So the NBA is back… Do you care? I don’t and frankly I didn’t even notice it was gone. To me the season is too long and too many teams make the playoffs, so if your team misses the playoffs they really suck. Last year was interesting with the whole Lebron to south beach, but this season I just don’t see many story lines. The biggest story coming out of the lockout was all the trades and big free agent signings that were going to take place. So far the biggest talk is Chris Paul to the Celtics, but I would be shocked it that happened. That said are you happy the NBA is back or could care less?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Time to fire Frazier
The season is not over yet and the Vikings are faced with the question "Is Frazier the right man to lead this team?" If you judge a team by their record and performance than no he should have been fired weeks ago, but let's look at the bigger picture.
The Vikings secondary has been terrible all season and but at least when Winfield and Cook were in there they were somewhat respectable outside of the safety position. The lose of Winfield and Cook has caused a total collapse of the secondary, proof this weekend when Tebow looked like Rodgers in the pocket passing. The Vikes are starting a DB who was on his couch watching 3 weeks ago and one with two bad knees from ACL surgery. These DB's shouldn't start in the UFL never mind starting for the Vikings.
People are complaining about Frazier bringing in McNabb and starting him over Ponder. There was zero chance Ponder could have played on day one, the lockout took any chance of that happening and threw it out the window. Frazier went after McNabb as a bridge to Ponder and was someone he was comfortable with from their time in Philly. Yes the move backfired with McNabb being benched and now waived, but the thought behind it was a good one. You do not throw your rookie quarterback into the fire and risk not only injury but his confidence.
Frazier is a great person as anyone who has met him will tell you, but I am not sold he is coaching material. I would like to see how he does with a normal off season and not inheriting over rated defense. Frazier has proven he can keep a steady ship, but I would like to see him grow as a coach. This year he has failed to make adjustments throughout the year not only with personnel but his coaching. Too many times we see Harvin or even Peterson on the bench in critical situations. You want to see the coach learn from mistakes like a player, but Frazier has often repeated the same mistakes. Truth is Frazier is safe this year, but if this team doesn't take big leaps next year Frazier might not make it to week 13.
The Vikings secondary has been terrible all season and but at least when Winfield and Cook were in there they were somewhat respectable outside of the safety position. The lose of Winfield and Cook has caused a total collapse of the secondary, proof this weekend when Tebow looked like Rodgers in the pocket passing. The Vikes are starting a DB who was on his couch watching 3 weeks ago and one with two bad knees from ACL surgery. These DB's shouldn't start in the UFL never mind starting for the Vikings.
People are complaining about Frazier bringing in McNabb and starting him over Ponder. There was zero chance Ponder could have played on day one, the lockout took any chance of that happening and threw it out the window. Frazier went after McNabb as a bridge to Ponder and was someone he was comfortable with from their time in Philly. Yes the move backfired with McNabb being benched and now waived, but the thought behind it was a good one. You do not throw your rookie quarterback into the fire and risk not only injury but his confidence.
Frazier is a great person as anyone who has met him will tell you, but I am not sold he is coaching material. I would like to see how he does with a normal off season and not inheriting over rated defense. Frazier has proven he can keep a steady ship, but I would like to see him grow as a coach. This year he has failed to make adjustments throughout the year not only with personnel but his coaching. Too many times we see Harvin or even Peterson on the bench in critical situations. You want to see the coach learn from mistakes like a player, but Frazier has often repeated the same mistakes. Truth is Frazier is safe this year, but if this team doesn't take big leaps next year Frazier might not make it to week 13.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Tebow Trap Has Been Set...
Let me make this clear I like Tim Tebow as a person, from what I heard about him from his time down in Florida he does and say's everything right. While teamates were out partying he was inside studying and basically staying out of harms way. I'm sure a lot of student athlete's are like this, but usually we only hear the negative.
The trap was set in Denver the day Tebow was drafted, the trap has been sprung now that he is winning. The truth is Tebow is not a throwing quaterback. He is a fullback playing the quaterback position and we are now seeing that. His so called mechanic change has gone out the window and he misses more passes than he completes. I know big guys can play quaterback one just needs to look at Culpepper, but Tebow does not have the mechanics Culpepper did.
Everytime he completes a good pass or one that 95% of the quaterbacks complete with their eyes closed, we hear how great of a arm he has and he just needs time. He does complete passes in clutch situations and get's the job done, but is that enough to complete with the big time teams? The only competitive teams he beat are the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers and most people will agree those teams are worse than their records indicate. Denvers defense is more vital than Tim Tebow and probably has kept them in more games than Tebow has won them. I believe that is getting lost in Tebowmania.
