Offense: C
The Pens actually generated a good amount of pressure most of the night, but they just couldn’t beat Kari Lehtonen. Sykora and Gonchar, in particular, had a number of great looks. But it was just one of those games where the opposing goalie was hot, as Lehtonen always seems to be against the Pens. They had several sequences where the forecheck was excellent and they bottled the Thrashers up. Some ended in shots, some did not. They also had a decent number of odd man breaks. But nothing was going in, at least until Whitney scored late. That play was just a nice cross-ice pass by Christensen at the end of a sustained forecheck effort. But that was the only time they dented Lehtonen.
Defense: D
The two even-strength goals they allowed were both pitiful plays by Whitney, who was just awful in his own end. On the first, he had Unibrow one-on-one in front, and Unibrow just abused him. Whitney neither played the puck nor the body nor the stick, and Unibrow had a week and a half to make a move and put it past Conklin. First bad break of the night as the shot was going wide, but it hit Conklin and went in. On the second even strength tally by Atlanta, the immortal Jim Slater was able to bring a rebound off the boards out front and slam it home as Whitney again stood helplessly by. I guess he was plotting how he was going to score a goal or something. Aside from this, they also allowed a number of odd-man breaks and were generally nowhere near as sharp as they had been the previous night.
Power play: D
The power play didn’t look TOO bad, but they had nothing to show for their efforts. They controlled the puck well at times, but didn’t get nearly enough rubber toward Lehtonen. And they gave up a shorty to boot. That was just an ugly play by Gonchar, who got caught in no-man’s land on a clearing play. He neither kept it in nor prevented the breakaway, and Eric Perrin just buried it past a stunned Conklin.
Penalty kill: C
It was a tough night for the PK. They generally did a good job, despite being forced to kill a four-minute double minor and a five-minute major (more on that later). They generally kept the Thrashers at bay, except for the usual momentary glitch that allowed Ilya Kovalpunk to one-time a wicked slapshot past Conklin. You just can’t give that guy even an inch. Malone wasn’t in bad position, but he was unable to block the shot, and Conklin had no chance. Other than that, though, they did a good job and didn’t allow the Thrashers many good chances.
Goaltending: C
It wasn’t one of Conklin’s stronger efforts. He wasn’t horrible, as his defense basically abandoned him on the goals. But he wasn’t as good as he had been this past month. He tried for a poke check on the Unibrow goal and missed. He wasn’t really set on the Perrin breakaway. But pulling him was more of the old mercy pull, rather than a commentary on his game. It was just one of those nights where everything the Thrashers shot was going in and nothing was going in at the other end.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 15-7-2, 2.42 GAA, .923 save percentage (Conklin is 11-3-2, 1.99, .939).
Overall: C-
Considering the circumstances, the Pens didn’t play all that badly. But it just seemed like one of those games where the bounces didn’t go their way, unlike during the winning streak when everything went in their favor. That’s just the way it goes sometimes. They didn’t get a bounce, they didn’t get a call all night. Consequently, they were blown out. The Pens came out with some good hop early, but couldn’t beat Lehtonen. It was all downhill after that.
And now, the rest of the story…
NHL Schedule Monkeys: F
I know these things even out over the course of a season, but who the heck makes up this schedule? Coming off the break, the Pens play in New Jersey Tuesday night, then fly in and get in very late to Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Thrashers hadn’t played since last Thursday. Sounds fair to me. How about you?
Offensive style of play: F
I like offensive hockey, but the Pens simply can’t play that style a game with all the guys out right now. But for some odd reason, they were unable to carry over the defensive style they played against New Jersey into this one. Atlanta sucked them into playing a more wide open game, and the Pens took the bait. And it didn’t work.
Petr Sykora: C
The guy had lots of shots, but as usual, nothing went in.
Ryan Whitney: F
He just got abused on the two aforementioned goals. There are some nights when he just looks totally lost in his own end. This was one of them.
Empty seats: F
I looked at the stands and I thought they must still be in New Jersey. But no, it was Atlanta. I would really love to see actually fanny counts at some of these venues, rather than tickets sold. I guess once they saw Sid was out, they saw no reason to go. Pretty sad, when you have your own guys like Kovalpunk and Hossa that are fun to watch.
Bob Errey: A
He called Unibrow “scary.” I couldn’t agree more. He looks like he came straight out of some horror flick.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 23/51, 45%. Power play: 5/7, 71%.
Total: 44.8%/47.1% since Sid went out.
War Garage: F
I wish somebody could please define “distinct kicking motion.” In my mind, there is no way Nathan Smith’s goal was a distinct kicking motion. He did guide the puck in, but he sure didn’t kick it in. It was at that moment that I realized the Pens had no chance in this game.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game
Oh, where to start. Let’s begin by saying it was a Devorski game. That lets you know right off the bat that there will be too many bad calls to dissect. So we’ll concentrate on only the two most heinous offenses by him and Daddy’s Boy McCauley. Runnerup for this award tonight goes to the sequence late in the game where Alexei Zhitnik blatantly held Staal right in front of one of the buffoons. No call. No more than five seconds later, they give Orpik two for a little tap on a Thrasher. Pure idiocy. But we all know the call that takes the cake, and that’s the major on Ruutu for “kneeing” Kovalpunk. Yep, that was a knee. Uh huh. Ruutu just skates toward him and tries to finish the check. Kovy tries to avoid him, moves to the side, and they accidentally bump knees. Ruutu doesn’t even have his knee out or anything. It was accidental as you can get. Then Steve McCarthy jumps Ruutu, who turtles and never throws a punch or even takes his gloves off. The correct call, if you are looking at what actually happened (okay, insert Devorski joke here), should have been McCarthy 2 for instigating, 5 for fighting, and a gamer. Instead, we get Ruutu 5 for kneeing, 5 for fighting, and a gamer. So instead of the Pens having a 7-minute power play, the Thrashers have a 3-minute power play. It just doesn’t get any more ridiculous than that.
January 31, 2008
January 30, 2008
The Effects Of The Johan Santana Trade
Yesterday, when I heard there was a trade in place to send Johan Santana to the New York Mets, I immediately thought: "Championship".
The Minnesota Twins agreed to send the two-time Cy Young winner to the Metropolitans for four minor league prospects. Even though the four prospects are ranked number 2, 3, 4, and 7 respectively in the Mets' farm system, this trade puts them over the top in the NL.
The four prospects received by the Twins include: 22-year old speedy outfielder Chris Gomez; former 3rd overall pick in the 2004 draft, 25-year old pitcher Philip Humber; double-A pitching prospect Kevin Mulvey, who some think may become a MLB pitcher in the next couple of years; and single-A 18-year old pitching prospect Deolis Guerra, who could be great or a bust.
Although I know next-to-nothing about any of the prospects, I'm not sure the Twins got the best they could out of this deal. There was an offer from the Yankees that included Melky Cabrera and Phil Hughes, who are both up-and-coming stars already in the MLB. And also there was an offer from Boston that included either Jacoby Ellsbury or Jon Lester, who are also both good players in the MLB at a young age.
But as I saw in an article about the Santana trade (which sparked my memory), in 2003 the Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to San Francisco for then no-namer pitchers Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. Nathan is now one of the best closers in the AL, Liriano is coming off elbow surgery after an outstanding year as a starter in 2006, and Bonser has been a back-end starter in Minnesota's rotation for the last few years. What I'm saying by this is that the Twins probably know who they are getting in return.
For the Twins, this trade may bolster their pitching staff for the next decade to go along with their great-looking offense, or it may end up being a huge mistake. But with Minnesota being a small/medium market team, they couldn't have afforded to keep Johan past this year with their recent signings of Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer. And if they would have kept Santana through this year and let him go as a free agent, they would have only received two late first-round draft picks for his departure.
The Mets have a reputation for having one of the loosest clubhouses in the MLB, meaning it is the most down-to-earth and fun to be a part of; and Santana is known for being loose and for being a great teammate. Also, the Mets are a primarily Latin-American team, with players such as: Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and Pedro Martinez. This is a reflection of GM Omar Minaya, who believes the team should be one big family. By the way, have you ever seen the awesome handshakes that that New York has after they score, hit a homerun, etc? That is just another example of just how close-knit the Mets are. And with the Venezuelan Santana coming in, he should fit right in with the rest.
Oh yeah, this move will also benefit Santana greatly. Moving to the NL, where none of the batters know his tendencies, and he gets one free out (the pitcher) out of every nine batters he faces, I woudn't be surprised if his ERA is around the 2.50 mark. Not to mention that New York, by acquiring Johan, will have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL. Along with Santana are: Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, and Pedro Martinez; not to mention the Mets number one pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey (who the Twins didn't get) for a sixth starter if necessary.
We've all been waiting to see who the lucky team to get Johan Santana would be, I'm just glad the team was in the NL East instead of the NL Central.
Pens vs. Devils - Grades
A superb performance.
Offense: A
For the most part, the Pens had a great offensive game. Right from the drop of the puck, they generated good chances against Brodeur. He kept them at bay in the first period, though. But in the second period, the Pens exploded. The three goals were all a result of great work in the offensive zone. First, they got a lucky goal as Staal barged his way in front and the puck went in off a Devil player. That’s the type of power move we need to see more of from him. Then, they took advantage of a Lil Dab Oduya giveaway. Max Talbot made a nice one-handed pass in front to a wide open Christensen, who absolutely undressed Brodeur (now, there’s a horrifying thought) with the Forsbergian forehand to one-handed backhand move. But the onslaught wasn’t done. Sykora made a brilliant pass in front to Malone, who buried it for the eventual winner. Even more impressively, the Pens kept up the pressure in the third period, after they got the lead. They never let the Devils off the mat, as they have been wont to do this year.
Defense: A
They really limited the Devils’ chances last night. Conklin was not forced to stand on his head to earn this win. For the most part, they were able to move the puck effectively out of the zone and limit the second chances. The only even-strength goal they gave up was the old JS Aubin “fluky” goal. A weak wrister by Mike Rupp went off Laraque and then Letang and past Conklin. They really cut down on the shots against in this one, allowing only 18 at even strength. Once they had the lead, they gave up virtually nothing in the way of chances. This was a tremendous team defensive effort. Hey, maybe taking Orpik off the blueline was a smart move.
Power play: B
The first power play looked terrible, but it got better as the game went along. On that one, the first three dump-ins went right to Brodeur, who easily moved it out of he zone. After that, they were moving the puck and moving around, and it finally culminated in a goal. It was another garbage goal, with Ryan Malone camped in front just waiting to bat home a rebound. The power play has looked better the last couple games because they are willing to keep it simple while Sid is out.
Penalty kill: C-
Boy, the power play goal the Devils scored was a classic example of what’s wrong with the Penguins' defensemen. Sydor just got abused in front by the immortal Mike Rupp. Sydor neither played the body nor the stick, and ended up falling on Conklin as Rupp outmuscled him. Not pretty. They struggled a bit all night clearing the puck when they had chances. Thankfully, they only took three penalties so they weren’t exposed too much.
Goaltending: A-
Conklin responded to his worst game as a Penguin by returning to form last night. While he wasn’t overly busy, he did make a few key saves here and there to keep the Pens in it. Once they got ahead, the defense and him pretty much shut the door and allowed nothing at all
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 15-6-2, 2.35 GAA, .926 save percentage (Conklin is 11-2-2, 1.81, .944).
Overall: A
This was a tremendous overall effort. They generated offense. They played stifling defense once they got the lead. The special teams were pretty strong. The goaltending was good. I mean, what else can you ask? This is a depleted team that had to move a defenseman to forward just to field four lines of healthy bodies. They go on the road and beat the division leader. Just a sweet, sweet win. This is starting to remind me of how the old Penguin teams used to buckle down when Mario was out.
And now, the rest of the story…
Michel Therrien: A
Okay, you who loyally read this blog know I have been highly critical of Michel Therrien at times. But you have to give the guy all the credit in the world for how this team is playing without all the injured and sick players. It is very impressive, to say the least. He has implemented a strong system not seen since the Kevin Constantine days. He has kept this team together, when many coaches and players would have thrown in the towel because of all the adversity. You can’t ask for any more out of a coach under these circumstances.
Boredom: A
This was a fairly boring affair, and it wasn’t only because of the Devils. Neither team was very aggressive offensively. But boring works when you’re as shorthanded as the Pens are right now, and they have to keep playing that way.
Bad penalties: F
The axiom goes, take a bad penalty and you pay the price. The Pens took two last night. While the high stick on Staal was accidental, it was still careless. But the penalty on Ruutu is the type you just can’t have. Staal’s penalty took away all their early momentum and gave the Devils a power play goal. They did tighten up as the game went along.
Jordan Staal: A
He is playing with much more confidence lately. Maybe Sid’s injury was just what he needed to get kick-started and realize he had to step up.
Evgeni Malkin: A
Once again, he was far and away the best player on the ice. Even the Devils announcers were commenting on how dominant he was.
Devil “fans”: F
Do they even have any fans? Years of boring play in the swamp drove all but the most ardent fans away. Now they can’t even fill their sparkling new arena for a game between two top teams. They are an embarrassment to the NHL.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 26/57, 46%. Power play: 2/7, 29%.
Total: 44.6%/40.7% since Sid went out.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Ryan Malone is apparently invisible to both the Devils and the striped buffoons. He scored two goals, proof that the Devils couldn’t see him. And he got high stuck twice in the game, neither one being seen by four striped buffoons, proving they couldn’t see him either. Laughably, on the first one, Doc Emrick said it must have been his teammate’s stick since there was no call. C’mon, Doc, you have watched the game long enough to know how bad the striped buffoons are.
Offense: A
For the most part, the Pens had a great offensive game. Right from the drop of the puck, they generated good chances against Brodeur. He kept them at bay in the first period, though. But in the second period, the Pens exploded. The three goals were all a result of great work in the offensive zone. First, they got a lucky goal as Staal barged his way in front and the puck went in off a Devil player. That’s the type of power move we need to see more of from him. Then, they took advantage of a Lil Dab Oduya giveaway. Max Talbot made a nice one-handed pass in front to a wide open Christensen, who absolutely undressed Brodeur (now, there’s a horrifying thought) with the Forsbergian forehand to one-handed backhand move. But the onslaught wasn’t done. Sykora made a brilliant pass in front to Malone, who buried it for the eventual winner. Even more impressively, the Pens kept up the pressure in the third period, after they got the lead. They never let the Devils off the mat, as they have been wont to do this year.
Defense: A
They really limited the Devils’ chances last night. Conklin was not forced to stand on his head to earn this win. For the most part, they were able to move the puck effectively out of the zone and limit the second chances. The only even-strength goal they gave up was the old JS Aubin “fluky” goal. A weak wrister by Mike Rupp went off Laraque and then Letang and past Conklin. They really cut down on the shots against in this one, allowing only 18 at even strength. Once they had the lead, they gave up virtually nothing in the way of chances. This was a tremendous team defensive effort. Hey, maybe taking Orpik off the blueline was a smart move.
Power play: B
The first power play looked terrible, but it got better as the game went along. On that one, the first three dump-ins went right to Brodeur, who easily moved it out of he zone. After that, they were moving the puck and moving around, and it finally culminated in a goal. It was another garbage goal, with Ryan Malone camped in front just waiting to bat home a rebound. The power play has looked better the last couple games because they are willing to keep it simple while Sid is out.
Penalty kill: C-
Boy, the power play goal the Devils scored was a classic example of what’s wrong with the Penguins' defensemen. Sydor just got abused in front by the immortal Mike Rupp. Sydor neither played the body nor the stick, and ended up falling on Conklin as Rupp outmuscled him. Not pretty. They struggled a bit all night clearing the puck when they had chances. Thankfully, they only took three penalties so they weren’t exposed too much.
Goaltending: A-
Conklin responded to his worst game as a Penguin by returning to form last night. While he wasn’t overly busy, he did make a few key saves here and there to keep the Pens in it. Once they got ahead, the defense and him pretty much shut the door and allowed nothing at all
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 15-6-2, 2.35 GAA, .926 save percentage (Conklin is 11-2-2, 1.81, .944).
Overall: A
This was a tremendous overall effort. They generated offense. They played stifling defense once they got the lead. The special teams were pretty strong. The goaltending was good. I mean, what else can you ask? This is a depleted team that had to move a defenseman to forward just to field four lines of healthy bodies. They go on the road and beat the division leader. Just a sweet, sweet win. This is starting to remind me of how the old Penguin teams used to buckle down when Mario was out.
And now, the rest of the story…
Michel Therrien: A
Okay, you who loyally read this blog know I have been highly critical of Michel Therrien at times. But you have to give the guy all the credit in the world for how this team is playing without all the injured and sick players. It is very impressive, to say the least. He has implemented a strong system not seen since the Kevin Constantine days. He has kept this team together, when many coaches and players would have thrown in the towel because of all the adversity. You can’t ask for any more out of a coach under these circumstances.
