NBA 50% Filler, 50% basketball

               All year I have been trying to get a grasp on how I feel about this NBA season.  Obviously being a DC native I always have a vested interest in what my wizards do (if you remember my first article).  However as a generic NBA fan I find myself undecided.   Sometimes I’m all for it, others I’m not so interested.   I don’t really know how I feel, but I do know one thing, the games are too late and the season is too long. 
                First off we start with season which normally is 82 games which is entirely too long.  Everybody knows that after the first month of the season, for the most part the players go on cruise control until the month before the playoffs where teams are making a run to make the playoffs or are playing for better seeding.  Even in a condensed 66 game season which we had this year due to the lockout, we witnessed the same pattern of behavior.  The teams that know their good enough to be top teams in their respective conferences simply tread water until they really need to make a push to reclaim or claim their top spots.

                I know there are some diehard basketball fans that are going to argue against my point.  I’ve heard the arguments, but when you play six months of basketball (normal seasons it’s almost eight) and your biggest stories are Jeremy Lin, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the L.A Clippers, it’s safe to label as uninteresting.  An undrafted point guard, who averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists a game (Lin), does not justify such a long drawn out season.  A team that finished 4^th from last in their conference (Timberwolves), does not justify such a long drawn out season.  A team that ended up making the playoffs for the first time since 2006 to be swept in the 2^nd round (Clippers) does not justify such a long drawn out season.

                We as fans are really only interested in what happens in the playoffs becomes it seems as if they as players are only interested in what happens in the playoffs.  Not only are we only interested in the playoffs but we are only interested in the latter round of the playoffs.  The NBA has a drastically unbalanced playing field in years past; some of the lower seeded teams that have made the playoffs didn’t even have winning records.   It’s a rarity that an 8^th seeded team beats a 1 seed, since the NBA has gone to a 16 team playoff in 1984 there have only been four upsets in which an 8 seed has defeated a 1 seed.

                In the 28 years of the NBA’s 16 team playoff format, all but one of those teams (Houston Rockets, 1995) has been ranked no lower than third in the standing of its respective conference.  Also out of those 28 championship teams 18 of them were the number one seed from either the eastern or western conference.  If we take the bottom 5 seeds in each conference and add them that gives us 10 teams.  So if we take those 10 teams out of each of the last 28 playoff tournaments and add them all up that gives us 280.  If we take the 1995 Houston Rockets out of that 250 we are left with .03%, not 3%, .03%!  This means that statistically there is a 0% chance of teams being seeded 4-8 that make the playoffs to actually win the championship.  This goes to show that for the most part the first few rounds of the playoffs are just playoff minutia, as the weaker teams who have little to know chance are eliminated from the tournament.  The playoffs are normally 2 months long; we can do without the minutia. 

                I’m not sure what the solution is; go back to 5 game series in the first round (maybe even the second), shorten the NBA regular season, contract the league.  Whatever the solution I just want the NBA to give its fans more relevant competitive professional basketball.  Right now a great portion of what we are getting as fans is filler, and we deserve much, much, more. 

The Lebron argument

                Walk into any barbershop and throw out the name Lebron James and you will begin something reminiscent of poking a bee hive with a stick.  Some people love him, some people hate him, and everybody loves to argue where he fits amongst the league’s elite.  Whether they are arguing that he’s the best, or maybe even overrated, both sides have valid evidence supporting their arguments. 

                This season Lebron, 9 years into his NBA career,  was able to add a third league MVP to his list of accolades which include, 2004 Rookie of the year, the 2008 scoring title, 8 all-star appearances, 5 first-team All-NBA appearances, and 3 appearances on the All-NBA defensive team.  Despite all of these accomplishments, he has yet to achieve the ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.  Last season James looked to be making huge steps to finally achieve that goal by joining fellow all-stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. 

Unfortunately the Miami Heat not only were not able to obtain a championship, James earned himself a reputation of not being able to step up when his team needed him to the most.  In the first five games of what ended up being a six game series against the Dallas Mavericks for the championship, James had a total of 11 points.  How does someone who averages 26.7 points a game manage to post a mere 11 points in five 4^th quarters???  That means 2.2 points a game!  Then facing elimination in game 6 he was able to improve on that performance adding 7 points in a losing effort. 

Lebron apologists everywhere began to point the finger everywhere to place the blame for Lebron’s struggles.  They were convincing everyone that Chris Bosh was one of the worst players in the league.  They argued that his coach didn’t know what he is/was doing (no argument there).  They even broke down the officiating and tried to convince the world that James was being picked on.

                So James has come into this season to prove that last season was just an anomaly and he does have the “clutch gene”.  The something special that allows the NBA’s greats to not just carry their team’s weight on their backs but being able to do it when they need it the most.  With impressive stat lines against the New York Knicks in the first round averaging 27.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.2 steals, with 4.2 turnovers a game, through 5 games.   So far in four games against the Pacers, James is in the midst of putting up dominant numbers against an even stronger statistics with 30.5 points, 12.25 rebounds, 5.5 assists a game, 3 steals, 3 turnovers. 

                At 6’8, 250 pounds, James isn’t just big but he’s extremely athletic and his speed combined with his size makes him a freight train on the basketball court.  Yesterday in Indiana in response to losing two consecutive games to Indiana with a 40 point game where he also added 18 rebounds and 9 assists.  Furthermore, James was able to do this while playing and defending a variety of different positions all game, displaying his versatility.  All this shows me one thing.  LEBRON JAMES IS THE LEAGUE’S MOST DOMINANT player by far! 

There should be no more excuses for James shrinking in the spotlight.  Sure he’s not Michael, he’s not Kobe, and he doesn’t need to be.  There are other ways to win a basketball game other than hitting a game winner as the buzzer sounds.  Lebron has all the physical tools to do and has proved it time and time again on almost every NBA stage, time to do it on the big one, no excuses.

RG3! RG3! RG3!

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The National Concern

As the season starting last week the Washington Nationals were able to open up the season with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs with star pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the mound.  Washington D.C sports fans felt a sense of reassurance about the team that has been predicted to at least contend for a wild card spot this season.  My twitter TL exploded with tweets and cheers of excitement reading, "Nats win" and "Let's go Nats" (follow me @devinhere by the way).  It was a good feeling for a fan base on the heels of disappointing consecutive seasons from the Redskins, Wizards, and the Capitals.  As I sat back and enjoyed the thought that, maybe we can finally have a team that over achieves or at least lives up to expectation, there was one thing that bothered me.  What about Strasburg?

In 2010, Steven Strasburg was having a phenomenal rookie season, he was living up to all the hype and all the speculation.  He was pumping life back into the fan base and bringing excitement to the team, all of his starts were filling all the seats in Nationals Park.  Then the typical Washington cloud of gloom made it's way over Nationals Park when the team announced that Strasburg had a torn UCL in his throwing elbow and would require Tommy John Surgery.   Three months into his career Strasburg was dealing with one of the most serious injuries a pitcher can have and was facing an uphill battle for a surgery that typically requires 12 to 18 months worth of rehab.

