Polarizing Superstar

Michael Vick roared back from a forgettable 2009 season and reminded us in 2010 why he once was and still is possibly the most electrifying player to ever play the game. Despite Vick's ability to resurrect his troubled life and playing career, there are still many fans and lay people that wish the worst on him. While scanning ESPN articles this morning I came across this gem http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=6108605.

Before, I continue I feel that it is necessary that I preface my following statements by telling you that I am an avid animal lover and have been around dogs my entire life. Nevertheless, I could not believe what I was reading. How could a fellow athlete still be so bitter as to wish personal loss and injury on Vick? In a country where individuals are excessively punished and true criminals go free every day, could someone really be this dense? 

My favorite part of the article is when Mark Buehrle allegedly claims that "something bad needs to happen to these guys." Could spending two year in a federal penitentiary, having to repay twenty million dollars to the Falcons, losing all endorsements, or being suspended from your place of employment be considered "bad"? Well, if so, Vick was forced to deal with all of these things, not to mention the complete destruction of his public image.

I realize that I am writing this in the context of an Internet blog and will keep its length as such. The argument between those who have forgiven Vick and those who despise him can stretch for many pages and last for several hours. Nonetheless, I must iterate that while Vick committed truly horrible, sadistic actions, he deserves  a second chance in the court of public opinion. 

No matter what your opinion on Vick, the fact of the matter is that Vick did not commit these actions on a fellow human being or another sentient being. Furthermore, he is not the first person to fight dogs in the inner-city community and he certainly will not be the last. His group was not the only ring to engage in animal cruelty: whether it was legal or illegal. 

If you are going to condemn a man for mistakes that he has made as a result of our societal stratification then do it relatively. 

Super Bowl XLV Prediction

Pittsburgh 24 Green Bay 21

Scoring:

Pittsburgh
Mike Wallace 41 yard TD catch
Rashard Mendenhall 3 yard rushing TD
Heath Miller 11 yard TD catch
Shaun Suisham 45 yard Field Goal


Green Bay
Greg Jennings 45 yard TD catch
Donald Driver 11 yard TD catch
John Kuhn 2 yard TD catch

Five Seconds of Fail

Okay, I have seen some bad refereeing in my days of watching NBA basketball, but the last five seconds of the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks game was just about as atrocious as it gets. The Clippers trailed the Hawks on the road 99-98 before Blake Griffin hit a short shot to give the Clippers the lead.

After a timeout, Joe Johnson pulled up for a mid range jumper and was blocked by the much shorter Randy Foye. The ball clearly bounced off of Johnson's left thigh, did not make contact with Foye, and rolled out of bounds. In an unusual move, the officials did not even make a call on the court and instead went straight to the video screen.

After a few minutes of mulling over the various replay angles, they inexplicably could not draw any conclusions. To this point, they called a jump ball. Johnson easily won the tip over the smaller Foye and Baron Davis was called for a loose ball foul.

The subsequent inbound pass went to Al Horford who faked a pass back to the inbounder and took his defender off the dribble for what looked like an easy go ahead dunk.

Then, Griffin swooped in and made what seemed like an honest contest on Horford's dunk attempt. Griffin jumped straight up into the air with his arms extended skyward but caught Horford on the arm. Horford took a nasty fall, and both he and Griffin remained down on the court for several minutes.

When the two got up, it was announced that a flagrant foul was given to Griffin. This meant two shots for Horford and the ball to the Hawks.

Now, I am all for player safety and reducing cheap shots at all costs, but Blake Griffin clearly made a play on the ball with no malicious intent. This flagrant foul will most certainly be rescinded by the league office, but this officiating crew's gaffes potentially cost the Clippers a huge, well-deserved road win.

Unsung Units (Part Deux)

In my opinion, the Super Bowl will come down to three key match up on the "weak" sides of the ball. I will now give a brief synopsis of each match up in order of increasing importance and the impact that each will have on the game.

B.J. Raji vs. Maurkice Pouncey

• The playing status of sensational rookie center Maurkice Pouncey is still not entirely clear due to a high ankle sprain suffered in the AFC Championship Game. Regardless of whether he or back up Doug Legursky plays in this game, the middle of the trenches will be a tough, hard fought battle. B.J. Raji is a classic 3-4 nose tackle who is a terrific run stopper and effective at getting to the quarterback as well, tallying 6.5 sacks during the year. This battle is especially important if Clay Matthews is able to beat his man off the edge and get to Ben Roethlisberger. A strong interior performance from Raji will affect the pocket and prohibit Big Ben from stepping up and avoiding the outside rush of the Packers. With the Steelers ailing in the middle, there is a very good chance that Raji will be able to enforce his will and disrupt the Steelers offense.

