Jeffrey Loria what is your secret? How did you manage to save that much money? Like most people I'm shocked at the results of this year's MLB Winter Meetings, not really at what transpired (overpaying great players) but the who. The Florida, I mean Miami Marlins, terrible uniforms and all committed $191 million to 3 players...read that last sentence again. The MIAMI MARLINS, spent more than every other team not the Anaheim Angels (props to Jerry Dipoto on grabbing the two biggest free agents this year).
Getting back on track, I live in South Florida so I know first hand just how terrible the Marlins have been financially. They always have had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, which is kind of weird because they are in Miami. Only once in the twenty years of existence have they had a payroll over $60 million. With the money they committed to their three signings, Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle respectively, the money owed to those three yearly is $40.7 million...that would be the ninth highest payroll in the teams history. I'm not exagerating, look it up.
So where did this plethora of cash come from? I sure know they didn't get this money from attendence. They've been equally low in attendence as they have been in payroll, always being in the lower third of the MLB...even in the years they won the World Series. Did Loria save all this money, which he split with the Dolphins anyway for sharing that god awful stadium. Is he banking on the new stadium, which is practically in Cuba, to sellout on a daily basis to pay these salaries? Or did he have outside help, like from a Nevin Shapiro type? I'm not buying that they actually have this cash for the next six years, but I'll leave that up to the opinion of my readers.
Last point, you know why Pujols signed with the Angels? He got a "No Trade Clause". If you don't know what that means...look it up with the payroll nuget I fed you earlier. The Marlins offered him ten years, and $275 million...yea he would've gotten A-Rod status, but he chose the DH role in a winnable division (they are getting the Astros in 2013). But no one received a No Trade Clause. This means that at any time anyone of these players can be shipped off, no questions asked excpet will it be raining when I land. This shows me that, not only are the Marlins limited in the cash, but this is just a two or three year thing. This is just a big show to open this stadium, and then it will be back to the crappy payroll and low attendence...or so I think.
Well that's all I got for today, after the shock of the winter meetings is over I will be back to usual posting, but I enjoy this so much it might take a while!
Until next time...Jonny V
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Winter Meetings Madness: Shiny New Halos
As if these meetings can't get any more exciting! They Angels flew in from nowhere and snatched up two of the most prized free agents in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Pujols at an insane amount of money (254 Million over 10 years, and a no-trade clause) and a hefty amount for Wilson (77.5 Million over 5 years)
Like the Marlins just hours before, the Angels blindsided the meetings with their unexpected spending spree. How strange of a winter meetings can you get? The Yankees and Red Sox are virtually silent and the Marlins and Angels are the two teams making all the headlines. The Angels have quickly thrust themselves into serious post season contenders. Pujols is going to be solid in the middle of that lineup and CJ Wilson will not have to make much of an adjustment playing for them. Same Division, different Uni.
The Angels were smart, as the only known American League team to go after Pujols they dangled the DH in front of him, they gave him his no trade clause that Miami was unwilling to give him and they gave him the extra year and 54 Million that St Louis wouldn't offer. Great Job by the front office.
They then dangled the home town factor to CJ Wilson, gave him a reasonable offer to his standards and also dangled the fact that he would have Pujols for run support. Once again they got their man. Kudos to the Halo's front office. They got the job done when nobody saw them coming.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Winter Meetings Madness: Fish Frenzy
Where did the Miami Marlins come from? A team that was the brunt of many jokes during the season last year has suddenly thrust themselves in the national spotlight.
Some of it not so good (in example: that awful thing they call a Logo, and the debacle that is their centerfield HR celebration machine that looks like something out of vegas (if you haven't seen this yet take a look http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/2011/10/new-home-run-celebration-sculpture-at-marlins-stadium-a-work-of-art.html))
Some of it good (signing Guillen as Manager as well as several new signings, willing to spend cash etc)
For whatever reason it seems like Pat Riley and Jeff Loria switched bodies, because the Marlins have become a signing machine. They saw the writing on the wall, The Miami Heat went out and signed the 3 Kings, The Florida Panthers (Still in First!!!!) completely overhauled the team, making it clear to the fans they were serious about turning around the team. The Dolphins.....no update there. (Maybe some stiff competition from the surrounding pro teams will wake that front office up as well). The Marlins realized they were going into a brand-spanking new stadium with a team that ended the 2011 season in last place and 18 games under .500. With the Heat now literally in the same neighborhood, they had to find something to bring the fans in.