Remarkably Strasburg had an extremely succesful rehab and returned to the Nationals in the 2011 season to start 5 games, looking just as strong as he did before the injury.  Fans were able to retain hope for their star pitcher and look forward to seeing him be a keep piece in what is hopefully a season that becomes a playoff run in the 2012 season.  In the off season there was a lot of discussion on what precautions the team would make to avoid further complications with Strasburg's UCL.  Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo made it very clear that the team planned to limit the amount of innings Strasburg pitched this season, similar to how they limited Jordan Zimmermann who went through the same experience the season before.

The problem is Zimmermann's 160 inning pitch limit led to him being shut down for the season in late August.  If the Nationals plan to play in the playoffs this year it means they will need Strasburg's services in to at least October.  There are 162 games in an major league season, with the nationals 5 man rotation that means each starter is expected to pitch approximately 32 games(162/5=32).  Take away a few games assuming they are going to give Strasburg a lesser workload, let's say the a more reasonable number of starts for Strasburg is 28.  Which means if Strasburg is to make the entire season and still adhere to his strict pitch count he needs to average a little under 6 innings a game (162/28=5.786).

Obviously team manager Davey Johnson and G.M Rizzo haven't paid much attention to this stat, because Strasburg opened the season pitching 7 innings.  Obviously I'm not insisting that the answer is to simply sit him down every 5.786 innings but at the moment I really can't see the plan.  Precautions must be made to assure that this team is able to compete down the stretch.  Why not start the season with Strasburg in the bullpen for the first month or so?  Or why not keep John Lannan on the roster and have him alternate in and out of the starting rotation with Strasburg?  Ideally, I think the whole pitch limit thing should be thrown out the window contingent on where the team is sitting as the 160 inning limit approaches.  We'll see what happens with this one.

Without London

The Redskins have been extremely productive this off season, making blockbuster deals, and being very active at the start of free agency despite their salary cap limitations.  Fans have long waited for the Skins to take their aggressive off season mentality and combine that with SMART tactical moves, instead of blindly throwing money at players with big names.  However with all the moves the team has made what sticks out is one they haven’t made, re-signing London Fletcher.

                Many believe that it is inevitable that Fletcher re-signs with Washington, but some are beginning to worry.  With NFL free agency beginning 16 days ago the Redskins undisputed team captain, locker room leader, is still without a contract.  Being that Fletcher is an unrestricted free agent and has led the redskins in tackles every year since 2007, leading the entire league last year, he should be a hot commodity.  However, there have been no reports of the 36 year old, Fletcher negotiating or visiting with other teams; maybe that’s why fans seem confident he will return.  The question is, is that what’s best?

                Sure, Fletcher is a top producer on the field at this moment but every day that goes by marks another day that Fletcher is coming closer and closer to the end of his career which is normally preceded by a drop off in production.  Whenever a player exceeds a 10 year career in the league, leaning your franchise on the production of that player is like playing with fire.  Younger guys can recover from injuries quicker and easier, and can recover from a decline in production a bit easier, but an older guy it’s a different story.  Older guys bodies do not are not as resilient and heal slower, and when a guy is older especially a pro bowler, and the production drops off it normally indicates the player has reached the end of the line.  In either case with the older player the best solution is to replace him.

Stick with me here.  Fletcher has been the heart and soul of this Redskins team since the death of Sean Taylor, no question.  He wants to be compensated fairly for that and definitely should, but there are two problems; age and salary cap.  Tomorrow London Fletcher is the best fit for this Redskins team to start at middle linebacker, but what about the long term?  I’d assume Fletcher desires to have a contract of 3 years or more and be paid like one of the top middle linebackers in the game.  In 2009 Ray Lewis signed a 7 year, $50 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, he was 33.  I’m not assuming that Fletcher is seeking a contract that extends well into his 40’s but I do thing that in NFL age he’s at the end of the line. 

                So why not just wait for the drop off, if it does come just release him or bench him and then replace him?  That sounds good in theory not so much in likelihood.  The best ways to get an immediate replacement at a position is draft a first rounder or sign a big name guy on the market.  As I mentioned earlier the Redskins will be hamstrung by salary cap limitations for the next two seasons (as it stands now), and with the trade for the second pick of the draft the Redskins have forfeited their first round picks in the 2012 and 2013 draft.  So I think its best that they go into the next 2 seasons having most starters and absolutely having the cornerstones of the team locked up. 

Despite the intangibles that Fletcher brings sometimes it is best to let a guy go before he falls apart in your hands.  If the Colts can make a decision to replace Peyton Manning and the Packers can make a decision to replace Brett Favre, the Redskins cannot be afraid to decide it may be best for the future of the franchise to move on without Fletcher, though he may have more left in the tank.  In my opinion the team may be better off going after a younger guy like Seattle’s 26 year old, free agent linebacker, David Hawthorne.  Thoughts?

Redskins's latest problem

On March 9th, 2012, the Washington Redskins made a monumental move in an effort to get the franchise going in the right direction.  They took a huge homerun swing in an effort to guarantee themselves one of the two top quarterback prospects in the 2012 NFL draft.  The redskins traded their 2012, 2013, 2014 first round draft picks, along with their second round pick in the 2012 draft in exchange for the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft.  With the Indianapolis Colt’s showing favorable interest in Stanford QB, Andrew Luck, it seems the Redskins will be selecting Baylor QB, Robert Griffin III.   

It’s a big risk any time you give up a single first round pick or second round pick let alone three (I know they gave up 4 but they got one in return).  None the less the fans were desperate for such a move.  After watching 17 games of Rex Grossman and John Beck, it was time to make an aggressive move and the team did just that.  The loss of draft picks would hurt, but Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan made smart personnel moves and decisions and the redskins had roughly $31 million in cap space going into the 2012 off season.  This would allow them not to suffer too badly by sacrificing multiple first round picks, so this is an investment for the future.  Last season the defense was back to form and now this season they’ll be getting a dynamic face of the franchise and getting him help in free agency.  CUE HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!!!!……this was March 9th.

On March 12th, with the NFL free agency period set to begin the following day, March 13th, Commissioner Roger Goodell decided that it was a good time to issue one of his more ridiculous inexplicable penalties.  The Washington Redskins were docked $36 million dollars from their salary cap and have only two years in which they can try to satisfy the penalty.  Meaning if they decide to take a salary reduction of $18 million in the 2012 NFL season and the other $18 in the 2013 NFL season they are allowed to.  The money that will be docked from the Redskins and the Cowboys will be dispersed throughout rest of the league excluding Seattle and Oakland who also had violations, but were not docked.  STOP THE MUSIC!  HOLD THE PHONE!  What?!?!?!  How did this happen?  

