Tom Brady and RG3: A Quarterback Controversy

First of all, my apologies about not posting for a while, as I have been working on getting my book published. But, I'm back, and here to talk about two quarterbacks who have been in the news an alarming amount of times lately, Tom Brady and Robert Griffin III. I'l start with RG3. If I was a quarterback, Washington would be the last place I would want to play. (And that's coming from a Redskins fan). From the strange and slightly derranged ways of Daniel Snyder, to the total lack of respect from Jay Gruden, I'd say RG3 is in the middle of a QB's worst nightmare. Nobody ever accused RG3 of being injury-proof, though. His long stretch of injuries has led to him recieving the nickname "Glass Bones, Paper Skin" in some circles. But, I think the issue there has nothing to do with Robert's toughness. His offensive line has been really shaky of late, and that has led to him being sacked. A lot. How can Washington expect him to be the pocket passer type when his pocket is gone before his receivers are 5 yards downfield? People hear that, and they say "Why can't he just run?" They don't understand that unless you have a designed quarterback run called, you have to survey the field before tucking and taking off. If his first look is a post route that takes 2-4 seconds to develop, and he is under pressure in 1-3, how can he even look for a second option? This causes him to force passes, or take a sack.  Nothing against Kirk Cousins, who I really liked coming out of college, but RG3 is more talented, plain and simple. Kirk might be a better fit in a Jay Gruden offense, but he isn't the quarterback that Robert is. When I think about this, one thing keeps popping into my head. When Jay's brother John Gruden won the Super Bowl with Tampa, guess who was at quarterback? Brad Johnson. We are talking about maybe one of the slowest men ever to play the game of football. No offense, Brad, you were great, but John thrived on a game managing quarterback who threw the ball with short range accuracy and wore cement shoes. RG3 is a running, gunning, football machine. He thrives on making the ESPN highlight reels, and does so with regularity. He is a showtime QB with skills and potential. Jay Gruden's system isn't even close to the right fit. Like trying to put a square peg through a round hole, Washingon tried to force RG3 into this clashing system. Robert, if you can hear me, RUN! Get away from Washington! Also, get away from that defensive end, he's about to sack you.

Second, I tell a captivating and moderately annoying tale of the man who would deflate footballs. That's right, I'm talking about Tom. I was so sick and tired of hearing this story OVER and OVER, it just kept dragging on. I honestly just wanted a resolution so SportsCenter could move on to some other report. However, his recent "acquittal" made my jaw drop. I will admit that he has had tremendous success in the NFL, and you can't deny that. But you also can't deny that the Patriots are not the fairest of teams. Spygate, and then Deflategate, just further proved what I thought all along. The Pats cheat. That's not to say that all the teams aren't cheating too, but New England is clearly at the top of the list.  Sometimes, I felt the Patriots were gaining an advantage without actually doing anything. I always said, every sport has a "Golden Boy" that can do no wrong. Think Messi, Harden, Jordan, LeBron, Clay Mattews, and yes, Brady. Maybe it's just me, but it always seemed that Brady got the benefit of the doubt on more calls than he should have. But, getting back to the issue at hand, I was a little dissapointed when I heard the Brady ruling. I mean, I thought it was a slam dunk. I started to read the Wells report, and I was convinced about his guilt before I got to the second part. Those texts were simply shocking. How freely they spoke of Brady, a needle, payoffs, inflation, and leaking information in the same context was truly eye opening. (The claim that the term "deflator" was used in a weight-loss context was even more eye opening. I mean, why would he joke about "going to ESPN" about how his new weight loss program worked wonders?) Then, the video camera catching McNally lying about bringing the balls into the bathroom was just icing on the cake. Why on earth did he bring the balls out in the first place, much less take them into the bathroom? Then Tom, with his phone. C'mon son! I get that you destroy your phone every so often, but the same day it was requested? It would have been easier to say "I was advised by the NFLPA not to provide the phone, as we feel it...blah blah blah." But to have the phone destroyed on the spot is more than a little suspicious. Then to go all that way to contact AT&T and make sure that he destroyed the messages is even more weird. Now, I am not saying that Rodger Goodell is the savior of football, either. Honestly I was hoping there was a loophole that could get them both suspended. I put Goodell up there on the list of worst sports commisioners ever, along with David Stern and those guys from FIFA. In conclusion, I feel that Brady got off way too easy. But, at least we don't have to hear about it for at least a week or so. Hopefully.