Enter the 2011 Winter Meetings. The Marlins made a big splash by signing Heath Bell as their closer and Jose Reyes to a very lucrative contract (6 years $106 Million). A move that has created a stir in its own right. Personally I'm not completely sold on the Reyes move for Miami. My partner in crime Jonny V can tell you first hand that while Reyes can be (emphasis on the word can) one of the most electric players in the game he also is very inconsistent. Especially for that amount of cash. Reyes has been one of the faces of the Mets franchise since he burst onto the scene in 2003. Yet the Mets seemed done with him, they certainly haven't put up near the fight that St Louis has for Pujols. Has to be some reasoning behind that.
The move has definitely caused a stir in the Marlins organization. Especially with the self-proclaimed new Mr Marlin. Hanley Ramirez, who is expected to vacate his position of SS for the new acquisition. So far the rumors and press releases relating to Hanley have resembled that of a Machine Gun firing. Before the signing of Reyes it was stated that Hanley was ok with the move to 3rd. Now there are several conflicting reports. The reports have all followed the same pattern. A source close to Hanley states something that gives Hanley a negative outlook (refusal to change positions. asking for a trade. asking for a raise) followed by some scurrying in the Marlin press and then a hush hush release by the team that none of the above is true. Hanley hasn't said much of anything. And with the Marlins history of how it handles its players in almost a mafia like setting. And the credible sources that WERE stating the rumors about Hanley. I have to believe this is far from over with him.
The Marlins have the potential to have a stellar left side of the infield. But they also have two head cases to deal with in those spots. And one is feeling like his status of Alpha Male is being challenged. Can Hanley Mature? or will the Marlins have to ship him somewhere to prevent an implosion. Only time will tell.
Meanwhile the Marlins continue to make headlines. They signed Buehrle to a 4 year deal, and are sure to make a play for a couple more Free Agents before this is all done. Miami figured out that in order to stay relevant in South Florida as well as fill the seats of their new stadium they would have to make some big moves. So far so good for them. Have they been the right moves? Once again only time will tell. But they should be fun to watch both on and off the field for the next year.
Winter Meetings Madness: Pujols
So is it just me, or is everyone now waiting for Pujols to pull a Lebron? And what I mean by that is pulling together the Boys & Girls Club of St Louis, calling ESPN and saying "Hey I know Lebron got ripped up and down for The Decision, but I'm untouchable because I'm Albert Pujols. Lets get this production going!"
Seriously how can he lose by doing this. Look at the craziness that has followed THE marquis free agent of this years MLB offseason. The Cardinals are desperate to retain him, last night the Marlins. Again the FLO...MIAMI FREAKING MARLINS are offering him a 10 year $220 Million dollar deal. (more on them in a later post) We live in South Florida, Twitter and Facebook were buzzing with one name. Pujols. And for a small short lived moment, it looked like Miami just might pull it off. In fact Cardinals officials had resigned to the fact that Albert was taking his talents to South Beach. Right now it looks like he just used Miami to extract every red cent out of St Louis. But the possibility looked very real 24 hours ago.
Instead now the Marlins are out, the Cardinals are the front runners. But there are still teams trying to make a play. The numbers being thrown around are outrageous. 10 years? Are you kidding me? A contract of that length will take him into his 40s, well into his 40s if he's actually later on in his 30s like some people think. What are teams thinking signing a power hitting 1b into his 40s? He has hit his peak, he isn't going to get better. And yet these contracts will have him earning 20 million+ in 2019. This is crazy talk!