In 2010 the NFL and its players had a massive labor dispute which resulted in the 2010 season having no salary cap.  Meaning there were no restrictions to how much teams decided to spend on their players for that season.  Instead of this creating a spending frenzy to snatch up all the available players possible, only two teams took full advantage of this freedom, the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.  Reports are that the NFL’s commissioner’s office warned NFL teams several times of abusing the uncapped year, but at the same time all NFL contracts are approved or rejected by the NFL’s commission’s office.  

Roger Goodell is a no nonsense guy and sure doesn't mind being the bad guy when it comes to policing the league and enforcing NFL policy, but this is ridiculous. This is equivalent to a mother telling her son not to eat a cookie, then giving the kid the cookie and watch him eat it and then the next day she gives him a spanking.  Furthermore why do the other NFL teams get the money being docked?  And why wait until the day before free agency to pass down the punishment?  IT'S BEEN ALMOST 2 YEARS!  There are so many issues here.  Apparently there's a cap on an uncapped year, who knew?  We learn something new every day.

  Send me your thoughts, questions, comments concerns.  I'M BACK!

More NFL moves 3/14

- Receiver Calvin Johnson signs 8 year, $130 Million extension, with 60 million guaranteed

- The Bucs finally ink guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright

-Eagles extend Trent Cole

-Jags re-sign both Jeremy Mincey and Dwight Lowery

What the heck is free Agency?

Ok so let me try to explain free agency to you all without getting too technical.  Today March 13, 2012 was the beginning of free agency for the 2012 NFL season.  What that means is that today any player that was under a contract that expired at the end of the 2011 season may begin to negotiate and sign contracts with other teams.  Where it gets a bit confusing is the use of the term “free agent”.  I’m going to break down the free agents into three different categories; restricted, unrestricted, and “street” free agents.   

Many of you are probably already asking, “If free agency began today how did Randy Moss sign with the 49ers yesterday?”  Good question, Randy Moss was free to sign with San Francisco because he was a “street free agent”.  Moss’ last contract with the Tennessee Titans ended at the conclusion of the 2010 season.  This means Moss had no obligation to any team throughout the entire 2011 season and thus could sign with any team he pleased at any time following the July 29, 2011 date, which opened free agency for the 2011 season.  Prior to the opening of free Agency today (March 13, 2012), any player that was not under contract at the conclusion of the 2011 season was considered a street free agent.  This also includes players that were released at any point during the 2011 season and did not sign a new contract before the end of the season.

The next two types of free agents are much simpler.  The first are unrestricted free agents.  Unrestricted free agents are players whose contracts expire at the conclusion of the 2011 season and are free to negotiate and sign with any team they would like after free agency begins.  The other type of free agent, restricted free agents cannot move as freely as unrestricted free agents.   Restricted free agents are allowed to negotiate with other teams, however if an offer is made, the team that player had their last contract with has the opportunity to match that offer.  If the offer is matched the player’s rights revert to the previous team.

That’s free agency in a nutshell ladies and gents!  I hope that clears up a few things.

Off season moves 3/13/2012

I'll be giving my opinions on the moves; signings, releases, and trades the next few days.  Buckle up!

Brandon Marshall Trade
The Miami Dolphins have agreed to trade Brandon Marshall to the Bears in exchange for two third round draft picks.  I think this means one of two things.  Either Peyton Manning is on his way in with Pierre Garcon or Reggie Wayne (former Miami Hurricane), or Peyton has told them no dice and they are going to rebuild the offense, similar to Cincinnati 2011.   

4:09PM


Pierre Garcon

Pierre Garcon has signed to the Washington Redskins.  This just goes to show the power of that trade to the #2 spot to take Robert Griffin III.  

4:48PM

Garcon contract 42.5Mil, with 21.5 guaranteed.  They are paying him for the receiver they want him to be and hope he can be.  Yeah they overpaid but just like the trade for RGIII they needed to upgrade receiver desperately.
6:19PM

Redskins Receivers 
Seems as if the Redskins have added to their receiver haul, the skins are apparently deep in negotiations with former 49ers receiver Josh Morgan and have agreed to terms with former Broncos receiver Eddie Royal, who was drafted by current redskins coach, Mike Shanahan.  This could very well mark the end of Santana Moss with the Washington Redskins and probably the same for Jabar Gaffney.
6:13PM

Morgan deal done.

9:06PM


Randy Moss
This is old but in case you missed it, future hall of famer Randy Moss came out of his one year retirement to sign with the 49ers.  Monday yesterday, Moss signed before the free agency period began because he had no current contract...... I'll elaborate later tonight.

Robert Griffin III
The beginning of free agency also meant the official submission of the trade for the number 2 overall spot in the 2012 NFL draft from the St. Louis Rams to the Washington Redskins.  The Redskins sacrificed their 2012, 2013, and 2014 first round picks and the 2012 2nd round pick in exchange for the pick that they are expected to use to select Robert Griffin III from Baylor.

Jason Campbell
The Chicago Bears have just entered the argument of the leagues best back up quarterback, reaching a deal with former Redskins and Raiders starter Jason Campbell.  This comes as somewhat a surprise, Campbell is perfectly adequate to compete for a starter role for a number of NFL teams.
8:56 PM

Vincent Jackson
After receiver Marques Colston decided to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints and not test the free agency market, former San Diego Charger receiver Vincent Jackson became without question the top free agent at the wide receiver position.  Jackson went to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the beginning of free agency and will be leaving a Buccaneer, as he agrees to a 5 year contract.  The Bucs need a lot more than just a receiver, but if Freeman can't get it going with him next season may be his last.
9:02 PM

Cortland Finnegan
The St. Louis Rams have had a rather productive off season trading down in the trading the #2 pick in the 2012 draft, for the #6 pick in the 2012 draft as well as an additional second round pick for 2012, and an additional 1st round pick in both the 2013 and 2014 drafts.  The club also hired head coach Jeff Fisher and esteemed defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  All of these factor make St. Louis a pretty attractive opportunity to free agents, like former Titan Courtland Finnegan.  Finnegan who was considered the best free agent cornerback will be re-uniting with his former head coach Jeff Fisher, it almost makes too much sense.  Finnegan's deal is $50 million over 5 years, very pricey.
9:40PM

Reggie Wayne
Apparently, Reggie Wayne's heart will always be in Indianapolis, because his body signed a three year deal to remain with the Colts.  Wayne will be a centerpiece for the rebuilding effort.  So we can kill all that, "he's going to follow Peyton" noise.  This move leads me to believe Peyton Manning is not headed to Miami who surprisingly just traded their standout receiver, Brandon Marshall to the bears.
9:53PM   

Where's the respect?????

