There are two modes in the NFL: win at all costs now or rebuild for the future. The Vikings seem to have abandoned both of these plans in a weird mix of strategies. Brad Childress sent backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels to the Giants for a bag of potato chips and a can of soda. Nervous that the Giants wouldn’t take Rosenfels by himself, he sent return specialist Darius Reynaud to New York as well in the deal. The Vikings are prepped to make another run at the NFC title this year with most of last year’s team intact. Unfortunately, Coach Childress has decided to nix any what-if scenarios and seemingly disregard special teams. If all things go to plan, it may not ruin him: Favre may not get injured and someone – newcomer Greg Camarillo perhaps or the electric Percy Harvin- may step up on returns. But even so, this trade seems to have been woefully one-sided; it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Vikings end up with the better end of this bargain.
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The Rosenfels Trade Leaves the Vikings Hypothetically Hopeless
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Veterans Find Their Place on NBA Teams
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As dozens of young players struggle to make an NBA squad each fall, veteran big men seem to have no trouble hanging on. Guys like Joe Smith, Eduardo Najera, and others bounce from playoff team to playoff team each year, giving their new teams veteran leadership and some rebounding. Big men are available beyond just these vets who perform their roles. After all, look at the Celtics who in recent years got that production from young guys like Glen “Big Baby” Davis and veteran older guys like Rasheed Wallace who contribute much more than just size.
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Using The Bible To Talk Smack
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One of the stranger stories of the summer occurred this weekend when the Baltimore Orioles‘ Luke Scott cited Proverbs during an interview criticizing Tampa Bay Rays‘ pitcher for violating the Biblical prohibition against pride. It rubbed Garza the wrong way who responded that Scott was hypocritical for making gestures and actions that likewise showed his own self-indulgence.
As an aside, is it worth pointing out that the Tampa team until recently boasted “devil” in its name? All kidding aside, it appears that this feud has Garza red hot, most likely as a result of his own recognition that Scott was deliberately trying to goad him with his Christian beliefs. Look, Garza’s right that Scott unfairly brought religion into the mix. However, whether religion has no place in baseball is a question worth discussing.
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Why I drafted Kevin Kolb
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It takes a healthy dose of fortitude to ship your all-time leader in every significant passing category – not to mention the leader that took your team to one its only two Super Bowl appearances – out of your locker room. If they traded him to any other team, I could write it off as a front-office decision…maybe McNabb and Andy Reid just couldn’t get along anymore…maybe McNabb wanted out of Philly for financial purposes or because he wasn’t happy with the Eagles personel. But Philly shipped him down the road, within the division no less! They traded the player who knows their system better than anyone else in the league to a fierce rival, whom they will play twice a year every year. They better be damn sure that whoever replaces Donovan is well equipped to fill his McMonstorous shoes.
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Max St. Pierre: The MLB Feel-Good Story of the Year
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While all sports have players that hang on for years upon years thanks to the sheer joy of playing, baseball’s the only sport that can offer them access to stick around in a minor league role while awaiting a call-up. In some ways, the system is flawed and unfair because it leaves so many minor league players clinging to false hope that they’ll some day get their shot. At the same time, however, it makes it possible for players like Max St. Pierre who don’t ever give up hope to achieve something memorable.
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Do Cornerbacks Like Darrelle Revis Deserve Big Money?
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Much of the discussion heading into next week’s football season is what will become of the whole Darrelle Revis situation for the New York Jets. Part of that conversation, I think, is whether a cornerback is worthy of the kind of money that Revis is asking for. Don’t get me wrong, cornerbacks like Champ Bailey and Deion Sanders can impact games in ways that players at other positions simply can’t; they can take star receivers out of the game and make them non-entities. But looking back at the past few decades, there just aren’t enough success stories to justify spending sizable amounts on a position that might leave you holding onto the next Bobby Taylor.
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How Far You’ve Fallen, Manny Ramirez
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In recent years, Manny Ramirez has become a forgotten star. Just a little while ago, it would have been unfathomable to see Manny on waivers and joining another team mid-season, as he now embarks on the next portion of his career with the Chicago White Sox. “Manny Ramirez wasn’t a star, he was a supernova,” says Ray Ratto at CBS Sports. But Manny’s story unfortunately, doesn’t end with success on his terms (as he’d carried himself for much of his career). “Then he landed, hard, and face-first,” says Ratto.
What changed? He had injuries, for starters. But unlike most other aging veterans who find themselves landing on the D.L., Manny had to also shoulder the weight of scrutiny over a past with performance enhancing drugs. He’d gone from one of the most beloved members of the baseball clubhouse to someone we shied away from, even shunned. Then it got even worse for Manny: The Los Angeles Dodgers figured out how to play without him in their lineup. Young players started to hit their strides, and eventually Manny wasn’t all that missed. He became expendable, and he’s on his way out now.