Boredom: A
This was a fairly boring affair, and it wasn’t only because of the Devils. Neither team was very aggressive offensively. But boring works when you’re as shorthanded as the Pens are right now, and they have to keep playing that way.
Bad penalties: F
The axiom goes, take a bad penalty and you pay the price. The Pens took two last night. While the high stick on Staal was accidental, it was still careless. But the penalty on Ruutu is the type you just can’t have. Staal’s penalty took away all their early momentum and gave the Devils a power play goal. They did tighten up as the game went along.
Jordan Staal: A
He is playing with much more confidence lately. Maybe Sid’s injury was just what he needed to get kick-started and realize he had to step up.
Evgeni Malkin: A
Once again, he was far and away the best player on the ice. Even the Devils announcers were commenting on how dominant he was.
Devil “fans”: F
Do they even have any fans? Years of boring play in the swamp drove all but the most ardent fans away. Now they can’t even fill their sparkling new arena for a game between two top teams. They are an embarrassment to the NHL.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 26/57, 46%. Power play: 2/7, 29%.
Total: 44.6%/40.7% since Sid went out.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Ryan Malone is apparently invisible to both the Devils and the striped buffoons. He scored two goals, proof that the Devils couldn’t see him. And he got high stuck twice in the game, neither one being seen by four striped buffoons, proving they couldn’t see him either. Laughably, on the first one, Doc Emrick said it must have been his teammate’s stick since there was no call. C’mon, Doc, you have watched the game long enough to know how bad the striped buffoons are.
January 25, 2008
NBA All-Star Game
Eastern Conference (actual):
PG - Jason Kidd
SG -Dwyane Wade
SF - LeBron James
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Dwight Howard
Eastern Conference (my picks):
PG - Chauncey Billups
The Eastern Conference is not as stacked in PGs as the Western, and because of that Billups has to be the front-runner here. He is having one of his most efficient seasons in his career, but he is not as flashy as Kidd is. An up-and-coming PG you may not have heard of goes by the name of Jose Calderon, who plays the Toronto Raptors. I've heard he cannot speak English, but I believe he is able to pronounce a 5.4/1 assist/TO ratio.
SG - Jason Richardson
All I need to say is: "Wade is averaging 4.5 TOs per game." So I'll give my nod to the Bobcats' Jason Richardson. He is hitting an astonishing 2.8 three-balls per game and we all know he is that high-flying dude that you would want to see in an All-Star game. Another player that i considered is the Milwaukee Bucks' Michael Redd, but he is not very fun to watch he is just a solid player overall.
SF - LeBron James
The Eastern Conference is stacked in the SF position with players such as: Rudy Gay, Caron Butler and Josh Smith, but who can leave LeBron out of the starting five? He is obviously the most exiting player to watch in the NBA right now although he has a sub-par supporting cast. Just one thing I may ask of LeBron: "Will you please be in the Slam Dunk Contest?"
PF - Kevin Garnett
Who other than the man himself? You can tell how much he benefits from having Paul Pierce and Ray Allen within whispering distance. He is having a solid season even though he doesn't have to do it all himself any more. Chris Bosh was a close second in the PF position for me, but the thing is he isn't fully developed as a player at this point in his career. He is still inconsistent, but he should be starting All-Star games in many years to come.
C - Dwight Howard
There is only one word to explain this choice, well actually two: "Glass Consumer." That is what Howard is, and that's what he does. Eats the glass, cleans the glass, takes the glass to a nice seafood dinner and then does call it again, etc. The only thing he doesn't do with the glass is use it on offense, because he dunks everything he touches. If he gets good at free-throws and controls his TO numbers, he will be scary good. Still, no one else is very close.
Western Conference (actual):
PG - Allen Iverson
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Tim Duncan
C - Yao Ming
Western Conference (my picks):
PG - Chris Paul
This kid, in just his third year in the league, is taking the NBA by storm. He is already drawing comparisons to the great Isaiah Thomas (as a player, not as a coach) and he deserves the praise. He is averaging over ten assists/game and is doing it with extreme efficiency (only 2.5 TO/game). CP3 could be the best player in the league, and also the most underrated. Other players in consideration were: Steve Nash, having a normal, 12 assists/year; Baron Davis, having an actual monster year; and Deron Williams, a lot of TOs but great PG nonetheless.
SG - Kobe Bryant
The same point I made for LeBron James: "Who else belongs here?" Still arguably the best player in the NBA (at least I think he is).Los Angeles is in contention for #1 spot in the West and Kobe is the main reason why. He is sharing the ball and and taking only 20 shots per game, down from his 27 per game two years ago. Plus... don't make me say it... 81... But if Kevin Martin had stayed healthy, he may have been in consideration, and also, Allen Iverson should be labeled as a SG and not a PG anymore.
SF - Shawn Marion
Yes, Carmelo scores, but Marion does it all. Any stat you can name, Marion excels in it. He is the only SF to average 10 boards/game in the Western Conference and his style of play (run, run, run) perfectly fits an All-Star game. He is most likely the most underrated player in the NBA right now, but his 16 points/game don't scream "SUPERSTAR" at you. There is really no one else even close to him in the West, and I am not sure why he wasn't elected a starter in the first place.
PF - Dirk Nowitzki
Even though he is faking Polish (zki), the defending Western Conference MVP is having another great season. But playing on the boring, offense-running, defense-playing Mavericks does not get him the attention from around the league that he deserves. He may be the most valuable player to his team than any other player in the league. If Pau Gasol had been playing as well as he is now for the entire season, he would be close to Nowitzki; and if Carlos Boozer had been playing as well now as he was in the beginning of the season, he would also be up there with Dirk.
C - Amare Stoudemire
This position choice was the toughest for either team. There are so many big men in the West, it is ridiculous. Marcus Camby is hands down the best defensive player in the league, but that's just it, no one wants to see defense being played in the All-Star game. Yao Ming is as complete a center as there can be, but his game is not very exiting, and he has been in the All-Star game as often as Pacman Jones gets arrested. Also, Chris Kaman is having a breakout year for the Clippers, and Andrew Bynum was breaking out with the Lakers until he was injured almost two weeks ago. But Amare is the most sensible pick here. He is truly a SF/PF with a center's body, his athleticism shines above all the other center's in the West, and watching him in the All-Star game will never get old.
I honestly will probably not watch the game. Although, I believe that the correct choices should go, and the best players at each position should represent them. I think the West wins this game because they have the better players, but obviously it could go either way.
Pens vs. Flyers - Grades
Another division game, another loss.
Offense: D
The Pens generated very little pressure at even strength, and that resulted in only one even-strength goal. They improved on their woeful 10 ES shot performance against the Caps by peppering Martin Biron with an astounding 16. Folks, that ain’t gonna get it done. With Sid out, this team has no offense at all. All you have to do is look at the lines to see that only the top line has any realistic chance of scoring. All the others are filled with grinders and minor-leaguers. They aren’t skilled enough to generate transition chances, nor are they able to do much on the forecheck, save for an occasional shift here or there. Again last night, the only even strength goal was by Malkin, at the end of a great shift where they totally bottled the Flyers up in their own end. Eventually Sykora and Geno teamed up to walk down the slot and Malkin snuck a backhander through Biron’s five-hole. But that was it. They generated only the rarest of pressure the rest of the night.
Defense: C
They let the Flyers crash the crease all night long with impunity. As usual, the Penguin defensemen just cowered under a strong down-low attack. Once again, they gave up over 30 shots. Again, they just can’t compete with teams that charge the net hard and work down low. Looked just like the playoff series against Ottawa. The first goal was kind of a bad bounce right to Penguin killer RJ Umberger, but he was left wide open off the draw. Scuderi had him, but let him get free. Next one, right after a power play, Gonchar hands them the puck on a silver platter, and they have an eternity in front to pass it back and forth before Randy Jones scored. On the winner, the aforementioned Gonchar just let Jeff Carter waltz into the zone untouched. He then throws it into the crease, where Knuble forces it in. Just classic Gonchar and Scuderi. Ones gets turned inside out while the other gets outmuscled in front.
Power play: A
The power play looked good, though the striped buffoons somehow managed to spot only two infractions on the Flyers all night. More on that later. Then Pens really only had one full power play all night, as they negated the other with a good (horrible) penalty by Malone for running over Biron. But they converted on it with some crisp passing and good rotation that led to a Gonchar bomb from the center point that Sykora deflected. A fairly simple play where they didn’t hesitate to get the puck on the net. I will say it until I’m blue in the face—that’s how you score power play goals in this league. That was a classic power play. Too bad they weren’t given more chances.
Penalty kill: C
They gave up one power play goal and another right after a power play. The biggest failure they had was an inability to get the puck out of the zone when they had a chance. On numerous occasions, they had what should have been easy clears and failed to get it out. It let the Flyers exert much pressure on most of their power plays. But they also generated some good shorthanded chances, and finally popped one in when Staal and Malone broke out on a 2-on-0 and then Whitney put home the Downie, er, garbage goal.
Goaltending: C
We witnessed last night the coming down to earth of Ty Conklin. He played as if he were channeling Marc Andre Fleury. He mishandled the puck on a number of occasions. He had several miscommunications with defensemen where they ran into each other. He was popping out rebounds all over the place. He was generally looking as unsound and jittery as Fleury usually does. He did not provide a steadying influence. He did not look calm and in control. Were it not for at least three goal posts, the score might have been about as lopsided as the last time these teams met. For those counting. Conklin has now allowed 7 goals in four periods of play against the Flyers for a sparkling 5.25 GAA. Let’s just hope this game was an aberration, or this team is in serious trouble the next two months. That said, it’s hard to blame him for too much. He had no chance on the first goal, no chance on the second goal, no chance on the third goal. Only the winner was a bit questionable, but what could he even do there, when Knuble was allowed to basically push the puck into the net?
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 14-6-2, 2.36 GAA, .926 save percentage (Conklin is 10-2-2, 1.80, .946).
Overall: C-
They gave it their all the final two periods. But the sad fact is, they just don’t have the guns right now to beat the top teams. They can play hard and play well and it still isn’t enough. They are just too undermanned. They need to play a tight defensive game, but they seem incapable of doing that. They continue to give up way too many shots. They played a lousy first period, when, as Errey said, “they didn’t hit, they didn’t skate, they didn’t shoot.” That’s the hat trick right there. They came alive a bit as the game went on but were still unable to be productive at even strength. They just have nobody outside Malkin and Sykora that will score for them on a consistent basis.
And now, the rest of the story…
Rob Scuderi: F
Well, he IS saddled with Gonchar, and that is probably starting to wear on him. Last night, this pairing was on for every Flyer goal. Scuderi was to blame for the first one, and partially for the third one.
Sergei Gonchar: F
He was in playoff form last night. He had a couple brutal giveaways where he saw a Flyer coming and just got rid of the puck right onto a Flyer’s stick. Ah, yes, that’s the playoff Sarge I have come to know and love. I know Therrien likes to use him against the other team’s top guys, but this is why they will never be a good defensive team. He is incapable of filling that role when the pressure gets turned up.
John Stevens: F
Or is that actually Fred Shero behind the Flyer bench? What kind of moron sends out Riley Cote on the power play after Steve Downie got “hurt?” He looks like a professor, but inside, he’s nothing more than a Broad Street Bully at heart. He was probably the little nerdy kid that always got beat up, and this is his way of channeling the rage.
Jordan Staal: A
He played very well last night, right off the bat. He just can’t score this year, though, and I don’t know why. But he was certainly a force on the PK.
Georges Laraque: F
No matter how much play-acting Downie did, that was a dangerous hit by Big Georges, and will rightfully draw a suspension. The length of the suspension will likely be tempered by the fact that Downie came right back into the game and by who he hit.
Ryan Whitney: A
He had a very good game, with a goal and an assist. And I didn’t notice him in the defensive end, which is always a good thing.
”Secondary Scoring: F
Where is it? Since Sid went out, they have played 3+ games. Goals by forwards: Malkin, 4; Sykora, 2; Talbot, Malone, Taffe, 1 each. Two goals by the bottom three lines will not get it done.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 27/57, 47%. Power play: 3/3, 100%.
Total: 44.3%/45.0% since Sid went out.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Gee, where to start? We could look at the Flyers being called for only two penalties all game. Either the world is about to end, or it was incompetent officiating. I suspect it’s the latter. Once again, Dan O’Blindoran proves he has no business doing anything other than crossing the street with his little red-tipped cane and guide dog. But the call that just angered me to no end was the one on Malone in the final minute. I am not saying this wasn’t a penalty. It was. And I have no problem with that call IF THE CLOWNS HAD CALLED THE REST OF THE THIRD PERIOD THE SAME WAY. But they hadn’t. They had earlier let a couple blatant penalties on each team go. They had set a standard. And then to totally go against that standard and call a ticky-tack hook on Malone is just disgraceful. But you want to know what got me even more upset? No more than 20 seconds later, Jeff Carter BLATANTLY hooks Malkin behind the net WHILE MALKIN HAD THE PUCK (the guy Malone hooked didn’t even have it), and the same buffoon ignores it. Seriously, it doesn’t get much worse than this sequence, even in the Garage League.
Offense: D
The Pens generated very little pressure at even strength, and that resulted in only one even-strength goal. They improved on their woeful 10 ES shot performance against the Caps by peppering Martin Biron with an astounding 16. Folks, that ain’t gonna get it done. With Sid out, this team has no offense at all. All you have to do is look at the lines to see that only the top line has any realistic chance of scoring. All the others are filled with grinders and minor-leaguers. They aren’t skilled enough to generate transition chances, nor are they able to do much on the forecheck, save for an occasional shift here or there. Again last night, the only even strength goal was by Malkin, at the end of a great shift where they totally bottled the Flyers up in their own end. Eventually Sykora and Geno teamed up to walk down the slot and Malkin snuck a backhander through Biron’s five-hole. But that was it. They generated only the rarest of pressure the rest of the night.
Defense: C
They let the Flyers crash the crease all night long with impunity. As usual, the Penguin defensemen just cowered under a strong down-low attack. Once again, they gave up over 30 shots. Again, they just can’t compete with teams that charge the net hard and work down low. Looked just like the playoff series against Ottawa. The first goal was kind of a bad bounce right to Penguin killer RJ Umberger, but he was left wide open off the draw. Scuderi had him, but let him get free. Next one, right after a power play, Gonchar hands them the puck on a silver platter, and they have an eternity in front to pass it back and forth before Randy Jones scored. On the winner, the aforementioned Gonchar just let Jeff Carter waltz into the zone untouched. He then throws it into the crease, where Knuble forces it in. Just classic Gonchar and Scuderi. Ones gets turned inside out while the other gets outmuscled in front.
Power play: A
The power play looked good, though the striped buffoons somehow managed to spot only two infractions on the Flyers all night. More on that later. Then Pens really only had one full power play all night, as they negated the other with a good (horrible) penalty by Malone for running over Biron. But they converted on it with some crisp passing and good rotation that led to a Gonchar bomb from the center point that Sykora deflected. A fairly simple play where they didn’t hesitate to get the puck on the net. I will say it until I’m blue in the face—that’s how you score power play goals in this league. That was a classic power play. Too bad they weren’t given more chances.
Penalty kill: C
They gave up one power play goal and another right after a power play. The biggest failure they had was an inability to get the puck out of the zone when they had a chance. On numerous occasions, they had what should have been easy clears and failed to get it out. It let the Flyers exert much pressure on most of their power plays. But they also generated some good shorthanded chances, and finally popped one in when Staal and Malone broke out on a 2-on-0 and then Whitney put home the Downie, er, garbage goal.
Goaltending: C
We witnessed last night the coming down to earth of Ty Conklin. He played as if he were channeling Marc Andre Fleury. He mishandled the puck on a number of occasions. He had several miscommunications with defensemen where they ran into each other. He was popping out rebounds all over the place. He was generally looking as unsound and jittery as Fleury usually does. He did not provide a steadying influence. He did not look calm and in control. Were it not for at least three goal posts, the score might have been about as lopsided as the last time these teams met. For those counting. Conklin has now allowed 7 goals in four periods of play against the Flyers for a sparkling 5.25 GAA. Let’s just hope this game was an aberration, or this team is in serious trouble the next two months. That said, it’s hard to blame him for too much. He had no chance on the first goal, no chance on the second goal, no chance on the third goal. Only the winner was a bit questionable, but what could he even do there, when Knuble was allowed to basically push the puck into the net?
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 14-6-2, 2.36 GAA, .926 save percentage (Conklin is 10-2-2, 1.80, .946).
