The event that seemed impossible even 6 months ago happened today. The Indianapolis Colts released Peyton Manning. We knew this day was coming the past 3 months, but we never thought this was even a possibility until November 2011 or so. It's amazing how quickly things can change and like Kevin Garnett once deliriously shouted "anything is possible"! Manning and owner Jim Irsay appeared together and parted ways as friendly adults in an emotional news conference today. I thought they handled it in a classy manner given the circumstances though Irsay had some juvenile moments in this saga during the past few months. It was of course staged and had it's awkward moments from the point he picked him up yesterday from the airport, but it was done the right way. And the emotion, at least from Manning's side seemed real and genuine. It doesn't matter who you are, it's going to be tough to walk away from a place you have been working at for 14 years. And in his case, it's a workplace that made him incredibly rich, successful, famous and a living legend. He had some fun times there to say the least, including that super bowl win and it was definitely a tough day for him to cut that chord today.
Manning came in as a can't-miss rookie in 1998 and went 3-13 while showing several flashes of brilliance. The very next season, he threw for more than 4000 yards and helped the Colts go 13-3. The rest as they say is history. He pretty much became the face, heart and soul of the Colts and the city of Indianapolis for the next 14 years as the Colts kept winning many, many games. He took a mediocre franchise in a basketball town and made it the premier football franchise in the league. I once blogged that when you say "franchise player", the guys who are on the top of that elite list - the creme de la creme, are Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning and Tim Duncan. Their impact on the city and the franchise is way beyond what they did on the field for the duration of their career with the club. Unfortunately for the Colts, Manning's career with them is already over. The good news for them is that they have another can't miss prospect coming their way in the form of Andrew Luck. Another number 1 pick just in time to replace a legend. Reminds me of the Spurs scoring Tim Duncan with their number 1 pick many years after David Robinson. Of course, the circumstances there were different and Duncan and Robinson could play together and win a ring, but it is still interesting that the Colts are able to go from Manning to Luck. It will be totally unfair to expect Luck to be Manning-good, but even if he turns out to be a decent starting NFL QB, the Colts have nothing to complain.
It was the combination of availability of Luck, the high price-tag on Manning - $28 million for this upcoming year, and Manning's age that made this the right decision for the Colts. As they say, father-time is undefeated and Manning is the latest athlete joining that fight. Even without the four neck surgeries, you would think he has probably 2 good years left on the football field and if you are the Colts, you definitely go with the younger Luck. It will be interesting to see Luck play and evolve. Manning's shadow will definitely follow him for a while. The good news for Manning is that, he seems to be recovering well and capable of playing in the NFL again. If he can play, there will be no shortage of suitors for him. The entire NFC West, except the St. Louis Rams are in the list of teams somewhat to extremely interested in Manning. He is so good, he can pick his team and can also influence the receiving corps around him. We don't know how this will end for Manning, but it sure looks like he will have a new start at a new place soon and all eyes will be on him. The hype machine will be in full flow, and deservedly so. When Brett Favre started with the Jets, we were all watching and that season didn't end great for Favre though he had some good moments. Of course, he was spectacular with the Vikings the next year before fading away in 2010 when he was 40 years old. Manning is a little younger now than Favre was when he left the Packers, but he is also coming of major surgeries which was never the issue with Favre. But Manning will also not miss training camps and avoid starting the season late like Favre used to. So it will be interesting to see Manning in 2012. We already have a great story waiting for us to start the NFL season.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Ceilin
Now that the Linsanity train is barging ahead at full speed, the real questions are about where this train is headed and how fast will it get there. What is Lin's ceiling? Will Linsanity ever end? If so, when? All fascinating questions. I am enjoying Linsanity and want him to succeed big, but I am also realistic. The guy is averaging 20+ points and 10+ assists in this stretch of 15 days. That's straight-up Steve Nash digits. I would call those MVP numbers and hall of fame lock if only he keeps it up for 15 more years! But that's not going to be easy for Linsanity. As much as he looks like Nash in that offense and pick-and-roll, he is far away from Nashty. Nash is a way better ball handler with much better court vision and shooting. Lin might be a slightly better defender and may be a better finisher around the rim because of his body type, but he is not close to becoming a Nash overall. It's almost unfair to compare the 2 at this point, though Lin's numbers over the last 15 days definitely push us towards that comparison. He can be a poor-man's Steve Nash if he keeps it up and that's a compliment.
