue to lose and Kohl does sell the team, we might not ever see NBA basketball back in Milwaukee.
The team has not been consistently winning along with an underfunded roster, aging arena in a odd location. With the elections over which replaced Herb Kohl, it will be interesting if he sells the team since there will be less oversight to completing a transaction.
The losing is also caused by the poor draft choices in recent years including:
- Jimmer Fredette, who we trade right away to get for a bunch of players including Stephen "I don't want to play for Milwaukee" Jackson
- Larry Sanders who has not fully developed
- Joe Alexander who never developed who was apart of the John Salmons trade
- Yi Jianlian who stated he did not want to go to a city like Milwaukee, but lets just draft him anyway. Then lets trade him to New Jersey for Richard Jefferson, who also did not want to play for Milwaukee.
- David Noel.... Who? Exactly!
- Andrew Bogut, when he was on he was on, and an above average player. Unfortunately Bogut's primary starting position was "Bench - Injury"
- T.J Ford, I can remember watching this guy in college, and I can remember my reaction when we drafted with guy.... "Nooooooooooooooooo!". It was like watching two cars driving towards each other and you knew they were going to hit each other. But the occupants are totally clueless that something bad is about to happen.
- Marcus Haislip, 89 games in 4 years, says it all, another non-developed pick
Until the chain of issues is broken like during the late 90's - earlier 2000's. This streak of losing will continue. I personally do not want to the see the Bucks leave town, nobody does. The economic impact another would be a blow to the Milwaukee area. But if we continue to lose and Kohl does sell the team, we might not ever see NBA basketball back in Milwaukee.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Notre Dame over rated again
This was suppose to be the Fighting Irish's year in which the program was suppose to be enlighten and back on track to their national power status. But Monday night against Alabama, the Irish proved why they everybody's team to overrate, advance up the polls too quickly and end up in another bowl game they did not deserve.
This false reading of the ability of the Irish was all created 80 years ago with another brief period of success during the 90's. Everybody now a days likes to bet on the Irish and when that happens, they rise in the polls too quickly and get invited to bowl games they do not deserve.
The Irish just scraped by in games against Purdue (Finished 6-7), Michigan State (7-6), Michigan (8-5), BYU (8-5), Pittsburgh (6-7), Boston College (2-10), but continued to rise up through the polls despite these close wins. When you have voters in which they are set on a team, they will advance them up no matter what as long as they win. The polls are suppose to be a gauge of the best team, but the Irish should have really fell after that Pittsburgh game.
That this the problem with the polls today in college football, they are just a large "King of the Mountain" game. Win and you keep rising (Or at least stay the same) or lose and fall. This is how a team like Norte Dame can advance up the polls unchecked and when you play a real good team in Alabama, you get nailed.
I'm against BCS, but human element needs to be reduced in the computer figuring out who should be playing in the national title game. Computers do not have a king of the mountain concept, computers do not play favorites as long as they are programmed correctly. This issue should be reduced when the four team playoff starts in a couple of years and this issue should be almost eliminated when we eventually get to a 16 team playoff in about 15-20 years.
The sad thing is, nobody learned from this game, the Irish will come into next season highly ranked playing a meteoric schedule and will the center of everybody's heart's. I don't know what it will take, but lets hope something happens soon so that the deserving teams play in the games they should be playing.
This false reading of the ability of the Irish was all created 80 years ago with another brief period of success during the 90's. Everybody now a days likes to bet on the Irish and when that happens, they rise in the polls too quickly and get invited to bowl games they do not deserve.
The Irish just scraped by in games against Purdue (Finished 6-7), Michigan State (7-6), Michigan (8-5), BYU (8-5), Pittsburgh (6-7), Boston College (2-10), but continued to rise up through the polls despite these close wins. When you have voters in which they are set on a team, they will advance them up no matter what as long as they win. The polls are suppose to be a gauge of the best team, but the Irish should have really fell after that Pittsburgh game.
That this the problem with the polls today in college football, they are just a large "King of the Mountain" game. Win and you keep rising (Or at least stay the same) or lose and fall. This is how a team like Norte Dame can advance up the polls unchecked and when you play a real good team in Alabama, you get nailed.
I'm against BCS, but human element needs to be reduced in the computer figuring out who should be playing in the national title game. Computers do not have a king of the mountain concept, computers do not play favorites as long as they are programmed correctly. This issue should be reduced when the four team playoff starts in a couple of years and this issue should be almost eliminated when we eventually get to a 16 team playoff in about 15-20 years.
The sad thing is, nobody learned from this game, the Irish will come into next season highly ranked playing a meteoric schedule and will the center of everybody's heart's. I don't know what it will take, but lets hope something happens soon so that the deserving teams play in the games they should be playing.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Barry Alvarez blows the big game
In the lead up to this game there was talk that this was a no lose situation for Barry Alvarez. If he wins the game, it would have been because of him. If he loses, it was because of the situation Bret put him in. I even agreed with this philosophy thinking it was true, but there was a third option that I had not even considered, Barry losses that game because of Barry.