NBA Draft Recap

Here, finally, is my 2015 NBA Draft recap. The reason that it took so long is, well, because it was very puzzling.  Almost every part of the draft, from number 4 overall and down, caused some uproar. I will start with the #4 overall pick, Kristaps Porzingis, who went to the Knicks. Yes, those Knicks. This pick incited one of the largest upheavals I have seen at a draft for a while. It even incited Stephen A. Smith to go on television and rant, literally scream, about how Willie Cauley-Stein would have been better. How? Kris Porzingis, while maybe a little high at 4, has Dirk-like potential. You hear the term "upside" so much during this time of year, but in reality, Kris has serious upside. Also, some people think that he is way too skinny for a 7 footer, and he will take 3-5 years to fill out and become a threat. Which begs the question, why does every big man have to be Roy Hibbert? If he isn't huge and lumbering with the strength to lift a car, he can never succeed? Speaking of Roy Hibbert, the Pacers made an interesting pick at 11. They took Miles Turner from Texas, the 7 foot center. For all intents and purposes, they took a younger Roy Hibbert. Why? I have no idea. Nothing against Turner, but did the Pacers really need to get another center? With David West gone, I see the need for a stretch 4, but Turner isn't it. I heard a ton about how he has the "mechanics" to shoot the 3. If that is true, why didn't he? Moving forward, the Sixers decided that tall was back in, so they drafted a big man. Then another. And, when they were finished with that, they took a big man. Which is odd, because they already had 2 highly touted big men. One thing that I noticed was the slipping of particular players that seem like someone you would want. Take Tyler Harvey, for example. He went 51 to the Magic, who were obviously stocking up on shooters. Harvey is a shooter, plain and simple. Maybe not a great passer or defender, but the nation's leading scorer. He drew some Stephen Curry comparisons, but I think that is a little overzealous. I see an awful lot of Kyle Korver in him, however. Someone who can seamlessly transition to the NBA three point line, someone who has the balance to get off a shot while on the move. If Korver turned out to be an All Star, why was Harvey so low? Another guy I really like is Norman Powell from UCLA. Think Tony Allen-esque defense, streaky shooting and scary athleticism. Going in the second half of the second round, Powell looks to me like a lottery pick that slid way further than he should have. If Tony Allen can succeed in the NBA, why can't Powell? He combines a lock-down defender with a 40 inch vertical and an improving mid range game. On paper, Powell appears to be a lock to have a very solid NBA career, if not an exceptional one. I guess NBA general managers have tunnel vision when it comes to certain physical traits. Like an elite level leaping ability, or a monster wingspan for his position, both things that Powell clearly has.  Maybe my favorite player in this draft was Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Let’s face it, the kid can do pretty much everything on the basketball court. As a sidebar, he also has impeccable taste in draft day outfits.

Rondae was projected to go in the 15 range, but he slid all the way to 23. Another elite defender with improving offensive prowess, I would be on cloud 9 if I could pick him in the 15-18 range. Well, he went to Portland at 23, and was later traded to Brooklyn. While some talented players went later than they should have, some weren’t taken at all. Take top recruit Cliff Alexander. The Kansas big man was one of the most highly scouted high schoolers in recent memory, but had an underwhelming season. That season was stained by a reported NCAA violation, which I heard had something to do with his mom and an agent, but don’t quote me on it. I certainly would have taken a chance on the young man, especially since many teams really scraped the bottom of the barrel late in the draft. But, Cliff never heard his name. Sometimes, I just don’t know what these teams are thinking. Wait, let me upgrade that to 75% of the time. One team that made a really good decision was the Lakers, when they took D'angelo Russell second overall. A real gem there, someone with All-Star potential. Well, that about does it for that. I will see you in Free Agency.