Lin is also averaging more than 6 turnovers a game and that's the result of his suspect ball-handling. This is exactly why his career thus far has taken the route it has. Jason Terry spoke yesterday about how anybody who plays 45 minutes and gets 20 shots is going to put up some numbers. Well, it's not that simple and it sounds disrespectful of Lin - you need to be good and prove yourself a little bit before they give you 20 shots, but still Terry has a point. There are several guards buried on NBA benches that are probably quicker and more athletic than Lin and may even score 20 every night if given a chance. They may not be able to pass quite like Lin that makes him a little special, but they are at the end of the bench primarily because they will also turn the ball over 6 times a game - just like Lin. That's not acceptable nightly in the NBA. I am sure these were the concerns that kept Lin on the bench until a unique set of circumstances forced him on to the floor. Credit Lin for making the best of this opportunity. Winning solves a lot of problems including 6 turnovers per game and that's his biggest ally these days.
If you want a specific answer for when will Linsanity end, I would say it will slow down significantly if and when the Knicks go on a 5 game losing streak and if Lin is still averaging 6 turnovers over that stretch. That won't work well. Just to give you a reference, the Warrior fans are often upset with Stephen Curry for some careless turnovers and he averages about 3 per game. Lin is almost twice as bad. This is also why I wouldn't be too critical of the Warriors for letting him go, though they desperately tried to get him back after releasing him. They do owe us an explanation for drafting Charles Jenkins in the second round of last year's draft and keeping him over Lin. Of course nobody would have released him if they knew he could do all this, but you can't blame the Warriors entirely because they have Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry and Lin would have never got this opportunity with them. Even with Linsanity at it's peak, you have to say Curry is a better ball-handler and a more reliable shooter than Lin. This won't make sense now for a lot of fans, but it will when Lin cools off a little.
Lin is currently in one of those dream runs with his shooting and scoring which will eventually slow down. His vision and assists will probably stay, but one of my basketball savvy friends made a great point. Right now Linsanity is not just living a personal dream, but is also energizing the entire city of New York including his teammates. They are all enjoying this run and attention and who doesn't want to ball in front of Kevin Costner and Mark Zuckerberg? But once the hype dies down, his teammates won't cut as hard. They won't run and jump so well on fast-breaks and this could slow Linsanity. His assists numbers might go down too but the real danger is, his turnovers might stay right where they are or even get worse as teams throw better defenders on him. This is the short-term ceiling and challenge for Lin. If the Knicks keep doing well this year, Linsanity may very well take us all the way through this season. We may have to wait until next year for this to settle down. Or, it will slow down in a hurry if the Knicks go on a 0-5 stretch. In either case, it has been a lot of fun and the NBA has been a huge beneficiary here.
Long term, he can improve his shooting and ball-handling and sky could be the limit for this kid if he works hard. He has a shot at being a starting guard in this league as long as there are other number 1 options on the team. In the worst-case, he will be a great, change of pace guard off the bench who can impact games in a major way. Bill Simmons calls that role for Lin, J.J.Barea 2.0. Lin is still young and when he signs a decent contract, he will be able to afford the best trainers and coaches and will definitely get better. After all, even Nash was not born with all his skills. He has worked like a maniac to acquire them. If Lin has shown us anything over the last 15 days, it's definitely that he is hard-working, smart, tough, humble and has incredible heart. These are priceless intangibles that will serve him well in the tough, competitive world of the NBA. Lin will make something out of Linsanity. I wish him well and things will be fine as long as we don't expect him to be a career 20-10 guy winning 8 out of every 10 starts. Whether he gets there or not, his journey so far has been absolutely fascinating and fun. I am sure commish Stern is smiling on his way to the bank everyday the last 2 weeks.
Lin is also averaging more than 6 turnovers a game and that's the result of his suspect ball-handling. This is exactly why his career thus far has taken the route it has. Jason Terry spoke yesterday about how anybody who plays 45 minutes and gets 20 shots is going to put up some numbers. Well, it's not that simple and it sounds disrespectful of Lin - you need to be good and prove yourself a little bit before they give you 20 shots, but still Terry has a point. There are several guards buried on NBA benches that are probably quicker and more athletic than Lin and may even score 20 every night if given a chance. They may not be able to pass quite like Lin that makes him a little special, but they are at the end of the bench primarily because they will also turn the ball over 6 times a game - just like Lin. That's not acceptable nightly in the NBA. I am sure these were the concerns that kept Lin on the bench until a unique set of circumstances forced him on to the floor. Credit Lin for making the best of this opportunity. Winning solves a lot of problems including 6 turnovers per game and that's his biggest ally these days.
