As an amateur sports writer and a full time product coordinator, I spend a lot of time reading sports online. I am not biased to one page and keep my horizons broad but I will admit that there are two particular writers that I favor. One being Bill "The Sports Guy" Simons and Michael Silver. I have read far more Michael Silver lately due to ESPN being blocked at my job. Even though Silver refuses to ever answer one of my emails in one of his 3 weekly columns (I've been in the mailbag for TSG 3 times) I continue to wait every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for his three columns a week discussing the NFL. In today's 32 Questions, Silver discussed the Family that has from at "The U." I am a self proclaimed hater of "The U" but admit as a former college football player (at the DIII Level) no bond is formed other than that of one gained in college through sports. I give SJFC football all the credit in the world to my enjoying college all the more. When a kid leaves HS for College it's like entering a new world. Specially if the college you choose is one with few HS buddies tagging along. In this atmosphere it can be very difficult to adjust and make new friends in a matter of weeks and develop a close relationship that you developed over the previous decade of your life with the kids you grew up with. Playing a sport in college was the best decision I ever made. The bond I formed with the guys that I played 2 short seasons with helped me through 3 and 1/2 years of college (1/2 spent on hiatus at a local school). For that reason the article today hit home. This is not just evident on a college level but through high school and other sports as well. With the exception of the professional level in the salary cap era teams are families. Jim Kelly said on the local radio the other day how close the Bills during his years were, along with his team at Miami. When teammates are together a lot they gel quicker. Today with the possibility of leaving after 2 years teammats often find it difficult to form bonds and for that reason I feel amateur sports teams are the closest things to family some of these athletes have. That is why at Sean Taylor's funeral hundreds of "The U" alums (even those who never played with Taylor) flew hundreds of miles to attend. Because he was a part of their family, the Hurricane Family.
Angels in the Beltway
Speaking of the last article, did any three individuals have bigger games channeling Sean Taylor than Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Willis Magahee. I HATE Willis Magahee with a passion for the way he treated Buffalo and it's fans that were loyal to him. Not only did the Bills give him a shot in the NFL after his horrific knee injury in his last college game but we pushed out the best thing for Buffalo's population in recent years by trading Travis Henry. I'm no genious, but I'm almost positive Ray Lewis could motivate the Miami Dolphins to at least 2 wins this season. Watching the huddle between him and Reed and Magahee was intense. It made me want to go out there and hit somebody for Sean Taylor. No wonder Magahee had his best outing as a pro on Monday. It was even so good that I found myself cheering for Him. I feel that what those three players did on Monday was exactly what was needed to be done in memory of Sean Taylor.
Classless Again
Last time I touched on the celebrating of Junior Seau after routine plays and how much it upsets me. Well I have a new beef with another vet on the Pats. This time it's with a player who has shown a lack of class his entire career and seemed to put a stamp on it monday night. I'm talking about you Rodney Harrison. What you did by getting in Brian Billick's face was totally disgusting. You are a professional athlete. I understand today players are very close in age with their coaches and make a lot more money than them. However, this gives them no right to show disrespect for a person in the position of someone that you owe your life too. I will bet that 100% of NFL players would not be where they are today without the effect of the coaches they had in their lives in whatever sports they played. I gaurantee every player will agree with this. Kids everywhere look up to pro athletes and it is embarassing how poor of a role model these people can be on national television. I can't wait until some kid in HS gets suspended for yelling in another coaches face at the game and ruins his senior year of HS or gets him kicked off the little loop team, embarassing his parents. Way to be a role model Rodney. Let's talk about your career. You're known as a cheap shot artist, even in practice with your own teammates. You've been busted for steroids as early as this season. You show blatant disrespect for your coaches in the past and other coaches as shown on Monday. I'm just glad any kids I have will be raised after your career is long over and you are long forgotten.
Kudos to Brian Billick for handling the situation and blowing the roid rager a kiss.
Lucky number 13?
Well whatever you argue, you can't argue the fact that the Patriots are indeed lucky. I know they say they practice for situations like that and Blah Blah Blah. But you really can't say you practice to get stuffed on 4th down and catch breaks. You mean to tell me every day they line up and get stuffed in practice only to have the scout team call a timeout. Or a gaurd to jump offsides. Does Bellicheck have ESP or something. I refuse to listen to their smug comments. Admit that you got lucky and that you are grateful for it. Stop ruining the game New England and at least show that you are having fun.
