As we get ready to enter 2014, for kicks let's look back at the first ten picks of the 2004 NFL Draft and see how they turned out: 1. Eli Manning - QB - Mississippi - San Diego Chargers
Manning threw for over 10,000 yards at the University of Mississippi. He finished 3rd in the running for the 2003 Heisman Trophy, and won the 2003 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, 2003 Maxwell Award (best college football player in the U.S.), and 2003 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Honors. Manning's career in the pros started dubiously when he publicly stated that he'd refuse to play for the Chargers if they drafted him. San Diego, as a result, drafted but subsequently traded Manning to the Giants in exchange for Philip Rivers (the 4th pick), a first round pick in 2005 (Shawn Merriman), and a third round pick in 2004 (Nate Kaeding). As a pro, Manning has gone 84-66 as a regular season starter, thrown for over 35,000 yards, won two Super Bowls taking home the MVP both times, and made three Pro Bowls.
Gallery was a unanimous All-American in 2003 and won the Outland Trophy - the award for the best college football interior lineman. Unfortunately, while he played in the NFL for 8 seasons compiling 89 starts, he never truly lived up to the potential everyone saw in him in college. Gallery failed to make a Pro Bowl and announced his retirement from football in August of 2012.
In just two seasons with the Pitt Panthers, Larry Fitzgerald logged 161 receptions for 2677 yards and 34 touchdowns. He finished second in the 2003 Heisman voting to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White and won the 2003 Big East Offensive Player of the Year Award, was a 2003 All-American, and took home both the Fred Biletnikoff Award (nation's top receiver) and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards. His pro career has been highly successful as he's wrapping up his 10th year with the Cardinals. He currently has 840 receptions and over 11,000 receiving yards and 87 touchdowns. He's made 7 Pro Bowl teams and helped take Arizona to Super Bow XLIII where he caught 7 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
A is for Andy Dalton. The Red Rocket threw for 366 yards and 4 touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals routed the Minnesota Vikings 42-14 today. The win clinched a playoff berth for Cincinnati and marked the first time in Bengals history that they've clinched a playoff berth in three consecutive seasons.
B is for Bowl Games. The Bowl Season kicked off on Saturday with four games. Colorado State scored 18 unanswered points in the final 3 minutes of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl as the Rams rallied to shock Washington State 48-45. Sophomore running back Kapri Bibbs ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win, while Washington State's Connor Halliday threw for 410 yards and 6 touchdown passes in a losing effort... 25th ranked USC jumped out to a 35-6 halftime lead over Fresno State and cruised to a 45-20 win in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Quarterback Cody Kessler threw for 344 yards and 4 scores to lead the Trojans... The San Diego State Aztecs routed Buffalo 49-24 behind 229 yards and 3 touchdowns from junior running back Adam Muema in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl... Finally, in an interstate showdown at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, a missed 48 yard field goal with 9 seconds left allowed the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to hang on for a 24-21 win over Tulane. Tulane Senior running back Orleans Darkwa tied a career high with 3 rushing touchdowns in a losing effort.
Photo Credit: http://campusinsiders.com
C is for Champions League Draw. The Champions League draw for the Round of 16 is set with some big-time match-ups now on the slate. Here's a rundown of the eight pairings: Manchester City (England) vs Barcelona (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vs Paris Saint-Germain (France), AC Milan (Italy) vs Atletico Madrid (Spain), Arsenal (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany), Zenit St Petersburg (Russia) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey) vs Chelsea (England), Olympiakos (Greece) vs Manchester United (England), and Schalke 04 (Germany) vs Real Madrid (Spain). Some of the highlights involve Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) taking on his former club Chelsea and German star Mesut Özil (Arsenal) getting matched up with the German Champions Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich knocked out Arsenal in the first round of last year's tournament en route to the title.
A is for Asiata. With injuries to running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to turn to Matt Asiata in their tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles today. Asiata, undrafted out of Utah, entered the day with 3 carries in his CAREER, and none of those coming in 2013. The result? THIRTY carries for 51 yards (not that impressive), but hold on... THREE touchdowns. He also added 3 catches for 15 yards. I know Asiata isn't going to make anyone forget about Adrian Peterson, but Peterson hasn't rushed for 3 scores in a game since October of 2011.
B is for Ballon d'Or. The three finalists for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award have been announced by FIFA: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), France's Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (Barcelona). Messi has won the award every year since its inception in 2010 but, thanks in large part to a torn thigh muscle, is considered to be out of the running meaning Ronaldo and Ribéry are the two front runners. While Ronaldo is no surprise having been the award's runner-up the past two years, the 30 year old Ribéry is a bit of an aberration. A staple with Bayern Munich since 2007, the French winger helped lead Bayern to wins in the Champions League, and DFB Pokal (German Tournament) as well as first place in the Bundesliga this past year. The winner will be announced in January at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich.
C is for Club World Cup. We're down to the Final Four in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup: Guangzhou Evergrande (China), Bayern Munich (Germany), Raja Casablanca (Morocco), and Atlético Mineiro (Brazil). Raja Casablanca, the host club for this year's tournament, has pulled off a pair of upsets so far, knocking off OFC Champions Auckland City (New Zealand), and CONCACAF Champions Monterey (Mexico) by identical 2-1 margins. Guangzhou Evergrande punched their ticket to the semis by defeating Egyptian club, and the African champs, Al-Ahly 2-0. Monterey and Al-Ahly will now face one another for 5th place while the semifinal match-ups will feature Bayern Munich and Guangzhou Evergrande, and Atlético Mineiro and Raja Casablanca. Since the rebirth of the Championship back in 2005, only one country from outside of South America or Europe has reached the finals: TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in 2010.