I’ve never been much of a Peyton Manning fan.  Though I’m born and raised in the Washington, D.C area my allegiance has always been to my father’s hometown team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.  For years I’ve watched Manning strut onto the field in that blue and white jersey and have his way with the teams in our division like its child’s play.  So naturally when the rumor of his release or possible trade began, I became very excited.  The wicked witch was dying, finally he’s gone!  The franchise that I despised so greatly would be set back significantly, and my life was better.

After missing the entire 2011 season with over 4 neck surgeries and the Colts ending the season with the league’s worst record, they are entitled to the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  The number one prospect in this year’s 2012 NFL draft is Stanford QB, Andrew Luck.  Luck is seen as a can’t miss quarterback prospect and is considered the highest rated QB since….Peyton Manning.  The 35 year old Manning had just signed a contract extension for $90 million over 5 years right before the 2011 NFL season. 

All of these factors combined have made an unfortunate situation for Manning in Indianapolis, which led to Manning’s release from the Colts March 7^th, 2012, and I celebrated.  Then, when I got home after work, I sat down and watched footage of the press conference saw the emotion on his face and heard it in his voice and something happened.  My excitement quickly turned into sorrow. 

This sorrow wasn’t for Manning in particular but more so for a trend that I have begun to notice in the NFL in regards to its franchise players and legends.  I understand that players cannot play forever; eventually your time comes when you have to move on and leave the game.  My issue is with franchise players, that in the twilight of their careers are leaving or being forced to leave the one team they have built their legacy and hall of fame careers with.  No longer do we see greats and hall of famers like Darrel Green, or Dan Marino, play with one team in their entire hall of fame careers.    Now we have long time Packer and holder of any Green Bay passing records, Brett Favre finishing his last 2 years of his career with division rival Minnesota.   Fred Taylor, Jaguars all-time leading rusher and Florida native, by far the biggest face of the franchises existence, finished his career in New England after 10 years in Jacksonville.  The list goes on, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Donovan McNabb, I could list them forever.

What is going on?  Where is the dedication?  Where is the respect?  And from both parties.  It’s understood that the NFL is a business but it’s also a game of integrity.  We don’t want to see NFL legends floundering around on the field the last few years of their careers, as they try to learn a brand new system and adjust to their new environments.  Peyton Manning should have never had to leave Indianapolis like this, Manning and the Colts staff should have been able to sit down and structure a deal in which Manning contract would become more moveable and less of a risk for the Colts.  Therefore when Luck arrives to Indy, he could develop under Manning’s tutelage.  Let’s face it, it’s not ideal for a team to start a rookie quarterback.  This way Luck could have developed under Manning the way Rodgers did under Favre and take over when Manning’s career was over, and if Manning wasn’t healthy enough to play Luck could take over and Manning could just leave the game forever a Colt.  Thoughts?

Gregg Williams' Undertakers

On February 28^th 2012, it was reported that the New Orleans Saints have had a “bounty program” for the last three years that Gregg Williams has served as the team’s defensive coordinator.  The way this program works is players were rewarded financially for aggressive hits sometimes directed at particular players.  Apparently the “bounty program” was financed by members of the team.

In reaction to this news becoming public, Williams stated, "It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it.  Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again."  Question Gregg….How could you learn your lesson?  YOU HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN PENALIZED!

However, If I was Gregg Williams I wouldn’t apologize for anything!  He encouraged his players to play tough, what’s wrong with that?  When you play the game of football if you tackle someone without the intent to inflict pain, something is wrong.  The way the game is governed especially with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s strict fines and penalties for what he considers “dirty play”.  It’s extremely difficult for a team to purposely injure another player in a way which would be deemed “dirty”. 

It’s not as if Williams was sending his defense on the field with guns and brass knuckles.  Nor were the Saints paying these players officially with money from the front office.  This is no different than a bunch of friends betting each other a dollar a hole on the golf course.  The media has just taken it as another opportunity to scrutinize professional sports.  Get over it.

Redskins QB debate Part 2

So here we go into the next scenario with the Redskins quarterback position, the RGIII scenario.  2011 Heisman Trophy recipient Robert Griffin III, is the second quarterback prospect behind Andrew Luck.  The St. Louis Rams holding the second pick in the 2012 NFL draft are looking to trade down with a team looking to acquire Griffin.  The redskins thirst at the quarterback position combined with their aggressive history in acquiring big name talent in the off season, has created a groundswell of speculation that they will trade with St. Louis in the hopes of landing Griffin.  Fans everywhere are ready to trade the farm for their shot at RGIII, but why?

We have to reel all of this back in perspective and ask if he’s worth trading the farm for.  The Cleveland Browns who hold the fourth overall pick of this 2012 draft also have the rights to the 22nd overall pick in the draft.  Cleveland is a team believed to be in pursuit of obtaining the rights to draft Griffin which would put them in an automatic bidding war with the redskins.  In which Washington will lose….. and lose badly.  Not only does Cleveland have more fire power than Washington to trade for the #2 selection, but it will cost them less.  Cleveland would essentially be moving up 2 spots to get that second pick.  Also with Cleveland sitting at #4 there are no teams in front of them that is a threat to select Griffin, meaning Cleveland can really sit pretty at #4 and wait Griffin to fall into their lap.   If Cleveland decides to pass on the trade that still creates a bidding war with other teams in the league, which could be very costly for Washington, in terms of draft picks.

Washington has already stated that they are prepared to surrender two first round picks along with additional mid-round picks in exchange for the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft, this should make fans cringe.  The redskins are not in a position where they are using the draft for depth.  Last season thanks to the redskins trading back several times in the draft to acquire more picks the redskins had 8 picks in the first six rounds of the draft.  Out of those eight players six were at some point starting for the team and one of the two who did not start was pegged to be a starter but was placed on injured reserve before the season began.

The question here is, can a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 2007 afford to sacrifice first round draft picks?  Sure the rarer the opportunity the larger the risk you have to take, but what makes us think Griffin is worth the risk?  He had an outstanding last two years at Baylor in a spread offense; can we guarantee that will transfer well into the league?  Last season the redskins relied heavily on the draft to add talent.  With 42 million in cap space, if the skins are aggressive in free agency and sign two or three starters.  The risk of what you would lose trading up for Griffin significantly decreases.  I believe the two come hand and hand.  What do you think?

Redskins QB debate Part 1

Finishing the 2011-2012 NFL season, one thing was extremely evident about the Washington Redskins, the quarterback position needs drastic improvement.  After a failed attempt to house Donovan McNabb in twilight of his career and attempting to revitalize the career of journeyman Rex Grossman, and catch lightning in a bottle with career backup John Beck, the Shanahans are still left with no solution at quarterback.  This has led fans to speculate about every single available or hopefully available quarterback this off season that could be next to don the burgundy and gold.  