NBA Finals Preview

The NBA Finals are almost here, so I am here to present my NBA Finals preview. This year's series is between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Who has the advantage? LeBron James and his hometown Cavs, or the MVP Stephen Curry and the Warriors? Well, let's break it down and find out.




1. The Stats
To start the breakdown of the team's stats, I go to True Shooting Percent (TS%), one of my favorite metric stats. Counting only the players who played at least 500 regular season minutes, the Warriors have a regular season average of .559 TS%. Compared to the Cavaliers' .543 TS%, it really is quite close, but the Warriors take that one by a nose. Another stat I like to look at is Defensive Win Shares (DWS). This stat shows exactly how much a player's defense contributed to the team's wins. The Cavaliers have a combined DWS of 17.3, again counting only those who played 500 regular season minutes. The Warriors have a combined DWS of 29.9. So, the team that is mainly known for jump shooting and offense has some serious defensive skills. On average, the Golden State Warriors score 10.1 more points then they allow, compared to Cleveland's' 4.4. These two teams are both highly skilled offensive units, but the Warriors also ranked #1 in defensive rating. The Cavs, however, ranked 18th. Wow. As far as the stats go, it looks like Golden State might take it. But, there is more to basketball than what you can see on paper. 


2. Match-ups
There are two big questions for this one: Can the Warriors stop LeBron, and can the Cavaliers stop Curry? Well, the Cavs have Kyrie Irving, who would normally be guarding Curry. But with a looming injury, who will guard the Warriors backcourt? The Cavs have defensive guru Iman Shumpert, who can guard Klay Thompson, but would he be quick enough to stop Curry? I don't know. Mathew Dellavedova is going to be really pressured to step up in a defensive capacity as well.  On the flipside, Harrison Barnes might be tasked with guarding LeBron, and that is quite a task. LeBron can score in a number of ways, and the Cavs have too many weapons to constantly double LeBron.  Honestly, I think the X-factor in the series could be Shaun Livingston. I am a huge fan of tall point guards and the 6 foot 7 Livingston is exactly that. So, I don't think you can really say that one team is considerably better off in this category.


3. Coaching
Both coaches, David Blatt and Steve Kerr, are first year NBA coaches. Kerr was a highly successful NBA player. Blatt was a highly successful coach in many different countries. So, they both know how to win, but in different ways.  


4. Conclusion
This matchup is super close. Maybe, from a few angles, too close to call.  But, I am going to give it a shot anyway. The Golden State Warriors will win the series in 6 or 7 games.   

2015 NFL Draft

With the draft only hours away, it's time for some last minute insight. I would say a good 85% of mock drafts have Quarterbacks going 1- 2 this year. But the third pick, well, that's a different story. The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting in the 3 spot, and everyone is debating about who they are planning to take. But honestly, I am not sure that the draft order will stay intact for very long. A trade with Cleveland could be in order, as both Titans at #2 and the Jaguars at #3 have the means to trade down. If Winston goes #1 (which is the common assumption) then the Titans would be in a position to draft Marcus Mariota. They would also be in a position to make a deal with the Browns for the second pick. Honestly, the Browns could use a stable QB without a constant drama cloud surrounding him.  If the Titans are interested in investing in future picks, and are feeling especially confident in their current Quarterback situation, then I think a trade is very possible. If Tennessee traded down to 12, they would have the possibility to draft DeVante Parker, Breshad Perriman, Danny Shelton, Trae Waynes or even Todd Gurley.  However, if they decide to take Mariota, then Jacksonville will have the same chance to trade. Leonard Williams is also pretty tempting to Cleveland, I'm sure. They do need a defensive lineman, and a guy like Williams could make a difference. Jacksonville, if they trade down, will have the same opportunity to take  Parker, Perriman and the others at 12. So, if the commissioner walks up to the podium tonight and announces a trade in the top 5, don't be too surprised.