A is for And we're back! After about a year and a half away from the blogging game, the blog is back. If you know me, you know how it is with me and sports. Just can't stay away. Gonna try and do a piece every Sunday, we'll see how it goes.
B is for the Brooklyn Nets. Thought to be a legitimate challenger to the Miami Heat in the NBA's Eastern Conference with a core of Kevin Garnett (15 All-Star Games, 1 MVP), Joe Johnson (6 All-Star Games), Paul Pierce (10 All-Star Games), Deron Williams (3 All-Star Games), and Brook Lopez (1 All-Star Game), the Nets dealt the Heat their first loss of the season back on November 1st, 101-100. Since that time though? Just 5 wins in 18 games and with a record of 6-14, they sit tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Of their projected starting five, only Johnson has appeared in every game with Williams missing 11, Lopez 7, Pierce 5 and Garnett 2. On top of that Garnett's averaged a career low 6.5 points per game while shooting just 36% from the field. Their only saving grace? The East is so weak this season that the 8th place Bulls are just 8-10, a mere 3 games up on the Nets.
Photo Credit: http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports
C is for Cano. Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a 10 year, $240M contract as the AL West just keeps loading up on star power. The 31 year old second baseman has enjoyed 4 straight all-star seasons, and in the past five years has never hit less than .302 while adding at least 25 homers, 85 runs batted in, and 41 doubles. Seattle used 5 different second basemen in 2013 (Nick Franklin, Dustin Ackley, Robert Andino, Carlos Triunfel and Brad Miller), but none of them can compete with Cano in terms of numbers. In fact, the five of them combined to hit fewer homers (24) than Cano did last season (27). Still, 10 year contracts are a dangerous thing as evidenced to those previously given to Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. That said, it's a definite upgrade for the Mariners right now.
As my time in Louisiana draws to a close, I can't help but reflect on the Top Ten Games that I was able to witness during my time here. For the purpose of this list I limited myself to games that I was able to drive to rather than ones I saw when on the road. Here we go:
1. November 30th, 2009 - New Orleans Saints 38 New England Patriots 17 - Touted as a potential Super Bowl Preview, the 10-0 Saints hosted the 7-3 Patriots on Monday Night Football and the atmosphere did not disappoint. This was my first Superdome experience and the place was just nuts, there's no other way to describe it. New England took a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter and then Drew Brees just took the game over finishing 18 of 23 for 371 yards and 5 touchdown passes to 5 different receivers.
Photo Credit: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
2. January 1st, 2010 - Florida Gators 51 Cincinnati Bearcats 24 - After suffering their only loss of the season in the SEC Championship game to Alabama, Florida took on previously unbeaten Big East Champion Cincinnati in the 2010 All State Sugar Bowl. It was Tim Tebow's last game as a college player and boy did he go out on top. Tebow completed 31 of 35 passes for 482 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with 51 rushing yards and another touchdown as the Gators jumped out to a 37-3 lead and never looked back.
Photo Credit: sports.espn.go.com
3. March 24th, 2011 - (2) Florida 83 (3) BYU 74, OT - Already mentioned getting to see Tim Tebow's last game as a college player, and in this game I was able to see Jimmer Fredette's last game with BYU when the Cougars took on the Gators in the Sweet 16. While he didn't have a great night shooting the basketball (11 for 29 including 3 for 15 from long range), he still finished with 32 points and 5 assists in a losing effort and I've got to say it was pretty impressive. But ultimately, Florida's size and speed was too much for the Cougars as they were led by Senior Alex Tyus's 19 points and 17 rebounds and SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons' 16 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
4. March 18th, 2010 - (9) Wake Forest 81 (8) Texas 80, OT - Ishmael Smith's jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining gave Wake Forest a one point victory over Texas in the First Round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. This was the fourth game my buddy Scott and I sat through on this particular day and it was by far the most exciting. The 6'0" Smith finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists while fellow future NBAer Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in 20 points and 15 rebounds. Texas featured Avery Bradley (Celtics), the now infamous Dexter Pittman (Heat), Damion James (Nets) and Jordan Hamilton (Nuggets), but were led instead by freshman J'Covan Brown's 20 points. James missed a free throw (he finished 7 for 8 at the line) with 9 seconds to play in regulation that could have won the game for Texas.
Photo Credit: usatoday.com
5. November 5th, 2010 - New Orleans Hornets 96 Miami Heat 93 - Now if you follow the blog at all you know I'm not a fan of the Miami Heat, particularly after 'The Decision' and the party that ensued where LeBron famously said they were out to win at least 8 Championships and that it was going to be easy, etc. So while this game was just a regular season game it featured a 4-0 Hornets team and a 4-1 Heat team and actually seemed to have a playoff atmosphere about it. The Hornets jumped out to a huge early lead going up by as many as 14 late in the first quarter, but Miami battled back as they so often do even taking the lead late in the game. But Marco Belinelli made a pair of free throws to give the Hornets the lead once again, then Trevor Ariza drilled a three for some breathing room and Eddie House misfired on a last second effort to give New Orleans the win. Chris Paul finished with 13 points, an absurd 19 assists and 5 steals for the Hornets while Chris Bosh managed to grab just 1 rebound in 34 minutes for Miami.