If you want a specific answer for when will Linsanity end, I would say it will slow down significantly if and when the Knicks go on a 5 game losing streak and if Lin is still averaging 6 turnovers over that stretch. That won't work well. Just to give you a reference, the Warrior fans are often upset with Stephen Curry for some careless turnovers and he averages about 3 per game. Lin is almost twice as bad. This is also why I wouldn't be too critical of the Warriors for letting him go, though they desperately tried to get him back after releasing him. They do owe us an explanation for drafting Charles Jenkins in the second round of last year's draft and keeping him over Lin. Of course nobody would have released him if they knew he could do all this, but you can't blame the Warriors entirely because they have Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry and Lin would have never got this opportunity with them. Even with Linsanity at it's peak, you have to say Curry is a better ball-handler and a more reliable shooter than Lin. This won't make sense now for a lot of fans, but it will when Lin cools off a little.
Lin is currently in one of those dream runs with his shooting and scoring which will eventually slow down. His vision and assists will probably stay, but one of my basketball savvy friends made a great point. Right now Linsanity is not just living a personal dream, but is also energizing the entire city of New York including his teammates. They are all enjoying this run and attention and who doesn't want to ball in front of Kevin Costner and Mark Zuckerberg? But once the hype dies down, his teammates won't cut as hard. They won't run and jump so well on fast-breaks and this could slow Linsanity. His assists numbers might go down too but the real danger is, his turnovers might stay right where they are or even get worse as teams throw better defenders on him. This is the short-term ceiling and challenge for Lin. If the Knicks keep doing well this year, Linsanity may very well take us all the way through this season. We may have to wait until next year for this to settle down. Or, it will slow down in a hurry if the Knicks go on a 0-5 stretch. In either case, it has been a lot of fun and the NBA has been a huge beneficiary here.
Long term, he can improve his shooting and ball-handling and sky could be the limit for this kid if he works hard. He has a shot at being a starting guard in this league as long as there are other number 1 options on the team. In the worst-case, he will be a great, change of pace guard off the bench who can impact games in a major way. Bill Simmons calls that role for Lin, J.J.Barea 2.0. Lin is still young and when he signs a decent contract, he will be able to afford the best trainers and coaches and will definitely get better. After all, even Nash was not born with all his skills. He has worked like a maniac to acquire them. If Lin has shown us anything over the last 15 days, it's definitely that he is hard-working, smart, tough, humble and has incredible heart. These are priceless intangibles that will serve him well in the tough, competitive world of the NBA. Lin will make something out of Linsanity. I wish him well and things will be fine as long as we don't expect him to be a career 20-10 guy winning 8 out of every 10 starts. Whether he gets there or not, his journey so far has been absolutely fascinating and fun. I am sure commish Stern is smiling on his way to the bank everyday the last 2 weeks.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Twitter gone wild with #linsanity
NBA has a it's own version of Tebow-mania and this is even better because Jeremy Lin is a lot more of an improbable star than Tebow. The Palo Alto born, Harvard educated, Taiwanese American is taking Madison Square Garden and the NBA by storm. He has now had 4 great games and tonight's 38 points and 7 assists were against Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers. The Knicks won and Bryant learned quickly how good this guy is after pretending to not know him yesterday. How can the great Kobe Bryant be aware of the lowly Lin? Well, he knows him now that Lin dropped 38 on his face and sent the Lakers away losers. He is quick, smart, crafty and talented. He is also humble and classy. He has a goofy shooting motion, but is currently shooting 53% on the season. He is definitely a good fit for that system with Mike D'Antoni like every talking-head is saying and I have to say, as somebody who watched the Suns for years with D'Antoni and Nash, Lin does look a little like Nash in that offense. Of course, he is not as great as Nash with either his shot or his vision, but he sure is playing well in that system. He deserves a lot of credit for making the most out of a friendly system.
There have been other rags to riches stories in the NBA with undrafted rookies and so on, but Linsanity is different because of his background. If this was a black kid from Wichita state, he won't be the national phenomenon that Lin is now. This is an unique situation and he seems like a good kid. Great story for the NBA just in time after the Super Bowl. Lin has been lucky with all the injuries with the Knicks. It is going to be interesting when the stars come back. Amare will only make him better. With an athlete like Amare running with him, he will do better and this offense will look even more like the Suns offense back in the day. Amare knows how that works and he will fit in. The real trouble is Carmelo. He is fast earning a valid reputation of being a ball-stopper and he can stop Linsanity on it's tracks. NBA is a star driven league and you would be foolish to pick the coach and an unproven player ahead of one of the biggest scorers in the league. But if D'Antoni and Lin can keep this going, I would strongly consider trading Carmelo away. I know I am getting way ahead of everything here, but I like D'Antoni and now Lin enough to say that if Melo doesn't fit in, ship him out. Knicks have been losing big and he was not a good fit for that system long before linsanity started crushing twitter. Melo forces a different system on you. The other issue for Lin is going to be when Baron Davis comes back. At this point, the starting job should be Lin's to lose and I think it will be. It is amazing that we are talking about Baron Davis backing up Jeremy Lin. That's how far this guy has come in exactly a week. Enjoy the ride Mr. Lin.