 

March Madness Very Bad Calls

Ok, let's get one thing straight before I begin. I am not one to blame the referees for every loss.  I think that, if you lose fair and square, you should own up to it.  However, the referees at this year's NCAA March Madness were so bad that they deserve to be blamed for a few things.  In the past few years, I have noticed a trend of more and more officials making obvious mistakes. There were a few in last year's March Madness. But nothing compared to the endless list of blown calls this season.  Let's have a look at some of the most debated calls, in no particular order, of this years March Madness.

1. SMU vs. UCLA Goaltending

Goaltending itself has an interesting story. Before 6 foot 10 George Mikan came along, everyone thought that reaching up and interfering with a shot was impossible.  Mikan changed that, as he could leap up and stop shots with ease. The definition of goaltending is a violation which involves interfering with a ball while it is on a downwards angle, is above the rim, and has a chance of going into the basket.  In what world does this shot have any chance of going into the basket?



Yanick Moriera reached up and grabbed that clearly missed shot. Period. SMU should have won that game. I will admit, this is a bit of a close call for someone watching in real speed. However, the play was not reviewed, as goaltending is not reviewable.  The ref furthest from the basket made the call in real time, and that was the call that stood.

2.  Providence vs. Dayton Technical

With less than four minutes to go, and Providence trailing Dayton by 8, Providence Head Coach Ed Cooley decided that then was the time for a little motivational speech.  Cooley, in an attempt to fire up his team, slammed an empty chair to the ground. In doing this, Cooley received a pivotal technical foul. Nothing about this was directed towards the official, and the chair did not strike anyone.  Regardless of how harmless this was, the whistle was blown, and so was the call.  This mistake swayed the momentum of the game, and Dayton was able to pull out a victory.

3. Dayton vs. Boise State No-Call

Before Dayton could be on the winning end of the last bad call against Providence, they had to be on the winning end of another blown call in the First Four. With only seconds to go, Boise State was down by one point.  They inbounded near their own basket, and Derrick Marks set himself for a game winning three.  He pump faked, his defender bit, and Marks put up a shot through the contact.  He was hoping for a foul, a foul that never came.  The ball missed by a mile, and Dayton advanced into the tournament. Even though Marks initiated contact, this play is called a foul pretty much every time it happens. Countless times I have seen an offensive player rise up through the outstretched arms of his defender, only to flail up a shot and go to the line.  In this case, a foul would have put a career 79 percent free throw shooter on the line for three with a few seconds left in one point game.  Odds are, Boise State goes to the tourney if the refs make the consistent call. But they didn't.

4. Duke vs. Wisconsin Out of Bounds

During the National Championship, Justise Winslow certainly made a difference for Duke.  However, the referees evidently didn't notice Winslow stepping out of bounds under the basket:



Or touching the ball as it went out of bounds:



Both plays resulted in Duke gaining three points. The final score of the game was 68-63, so the six points that resulted from these two missed calls could have made a huge difference.

5. U.C. Irvine vs. Louisville Reach

At the end of the game between U.C. Irvine and Louisville, both teams were in the game.  U.C. Irvine was down, however, and needed to take a last second shot.  The ball was inbounded to Alex Young, but he was bumped by Terry Rozier and time expired as both teams scrambled for possession. If you ask me, and many other people, Rozier clearly hit Young way too hard for it not to be a foul.  Louisville had two fouls to give, but this one would have given the Anteaters another chance to get a possible game winning shot up. However, Louisville got the benefit of the doubt and U.C. Irvine was sent packing.

Hopefully, in the future, exciting games like these will not be stained with what can only be described as screw ups by the officials.