Prediction: B.J. Raji: 3 tackles, .5 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes batted down

                

Clay Matthews vs. Steelers' Tackles

• One of the biggest concerns for the Steelers has got to be how in the world they are going to stop the beast-like pass rush of Clay Matthews. He is a quick and powerful outside linebacker who finished just two votes shy of Troy Polamalu for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Matthews finished the 2010 season with 60 tackles and 13.5 sacks, significant improvements from his stellar rookie season. The outside lineman responsible for containing this frenzied force are Johnathan Scott and Flozell Adams. It is Scott's first year with Pittsburgh, and he started a mere 9 games for the club. In passing situations, they will surely tab Fullback David Johnson to help pick up Matthews if he is able to get through the first level of protection. Undoubtedly, Matthews is going to be the same guy that we have seen all year, and his production should not deviate too much from his average in a negative sense. Matthews is more than likely going to have a great game and be able to enforce his will throughout, especially if he is not double teamed. For this reason, I believe that the next match up is the most important in this game.

Prediction: Clay Matthews: 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 knockdowns, 1 forced fumble

Mike Wallace vs. Tramon Williams

• This is the marquee match up between these two units in terms of the passing game. The Steelers' Mike Wallace is a young yet explosive receiver who has emerged as a top deep threat in the league, averaging 21 yards per catch during the regular season. He has had an extremely quiet post season to this point, but look for this to change in the Super Bowl. He is far too dangerous of a weapon to stay silent for such an extended period of time. His ability to get deep down the field forces teams to respect his speed and give safety help to the corner responsible for him. This inevitably opens up the running game for Mendenhall, because the opponent cannot stack the box to stop him. A big rushing game from Mendenhall is crucial for the Steelers, as they were 3-0 during the regular season when he rushed for over 100 yards. Furthermore, the Steelers were an impeccable 8-0 when Wallace averaged over 20 yards per catch. The man that will most likely be responsible for containing the speedy Wallace is another young player, 2011 Pro Bowl selection Tramon Williams. Williams is a near carbon copy to Wallace in terms of size but he will surely be tested by Wallace's vertical game. Contrary to Wallace's poor performance this post season Williams has been sensational, recording three interceptions thus far. This will be a very intriguing match up, and I believe that the Steelers will try to attack the Packers deep--both early and often. Williams should be able to hold his own for most of the game with safety help; however, if Pittsburgh establishes the run early on in the game and forces the the safeties up, there could be major problems. I expect Roethlisberger to try to hit Wallace deep within the first five plays. Whether this first shot works or not, it will stick in the minds of the safeties and potentially open up the running game. The rest will be up to Williams and Wallace as they battle one on one.

Prediction: Mike Wallace: 4 catches, 97 yards, 1 TD, long 41 yards, 1 dropped pass

                   Tramon Williams: 2 passes defensed, 1 interception, 4 tackles, 0 sacks

Unsung Units (Part 1)

Super Bowl XLV (that is 45 for all you non-Latin speakers) will take place on Sunday, February 6th, 2011 in Dallas...I mean Arlington, Texas. It will feature the NFL's top two teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. Both teams are fairly well balanced with talent on both sides of the ball, but the focus of this game has been on two units, the Pittsburgh defense and the Green Bay offense.

It has all but been decreed that the winner of this elite unit slugfest will undoubtedly emerge as the victor of this year's Super Bowl. But I believe that it will be the two unheralded units in this game that will decide the outcome. So, instead of continuing the annoying, incessant banter concerning Green Bay's passing game and Pittsburgh's front seven, let us take a look at the sides of the ball with less notoriety.

We will begin with the squad that has already been to this dance, winning two of the last five championships: the Pittsburgh Steelers and their offense. This is a very productive, efficient offense that is successful in its own right despite taking a back seat to the number one scoring defense in the league.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger leads the Pittsburgh passing attack which ranks a respectable fourteenth in yards per game in the NFL. He has several weapons in his receiving corps including one of the toughest wideouts in the game in Hines Ward and a top big play receiver in second year player, Mike Wallace. Throw in consistent tight end Heath Miller, and this aspect of the offense is a reliable force that can be counted on to get the job done.

The Steelers' running game is also a top tier force, ranking eleventh in the NFL with almost 2000 rushing yards. The rushing attack is headed by bruising back Rashard Mendenhall, who combines punishing power with deceptive breakaway speed. In his rookie season it seemed that critics were already prepared to declare  Mendenhall a bust, primarily because of a shoulder injury and ball security issues. Mendenhall has come back the past two years with a vengeance, and has proved to be a fantastic replacement for previous feature back Willie Parker.