The Denver fans love Tebow, they were chanting his name from day one and this put's John Fox and John Elway in a bear trap set by Tebow and the public. Elway has been careful with his comments to the media and through Twitter with regards to Tebow. Though he won't commit to Tebow 100% he has not gone away from suppoting him, but Fox in his first year as Denvers coach did not draft Tebow and Elway wants a passing qb. Behind closed doors one has to think they were hoping Tebow would make it easy to draft a qb in April.
He hasn't done so and tightened his trap by winning games in the final quarter, better yet final minutes and overtime. Tebow plays terrible for 3 quarters, but comes up in the 4th and the public only sees it as "He's so clutch" and "Tebows a winner" So the trap has been sprung, do Elway and Fox hitch their wagon to Tebow for the next couple seasons or do they risk public push back and draft a qb?
The trap was set in Denver the day Tebow was drafted, the trap has been sprung now that he is winning. The truth is Tebow is not a throwing quaterback. He is a fullback playing the quaterback position and we are now seeing that. His so called mechanic change has gone out the window and he misses more passes than he completes. I know big guys can play quaterback one just needs to look at Culpepper, but Tebow does not have the mechanics Culpepper did.
Everytime he completes a good pass or one that 95% of the quaterbacks complete with their eyes closed, we hear how great of a arm he has and he just needs time. He does complete passes in clutch situations and get's the job done, but is that enough to complete with the big time teams? The only competitive teams he beat are the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers and most people will agree those teams are worse than their records indicate. Denvers defense is more vital than Tim Tebow and probably has kept them in more games than Tebow has won them. I believe that is getting lost in Tebowmania.
The Denver fans love Tebow, they were chanting his name from day one and this put's John Fox and John Elway in a bear trap set by Tebow and the public. Elway has been careful with his comments to the media and through Twitter with regards to Tebow. Though he won't commit to Tebow 100% he has not gone away from suppoting him, but Fox in his first year as Denvers coach did not draft Tebow and Elway wants a passing qb. Behind closed doors one has to think they were hoping Tebow would make it easy to draft a qb in April.
He hasn't done so and tightened his trap by winning games in the final quarter, better yet final minutes and overtime. Tebow plays terrible for 3 quarters, but comes up in the 4th and the public only sees it as "He's so clutch" and "Tebows a winner" So the trap has been sprung, do Elway and Fox hitch their wagon to Tebow for the next couple seasons or do they risk public push back and draft a qb?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Chris Kluwe A Breath Of Fresh Air
It’s a breath of fresh air to read this article on Yahoo from Les Carpenter about Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Most athletes especially football players get lumped in the jock role of not being very bright, a meathead and in this modern NFL all about the money. Chris comes across of the complete opposite of all those and if I wasn’t a Vikings fan I’d would probably have had no idea who he was from his Twitter accounthttp://twitter.com/#!/ChrisWarcraft). Most people I following on Twitter talk about upcoming teams, other players, working out or pitching some product. This is not the case with Chris, usually he is complaining about a video game or mocking the NFL. To all 3 of my readers if you get the time give the article above a read and you’ll appreciate the breath of fresh air Chris has given the NFL
Monday, August 29, 2011
About that Chris Johnson Hold Out...
As Chris Johnson continues to hold out in hopes of a new contract we can again ponder "Is it a good idea?" I am very much on the fence on this one, being a Vikings fan I think Adrian Peterson is more deserving then Johnson of a new contract and handling it the proper way, by showing up and not becoming a distraction to his team. Peterson has been more consistent and a more complete back than Johnson, but this post isn't about that it's about should a player hold out for a new contract?
A NFL running back has one of the shortest playing careers of any position and while great running backs are rare, serviceable good running backs are a dime a dozen.Plus what about the fact that teams can basically cut a player at any time, should we expect a player to honor his contract when the team doesn't have to? I don't think Johnson deserves what he is requesting to be paid as one of the highest impact players not just at his position but the overall. The days of a running back dictating that type of money are gone and qbs are higher impact players than running backs. I think Johnson should be paid as a top tier running back and while I don't think holding out is a great idea for other positions, I feel it is almost justified as a running back. They are one injury away from calling it a career, might as well get as much as possible when you have the leverage.
A NFL running back has one of the shortest playing careers of any position and while great running backs are rare, serviceable good running backs are a dime a dozen.Plus what about the fact that teams can basically cut a player at any time, should we expect a player to honor his contract when the team doesn't have to? I don't think Johnson deserves what he is requesting to be paid as one of the highest impact players not just at his position but the overall. The days of a running back dictating that type of money are gone and qbs are higher impact players than running backs. I think Johnson should be paid as a top tier running back and while I don't think holding out is a great idea for other positions, I feel it is almost justified as a running back. They are one injury away from calling it a career, might as well get as much as possible when you have the leverage.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
After Stone Accident Stadiums Need To Revisit Safety
Was it only a matter of time before something tragic happened? Did a human being, a father to a 6 year old son have to die in order to open our eyes? If you are not aware of the terrible Shannon Stone story please vist Hard Ball Talk here to read it. This horrific event could have been avoided if we looked at the signs.