(to the chorus of Outkast)
Dear Fred Jackson,
You are for Real!!!!
-DG1 (who called him as the Bills should be starter the week Marshawn got hurt)
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Circling Some Wagons
Bills Wagon
The game yesterday was sloppy, but a win is still a win. It doesn't matter how you get it as long as you do. I understand that everyone is yelling at Joe Gibbs for his mistake in calling consecutive timeouts on our game winning attempts, but it's not as though Lindell was definitely going to miss. He made the first one just after the timeout, so why would one be left to assume that he wasn't going to make it again? I realize 34 is closer than 51, but he's on a streak of 17 straight field goals made. He's been clutch when we've needed him.
I'm not going to dive too deep into the Edwards/Losman debate as I really don't have the energy to defend myself once again. Without Marshawn Lynch and a solid running game there are few quarterbacks in this league that can confidently win. Fred Jackson is a good back-up, but he isn't an equal trade. Edwards is not a deep ball threat, and don't use that throw at the end to Josh Reed as justification that he can. If you look at the replay you can clearly see a Bills player (I believe it was Royal) on his knees preparing to make the catch, but not realizing that there was a 'Skins defender diving over the top of him to make a play. I don't believe that the throw was meant for Reed, but, again, a win is a win. Edwards didn't look great and his passes didn't look sharp all that often. We failed to get into the endzone and really didn't click as a unit. So where is the upgrade that is supposedly happening with Edwards?
Here's another angle to view it from. Lee Evans and Losman are very close. Evans has come to the defense of Losman when the topic of starting quarterback is raised. That has to bother Edwards and it shows in the stats. Don't believe me? Here are some numbers to chew on:
Losman to Evans: 25 receptions for 415 yards and 2 TDs
Edwards to Evans: 20 receptions for 274 yards and 0 TDs
The numbers don't lie. Losman's deep ball threat is what Evans thrives upon for success. His biggest games came in wins. If Edwards is the starter I don't see Evans wanting to stick around. His game will go unused as Edwards is more of a dink and dunk passer. Here are some more numbers to feed the debate:
With only a 1.6% difference in completion percentage (Edwards is higher) Losman has 150 more passing yards, a 4-1 edge in touchdown passes, a 4 point higher rating, one more INT, and a better longest completion of 85 yards as compared to Edwards' 54 yarder. Additionally, Edwards' longest passes come on short routes than turn into long gains. Losman's come on true deep balls that are thrown 50 or 60+ yards in the air.
I'm not just defending Losman for the sake of defending Losman. I am defending him because a deep ball threat opens the game up for much more offensively. When a deep threat receiver is on a team the running game does exorbitantly better. Shorter routes open up and the tight end can be utilized in a more positive way. The other team is forced into playing off of receivers because of the fear of getting burned on a fade route. An offense is more explosive when there is that possibility of going deep. It adds another dimension and allows a team to get creative (ie, the Lynch passing TD, the Parrish rushing TD).
Continuity on a team can never be established when there is always change. Since the retirement of Jim Kelly (let's take a moment to appreciate him) we have not had a QB last more than a couple of season as the undisputed starter. Care to take a trip down memory lane?...
We've seen the likes of: Todd Collins, Billy Jo Hobert, Alex Van Pelt, Rob Johnson, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, Kelly Holcomb, Craig Nall, Trent Edwards, and JP Losman.
Jim Kelly only retired a little more than 10 years ago! Did we really go through 10 different starters in that time? That averages out to about a quarterback a year!
After Thurman Thomas left for Miami we went through the process of trying to find another running back. That led to: Antowain Smith, Sammy Morris, Travis Henry, Willis McGahee, Anthony Thomas, and Marshawn Lynch becoming starters (just to name a handful).
We have also had 4 different head coaches since the retirement of Marv Levy! Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, and Dick Jauron have each taken their spin on the coaching carousel. That averages out to a change every 2.5 years!
You want to know why it has been so long since the Bills have been in the playoffs? Look no further than continuity and the promise of stability.
