Pro Bowl Weekend

A few years ago i came up with an idea to make the NFL Pro Bowl a better draw for the league.  My plan was to move the game from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before.  That way the week before the big game would be filled and there would still be interest in seeing the best in the game play.  The NFL then adopted my method and nothing has changed.  So now I have a new plan.  Scrap the game entirely, but let the weekend go on.

The problem with the Pro Bowl is that it is the dullest game of the year.  QB's are throwing to guys that they never throw to.  Most of the players are running plays that they never ran.  They have one week to prepare for the game, but it doesn't count for anything so the intensity of the preparation is lacking.  Defenses aren't allowed to blitz and there is an unwritten rule to not hit anyone to hard.  So, we are treated to lots of missed plays, blown assignments and unexciting football.  Why bother?  The players are honored for being selected but unless it is their first time they really don't want to play another game.  My solution, don't play the game anymore.

The Pro Bowl should turn into All-Pro Weekend.  The NFL treats the the best in the league to 3 or 4 days in Hawaii and treats us to fun competitions that aren't a football game.  I love things like the QB challenge, lineman challenges, and anything along those lines.  Put microphones on all the players and have them compete against each other in skill competitions.  The banter between players and commentators if fun, the skills shown off are impressive and the events as a whole are entertaining.  Sounds to me like a win/win situation.

The Pro Bowl, as it stands, sucks.  The league knows it sucks, the players know it sucks, and the fans know it sucks.  I feel the league should let it go by the wayside and reward the players with a trip to Hawaii and us to entertaining competition.  Let the players personalities and skills show without boring us to tears with a bad football game.  I'm going to go see a movie this weekend instead of watching the Pro Bowl.  It might be the same with the competitions, but I would at least DVR those.

College Football Looses a Legend

As a football fan that grew up in New Jersey, I loved Penn State football.  I loved how they produced linebackers, how they were always in the mix for conference and national championships, how you never heard about major recruiting violations or a slue of arrest on that campus.  The thing I loved most was Joe Paterno and the loyalty that he showed to the Penn State.

Joe Paterno coached at Penn State for over 60 years.  He owns the record for most years coaching at one institution and it is a record that will never come close to being broken.  During his time as the head coach of Penn State, Paterno has won 2 National Championships and produced countless NFL players.  He preached to young men how to live their lives better and be better people.  He stood up for doing the right thing when college football started to become corrupt and continued that standard up until his last day as the head coach of the Nittany Lions.

Joe Paterno had opportunities to go to the NFL and try his hat at the pro level.  He never took those opportunities and there were 2 reasons why.  First, he has said that he didn't want to leave college football to the Barry Switzers and Jimmy Johnsons of the world.  He felt that coaches needed to set an example for their players and when he saw the up and coming coaches and the way that their programs made the news it upset him and he wanted to make sure that their was always one man dedicated to doing things the right way.  His second reason for staying was his love for Penn State and his players.  You can't stay in one place for 60 years without being in love with it and it loving you back.  The relationship that Joe Paterno had with that campus and that community will never be seen again in college athletics and possibly anywhere ever again.  It is a relationship that I can't understand because I was never a part of it, but like so many others I wish I were.

After 60 years of dedication to Penn State Paterno was fired in the midst of a cover-up scandal that involved  Jerry Sandusky and accusation of child molestation.  Joe Paterno had reported the incident to his superiors and trusted them to handle the situation properly.  That is where Paterno left it and that is ultimately why he was fired unceremoniously.  He expressed remorse for not doing more at the time, but Paterno did testify to a grand jury in order to help investigators with their case.  Paterno didn't do anything wrong.  He followed protocols that were set up by Penn State and the state of Pennsylvania and unfortunately his superiors dropped the ball.  I, like many others, feel that Joe Paterno was wrongly fired and not shown the loyalty or respect from the university that he had shown them for more than 60 years.

Joe Paterno died this weekend due to complications from lung cancer.  He was diagnosed with cancer almost immediately after his firing.  He said once, after being asked why he didn't want to retire, that he was afraid he would end up like Bear Bryant.  He was afraid that not coaching would kill him by not giving him something to live for.  Well, only a few months after leaving coaching Joe Paterno has left this life and I hope that his death will help people remember all the things he did to make the world a better place.  Remember the charitable contributions, the library he built for Penn State, the respect he showed for others, and stories that anyone that was lucky enough to know him have shared.  The likes of Joe Paterno will never be seen in athletics ever again.  Thank you Mr. Paterno for all you did and the role model you were and your legacy can continue to be.

Nuggets Prove Teams Win in NBA

With the Broncos season being over it is now time in Denver to turn our thoughts to basketball.  Last season was filled with drama and fairly high expectations considering the fact that Melo wasn't expected to last the season here.  Throughout the season the Nuggets performed well but it wasn't until after they unloaded Melo that the team really had a chance to gel and show what they would be like in the post diva era.  Well, an offseason later and the Nuggets have found their identity and looking to make a big splash in the West.

With Anthony as the star of the Nuggets we grew accustomed to some fairly impressive offensive showings and very little to cheer about when it comes to defensive efforts.  We were treated to a lot of one on one situations and clear outs which, though exciting on some level, have nothing to do with a team game.  That presence no longer looms over the Pepsi Center or this team.  George Carl has transformed what was a one man show into a collective team effort and the Nuggets seem to be on the right path to another playoff birth.

There are 7 players that are averaging over 20 minutes of playing time a game.  Of those 7 players only 2 aren't averaging 10 or more points per game.  I know that isn't a daunting stat since most teams in the NBA have 5 players in double digit points per game, but accompanied with the depth that the Nuggets have it is a dangerous combination.  The Nuggets bench scores 54 points per game, 4 points more than the starting 5.  That kind of production makes it hard for teams to defend them because it doesn't matter who is on the court, the Nuggets are going to score points.