We've heard big names such as Peyton Manning and prospect Robert Griffin III.  As well as lesser profiles such as Kyle Orton or prospect Ryan Tannehill.  It seems like every week there is a new scenario, sign this guy, draft this guy, trade for this guy.  So let’s run through a few possible scenarios and try to think which one is best. I started this as one article and I got so in depth in my discussion which each scenario I figured I may need to split this into at least three different articles.  Don't worry I'll release them daily!

The Peyton Scenario

Let’s get this one out the way.  Just nearly a year ago his face was that of the Indianapolis Colts franchise and arguably the NFL.  Now the neck that supports the head that wears that face may have ended his time in Indianapolis.  After missing the entire 2011 season and undergoing 4 major neck surgeries and the Colts ended the season with the league’s worst record.  This in return earned them the rights to the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.   All signs have pointed to the Colts selecting top prospect Andrew Luck, who’s been considered the best prospect since the aforementioned Manning.  On top of all this, Manning is due a 28 million dollar roster bonus if he remains on the roster past March 8^th.  This perfect storm has transformed Manning from the franchises bedrock to a dispensable liability.

  All signs point to him being released before this deadline, which means his services will be available to any team that can sign him.  Redskin’s fans salivate at the opportunity to have a guy who was once undoubtedly the best in the league and a future hall of famer.  A healthy Manning could provide a big lift to a team that was 26^th in the league in points scored. 

In theory it sounds great but in actuality, I’m not quite as positive.  In actuality four surgeries on the same body part is never a good thing but this is a neck and rumor has it, it has affected his whole body.  We’ve heard his throwing power is lacking significantly.  We’ve seen interviews where he couldn’t even turn his head.  This injury should not be taken lightly and shouldn’t be viewed as a broken arm.  We’ve seen a lot of players who were in these kinds of situations that have opted or been forced to call it career.

Also I’m not so sure how he would mesh with the Shanahan’s system here in DC.  Peyton’s with the Colts has always been one in which he almost served as his own offensive coordinator.  We’ve seen the Shanahans micro-manage the quarterback situation before when they brought in borderline hall of famer Donovan McNabb.  They weren’t happy that he didn’t play the position their way; well I’m sure Manning plans to play the position his way and will have no problem finding suitors that will agree to let him do so.

All in all I feel that if you want to take a chance on Manning that’s fine, but don’t count on him.  In other words I’m not ok with putting all the eggs in the Peyton Manning basket.  If you want to sign him to a deal where it will be easy to move him if things don’t pan out, go for it.  However I suggest that the team still have other quarterbacks on the roster.  Maybe a middle of the road type quarterbacks, such as Rex Grossman.  Don’t kill me skins fans but Rex is a serviceable backup I think he would be ok with that role, and he knows the system.  The team also should carry a third quarterback, because even if the Manning scenario works given his age they still need a young guy prepared to take the reins in the future, which is what we’ll look at next article.

Alleged video of Peyton Manning throwing balls at Duke

LeBron...... You got to be kidding me

LeBron James was putting on a monster performance in the 2012 NBA All-star game; he had 36 points and shot 6 for 8 behind the three point line.   With 5 seconds left to go in the game his east team was down by 3 points, the ball was in LeBron’s hands at the top of the key after his team recovered their own offensive rebound.  This is where closers step up and close games, unfortunately for LeBron he’s not a closer.  Instead of taking the closing shot, LeBron tried to sling the ball across court to Dwayne Wade and Blake Griffin had the easy steal to close the game. 

Why is arguably the NBA’s best player and most physically gifted athlete one of the biggest liabilities on the floor in the closing moments of ball games?  Even in a meaningless all-star game he doesn’t seem to have the mentality to even try to close a basketball game, as if he shrinks in the moment.  No chance MJ, Kobe, or anybody else who is considered a “king of the game”, shies away like that in that moment.  They attack it!  They want it!  LeBron just looks for Dwayne.  I understand Dwayne Wade is a better closer and the plays in the final minutes of heat game all plays should be designed to go to him.  However, if the ball is in your hands, you cannot be afraid to be the one who takes the final shot Lebron.  If so YOU WILL go down as Scottie Pippen (No disrespect Scottie) to Dwayne’s MJ, if not worst.

Galaxy Foamposites!!!! For sale!

Foamposite Galaxy

HA!  I got you here now read this!  Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed a little after midnight, I checked my timeline and read a tweet from one of my friends that read, “PG plaza saved a couple lives tonite...”.  This raised my curiosity and I began to think what could possibly be going on at PG plaza, where lives needed to be saved.  I began to use my logic and deductive reasoning to figure this out.  Being a native of this glorious county of Prince George’s in Maryland, I know the stores that are in PG Plaza, a large percentage of them are shoe stores and athletic wear.  As I sent him a reply asking what he was referring to it hit me.  Either a new line of Jordan’s or a new line of “Foams” must have been released.  Sure enough his response was that the release of the new “Galaxy Foamposites” was shut down.

 Foamposites or as they are more commonly referred to by sneaker enthusiasts “the foams”, first debuted in 1997, worn then by Orlando Magic guard Penny Hardaway.  Priced at $180 and with a revolutionary design and unconventional look, people weren’t exactly tearing down the doors to get a pair of the overpriced shoes.   Through the years Nikes has sampled a wide array of new color schemes and design phases on the shoes and popularity and demand has sky rocketed.  Now 15 years later we have reached the point where interest in the shoes has breached the level of insanity.

In 2011 we began to see the images that we have associated with the release of Jordan brand shoes to the release of “the foams” (now priced at $220).  On July 1^st in the state of Maryland two separate incidents were reported, one at the afore mentioned PG Plaza, and another at Iverson mall in Forestville, for the release of the “Electric Blue” foamposites.  In the incident at PG Plaza 3 people were stabbed and 2 died and in the incident in Iverson Mall 12 people were robbed. 

In the last month Nike has released two more versions of its Foamposite shoes, the “Metallic red” (Feb, 4), and the “Galaxy (Feb 24).  People have still been camping out in front of stores in tents, days in advance, fighting in lines, and robbing people for their chance to get their hands on the shoes.  With the release of last night’s “Galaxy”, it seems that police finally have gotten proactive and last night shutting down the release of the shoes in stores in Florida and in Maryland.  Leaving patrons who waited for hours to leave empty handed furious.

We’ve seen this site plenty of times before with Jordans, iPods, iPads, Playstations, Xbox’s.  These items are released in a limited supply and it creates a chaotic and dangerous situation.  How did we reach this point of insanity?  Right now there is a bid going on for a pair of these shoes on ebay for $70,000!  Don’t believe me?  Click the link! So the question arises, who is responsible for correcting this?   The manufacturer?  The consumers?  The authorities?  What do you think?   

People waiting for the Galaxy Foams in Atlanta

Is Diggs the new Walt Williams?