Overall: C-
They gave it their all the final two periods. But the sad fact is, they just don’t have the guns right now to beat the top teams. They can play hard and play well and it still isn’t enough. They are just too undermanned. They need to play a tight defensive game, but they seem incapable of doing that. They continue to give up way too many shots. They played a lousy first period, when, as Errey said, “they didn’t hit, they didn’t skate, they didn’t shoot.” That’s the hat trick right there. They came alive a bit as the game went on but were still unable to be productive at even strength. They just have nobody outside Malkin and Sykora that will score for them on a consistent basis.
And now, the rest of the story…
Rob Scuderi: F
Well, he IS saddled with Gonchar, and that is probably starting to wear on him. Last night, this pairing was on for every Flyer goal. Scuderi was to blame for the first one, and partially for the third one.
Sergei Gonchar: F
He was in playoff form last night. He had a couple brutal giveaways where he saw a Flyer coming and just got rid of the puck right onto a Flyer’s stick. Ah, yes, that’s the playoff Sarge I have come to know and love. I know Therrien likes to use him against the other team’s top guys, but this is why they will never be a good defensive team. He is incapable of filling that role when the pressure gets turned up.
John Stevens: F
Or is that actually Fred Shero behind the Flyer bench? What kind of moron sends out Riley Cote on the power play after Steve Downie got “hurt?” He looks like a professor, but inside, he’s nothing more than a Broad Street Bully at heart. He was probably the little nerdy kid that always got beat up, and this is his way of channeling the rage.
Jordan Staal: A
He played very well last night, right off the bat. He just can’t score this year, though, and I don’t know why. But he was certainly a force on the PK.
Georges Laraque: F
No matter how much play-acting Downie did, that was a dangerous hit by Big Georges, and will rightfully draw a suspension. The length of the suspension will likely be tempered by the fact that Downie came right back into the game and by who he hit.
Ryan Whitney: A
He had a very good game, with a goal and an assist. And I didn’t notice him in the defensive end, which is always a good thing.
”Secondary Scoring: F
Where is it? Since Sid went out, they have played 3+ games. Goals by forwards: Malkin, 4; Sykora, 2; Talbot, Malone, Taffe, 1 each. Two goals by the bottom three lines will not get it done.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 27/57, 47%. Power play: 3/3, 100%.
Total: 44.3%/45.0% since Sid went out.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Gee, where to start? We could look at the Flyers being called for only two penalties all game. Either the world is about to end, or it was incompetent officiating. I suspect it’s the latter. Once again, Dan O’Blindoran proves he has no business doing anything other than crossing the street with his little red-tipped cane and guide dog. But the call that just angered me to no end was the one on Malone in the final minute. I am not saying this wasn’t a penalty. It was. And I have no problem with that call IF THE CLOWNS HAD CALLED THE REST OF THE THIRD PERIOD THE SAME WAY. But they hadn’t. They had earlier let a couple blatant penalties on each team go. They had set a standard. And then to totally go against that standard and call a ticky-tack hook on Malone is just disgraceful. But you want to know what got me even more upset? No more than 20 seconds later, Jeff Carter BLATANTLY hooks Malkin behind the net WHILE MALKIN HAD THE PUCK (the guy Malone hooked didn’t even have it), and the same buffoon ignores it. Seriously, it doesn’t get much worse than this sequence, even in the Garage League.
January 22, 2008
Pens vs. Caps - Grades
"If you can't score on a 5 on 3, then don't bother suiting up"
-Ron Francis
what a human.
Offense: D
I didn’t think it was possible for a team to play 47 minutes of even strength time and muster only 10 shots on goal, but the Pens pulled that off last night. Even more amazingly, they parlayed that into two goals. Overall, the even-strength play was terrible all night. Other than the occasional rush by Malkin or the occasional crash and bang shift by the AHL line of Brent, Filewich, and Minard, they did absolutely nothing. There was little sustained forecheck, no transition game. As well as the Pens played in Montreal, that’s how terrible they were offensively in this one. The two goals they did get were a result somewhat weak goaltending by Oldie Kolzig. First, Talbot moves in from the corner and beats him. Then Malkin makes a great play, going all the way around the net. But he scored on a 25-foot backhander, not the type of goal you want your goalie giving up. After that, nada. Not even anything close to a goal, save for one wrister by Christensen.
Defense: C
Not good, not bad. They really didn’t allow a great number of quality chances at even strength; it’s just that the minor-league goalie let every one of them get past him. The first goal, the coverage on Tomas Fleischmann by Orpik and Letang wasn’t exactly tight. Next one, they left noted Penguin-killed Viktor Kozlov wide open for a rebound. On the final even-strength tally, Whitney inexplicably left Alex Ovechkin wide open for an easy one-timer. Putrid coverage. But overall, the defensive effort was adequate.
Power play: F
The last impression is the lasting impression. That overtime power play was one of the most disorganized disastrous debacles you will ever want to witness. It started off with a dumb move where they didn’t immediately give the Caps the puck after the second penalty was called. That would have allowed them to organize and rest before they went up two men. Then again, it would have allowed Yeo to design more of the stuff that did so wonderfully after the timeout. And it just continued through the entire power play. They looked utterly clueless. Nobody wanted to shoot. Everyone wanted to make a highlight reel pass across the crease. Then Malkin tries to shoot and gets two blocked out high. So they went the entire three minutes of power play time in overtime without getting anything resembling a scoring chance, and zero shots on goal.
-Ron Francis
what a human.
Offense: D
I didn’t think it was possible for a team to play 47 minutes of even strength time and muster only 10 shots on goal, but the Pens pulled that off last night. Even more amazingly, they parlayed that into two goals. Overall, the even-strength play was terrible all night. Other than the occasional rush by Malkin or the occasional crash and bang shift by the AHL line of Brent, Filewich, and Minard, they did absolutely nothing. There was little sustained forecheck, no transition game. As well as the Pens played in Montreal, that’s how terrible they were offensively in this one. The two goals they did get were a result somewhat weak goaltending by Oldie Kolzig. First, Talbot moves in from the corner and beats him. Then Malkin makes a great play, going all the way around the net. But he scored on a 25-foot backhander, not the type of goal you want your goalie giving up. After that, nada. Not even anything close to a goal, save for one wrister by Christensen.
Defense: C
Not good, not bad. They really didn’t allow a great number of quality chances at even strength; it’s just that the minor-league goalie let every one of them get past him. The first goal, the coverage on Tomas Fleischmann by Orpik and Letang wasn’t exactly tight. Next one, they left noted Penguin-killed Viktor Kozlov wide open for a rebound. On the final even-strength tally, Whitney inexplicably left Alex Ovechkin wide open for an easy one-timer. Putrid coverage. But overall, the defensive effort was adequate.
Power play: F
The last impression is the lasting impression. That overtime power play was one of the most disorganized disastrous debacles you will ever want to witness. It started off with a dumb move where they didn’t immediately give the Caps the puck after the second penalty was called. That would have allowed them to organize and rest before they went up two men. Then again, it would have allowed Yeo to design more of the stuff that did so wonderfully after the timeout. And it just continued through the entire power play. They looked utterly clueless. Nobody wanted to shoot. Everyone wanted to make a highlight reel pass across the crease. Then Malkin tries to shoot and gets two blocked out high. So they went the entire three minutes of power play time in overtime without getting anything resembling a scoring chance, and zero shots on goal.
Okay, I am just kidding on the grade. Overall, the PP was a B. The power play was crisp all night until the OT. They netted three PP goals for only the second time this season. The first was just a twisted wrister by Malkin that wasn’t off a set play. The second was on a beautiful slap pass from Whitney to Sykora. Great hands by Sykora to corral it and put it in. The final one was the “dirty” goal we crave, just a Gonchar wrister from up top that Malone deflected home (no, it wasn’t a high stick and in fact wasn’t even close). Overall, until the OT debacle, the power play did seem more active, and that’s a good sign.
Penalty kill: D
The PK was not very good overall. The goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and he wasn’t. But the defense left Ovechkin uncovered for a one-timer on one goal, and they left Kozlov unattended in the slot on the second one. Why Malkin, who seemed to have Kozlov, wandered away from him is somewhat baffling. But bottom line is, he was left all alone in the slot and he tied the game. They didn’t seem to be on top of their game at the kill, but that might be because a couple key penalty killers (Armstrong and Hall) were out.
Goaltending: D
Okay, that pretty much clinches it. Dany Sabourin should never, ever get another start unless it is absolutely necessary. He showed once again why he is no better than a backup, and that might be generous. He is incapable of putting two good games together. He was the sole reason they lost this game. Because when you score five goals, you should win every time with even adequate goaltending. The first goal was one of the most laughable I have ever seen. When a goalie has no clue where the puck is, even long after the goal is scored, that’s a bad sign. I don’t think he even saw the goal on the replay on the jumbotron. He still hasn’t seen it. Kozlov’s first goal was a brutal rebound. Ovechkin’s first was a weak floater that he would have stopped had he come all the way across instead of just to the middle of the net. But he’s a terrible side-to-side goalie, and you’ll beat him every time if the pass goes through. The other Ovechkin goal was not his fault at all; nobody stops that one. But overall, Sabourin was terrible. It was like night and day when Conklin came in. Suddenly, the rebounds ceased. Suddenly, I had confidence that the goalie could make a save. But it was too late. Sabourin should have been yanked after the first two goals, but he wasn’t. And it likely cost them a point.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 14-5-2, 2.29 GAA, .928 save percentage (Conklin is 10-1-2, 1.63, .951).
Overall: C-
They really didn’t play well at all, and got a point they probably didn’t earn thanks to some weak goaltending by Kolzig. They never got any kind of flow going, and Washington pretty much dictated the game. But they did get one point, and every point they get with Sid out is a big one.
And now, the rest of the story…
Shot totals: F
If you add up the shots on goal, missed shots, and shots blocked by opponent, you get the shots attempted total. Last night, Washington won the battle of shots attempted, 58-28. That gives you a pretty good measure of how dominant Washington was.
Evgeni Malkin: A
Wow, he is continuing to amaze. Two beautiful goals and an assist, and a desire to be the best player on the ice. He was dominant most of the night. And the way he warded off Ovechkin’s run at him was just wonderful to see. And the Malkin-led power play had three goals. What more can you ask?
Viktor Kozlov: A
Ray Shero should have signed this guy just so he wouldn’t score his usual hundred goals a year against the Pens. This clown would be a Hall-of-Famer if he put up the same stats against the rest of the league that he does against Pittsburgh.
Jordan Staal: C
He gets an A for the way he pwned Donald Brashear when the Caps’ good tried to run him at the end of the second period. But he gets an F for the absolutely stupid holding-the-stick penalty he took that led to the Caps tying the game. Good Lord, what was he thinking?
Michel Therrien: A
When Bruce Boudreau put Donald Brashear out after a Penguin goal to stir something up, Therrien responded by sending out his nuclear deterrent. It worked. Brashear did nothing and slunk back to the bench.
Alex Ovechkin: A
Boy, is he fun to watch when he gets all revved up. The battle between him and Malkin was one when you just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Shootouts: F
Is the Pens’ shootout magic coming to an end? That’s two losses in a row. Last night, Letang beat Oldie cleanly, but hit the crossbar. And Conklin looked awful on the two shots that beat him.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 28/68, 41%. Worse, they were only 3/10, 30% on the power play.
Total: 42.9%/35.2% since Sid went out.
Penalty kill: D
The PK was not very good overall. The goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and he wasn’t. But the defense left Ovechkin uncovered for a one-timer on one goal, and they left Kozlov unattended in the slot on the second one. Why Malkin, who seemed to have Kozlov, wandered away from him is somewhat baffling. But bottom line is, he was left all alone in the slot and he tied the game. They didn’t seem to be on top of their game at the kill, but that might be because a couple key penalty killers (Armstrong and Hall) were out.
Goaltending: D
Okay, that pretty much clinches it. Dany Sabourin should never, ever get another start unless it is absolutely necessary. He showed once again why he is no better than a backup, and that might be generous. He is incapable of putting two good games together. He was the sole reason they lost this game. Because when you score five goals, you should win every time with even adequate goaltending. The first goal was one of the most laughable I have ever seen. When a goalie has no clue where the puck is, even long after the goal is scored, that’s a bad sign. I don’t think he even saw the goal on the replay on the jumbotron. He still hasn’t seen it. Kozlov’s first goal was a brutal rebound. Ovechkin’s first was a weak floater that he would have stopped had he come all the way across instead of just to the middle of the net. But he’s a terrible side-to-side goalie, and you’ll beat him every time if the pass goes through. The other Ovechkin goal was not his fault at all; nobody stops that one. But overall, Sabourin was terrible. It was like night and day when Conklin came in. Suddenly, the rebounds ceased. Suddenly, I had confidence that the goalie could make a save. But it was too late. Sabourin should have been yanked after the first two goals, but he wasn’t. And it likely cost them a point.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 14-5-2, 2.29 GAA, .928 save percentage (Conklin is 10-1-2, 1.63, .951).
Overall: C-
They really didn’t play well at all, and got a point they probably didn’t earn thanks to some weak goaltending by Kolzig. They never got any kind of flow going, and Washington pretty much dictated the game. But they did get one point, and every point they get with Sid out is a big one.
And now, the rest of the story…
Shot totals: F
If you add up the shots on goal, missed shots, and shots blocked by opponent, you get the shots attempted total. Last night, Washington won the battle of shots attempted, 58-28. That gives you a pretty good measure of how dominant Washington was.
Evgeni Malkin: A
Wow, he is continuing to amaze. Two beautiful goals and an assist, and a desire to be the best player on the ice. He was dominant most of the night. And the way he warded off Ovechkin’s run at him was just wonderful to see. And the Malkin-led power play had three goals. What more can you ask?
Viktor Kozlov: A
Ray Shero should have signed this guy just so he wouldn’t score his usual hundred goals a year against the Pens. This clown would be a Hall-of-Famer if he put up the same stats against the rest of the league that he does against Pittsburgh.
Jordan Staal: C
He gets an A for the way he pwned Donald Brashear when the Caps’ good tried to run him at the end of the second period. But he gets an F for the absolutely stupid holding-the-stick penalty he took that led to the Caps tying the game. Good Lord, what was he thinking?
Michel Therrien: A
When Bruce Boudreau put Donald Brashear out after a Penguin goal to stir something up, Therrien responded by sending out his nuclear deterrent. It worked. Brashear did nothing and slunk back to the bench.
Alex Ovechkin: A
Boy, is he fun to watch when he gets all revved up. The battle between him and Malkin was one when you just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Shootouts: F
Is the Pens’ shootout magic coming to an end? That’s two losses in a row. Last night, Letang beat Oldie cleanly, but hit the crossbar. And Conklin looked awful on the two shots that beat him.
Faceoffs: F
Tonight: 28/68, 41%. Worse, they were only 3/10, 30% on the power play.
Total: 42.9%/35.2% since Sid went out.
January 21, 2008
Madden NFL Part IV - Glitches/Problems
Like most games, the Madden NFL series has had its share of glitches and problems. In this post, I'll give you a look at the gameplay problems in Madden 08. If used correctly, these can be very effective in beating an opponent. It's very cheap, but snappy.
Onside Kick Glitch
-With a "big leg" kicker, position the + slightly to the top right of the midline on the football. Kick ball with full power. This will not work with a regular kicker (e.g., Jeff Reed)
"Pop Through" Running Glitch
-With a "power back", run toward a pile, and truck as late as possible. If done correctly, the back should pop through the pile and keep on going! This may not always work.
Stiff Arm Glitch
-With some "stiff-arm ball carriers," you can stiff arm your whole way down the field because the arm will act as a shotgun, flinging defenders backwards at high speeds. This can be exteremely volatile. Most effective with LaDanian Tomlinson.
Protection Passing
-With good protection (7-10 sec.), take any quarterback (especially Billy Volek) and run a deep route with a few receivers. Against a man-to-man defensive scheme, wait for the receivers to turn around and run back to the ball. Everyone will be wide open. This is perhaps the cheapest of problems on Madden 08.
Motion Streak
-With a "quick receiver", hot route to a streak, and motion him to the other side of the field (if possible). Snap the ball while he is still moving, and wait until he approaches the safties and throw the ball. This will work against a deep-zone safety scheme, and a cannon arm QB is preferred over regular.
Interception Glitch
- When rolling out, if you have a regular receiver running a crossing route and is covered by a linebacker, throwing the ball could turn into an interception. The ball sometimes will move from your receiver's hands into the defender's. It will be a quick, horizontal motion.