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
6. November 22nd, 2008 - Ole Miss 31 LSU 13 - My first trip to Tiger Stadium. Yeah, it was a day game, and yeah 2008 wasn't one of LSU's better seasons, but there were still 92,649 fans in attendance which was pretty impressive. The tailgating wasn't bad either. As for the game, Mike Wallace (Steelers) led the way for Ole Miss with 99 receiving yards and a pair of scores while the vaunted quarterback duo of Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee combined to go 14 for 32 with a pair of interceptions and 16 rushing yards on 11 carries. 20 of those rushing yards came on one scramble by Jefferson.
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
7. July 24th, 2009 - Houston Astros 5 New York Mets 4 - This one makes the list because I'm an Astros fan and this was the first time I'd been to a regular season Astros game where I'd even gotten to see them score let alone win. With Mets ace Johan Santana on the hill, a win in this one seemed unlikely, but Mike Hampton connected for a line drive 2-run home run into the Crawford Boxes in left and then Chris Coste, starting at first base for the injured Lance Berkman, delivered a 2-run double and the Astros hung on for the implausible 5-4 win. I caught the next two games of the 3-game series as well and Houston was outscored 18-6 making the memories of this game that much fonder.
Photo Credit: cbssports.com
8. March 18th, 2010 - (1) Kentucky 100 (16) East Tennessee State 71 - Top seeded Kentucky completely overwhelmed the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament champion Buccaneers in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The tournament favorites got 29 points including 8 three-pointers from Eric Bledsoe and 17 points and 11 assists from point guard John Wall as the 'Cats broke the 100 point barrier for just the fourth time that season. Seven members of that Wildcat team are already in the NBA: Patrick Patterson (Rockets), DeMarcus Cousins (Kings), Bledsoe (Clippers), Wall (Wizards), Josh Harrellson (Knicks), DeAndre Liggins (Magic) and Daniel Orton (Magic). Wall would end up being the first overall pick in the 2010 draft and the one thing that really stood out about him was just how fast he was. Granted he was playing against East Tennessee State, but still. Definitely worth the price of admission.
Photo Credit: vaughtsviews.com
9. March 24th, 2011 - (8) Butler 61 (4) Wisconsin 54 - For the second year in a row Butler worked its magic in the NCAA Tournament and I was there to see them knock off Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Butler led by as many as 20 in the second half before Wisconsin finally came alive, but it was too little too late. Butler held Badger forward Jon Leuer (Bucks) to just 1 for 12 shooting and got 20 points and 12 rebounds for the 2011 Academic All American of the Year Matt Howard. Jordan Taylor was the only player to score in double figures for Wisconsin finishing with 22 as the Badgers were held to just 30.4% shooting.
Photo Credit: courierpress.com
10. October 24th, 2009 - LSU 31 Auburn 10 - From a good game standpoint, this game was awful, but it was the only night game I had the opportunity of seeing at Tiger Stadium, and the atmosphere was incredible. 92,654 screaming fans and they had a LOT to cheer about. Auburn didn't get into the end zone until the final seconds of the game, and otherwise it was all LSU. Auburn gained just 193 total yards and turned the ball over three times while Jordan Jefferson accounted for 3 touchdowns and 268 all purpose yards for the Tigers.
Well Well well... it seems like the San Diego Chargers have picked up
former LSU QB Jarrett Lee. I know a TON of haters who said that he was
garbage as a qb, and yet the Chargers, who have a pretty darn good qb
themselves, seem to think he was worth the effort and the money. How do
you see him shaking out? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: espn.go.com
I wouldn't read too much into this signing. Lee was not drafted so the Chargers picked him up as an unrestricted free agent. Now it's not unheard of for undrafted quarterbacks to succeed in the NFL (Kurt Warner), but it's not typically a glowing endorsement to have the starting quarterback for Chattanooga picked over you. And while Lee would seem to be a fit for the third quarterback slot on San Diego, the past two seasons the Chargers have only carried two quarterbacks. And I'm not sure I see Lee beating out Rivers or backup Charlie Whitehurst to earn himself a roster spot. Stranger things have happened though and if Lee shines in the preseason there's always a chance he sticks or someone else sees him and takes a liking to his potential. Bottom line, I'd hold off on getting your personalized Jarrett Lee Chargers jersey for the time being.
Back with another edition of the Monday Mailbag (this time we even got to it on MONDAY!) where you guys, the readers,
get to ask the questions. So without further ado:
Montana vs Brady? From my understanding, statistics are similar and both are in the running for "Greatest Modern Quarterback" maybe even "Greatest Quarterback Ever". What should be looked at when comparing the two? The timeframe that each played and how the game was played? Super Bowl wins/losses or at least their performance in the big game? Quality of surrounding talent? A relative comparison to their peers throughout their career? Does Eli Manning have Brady's number (like Nadal has Federer's) and does that matter? - Garrett M., Boston, MA
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
Brady or Montana... For me it's a toss up. By the numbers they're almost identical.
Brady has a slight edge in almost every category with the notable exception that Joe Montana was 4-0 in Super Bowls while Brady is 3-2. The only other area where they really differ significantly is durability. Montana made 16 starts in a season just twice compared to Brady's nine times. But let's see what else we can compare.
