Partial
05-04-2006, 03:33 PM
Helmet-to-Helmet - 1st edition
by Partial
Welcome to the first ever edition of Helmet-to-Helmet!! This past weekend was the annual NFL draft and the off-season is wrapping up. That means that training camp is right around the corner!! What that means to armchair quarterbacks everywhere is it is time to start analyzing their favorite teams’ rosters, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, what they did to improve this off-season, and what they are going to need to do to be successful this upcoming season.
For the next eight weeks, I’m going to dissect one division a week and give everyone an honest view of where each team stands. Hopefully, by the end of those eight weeks we’ll have a strong idea of who’s going to be successful this year and who’s not. This week, the division we’re looking at is the AFC East.
The AFC East is primarily based in the north-eastern part of the country. With great historical franchises like the New York Jets and the New England Patriots come hardcore, passionate fans. These fans have very high expectations annually, which sometimes prove very difficult to meet.
New York Jets
This past year we saw the downfall of the New York Jets. Finishing with a record of 10-6 in the 2004-2005 Season led the Jets to a playoff birth. Riding of the efficient arm of Chad Pennington and the rushing tandem of Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan, they took a very good Steelers team to overtime in the second round of the playoffs. During that off-season, the Jets had some problems. For starters, two key players left the organization via free agency in LaMont Jordan (RB) and Jason Ferguson (NT). These holes went unaddressed during the off-season, as coach Herm Edwards assumed they could fill these holes with their own players.
As the 2005-2006 season began, the Jets proved to miss these players a great deal. Their defense could not stop the run nearly as effectively as previous years despite having great plays on their line in Shaun Ellis and John Abraham. Their offense struggled as Curtis Martin added a year of wear and tear to his body and his productivity greatly decreased. In week 3 of last season, underrated quarterback Chad Pennington went down with a second torn-rotator cuff of his career and he missed the rest of the year. The loss of Pennington and an old, aging roster led to the downfall of the Jets. Their offensive line went from one of the best, to simply mediocre in one season.
The 2006 Jets look to make huge strides in their quest to once again be a play-off team. In free agency, they added a very good and very underrated end in Kimo von Oelhoffen. With new coach Eric Mangini running a 3-4 defense, von Oelhoffen will be a solid run-stopping end and a threat to occasionally get to the passer. Personally, I think he will have one of the biggest impacts of any free-agent signing this off-season. In addition to shoring up the defensive trenches, they added two of the best offensive line prospects to enter the league through the draft in sometime. DeBrickshaw Ferguson was a consensus second or third best prospect in the entire draft. Ferguson has shown the intangibles and athletic ability to be a cornerstone left-tackle for the next decade. In addition to Ferguson, they added tenacious, nasty Ohio State center Nick Mangold. This guy is a scappy, old-school player with a mean streak. In addition to this, with the uncertainty surrounding Chad Pennington, they addressed their needs at quarterback in the off-season by bringing in Patrick Ramsey, and underrated and extremely intriguing prospect out of Oregon Kellen Clemens. Overall, I think the Jets are on the way up. By adding such great players to their offensive line through the draft they are set for years at those positions. I suspect they will have a difficult time being successful this year as they have questions at quarterback and running back. At quarterback they have a bright future in Clemens, but he is not ready to start yet. They still need to find a running back of the future to relieve Curtis Martin. They also are getting old at receiver and cornerback.
Based on the following needs, I see the Jets finishing the season around 7-9 or 8-8. They’ve got some young talent, yet at the same time they are getting old at several positions and don’t have any young depth to relieve their older guys. They do however have a strong, young core. They’ll be a very, very good team in the near-future if they continue to draft as well and with the same fundamentals as they did this year.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have been the team to beat the past couple of years. The problem with this is that you can only stay competitive for so long in the NFL, due to the salary cap and draft positioning. Last year, the Patriots were riddled with injuries. They were playing back-ups to back-ups and players out of position. I don’t think that will be the case again this year, but they did lose some key players this off-season. The loss of Willie McGinest is really going to hurt because in addition to a solid player, he was the heart and soul of their locker room. He was their leader on defense and the cornerstone of that franchise since their Super Bowl run in 1997. However, I do think they made the right decision, albeit a difficult one to make, to not pay an aging player big bucks. The decision not to pay David Gibbons top-dollar is another fine but difficult decision to make.