Reggie Bush
- John Madden was apparently drunk when he created the skill template for Reggie Bush. In real life, Bush is a fast, decently elusive back who has breakaway play ability, but is not a conventional running back. On Madden 08, Bush can run any type of rushing play for a great number of yards. He can break tackles with the best of them, and is the fastest player on the field most times. He is a 91 overall. In my opinion, he should be an 85.
"Peel Off" Pass Rush
- When rolling out, defensive lineman will peel off their blocks immediately unless they are upended. Leaving the pocket is a dangerous action if you have a mobile QB.
"Pile Juke" Glitch
- With an "elusive back," run a play for him up the middle. If running lanes are decently congested, juke as hard as you can to the left or right. Most times, the back will fly out of the pile almost 10 yards!
Gang Tackling Glitches/Problems
-This part of Madden is severely glitchy and has several different problems. With gang tackling, two defenders can "gang up" on a ball carrier to bring him down. But it's gotten to a point where 3 or even 4 gang tackles can appear on one play. If the ball carrier is it at certain angles, he can pick up an extra 5-12 yards with the glitchy gang tackling system. Multiple defenders will continue to gang tackle the player farther and farther upfield, turning a 1 yard loss into a first down.
Fumbling
- Like real life, players will fumble occasionally after being tackled. The problem is that the referees don't change the call, resulting in you having to burn challenges in idiotic situations. The call will always be overturned, but it could cost you from getting that incomplete pass overturned to a game-winning touchdown.
Bumpback Run Glitch
- When attempting any type of running play, sometimes your back will hit the hole at a odd angle, right into his offensive linemen. This results in the back getting turned around and then running backwards. This is very annoying, especially when you have a gaping hole.
DT blocking
- Randomly, offensive lineman will leave the middle wide open, freeing a d-tackle through the hole, destroying any type of pass play.
Penalties
- Referees will call holding or clipping penalties for no reason when they are clearly not there. But then, when someone is stabbed in the back (literally), no infraction is called.
Kickers' Power
- For one reason or another, kickers cannot kick a field goal past 55 yards. In real life, kickers can consistently make 60-yarders in good weather (most games in Madden are in good weather, unless you change it). When you kickoff, however, getting half-power on the meter still puts the ball in the endzone for some kickers.
Play Reading
-A new feature to Madden this year, giving you the ability to read your opponent's play art. This, obviously, is a very helpful feature. However, it's severely unrealistic. Never can a defender just know exactly where every player on the field is going. This should be taken out of the game for Madden 09.
OL Intelligence
- In Madden, offensive lineman are very bad at picking up blitz packages. The blocking on the game in general is bad, the lineman block what's directly in front of them. If nothing, then they double team an already blocked pass rusher.
Quarterback Weakness
-QB's have no sack-shedding ability in Madden. Players like Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb, who in real life escape about 20 sacks per year, get blasted in the pocket. QB's should be able to escape pass rushers more frequently.
Trip Tackling
-If a player is running or standing, he is subject to being tackled by a player who is laying on the ground. If you run into a player on the ground, your ball carrier will immediately be tackled. This is perhaps the biggest problem, because it takes a potential 15-yard run and turns it into a 3 yard pickup. Detromental to the running game, and kills you in the pocket.
WR vs. DB Awareness
-Corners and Safties seem to have a better awareness of where the football is than receivers. This results in more interceptions for the defense, and more passes hitting receivers heads.
Onside Kick Glitch
-With a "big leg" kicker, position the + slightly to the top right of the midline on the football. Kick ball with full power. This will not work with a regular kicker (e.g., Jeff Reed)
"Pop Through" Running Glitch
-With a "power back", run toward a pile, and truck as late as possible. If done correctly, the back should pop through the pile and keep on going! This may not always work.
Stiff Arm Glitch
-With some "stiff-arm ball carriers," you can stiff arm your whole way down the field because the arm will act as a shotgun, flinging defenders backwards at high speeds. This can be exteremely volatile. Most effective with LaDanian Tomlinson.
Protection Passing
-With good protection (7-10 sec.), take any quarterback (especially Billy Volek) and run a deep route with a few receivers. Against a man-to-man defensive scheme, wait for the receivers to turn around and run back to the ball. Everyone will be wide open. This is perhaps the cheapest of problems on Madden 08.
Motion Streak
-With a "quick receiver", hot route to a streak, and motion him to the other side of the field (if possible). Snap the ball while he is still moving, and wait until he approaches the safties and throw the ball. This will work against a deep-zone safety scheme, and a cannon arm QB is preferred over regular.
Interception Glitch
- When rolling out, if you have a regular receiver running a crossing route and is covered by a linebacker, throwing the ball could turn into an interception. The ball sometimes will move from your receiver's hands into the defender's. It will be a quick, horizontal motion.
Reggie Bush
- John Madden was apparently drunk when he created the skill template for Reggie Bush. In real life, Bush is a fast, decently elusive back who has breakaway play ability, but is not a conventional running back. On Madden 08, Bush can run any type of rushing play for a great number of yards. He can break tackles with the best of them, and is the fastest player on the field most times. He is a 91 overall. In my opinion, he should be an 85.
"Peel Off" Pass Rush
- When rolling out, defensive lineman will peel off their blocks immediately unless they are upended. Leaving the pocket is a dangerous action if you have a mobile QB.
"Pile Juke" Glitch
- With an "elusive back," run a play for him up the middle. If running lanes are decently congested, juke as hard as you can to the left or right. Most times, the back will fly out of the pile almost 10 yards!
Gang Tackling Glitches/Problems
-This part of Madden is severely glitchy and has several different problems. With gang tackling, two defenders can "gang up" on a ball carrier to bring him down. But it's gotten to a point where 3 or even 4 gang tackles can appear on one play. If the ball carrier is it at certain angles, he can pick up an extra 5-12 yards with the glitchy gang tackling system. Multiple defenders will continue to gang tackle the player farther and farther upfield, turning a 1 yard loss into a first down.
Fumbling
- Like real life, players will fumble occasionally after being tackled. The problem is that the referees don't change the call, resulting in you having to burn challenges in idiotic situations. The call will always be overturned, but it could cost you from getting that incomplete pass overturned to a game-winning touchdown.
Bumpback Run Glitch
- When attempting any type of running play, sometimes your back will hit the hole at a odd angle, right into his offensive linemen. This results in the back getting turned around and then running backwards. This is very annoying, especially when you have a gaping hole.
DT blocking
- Randomly, offensive lineman will leave the middle wide open, freeing a d-tackle through the hole, destroying any type of pass play.
Penalties
- Referees will call holding or clipping penalties for no reason when they are clearly not there. But then, when someone is stabbed in the back (literally), no infraction is called.
Kickers' Power
- For one reason or another, kickers cannot kick a field goal past 55 yards. In real life, kickers can consistently make 60-yarders in good weather (most games in Madden are in good weather, unless you change it). When you kickoff, however, getting half-power on the meter still puts the ball in the endzone for some kickers.
Play Reading
-A new feature to Madden this year, giving you the ability to read your opponent's play art. This, obviously, is a very helpful feature. However, it's severely unrealistic. Never can a defender just know exactly where every player on the field is going. This should be taken out of the game for Madden 09.
OL Intelligence
- In Madden, offensive lineman are very bad at picking up blitz packages. The blocking on the game in general is bad, the lineman block what's directly in front of them. If nothing, then they double team an already blocked pass rusher.
Quarterback Weakness
-QB's have no sack-shedding ability in Madden. Players like Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb, who in real life escape about 20 sacks per year, get blasted in the pocket. QB's should be able to escape pass rushers more frequently.
Trip Tackling
-If a player is running or standing, he is subject to being tackled by a player who is laying on the ground. If you run into a player on the ground, your ball carrier will immediately be tackled. This is perhaps the biggest problem, because it takes a potential 15-yard run and turns it into a 3 yard pickup. Detromental to the running game, and kills you in the pocket.
WR vs. DB Awareness
-Corners and Safties seem to have a better awareness of where the football is than receivers. This results in more interceptions for the defense, and more passes hitting receivers heads.
Madden NFL Part III - Overrated/Underrated Players
In this article I'll tell you the most underrated and overrated players in the game.
Overrated Players:
5. David Garrard
Garrard is a mobile QB, he can evade pressure pretty well, but he can't throw for his life in the NFL. In Madden he can easily throw the ball and rack up the yards. In the NFL he cannot throw for big yards.
4.Calvin Johnson
Drafted as one of the best athletes in the draft. He is somehow one of the best receivers in Madden without playing one game. Not only can he make one handed grabs like crazy, he is very fast. He isn't playing Duke anymore in the NFL and shouldn't be this good.
3.Steve Smith
He was one of the best receivers in the league 2 years ago. Last year, he did nothing. They still gave him a 98 in Madden after the newest update. In Madden, he can catch balls while in triple coverage. Based on what he did this year, he should be a 90, not a 98.
2. Vince Young
Since he was the cover boy, they had to make him good. They gave him a 90 speed. For a quarterback, that's crazy. What many people like to do is send all of their receivers deep and run with Vince. Even though he took his team to the playoffs, he did nothing. There is no way he should be a top ten QB in the game.
1. Reggie Bush
In the game, they made Reggie Bush so good that he could be considered a glitch by himself. I mean, I was playing the CPU once, and he returned a punt by breaking at least five tackles. Since he was drafted, he has been a bust. At least he got the whole "most overrated player in Madden" going for him.
Underrated Players
5. Santonio Holmes
He is a quick receiver who can catch the deep ball and run screens pretty well. Madden gave him almost no credit at all. He should easily be a 90 in the game.
4. Any fullback
There is a glitch on the game where the the fullback dive averages 7 yards per carry. Putting a backup running back at fullback actually does work very well. The fullbacks should be a lot better if they average 7 yards per carry.
3. Marion Barber
In the NFL, he is an animal, he rarely loses a yard. In the game, he does the same. He is good in the open field and can run anyone over. He hits like a power back but can also run pretty well.
2.Maurice Jones-Drew
Jones is a power back with a lot of speed. He, like Barber, can run over many people, but it is his speed that makes him so good. If you use tosses with him, he will easily get 4 to 5 yards with no effort.
1. Jags wide-receivers
They are underrated in the game as well as in the NFL. They are very tall and have some speed. In the game, they can catch crossing routs and streaks all day. Madden should definitely give these guys some more credit.
Overrated Players:
5. David Garrard
Garrard is a mobile QB, he can evade pressure pretty well, but he can't throw for his life in the NFL. In Madden he can easily throw the ball and rack up the yards. In the NFL he cannot throw for big yards.
4.Calvin Johnson
Drafted as one of the best athletes in the draft. He is somehow one of the best receivers in Madden without playing one game. Not only can he make one handed grabs like crazy, he is very fast. He isn't playing Duke anymore in the NFL and shouldn't be this good.
3.Steve Smith
He was one of the best receivers in the league 2 years ago. Last year, he did nothing. They still gave him a 98 in Madden after the newest update. In Madden, he can catch balls while in triple coverage. Based on what he did this year, he should be a 90, not a 98.
2. Vince Young
Since he was the cover boy, they had to make him good. They gave him a 90 speed. For a quarterback, that's crazy. What many people like to do is send all of their receivers deep and run with Vince. Even though he took his team to the playoffs, he did nothing. There is no way he should be a top ten QB in the game.
1. Reggie Bush
In the game, they made Reggie Bush so good that he could be considered a glitch by himself. I mean, I was playing the CPU once, and he returned a punt by breaking at least five tackles. Since he was drafted, he has been a bust. At least he got the whole "most overrated player in Madden" going for him.
Underrated Players
5. Santonio Holmes
He is a quick receiver who can catch the deep ball and run screens pretty well. Madden gave him almost no credit at all. He should easily be a 90 in the game.
4. Any fullback
There is a glitch on the game where the the fullback dive averages 7 yards per carry. Putting a backup running back at fullback actually does work very well. The fullbacks should be a lot better if they average 7 yards per carry.
3. Marion Barber
In the NFL, he is an animal, he rarely loses a yard. In the game, he does the same. He is good in the open field and can run anyone over. He hits like a power back but can also run pretty well.
2.Maurice Jones-Drew
Jones is a power back with a lot of speed. He, like Barber, can run over many people, but it is his speed that makes him so good. If you use tosses with him, he will easily get 4 to 5 yards with no effort.
1. Jags wide-receivers
They are underrated in the game as well as in the NFL. They are very tall and have some speed. In the game, they can catch crossing routs and streaks all day. Madden should definitely give these guys some more credit.
January 20, 2008
Pens vs. Habs - Grades
Offense: B
The offense was a vast improvement over that of the Tampa game. In this one, they forechecked hard and that led to the only goal other than the empty-netter. It was just a tremendous shift by the Taffe-Laraque-Ruutu unit. They bottled the Habs up in their own end for the entire shift, and Big Georges just owned the area behind the net. He just held it and held it, then finally moved to the side and slid a nifty backhand pass to a wide-open (thanks, Roman Hamrlik) Taffe in front and he beat Cristobal Huet cleanly. They had numerous other chances on the transition, too. They just couldn’t beat Huet. They worked hard all night to generate these chances; very impressive, for a team playing the second of a back-to-back.
Defense: B+
This was a much better defensive effort than we have seen recently. They were blocking shots and deflecting passes all night long. It seemed everyone was always in the right spot. I suspect with Sid out, they realize they will have to be a bit better defensively. Last night, for the most part, they were able to limit Montreal to just one chance and no rebounds. It was one of their better efforts all year.
Power play: F
Maybe I should just quit grading it. It is usually bad, never great. They are just incapable of doing the things a good power play needs to do. They continually overhandle the puck, end up with nobody in a shooting position, or pass up the shot chances that are there. It is just ugly to watch. I would blame it on the Sid injury, but really, was it any different last night than it usually is? No.
Penalty kill: A
Another great game on the kill. I criticized Adam Hall's play in the Tampa game, but he had a good game tonight, especially on the PK. Montreal did have a few good chances, but Sabourin was there to shut the door.
Goaltending: A
How awesome was that to watch? Here’s poor Dany Sabourin, the forgotten guy, starting his first game in almost a month. Dany Sabourin, the guy who had a chance to take the bull by the horns, but got surpassed by Ty Conklin. Dany Sabourin, playing in his home province, on Hockey Night in Canada. What does he do? He pitches a shutout. How good must he feel right now? That was just so fun to watch, but I guess redemption always is, right? He was just spectacular, stopping everything Montreal threw at him. I imagine they were shaking their heads by the end of the game. It is hard to put into words how impressive that was. To come in totally cold, the night after Sid got hurt and shut out Montreal on Hockey Night in Canada is just incredible. And he earned it too, with numerous big saves in a 1-0 game. Okay, I’m almost out of superlatives, so I will stop now.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 13-5-1, 2.16 GAA, .932 save percentage (Conklin is 9-1-1, 1.63, .951 in his starts).
Overall: A
As disinterested as they seemed against Tampa Bay, that’s how hungry they were against Montreal. They played like they had a chip on their shoulder, just to show people like me that they are not just "Sidney and the Rest." They played hard from the opening faceoff, getting contributions from almost everyone. They were INTO it. It was as if they got together and decided they were not going to lose this game. They forechecked well. They backchecked even better. They got key saves from Sabourin. In short, they did everything a good team does when a star player goes down. It brightens the mood in the locker room, too. They needed to close it out and get the two points just for their psyche, and they did. It was a fun game to watch, with every player giving his all.
And now, the rest of the story…
Evgeni Malkin: A
He took the bull by the horns last night. He was just tremendous. That rush he made to set up the two-on-none was incredible (but please shoot the puck Geno). He is trying to be the good center and set people up, but he will need to just shoot it because nobody else on this team can score. But last night, he provided hope that he can cover for Sid while the latter is out. Now, if somebody could pick up Geno’s slack…
Jordan Staal: A
He was a beast defensively. He was all over the ice. He got that long reach going and was at his defensive best last night.
Darryl Sydor: A
I cannot say enough about how well Syd played. Maybe he realized they always have to have at least one good Sid or Syd in the lineup. It was easily his best game of the year. He was blocking shots and passes all night long. He was always in the right place. They gave him the A, and he thanked them by playing just a tremendous game.
Georges Laraque: A
I thought it was funny when the Hockey Night in Canada guys said it was one of the best games they had seen Laraque play. Obviously, they don’t watch the Pens too much. He was very good, but he has played this way much of the year. I seriously think they need to try him on the top power play unit. I dare anyone to try to move him from the front of the net.
Discipline: A
Much better than the previous game, with only one dumb slashing penalty by Erik Christensen.
Erik Christensen: A
He was just flying out there.
Ryan Whitney/Sergei Gonchar: A
I didn’t notice them defensively. That must mean they were good.