The other thing that makes the Nuggets so dangerous is there unselfish play.  Denver leads the league in assist and that has contributed a great deal to their 104 points per game (2nd in the NBA).  When you have a team that buys into the coaches plan and buys into each other then you have a team that can play with anyone.  I know that Denver still has some issues to work out.  Their defense ranks among the worst in the league and they same goes for their rebounding, but I see a team that will continue to get better in those areas and potentially get better on offense as well.

The NBA lockout really left a bitter taste in my mouth.  I didn't want to watch any of these spoiled athletes at all this season because the fans were being punished for the crimes of others.  If I had to watch a typical NBA team in my local market then I probably would still feel that way.  Instead I am treated to the team effort of the Denver Nuggets and have a team that I can get behind.  The Nuggets are dangerous with their style of play and I hope that they can continue to improve and show the world that you don't need an overpaid "superstar" in order to win a championship.

Why a Lower Standard?

All season long you have read my articles, either here or at StateoftheSport.com, in which I question the effectiveness of Tim Tebow as a QB in the NFL.  I wrote those articles in the hope that people would learn to look past the hype and see the reality.  The reality is that he isn't very good.  Actually, he is the worst in the league.  I say this not from a position of hatred towards the man but hatred towards the overblown coverage and praise for what is less than average play.

I am not blind to the fact that the Broncos won 7 games while Tebow was the QB.  I watched most of those games and have to say that it was painful doing so.  I watched an offense go from scoring over 20 points a game to barely being able to break into the teens in most games.  The offense was terrible after the switch yet the Broncos won 6 games in a row and 7 games in total.  Tebow was deemed the reason for the turn around and since then I haven't been able to listen to sports radio because it is just infuriating.

When it comes to Tim Tebow all the supporters can talk about are his intangibles and the fact that "he wins games."  The reason that people talk about his intangibles is because every bit of tangible evidence that he has provided as a pro would have seen him bench after 2-3 weeks.  So, lets look at the tangibles that Tebow brings to the table.  In his 11 games as a starter he is passing for 124 yards per game, averages 11 completions per game, and 3 sacks per game.  He doesn't rank higher than 28th in any category and he ranks dead last in completion percentage (just over 46%) and yards per game.  I'm glad he has great intangibles because the work he has done on the field is measurably poor.

Now, the statement that he wins games must be looked at based on performances that can be duplicated and will win most games.  If Tim Tebow is the starter in Denver for the foreseeable future, what have we seen from him that leads us to believe that he can lead a winning team?  The fact that the team has 4 overtime wins, the last minutes "heroics" to win games in regulation?  If he didn't play poorly for the first 3 quarters then the "heroics" wouldn't be needed and maybe those 4 games that went into overtime would have been settled in regulation.  To this point, though, I haven't seen any substantial improvements that you can say prove he will be effective as a starter in the NFL.

So, If Tim Tebow is rated lower than at least 28 other QB's in this league in every category then why are the people in Denver and around the country sold on him being the QB of the future?  Why is the standard of play that is acceptable for a starter lowered for this man?  He doesn't work any harder than any other top quality player does, he doesn't have a greater will to win than a Manning or Brees, and he has proven that he can't produce anywhere near the same level as even average QB's.  Maybe the standard in Denver needs to be just a little bit higher and find a guy that can be talked about tangibly.

Giant Win

Today I watched the New York Giants beat the Atlanta Falcons at home in a blow out.  It was the first home win in the playoffs since 2000 and it was pulled off in impressive fashion.  The Giants ran, passed and played defense like they hadn't in long time.  Their play today sparked memories of the team that made a playoff run to the Super Bowl and upset the New England Patriots.  It is amazing what this team can do when it is healthy.

Ever since the preseason the Giants have been devastated by injuries.  They lost all but 2 of their starting defensive backfield, their starting middle linebacker and the defensive line hasn't been complete all season.  The defensive backfield is still in shambles but they have had an entire season to learn how to play with each other.  They have found ways to create turnovers and don't give up big plays very often.  The middle linebacker position has been filled recently by Chase Blackburn, a former Giant that was resigned and made an immediate impact and solidified the linebacking core.  For the first time all season, it feels like, the defensive line is a full strength.  Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck appear to be healthy and have been getting after the QB like years past.  That coupled with Jason Pierre-Paul's emergence as an elite player is making this defensive line look even better than the one that won a Super Bowl a few years ago.

Health is also the main reason that the Giants offense is clicking on all cylinders right now as well.  Through the season, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs have dealt with several injuries each.  For the most part the were rarely played together this season.  That plus new faces and frequent injuries on the offensive line caused the Giants to have the worst rushing attack in the NFL.  Now the offensive line is stable and the Backs are as healthy as they have been all season long and Brandon Jacobs is running like he was when the Giants won the Super Bowl.

There is one thing about the Giants that isn't looking like it did when they won the Super Bowl.  That would be the play of Eli Manning.  Before the season he was asked if he considered himself an elite QB in the NFL and he answered the only way that a starting QB should, with a yes.  He received quite a bit of criticism for those comments, but throughout the season he has proven to be one of the elite in the game.  He is playing better than he ever has and he is doing it without his 2 favorite targets from the last few seasons.  Victor Cruz has become the big play receiver for Manning and he has come a long way in just his first season as a starter. 

With all the pieces falling into place at the right time I am not reminded of the Super Bowl team of a few years ago.  I see a better team that is finally clicking and capable of beating any team left in the playoffs.  As long as the Giants can rush the passer with just 4 defensive linemen and can rush for over 100 yards a game then this team will be hard to beat.