                Not too long ago one of my local rants was about the University of Maryland and its inability to successfully recruit the strong local talent.  I pointed out that the University has only landed a prospect ranked in the top 100 (local or otherwise) once in the since 2005.  I dismissed the possibility of them landing the last undecided local prospect ranked in the top 100 Stefon Diggs, referencing not only their past struggles to recruit such a player but pointing out the other two top local talents that committed to Florida St.  Well, the terps decided to prove me wrong!

                The university responded by convincing Stefon Diggs to sign a letter of intent to play his college ball at the University of Maryland.  Diggs, a wide receiver from Good Counsel high school in Olney, Maryland, not only was the 8^th overall prospect in the country according to rivals.com, but the best skill position player native to the east coast.  Diggs is just one player but his impact on the team could extend much further than just his performance on the playing field.

                Almost 25 years ago Walt Williams made the decision to stay with the University of Maryland after coach Bob Wade resigned, and Gary Williams took over to lead the school’s basketball program.  Walt’s presence and play was the foundation that helped the coach build a nationally respected program and a hall of fame career.  Diggs has the same opportunity to do this for Edsall.

In Edsall’s first year the team struggled mightily and finished with a 2-10 record.  Fans have already expressed their displeasure with Edsall and have made clear their desires for the university to replace him already.  Since the Terps made the unpopular decision say goodbye to long time coach Ralph Friedgen and welcome in former University of Connecticut coach Randy Edsall, 23 players have announced their intent to transfer.  Edsall has somehow managed to put together a pretty strong recruiting class for the 2012 season, with Diggs leading the way. 

With the historic trend of top local players fleeing the state to play for other Universities, Edsall could make his mark by ending this trend.  So tell me what do you think, could Diggs be Edsall’s Walt Williams?

Diggs Good Counsel Highlights

Why didn't we Amnesty Lewis?

When the NBA lockout ended this past summer, we were told that there was a new rule of amnesty for NBA contracts.  In short, each NBA team is allowed to use an “Amnesty Clause” to release one player from their roster within the next 10 years (the length of the current CBA).  Once the clause has been used it cannot be used again, within those 10 years.  Though the player is released, they are still fully compensated for the contract; however, that player’s salary will not count against that team’s salary cap.

     When us Wizards fans heard of this rule we all assumed that the Wizards would exercise this option on Rashard Lewis.  Lewis the second highest paid player (making $22.15 million this season) in the league for the current 2011-2012 season finished last season averaging 11.7 points a game and this season is averaging 8.5 this season and leaving a lot of fans asking; “Why didn’t we amnesty Lewis?”.  Lewis, whose production has been rapidly decreasing the last 3 years and is owed another $23.7 million in the final year of his contract next season (the 2012-2013 season), seems to be the perfect candidate. 

WHAT ARE WE MISSING?  I’ll tell you what, there’s hope!  Lewis has a $10 million dollar buyout next season.  Meaning the Wizards could save near $14 million by buying Lewis out as opposed to amnesty him.  This leaves the wizards with the option of using the clause for another player in the future.  So actually not pulling the trigger on Lewis seems like the good move and hopefully they’ll find the right player to amnesty and won’t Blatche….I mean botch it.

Congrats to the Giants, NOW LET'S PARTY

          So as we all know by now the Giants beat the Patriots again in Super Bowl XLVI, (46 for all you normal folks) and what a snoozer it was!  Now, I know there are a million headlines I could address; Eli having more rings than his brother, the Patriots receivers dropping passes every where, M.I.A's middle finger (I really don't care about that), but we only deal with the most pressing most serious topics here!  I'll feel as if I did the people a disservice if I did not discuss Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light dancing the night away after the Super Bowl.
          Yeah buddy!  Gronkowski, the second year record breaking tight end and Matt Light, a 3 time pro-bowl veteran offensive tackle were spotted having a good ole time in Indianapolis following a 21-17 Super Bowl loss.  The two appeared on stage at a Patriots produced after party in Indianapolis (I'm assuming this was planned in anticipation of a victory), dancing shirtless on stage with bands like LMFAO and Marron 5.  This after a loss in which Gronk (who had been a cornerstone to their offense all season) wasn't able to give his team his best production as he was still recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered in the AFC championship game against the Ravens.

         So as this story caught wind Monday and the pictures began to surface, a lot of Patriot's fans are yelling at their computers in disbelief.  My opinion......it's not that serious.  Ok maybe it's a little tasteless, but it's no where near as tasteless as releasing a man the night before the Super Bowl, and Patriots fans sure weren't whining then, but that's a whole different article for another day.  In this case the season is over, there's nothing more either of these guys can do about the 2012 NFL season.  They wen out there, they played hard, now it's time to regroup and prepare for next season.  I'm not going to be upset that they aren't in their hotel rooms crying, people handle wins and losses completely different. Besides that "shots" song is kinda catchy.......Thoughts?

Happy Birthday Bandwagonners!!!

So here we are, days away from the biggest annual sporting event in the United States (let's pause for the old 60 year old man who's up in arms because he thinks it's the world series.....moving on).  If you are a Giants or a Patriots fan, this day means even more.  You are amongst the lucky few that get to see your team run out on to that field in Indianapolis competing for the title of Super Bowl Champion.  Congratulations fan, you rode that annual Giants roller coaster, or you sat there and watched your Patriots overcome that poor defense. 

If you’re lucky, your team, after battling hard through the whole game may take the lead somewhere in the third quarter and as you cheer and hi-five the other hands of those rooting for your team, you may notice something.  A new hand has been added to the group of hands you were hi-fiving earlier in the first quarter.  Then you realize not only has this person latched on because the momentum of the game is swinging in the favor of your favorite team, but they’re cheering louder than you are. 

Now you’re getting annoyed.  Sure your team is winning or maybe pretty much has the game wrapped up and you’re ecstatic to watch your favorite team hoist the Lombardi Trophy, but why are they so happy?  They weren’t there when the team was awful; they didn’t watch the games that made you want to throw your television out of the window.  They can’t even name 2 players on the team! 

What you’re experiencing is the birth of a bandwagon fan.  This is a person that most likely one of your friends brings over who you don’t know that well.  At the beginning of the evening when you introduce yourself to that person and ask “Who are you pulling for”, they responded “Oh I don’t know”.  Then 3 hours later they’re jumping all over your furniture and yelling like they’re on the field themselves. 

There is probably not a more annoying single entity in sports, and a lot of them are all created on the very day which we sports fans love so much, because of how many people are actually watching.  So be aware Giants and Pats fans, point out who's down with you and your team for the long haul early, and don’t look back!  People it's ok to root for one team or the other, but leave the real celebration for the actual fans, the ones who have stuck with their teams through the good times and the bad.  Thoughts?  