Hockey Night in Canada: A
Boy, what a joy it is to watch a well-produced hockey game, especially after we had to sit through Sun Network the night before. The production is top-notch. The announcers were unbiased and knowledgeable. Oh, and then there was Don Cherry. He was blabbering so incoherently my wife thought he was drunk. But at least he praised a Canadian soldier who died in combat. That is his one redeeming quality.
Faceoffs: F
Boy, they are going to get killed in this area with Sid out. In fact, I think I’ll track it, just because I like numbers.
Tonight: 24/53, 45%. Worse, they were only 3/7, 43% on the power play.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Early in the game, Hamrlik blatantly interfered with Colby Armstrong, sending him crashing into the boards. It resulted in an injury. But no call. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, Garage League. I thought you were going to take interference out of the game. Yeah, whatever. And now a guy is hurt because a defenseman knew he could get away with it.
The offense was a vast improvement over that of the Tampa game. In this one, they forechecked hard and that led to the only goal other than the empty-netter. It was just a tremendous shift by the Taffe-Laraque-Ruutu unit. They bottled the Habs up in their own end for the entire shift, and Big Georges just owned the area behind the net. He just held it and held it, then finally moved to the side and slid a nifty backhand pass to a wide-open (thanks, Roman Hamrlik) Taffe in front and he beat Cristobal Huet cleanly. They had numerous other chances on the transition, too. They just couldn’t beat Huet. They worked hard all night to generate these chances; very impressive, for a team playing the second of a back-to-back.
Defense: B+
This was a much better defensive effort than we have seen recently. They were blocking shots and deflecting passes all night long. It seemed everyone was always in the right spot. I suspect with Sid out, they realize they will have to be a bit better defensively. Last night, for the most part, they were able to limit Montreal to just one chance and no rebounds. It was one of their better efforts all year.
Power play: F
Maybe I should just quit grading it. It is usually bad, never great. They are just incapable of doing the things a good power play needs to do. They continually overhandle the puck, end up with nobody in a shooting position, or pass up the shot chances that are there. It is just ugly to watch. I would blame it on the Sid injury, but really, was it any different last night than it usually is? No.
Penalty kill: A
Another great game on the kill. I criticized Adam Hall's play in the Tampa game, but he had a good game tonight, especially on the PK. Montreal did have a few good chances, but Sabourin was there to shut the door.
Goaltending: A
How awesome was that to watch? Here’s poor Dany Sabourin, the forgotten guy, starting his first game in almost a month. Dany Sabourin, the guy who had a chance to take the bull by the horns, but got surpassed by Ty Conklin. Dany Sabourin, playing in his home province, on Hockey Night in Canada. What does he do? He pitches a shutout. How good must he feel right now? That was just so fun to watch, but I guess redemption always is, right? He was just spectacular, stopping everything Montreal threw at him. I imagine they were shaking their heads by the end of the game. It is hard to put into words how impressive that was. To come in totally cold, the night after Sid got hurt and shut out Montreal on Hockey Night in Canada is just incredible. And he earned it too, with numerous big saves in a 1-0 game. Okay, I’m almost out of superlatives, so I will stop now.
Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 13-5-1, 2.16 GAA, .932 save percentage (Conklin is 9-1-1, 1.63, .951 in his starts).
Overall: A
As disinterested as they seemed against Tampa Bay, that’s how hungry they were against Montreal. They played like they had a chip on their shoulder, just to show people like me that they are not just "Sidney and the Rest." They played hard from the opening faceoff, getting contributions from almost everyone. They were INTO it. It was as if they got together and decided they were not going to lose this game. They forechecked well. They backchecked even better. They got key saves from Sabourin. In short, they did everything a good team does when a star player goes down. It brightens the mood in the locker room, too. They needed to close it out and get the two points just for their psyche, and they did. It was a fun game to watch, with every player giving his all.
And now, the rest of the story…
Evgeni Malkin: A
He took the bull by the horns last night. He was just tremendous. That rush he made to set up the two-on-none was incredible (but please shoot the puck Geno). He is trying to be the good center and set people up, but he will need to just shoot it because nobody else on this team can score. But last night, he provided hope that he can cover for Sid while the latter is out. Now, if somebody could pick up Geno’s slack…
Jordan Staal: A
He was a beast defensively. He was all over the ice. He got that long reach going and was at his defensive best last night.
Darryl Sydor: A
I cannot say enough about how well Syd played. Maybe he realized they always have to have at least one good Sid or Syd in the lineup. It was easily his best game of the year. He was blocking shots and passes all night long. He was always in the right place. They gave him the A, and he thanked them by playing just a tremendous game.
Georges Laraque: A
I thought it was funny when the Hockey Night in Canada guys said it was one of the best games they had seen Laraque play. Obviously, they don’t watch the Pens too much. He was very good, but he has played this way much of the year. I seriously think they need to try him on the top power play unit. I dare anyone to try to move him from the front of the net.
Discipline: A
Much better than the previous game, with only one dumb slashing penalty by Erik Christensen.
Erik Christensen: A
He was just flying out there.
Ryan Whitney/Sergei Gonchar: A
I didn’t notice them defensively. That must mean they were good.
Hockey Night in Canada: A
Boy, what a joy it is to watch a well-produced hockey game, especially after we had to sit through Sun Network the night before. The production is top-notch. The announcers were unbiased and knowledgeable. Oh, and then there was Don Cherry. He was blabbering so incoherently my wife thought he was drunk. But at least he praised a Canadian soldier who died in combat. That is his one redeeming quality.
Faceoffs: F
Boy, they are going to get killed in this area with Sid out. In fact, I think I’ll track it, just because I like numbers.
Tonight: 24/53, 45%. Worse, they were only 3/7, 43% on the power play.
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:
Early in the game, Hamrlik blatantly interfered with Colby Armstrong, sending him crashing into the boards. It resulted in an injury. But no call. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, Garage League. I thought you were going to take interference out of the game. Yeah, whatever. And now a guy is hurt because a defenseman knew he could get away with it.
January 19, 2008
Madden Part II - Top Players
In Madden 08, it's all about controlling the game with your best players. In this post, I'll give you a breakdown of the top five players at each position, including their rating (out of 100).
QUARTERBACK:
1. Tom Brady, NE, 99
2. Peyton Manning, IND, 99
3. Carson Palmer, CIN, 96
4. Brett Favre, GB, 94
5. Drew Brees, NO, 93
RUNNING BACK:
1. Ladanian Tomlinson, SD, 99
2. Steven Jackson, STL, 96
3. Larry Johnson, KC, 95
4. Brian Westbrook, PHI, 95
5. Adrian Peterson, MIN, 94
FULLBACK:
1. Lorenzo Neal, SD, 98
2. Jeremi Johnson, CIN, 95
3. Tony Richardson, MIN, 94
4. Ovie Mughelli, ATL, 92
5. Heath Evans, NE, 89
WIDE RECEIVER:
1. Randy Moss, NE, 99
2. Steve Smith, CAR, 98
3. Chad Johnson, CIN, 98
4. Terrell Owens, DAL, 98
5. Torry Holt, STL, 97
TIGHT END:
1. Antonio Gates, SD, 99
2. Tony Gonzalez, KC, 97
3. Jason Witten, DAL, 95
4. Jeremy Shockey, NYG, 95
5. Todd Heap, BAL, 95
LEFT TACKLE:
1. Walter Jones, SEA, 98
2. Matt Light, NE, 97
3. Johnathan Ogden, BAL, 97
4. Bryant McKinnie, MIN, 96
5. Orlando Pace, STL, 96
LEFT GUARD:
1. Steve Hutchinson, MIN, 99
2. Alan Faneca, PIT, 97
3. Logan Mankins, NE, 96
4. Brian Waters, KC, 95
5. Larry Allen, SF, 95
CENTER:
1. Olin Kreutz, CHI, 97
2. Jeff Saturday, IND, 96
3. Matt Birk, MIN, 95
4. Dan Koppen, NE, 94
5. Nick Hardwick, SD, 92
RIGHT GUARD:
1. Shawn Andrews, PHI, 96
2. Chris Snee, NYG, 94
3. Benji Olson, TEN, 93
4. Randy Thomas, WAS, 93
5. Stephen Neal, NE, 92
RIGHT TACKLE:
1. Ryan Diem, IND, 93
2. Willie Anderson, CIN, 93
3. Jordan Gross, CAR, 93
4. Mark Tauscher, GB, 92
5. Jon Jansen, WAS, 90
DEFENSIVE END:
1. Jason Taylor, MIA, 98
2. Julius Peppers, CAR, 98
3. Richard Seymour, NE, 97
4. Aaron Kampman, GB, 97
5. Patrick Kerney, SEA, 96
DEFENSIVE TACKLE:
1. Tommie Harris, CHI, 98
2. Jamal Williams, SD, 98
3. Kevin Williams, MIN, 97
4. Casey Hampton, PIT, 97
5. John Henderson, JAX, 95
LEFT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER:
1. Derrick Johnson, KC, 91
2. Marcus Washington, WAS, 90
3. Cato June, TB, 89
4. David Thornton, TEN, 89
5. Mike Vrabel, NE, 89
MIDDLE LINEBACKER:
1. Brian Urlacher, CHI, 99
2. Zach Thomas, MIA, 97
3. Ray Lewis, BAL, 96
4. Lofa Tatupu, SEA, 95
5. Johnathan Vilma, NYJ, 95
RIGHT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER:
1. Kieth Bulluck, TEN, 97
2. Shawne Merriman, SD, 96
3. Lance Briggs, CHI, 96
4. DeMarcus Ware, DAL, 95
5. Julian Peterson, SEA, 95
CORNERBACK:
1. Champ Bailey, DEN, 99
2. Chris McCalister, BAL, 98
3. Asante Samuel, NE, 97
4. Rashean Mathis, JAX, 97
5. Lito Sheppard, PHI, 95
FREE SAFETY:
1. Ed Reed, BAL, 99
2. Bob Sanders, IND, 98
3. Brian Dawkins, PHI, 94
4. John Lynch, DEN, 93
5. Mike Brown, CHI, 90
STRONG SAFETY:
1. Troy Polamalu, PIT, 98
2. Adrian Wilson, ARZ, 97
3. Kerry Rhodes, NYJ, 95
4. Rodney Harrison, NE, 94
5. Darren Sharper, MIN, 93
KICKER:
1. Adam Vinatieri, IND, 98
2. Matt Stover, BAL, 96
3. Jason Elam, DEN, 96
4. Shayne Graham, CIN, 94
5. Jeff Wilkins, STL, 94
PUNTER:
1. Shane Lechler, OAK, 98
2. Andy Lee, SF, 97
3. Mat McBriar, DAL, 96
4. Dustin Colquitt, KC, 94
5. Brian Moorman, BUF, 94
QUARTERBACK:
1. Tom Brady, NE, 99
2. Peyton Manning, IND, 99
3. Carson Palmer, CIN, 96
4. Brett Favre, GB, 94
5. Drew Brees, NO, 93
RUNNING BACK:
1. Ladanian Tomlinson, SD, 99
2. Steven Jackson, STL, 96
3. Larry Johnson, KC, 95
4. Brian Westbrook, PHI, 95
5. Adrian Peterson, MIN, 94
FULLBACK:
1. Lorenzo Neal, SD, 98
2. Jeremi Johnson, CIN, 95
3. Tony Richardson, MIN, 94
4. Ovie Mughelli, ATL, 92
5. Heath Evans, NE, 89
WIDE RECEIVER:
1. Randy Moss, NE, 99
2. Steve Smith, CAR, 98
3. Chad Johnson, CIN, 98
4. Terrell Owens, DAL, 98
5. Torry Holt, STL, 97
TIGHT END:
1. Antonio Gates, SD, 99
2. Tony Gonzalez, KC, 97
3. Jason Witten, DAL, 95
4. Jeremy Shockey, NYG, 95
5. Todd Heap, BAL, 95
LEFT TACKLE:
1. Walter Jones, SEA, 98
2. Matt Light, NE, 97
3. Johnathan Ogden, BAL, 97
4. Bryant McKinnie, MIN, 96
5. Orlando Pace, STL, 96
LEFT GUARD:
1. Steve Hutchinson, MIN, 99
2. Alan Faneca, PIT, 97
3. Logan Mankins, NE, 96
4. Brian Waters, KC, 95
5. Larry Allen, SF, 95
CENTER:
1. Olin Kreutz, CHI, 97
2. Jeff Saturday, IND, 96
3. Matt Birk, MIN, 95
4. Dan Koppen, NE, 94
5. Nick Hardwick, SD, 92
RIGHT GUARD:
1. Shawn Andrews, PHI, 96
2. Chris Snee, NYG, 94
3. Benji Olson, TEN, 93
4. Randy Thomas, WAS, 93
5. Stephen Neal, NE, 92
RIGHT TACKLE:
1. Ryan Diem, IND, 93
2. Willie Anderson, CIN, 93
3. Jordan Gross, CAR, 93
4. Mark Tauscher, GB, 92
5. Jon Jansen, WAS, 90
DEFENSIVE END:
1. Jason Taylor, MIA, 98
2. Julius Peppers, CAR, 98
3. Richard Seymour, NE, 97
4. Aaron Kampman, GB, 97
5. Patrick Kerney, SEA, 96
DEFENSIVE TACKLE:
1. Tommie Harris, CHI, 98
2. Jamal Williams, SD, 98
3. Kevin Williams, MIN, 97
4. Casey Hampton, PIT, 97
5. John Henderson, JAX, 95
LEFT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER:
1. Derrick Johnson, KC, 91
2. Marcus Washington, WAS, 90
3. Cato June, TB, 89
4. David Thornton, TEN, 89
5. Mike Vrabel, NE, 89
MIDDLE LINEBACKER:
1. Brian Urlacher, CHI, 99
2. Zach Thomas, MIA, 97
3. Ray Lewis, BAL, 96
4. Lofa Tatupu, SEA, 95
5. Johnathan Vilma, NYJ, 95
RIGHT OUTSIDE LINEBACKER:
1. Kieth Bulluck, TEN, 97
2. Shawne Merriman, SD, 96
3. Lance Briggs, CHI, 96
4. DeMarcus Ware, DAL, 95
5. Julian Peterson, SEA, 95
CORNERBACK:
1. Champ Bailey, DEN, 99
2. Chris McCalister, BAL, 98
3. Asante Samuel, NE, 97
4. Rashean Mathis, JAX, 97
5. Lito Sheppard, PHI, 95
FREE SAFETY:
1. Ed Reed, BAL, 99
2. Bob Sanders, IND, 98
3. Brian Dawkins, PHI, 94
4. John Lynch, DEN, 93
5. Mike Brown, CHI, 90
STRONG SAFETY:
1. Troy Polamalu, PIT, 98
2. Adrian Wilson, ARZ, 97
3. Kerry Rhodes, NYJ, 95
4. Rodney Harrison, NE, 94
5. Darren Sharper, MIN, 93
KICKER:
1. Adam Vinatieri, IND, 98
2. Matt Stover, BAL, 96
3. Jason Elam, DEN, 96
4. Shayne Graham, CIN, 94
5. Jeff Wilkins, STL, 94
PUNTER:
1. Shane Lechler, OAK, 98
2. Andy Lee, SF, 97
3. Mat McBriar, DAL, 96
4. Dustin Colquitt, KC, 94
5. Brian Moorman, BUF, 94
Rumors Swirling
With Sidney Crosby out for at least a month, a little birdie has told me....
In the best shape of his life.
In the best shape of his life.
Pitt's Next Defensive Coordinator?
With the departure of Paul Rhoads to Auburn, the defensive coordinator job has opened up at Pitt. Who should Dave Wanny sign to take over an up-and-coming defense? The list of rumored candidates include Carolina Panther defensive line coach Sal Sunseri, Washington St. secondary coach Chris Ball, Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso, Conneticut defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, and a surprise candidate in Penn St. defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.
Paul Rhoads was a decent coordinator, but the defense really struggled before this year. My first opinion for who should take over is Sal Sunseri. He is a former Pitt player, and he is the father of incoming QB recruit Tino Sunseri. Sal is popular among alumni, and would be a good choice to take over the defense.
Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso would also be a smart choice because he is coming from inside the program. He has really helped to turn around the Pitt defensive line. Do you remember Dave Wanny's first year? The defensive line could not pressure anyone. Greg also has plenty of experience, he was the head coach at Duquesne before coming to Pitt.
Tom Bradley's name really surprised me. I mean would this man really leave Penn St (after how many years?) to come to Pitt? Tom is easily the best choice because he has been a defensive coordinator for about 28 years with Penn St. (a.k.a. Linebacker U.), and they have a good defense year in and year out. It is a long shot in my opinion, but it is a rumor.
Leave a comment on who you think should be the next defensive coordinator at Pitt!