We live in a twitter and smartphone age of instant gratification and constant attention and Lin is the biggest story going right now. Speaking of the smartphone age, the biggest stories coming out of the Super Bowl last weekend were all stupid reflections of where our culture is headed right now. The first one was about Gisele sticking up for her husband Tom Brady and thrashing his receivers. The wife or the girlfriend bad-mouthing teammates is the worst look for an athlete and at first, I was shocked the image conscious Brady let that happen. Then I looked at the video and she was not even talking to a camera. She was just chatting with a bunch of friends, but in this day and age, you have to assume somebody is shooting and recording you and that's exactly what happened to her. It was a probably embarrassing that it got out and she should be careful in the future, but the way the media handled it, it sounded like she criticized Wes Welker in an interview with Bob Costas on national TV. Brandon Jacobs and the Giants responded and I am not sure if they even knew the context or were just misled by the media's coverage of it. Then comes the Gronk dance without the shirt. That is a bad look for any guy on a normal Friday night in July, but once again, it got out on youtube and everybody made a big deal out of it. But it was a party thrown by the owner of the Patriots and he was dancing with his teammates. Bad, but not the worst thing like the media made it out to be. If the players can't party after a Super Bowl loss, why are the owners hosting one? Where's the accountability there?
There have been other rags to riches stories in the NBA with undrafted rookies and so on, but Linsanity is different because of his background. If this was a black kid from Wichita state, he won't be the national phenomenon that Lin is now. This is an unique situation and he seems like a good kid. Great story for the NBA just in time after the Super Bowl. Lin has been lucky with all the injuries with the Knicks. It is going to be interesting when the stars come back. Amare will only make him better. With an athlete like Amare running with him, he will do better and this offense will look even more like the Suns offense back in the day. Amare knows how that works and he will fit in. The real trouble is Carmelo. He is fast earning a valid reputation of being a ball-stopper and he can stop Linsanity on it's tracks. NBA is a star driven league and you would be foolish to pick the coach and an unproven player ahead of one of the biggest scorers in the league. But if D'Antoni and Lin can keep this going, I would strongly consider trading Carmelo away. I know I am getting way ahead of everything here, but I like D'Antoni and now Lin enough to say that if Melo doesn't fit in, ship him out. Knicks have been losing big and he was not a good fit for that system long before linsanity started crushing twitter. Melo forces a different system on you. The other issue for Lin is going to be when Baron Davis comes back. At this point, the starting job should be Lin's to lose and I think it will be. It is amazing that we are talking about Baron Davis backing up Jeremy Lin. That's how far this guy has come in exactly a week. Enjoy the ride Mr. Lin.
We live in a twitter and smartphone age of instant gratification and constant attention and Lin is the biggest story going right now. Speaking of the smartphone age, the biggest stories coming out of the Super Bowl last weekend were all stupid reflections of where our culture is headed right now. The first one was about Gisele sticking up for her husband Tom Brady and thrashing his receivers. The wife or the girlfriend bad-mouthing teammates is the worst look for an athlete and at first, I was shocked the image conscious Brady let that happen. Then I looked at the video and she was not even talking to a camera. She was just chatting with a bunch of friends, but in this day and age, you have to assume somebody is shooting and recording you and that's exactly what happened to her. It was a probably embarrassing that it got out and she should be careful in the future, but the way the media handled it, it sounded like she criticized Wes Welker in an interview with Bob Costas on national TV. Brandon Jacobs and the Giants responded and I am not sure if they even knew the context or were just misled by the media's coverage of it. Then comes the Gronk dance without the shirt. That is a bad look for any guy on a normal Friday night in July, but once again, it got out on youtube and everybody made a big deal out of it. But it was a party thrown by the owner of the Patriots and he was dancing with his teammates. Bad, but not the worst thing like the media made it out to be. If the players can't party after a Super Bowl loss, why are the owners hosting one? Where's the accountability there?
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Giants 2 - Patriots 0
New York Giants have won their second ring and sent the Patriots back home with another tough Super Bowl loss. The game went exactly as I expected it to, but it featured less scoring drives than I expected. I expected to see a little more scoring back and forth, but the Super Bowl jitters and preparedness on the part of both defenses kept the score in check. Plus the lackadaisical play of the Giants at times didn't help either. Giants don't seem to play with focus and a sense of urgency until things get really desperate. That's their only weakness. It's also a bad reflection on Eli as he seems to share that trait as well. He is not as obsessive and consistent at his craft like a Brady or his big brother Peyton. He does come through in the clutch and so does his team, but they don't play consistently good justifying their talent level. That's true during a game - even the Super Bowl, and that's also true during the course of a season as they go on 4-game losing streaks and 6-game winning streaks because of the same inconsistencies in their focus and performance.