Now, on to the young, dynamic Packers' defense. This is an outstanding defense in its own right that is fueled by the runner up Defensive Player of the Year, Clay Matthews. This second year player out of USC has exploded onto the NFL scene by way of his unrelenting motor and unmistakable head of hair. The secondary is led by veteran team leader and one of the mainstays at cornerback in the NFL, future Hall of Famer, Charles Woodson. This elite defense ranks an impressive second in the NFL in points allowed, giving up a mere 15 per game during the regular season. 

In my mind, there are three match ups between these two units that will determine the outcome of the game.

Is it Over Yet?

The NFL Pro Bowl provides a relaxing week in gorgeous Hawai'i for the league's best, most notable performers and their families. For the viewers, however, it has become an uninteresting, mundane afterthought. There are certain formation and pressure restrictions that are instituted to simplify the game for the coaches and protect the players from injury.

While these safeguards are great for obvious reason, they indirectly create a game that can be painful for the fans to watch. I will give the NFL credit though, they recognize that there is a problem with this contest and they have looked into a few solutions.

Last year they implemented two changes. The first was moving the game from its usual place in Hawai'i to Miami, the site of last year's Super Bowl. The second change was to move the game up to a week before the Super Bowl instead of the week after in order to maintain fan interest.

They wished to cash in on fan anticipation of the Super Bowl and attempted to ride the wave of media attention and piqued consumer interest. This hope turned into fruition, as the game received nearly a 40 % ratings boost from the previous year's game. While this is a huge boost, there still seems to be the sentiment that there is something missing in the Pro Bowl in comparison to the other major professional sports.

The National Basketball Association has a whole All-Star Weekend including the Skills Competition, Slam Dunk Contest, and 3-Point Shootout. These "sideshows" help to encourage fan involvement until the main event takes place. The game itself is usually a high scoring, yet competitive event  which features a faster pace and incredible dunks.

Major League Baseball has also recently altered its All Star Game guidelines. The league has made it mandatory for at least one player from every team to be on a team. While this is great for generating interest even in the lowliest of markets, it directly contradicts another addition to the game. Recently, it was decided that the winner of the game would determine which league gained home field advantage in the World Series. Even though baseball has tried to bring intrigue to it's "Midsummer Classic," there are evident flaws in its system.

Even the much maligned National Hockey League has an advantage of the NFL when it comes to this game. Similar to the NBA, they also have a set of competitions that showcase the skills of their superior athletes. This year, they even had a pick-up style fantasy draft in which two team captains were chosen to pick their respective squads.

The NFL could take just one or two elements from any of these other leagues and their product would be instantly improved. However, with the NFL focused on ironing out a new work agreement between the ownership and the players, it does not look like these improvements will come soon. Well, at least we have the Super Bowl to look forward to.

The Red Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets are 31-16 and have a hold on the number three playoff spot in the Western Conference. Furthermore, they are in the midst of an impressive, defense-fueled ten game winning streak. They are in no danger of leaving the great city of New Orleans because they have fulfilled attendance requirements set by ownership. Surely, the average NBA fan must be thinking that these are either headlines from the 2007-2008 Season or facts made up by delusional Hornets enthusiasts. But, surprisingly, all of these statements are 100% factual. You are thinking, "Okay, it is all true, but how did a Hornets team that looked dead last year come back so strong"? Well, there are a number of answers to that very fair question. More specifically, three key things.

The first is the re-emergence of All Star point guard Chris Paul. Paul missed a huge chunk of last season and the Hornets dearly missed his leadership and play making ability. Despite grumblings of his unhappiness in New Orleans which surfaced this summer, he remained with the Hornets and has had a sensational season. He currently leads the NBA in steals with nearly 3 per game and ranks 3rd in the league with 9.7 assists. Helping Paul get the job done is a solid supporting cast consisting of David West, a bevy of young talent, and several new additions.

Secondly, the Hornets are no longer coached by former general manager Jeff Bower, but instead by first year head coach Monty Williams. Williams is the youngest head coach in the league, and he is currently one of the top candidates for Coach of the Year Award. With him, he has brought a great sense of leadership, an atmosphere of winning, and a ferocious, defense first mentality. This brings me to possibly the most important upgrade for the Hornets: defense.