TP to Pitt on Signing Day!
Paul Rhoads was a decent coordinator, but the defense really struggled before this year. My first opinion for who should take over is Sal Sunseri. He is a former Pitt player, and he is the father of incoming QB recruit Tino Sunseri. Sal is popular among alumni, and would be a good choice to take over the defense.
Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso would also be a smart choice because he is coming from inside the program. He has really helped to turn around the Pitt defensive line. Do you remember Dave Wanny's first year? The defensive line could not pressure anyone. Greg also has plenty of experience, he was the head coach at Duquesne before coming to Pitt.
Tom Bradley's name really surprised me. I mean would this man really leave Penn St (after how many years?) to come to Pitt? Tom is easily the best choice because he has been a defensive coordinator for about 28 years with Penn St. (a.k.a. Linebacker U.), and they have a good defense year in and year out. It is a long shot in my opinion, but it is a rumor.
Leave a comment on who you think should be the next defensive coordinator at Pitt!
TP to Pitt on Signing Day!
Pens vs. Lightning - Recap
"These are the times that try men's souls"
-some author
If you're expecting any kind of in-depth recap after the Crosby injury, you're a joke. Penguin Nation is more down than Romeo Crennel when Charlie Weiss eats all of the doughnuts.
"sumo time"
Here's a brief breakdown of the game other than the Crosby injury. Lecavawhatever is a joke, he was nowhere to be seen after Sid went down with his ankle sprain. In the end, Tampa Bay won because their 4th line and Patrick Roy's daughter-in law got a bunch of goals after everyone in the Mellon jumped off the Smithfield Street Bridge.
Everyone is going to pound the liquor very hard because of the Crosby injury, but let me ease your pain just a little.
Obviously the player that will step in and perform top line center duties is the Russian Scoring Machine Evgeni Malkin. A lot of shortsighted Penguin fans forget that before Crosby, Malkin was the franchise player. He has all the ability to be a top 5 player in this league and he'll prove that the month or so with Sid out. Remember how he stepped up his game last year in the brief absence of Sid? I have no doubt he can do that this year as well. Also, the Pens are filled with first-round talent, this isn't a one man show. Staal, Sykora, Malone, Armstrong, Talbot, Kennedy, etc., are all capable of filling the net at a greater pace, and they'll have to.
So what I'm saying is:
Don't do it.
-some author
If you're expecting any kind of in-depth recap after the Crosby injury, you're a joke. Penguin Nation is more down than Romeo Crennel when Charlie Weiss eats all of the doughnuts.
"sumo time"
Here's a brief breakdown of the game other than the Crosby injury. Lecavawhatever is a joke, he was nowhere to be seen after Sid went down with his ankle sprain. In the end, Tampa Bay won because their 4th line and Patrick Roy's daughter-in law got a bunch of goals after everyone in the Mellon jumped off the Smithfield Street Bridge.
Everyone is going to pound the liquor very hard because of the Crosby injury, but let me ease your pain just a little.
Obviously the player that will step in and perform top line center duties is the Russian Scoring Machine Evgeni Malkin. A lot of shortsighted Penguin fans forget that before Crosby, Malkin was the franchise player. He has all the ability to be a top 5 player in this league and he'll prove that the month or so with Sid out. Remember how he stepped up his game last year in the brief absence of Sid? I have no doubt he can do that this year as well. Also, the Pens are filled with first-round talent, this isn't a one man show. Staal, Sykora, Malone, Armstrong, Talbot, Kennedy, etc., are all capable of filling the net at a greater pace, and they'll have to.
So what I'm saying is:
Don't do it.
January 18, 2008
Spygate Continues For Patriots
The Patriots 16-0? Really? Let me explain why I know the Patriots are still cheating. In the season opener against the New York Jets, we all know that the Patriots were caught cheating. The team was issued a substantial fine and their first-round draft pick was taken away. Belichick and the rest of the Patriot organiztion apologized, turned in their evidence, and everyone goes home on an even playing field, right? Wrong. Cheating in this sense was done by stealing hand signals from defensive coordinators for blitzes. It's mighty easy to throw the football when you know where the pressure is going to come from.
Oddly enough the Patriots throw the football about 40 times a game, although their strength is not Randy Moss (as he continues to be the best wide receiver in the league). Brady's strength lies in his ability to get rid of the ball quickly even when faced with the blitz. Now a defense that knows that the Patriots will throw a lot will tend to dial up the blitz. But game after game Brady makes them look like a scout team. Blitz packages are useless against the Patriots because a receiver will always be in the part of the field thats empty. Is the Patriots coaching staff really that good?
Brady tends to throw at the blitz constantly, as if he knows where it is. Maybe he does. Take for instance Wes Welker. A considerably sub par receiver who runs the slot maliciously. Welker hasn't made a catch near a defender since his Miami days. Say what you want about Moss who can catch a pass between anything, Welker in the slot is much more dangerous of a receiver because of his seemingly supernatural ability to find open spots where the defense blitzes. No coaching staff in the league is good enough to know that without some kind of help.
Let's go back to the Jacksonville game in which Brady completed 26 of 28 passing against Jacksonville's stout defense. Um, does some one see somthing wrong here? Brady consistantly throws at the blitz. Ok so now your thinking: "What about the Philly or Baltimore game?" Yes, indeed those two stellar defensive clubs almost pulled one out. They also eliminated the threat of Randy Moss; but in each of those games who shined extra bright? Yes, Wes Welker, having 10+ catches in each game. To me something sounds a little fishy and it's not Miami.
The way the Patriots play against San Diego, another solid defensive club, should be interesting considering all the smack talk and storyline behind the game. But my eyes will be watching those blitzers and Wes Welker as well.
Rockies Ink Great Deal, Sign Holliday
Colorado Rockies' left-fielder Matt Holiday signed a 2-year, $23 million contract today to avoid an arbitration hearing. This gives the Rockies a legit shot of reaching the World Series again for the next two years (lost to the Red Sox in World Series in 2007). This is the smartest $11.5 any team could invest in any player for a 2-year period. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $275 million contract in December ($27.5 million/year), but is Holliday really worth $16 million/year less than A-Rod?
While A-Rod was the obvious choice for AL MVP this past season, Holliday was arguably the NL MVP (I thought he deserved it), barely being edged by Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Philles (who would be swept by the Rockies in the playoffs, 3-0). In the 2007 playoffs, Holliday went 13-45 for a .289 average with 5 homeruns and 10 runs batted in in 11 games, leading the Rockies to the World Series; while A-Rod, a notorious choker in the playoffs, went 4-15 for a .267 average with 1 homerun and 1 run batted in in 4 games, while the Yankees lost to the Indians in the first round.
(bold indicates player won head-to-head match-up in stat category)
Here are Alex Rodriguez's average stats over the past two seasons for you:
156 games played, 128 runs scored, 175 hits, 338 total bases, 29 doubles, 1 triple, 45 homeruns, 139 runs batted in, 93 walks, 130 strikeouts, 20 stolen bases, .302 batting average, .407 on-base %, .584 slugging %, .991 on-base + slugging.
As for fielding:
13 errors, 370 total chances, .965 fielding %
Fielding (compared to 25 third basemen in the MLB who played in at least 100 games):
(T 13-15) errors, (9) total chances, (9) fielding %
Those are pretty extraordinary numbers, but let's see how Matt Holliday's compare:
157 games played, 120 runs scored, 206 hits, 370 total bases, 48 doubles, 6 triples, 35 homeruns, 126 runs batted in, 55 walks, 118 strikeouts, 11 stolen bases, .333 batting average, .396 on-base %, .597 slugging %, .993 on-base + slugging.
As for fielding:
3 errors, 306 total chances, .990 fielding %
Fielding (compared to 72 outfielders in the MLB who played in at least 100 games)
(T 16-34) errors, (28) total chances, (T 19-24) fielding %
*Although slightly inaccurate, I will divide the number of Matt Holliday's ranks by three to make the sample size nearly the same (25-third basemen, 24-outfielders)
Fielding (compared to 24* outfielders in the MLB who played in at least 100 games)
(T 5.3-11.3) errors, (9.3) total chances, (T 6.3-8) fielding %
You can make the decision for yourself, but when I look at these stats, it seems as though Holliday should be making as much money as A-Rod, or vice versa. But there are some intangibles that affect a contract.
1. Alex Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers in 2000 when he was arguably the best player in the MLB; and since he is still arguably the best player in the MLB, he can't make less than his original $25.2 million per year, that would just make no sense.
2. The New York Yankees are the most historic franchise in MLB history (arguably the Red Sox), and they wanted A-Rod, and they were willing to spend as much as necessary to sign him after he opted out of his contract this off-season. And with the Yankees new stadium opening in 2009, the new Steinbrenner wants A-Rod to play in the "House That Jeter Built" for the rest of his career.
3. If you ask your everyday baseball fan: "Who would you rather see? Matt Holliday or Alex Rodriguez?" He or she is going to obviously say A-Rod. This is why Rodriguez is worth every cent; he brings people to the ballpark. Even when New York is on the road, the Yankees get a shared revenue from the game (same with all teams). And people are more likely to buy an A-Rod jersey, rather than a Holliday one (the Yankees also get part of all merchandise sales).
So from a baseball standpoint, only factoring in the way each player performs on the field, one may even say Matt Holliday deserves more money than A-Rod (oh yeah, Holliday - 27 years old, Rodriguez - 32 years old). But for now, I am sure each player is happy with their contracts, and each is getting ready for another run at a Word Series title.
Levance Fields Eyes Valentine's Day Return
Yesterday, Levance Fields and Mike Cook spoke to reporters for the first time about their injuries. Levance Fields said his fractured foot is healing quickly, and he hopes to return for the Marquette game on Valentines Day. When he was injured December 29th, the doctors said the injury would take about 8-12 weeks to recover; Levance's target date is two weeks earlier than expected.
It is good news to hear that Levance is healing quickly, but I don't think he needs to rush back. Let the foot become 100% before a comeback. We would love to have him back as soon as possible, but Pitt needs to ease him into the rotation when he comes back. Ramon is handling the point guard duties very nicely, and there is no need to put Fields right back into the starting lineup. He is going to be a little rusty, so why not let him come off the bench and get into a nice rhythm. I just hope that Levance is smart with this injury because our main concern is for him to be 100% for the Big East Tourney and the NCAA Tourney.
Hail to Pitt!
Mike Cook said he would love to come back next year if the NCAA granted him a 6th year of eligibility. Him and Jamie Dixon will not look into a redshirt until the season is over.
It is good news to hear that Levance is healing quickly, but I don't think he needs to rush back. Let the foot become 100% before a comeback. We would love to have him back as soon as possible, but Pitt needs to ease him into the rotation when he comes back. Ramon is handling the point guard duties very nicely, and there is no need to put Fields right back into the starting lineup. He is going to be a little rusty, so why not let him come off the bench and get into a nice rhythm. I just hope that Levance is smart with this injury because our main concern is for him to be 100% for the Big East Tourney and the NCAA Tourney.
Hail to Pitt!
Madden NFL Part I - Teams
Since we are all pretty big sports fans, we've likely played the Madden NFL video game series. sfyalkowski66 and I will be doing a series of posts in order for you to defeat any Madden opponent.
In this post, I'll give you a team-by-team breakdown of the NFL: all 32 teams, with their overall rating and number of weapon players. This year, the Madden series introduced a weapon system, giving players with special ablilities a more realistic product. Examples are: speed, cannon arm qb, accurate kicker, brick wall defender, shutdown corner, smart safety. With "smart" players, you have the ability to read your opponents' entire play.
AFC:
East Division:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-99 ovr., 14 weapons
NEW YORK JETS-76 ovr., 7 weapons
BUFFALO BILLS- 67 ovr., 8 weapons
MIAMI DOLPHINS- 64 ovr., 7 weapons
North Division:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS- 92 ovr., 14 weapons
CINCINNATI BENGALS- 87 ovr., 8 weapons
CLEVELAND BROWNS- 72 ovr., 8 weapons
BALTIMORE RAVENS-90 ovr., 13 weapons
South Division:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: 97 ovr., 10 weapons
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: 86 ovr., 11 weapons
TENNESSEE TITANS: 86 ovr., 8 weapons
HOUSTON TEXANS: 67 ovr., 7 weapons
West Division:
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: 98 ovr., 17 weapons
DENVER BRONCOS: 90 ovr., 10 weapons
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: 80 ovr., 9 weapons
OAKLAND RAIDERS: 67 ovr., 9 weapons
NFC:
East Division:
DALLAS COWBOYS: 92 ovr., 14 weapons
NEW YORK GIANTS: 86 ovr., 9 weapons
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: 81 ovr., 12 weapons
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: 87 ovr., 11 weapons
North Divsion:
GREEN BAY PACKERS: 89 ovr., 12 weapons
CHICAGO BEARS: 90 ovr., 12 weapons
DETROIT LIONS: 76 ovr., 6 weapons
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: 77 ovr., 11 weapons
South Division:
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: 78 ovr., 10 weapons
CAROLINA PANTHERS: 85 ovr., 8 weapons
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: 88 ovr., 8 weapons
ATLANTA FALCONS: 72 ovr., 10 weapons
West Division:
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: 85 ovr., 11 weapons
ARIZONA CARDINALS: 75 ovr., 6 weapons
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: 76 ovr., 6 weapons
ST. LOUIS RAMS: 84 ovr., 11 weapons
Here are some teams that I think have incorrect ratings. In parentheses, I put the rating I feel the teams deserve. The Ravens, a 90? C'mon, that's ridiculous.
Overrated Teams: NYJ (72), BAL (71), CIN (74), SD (89), DEN (77), PHI (78), CHI (79), NO (80), CAR (75), STL (68)
Underrated Teams: CLE (85), JAX (91), WAS (86), NYG (88), MIN (84), GB (94), TB (87)
In this post, I'll give you a team-by-team breakdown of the NFL: all 32 teams, with their overall rating and number of weapon players. This year, the Madden series introduced a weapon system, giving players with special ablilities a more realistic product. Examples are: speed, cannon arm qb, accurate kicker, brick wall defender, shutdown corner, smart safety. With "smart" players, you have the ability to read your opponents' entire play.
AFC:
East Division:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-99 ovr., 14 weapons
NEW YORK JETS-76 ovr., 7 weapons
BUFFALO BILLS- 67 ovr., 8 weapons
MIAMI DOLPHINS- 64 ovr., 7 weapons
North Division:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS- 92 ovr., 14 weapons
CINCINNATI BENGALS- 87 ovr., 8 weapons
CLEVELAND BROWNS- 72 ovr., 8 weapons
BALTIMORE RAVENS-90 ovr., 13 weapons
South Division:
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: 97 ovr., 10 weapons
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: 86 ovr., 11 weapons
TENNESSEE TITANS: 86 ovr., 8 weapons
HOUSTON TEXANS: 67 ovr., 7 weapons
West Division:
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: 98 ovr., 17 weapons
DENVER BRONCOS: 90 ovr., 10 weapons
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: 80 ovr., 9 weapons
OAKLAND RAIDERS: 67 ovr., 9 weapons
NFC:
East Division:
DALLAS COWBOYS: 92 ovr., 14 weapons
NEW YORK GIANTS: 86 ovr., 9 weapons
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: 81 ovr., 12 weapons
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: 87 ovr., 11 weapons
North Divsion:
GREEN BAY PACKERS: 89 ovr., 12 weapons
CHICAGO BEARS: 90 ovr., 12 weapons
DETROIT LIONS: 76 ovr., 6 weapons
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: 77 ovr., 11 weapons
South Division:
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: 78 ovr., 10 weapons
CAROLINA PANTHERS: 85 ovr., 8 weapons
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: 88 ovr., 8 weapons
ATLANTA FALCONS: 72 ovr., 10 weapons
West Division:
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: 85 ovr., 11 weapons
ARIZONA CARDINALS: 75 ovr., 6 weapons
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: 76 ovr., 6 weapons
ST. LOUIS RAMS: 84 ovr., 11 weapons
Here are some teams that I think have incorrect ratings. In parentheses, I put the rating I feel the teams deserve. The Ravens, a 90? C'mon, that's ridiculous.
Overrated Teams: NYJ (72), BAL (71), CIN (74), SD (89), DEN (77), PHI (78), CHI (79), NO (80), CAR (75), STL (68)
Underrated Teams: CLE (85), JAX (91), WAS (86), NYG (88), MIN (84), GB (94), TB (87)
January 17, 2008
ELI Manning Coming Into His Own This Postseason
Thats Eli, not Peyton.
The Giants? In the NFC Championship? No one would have guessed after they lost in the NFC wild-card round three of the last five years. But Eli Manning, the "inconsistent" QB from 'Ole Miss is leading the G-Men to victory. Just one question: Can they make it past Brett Favre and the Packers to go to Super Bowl XLII?