I am serious when I say that as well, he is well worth the money. But the 10 years is the real kicker in this whole thing. In the end the Marlins won by losing out on Pujols, Because if he flopped in Miami and his numbers started to decline, NO WAY are they going to be able to dump that contract in a trade. And whoever gets Albert will have the same situation. That contract is a rest of his career contract. Whoever gets him is stuck with him unless they are willing to eat Millions. And I know what you are saying, how can a team get "stuck" with Albert Pujols? With a contract that size there will most likely be one fan base going "we could get somebody really good if we could just unload Albert's contract" a sad but very realistic possibility.
Winter Meetings Madness
Sorry Jon and I haven't been posting. We have been to busy chatting amongst ourselves about the craziness that is the winter meetings. And less time on here posting our thoughts. So at least from me you will be getting my thoughts on several things related to the MLB winter meetings. Probably not all in one post either. In fact consider this a prologue to a whole group of Winter Meetings posts. Because who wants to read a bunch of random paragraphs lumped together into one post? Not me, and if I don't like it you don't deserve it as readers.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Urban Sellout
So yesterday morning the news we all knew was coming broke, Urban Meyer was heading to Ohio State. The rumors caught fire last week that the move was happening, and Meyer quickly denied them. But who did he think he was fooling. Nowadays ESPN doesn't just post baseless rumors on its home page, if they ever did. Urban could say what he wanted, but when the contract specifications started getting released everyone knew what was coming. Deny it as much as we wanted to, Florida fans had to come to grips with the fact that Meyer was going to become a Buckeye. And that his legacy at UF would never be the same.
Now granted, this isn't a move as tarnishing to a man's legacy like the whole Joe Paterno ordeal. But Meyer doesn't come out of this looking good at all. If Meyer had waited a few years, or gone to an NFL team to try his hand in the professional circuit it would have looked a whole lot better than it does now. Instead Meyer chose to head for OSU less than a year after calling it quits on UF, a decision that has left the fans at UF confused and disappointed. In a matter of one week the fans that would have defended Meyer's honor to their grave, were labeling him a sellout. Which honestly is a label that suits him well. Just ask the fans at the University of Utah, who will simply give the fans wearing Gator orange and blue a sympathetic "I told you so" smile and welcome them to their support group. Really we should have seen this coming, this is the same man who left Utah with a record of 22-2 to go coach the Florida Gators. Why did the fans at UF think he would treat the Gators differently?
Simply put, Urban Meyer's heart left UF when Tim Tebow graduated. He gave us a preview of things to come when he announced his leave of absence during Tebow's senior year. To recap, after getting out coached in the SEC Championship game by the king of sellouts, Nick Saban (I'm a bitter Dolphins fan), it was reported that Meyer was admitted to the hospital with chest pains. Which followed with him telling everyone he was ok, which was followed with him resigning as the UF coach, then coming back, then taking a leave of absence. A sequence of events that left everyone very confused about what was actually going on with Urban Meyer.
Fast Forward to the last year's offseason. Meyer announces that he is going to be on the sidelines for the season. Florida fans rejoice, but not with as much enthusiasm. They had already seen that Urban Meyer's coaching status was as concrete as a Kim Kardashian relationship status (yes, I did just go there). The post-Tebow Gators quickly showed that the proverbial ceiling had been reached for Meyer's Gators and the future was not so bright. His spread offense that Tebow ran to perfection looked boring and unimaginative under the direction of John Brantley, the sloppy rebound to the long relationship that was the Tebow era at UF. The team went on to a 7 - 5 regular season record, the mediocre record being punctuated by a blowout loss to FSU in the last game. Meyer stepped down shortly after, this time for good. The Gators started making the rounds for a replacement coach.
Once again it was clear, his heart had left UF. Anyone that doubted that then should realize it now. Because if it was really about spending time with his family, I wouldn't be writing this article now. But instead Meyer takes on the brand of a sellout. He took UF to the height of what they could accomplish with him and then he abandoned ship when the momentum started to shift. Leaving a floundering program in his wake. Ohio State fans should look at this and pay attention. They should prepare themselves for what they are getting. Urban Meyer has always brought Wins with him. But he has never been good at staying. Ask the people at both the University of Utah and the University of Florida. He is good at what he does, but he also joins an ever growing list of sellout coaches in the process. So enjoy him while you can OSU fans, and we will be here with a tissue and an "I told you so" when he leaves for greener pastures in 5 years.