How did they stack up against their peers? Montana made 7 Pro Bowls in 10 years between from 1981 and 1990. He also made one more Pro Bowl appearance after going to Kansas City in 1993. In the years he wasn't selected while playing for San Francisco he had a Super Bowl hangover (3-6 in strike shortened 1982), suffered a severe back injury that caused him to miss half a season (1986) and was outplayed by Randall Cunningham and Wade Wilson (1988). Brady's fared about the same making 7 Pro Bowl teams between 2001 and 2011. He was passed over in 2002 when the Patriots missed the playoffs, in 2003 despite leading the Patriots to a 14-2 record and their second Super Bowl (Peyton Manning, Steve McNair and Trent Green were chosen instead), again in 2006 despite a 12-4 record (in favor of Phillip Rivers, Vince Young, Carson Palmer and Manning again) and finally when he injured his knee in 2008. Pretty much a wash there.
What about their surrounding talent? Between 1981 and 1990 Montana played with 16 Pro Bowlers who combined for 44 Pro Bowl appearances led by Hall of Famers Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice. Brady played with 24 Pro Bowlers between 2001 and 2011 and they also combined for 44 Pro Bowl appearances. You can't make this stuff up.
How about looking at who beat them? You mention that Eli Manning has Brady's number. Would it shock you to know that Phil Simms and those same Giants beat Montana and the 49ers in the postseason in 1985 and then again in 1986? And then when Simms was hurt in 1990, his backup Jeff Hostetler beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game? Montana did beat the Giants in 1984, but never again in postseason play. So if we aren't going to hold Montana's 3 straight playoff losses to the Giants in his prime against him, is it fair to hold New England's losses in the Super Bowl against Eli's Giants against Brady? Ultimately I don't think that matters.
Here's something to consider though. Montana lost 11 games to strikes in his career (7 in 1982 and 4 more in 1987). He also lost half of the 1986 season to a back injury, and then after getting knocked out of the 1990 NFC Championship Game with a concussion and a broken finger, he also sustained an elbow injury that caused him to miss all of 1991 and all but one game in 1992. Brady missed the 2008 season, but compared to Montana losing basically the equivalent of 3 full years in his prime, you have to wonder how many rings Montana left on the field. The 49ers did, after all, go 14-2 in 1990 with Montana. Anyhow, this is where Brady has a chance to separate himself from Montana. You have to think that after throwing for over 5000 yards in 2011 that Brady still has a lot left in the tank. Consider that guys like Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre, Warren Moon, Dan Marino and John Elway were all able to play until at least the age of 38, it's safe to say you could expect at least another 4 years from Brady. If he's able to win or even just play in another Super Bowl and drastically surpass Montana statistically, doesn't he get an edge?
It becomes a fascinating debate, and you could probably write books on the subject if you really wanted to. For right now let's just say that Montana gets the edge for delivering in the clutch, while Brady already has him statistically while his overall legacy is still unfinished.
I'm wondering what you think about the Dwight Howard trade possibility. - The Dude, Chesapeake, VA
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
It's no secret that the Magic big man wants out of Orlando. The problem is, how do you get equal value in return for a player like that? He's truly a one of a kind talent and there just aren't a lot of scenarios where a trade make sense. The trade deadline is a little over a month away and it's possible as other pieces start falling something will present itself, but I wouldn't be totally shocked if Dwight Howard proved untradeable and instead becomes a free agent.
Is Clint Dempsey getting better with age? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
The simple answer is yes. Look at his numbers in his 6 seasons with Fulham:
2006-07 - 1 goal in 12 matches
2007-08 - 6 goals in 40 matches
2008-09 - 8 goals in 41 matches
2009-10 - 9 goals in 44 matches
2010-11 - 13 goals in 42 matches
2011-12 - 16 goals in 34 matches
Dempsey is 28 years old, and his career arc is pretty typical for a soccer player. The question for American soccer fans, is where's he going to be in 2014 when the World Cup rolls around? At some point, time is going to catch up to him, and bring him back down to earth. Dempsey will be 31 when the Cup kicks off in Brazil, and while that's not ancient by any means, it's not young for a soccer player either.
What are the odds of the Saints actually playing the Super Bowl as a home game next year with a good offseason and their new Defensive Coordinator? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: everyjoe.com
According to thespread.com, the Saints are getting 3:1 odds to win the NFC Championship Game next year, and 8:1 odds to win the Super Bowl. The road to hosting the Super Bowl isn't going to be an easy one though. The NFC boasts the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, the team with the best record last year in the Green Bay Packers, and the team with the best turnover ratio in football who knocked New Orleans out of the postseason in the 49ers, not to mention a slew of other contenders from the underachieving Eagles, to the upstart Lions, to the Carolina Cam Newtons.
If the Saints were to grab the top seed in the postseason I'd say they would be in good shape. They play as good as any team in the league at home and the Superdome offers a considerable edge to the Saints who love to play fast. Think Greatest Show on Turf. But the 2012 schedule doesn't do the Saints any favors. They play at Green Bay. At the New York Giants. At Dallas. At Denver. At Oakland. And then home games against the Chargers, 49ers and Eagles. And that doesn't even mention their always tough divisional games with the Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers. Hardly any guarantees there.