As people sometimes we need to be protected from ourselves and this is an example of what happens when our host fail to watch over us. Baseball is by far on of the most dangerous sports to watch along with hockey. I can remember watching the Lansing Lugnuts from the first base line at sunset, I could barely see the batter. Then a foul ball would rip right past my head and a couple rows behind me, but these are the risk you take as a fan to sit close to the field. Hockey is the same way if you are just above glass level and someone misses on a slapshot it's coming up. My point is there will always be risk at games.
With Mr.Stone it was different, there was no foul ball or slap shot, just Josh Hamilton tossing up a ball at the end of the inning. Looking at pictures of where the accident happened it is clear the MLB needs to mandate a higher railing system around the league or keep fans further back. Even if they installed some type of landing on the other side of the rails, this could have been avoided. We have seen this happen before at ground level when people reach for foul balls and go over the wall. Maybe now is the time to start elminating fans from the game and take a row or two out. Something must be done so nobody has to lose their life for us to learn a lesson.
As people sometimes we need to be protected from ourselves and this is an example of what happens when our host fail to watch over us. Baseball is by far on of the most dangerous sports to watch along with hockey. I can remember watching the Lansing Lugnuts from the first base line at sunset, I could barely see the batter. Then a foul ball would rip right past my head and a couple rows behind me, but these are the risk you take as a fan to sit close to the field. Hockey is the same way if you are just above glass level and someone misses on a slapshot it's coming up. My point is there will always be risk at games.
With Mr.Stone it was different, there was no foul ball or slap shot, just Josh Hamilton tossing up a ball at the end of the inning. Looking at pictures of where the accident happened it is clear the MLB needs to mandate a higher railing system around the league or keep fans further back. Even if they installed some type of landing on the other side of the rails, this could have been avoided. We have seen this happen before at ground level when people reach for foul balls and go over the wall. Maybe now is the time to start elminating fans from the game and take a row or two out. Something must be done so nobody has to lose their life for us to learn a lesson.
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Magic Of The 4th Of July.. What Happen???
So I am taking a break from sports to write about the 4th of July and the magic it carried as a good. I don't know it was because I was young or because I had the entire Summer off from school but the 4th always carried special magic. It's was family bbqs,cookouts and fireworks.. Where does the magic go?
Some of my fondest childhood memories happened on the 4th of July. It could be the one summer when I was 6 or 7 and my uncle had a cardboard tube and would launch bottle rockets underneath a bridge where crowds of people's were walking to watch fireworks at the river. Probably not the best idea, but it was the 80's and it was pretty funny. I remember that was the Summer I was introduced to the movie "It's a mad mad world" and lawn Jarts (the dangerous ones).
Or in 95 when Chris Isaak was performing at The Hartford Riverfest. I was 15 at the time and rode my bike everywhere. So myself and a couple friends rode our bikes about 10 miles to Riverfest, along the way taped a couple m80's to a Isaak CD and launch it under a bridge. I remember wondering around Riverfest grabbing food and going down the water slide along with seeing ton's of friends from around town. Picking up a couple boxes of stink bombs from the dollar store and watching a crowd clear.
Life seemed so much simpler and slower back then, even though things were a little more tough. It was tough to get money for things and a lot more work to ride a bike then drive a car. Maybe that is what made it better, the adventure that led to the moment. I have been to numerous cookouts over the years now and have memories from all of them, but none of them seem to capture that same magic. Maybe now that I have a little baby girl I can recapture some of the moments from my childhood. Just looking for that spark to re-create the magic...
Some of my fondest childhood memories happened on the 4th of July. It could be the one summer when I was 6 or 7 and my uncle had a cardboard tube and would launch bottle rockets underneath a bridge where crowds of people's were walking to watch fireworks at the river. Probably not the best idea, but it was the 80's and it was pretty funny. I remember that was the Summer I was introduced to the movie "It's a mad mad world" and lawn Jarts (the dangerous ones).
Or in 95 when Chris Isaak was performing at The Hartford Riverfest. I was 15 at the time and rode my bike everywhere. So myself and a couple friends rode our bikes about 10 miles to Riverfest, along the way taped a couple m80's to a Isaak CD and launch it under a bridge. I remember wondering around Riverfest grabbing food and going down the water slide along with seeing ton's of friends from around town. Picking up a couple boxes of stink bombs from the dollar store and watching a crowd clear.
Life seemed so much simpler and slower back then, even though things were a little more tough. It was tough to get money for things and a lot more work to ride a bike then drive a car. Maybe that is what made it better, the adventure that led to the moment. I have been to numerous cookouts over the years now and have memories from all of them, but none of them seem to capture that same magic. Maybe now that I have a little baby girl I can recapture some of the moments from my childhood. Just looking for that spark to re-create the magic...
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