Keep' Em Home

            So today was National Signing Day, the day that high school football seniors can sign a binding letter of intent to the NCAA College or university of their choice.  College football fans everywhere will be logging onto sites like  Rivals and  ESPN , excited to see what new players will be entering their favorite schools come this fall.  Year after year, the same schools lead the way for reeling in the top recruits.  With a quick glance you will see schools like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Texas, landing multiple players ranked in the top 100.  However, if you go back and look at the lists more closely you may see another trend.

            Though most high school seniors can’t wait to move on to new states and begin their college careers and adult lives, most of the larger universities are able to land a recruit from their own home state.  For example, this season out of the 12 Texas recruits in the top 100, 10 of them opted to attend either Texas, or Texas A&M.  Likewise out of the 3 Virginia natives in the top 100, one selected Virginia Tech, while the other two opted to attend Virginia.  Elsewhere in Maryland, the trend doesn’t quite seem to carry over.

            Three of the top 100 players reside in the state of Maryland, two of which have opted to attend Alabama and Florida St, while the remaining one has yet to decide.  University of Maryland fans most likely aren’t holding their breath waiting for him to declare that he’ll be playing his college ball in Maryland either.  Since 2002, the state of Maryland (and the D.C Metro area) has produced 26 top 100 recruits.  Out of those 26 recruits, the University of Maryland has landed five, and only one since 2005.  In 2006 the state of Maryland had 5 prospects ranked in the top 100 and somehow managed to let them all slip away.     

            I understand that we don’t exactly have a college football powerhouse in College Park, but it’s still a state University.  This is unacceptable!  Following a year where a well respected coach was fired from his position and a new coach has come in and completely derailed the program, you have to make a statement by getting those players.  I’m sorry, but after what I saw last year from the terps on the gridiron, one guy from the top 250 players in the country (Wes Brown, 188) AIN’T NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF!  DO BETTER!   We have enough embarrassing teams in this area.

Did He Really Do That?

      Something tells me Blake Griffin poster sales are doing pretty good already, so after Monday night I'm sure there will be another spike in production.  Since he's entered the league, he's provided us with eye popping thunderous dunks night in and night out.  From the dunk contest to a live in-game situation, he's been putting butts in seats and getting those same butts out of those seats as they stand in amazement after he reeks havoc on the rim.  Griffin is also quite the opportunist, his leaping ability allows him to not only create highlights with an open lane to the basket but it allows him to attack even if someone is brave enough to stand in his way.
      On Monday another brave solider decided that he needed to be on a Blake Griffin poster!  As Griffin caught the ball from a pass from Chris Paul and made his way to the lane, Kendrick Perkins decided he wanted to be a prop in Blake's latest athletic performance.  Griffin took off to the air and Perkins did as well to deny the block, which didn't stop griffin at all from once again getting the butts out of the seats.  I can't explain this better than you can watch it, please take an opportunity to watch the video for yourself.

       So this has been all the talk this Tuesday January 31st, but there seems to be a bit of controversy rising.  People are disputing whether or not this is an actual dunk.  If you watch the replay again or you watch it in slow motion you can see it actually look more like he just threw the ball down into the basket with his hand barely grazing the rim.  So is it really a dunk?  Does this take away from the play?  My opinion?  NO WAY.  I couldn't do that if I had a trampoline and a jet pack.  It still was a ridiculously athletic play and if you didn't have replay or slow motion to analyze what really happened, would you have stayed in your seat and said "eh, it's a power layup".  I seriously doubt it.  Give this man his credit.  Once again he wowed the crowd and made Kendrick Perkins delete his twitter account!  Thoughts?



This dunk is eerily similar to the one he had last year over New York over Timofy Mosgov.

Next article will be up before the super bowl!

Paid Like a Prince

       On Monday I took a quick browse through my espn headlines and rushed to twitter and tweeted "PRINCE FIELDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET YOUR NATS TICKETS FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".  Well turns out I was wrong.  There were reports that Prince Fielder had agreed to a contract with the Washington Nationals and all that was left to be done was a physical and him actually flying into D.C to sign his new contract. Turns out..... that was not at all the case.  The following day it was announced that the 1st base slugger was signing a deal with the Detroit Tigers.  A big blow to nationals fans right?  Well........


        Turns out the 27 year old three time all star signed a nine year deal for 214 million dollars.  Fielder would have definitely helped out a Nationals team whose Achilles' Heel was scoring runs.  In the last five years Fielder has averaged 40 homeruns with a .553 slugging percentage.  Last year the Nationals finished a game behind .500 (missing one game that was not able to be rescheduled because of rain delays) and only scored 624 runs.  Only five teams that have over 80 wins scored less than 700 runs and no team that scored less than 700 runs made the playoffs.


      With a roster full of promising young talent such as Strasburg, Harper, and Zimmerman; there's no doubt that this team could be a big bat like Fielder's away from the playoffs.  The Lerner family who owns the Nationals has been criticized for being cheap when it comes to spending money on free agents that could help this team.  Last year they proved that perception wrong last year by over spending for right fielder Jayson Werth who produced an a less than impressive season and if they would have given Fielder his 214 million dollar deal for nine season they would have overspent again.


     Fielder is a 1st baseman which is a position that weaker defenders/ fielders normally play.   Standing at 5'11 and weighing in at 275 pounds, Fielder does not have the body type that would indicate he will be productive until he's 36 years of age, none the less the next five seasons.  Being that he has signed to a team in the American League they assume less of a risk if his body begins to deteriorate, because they can slide him to the designated hitter position.  The Nationals do not have the same option being that they are in the National League where there are no DH's.  


     If this were a video game where money was not a real factor inking Fielder is a no brainer, however real money is in the equation so we must keep it in mind before handing out 100 million dollar contracts like they're wizards tickets on stubhub.  For a young team whose payroll stood at 63.8 million dollars in 2011 committing to a contract that would have given one player a third of the salary from the previous season may not be the best idea.


    Being a native of this abysmal sports town I get it, we want to be better NOW and Prince Fielder would have been the easy and quick way to do so.  We want another winner in town that we can get excited for much like we cling to the success of the Capitals.  However, let's not forget the CAPS weren't built over night, and after over a decade of trying to do the same thing with the redskins and watching them fall flat time and time again we need to learn to be Patient.  


     Prince Fielder is a big fish in a pond of baseball players.  So it's easy for us as fans that to look at him as the one who got away but time will tell if that's really the case.  This is a very young team and our number one prospect in Bryce Harper seems to be a slugger in his own right.  If he comes on and produces big numbers at a small fraction of the cost, it's a win for the Nats, who can try again to catch a less risky big fish, next season.

Who's the Man------ning

                 Maybe that's a bad title.... you'll live.


            When Eli entered the league in 2005 it was easy to dislike him, with his older brother in the middle of a hall of fame career and his father a retired QB respected around the league, it was almost as if everything was set in place to usher Eli to stardom.  In fact, Eli's first mark in the league was the Manning camp raising a lot of noise about the San Diego Chargers trading that number one pick because they didn't think San Diego was a good place for Eli.  Eventually San Diego drafted Eli anyway and traded him to the Giants for a kings ransom.
         