In the regular season, Eli threw for 3,336 yards, 23 TD, but also had 20 INT. His passer rating was 73.9, good for 25th in the NFL. Overall, this year is his worst season as a full-time starter. He blew what could have been a record-destroying game vs. New England, with a crucial pick to Ellis Hobbs in the 4th quarter. He played terribly against Minnesota, throwing four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and he completed just 43% of his passes (21-49) as the Vikings rolled, 41-17. He blew two wild-card games the last two years, and looked like Peyton for a while (until Peyton won the Super Bowl).
But give Manning credit, he has led an injury-plagued Giants offense into the NFC Championship in Green Bay. In two playoff games, Manning has completed 71% of his passes (32-45) and thrown for 4 TD and 0 INT. The key to Giant success has been playing on the road, where they are 9-1 this season (including the postseason). Manning has been Phil Simms-esque in away games, and I feel they will beat Green Bay and advance to the Super Bowl. Eli has controlled the clock, taken care of the ball, and most importantly made important throws late in the game. He's living up to his full potential and everyone on their team is benefitting, especially the defense. Tony Romo was destroyed in the second half of the Dallas-New York divisional game by the G-Men's swarming pass rush. They will get to Favre, and cause incompletions. Although he'll get to his first title game, Eli will lose again to New England in XLII.
Predictions:
NFC Championship: NYG 28, GB 24
Super Bowl XLII: NE 41, NYG 27
In the regular season, Eli threw for 3,336 yards, 23 TD, but also had 20 INT. His passer rating was 73.9, good for 25th in the NFL. Overall, this year is his worst season as a full-time starter. He blew what could have been a record-destroying game vs. New England, with a crucial pick to Ellis Hobbs in the 4th quarter. He played terribly against Minnesota, throwing four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and he completed just 43% of his passes (21-49) as the Vikings rolled, 41-17. He blew two wild-card games the last two years, and looked like Peyton for a while (until Peyton won the Super Bowl).
But give Manning credit, he has led an injury-plagued Giants offense into the NFC Championship in Green Bay. In two playoff games, Manning has completed 71% of his passes (32-45) and thrown for 4 TD and 0 INT. The key to Giant success has been playing on the road, where they are 9-1 this season (including the postseason). Manning has been Phil Simms-esque in away games, and I feel they will beat Green Bay and advance to the Super Bowl. Eli has controlled the clock, taken care of the ball, and most importantly made important throws late in the game. He's living up to his full potential and everyone on their team is benefitting, especially the defense. Tony Romo was destroyed in the second half of the Dallas-New York divisional game by the G-Men's swarming pass rush. They will get to Favre, and cause incompletions. Although he'll get to his first title game, Eli will lose again to New England in XLII.
Predictions:
NFC Championship: NYG 28, GB 24
Super Bowl XLII: NE 41, NYG 27
January 16, 2008
Problems For Tomlin In First Year
Did the Steelers deserve to win against Jacksonville? Maybe, maybe not. But the Burgh's poor kick coverage gave the Jags a huge boost of momentum early in the game. All year, Pittsburgh had trouble stopping kick returns, putting their defense in a tough spot a lot of times. Their defense, clearly the best in the league (through 12 weeks), was torn up in the regular season back-to-back weeks by New England and Jacksonville, giving up 63 points in two games.
Mike Tomlin looked like a great fit in Pittsburgh, but fell short in big games and in clutch situations. Going for two!? From the 12-yard line!? What is he thinking!? He badly mishandled the special teams unit, which seemed to give up a huge return whenever the other team needed it. Joshua Cribbs picked them cleaner than Quaker Steak & Lube bbq wing, and Maurice Jones-Drew haunted them early in the divisional round. If it wasn't for the Broncos and James Harrison killing Ed Reed, Pittsburgh would rank among the lowest in kick/punt coverage.
The offensive line was another key problem for the Steelers in 2007, which ultimately lost the game against the Jaguars. Alan Faneca, a top-5 lineman in the NFL, was singled out this year with a group of unexperienced, unprepared, and quite frankly untalented linemates. Ben was sacked 47 times this year, forcing him to become a Jerome Bettis in the pocket. Smith and Simmons are washed up, and Mahan and Colon have no idea what their assignment is. The Steelers' O-line was about as inconsistent as Bobby Petrino's coaching plans. The best tackle left in the draft should be taken by Pittsburgh.
Another blunder with the Steelers was their secondary. The corners were consistently beat up from week to week, and I guarantee Anthony Smith won't get much playing time next year. Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend are mirror images of Dwayne Washington and Chad Scott. Ike and Chad get burned down the field, and Deshea and Dwayne are old and slow. The free safety spot was atrocious this season, leaving a run-stopping strong safety Troy Polamalu to cover deep. The Steelers recovered more fumbles than they had interceptions (14-11) which is horrible for the secondary. If James Harrison didn't have a breakout year, Pittsburgh's D would be much worse.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh's golden boy, set a career-high with 32 TD passes in the regular season, but failed to make an impact in key games. Throughout his career, Ben struggled against a Cover-2 or Cover-2 Shell defense. In almost all games, Ben plays mediocre in the first half, and rallies in the second. Rashean Mathis looked like last year's version in the wildcard game. Bruce Arians seems to like the idea of Najeh Davenport being a deep-ball threat, which is an insult to Santonio Holmes, a potential top-5 receiver. Even though he's won a Super Bowl, Big Ben seems to choke in big games. He was one of those quarterbacks that was "just good enough" to win a title, similar to Trent Dilfer in Super Bowl XXV. The Ravens had a ridiculous defense and special teams unit, and Dilfer just had to hand off to then rookie Jamal Lewis. Ben did the same with Parker and Bettis.
Even though Tomlin had some issues in his first year, I think it will make him all the better. He handles the press well, knows what his team needs to work on, and has a likeable personality. With experience, he'll get the team together and they could return to elite status within a few years.
Prediction Record in '08: 9-7, miss playoffs '09: 12-4, win AFC North and claim 2nd seed in AFC
Mike Tomlin looked like a great fit in Pittsburgh, but fell short in big games and in clutch situations. Going for two!? From the 12-yard line!? What is he thinking!? He badly mishandled the special teams unit, which seemed to give up a huge return whenever the other team needed it. Joshua Cribbs picked them cleaner than Quaker Steak & Lube bbq wing, and Maurice Jones-Drew haunted them early in the divisional round. If it wasn't for the Broncos and James Harrison killing Ed Reed, Pittsburgh would rank among the lowest in kick/punt coverage.
The offensive line was another key problem for the Steelers in 2007, which ultimately lost the game against the Jaguars. Alan Faneca, a top-5 lineman in the NFL, was singled out this year with a group of unexperienced, unprepared, and quite frankly untalented linemates. Ben was sacked 47 times this year, forcing him to become a Jerome Bettis in the pocket. Smith and Simmons are washed up, and Mahan and Colon have no idea what their assignment is. The Steelers' O-line was about as inconsistent as Bobby Petrino's coaching plans. The best tackle left in the draft should be taken by Pittsburgh.
Another blunder with the Steelers was their secondary. The corners were consistently beat up from week to week, and I guarantee Anthony Smith won't get much playing time next year. Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend are mirror images of Dwayne Washington and Chad Scott. Ike and Chad get burned down the field, and Deshea and Dwayne are old and slow. The free safety spot was atrocious this season, leaving a run-stopping strong safety Troy Polamalu to cover deep. The Steelers recovered more fumbles than they had interceptions (14-11) which is horrible for the secondary. If James Harrison didn't have a breakout year, Pittsburgh's D would be much worse.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh's golden boy, set a career-high with 32 TD passes in the regular season, but failed to make an impact in key games. Throughout his career, Ben struggled against a Cover-2 or Cover-2 Shell defense. In almost all games, Ben plays mediocre in the first half, and rallies in the second. Rashean Mathis looked like last year's version in the wildcard game. Bruce Arians seems to like the idea of Najeh Davenport being a deep-ball threat, which is an insult to Santonio Holmes, a potential top-5 receiver. Even though he's won a Super Bowl, Big Ben seems to choke in big games. He was one of those quarterbacks that was "just good enough" to win a title, similar to Trent Dilfer in Super Bowl XXV. The Ravens had a ridiculous defense and special teams unit, and Dilfer just had to hand off to then rookie Jamal Lewis. Ben did the same with Parker and Bettis.
Even though Tomlin had some issues in his first year, I think it will make him all the better. He handles the press well, knows what his team needs to work on, and has a likeable personality. With experience, he'll get the team together and they could return to elite status within a few years.Prediction Record in '08: 9-7, miss playoffs '09: 12-4, win AFC North and claim 2nd seed in AFC
Bill Stewart A Huge Mistake For WVU
Bill Stewart, former tight end and quarterback coach at West Virginia, was promoted to the head coaching position after the Mountaineers surprisingly defeated Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, 48-28. Obviously, WVU made some serious improvement after being outplayed by a below-.500 Pitt team. But is it worth a 5-year, $4 million contract? No, not at all.
Stewart has a reputation around Morgantown as the loveable, nice coach who does his job. However, he's no Rich Rodriguez, who built a title-bound program from scratch. Bill had a great game against OU, but one game doesn't make a coach. He hasn't proven himself enough yet, and the arsonists of Morgantown should be very disappointed that WVU didn't pursue a coach with a better resume. Steve Slaton and Johnny Dingle are leaving for the NFL, and that could possibly mean Pat White will as well. So, what would that leave a new, unproven coach? Noel Devine and a suspect 3-3-5 defense. Oh, and forget about Terrelle Pryor, he's going to Michigan or Ohio State. The Mountaineers will be very depleted in '08, and the Bill Stewart Era will be short-lived.
Record Prediction in '08: 7-5
Stewart has a reputation around Morgantown as the loveable, nice coach who does his job. However, he's no Rich Rodriguez, who built a title-bound program from scratch. Bill had a great game against OU, but one game doesn't make a coach. He hasn't proven himself enough yet, and the arsonists of Morgantown should be very disappointed that WVU didn't pursue a coach with a better resume. Steve Slaton and Johnny Dingle are leaving for the NFL, and that could possibly mean Pat White will as well. So, what would that leave a new, unproven coach? Noel Devine and a suspect 3-3-5 defense. Oh, and forget about Terrelle Pryor, he's going to Michigan or Ohio State. The Mountaineers will be very depleted in '08, and the Bill Stewart Era will be short-lived.
Record Prediction in '08: 7-5
Evgeni Malkin Snubbed
So I was looking at the final all-star ballots of the Eastern Conference about a week ago, and I see the usuals: Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredson, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin St. Louis and unfortunately Alexander Ovechkin. But looking at the list again I see Scott Gonads (Gomez)? Eric Staal? Mike Richards? (no just kidding, if you follow hockey, Richards is actually having a really good season). Sooo.... where is the 8th leading scorer in the East, Evgeni Malkin?!?!?!
Then a couple of days later Dany Heatley goes down with a separated shoulder and will miss up to 6 weeks, so then I was like: "Here is Malkin's chance to become an all-star," but then they announce that Marc Savard(?) will replace Heatley.
Here Are the Reasons Malkin Why Should Be an All-Star
1. Stats: G, A, P, +/-, PPP, shot %, %/team points
Malkin- 23, 29, 52, 5, 21, 16.7, 14.6
Gonad- 10, 32, 42, 1, 16, 6.6, 13.5
E.Staal- 23, 19, 42, -5, 17, 15.3, 10.4
Savard- 11, 36, 47, 5, 19, 10.6, 14.5
2. Skills: Let me put it plain and simple: Would want to see any of the other three players instead of Malkin? The answer should be HELL NO!!
3. Importance To Team:
Malkin- 2nd on the team behind no other than the league leader in points Sidney Crosby. PIT= T 1st Atlantic (T 2nd Conf)
Gonad- 1st on the team in points but... NYR= Last in the Atlantic (T 8th Conference)
E.Staal- 3rd on the team in points. CAR= T2nd Southeast (T9th Conference)
Savard- 1st on the team in points but... BOS= 3rd Northeast (T9th Conference)
Malkin should be an all-star now and for years to come.
Here Are the Reasons Malkin Why Should Be an All-Star
1. Stats: G, A, P, +/-, PPP, shot %, %/team points
Malkin- 23, 29, 52, 5, 21, 16.7, 14.6
Gonad- 10, 32, 42, 1, 16, 6.6, 13.5
E.Staal- 23, 19, 42, -5, 17, 15.3, 10.4
Savard- 11, 36, 47, 5, 19, 10.6, 14.5
2. Skills: Let me put it plain and simple: Would want to see any of the other three players instead of Malkin? The answer should be HELL NO!!
3. Importance To Team:
Malkin- 2nd on the team behind no other than the league leader in points Sidney Crosby. PIT= T 1st Atlantic (T 2nd Conf)
Gonad- 1st on the team in points but... NYR= Last in the Atlantic (T 8th Conference)
E.Staal- 3rd on the team in points. CAR= T2nd Southeast (T9th Conference)
Savard- 1st on the team in points but... BOS= 3rd Northeast (T9th Conference)
Malkin should be an all-star now and for years to come.
NHL Mid-Season Review
With the all-star break upcoming, I will now review the progress of every team in the Eastern Conference. Why no Western conference you ask? I live in Pittsburgh, idiot and I don't have time to stay up until one in the morning to catch all the West highlights. All I know is that the Red Wings are the best team in that conference again.
And they'll lose to the Blues in the second round like they do every year, jokes.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Well, the Penguins losing in 5 to Ottawa last year certainly doesn't look too bad. They're are on top of the East and are looking towards making a serious run at the President's Trophy. Their major strength is scoring depth and the insane line of Heatley-Spezza-Alfreddson. Their major weakness is goaltending. I don't trust Gerber in the playoffs and Ray Emery is psycho.
Final Prediction: Winners of the Northeast and a number 2 seed.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
UGGH. How do the Devils keep winning year after year? Their defense is mediocre and they have very few scoring options. Want to know the one and only reason they're leading the Atlantic right now?
Final Prediction: 2nd in the Atlantic, number 4 seed.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
There were quite a few rumblings into November that Therrien could get fired and Shero needed to do something drastic: trade Gonchar, trade Whitney, trade Staal, get Lemieux back on the ice, switch Crosby to wing, and so on. The Pens were shaping up to be a major disappointment in the East until one man stepped to the forefront. Ty Conklin has re-juvenated the Pens season going 10-0-1 in eleven starts and winning games all by himself. If Conkblock can keep it up and Crosby continues to play like he's on acid the Pens could take over the top spot from Ottawa. Two major questions remain: What do the Pens do when Fleury comes back? Does Shero do anything major at the deadline like get Marian Hossa to play with Sid?
Final Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic, number 1 seed
ATLANTA THRASHERS
Atlanta is somehow leading the awful Southeast division. They can put the puck in the net with two great options in Hossa and Kovalchuk. Goaltending and defense will be major question marks coming down the stretch. Let's just hope the Pens don't face Recchi in the playoffs.
And they'll lose to the Blues in the second round like they do every year, jokes.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Well, the Penguins losing in 5 to Ottawa last year certainly doesn't look too bad. They're are on top of the East and are looking towards making a serious run at the President's Trophy. Their major strength is scoring depth and the insane line of Heatley-Spezza-Alfreddson. Their major weakness is goaltending. I don't trust Gerber in the playoffs and Ray Emery is psycho.
Final Prediction: Winners of the Northeast and a number 2 seed.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
UGGH. How do the Devils keep winning year after year? Their defense is mediocre and they have very few scoring options. Want to know the one and only reason they're leading the Atlantic right now?
Final Prediction: 2nd in the Atlantic, number 4 seed.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
There were quite a few rumblings into November that Therrien could get fired and Shero needed to do something drastic: trade Gonchar, trade Whitney, trade Staal, get Lemieux back on the ice, switch Crosby to wing, and so on. The Pens were shaping up to be a major disappointment in the East until one man stepped to the forefront. Ty Conklin has re-juvenated the Pens season going 10-0-1 in eleven starts and winning games all by himself. If Conkblock can keep it up and Crosby continues to play like he's on acid the Pens could take over the top spot from Ottawa. Two major questions remain: What do the Pens do when Fleury comes back? Does Shero do anything major at the deadline like get Marian Hossa to play with Sid?
Final Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic, number 1 seed
ATLANTA THRASHERS
Atlanta is somehow leading the awful Southeast division. They can put the puck in the net with two great options in Hossa and Kovalchuk. Goaltending and defense will be major question marks coming down the stretch. Let's just hope the Pens don't face Recchi in the playoffs.