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
We know the Saints are going to score points, but their defense ranked 31st in the NFL and last in the NFC in creating turnovers. They were the only playoff team in the NFC that didn't have a positive turnover margin on the year, and ultimately that's what got them knocked out of the postseason (they turned the ball over 5 times against the 49ers). The Saints will have a new defensive coordinator next season in Steve Spagnuolo who was the Giants' defensive coordinator in 2007 when they
stunned undefeated New England to win Super Bowl XLII. Spagnuolo is notorious for putting pressure on the cornerback and his Giants led the NFL in sacks in 2007 with 53. But that New York team had Michael Strahan (9 sacks), Osi Umenyiora (13 sacks), Justin Tuck (10 sacks) and Fred Robbins (5.5 sacks) on the defensive line. The 2012 Saints had just 33 sacks and the only defensive lineman with more than 5 was Will Smith (6.5 sacks). The lack of pressure from the front four was certainly a contributing factor to the secondary intercepting just 9 passes in 626 pass attempts. So I'd look for some personnel changes in 2012. This defense needs some playmakers on both the D-Line and in the secondary for Spagnuolo to be able to work his magic.
At the end of the day though, with a healthy Drew Brees, you've always got a chance.
Jordan Jefferson has been in the news here lately, basically throwing his coach under the bus for his handling of the National Championship game. What are your thoughts on the situation, and could it possibly hurt recruiting at LSU for the foreseeable future? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: rivals.yahoo.com
I've never really been a big Jefferson fan, and this whole incident doesn't really do a whole lot to endear him to me.
"We have great [wide receivers] and sometimes we just wonder why we don't
use those guys. But we're not the one calling the plays. We still have
to go out and execute what the coaches and coordinators are calling. We
can't complain as players, but sometimes we do question that," said Jefferson in an interview with WCNN on Thursday.
Look, maybe he's right. Having watched the game, it's easy to say in hindsight that LSU probably should've approached the game differently. That said, this just isn't something you come out and say to the public. You want to see him take responsibility for his poor play. For example, the interception he threw when he literally pitched the ball right to the defender. He finished with just 53 passing yards in 17 attempts and ran for just 15 yards on 14 carries. Oh yeah, and LSU didn't cross the 50 until the 4th quarter. Jefferson should've just owned it. He was a senior leader on that team and he didn't deliver. Sample acceptable exchange:
Jefferson: We didn't play as well as I would've hoped. There's a lot of plays that I would've like to have back which is frustrating, but hat's off to Alabama. They came out and played a great game, and they just wanted it more than we did.
Interviewer: Do you think you could have done anything differently as far as the plays that were called?
Jefferson: Ultimately, it doesn't matter what plays are being called if we're not able to execute them. All the coaches can do is give us opportunities to succeed, but we're the ones that need to make the plays. That night we just didn't make enough plays on the offensive side of the ball.
All he had to do was say that, and move on. What he said helps nothing and just shows his lack of maturity.
As far as hurting recruiting I don't think that Jefferson, who won't be there any more, will have an impact. I'd be more concerned about the atmosphere in the locker room. When you hear rumors talking about riffs between the players and coaching staff and about how the team quit on their coach IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME because of the decisions he made, that sends some red flags if I'm a recruit. Look, this isn't Varsity Blues where you can mutiny and have everything work out for you so they need to get that, whatever it was, straightened out.
Photo Credit: jaymckinnon.com
Anyway, the best thing for recruiting is a winning program and LSU is coming off a season in which they went 13-1 and should have multiple players picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. As long as those trends continue, LSU is still going to continue to bring in talented players and they'll be right in the thick of things.
Did Barcelona really lose to Osasuna? Did that actually happen? I just wanna make sure I'm not nuts. - Cory L., Raceland, LA
You're not crazy. Somehow, Osasuna - who back in September was hammered by Barcelona by a score of 8-0 - was able to stun the reigning Champions League Winners by a score of 3-2. Dejan Lekić,
who entered the match with just one goal in league play on the year,
struck twice in the first 25 minutes to give the hosts a 2-0 lead and they never looked back. Twice Barcelona would cut the deficit to one
goal, but they couldn't find an equalizer as Osasuna held on for the shocking
victory. To emphasize how big an upset this is, let's compare the total number of National Team appearances between starting lineups:
Osasuna - 137, 124 by Iranian Javad Nekounam
Barcelona - 485
And that does not count Xavi (116), Andrés Iniesta (64) or Cesc Fábregas (64) who were all on the bench. Barcelona is now 10 points behind first
place Real Madrid and dreams of a La Liga Title are quickly slipping away.
Ok. Jonny Evans is garbage. He makes poor decisions, almost always seems to be out of position on the field and makes a lot of sloppy passes. Are his few and far between bright spots enough to outweigh his obvious suckiness? What does Sir Alex see that I don't? - Angry United Fan
The reality is, if not for the injury to Serbian center back Nemanja Vidić, Evans wouldn't be getting the playing time that he's been getting lately. And while he is mistake proned, and it's easy to point fingers at him, he's not a TERRIBLE player. He's played well on the international stage helping lead Northern Ireland to a 3-2 upset victory over Spain in his debut in 2006 and he even scored a goal in World Cup Qualifying against Poland in 2009. And since he started receiving significant minutes with United back in 2008-09, United has won two Premier League Championships, two Carling Cups, the FIFA Club World Cup and two FA Community Shields. And apparently, despite his rocky form, he has the support of his teammates. This is what veteran Rio Ferdinand said about Evans' performance against Liverpool on Saturday: "Jonny was fantastic. A lot of the stuff that has been
said about Jonny is way off the mark. He is appreciated by everyone in
the squad."
So obviously he's doing something right. I feel where you're coming from though. About a decade ago I felt the same way about American left back Jeff Agoos. I felt like every game I watched, he was the weak point, culminating with a brutal performance in our 3-2 upset of Portugal during the 2002 World Cup in which Agoos scored for the Portuguese. I absolutely hated seeing him in the lineup. And I hated his hair.