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Let The Kevin Durant Era Begin
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Heading into the fall and the start of the NBA season, all anyone is focused on is what the Miami Heat will do once their pack of stars hit the court together. The Heat’s success could determine how the NBA goes next year, translating to more interest, better ticket sales, and increased ratings. At the same time, the Heat’s off-season shenanigans have rubbed many fans the wrong way and left them wondering whether the league will ever be the same. One question that must be asked now, though, is whether the NBA is still Lebron’s to take over and conquer, or whether his signing with the Heat has altered his role in shaping the league’s future.
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Offensive Lines: Pass/Run Blocking And Transitioning to new Positions
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Football is a game of nuance and subtlety; the more you pay attention, the more you pick up. So I’ve made it a personal goal over the past couple weeks to understand a set of skills for which, as of now, I have little appreciation. A good offensive line is the difference between a playoff appearance and a 4-12 season. Ask Peyton Manning what a stellar offensive line has done for his career, and he’ll be the first to tell you that they are the real champions of his success. But within the five beasts of men that block for every QB, there is a world of detail not easily seen on TV away from the ball. I’d like to use the personnel that comprise the Steelers current unit for two quick case studies of challenges facing individuals on the line and questions the team must answer.
The Night a Pitcher Played the Outfield
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Last night after Ryan Howard (rightfully) flipped out at an umpire and got himself ejected from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 14th inning, the team fielded pitcher Roy Oswalt in left field which left many observers chuckling at the sight of a pitcher playing the field. We’re more accustomed to the opposite – position players who take over pitching duties in late, runaway games. But Oswalt’s example is significantly less common.
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Headcoaching: More Than Xs and Os
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Recent HOF inductee Dick LeBeau has accomplished many impressive feats over his NFL career. A talented player and defensive strategist, LeBeau well deserved the induction into the Hall and the accolades that followed. The one pass that we grant The Wiz is the blemish of a failed headcoaching stint in Cincinnati, his only HC gig. In two and a half seasons as Skipper, LeBeau failed to compile anything close to a winning record and finished his last season a franchise worst 2-14. Even worse yet, he couldn’t leverage his defensive knowledge and prowess; the Bengals allowed a league bottom 456 points.
The reason we don’t bring this up when talking about LeBeau’s greatness is because headcoaching is a beast of its own nature. The abilities to strategize, breakdown film, teach new techniques, and correct fundamental mistakes are mere components in the grand scheme of headcoaching. It is just as much about managing confrontational egos and keeping peace between angry men as it is explaining the Xs and Os.
The best coaches today are those that can navigate the murky waters of press conferences, spring practices, the NFL’s front office, and shiesty player-agents. The game itself, it seems, is left for the coordinators.
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Is Michael Jordan Forgiving or Forgetful?
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Kwame Brown is one of the major, well-accepted busts of the past decade. A number one pick who hasn’t completely flamed out – he’s somehow managed to stick around in the NBA – Brown set the Washington Wizards back several years with his poor production and even worse attitude. Unloading Brown a couple years later was a relief for the Wiz who could have stuck to him for even longer and wasted minutes on someone who would never pan out. It was nothing short of a blessing to get Brown off the team.
Wizards fans can blame no one else but Michael Jordan for the pick. Jordan coveted Brown in that draft, one that led to the emergence of Pau Gasol (among few others in a dreadful year) and was reportedly the one behind the pick. You’d think that after all this time has past, Jordan would want to put that terrible episode behind him. Alas, no. Jordan, now with the Charlotte Bobcats, has signed Brown again. The only way to make sense of the deal is to assume that Jordan still believes that Brown can contribute something as a role player. Brown’s failures could maybe be attributed to his surge into the spotlight where he was ill-prepared to perform at such a high level so quickly. Now, however, with more reasonable expectations of him, Brown can perhaps become the NBA player he was destined to be.
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Rethinking Fantasy Football
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Last night i attended my first fantasy football draft in several years. I am not fielding a team, but i figured it would be a good way for me to get a refresher on where players ranked heading into the season. For a long time, I’ve believed that fantasy sports going mainstream has hurt the coverage of – and therefore my interest in – sports as a whole, especially with football. I can’t help but wonder how many people only care about Favre’s return because they have to figure out if he has more upside than Matt Ryan in the coming year, and not whether Favre’s decision could lead the Vikings back to the playoffs. That was my thinking anyway.
While one fantasy draft wasn’t going to be enough to turn me in the opposite direction and get me to sign up for a league, I am beginning to reevaluate the merits of following football from the fantasy end. In truth, the only thing that seems to be “fantasy” about these leagues is the sense of ownership over the players. Fantasy owners come to drafts prepared with all kinds of stats and lists that take everything into account, from high-profile changes in personnel and coaches to reports about how rookies are faring at training camp. Fantasy football has elevated the level of conversation among obsessive fans and driven them to take greater in-depth looks at teams around the league.
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