The Patriots have several bright spots, including the best coach and quarterback in the league. Say what you will about Peyton Manning, until he is ever as clutch and level-headed as Tom Brady when the pressure is on he will never surpass him. Bill Belichick knows how to win, and no matter how much talent is on the team, he will make the most of it and field a competitive team.
The one problem the Patriots are going to have is they are starting to get older and are having trouble replacing departed free agents through the draft since they never have a high selection. This was bound to catch up with the team eventually and I believe this is the season we will see it.
This year they added two very highly regarded prospects in Chad Jackson and Laurence Maroney. Personally, I think these were two of the most overrated players in the draft and I do not understand why they chose them. DeAngelo Williams would have been the logical choice in the first round to relieve aging running back Corey Dillon, but the uncharacteristic move to trade up and grab Chad Jackson bedazzles me. Historically, the Patriots have been one of the most successful teams through the draft because they would take the best player available, and they would take people who performed well during games, not at the combine. While Jackson had ridiculous numbers at the combine, his in game performance does not match his combine performance. It doesn’t come close. I think this pick was extremely questionable. If Jackson was a good as his combine numbers would lead you to believe, there is no way the Pittsburg Steelers would have traded up to grab Santonio Holmes. Instead, they would have let Jackson fall into their lap. I don’t think Jackson will be able to step in and fill Gibbons shoes this season. Hell, I don’t think he will be able to ever.
Overall, the Patriots will have an alright year. They are starting to show their age, and they are down from 4-5 playmakers to only Richard Seymore and Tom Brady. I question how far they can go with only those two. They have questions at linebacker and in the secondary. On the offensive front, they don’t have a suitable replacement for Gibbons who departed, and Corey Dillon is showing signs of his old age. Great teams can only be great for so long. I think this is the year the Patriots fall back to reality and are only mediocre. The Patriots will go 8-8.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills intrigue me. They haven’t done anything spectacular in recent memory despite being one of the best defensive teams in the league over the last few years, and are once again under a new regime. Dick Jauron is an awful choice for coach considering some of the available proven coaches that were out there. Mike Sherman would have been a much better choice.
The Bills have some cornerstones in place for a very good defense. They were ranked number two overall in 2004. Their defensive play went down the tubes with the loss of Pat Williams to the Vikings. This year, they let Sam Adams and several other aging players walk, and spent some cap room on young up and comers such as Larry Triplett and Craig Nall.
In the draft, Buffalo made some poor decisions. For starters, in the first round, they could have traded down 5-6 spots, added a second round pick and still have landed safety Donte Whitner. Whitner is a very good player by all accounts, but is he worthy of a top 10 pick? They would have been better suited going with Ernie Sims. Later on in the first round, they traded up to draft John McCargo. McCargo was a productive player in college, but he is undersized and slow for an NFL defensive tackle. No one in their right minds had him going in the first round. In addition to this, scouts question whether his success was from playing on the same line as Mario Williams and Manny Lawson. Ashton Youboty could turn out to be a star in this league. I like that pick-up.
Offensively, the outcome looks bleak for the Bills. They haven’t had a solid starter since Jim Kelley retired more than a decade ago, and the fact they traded away their best receiver for a 5th round pick is only going to make things more difficult for whoever ends up starting behind center. They resigned Peerless Price, but he has shown over the past few years that he is an average second receiver, and most likely a good third receiver at best. Willis McGahee is a tremendous player, but he cannot do it all himself. Lee Evans is intriguing, but can he be a dominating receiver? I am as big of a fan of Evans as there is, but I do think he benefited from playing next to Moulds in the same way that Peerless Price did several years ago. Can he step up and erase Eric Moulds from our minds? Only time will tell.
Craig Nall is going to surprise some people in Bills camp. Let me tell you, I think he gives that team the best chance to win. He will bring a fearless and winning attitude he learned under the tutelage of Brett Favre to a team very much in need of a leader. If he doesn’t win the starting job at the start of the season, expect him to replace the starter by mid-season. This guy can flat out play.
The Bills are only going to go as far as their offense takes them. If Evans can step up and make us forget about Eric Moulds, they have a sporting chance to compete. Willis McGahee is one of the few premier backs in the league. He will rush for 1500 yards this season in a rush-dominated offense. If their defenses signing and rookies pan out, they could once again be a defensive power house. They have addresses the defensive tackle spot with three additions, but will they be able to fill the 700 pound shoes of Pat Williams and Sam Adams? If they can stop the run, they’ll be tough defensively. Aaron Schobel will put up double-digit sacks, and Nate Clements and what could be the steal of the draft in Ashton Youboty should be able to shut down some receivers.