Until Next Time Readers
Jordan
Now granted, this isn't a move as tarnishing to a man's legacy like the whole Joe Paterno ordeal. But Meyer doesn't come out of this looking good at all. If Meyer had waited a few years, or gone to an NFL team to try his hand in the professional circuit it would have looked a whole lot better than it does now. Instead Meyer chose to head for OSU less than a year after calling it quits on UF, a decision that has left the fans at UF confused and disappointed. In a matter of one week the fans that would have defended Meyer's honor to their grave, were labeling him a sellout. Which honestly is a label that suits him well. Just ask the fans at the University of Utah, who will simply give the fans wearing Gator orange and blue a sympathetic "I told you so" smile and welcome them to their support group. Really we should have seen this coming, this is the same man who left Utah with a record of 22-2 to go coach the Florida Gators. Why did the fans at UF think he would treat the Gators differently?
Simply put, Urban Meyer's heart left UF when Tim Tebow graduated. He gave us a preview of things to come when he announced his leave of absence during Tebow's senior year. To recap, after getting out coached in the SEC Championship game by the king of sellouts, Nick Saban (I'm a bitter Dolphins fan), it was reported that Meyer was admitted to the hospital with chest pains. Which followed with him telling everyone he was ok, which was followed with him resigning as the UF coach, then coming back, then taking a leave of absence. A sequence of events that left everyone very confused about what was actually going on with Urban Meyer.
Fast Forward to the last year's offseason. Meyer announces that he is going to be on the sidelines for the season. Florida fans rejoice, but not with as much enthusiasm. They had already seen that Urban Meyer's coaching status was as concrete as a Kim Kardashian relationship status (yes, I did just go there). The post-Tebow Gators quickly showed that the proverbial ceiling had been reached for Meyer's Gators and the future was not so bright. His spread offense that Tebow ran to perfection looked boring and unimaginative under the direction of John Brantley, the sloppy rebound to the long relationship that was the Tebow era at UF. The team went on to a 7 - 5 regular season record, the mediocre record being punctuated by a blowout loss to FSU in the last game. Meyer stepped down shortly after, this time for good. The Gators started making the rounds for a replacement coach.
Once again it was clear, his heart had left UF. Anyone that doubted that then should realize it now. Because if it was really about spending time with his family, I wouldn't be writing this article now. But instead Meyer takes on the brand of a sellout. He took UF to the height of what they could accomplish with him and then he abandoned ship when the momentum started to shift. Leaving a floundering program in his wake. Ohio State fans should look at this and pay attention. They should prepare themselves for what they are getting. Urban Meyer has always brought Wins with him. But he has never been good at staying. Ask the people at both the University of Utah and the University of Florida. He is good at what he does, but he also joins an ever growing list of sellout coaches in the process. So enjoy him while you can OSU fans, and we will be here with a tissue and an "I told you so" when he leaves for greener pastures in 5 years.
Until Next Time Readers
Jordan
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Turkey Day Football!
There aren't many things better than pigging out on Thanksgiving and watching football, it's could single handily be the most American thing you can do, after serving in the military, and voting...and lighting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Okay so maybe watching football on Turkey Day barely cracks the top 5 on a sane person's list, but it's still awesome, and this year is no different! We have three great games tomorrow and I am here to preview them for you.
Green Bay Packers (10-0) at Detroit Lions (7-3)
Line - Packers by 7
So it's no secret that Green Bay is undefeated and Aaron Rodgers is having a one of the best passing years in NFL history, but I think they are vulnerable. Detroit is a very good football, and their 7-3 record shows that, they have a solid offense with Matt Stafford, and everyone's favorite Transformer, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, and a solid enough running game with Kevin Smith filling in for Jahvid Best. So I don't see them having any problem scoring on the absolutely atrocious Packer D, but you can't go against the Pack and try to out score them, you need to stop them. And I believe that the Lions D is what will win them this game. No James Starks means that the Pack just became one-dimensional. Now if any QB in the NFL could overcome this I would say Rodgers is one of the few, but against a very good D-Line from Detroit and a very overrated O-Line in Green Bay, I don't see this ending well for Rodgers. I'm going with the Lions with the upset, ending Green Bay's perfect season 27-21.