            Automatically this heightened fans expectation of the young Manning because of the price given to get him, the return should be no less than the production of his older brother Peyton, who dominates the regular season and cruises to a top seed in the playoffs annually.  However it did not really work that way for the younger Manning, though his numbers are decent, he's yet to have the ease in the regular season as well as the explosive record setting performances.  My response to this..... SO WHAT???
           
             If you go back and look at Peyton and the Colts regular season game logs from when they joined the AFC South they run through the south normally undefeated or with a single loss and struggle in games outside their own division against other strong contenders.  Since the division realignment in 2002 the years the Colts have struggled with teams such as the Patriots and San Diego which have kept them to a 9-9 record despite the dominance they have always enjoyed in the regular season.  9-9 for .500 in the playoffs probably doesn't look too bad until you really dissect the numbers.

            First lets look at the fact that the Colts with Peyton Manning have made the playoffs 9 times!  Also the Colts won the Super Bowl after winning a game against a wild card team in the 2006 season meaning that they played and won 4 post-season games that season alone.  In that 2006 season playoffs run he had a very unimpressive QB rating of 63.025 and threw for an exceptional 3 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.  In the very same season in 2006 during the regular season Peyton threw 31 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.  So obviously the Colt's defense stepped up to the plate while Peyton froze in his tracks and peed his pants like a kid at an elementary school recital.
           
            In the meantime the younger Manning who can not seem to get the same amount of respect as his older brother went on to win his own superbowl the very next season.  The Giants also played in Wild Card weekend that year (also playing 4 games), Eli was able to throw 8 touchdowns and ONE interception, and knocked off the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.  In the regular season that year Eli threw for 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.  So one brother steps up to the plate when it's all on the line while the other crumbles under the pressure.

            However, still to this day 5 years later neither brother has managed to win another Super Bowl and Eli still sits in his brother's shadow even though playoff record has become 6-3.  One of those losses coming in his first full season as the full-time starter.  Now it seems Peyton's career may be all but over and when you look at the level of success he's had in 9 trips to the playoffs compared to what his brother has done with his 5 you have to wonder.

           With the way Eli performed so far in the playoffs this season having his way against the Falcons in Atlanta and rolling along knocking off the 15-1 Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field.  Eli is undoubtedly the better of the two in clutch situations, but that begins to raise the question.  Is Eli better?  To many that's a tough one.  For me, it's a no brainer, I'll take Eli.  What do you think?

The Woeful Wizards

          In a city where we are constantly heart broken and disappointed by the demise of one of our most prized possessions (the Washington Redskins) we don't have much to smile about when it comes to sports.  Sure the caps have been a bright spot as of recent years, the Nats seem to be turning a corner, but this is a football and basketball town.  Though the skins still continue to struggle the one thing we have to admit is there seems to be an improvement in the professionalism and structure of the organization that has existed in recent years.  Then there is the Washington Wizards.

            Growing up in the 80's and 90's when this team was the Bullets I remember my father taking me to U.S Air Arena and we would watch that team lose game after game and a good season would be hanging around a .500 record.  Then there was the Jordan era where in 2001- 2003 we had our own version of Brett Favre in Minnesota, Jerry Rice in Oakland, Emmit Smith in Arizona, an old man who squeezed out whatever he had left in the dish rag of his legendary career.  Though it may have been harmful to his legacy, it was entertaining to most fans.  The Verzion center (MCI center at the time) was a full house every night to come grasping at the opportunity to see Jordan be "His Airness" of the 90s.
         
            Then came Gilbert Arenas a true star and along with Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison were able to string together some exciting playoff seasons from 2004-2008.  The city had something to be proud of, and then came the demise.  Injuries slowed down Gilbert Arenas and after an incident where guns were bought to the locker room the team was blown up, the three stars were shipped out and this team turned over a new leaf with rookie point guard John Wall, obviously implying that a rebuild of the team was in place. 

           So here we are now in year two of the "rebuild" and this team is worse than it ever has been before!  I can take losing; I live in this area I'm used to it but the way this team is losing in unacceptable.  This is a roster comprised of one of 2 of the most underachieving players in the league, Andray Blatche who makes 6.42 mil this season and Rashard Lewis who makes 22 mil (THE SECOND HIGHEST PAID PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE) and produces a whopping 9.1 points a game.  This is a roster that relies heavily on an undisciplined shooter in Nick Young.  This is a roster who's "star" player in John Wall seems to have entered year two with the same ability he entered the league with day one in year one, maybe worst.  In year two Wall has seen a decline in shooting percentage, free throw percentage, steals, assists, has yet to hit a three pointer.  Only statistic Wall has seen an increase in his numbers is at TURNOVERS, from 3.8 a game to a nice round 4.0 a game.

            The question rises if he bothered to work on improving his game this off season?  Where is this improved jumper we heard so much about?  Yet I hear several stories of how you can find most of these guys in the streets of D.C enjoying the nightlife.  I've even experienced firsthand I've seen them out hanging in the bars of the Verizon center after the games and hanging out in "Bar 7" during training camp.   I'M TALKING TO YOU ANDRAY BLATCHE, to think you had the audacity to open the season by telling us you of all people were our team captain and promising us hard work and a fun season, this hasn't been hard work and it's not fun.  Who in the world decided it was a good idea to name you team captain????  How does that happen you have the VP of the player's association in Maurice Evans on the roster along with Roger Mason Jr., both of whom are NBA veterans who have played meaningful roles in playoff games?  Andray, how about you focus on getting 10 rebounds a game or boxing our Kris Humphries?  How about getting in game shape Andray you look like you have no idea what a push-up is, no not the Flintstones ice cream bar.

          That move sums up my feeling of this team.  They are not concerned about and lack professionalism.  Javale McGee has the potential to be very similar to the type of player Tyson Chandler has become however he's too busy throwing alley oops to himself off the backboard in losing efforts and begging for all-star votes on twitter.  Look fellas I know you're young, maybe not so bright, that's fine but the veterans and staff are really who’s to blame here.  We have people in this organization who have no excuse to allow this to happen.  From the Ted Leonsis and Ernie Grunfeld, to Flip Saunders, Sam Cassell, to the veterans on the bench.  YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSING REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY I CALL HOME.  YOU LACK PROFESSIONALISM SO THEREFORE WE LACK RESPECT.

          Look up into the stands sometimes fellas check how empty the 400 level is and then scan down to the 200's and see there's not much of a difference.  Pay attention to the fact that there were 30 cent tickets for your game against Minnesota on stubhub.  Right now are headed to be dubbed with the title the worst team in NBA and that will forever be your namesake.  We deserve better as paying customers and devoted fans and you should want better for yourselves, as self-respect human beings.