But at the end of the day, when you look at what Agoos did over his career - all-time leader in CAPs for a U.S. defender, 5 MLS Cup Titles, made 2 World Cup Squads, was a part of the U.S.'s 2002 Gold Cup Championship team (he even scored in the final) - maybe I was wrong. The only thing that I can chalk it up to is that evaluating defenders can be tricky sometimes. It's easy to pinpoint their mistakes because they usually have devastating results. And while Evans is certainly frustrating at times, the fact that his manager and teammates have his back should be all you need to know. So until United gets healthier, expect to get a continued dose of your nemesis.
Special thanks to all those who wrote in this week. Got a question for the mailbag? Email us at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com.
LSU's
offense was rendered completely inept in this year's National
Championship game that they lost 21-0. LSU gained just 92
total yards and didn't cross midfield until late in the 4th quarter.
Shutting out LSU is no small feat. In fact, the only school to do it in
the last 16 years is Alabama. In addition to last night, the Tide also
shut out the Tigers in 1996 and 2002. Who was the
last school other than Alabama to shut out LSU?
Answer:
Photo Credit: life.com
You have to go all the way back to September 4, 1993 when the Texas A&M Aggies shut out LSU 24-0 during the opening week of the '93 college football season. The '93 A&M defense featured future NFL Pro Bowlers Sam Adams and Aaron Glenn, both of whom were selected in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft.
This week's question:
Photo Credit: otr.blastmagazine.com
For all of Tom Brady's postseason accolades, Sunday marked just the 4th time in 20 career playoffs games that he'd thrown for over 300 yards. The last two occurrences both came against the Denver Broncos. What two other teams has Brady thrown for 300 yards against during the postseason?
Introducing our inaugural Monday Mailbag, where you guys, the readers, get to ask the questions. And since we're dealing with a relatively small pool of readers, I can more or less guarantee that if you send in a question, I'll answer it. Just shoot an email with your question to smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com. So without further ado:
Did the 49ers, Giants, and Ravens prove that "defense wins championships" and will one of them show the Patriots that there is truth to that cliche as well? - Ben K., Slidell, LA
Photo Credit: desertdemocrat.wordpress.com
I think what we saw this weekend was that if you turn the ball over a lot at this point in the season, you're going to lose. Check out the turnover lines from this weekend.
Every team that turned the ball over more than twice lost and New England was the only team to lose the turnover battle and still win. None of the three remaining teams are looking to get into a shootout with the Patriots. If New England's going to lose, their opponents are going to have to force turnovers and then capitalize on them.
When is an appropriate time frame to start getting hyped up for badminton, swimming, gymnastics, etc for the summer games? Also, am I only allowed to like gymnastics once every four years, and is it ok to refer to male gymnasts as "awesome" because of their muscles? - Ben K., Slidell, LA
You mean to tell me you're not hyped up about badminton all the time? Things are going to start heating up here pretty quick. I know women's soccer has it's pre-Olympic qualifying tournament kicking off this week, but the U.S. swimming trials aren't until June. Until you really know who's going, it's hard to really get amped up. But we're definitely at the point where you're going to start hearing more about the games in London.
As for gymnastics, we don't really have a professional gymnastics league during the off years to keep tabs on. So if you're looking for more of an opportunity to follow, I recommend checking out the USA Gymnastics website here.
As for the male gymnasts and their awesomeness, I dunno would you try to tell this guy he's not awesome?
Photo Credit: adevarul.ro
I don't know about this guy though. Although without the male gymnast, the guys in Old School would've been screwed.
Photo Credit: allmoviephoto.com
Was this the worst week ever for Louisiana football? LSU and the Saints lose, but they also lost the #1 LA high school prospect to Alabama. Chris Paul didn't want to be here either! Why don't athletes wnat to play in New Orleans? Haven't they read Drew Brees's book?!?!? - Ben K., Slidell, LA
Photo Credit: hattiesburgamerican.com
Simply put, yes. This was the worst week ever for Louisiana football. A big Neaux Geaux if you will. In the span of a week, dreams of two different championships were completely shattered. First LSU decided not to show up for the National Championship Game and got waxed 21-0 by their SEC rival Alabama. Then the Saints were surprised 36-32 by the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round thanks to 5 turnovers. Add in the fact that earlier this month safety Landon Collins, the state's top high school prospect, verbally committed to play college football at Alabama and 2012 has just been brutal to the Pelican Staters. I certainly can't think of a worse stretch for them.
As far as keeping their star athletes, I don't think the issue is Louisiana. Players want to win. And the Hornets never really did a good job building a winner around Chris Paul. If Paul was winning championships, I doubt he'd have been exploring his options elsewhere. Just look at the Saints: Drew Brees (2006), Pierre Thomas (2007), Marques Colston (2006), Devery Henderson (2005), Lance Moore (2006), Roman Harper (2006), Will Smith (2004)... They haven't been dealing with people trying to get out of town because they're WINNING. Who would the Hornets second best player have been this year if Paul had stayed? Emeka Okafor? Marco Belinelli? Carl Landry? Trevor Ariza? Compare that to playing with Blake Griffin, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups in L.A., and it's not hard to see the allure.