Miami Dolphins (3-7) at Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
Line - Cowboys by 7
Now I'm not a Dolphin fan at all, so I will try to as unbiased as possible when previewing this game. Out of the three games today, this one is the only one that doesn't have a "play-off" feel to it. The Dolphins are as dead as Tony Sparano's coaching career, and the Cowboys aren't consistent enough to prove that they are a play-off team. The Dolphins, on paper, aren't a terrible team. Solid D, great O-Line, good enough receiving core, and the best hair for a kicker ever. They do lack a QB and a consistent running game, but that isn't what has killed them this season, it's the fact that they let the stupidest things derail them in game. The Cowboys, on the hand, can't finish games. With the exception of the Philly game, all three of Dallas' losses have come by blowing leads in the final period. Tony Romo is have a very good year in my opinion, DeMarco Murray is has emerged as an amazing runner, and the D has looked awesome with Rob Ryan at the helm. This team a few bad plays away from being 9-1 and in the driver's seat in the East. So I see this game going a lot like the Dophins-Jets Monday Night game with the Cowboys winning 27-10
San Francisco 49ers (9-1) at Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
Line - Ravens by 4
This game is the has the two most even teams of the match-ups today. Both have great running games, underachieving QBs, and similarly built defenses...oh and their head coaches are brothers. This game will come down to the decision making of the quarterbacks as you can't run against either one of these teams. Frank Gore and Ray Rice are both top tier running backs, but trying to run on Baltimore and San Fran is like trying to to wrestle an 800 pound bull, it's not going to end well, and you probably will end up in the hospital. Joe Flacco and Alex Smith have both shown flashes of brilliance, but they both always seem to show their true colors at times (Ute Red for Smith and Blue Hen Blue for Flacco...okay not funny, but worth a shot). Whichever QB stays cleaner, in performance and straight not on the floor, will be the victor in the brother bowl. Oh and I guess I should talk about John and Jim Harbaugh as the first set of brother Head Coaches to square off against each other...there I said it. It's not significant at all, there is no "Rock, Paper, Scizzors" or Tecmo Super Bowl showdown between the two to see who get the ball first, or who doesn't have to clean the stadium, or any other stupid backyard football bets we make in our childhood. So I'm going with the Ravens in a very tight game, winning 20-17.
So there you have it, hope everyone has a safe Thanksgiving, and don't forget to wear comfortable clothes to the table, as you might leave a few pounds heavier.
Until next time...Jonny V
Green Bay Packers (10-0) at Detroit Lions (7-3)
Line - Packers by 7
So it's no secret that Green Bay is undefeated and Aaron Rodgers is having a one of the best passing years in NFL history, but I think they are vulnerable. Detroit is a very good football, and their 7-3 record shows that, they have a solid offense with Matt Stafford, and everyone's favorite Transformer, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, and a solid enough running game with Kevin Smith filling in for Jahvid Best. So I don't see them having any problem scoring on the absolutely atrocious Packer D, but you can't go against the Pack and try to out score them, you need to stop them. And I believe that the Lions D is what will win them this game. No James Starks means that the Pack just became one-dimensional. Now if any QB in the NFL could overcome this I would say Rodgers is one of the few, but against a very good D-Line from Detroit and a very overrated O-Line in Green Bay, I don't see this ending well for Rodgers. I'm going with the Lions with the upset, ending Green Bay's perfect season 27-21.