March Madness Bracket Tips

If you are like a lot of people, you are filling out a bracket this year for the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Also, if you are like a lot of people, you may be waiting until the final day to submit said bracket,  in the hopes that you will get the most up to date inside information.  So, without further adieu, my Bracket Busting tips for 2015!  In this tourney, there are quite a few match ups that look quite straightforward.  Like Wisconsin vs. Coastal Carolina.  A 1 seed vs. a 16 looks like an easy pick, but if you dive deeper, you see that Coastal Carolina may be the finest 16 seed in recent history.  I say they have the skill to beat Wisconsin.  Now, I'm not saying it will happen, but this game may not be as clear cut as it first looks.  This tourney is also filled with match ups between low seeded, high octane offensive teams versus all around solid high seeds.  Take Davidson vs. Iowa. Davidson is an incredible scoring team, and that's pretty much all they are incredible at.  Their defense is not super solid, and that could cause a problem.  Iowa is a well rounded team, with solid play on pretty much all fronts.  You might me tempted to pick the fast, shooting team.  But the other side of you is saying to go with the safe, higher seed.  Well, in this case, I do like Davidson in this match up. However, I don't recommend simply choosing the high offense, low defense teams.  You need to research the match up on both sides of the ball.  Will Iowa be able to take advantage of the Davidson defense, or will they miss the opportunity? If you ask me, I would say Davidson is poised to make a first round upset this year.  Two games I really feel are split almost evenly are VCU vs. Ohio State and Baylor vs. Georgia State.  VCU caused, well, havoc on defense this year. They swipe the ball away at a large clip and play lots of transition offense.  Ohio State has some of the top players in the country, led by Guard D'Angelo Russell.  Ohio State is a very dangerous team, and could pose a problem for VCU. However, the pressure of VCU caused me to lean ever so slightly to the VCU side.  Baylor and Georgia State are so close, I looked at this game longer than any other.  The slight statistical advantage of Baylor was the tie breaker, but look into this one.  Good luck and check back for more!

NBA2K Soundtrack

Today, I am going to talk about the lighter, more low pressure side of sports.  The 2k franchise has been making high level sports video games for a long time, and they are often the best on the market. However, recently a very important part of any game has come into question, the soundtrack.  When Nba2k13 came out, it was announced that musician Jay-Z had worked on the game, and the soundtrack.  Coincidentally, that soundtrack included no less than 6 Jay-Z songs.  2k changed it up in 2014, letting NBA All-Star and cover athlete LeBron James choose the soundtrack.  It was a good mix of modern and classic music, which had a great flow and worked perfect in a basketball game.  Good job, LeBron.  So, the 2015 soundtrack should have been chosen by cover athlete Kevin Durant, right? Well, I guess 2k didn't think so.  Musician Pharrell Williams chose the most recent soundtrack, and I have to say it is a serious step down from last year.  Also, in a second coincidence, the soundtrack included 5 songs that were either by Pharrell or featuring Pharrell. So, 2k, if you are reading this, go back to the days when athletes chose the music that played behind their picture. Or, hold a contest, like in 2012.

Check back for more posts and be sure to share your thoughts on any posts, or something you would like me to look into. Thanks!