This could turn out to be a very important year for the Bills. They look young and hungry at a lot of positions, but have made some very questionable moves. If they can find a quarterback in Craig Nall or JP Lousman, they will go 9-7. If they can’t, they’ll be 6-10.
Miami Dolphins
Miami is a team on the rise league wide. The rest of the league had better watch out because they are coming, and they are coming hard. Nick Saban may have been the best addition to that team last year. He took a team with essentially the same players, added Ronnie Brown, and turned them into a 9-7 team. While their record did not reflect it, by the end of the year the Dolphins were playing like a team on a rampage. They were tough, physical, fast, and aggressive on both sides of the football.
Ronnie Brown is a very, very good running back. Even though he wasn’t a finalist for rookie of the year, one could argue his impact was bigger than several of those who were. For starters, he made the city of Miami finally get over the mistake known as Ricky Williams. They can rest calmly knowing they will get 1200 yards annually from Ronnie Brown for a long, long time. In addition to this, Chris Chambers is a very, very good receiver. He is probably the most underrated receiver in the league. He is a very versatile weapon in the passing game.
The biggest acquisition for the Dolphins was all-pro quarterback Duante Culpepper. Culpepper is coming off a very serious knee injury, but that did not stop a team in need of a quarterback from tacking a gamble on him. It was a risk worth taking because if Culpepper comes back healthy, he will be the player that puts them over the top. If he doesn’t pan out, all they lose is a second round pick.
The only question I have about this team offensively is can they protect passer? That is their one weak link in their offense that they did not address in the draft. I suspect Daunte will struggle this season coming off the injury if his protection isn’t up to par.
Defensively, this team is solid. They have Jason Taylor staring at end, a great linebacking core with Zach Thomas and Channing Crowder, and a very good safety in Lance Shulters. This team will be able to stop the run and get to the passer. The one shortcoming they have is the secondary. They’ve lost two pro-bowl corners and haven’t found a proven replacement for either yet. They drafted Jason Allen in the first round of the draft, which they plan on winning one of the starting spots in camp. Time will tell how he does, but my guess is he rides the bench to start the season.
Overall, this is a team on the rise. They are very close to being a Super Bowl caliber team. If they get better than expected play from their offensive line and get a solid pass-rush, it’s possible they could make a run at the Super Bowl this year. They’ve got an explosive offense, a great coach, and a solid defense. This team will win the division, and will end the year at 11-5.
Five Random Rants
How could Houston pass on Reggie Bush? I realize what they’re trying to do, but man are they going to regret that if he turns into the player everyone thinks he’s going to. You can make the argument all day long that he won’t have as big of an impact, but the fact remains he would have sold jerseys, filled seats, and rejuvenated a franchise that has needed a player like this to come along simply to spark them. It may have been a good football decision, but it was a very poor business decision.
Anyone see that Lost episode last night? That last 5 minutes was nuts!! For what its worth, that is the best show on TV. It is the only show that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It makes Keifer Sutherland its bitch. No one on earth could have predicted Michael would do that!! Craziness!
I don’t like the NBA playoffs set-up now. The first round is too long. It took five games for the Pistons to beat the Bucks. It should have realistically taken three. I think it is getting to the point where there are too many games. I’d rather the first round is three games and the players save their energy for the latter rounds where the games are more competitive. I mean really, who didn’t know the Pistons were going to beat the bucks. I wish they’d have a tournament or one-game elimination to make them more interesting. That’s why Football and NCAA Basketball have a strong-hold on post-season play.
If cities like Madison and Appleton are going to have public smoking bans, the state should push for a statewide public smoking ban. That way, companies cannot complain about customers being driven out of their restaurants to neighboring towns because they can smoke there. It would make a whole lot more sense to go all or nothing on something like this.
LeBron is the only player since Michael has retired that has skills that can even rival his. He is so good in every single sense of the game. What an interesting life this kid has had too. He was featured in Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in high school, at which point he was already forecasted to be the first pick in the NBA draft. In addition to all of this, he is one of the more well-spoken players in the league. I like him. A lot.