Final Prediction: 1st in the Southeast, number 3 seed
January 15, 2008
Should He Stay Or Should He Go? - Alan Faneca
"Roethlisberger back to pass, he scrambles, and he is brought down by the defense." Steelers fans have not been used to hearing that before this season. OK figure this, the New England Patriots were sacked 21 times this season; our beloved Steelers, 47 times. That's more than twice as much as the Patriots. In years before, the Steelers were known to have the most intimidating line in the NFL but that has changed. Some experts believe that the downright terrible play from the offensive line was due to the Steelers changing form a power running team to a passing team, but I disagree. Many times during the season, not only were the offensive linemen missing blocks, they were just confused. I mean don't get me wrong, the Steelers 
ran the ball pretty well this year, but a JV defensive line could have been in Roethlisberger's face . Thank god Big Ben is 6'5'' and can run because if he wasn't, the Steelers could be looking at 60 sacks.
ran the ball pretty well this year, but a JV defensive line could have been in Roethlisberger's face . Thank god Big Ben is 6'5'' and can run because if he wasn't, the Steelers could be looking at 60 sacks. The Steelers management has a heck of a job in front of them: fix the offensive line. For some people who don't understand football, this may seem like an easy job, but it's far from it. For example, Steve Hutchinson was considered one of the best offensive linemen in the league while with the Seahawks. During his stay in Seattle, Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks running back, came within two yards of the rushing title. The next year, the Seahawks thought they could go on without Hutchinson. Wrong! In the years since the Pro Bowl Guard left Seattle, Shaun Alexander has not reached 1,000 yards rushing. Now get this, this year while with the Vikings, Hutchinson anchored arguably the best offensive line in football. He made rookie of the year Adrian Peterson look like a Hall-of-Famer, and helped Chester Taylor rush for 800 yards. OK so lets get this straight, good offensive lineman + decent running back = very good running game.
So all the Steelers management has to do is sign a few decent linemen and build them around Alan Faneca? Well that would be the ideal situation, but for some reason the Steelers will not resign one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Why would they do something like this? Well believe it or not they've done it with some other good players in the past. Remember Jason Gildon after he left Pittsburgh? Well neither do I. Other than the game against the Steelers, Joey Porter did nothing. And Chad Scott is the nickelback for the Patriots (which means he plays like twice a game).
Even though the Steelers have been good when releasing "key" players, it has backfired. Remember Plaxico Burress? Well he is going to be catching passes next weekend in the NFC championship game. To name a few others that had success after the Steelers cut them: Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, and All-Pro Mike Vrabel. Could Faneca be the next player to have success after being cut by the Steelers? I believe that he WILL. Ok so where does that leave the Steelers? Remember the Seahawks after they released Hutchinson? Well I believe the Steelers will be FAR worse.
Why? Well, the Steelers best other offensive lineman is Marvel Smith and he has done nothing the last few years. Also Willie Parker will be coming off a season ending injury, so that means the Steelers running game will struggle. Even though Parker rushed for 1316 yards, he scored only 2 touchdowns. Parker is a unique back, many times during the season, he was very streaky. What I mean by that is that he had great games where he rushed for 100, 150 yards, but then at other times, he ran for 37, 42, and 52 yards. He is like a batter in the MLB, he looks like an all- pro at times, and at other times he looks just bad.
So how would the Steelers help Parker come back on a good note? Easy, get him in a "groove." Now how would a team do that? Well for teams with a good offensive line, they just put him back in like nothing else happened. Well thats a problem for the Steelers. That Faneca guy won't be there and the rest of the line sucks. Mahan is an idiot, Simmons can't play anymore, and the Tackles change more than the Dolphins' head coaches. They could draft offensive linemen in the draft, but unless your name is Joe Thomas, you won't see playing time for a few years.
With no running game, the Steelers will be forced to throw the football. This year, when Roethlisberger was allowed to throw a lot, he was picked. When throwing 30+ times a game, he was intercepted 11 times. OK so not only will the Steelers be unable to run, they will not score next year, leaving it up to a defense that is getting old and possibly starting two 2 year linebackers.
My advise to the Steelers, cut whoever so they can sign Faneca.
My advise to Faneca, if the organization, as you say, is treating you like crap, then leave an offensive line that may end up being the downfall to the Steelers.
2008-2009 prediction:
With Faneca: 10-6
Without Faneca 7-9
Why Terrelle Pryor Should Come To Pitt
Every time I put Terrelle Pryor's name into a sentence with Pitt, people say "keep dreaming Markus." Pitt has an amazing recruiting class this year with Jonathan Baldwin, Lucas Nix, and Shayne Hale all commiting to the Panthers. I have to say thanks to Cameron Saddler (RB from Gateway) because he is the student recruiter who got Shayne Hale to commit.
Anyway back to Terrelle Pryor, if the Panthers could land this kid, it would have to be the best recruit to ever come to Pitt. He is the consensus #1 recruit in the country. Here are some good reasons why I think Terrelle Pryor should choose the hometown Panthers.
1. Some of the top colleges that Pryor lists (Florida, Ohio St, LSU now too), have QBs that will be the starter next year. He will be limited to spot duties, kind of what Tim Tebow did with Chris Leak at Florida. The only colllege I see other than Pitt that will allow him to have the starting job from day 1 is Michigan. However, I know Terrell Pryor is not that stupid enough to play for that West Virginia backstabber Rich Rod. Nobody wants to play for the biggest choker in a sure bet game. PITT 13- wvu 9. If Terrelle Pryor comes to Pitt the starting QB job is his from the start.
2. All of the colleges that Terrelle Pryor lists are already on top. I have heard that he wants to leave his name on a program. What better way to do it then by taking the hometown team from a 5-7 record to Big East Champions? Or even a surprise national title game? If Terrelle Pryor comes to Pitt he will truly leave his name among the greats.
3. His father is a huge Pitt fan from what I know, and he is also physically disabled. He is in a wheelchair, and the best way for his father to see him play would be if he stayed at home. Terrelle Pryor has continually said he wants to get away, but I think he will make the right choice and give his father the oppurtunity to see him play.
4. If he truly wants to play basketball, Pitt is the only place that will give him a legit shot at playing both. Ohio St, Michigan, and Florida are continually fighting for the national championship in football. There is no way they would let him play both sports, and Pitt gives him the best opportunity to do so. plus, Pitt gave Darelle Revis the option of doing both until Revis decided to focus just on football.
5. If Pitt goes to the spread offense if he comes, (which Dave Wanny said we would if he did) he would be surronded by great offensive players. LeSean McCoy, Derek Kinder, Nate Byham, Cam Saddler, and Jonathan Baldwin.
What people don't remember is that he committed to Pitt in his sophomore year. He knows the campus well and is pretty comfortable with the area. I think Terrelle Pryor wants to shock the world on signing day.
TP TO PITT ON SIGNING DAY!
Anyway back to Terrelle Pryor, if the Panthers could land this kid, it would have to be the best recruit to ever come to Pitt. He is the consensus #1 recruit in the country. Here are some good reasons why I think Terrelle Pryor should choose the hometown Panthers.
1. Some of the top colleges that Pryor lists (Florida, Ohio St, LSU now too), have QBs that will be the starter next year. He will be limited to spot duties, kind of what Tim Tebow did with Chris Leak at Florida. The only colllege I see other than Pitt that will allow him to have the starting job from day 1 is Michigan. However, I know Terrell Pryor is not that stupid enough to play for that West Virginia backstabber Rich Rod. Nobody wants to play for the biggest choker in a sure bet game. PITT 13- wvu 9. If Terrelle Pryor comes to Pitt the starting QB job is his from the start.
2. All of the colleges that Terrelle Pryor lists are already on top. I have heard that he wants to leave his name on a program. What better way to do it then by taking the hometown team from a 5-7 record to Big East Champions? Or even a surprise national title game? If Terrelle Pryor comes to Pitt he will truly leave his name among the greats.
3. His father is a huge Pitt fan from what I know, and he is also physically disabled. He is in a wheelchair, and the best way for his father to see him play would be if he stayed at home. Terrelle Pryor has continually said he wants to get away, but I think he will make the right choice and give his father the oppurtunity to see him play.
4. If he truly wants to play basketball, Pitt is the only place that will give him a legit shot at playing both. Ohio St, Michigan, and Florida are continually fighting for the national championship in football. There is no way they would let him play both sports, and Pitt gives him the best opportunity to do so. plus, Pitt gave Darelle Revis the option of doing both until Revis decided to focus just on football.
5. If Pitt goes to the spread offense if he comes, (which Dave Wanny said we would if he did) he would be surronded by great offensive players. LeSean McCoy, Derek Kinder, Nate Byham, Cam Saddler, and Jonathan Baldwin.
What people don't remember is that he committed to Pitt in his sophomore year. He knows the campus well and is pretty comfortable with the area. I think Terrelle Pryor wants to shock the world on signing day.
TP TO PITT ON SIGNING DAY!
Penguins vs. Rangers - Recap
Wow, who would of thought this summer that you'd go to bed one cold January night after another divisional game and say, "What would the pens do without Ty Conklin?"
First Period:
The igloo had a good reason to go nuts within the first 10 seconds. Georges Laraque and Bobby Orr's daughter throw down.
It was pretty obvious early on that the Pens were looking to respond after their heartbreaking loss to Atlanta at the arthritic hands of Mark Recchi.
The Sid and Malkin combination is working out just beautifully right now. It's really a fun thing to watch. In the first few minutes they were skating circles around the obviously disinterested Rangers. They eventually drew a penalty after some sustained pressure in the Rangers zone.
With the way the powerplay has gone over the past two months you almost expected the Pens to give up a shorthanded goal and for this to be the start of a long losing streak.
"That's why you're writing on a blog, joke"
Malone provides an excellent screen in front for Michael Roszajoke (who would make many appearances later in this game) and Malkin walks out from behind the goal and roofs the puck topshelf.
The Pens didn't let up after this however. Shortly after the PP goal Crosby takes the puck coast to coast, Henrik doesn't see where the puck landed and Malkin crashes hard to the net to get the Pens their second goal.
Picture: "All-star" Scott Gomez's contributions in the first period.
After some jobbing around, the Rangers take another penalty and then Michael Roszival decides to punch Kris Letang in the face to get the Pens a 5 on 3. Shortly after the joke goes to the box, Gonch wires the puck in from the point to make it 3-0Pens.
Evgeni Malkin was all over the ice, he threw the body extremely well including a great hit on Michael Roszajoke late in the first period.
Second Period,
Apparently the Pens forgot that hockey was still played for 60 minutes.
Picture: Penguins locker room after the first intermission.
Only one Penguin decided to show up in the second period, Ty "conkblock" Conklin. The Rangers were pinning the Penguins into their own zone the entire time but Ty kept coming up with big saves. He's a battler and even though he doesn't look great making the saves, he almost always finds a way to make them.
"I guess this isn't spectacular enough for you"
It was obvious that the zebras were doing their best to get the Rangers back in the game. Penalty after Penalty were called on the Pens and most of them were very marginal calls.
Nothing much going on here, the Pens get some huge kills and go into the third still up 3-0.
Third Period,
The thought of another Malkin hat trick danced in everyone's head.
Speaking of heads, tonight was a ski-cap giveaway night.
If the writers weren't on strike, i'd say this was scripted.
Digressing, the Pens could afford to shove Malkin into the spotlight to get another hat trick.
It almost signaled the end of the world.
The next two penalties on the Penguins were legit.
Crosby is a jobber and definitely interfered.
He's smart. He knows what he's doing.
The Pens kill that off beautifully.
As Crosby gets out of the box, the Pens go right back in.
Malkin was racing with some terd for a loose puck.
If you hit someone who does not have the puck, it's a penalty.
When you knock a person down in a race for a puck, that's interference.
The emotion was running high, and it was culminated with Jagr spoiling the shutout party.
I take the time to give it to Doc Emerick, for his jobber remark back in the first period.
Something along the lines of:
"And here are the Penguins fans booing Jagr.
They must have forgotten about those two Stanley Cup championships."
And then he just jumped right back into calling the action.
What a line.
Right after that Jagr goal, morale was lower than Rosie O'Donnell's metabolism rate.
You could feel the Rangers being able to come back.
Crosby headed into the zone after that Jagr goal, and he was decked.
HE HAD THE PUCK. HE GOT HIT. That's what hockey is about. Good no-call.
Just as Crosby is ready to take the next faceoff, Therrien shuts everything down and sends Laraque onto the ice.
Laraque came on and hit some ass-clown in the Pens zone. Huge roar.
The Pens were helped with a ticky-tacky slashing call which sent them on the powerplay and sent Malkin back on the hunt. No dice there.
The puck wasn't gonna get past Conklin. It just wasn't gonna happen.
Malkin ended up delivering on the hat trick with a Gretzky empty-netter from center ice.
It is met with a raucous roar from the Mellon Arena faithful.
An unbelievable roar.
First Period:
The igloo had a good reason to go nuts within the first 10 seconds. Georges Laraque and Bobby Orr's daughter throw down.
It was pretty obvious early on that the Pens were looking to respond after their heartbreaking loss to Atlanta at the arthritic hands of Mark Recchi.
The Sid and Malkin combination is working out just beautifully right now. It's really a fun thing to watch. In the first few minutes they were skating circles around the obviously disinterested Rangers. They eventually drew a penalty after some sustained pressure in the Rangers zone.
With the way the powerplay has gone over the past two months you almost expected the Pens to give up a shorthanded goal and for this to be the start of a long losing streak.
"That's why you're writing on a blog, joke"
Malone provides an excellent screen in front for Michael Roszajoke (who would make many appearances later in this game) and Malkin walks out from behind the goal and roofs the puck topshelf.
The Pens didn't let up after this however. Shortly after the PP goal Crosby takes the puck coast to coast, Henrik doesn't see where the puck landed and Malkin crashes hard to the net to get the Pens their second goal.
Picture: "All-star" Scott Gomez's contributions in the first period.
After some jobbing around, the Rangers take another penalty and then Michael Roszival decides to punch Kris Letang in the face to get the Pens a 5 on 3. Shortly after the joke goes to the box, Gonch wires the puck in from the point to make it 3-0Pens.
Evgeni Malkin was all over the ice, he threw the body extremely well including a great hit on Michael Roszajoke late in the first period.
Second Period,
Apparently the Pens forgot that hockey was still played for 60 minutes.
Picture: Penguins locker room after the first intermission.
Only one Penguin decided to show up in the second period, Ty "conkblock" Conklin. The Rangers were pinning the Penguins into their own zone the entire time but Ty kept coming up with big saves. He's a battler and even though he doesn't look great making the saves, he almost always finds a way to make them.
"I guess this isn't spectacular enough for you"
It was obvious that the zebras were doing their best to get the Rangers back in the game. Penalty after Penalty were called on the Pens and most of them were very marginal calls.
Nothing much going on here, the Pens get some huge kills and go into the third still up 3-0.
Third Period,
The thought of another Malkin hat trick danced in everyone's head.
Speaking of heads, tonight was a ski-cap giveaway night.
If the writers weren't on strike, i'd say this was scripted.
Digressing, the Pens could afford to shove Malkin into the spotlight to get another hat trick.
It almost signaled the end of the world.
The next two penalties on the Penguins were legit.
Crosby is a jobber and definitely interfered.
He's smart. He knows what he's doing.
The Pens kill that off beautifully.
As Crosby gets out of the box, the Pens go right back in.
Malkin was racing with some terd for a loose puck.
If you hit someone who does not have the puck, it's a penalty.
When you knock a person down in a race for a puck, that's interference.
The emotion was running high, and it was culminated with Jagr spoiling the shutout party.
I take the time to give it to Doc Emerick, for his jobber remark back in the first period.
Something along the lines of:
"And here are the Penguins fans booing Jagr.
They must have forgotten about those two Stanley Cup championships."
And then he just jumped right back into calling the action.
What a line.
Right after that Jagr goal, morale was lower than Rosie O'Donnell's metabolism rate.
You could feel the Rangers being able to come back.
Crosby headed into the zone after that Jagr goal, and he was decked.
HE HAD THE PUCK. HE GOT HIT. That's what hockey is about. Good no-call.
Just as Crosby is ready to take the next faceoff, Therrien shuts everything down and sends Laraque onto the ice.
Laraque came on and hit some ass-clown in the Pens zone. Huge roar.
The Pens were helped with a ticky-tacky slashing call which sent them on the powerplay and sent Malkin back on the hunt. No dice there.
The puck wasn't gonna get past Conklin. It just wasn't gonna happen.
Malkin ended up delivering on the hat trick with a Gretzky empty-netter from center ice.
It is met with a raucous roar from the Mellon Arena faithful.
An unbelievable roar.
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