I thought the Giants were really the more complete team. But their inconsistency and Hoody and Brady's drive to extract revenge were the top 2 reasons why the Patriots had a shot - a real shot. But even Hoody and Brady couldn't overcome the talent differential. Some people say that it's a huge credit to the Hoody that this Pats team even made it this far with a horrible defense. Of course the offense is always in good hands with Tom Brady, but that defense had no business being in the Super Bowl. At the end, they came close, but a Wes Welker drop here and an Aaron Hernandez drop there made sure they don't win. Poor Wes Welker is getting a lot of flak for the drop, but it wasn't a great pass by Gisele's husband either. We are used to seeing Welker catch difficult passes like the one he dropped, but it was thrown behind him. Brady also threw an interception earlier and had a mediocre fourth quarter after a brilliant first 3.
Eli on the other hand was his usual self. Good for 3 quarters and great in the fourth. His pass to Mario Manningham was another special Super Bowl play that we may never forget. It was a key play, but it was nowhere near David Tyree's catch in the previous super bowl either in terms of the impact or the difficulty. It was a perfect throw and a great catch that beat good coverage. Eli and Tom Coughlin both are legends now in the biggest city in the world and are ready for the Hall of Fame. I am happy for Coughlin because he is an old-school disciplinarian and it's good to see old school values still succeed. I also like him as a coach. Only issue I have with him is, he has to share some blame for the team's attitude and lack of focus at times. But overall, he is a great coach and of course the New York media will be firing him by week 8 in 2012. Speaking of 2012, can't wait for the off-season to see where Peyton Manning ends up. If that guy can play even at 80% of what we have seen of him in the past, he should be shaking up the power structure of the entire league. I am not a big fan of this sort of drama, but I am willing to endure the ESPN circus for Peyton. He is worth it. He deserves it. Even though his little bro has more rings than him.
I thought the Giants were really the more complete team. But their inconsistency and Hoody and Brady's drive to extract revenge were the top 2 reasons why the Patriots had a shot - a real shot. But even Hoody and Brady couldn't overcome the talent differential. Some people say that it's a huge credit to the Hoody that this Pats team even made it this far with a horrible defense. Of course the offense is always in good hands with Tom Brady, but that defense had no business being in the Super Bowl. At the end, they came close, but a Wes Welker drop here and an Aaron Hernandez drop there made sure they don't win. Poor Wes Welker is getting a lot of flak for the drop, but it wasn't a great pass by Gisele's husband either. We are used to seeing Welker catch difficult passes like the one he dropped, but it was thrown behind him. Brady also threw an interception earlier and had a mediocre fourth quarter after a brilliant first 3.
Eli on the other hand was his usual self. Good for 3 quarters and great in the fourth. His pass to Mario Manningham was another special Super Bowl play that we may never forget. It was a key play, but it was nowhere near David Tyree's catch in the previous super bowl either in terms of the impact or the difficulty. It was a perfect throw and a great catch that beat good coverage. Eli and Tom Coughlin both are legends now in the biggest city in the world and are ready for the Hall of Fame. I am happy for Coughlin because he is an old-school disciplinarian and it's good to see old school values still succeed. I also like him as a coach. Only issue I have with him is, he has to share some blame for the team's attitude and lack of focus at times. But overall, he is a great coach and of course the New York media will be firing him by week 8 in 2012. Speaking of 2012, can't wait for the off-season to see where Peyton Manning ends up. If that guy can play even at 80% of what we have seen of him in the past, he should be shaking up the power structure of the entire league. I am not a big fan of this sort of drama, but I am willing to endure the ESPN circus for Peyton. He is worth it. He deserves it. Even though his little bro has more rings than him.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
This will be a "Giant" Super Bowl.
Giants 31 Patriots 27. That's what I am calling in this weekend's Super Bowl. It should be a good one, a fun one and also a close one. But should also be an easy one for the Giants to score the requisite points at the end to take care of the Patriots. The Patriots, Brady and Belichick are never easy to deal with as adversaries, but I do not respect their defense this year. Giants are a more complete team and that defensive front can slow down Tom Brady on at least 2 or 3 drives this Sunday. But I can't say the same about the Patriots defense. Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are no joke. Manning and those receivers should be able to move the ball and score enough to win. Gronk's ankle is not helping the Patriots either. He is one guy on the Patriots nobody seems to have an answer for. But a hobbled Gronk only helps the Giants defense, which doesn't need a whole lot of help in the first place. All this should add up to a second Super Bowl for Manning and the Giants. Considering that the Giants beat the Pats the last time they were in this dance, I am sure Brady is itching to beat them and extract some revenge.