In the lead up to the game was how Stanford was going to stop the running game, A.K.A Montee Ball. Really this has the been the talk for the last three Rose Bowls and when the running game is all you have, that puts you in a tough position. Barry failed to correct the issue that plagued the Badgers in the previous two Rose Bowls, no down field passing, stop the passing game, create turnovers, and come up with the clutch 3rd down stop.
Another issue was with the personal coming into the game. Curt Phillips was declared the started coming into the game, with which I had no issue with since he was the one who got you to the game, but it was clearly evident after the second drive that he was not going to be QB to win the game for you. I know he led the Badgers to two scoring drives, but that is who Curt Phillips is, someone who will get you down the field a couple of times, but is not consistent enough nor has the arm strength to open up the defense like someone Stave could.
Curt Phillips success and failure came at the hand of the running game and not by his arm plus some lucky bowl sanctions to Penn State and Ohio State. When Stave was the starter, his wins and losses included some use of the passing game in conjunction with the running game. In Phillips games we won because of the run verses Indiana and Nebraska, and lost verses Ohio State and Penn State because in OT we are incapable of passing the ball. For Barry it must have been difficult to prepare an offense for a QB who can not throw the ball more than 10-15 yards down the field.
During the game, the Badgers did use Stave and he was spot on with this one and only throw which just happened to be dropped the receiver. What was reward for that one perfect throw? A one way trip to the bench for the rest of the game. Stave brings the balance attack and the ability to pass the ball down the field, but Barry failed to see this or understand who should really be running the offense.
Some people might say that Stave was not cleared until the week before the game and he did not have a enough time to prepare for the game nor could the game plan be planned with him playing. I think that is hogwash. Stave was able to guide the team through multiple games mid-season without much issue with his balanced attack and he was not even an option or thought in the mind of Badgers fans or Bielema.
In the end, this game, this loss was not because of Bielema, this loss was a product of not knowing your personal, not know the history of your personal, not know when to make the needed changes to pull out the victory. The entire second half, Stanford played 9 men in the box which would have been resolved by running an double move with an out and up with Stave. This game truly showed that the game has passed Barry by and when he retired, it was the correct time. No longer can we run the ball through the defense like in the 90's, we need a passing game along with a QB who can run the read option.
Hopefully Gary Anderson is able to correct the mistakes that Bielema left on the program and the issues that might have been created from the one game Barry. Anderson's job fixing the football program will be like trying to clean up a 27 car pile up, it will not be easy. When people say Wisconsin, they think run, run and more run. Hopefully Anderson can turn this program around and teach the program how to win the big close games which have been lacking the last seven years in this program.
As odd is it to say, this loss is not on Bielema. This loss is on Barry.
In the lead up to the game was how Stanford was going to stop the running game, A.K.A Montee Ball. Really this has the been the talk for the last three Rose Bowls and when the running game is all you have, that puts you in a tough position. Barry failed to correct the issue that plagued the Badgers in the previous two Rose Bowls, no down field passing, stop the passing game, create turnovers, and come up with the clutch 3rd down stop.
Another issue was with the personal coming into the game. Curt Phillips was declared the started coming into the game, with which I had no issue with since he was the one who got you to the game, but it was clearly evident after the second drive that he was not going to be QB to win the game for you. I know he led the Badgers to two scoring drives, but that is who Curt Phillips is, someone who will get you down the field a couple of times, but is not consistent enough nor has the arm strength to open up the defense like someone Stave could.
Curt Phillips success and failure came at the hand of the running game and not by his arm plus some lucky bowl sanctions to Penn State and Ohio State. When Stave was the starter, his wins and losses included some use of the passing game in conjunction with the running game. In Phillips games we won because of the run verses Indiana and Nebraska, and lost verses Ohio State and Penn State because in OT we are incapable of passing the ball. For Barry it must have been difficult to prepare an offense for a QB who can not throw the ball more than 10-15 yards down the field.
During the game, the Badgers did use Stave and he was spot on with this one and only throw which just happened to be dropped the receiver. What was reward for that one perfect throw? A one way trip to the bench for the rest of the game. Stave brings the balance attack and the ability to pass the ball down the field, but Barry failed to see this or understand who should really be running the offense.
Some people might say that Stave was not cleared until the week before the game and he did not have a enough time to prepare for the game nor could the game plan be planned with him playing. I think that is hogwash. Stave was able to guide the team through multiple games mid-season without much issue with his balanced attack and he was not even an option or thought in the mind of Badgers fans or Bielema.
In the end, this game, this loss was not because of Bielema, this loss was a product of not knowing your personal, not know the history of your personal, not know when to make the needed changes to pull out the victory. The entire second half, Stanford played 9 men in the box which would have been resolved by running an double move with an out and up with Stave. This game truly showed that the game has passed Barry by and when he retired, it was the correct time. No longer can we run the ball through the defense like in the 90's, we need a passing game along with a QB who can run the read option.
Hopefully Gary Anderson is able to correct the mistakes that Bielema left on the program and the issues that might have been created from the one game Barry. Anderson's job fixing the football program will be like trying to clean up a 27 car pile up, it will not be easy. When people say Wisconsin, they think run, run and more run. Hopefully Anderson can turn this program around and teach the program how to win the big close games which have been lacking the last seven years in this program.
As odd is it to say, this loss is not on Bielema. This loss is on Barry.
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