Lately there have been a lot of Americans getting called up
to play overseas (especially in England), many of whom have 0 caps for the
USMNT. What kind of effect is this going to have on Jurgen Klinsmann’s
selections in the future and what does this say about the level of talent we
seem to be producing? - Cory L., Raceland, LA
Photo Credit: tumblr.com
Klinsmann made it clear that he wants his guys to pursue opportunities overseas during the offseason.
"If you have a seven-, eight-month season, that's not competitive with
the rest of the world. If there's a national team player, he has to do
extra work," he said. "He has to do extra weeks, and he can't go on
vacation even if he says, 'Well, but I'm supposed now to have six weeks
off.' If he comes and says that, then I give him a hug and say, 'Have
fun the six weeks, but don't come back here.'"
And he's right. Lionel Messi (Argentina) appeared in 55 games for Barcelona last year. Nani (Portugal) appeared in 49 games for Manchester United. Phillip Lahm (Germany) played in 47 games for Bayern Munich. And the list goes on. Compare that to some MLS players with U.S. National Team experience: Tim Ream (32), Brek Shea (44), Landon Donovan (32), Robbie Rogers (30), Juan Agudelo (29)... That's a huge difference, and the reality is that we can't overcome the talent differential between the Spains and Argentinas and Brazils, etc. if they are playing more than we are.
Now, will it affect Klinsmann's future selections? Yes and no. There's more to the equation than just playing overseas. You really want to see guys going over there and excelling. Robbie Findley has 2 goals in 17 games for 18th place Nottingham Forest in England's 2nd Tier League. Those numbers aren't going to get him noticed. Conversely, you're starting to hear more of a buzz about guys like Sacha Kljestan (starting midfielder for the top team in Belgium), Maurice Edu (starting center mid for Rangers in Scotland) and Zak Whitbread (starting center back for 9th place Norwich City in the Premier League).
Klinsmann has already shown a willingness to bring in people with no National Team Experience, or people who had previously fallen out of favor with former coach Bob Bradley. My read on Klinsmann, is that he's going to bring in guys who he thinks can step in and make the team better regardless of their National Team resumes. Anyone who shows promise will get an opportunity.
AFC: Pats vs. Ravens. Pats defense really
stepped it up this past week and showed what they are capable of doing,
albeit against a less than stellar offense. And their Offense picked
apart a good solid defense to finish off the Broncos, and Tebow Mania. I
don't even want to comment on the Ravens play. If I were a Ravens fan I
would be concerned about next weekend. I think the Patriots by about
10 - 14 points. What do you think about the match up and why? - The Dude, Portsmouth, VA
At first glance it's easy to say that the Ravens underperformend, but people are quick to forget just how good Houston's defense is. The Texans ranked 2nd in the NFL during the regular season in yards per game allowed, and 4th in the NFL in points per game allowed. I acknowledge that the Ravens weren't especially sharp and Jacoby Jones' miscue certainly helped them out, but I don't think you could say the Ravens didn't deserve to win and I don't think it's worth reading into too much that they only won by seven.
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
As far as next week goes, I think it'll be closer than you're suggesting (predicated on the assumption that Ed Reed is healthy enough to be his normal self). The Patriots defense looked really good against Tim Tebow and the Broncos, but you had to expect that Coach Belichik was going to have a plan for how to deal with it, especially after seeing it once already during the season. I don't see them looking as formidable against the Ravens this weekend. Additionally the Ravens offense is far more dynamic and multi-faceted than the Broncos was. It's definitely a tough matchup.
What this game comes down to for me, is the performance of New England's tight ends. If the Ravens are able to contain Gronkowksi and Hernandez, it's going to be difficult for the Patriots to win. Obviously though, that's a lot easier said than done.
NFC: Giants vs. 49ers. Two very solid defenses,
two offenses who handle their own very well. I think the Giants have a
little more fire power, but the 49ers have a little more stopping
power. I personally think the Giants by 7-12 points. You? - The Dude, Portsmouth, VA
Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com
Giants by 12 points? No way. The 49ers have one double digit loss this season and that was to the Ravens, 16-6. Plus, they beat the Giants 27-20 when they met during the regular season. I get it that this isn't the same Giants team, but it's not the same 49ers team either. And while New York's offense was rolling on Sunday, keep in mind the Packers defense ranked dead last in the NFL in yards allowed per game. As you saw time and time again yesterday, they weren't able to stop the Giants in any facet of the game including 8 times on third down. Conversely, San Francisco was the toughest team to score on during the regular season, had the best turnover margin in the league (+28) and was the hardest team to run on (77.3 ypg). AND, they just beat an offense far more dynamic than New York's that doesn't have a Darren Sproles or Jimmy Graham to create mismatches. New York certainly has playmakers at wide receiver, but enough to overwhelm the 49ers? I'm not sure about that. This game is going to come down to turnovers. Whoever protects the football the best will win.
Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was the only member elected into the Hall of Fame this year by the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BWAA). Larkin received 495 of a possible 573 votes, good for 86.4%, well over the required 75% needed for election. While I have absolutely zero issues with Larkin being elected (he was on my mock ballot as well), I'm a little disappointed that Jeff Bagwell only received 56% of the vote. Especially when you consider that 4 people voted for Bill Mueller, 2 for Brad Radke and 1 for Eric Young. Seriously? Bill Mueller made zero all star teams in his 11 year career. He played over 130 games just 4 times, he never had 200 hits in a season, he never hit 20 homers in a season, and he hit over .300 just once after his rookie season. Radke had a winning record just 6 times in his 12 year career, finished only 9 games over .500, and had a lifetime ERA of 4.22. Eric Young made one all star team, scored over 100 runs just twice, and hit just .269 outside of Colorado in his career. And people voted for these guys! You're only allowed to vote for 10 players on your ballot. There's no way you convince me that there weren't 10 more deserving guys than Mueller, Radke and Young. Here's how the final voting ended up:
Speaking of voters...