Super Bowl Preview

Its about time to bust out the foam fingers and the assorted dips, because Super Bowl season is here again!  So, its time to make the all-important Super Bowl predictions. Who will be victorious in a battle between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots? Let's find out.  For starters, the Seahawks are coming off what could be the greatest comeback in playoff history, and the Patriots are coming off a controversial and disputed win against the Colts. Deflate-gate has been the hot topic ever since the story of cheating broke. Unfortunately, the NFL didn't really do anything about it, but the media has been bugging every Patriot they can find about it endlessly.  This could prove to be an advantage for the Seahawks, as while they were preparing for the game, the Patriots were preparing one denial speech after another.  However, moving away from that and focusing on the actual game, the Seahawks appear to have a good shot at repeating.  They have Marshawn Lynch who, despite being (unfairly, I think) roasted by the media for not really answering their questions, is really "All about that action". The Pats have a whole bench full of backs, but none of them are of Lynch's skill or quality.  The Quarterback battle is an interesting thing, as you have the young, fast, talented Russell Wilson on one side, and the older but still talented Tom Brady on the other.  This is played in Arizona, so the air pressure should be on a level playing field. Mobility is really an advantage for Wilson, as he can run and jump in and around the solid rush of the Patriots.  Brady is pretty mobile in the pocket, but he has gone down a bit more of late and certainly can't get outside the pocket like Wilson.  Now, let's talk about the Wide Receivers. This is another tough one, with Amendola, LaFell, Edelman, and other good wide outs on the Pats side.  The Seahawks have some big play receivers of their own, with Doug Baldwin hauling in pretty much everything he can see, and Jermaine Kearse coming up big in the clutch.  However, these strong offenses may not be scoring a ton of points with these two defenses on the other side of the ball.  Both the Patriots and Seahawks have good defensive lines, with strong pass rushers that can get to the Quarterback fast.  However, if Wilson can throw on the run, he could burn the rush by hitting the open receiver.  But if Brady can get off his passes fast, the Pats could do the same thing.  However, throwing passes against these defenses may not be so easy.  Both have great secondaries, with at least one great corner back to shut down the opponent's top receivers.  So, after one receiver is neutralized by Richard Sherman, and the other is stuck on Revis island, where does the ball go? Well, both teams have a dynamic Tight End that could do some real damage.  Luke Wilson and Rob Gronkowski will both see some action, and they will be hard to stop.  Seattle has Kam Chancellor, who is obviously incredibly athletic, but will they put him on Gronk?  Who will the Patriots find to stop the sleeper Luke Wilson from exploding? Well, let's watch the game and find out.  Also, while your at it, enjoy the halftime show and the commercials.  And finally, my prediction for the game... Seahawks victory!

MLB Free Agency Update 2014 #3

Hi, Hoover here. I am back to let my readers know that Aaron Harang, the 36 year old pitcher whom I mentioned in earlier posts, recently signed a 1 year, $5,000,000 deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Harang could make even more than the 5 million this year, as his contract also includes some performance bonuses and awards.  Even though Harang is getting up there in age, his crafty arm still commands a contract worth 5 plus times the one he played on last season.  Don't be surprised, however, if he isn't in Philly for too long. The Phillies are looking like a team that is investing in the future, and Harang could be worth a prospect or two to a team that needs a stable pitcher in their rotation. 

NBA Rookies

For the record, I am not too sure that Andrew Wiggins is the future of the NBA.  Honestly, I never was.  No offense to Wiggins, he is a good player and I never doubted his skills.  However, if I was looking for the next NBA great, I would be looking more at Nikola Mirotic.  This Chicago forward has all the skill needed to make it big in the NBA. He can currently play the 3 or 4 position, although he may be more suited to the 4 because of his size and the fact that he is a step slower than other 3s.  However, in the future, he may play more of a Mehmet Okur role, playing both the power forward and center.  Of course, Mirotic has the potential to be much greater than Okur, with a shooting stroke from long range that is exceptional for a 6 foot 10 inch player.  If you compare Wiggins with Mirotic using NBA stats, it looks something like this.  Mirotic has Wiggins bested in all of the field goal percentage stats, including True Shooting%, Effective Shooting%, Three-point Shooting% and traditional Field Goal%.  Wiggins, however, has more points per game. This is mainly because Wiggins plays for the Timberwolves, a team that is in real need of a productive star after the Kevin Love trade.  In Chicago, there is less of a need for a rookie forward to play big minutes and score points.  Then, if you get into Player Efficiency Rating, which by the way I am still not sure about, but is the gold standard currently, Mirotic wins again.  So, Minnesota has a talented scorer with many skills and a large amount of potential in Wiggins, but Chicago may have hit the jackpot with Nikola Mirotic.