This is a major Super Bowl as it will help establish some legacies either way. If the Patriots win, that puts Tom Brady in the QB stratosphere along with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw with 4 rings each. He is already guaranteed a tie with Elway for the most SB appearances. This will also let hoody join Chuck Noll as a 4 time champion. Both Brady and the hoody are first-ballot hall of famers anyways, but a win this Sunday will put them in a special balcony in that hall of fame. It's also a big game for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. They are both borderline hall of famers right now - more Coughlin than Manning, but Eli will be there soon. But a second Super Bowl fast-tracks both of them. If he wins Sunday, they can start fitting that hideous yellow jacket for Eli instead of waiting to see if he is worthy of it in a few years. Coughlin never seems to get enough credit and this ring will change that forever. He already has 2 Super Bowl rings - one as an assistant, and his most impressive achievement might be taking the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars to 2 AFC championship games. This Super Bowl is big for both sides.
May be that's why this week has been all about Peyton Manning! Some of it is just coincidence since his little brother and his biggest rival are putting on a show in the house he built in Indianapolis. But he has already given one interview - may be that was just a promotional gig for Gatorade, but the news that he has been "medically cleared" also came out this week. That could have definitely waited till after the Super Bowl. He says this week is not about him, but the more he says it, the more it is becoming about him. Makes you wonder if he is jealous of his little brother and his biggest rival. It is a little surreal to think Eli might have more Super Bowls than Peyton in a couple of days. Peyton is still going to be better QB than Eli. That argument won't start until Eli wins his third SB. But for now, it looks like Peyton will be back at least trying to play in the NFL next year. He will have to do it somewhere else and not in Indy. It seems very unlikely Peyton will get to play and win another Super Bowl at a new place. Hope Jim Irsay put an end to this drama in Indy soon. The low-point of this saga was when Irsay said recently that he and Manning are, on a competitive scale of 1-to-10, "both 11s." Yes, you and one of the best QBs ever are of course on the same level of competitiveness. Lets list that under "things you get to say if you have 100's of millions of dollars in the bank."
This is a major Super Bowl as it will help establish some legacies either way. If the Patriots win, that puts Tom Brady in the QB stratosphere along with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw with 4 rings each. He is already guaranteed a tie with Elway for the most SB appearances. This will also let hoody join Chuck Noll as a 4 time champion. Both Brady and the hoody are first-ballot hall of famers anyways, but a win this Sunday will put them in a special balcony in that hall of fame. It's also a big game for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. They are both borderline hall of famers right now - more Coughlin than Manning, but Eli will be there soon. But a second Super Bowl fast-tracks both of them. If he wins Sunday, they can start fitting that hideous yellow jacket for Eli instead of waiting to see if he is worthy of it in a few years. Coughlin never seems to get enough credit and this ring will change that forever. He already has 2 Super Bowl rings - one as an assistant, and his most impressive achievement might be taking the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars to 2 AFC championship games. This Super Bowl is big for both sides.
May be that's why this week has been all about Peyton Manning! Some of it is just coincidence since his little brother and his biggest rival are putting on a show in the house he built in Indianapolis. But he has already given one interview - may be that was just a promotional gig for Gatorade, but the news that he has been "medically cleared" also came out this week. That could have definitely waited till after the Super Bowl. He says this week is not about him, but the more he says it, the more it is becoming about him. Makes you wonder if he is jealous of his little brother and his biggest rival. It is a little surreal to think Eli might have more Super Bowls than Peyton in a couple of days. Peyton is still going to be better QB than Eli. That argument won't start until Eli wins his third SB. But for now, it looks like Peyton will be back at least trying to play in the NFL next year. He will have to do it somewhere else and not in Indy. It seems very unlikely Peyton will get to play and win another Super Bowl at a new place. Hope Jim Irsay put an end to this drama in Indy soon. The low-point of this saga was when Irsay said recently that he and Manning are, on a competitive scale of 1-to-10, "both 11s." Yes, you and one of the best QBs ever are of course on the same level of competitiveness. Lets list that under "things you get to say if you have 100's of millions of dollars in the bank."