Miami Dolphins (3-7) at Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
Line - Cowboys by 7
Now I'm not a Dolphin fan at all, so I will try to as unbiased as possible when previewing this game. Out of the three games today, this one is the only one that doesn't have a "play-off" feel to it. The Dolphins are as dead as Tony Sparano's coaching career, and the Cowboys aren't consistent enough to prove that they are a play-off team. The Dolphins, on paper, aren't a terrible team. Solid D, great O-Line, good enough receiving core, and the best hair for a kicker ever. They do lack a QB and a consistent running game, but that isn't what has killed them this season, it's the fact that they let the stupidest things derail them in game. The Cowboys, on the hand, can't finish games. With the exception of the Philly game, all three of Dallas' losses have come by blowing leads in the final period. Tony Romo is have a very good year in my opinion, DeMarco Murray is has emerged as an amazing runner, and the D has looked awesome with Rob Ryan at the helm. This team a few bad plays away from being 9-1 and in the driver's seat in the East. So I see this game going a lot like the Dophins-Jets Monday Night game with the Cowboys winning 27-10
San Francisco 49ers (9-1) at Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
Line - Ravens by 4
This game is the has the two most even teams of the match-ups today. Both have great running games, underachieving QBs, and similarly built defenses...oh and their head coaches are brothers. This game will come down to the decision making of the quarterbacks as you can't run against either one of these teams. Frank Gore and Ray Rice are both top tier running backs, but trying to run on Baltimore and San Fran is like trying to to wrestle an 800 pound bull, it's not going to end well, and you probably will end up in the hospital. Joe Flacco and Alex Smith have both shown flashes of brilliance, but they both always seem to show their true colors at times (Ute Red for Smith and Blue Hen Blue for Flacco...okay not funny, but worth a shot). Whichever QB stays cleaner, in performance and straight not on the floor, will be the victor in the brother bowl. Oh and I guess I should talk about John and Jim Harbaugh as the first set of brother Head Coaches to square off against each other...there I said it. It's not significant at all, there is no "Rock, Paper, Scizzors" or Tecmo Super Bowl showdown between the two to see who get the ball first, or who doesn't have to clean the stadium, or any other stupid backyard football bets we make in our childhood. So I'm going with the Ravens in a very tight game, winning 20-17.
So there you have it, hope everyone has a safe Thanksgiving, and don't forget to wear comfortable clothes to the table, as you might leave a few pounds heavier.
Until next time...Jonny V
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Perfect Team?
If there is one thing I like to do when I talk about sports its to challenge everyones thinking. Make them really look at something instead of taking something at face value. Today's target, the Green Bay Packers. Personally I think they are overrated. Now before you grab the torches and tie me to a stake, hear me out.
The Packers are 10-0 right now, you cannot argue their record. But are they the best team in the league? I'm not completely convinced yet. If they beat Detroit by a sound margin tomorrow then I will eat my words, but I really think the Lions are going to give them all they can handle.
I have several reasons behind this theory that probably appalls a lot of people.
Reason #1: Strength of schedule. The Packers are 10 - 0 due in large part to an easy schedule. The combined record of the teams they have faced so far is 39 - 51. Less than stellar, out of those teams they have played 4 teams with a current record of 2 - 8. The Rams, Panthers and the Vikings twice. They played a pre-Tebow Broncos team, (and I am not saying that Tebow would have won that game, I am just stating the fact that the Broncos they played were a much different team with the 5 - 5 record now.) They barely beat a Chargers team that is currently treading water and had to fight at the end against a less than stellar Buccaneers team. When the Patriots ran the table in 07, They had a couple of scares. But against the good teams, not against the sub-.500 teams.
Reason #2: Their defense is not a Championship defense. They have given up 20+ points in 6 of 10 games, To put that in perspective, the Dolphins have also given up 20+ in 6 of 10.
The pass defense is among the worst in the league, their run defense middle of the pack. Their Defense isn't winning them any ballgames, the fate of the team sits squarely on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers and his passing attack which brings me to my next reason.
Reason #3: Their offense is too one dimensional. Don't get me wrong, as of right now Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL. He is lighting it up, and his core of receivers is arguably the best in the league. But the buck stops there. With the recent injury to Starks the Packers already pass heavy offense just got THAT much more one dimensional. The NFL teams are going to eventually figure the passing attack out, they always do. With a lower rung rushing attack that just got hit with an injury that means the defenses can concentrate even more on the pass. With no pass defense, and a one dimensional offense I think its only a matter of time before they incur a loss.