2 Players to Watch for This Season
In the spirit of the AFC East this week, watch for:
Craig Nall – QB, Buffalo
Derek Hagan – REC, Miami
Quote of the Week
“We're looking for the real football players; sometimes you get too caught up in the numbers. Watch out for the pretty girl with the curls. We wanted football guys.â€ÂÂ
- Ted Thompson, General Manager of the Green Bay Packers
by Partial
Welcome to the first ever edition of Helmet-to-Helmet!! This past weekend was the annual NFL draft and the off-season is wrapping up. That means that training camp is right around the corner!! What that means to armchair quarterbacks everywhere is it is time to start analyzing their favorite teams’ rosters, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, what they did to improve this off-season, and what they are going to need to do to be successful this upcoming season.
For the next eight weeks, I’m going to dissect one division a week and give everyone an honest view of where each team stands. Hopefully, by the end of those eight weeks we’ll have a strong idea of who’s going to be successful this year and who’s not. This week, the division we’re looking at is the AFC East.
The AFC East is primarily based in the north-eastern part of the country. With great historical franchises like the New York Jets and the New England Patriots come hardcore, passionate fans. These fans have very high expectations annually, which sometimes prove very difficult to meet.
New York Jets
This past year we saw the downfall of the New York Jets. Finishing with a record of 10-6 in the 2004-2005 Season led the Jets to a playoff birth. Riding of the efficient arm of Chad Pennington and the rushing tandem of Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan, they took a very good Steelers team to overtime in the second round of the playoffs. During that off-season, the Jets had some problems. For starters, two key players left the organization via free agency in LaMont Jordan (RB) and Jason Ferguson (NT). These holes went unaddressed during the off-season, as coach Herm Edwards assumed they could fill these holes with their own players.
As the 2005-2006 season began, the Jets proved to miss these players a great deal. Their defense could not stop the run nearly as effectively as previous years despite having great plays on their line in Shaun Ellis and John Abraham. Their offense struggled as Curtis Martin added a year of wear and tear to his body and his productivity greatly decreased. In week 3 of last season, underrated quarterback Chad Pennington went down with a second torn-rotator cuff of his career and he missed the rest of the year. The loss of Pennington and an old, aging roster led to the downfall of the Jets. Their offensive line went from one of the best, to simply mediocre in one season.
The 2006 Jets look to make huge strides in their quest to once again be a play-off team. In free agency, they added a very good and very underrated end in Kimo von Oelhoffen. With new coach Eric Mangini running a 3-4 defense, von Oelhoffen will be a solid run-stopping end and a threat to occasionally get to the passer. Personally, I think he will have one of the biggest impacts of any free-agent signing this off-season. In addition to shoring up the defensive trenches, they added two of the best offensive line prospects to enter the league through the draft in sometime. DeBrickshaw Ferguson was a consensus second or third best prospect in the entire draft. Ferguson has shown the intangibles and athletic ability to be a cornerstone left-tackle for the next decade. In addition to Ferguson, they added tenacious, nasty Ohio State center Nick Mangold. This guy is a scappy, old-school player with a mean streak. In addition to this, with the uncertainty surrounding Chad Pennington, they addressed their needs at quarterback in the off-season by bringing in Patrick Ramsey, and underrated and extremely intriguing prospect out of Oregon Kellen Clemens. Overall, I think the Jets are on the way up. By adding such great players to their offensive line through the draft they are set for years at those positions. I suspect they will have a difficult time being successful this year as they have questions at quarterback and running back. At quarterback they have a bright future in Clemens, but he is not ready to start yet. They still need to find a running back of the future to relieve Curtis Martin. They also are getting old at receiver and cornerback.
Based on the following needs, I see the Jets finishing the season around 7-9 or 8-8. They’ve got some young talent, yet at the same time they are getting old at several positions and don’t have any young depth to relieve their older guys. They do however have a strong, young core. They’ll be a very, very good team in the near-future if they continue to draft as well and with the same fundamentals as they did this year.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have been the team to beat the past couple of years. The problem with this is that you can only stay competitive for so long in the NFL, due to the salary cap and draft positioning. Last year, the Patriots were riddled with injuries. They were playing back-ups to back-ups and players out of position. I don’t think that will be the case again this year, but they did lose some key players this off-season. The loss of Willie McGinest is really going to hurt because in addition to a solid player, he was the heart and soul of their locker room. He was their leader on defense and the cornerstone of that franchise since their Super Bowl run in 1997. However, I do think they made the right decision, albeit a difficult one to make, to not pay an aging player big bucks. The decision not to pay David Gibbons top-dollar is another fine but difficult decision to make.
The Patriots have several bright spots, including the best coach and quarterback in the league. Say what you will about Peyton Manning, until he is ever as clutch and level-headed as Tom Brady when the pressure is on he will never surpass him. Bill Belichick knows how to win, and no matter how much talent is on the team, he will make the most of it and field a competitive team.