Say what you want, but not every long term starting quarterback comes into the league and dominates from the first play, first game, or first season. Things take time. Give up on a quarterback, a coach, or any other intricate position on a regular basis and you will not have success. I can guarantee that.
Long Live Sports,
DG2
The game yesterday was sloppy, but a win is still a win. It doesn't matter how you get it as long as you do. I understand that everyone is yelling at Joe Gibbs for his mistake in calling consecutive timeouts on our game winning attempts, but it's not as though Lindell was definitely going to miss. He made the first one just after the timeout, so why would one be left to assume that he wasn't going to make it again? I realize 34 is closer than 51, but he's on a streak of 17 straight field goals made. He's been clutch when we've needed him.
I'm not going to dive too deep into the Edwards/Losman debate as I really don't have the energy to defend myself once again. Without Marshawn Lynch and a solid running game there are few quarterbacks in this league that can confidently win. Fred Jackson is a good back-up, but he isn't an equal trade. Edwards is not a deep ball threat, and don't use that throw at the end to Josh Reed as justification that he can. If you look at the replay you can clearly see a Bills player (I believe it was Royal) on his knees preparing to make the catch, but not realizing that there was a 'Skins defender diving over the top of him to make a play. I don't believe that the throw was meant for Reed, but, again, a win is a win. Edwards didn't look great and his passes didn't look sharp all that often. We failed to get into the endzone and really didn't click as a unit. So where is the upgrade that is supposedly happening with Edwards?
Here's another angle to view it from. Lee Evans and Losman are very close. Evans has come to the defense of Losman when the topic of starting quarterback is raised. That has to bother Edwards and it shows in the stats. Don't believe me? Here are some numbers to chew on:
Losman to Evans: 25 receptions for 415 yards and 2 TDs
Edwards to Evans: 20 receptions for 274 yards and 0 TDs
The numbers don't lie. Losman's deep ball threat is what Evans thrives upon for success. His biggest games came in wins. If Edwards is the starter I don't see Evans wanting to stick around. His game will go unused as Edwards is more of a dink and dunk passer. Here are some more numbers to feed the debate:
With only a 1.6% difference in completion percentage (Edwards is higher) Losman has 150 more passing yards, a 4-1 edge in touchdown passes, a 4 point higher rating, one more INT, and a better longest completion of 85 yards as compared to Edwards' 54 yarder. Additionally, Edwards' longest passes come on short routes than turn into long gains. Losman's come on true deep balls that are thrown 50 or 60+ yards in the air.
I'm not just defending Losman for the sake of defending Losman. I am defending him because a deep ball threat opens the game up for much more offensively. When a deep threat receiver is on a team the running game does exorbitantly better. Shorter routes open up and the tight end can be utilized in a more positive way. The other team is forced into playing off of receivers because of the fear of getting burned on a fade route. An offense is more explosive when there is that possibility of going deep. It adds another dimension and allows a team to get creative (ie, the Lynch passing TD, the Parrish rushing TD).
Continuity on a team can never be established when there is always change. Since the retirement of Jim Kelly (let's take a moment to appreciate him) we have not had a QB last more than a couple of season as the undisputed starter. Care to take a trip down memory lane?...
We've seen the likes of: Todd Collins, Billy Jo Hobert, Alex Van Pelt, Rob Johnson, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, Kelly Holcomb, Craig Nall, Trent Edwards, and JP Losman.
Jim Kelly only retired a little more than 10 years ago! Did we really go through 10 different starters in that time? That averages out to about a quarterback a year!
After Thurman Thomas left for Miami we went through the process of trying to find another running back. That led to: Antowain Smith, Sammy Morris, Travis Henry, Willis McGahee, Anthony Thomas, and Marshawn Lynch becoming starters (just to name a handful).
We have also had 4 different head coaches since the retirement of Marv Levy! Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, and Dick Jauron have each taken their spin on the coaching carousel. That averages out to a change every 2.5 years!
You want to know why it has been so long since the Bills have been in the playoffs? Look no further than continuity and the promise of stability.
Say what you want, but not every long term starting quarterback comes into the league and dominates from the first play, first game, or first season. Things take time. Give up on a quarterback, a coach, or any other intricate position on a regular basis and you will not have success. I can guarantee that.
Long Live Sports,
DG2
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