The Hornets concluded their game last night against the Golden State Warriors as the league's leading defensive team, allowing a meager average of 91.19 per game. This superb defense is obviously keyed by Paul, and he is supported by top shot blocker Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, one of the league's best perimeter defenders.

The Hornets might not be an irrefutable title favorite quite yet, but if they continue to play outstanding defense, they will certainly be able to do considerable damage in a top heavy Western Conference.

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Green Bay 27 at Chicago 16

New York 24 at Pittsburgh 23

Karma is a (South) Beach

Ok, that was slightly corny, but absolutely relevant to the Miami Heat's current situation. This is a team that was flying sky high just a week ago. They had won 21 of 22 games and were sitting on top of the extremely crowded Eastern Conference standings. Then, they made a fateful visit to the young and hungry Los Angeles Clippers and their gleeful ride came to a screeching halt. But the story here is not so much based on the Heat's current four game losing streak and sudden injury problems. It is based on a Tweet (which coincides with the losing streak) that LeBron James sent out after his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, were throttled by the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron seemingly sent out a condemnatory Tweet meant for the Cavalier organization, more specifically, owner Dan Gilbert. He was sure to point out to Gilbert that "karma is a b----." Fantastic observation, Mr. James. But even with all of this new found philosophical knowledge, LeBron forgot to take into account that mocking an entity at its lowest point is--you guessed it--bad karma. Well, he has been educated over the past week, because the Heat have lost four straight and all of the "Big 3" have been bitten by the injury bug in some fashion. LeBron missed the losses at Denver and Chicago with sprained ankle and Chris Bosh missed today's game against Atlanta with the same ailment.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that Lebron's Tweet caused a mystic, unseen force to descend upon the Heat and dismantle their highly touted team. I am also most certainly not saying that they are doomed for all of eternity and will never win a basketball game again. All I am saying is that before LeBron decided to impale his former team on a skewer, roast them over an open flame, and feed them to the citizens of Cleveland, the Heat were an evil, unstoppable force. Now, they are one major letdown away from dropping a fifth straight game. Yes, Mr. James, karma is indeed a b----."

Sunday Divisional Round Recap

The Seattle Seahawks came into this game as a team who was lucky to get into the playoffs, lucky to beat the defending Super Bowl champs, and would have to hire a fleet of moving trucks stuffed full of four leaf clovers in order to defeat the second seeded Chicago Bears.

Well, those trucks were late, because in the first half of this football game the Seahawks looked like the undeserving 7-9 football team that everyone thought that they were. The Seahawks fell down 21-0 at half due to a porous passing defense and several drops from receivers. The Bears moved the ball effortlessly down the field, and tight end Greg Olsen went for 110 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

The Seahawks played much better during the second half and brought the game within two scores, but the outcome of this game was apparent early on.

After a long weekend of waiting, finally the highly anticipated game, the New York Jets at the New England Patriots. The game opened up very slow, with both offenses stalling and both defenses playing phenomenally.
The first major breakthrough came five minutes into the second quarter when Mark Sanchez completed a short pass to LaDainian Tomlinson who took it in for a score.

The only other scoring in the first half came after Braylon Edwards caught a pass from Sanchez dragged two Patriot defenders into the end zone taking the score to 14-3. This critical score came after New England botched a questionable fake punt in their own territory.

The gap was closed to three at the end of the third quarter when Tom Brady connected with Alge Crumpler for a short touchdown. Instead of kicking the extra point, the Patriots elected to go for the two point conversion and reserve running back Sammy Morris punched it in straight up the middle. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Jerricho Cotchery caught a mid range pass from Sanchez and ran down the field for a huge 58 yard gain. A few plays later another huge connection was made to Santonio Holmes who made a circus catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

The following Patriot drive was stalled when Deion Branch dropped a wide but catchable ball. Just a side note, Branch had been passionately jawing at the Jets' sideline after several positive New England plays.

But the Patriots were not quite done yet. After a huge punt return by Julian Edelman, Shayne Graham knocked in a 35 yard field goal to cut the game back down to a possession. After a failed onside kick recovered by the Jets, Shonn Greene ran the ball in from 16 yards out to salt away the shocking victory. Brady tacked on a late touchdown pass to Branch to bring the score to 28-21, but this one was over.

How did the Jets win this game after such a recent beat down at the hands of the Patriots? Two things, unrelenting pressure on Brady and fantastic coverage on the shifty Patriot receivers. The Jets have now reached the AFC Championship for two consecutive years under head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez. However, they will be hoping for a different outcome than last year's defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts when they travel to Pittsburgh next Sunday.

It should be a physical, hard hitting affair to remember. Let the trash talk begin!