Monday, January 23, 2012
No Super Bowl for the Niners and the Ravens
The Giants and the Patriots are getting ready to re-enact Super Bowl 42 in a couple of weeks. The combination of a missed field goal by the Ravens and a made field goal by the Giants on Sunday prevented a Har-bowl. Tough day for the Harbaughs, but I ain't shedding a tear for that family. They have it pretty good with both brothers making millions as prestigious head coaches in the NFL. Considering there are only 32 of those jobs in the entire world, the Harbaughs hold 6.25% of all NFL head coaching jobs under the sun. So they will be fine. But life is all perspective and I am sure that entire family is feeling horrible this week given the way both teams lost. Jim Harbaugh made his family's catch-phrase the 49'ers war cry - "who's got better than us?". Well, the real answer is - Tom Brady. The guy got another Super Bowl trip gifted to him by the Ravens. He sure is talented and a great QB and is rarely outplayed by other QBs, but Joe Flacco actually outplayed him and looked good against that horrible Patriots defense. Brady was going against the better defense, but he didn't even have a passing TD in this game - something that's unheard of this season.
Flacco's throw to Lee Evans that would have won the game at the end of the game was just perfect. In fact, it was a little too perfect as it fell on Evans lap and surprised him just enough to let a defender knock it out of his hands. One could still argue that Evans controlled the ball and then fumbled it. And that should have made it a TD because the ball broke the plane. But the zebras thought otherwise. As if that's not enough of a good fortune for Brady, hoody and the Patriots, the Ravens then miss a game tying field goal that would have at least sent the game to OT. Poor kicker Billy Cundiff missed a short, 32 yard field goal and lost the game for his team. I liked how his teammates, especially Ray Lewis stuck up for him and said all the right things. I am beginning to like Ray Lewis more and more as he ages and moves away from the murder scandal back in the day. But I do feel for that team because Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are getting up there in age. They had a great shot at another Super Bowl appearance but Cundiff kicked it away. There is no guarantee they get there back again - not in that division with the Steelers. There is also some talk about how the scoreboard in the Patriots stadium threw Cundiff off with the wrong down and distance information. You can't help but wonder if this is another "hoody-gate" in the making. But the Ravens season is over anyways.
In San Francisco, the game did go to overtime unlike the AFC championship game, but Kyle Williams fumbled a punt and stopped the hearts of the home crowd. It was a shocking moment, but you immediately felt for Kyle because he joined Ravens' Cundiff as the other goat on that day. This was even worse than Cundiff only because he kneed a punt earlier in that game committing a costly turnover. Nothing justifies the stupid fans sending him death threats after the game, but it was a tough day for Williams even otherwise to have turned the ball over twice. Niners pride themselves on their turnover differential, but they were 0-2 in this one with both credited to Kyle. Of course, his teammates came out and stood by him. It is indeed a cliche to say "it's not one man's fault, we win as a team and we lose as a team". Obviously a costly mistake at the end of a game like that has a much greater impact and is harder to recover from, but Kyle's last fumble was truly not the 49'ers main problem. I wouldn't blame him at all for that defeat. They had several opportunities to put that game away and the 49'ers offense couldn't get it done. All they needed was a field goal and Williams would have been in the locker room celebrating instead of fielding that ill-fated punt if only the offense had done it's job.
The way that game ended proved one more time how much of a team game football is and even a mistake of that magnitude exposed more of a team's problem in it's entirety than anything else. In fact, I would say Kyle's first turnover where he kicked a ball that he didn't even catch was more stupid and even more damaging in the big scheme of things. He had no reason to hang around that ball and it was a big momentum changer in the game. The NY Giants hang on and move on to the big game behind some strong performance by their wide receivers. The niners WRs caught one pass for 3 yards the entire overtime game and that was the difference. Credit goes to Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Hakeen Nicks and the blame goes to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. The best quote about this game was by Bill Romanowski when he said "Michael Crabtree was an ornament in this game. He might as well have hung out on a Christmas tree." Both defenses were awesome, but the Giants passing offense with Eli Manning is in elite hands - pun intended. It was a disappointing end to a great season for Jim Harbaugh, but they should be proud of what they accomplished this season. Now it's time for them to go get a receiver to help Alex Smith. The challenge for the niners and their fans is that in today's NFL, there are no guarantees that this team - or any other team for that matter, makes it to the Super Bowl or even to the playoffs next year.
The NFL power structure changes every year due to 4 main reasons. First, the player churn is too high in the NFL, thanks to the hard salary cap and non-guaranteed player contracts. Secondly, NFL is a brutal sport with a very high risk of injuries and that's always a factor with many teams every year. Thirdly, NFL schedule is short and a bad stretch here or there can doom a team's playoff dream unlike what happens in the NBA or the MLB where the more talented teams bubble up to the playoffs eventually. Last but not the least, NFL teams play an unbalanced schedule and people don't realize that it's almost like teams play in a different league every year. First place schedule is vastly different from a 4-Th place schedule and niners will have a tougher road next year. So nobody knows where the niners end up next season, but this is a great start and they do have a great coach, which is a great thing to have. The closest thing to a guarantee of consistent success in the NFL is a great quarterback. Even Brady and Manning don't go to the Super Bowl every year, but good QBs like that at least get you enough wins to make the playoffs consistently. The niners don't have that in Alex Smith, but they better stick with him, give him a receiver and see where this thing goes. In Harbaugh they should trust.