I am not saying they will not win the Super Bowl, but even at 10-0 they really have to fix some things to achieve that goal.
The Packers are 10-0 right now, you cannot argue their record. But are they the best team in the league? I'm not completely convinced yet. If they beat Detroit by a sound margin tomorrow then I will eat my words, but I really think the Lions are going to give them all they can handle.
I have several reasons behind this theory that probably appalls a lot of people.
Reason #1: Strength of schedule. The Packers are 10 - 0 due in large part to an easy schedule. The combined record of the teams they have faced so far is 39 - 51. Less than stellar, out of those teams they have played 4 teams with a current record of 2 - 8. The Rams, Panthers and the Vikings twice. They played a pre-Tebow Broncos team, (and I am not saying that Tebow would have won that game, I am just stating the fact that the Broncos they played were a much different team with the 5 - 5 record now.) They barely beat a Chargers team that is currently treading water and had to fight at the end against a less than stellar Buccaneers team. When the Patriots ran the table in 07, They had a couple of scares. But against the good teams, not against the sub-.500 teams.
Reason #2: Their defense is not a Championship defense. They have given up 20+ points in 6 of 10 games, To put that in perspective, the Dolphins have also given up 20+ in 6 of 10.
The pass defense is among the worst in the league, their run defense middle of the pack. Their Defense isn't winning them any ballgames, the fate of the team sits squarely on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers and his passing attack which brings me to my next reason.
Reason #3: Their offense is too one dimensional. Don't get me wrong, as of right now Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL. He is lighting it up, and his core of receivers is arguably the best in the league. But the buck stops there. With the recent injury to Starks the Packers already pass heavy offense just got THAT much more one dimensional. The NFL teams are going to eventually figure the passing attack out, they always do. With a lower rung rushing attack that just got hit with an injury that means the defenses can concentrate even more on the pass. With no pass defense, and a one dimensional offense I think its only a matter of time before they incur a loss.
I am not saying they will not win the Super Bowl, but even at 10-0 they really have to fix some things to achieve that goal.
Welcome from the Other Guy!
Well it finally happened, Jordan and I finally have a blog about our opinions on all sports. With the exception of the Florida Panthers (1st place in November!!! Don't judge me) all our teams are huge rivals, which never seems to be a problem as no matter what we can have a mature conversations that doesn't only hinge around 'No your team sucks, and you're a terrible person for liking them'
Jordan and I both like to dig deeper into a subject than the 'This guy is kinda good, and his team is good too' type of answers. There is nothing simple about the world of sports, so why make the articles we write about them simple? Those are the type of things to expect from both of us, and it definitely will be a fun ride.
Until next time...Jonny V
Jordan and I both like to dig deeper into a subject than the 'This guy is kinda good, and his team is good too' type of answers. There is nothing simple about the world of sports, so why make the articles we write about them simple? Those are the type of things to expect from both of us, and it definitely will be a fun ride.
Until next time...Jonny V
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Welcome
To break the awkward silence of who will be the first to post something on here, I'm choosing to be the conceited one and go first. I have always been told I am arrogant, must be my inner sports talk radio host trying to break out of me.
Anyways welcome to what is the result of many conversations that have culminated with "dude we have to start a blog together." Even though our sports world rarely mesh (look at our favorite teams and you will see what I am talking about) we have always enjoyed debating or agreeing on just about every sport topic. I look forward to blasting my opinions out in blog form as I'm sure Jon is as well. With our dueling loyalties on sports teams you will rarely find biased writing on this blog. Which is something I think everything can appreciate.
Oh and for good measure TOM BRADY SUCKS!!!!!
Anyways welcome to what is the result of many conversations that have culminated with "dude we have to start a blog together." Even though our sports world rarely mesh (look at our favorite teams and you will see what I am talking about) we have always enjoyed debating or agreeing on just about every sport topic. I look forward to blasting my opinions out in blog form as I'm sure Jon is as well. With our dueling loyalties on sports teams you will rarely find biased writing on this blog. Which is something I think everything can appreciate.
Oh and for good measure TOM BRADY SUCKS!!!!!
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