The one problem the Patriots are going to have is they are starting to get older and are having trouble replacing departed free agents through the draft since they never have a high selection. This was bound to catch up with the team eventually and I believe this is the season we will see it.
This year they added two very highly regarded prospects in Chad Jackson and Laurence Maroney. Personally, I think these were two of the most overrated players in the draft and I do not understand why they chose them. DeAngelo Williams would have been the logical choice in the first round to relieve aging running back Corey Dillon, but the uncharacteristic move to trade up and grab Chad Jackson bedazzles me. Historically, the Patriots have been one of the most successful teams through the draft because they would take the best player available, and they would take people who performed well during games, not at the combine. While Jackson had ridiculous numbers at the combine, his in game performance does not match his combine performance. It doesn’t come close. I think this pick was extremely questionable. If Jackson was a good as his combine numbers would lead you to believe, there is no way the Pittsburg Steelers would have traded up to grab Santonio Holmes. Instead, they would have let Jackson fall into their lap. I don’t think Jackson will be able to step in and fill Gibbons shoes this season. Hell, I don’t think he will be able to ever.
Overall, the Patriots will have an alright year. They are starting to show their age, and they are down from 4-5 playmakers to only Richard Seymore and Tom Brady. I question how far they can go with only those two. They have questions at linebacker and in the secondary. On the offensive front, they don’t have a suitable replacement for Gibbons who departed, and Corey Dillon is showing signs of his old age. Great teams can only be great for so long. I think this is the year the Patriots fall back to reality and are only mediocre. The Patriots will go 8-8.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills intrigue me. They haven’t done anything spectacular in recent memory despite being one of the best defensive teams in the league over the last few years, and are once again under a new regime. Dick Jauron is an awful choice for coach considering some of the available proven coaches that were out there. Mike Sherman would have been a much better choice.
The Bills have some cornerstones in place for a very good defense. They were ranked number two overall in 2004. Their defensive play went down the tubes with the loss of Pat Williams to the Vikings. This year, they let Sam Adams and several other aging players walk, and spent some cap room on young up and comers such as Larry Triplett and Craig Nall.
In the draft, Buffalo made some poor decisions. For starters, in the first round, they could have traded down 5-6 spots, added a second round pick and still have landed safety Donte Whitner. Whitner is a very good player by all accounts, but is he worthy of a top 10 pick? They would have been better suited going with Ernie Sims. Later on in the first round, they traded up to draft John McCargo. McCargo was a productive player in college, but he is undersized and slow for an NFL defensive tackle. No one in their right minds had him going in the first round. In addition to this, scouts question whether his success was from playing on the same line as Mario Williams and Manny Lawson. Ashton Youboty could turn out to be a star in this league. I like that pick-up.
Offensively, the outcome looks bleak for the Bills. They haven’t had a solid starter since Jim Kelley retired more than a decade ago, and the fact they traded away their best receiver for a 5th round pick is only going to make things more difficult for whoever ends up starting behind center. They resigned Peerless Price, but he has shown over the past few years that he is an average second receiver, and most likely a good third receiver at best. Willis McGahee is a tremendous player, but he cannot do it all himself. Lee Evans is intriguing, but can he be a dominating receiver? I am as big of a fan of Evans as there is, but I do think he benefited from playing next to Moulds in the same way that Peerless Price did several years ago. Can he step up and erase Eric Moulds from our minds? Only time will tell.
Craig Nall is going to surprise some people in Bills camp. Let me tell you, I think he gives that team the best chance to win. He will bring a fearless and winning attitude he learned under the tutelage of Brett Favre to a team very much in need of a leader. If he doesn’t win the starting job at the start of the season, expect him to replace the starter by mid-season. This guy can flat out play.
The Bills are only going to go as far as their offense takes them. If Evans can step up and make us forget about Eric Moulds, they have a sporting chance to compete. Willis McGahee is one of the few premier backs in the league. He will rush for 1500 yards this season in a rush-dominated offense. If their defenses signing and rookies pan out, they could once again be a defensive power house. They have addresses the defensive tackle spot with three additions, but will they be able to fill the 700 pound shoes of Pat Williams and Sam Adams? If they can stop the run, they’ll be tough defensively. Aaron Schobel will put up double-digit sacks, and Nate Clements and what could be the steal of the draft in Ashton Youboty should be able to shut down some receivers.