More on the Super Bowl soon.
Flacco's throw to Lee Evans that would have won the game at the end of the game was just perfect. In fact, it was a little too perfect as it fell on Evans lap and surprised him just enough to let a defender knock it out of his hands. One could still argue that Evans controlled the ball and then fumbled it. And that should have made it a TD because the ball broke the plane. But the zebras thought otherwise. As if that's not enough of a good fortune for Brady, hoody and the Patriots, the Ravens then miss a game tying field goal that would have at least sent the game to OT. Poor kicker Billy Cundiff missed a short, 32 yard field goal and lost the game for his team. I liked how his teammates, especially Ray Lewis stuck up for him and said all the right things. I am beginning to like Ray Lewis more and more as he ages and moves away from the murder scandal back in the day. But I do feel for that team because Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are getting up there in age. They had a great shot at another Super Bowl appearance but Cundiff kicked it away. There is no guarantee they get there back again - not in that division with the Steelers. There is also some talk about how the scoreboard in the Patriots stadium threw Cundiff off with the wrong down and distance information. You can't help but wonder if this is another "hoody-gate" in the making. But the Ravens season is over anyways.
In San Francisco, the game did go to overtime unlike the AFC championship game, but Kyle Williams fumbled a punt and stopped the hearts of the home crowd. It was a shocking moment, but you immediately felt for Kyle because he joined Ravens' Cundiff as the other goat on that day. This was even worse than Cundiff only because he kneed a punt earlier in that game committing a costly turnover. Nothing justifies the stupid fans sending him death threats after the game, but it was a tough day for Williams even otherwise to have turned the ball over twice. Niners pride themselves on their turnover differential, but they were 0-2 in this one with both credited to Kyle. Of course, his teammates came out and stood by him. It is indeed a cliche to say "it's not one man's fault, we win as a team and we lose as a team". Obviously a costly mistake at the end of a game like that has a much greater impact and is harder to recover from, but Kyle's last fumble was truly not the 49'ers main problem. I wouldn't blame him at all for that defeat. They had several opportunities to put that game away and the 49'ers offense couldn't get it done. All they needed was a field goal and Williams would have been in the locker room celebrating instead of fielding that ill-fated punt if only the offense had done it's job.
The way that game ended proved one more time how much of a team game football is and even a mistake of that magnitude exposed more of a team's problem in it's entirety than anything else. In fact, I would say Kyle's first turnover where he kicked a ball that he didn't even catch was more stupid and even more damaging in the big scheme of things. He had no reason to hang around that ball and it was a big momentum changer in the game. The NY Giants hang on and move on to the big game behind some strong performance by their wide receivers. The niners WRs caught one pass for 3 yards the entire overtime game and that was the difference. Credit goes to Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Hakeen Nicks and the blame goes to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. The best quote about this game was by Bill Romanowski when he said "Michael Crabtree was an ornament in this game. He might as well have hung out on a Christmas tree." Both defenses were awesome, but the Giants passing offense with Eli Manning is in elite hands - pun intended. It was a disappointing end to a great season for Jim Harbaugh, but they should be proud of what they accomplished this season. Now it's time for them to go get a receiver to help Alex Smith. The challenge for the niners and their fans is that in today's NFL, there are no guarantees that this team - or any other team for that matter, makes it to the Super Bowl or even to the playoffs next year.
The NFL power structure changes every year due to 4 main reasons. First, the player churn is too high in the NFL, thanks to the hard salary cap and non-guaranteed player contracts. Secondly, NFL is a brutal sport with a very high risk of injuries and that's always a factor with many teams every year. Thirdly, NFL schedule is short and a bad stretch here or there can doom a team's playoff dream unlike what happens in the NBA or the MLB where the more talented teams bubble up to the playoffs eventually. Last but not the least, NFL teams play an unbalanced schedule and people don't realize that it's almost like teams play in a different league every year. First place schedule is vastly different from a 4-Th place schedule and niners will have a tougher road next year. So nobody knows where the niners end up next season, but this is a great start and they do have a great coach, which is a great thing to have. The closest thing to a guarantee of consistent success in the NFL is a great quarterback. Even Brady and Manning don't go to the Super Bowl every year, but good QBs like that at least get you enough wins to make the playoffs consistently. The niners don't have that in Alex Smith, but they better stick with him, give him a receiver and see where this thing goes. In Harbaugh they should trust.
More on the Super Bowl soon.
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