ALABAMA NOT A UNANIMOUS CHAMP
Photo Credit: washingtontimes.com
So 4 of the AP voters elected not to choose Alabama as their number 1 team at the conclusion of the college football season. While 3 voters elected to pick Oklahoma State, Erik Gee, of KNML-AM in Albuquerque, was true to his word and picked LSU. Prior to the National Championship Game on Monday, Gee stated:
"I will vote for LSU no
matter what happens in the national championship game. How in the world can they be the SEC
West champ, the outright SEC champ and lose to Alabama in a 'neutral'
site game (I guess you can debate the Superdome being a neutral site)
after they have already beaten them in Tuscaloosa, have the series split
1-1 and not at least have a share of the national title?"
I guess my question for Mr. Gee would be, did you watch either game? Alabama should've won the game the first time these two teams met. They outgained LSU 295-239, had more first downs (17-15), converted more third downs (5-3) and only failed to win in regulation and because they missed 3 field goals and had an interception in the red zone. Then follow that up with the 21-0 beatdown they issued in the National Championship Game and you really want to argue that LSU was better?
"I was a lot closer than I thought I would be to changing my mind. I don’t think I necessarily
felt good about voting for LSU. But I also didn’t feel good about voting
for Alabama. I stared at the computer for 10 minutes. It wasn’t an easy
decision."
Photo Credit: sportsgrid.com
Again, did you even watch the game?
As for the Oklahoma State voters, I'm not sure I agree with their picks either. Here's the thing. Nobody had anyone other than LSU at number one before the bowl season started. But there were certainly those who had Oklahoma State ahead of Alabama at 2 and 3 respectively which I have no issues with. But who had the more impressive bowl win? Alabama, who absolutely dominated the consensus "best team in the country" or Oklahoma State who only won the Fiesta Bowl over 4th ranked Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson missed a 35 yard field goal that would have won the game at the end of regulation? I'm just saying. Even in those cases, I think you have to go Alabama, Oklahoma State, LSU.
HEAT HANDED SECOND LOSS IN WADE'S RETURN
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Dwyane Wade returned to the Heat lineup yesterday and scored a season high 34 points after sitting the previous three games with a foot injury . However, Wade struggled down the stretch connecting on just 2 of 10 field goals in the 4th quarter and overtime as the Heat blew a 17 point second half lead and fell to the Warriors 111-106. It wasn't just Wade who faltered in the 4th though. The Heat as a team hit just 2 of 17 shots in the final period allowing the shorthanded Warriors to rally for an improbable win. Nate Robinson, signed just a week ago after Curry's latest injury setback, led the charge and single-handedly outscored the Heat in the 4th quarter 15-12 while pulling Golden State within striking distance. Dorell Wright also came up big late hitting the game tying three in the final minute of the fourth quarter and then scoring 8 of Golden State's 15 points in overtime. Robinson and Wright were among four different Warriors scored at least 20 points in the game.
WIZARDS WIN!!!
Photo Credit: washingtonpost.com
Eight different Wizards scored at least 8 points, but no one more than 15 as the Wizards used a balanced attack to beat the Raptors 93-78 last night for their first win of the 2011-12 season. The Wizards used a big second quarter to take control of the game and they never looked back. John Wall continues to have his troubles though hitting on just 3 of 12 field goals. He did however have 9 assists. Every NBA team now has at least one win this season.
KOBE DROPS 48 ON PHOENIX
Photo Credit: usatoday.com
It appears that 33 year old Kobe Bryant still has a lot left in his tank. Bryant went for 48 points in just 39 minutes last night against the Phoenix Suns helping the Lakers to a 99-83 win. The 48 points were the most Bryant had scored in a single game since he scored 49 points against the Suns back in March of 2009.
FRIEDEL OUTDUELS HOWARD IN BATTLE OF AMERICAN KEEPERS
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Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur shut out Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Everton today 2-0 in a midweek Premier League showdown. The Spurs got goals from Aaron Lennon in the first half and Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the second, while Everton failed to put a shot on target. Tottenham now finds themselves level with 2nd place Manchester United in terms of points trailing them only on goal differential. More importantly, they are now 8 points clear of 4th place Chelsea. Everton's loss was their 10th of the season as they stay in 11th.
Before T.J. Yates beat the Bengals this weekend, who was the last NFL rookie
quarterback to lead his team to a playoff win?
Answer:
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I guess this question was a little too easy since almost everyone got it immediately. Probably because it happened so recently. Anyhow, as most of you figured out, the answer is Mark Sanchez. Sanchez beat the Bengals as a rookie in his playoff debut two years ago yesterday. Sanchez would also go on to beat the Chargers that year before losing to the Colts in the AFC Championship Game.
This week's question:
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LSU's offense was rendered completely inept in last night's National Championship game that they would go on to lose 21-0. LSU gained just 92 total yards and didn't cross midfield until late in the 4th quarter. Shutting out LSU is no small feat. In fact, the only school to do it in the last 16 years is Alabama. In addition to last night, the Tide also shut out the Tigers in 1996 and 2002. This week's question, who was the last school other than Alabama to shut out LSU?