This could turn out to be a very important year for the Bills. They look young and hungry at a lot of positions, but have made some very questionable moves. If they can find a quarterback in Craig Nall or JP Lousman, they will go 9-7. If they can’t, they’ll be 6-10.
Miami Dolphins
Miami is a team on the rise league wide. The rest of the league had better watch out because they are coming, and they are coming hard. Nick Saban may have been the best addition to that team last year. He took a team with essentially the same players, added Ronnie Brown, and turned them into a 9-7 team. While their record did not reflect it, by the end of the year the Dolphins were playing like a team on a rampage. They were tough, physical, fast, and aggressive on both sides of the football.
Ronnie Brown is a very, very good running back. Even though he wasn’t a finalist for rookie of the year, one could argue his impact was bigger than several of those who were. For starters, he made the city of Miami finally get over the mistake known as Ricky Williams. They can rest calmly knowing they will get 1200 yards annually from Ronnie Brown for a long, long time. In addition to this, Chris Chambers is a very, very good receiver. He is probably the most underrated receiver in the league. He is a very versatile weapon in the passing game.
The biggest acquisition for the Dolphins was all-pro quarterback Duante Culpepper. Culpepper is coming off a very serious knee injury, but that did not stop a team in need of a quarterback from tacking a gamble on him. It was a risk worth taking because if Culpepper comes back healthy, he will be the player that puts them over the top. If he doesn’t pan out, all they lose is a second round pick.
The only question I have about this team offensively is can they protect passer? That is their one weak link in their offense that they did not address in the draft. I suspect Daunte will struggle this season coming off the injury if his protection isn’t up to par.
Defensively, this team is solid. They have Jason Taylor staring at end, a great linebacking core with Zach Thomas and Channing Crowder, and a very good safety in Lance Shulters. This team will be able to stop the run and get to the passer. The one shortcoming they have is the secondary. They’ve lost two pro-bowl corners and haven’t found a proven replacement for either yet. They drafted Jason Allen in the first round of the draft, which they plan on winning one of the starting spots in camp. Time will tell how he does, but my guess is he rides the bench to start the season.
Overall, this is a team on the rise. They are very close to being a Super Bowl caliber team. If they get better than expected play from their offensive line and get a solid pass-rush, it’s possible they could make a run at the Super Bowl this year. They’ve got an explosive offense, a great coach, and a solid defense. This team will win the division, and will end the year at 11-5.
Five Random Rants
How could Houston pass on Reggie Bush? I realize what they’re trying to do, but man are they going to regret that if he turns into the player everyone thinks he’s going to. You can make the argument all day long that he won’t have as big of an impact, but the fact remains he would have sold jerseys, filled seats, and rejuvenated a franchise that has needed a player like this to come along simply to spark them. It may have been a good football decision, but it was a very poor business decision.
Anyone see that Lost episode last night? That last 5 minutes was nuts!! For what its worth, that is the best show on TV. It is the only show that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It makes Keifer Sutherland its bitch. No one on earth could have predicted Michael would do that!! Craziness!
I don’t like the NBA playoffs set-up now. The first round is too long. It took five games for the Pistons to beat the Bucks. It should have realistically taken three. I think it is getting to the point where there are too many games. I’d rather the first round is three games and the players save their energy for the latter rounds where the games are more competitive. I mean really, who didn’t know the Pistons were going to beat the bucks. I wish they’d have a tournament or one-game elimination to make them more interesting. That’s why Football and NCAA Basketball have a strong-hold on post-season play.
If cities like Madison and Appleton are going to have public smoking bans, the state should push for a statewide public smoking ban. That way, companies cannot complain about customers being driven out of their restaurants to neighboring towns because they can smoke there. It would make a whole lot more sense to go all or nothing on something like this.
LeBron is the only player since Michael has retired that has skills that can even rival his. He is so good in every single sense of the game. What an interesting life this kid has had too. He was featured in Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in high school, at which point he was already forecasted to be the first pick in the NBA draft. In addition to all of this, he is one of the more well-spoken players in the league. I like him. A lot.
2 Players to Watch for This Season
In the spirit of the AFC East this week, watch for:
Craig Nall – QB, Buffalo
Derek Hagan – REC, Miami
Quote of the Week
“We're looking for the real football players; sometimes you get too caught up in the numbers. Watch out for the pretty girl with the curls. We wanted football guys.â€ÂÂ
- Ted Thompson, General Manager of the Green Bay Packers