Hockey Night In Canada: Leafs-Canadiens
For the last 44 years on Saturday nights, unless I have something to do that I can't get out of, I'm usually in front of my television set watching the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night In Canada. As a child, I can remember being extremely upset when on the rare occasion the Leafs were not playing on Saturday night or were on the road and the Montreal Canadiens were on Hockey Night instead. As a Leaf fan in the late 60's and 70's it was tough having to deal with Montreal Canadien fans. The Canadiens always seemed to win. They won multiple championships during that time period, while the closest the Leafs came was reaching the semi-finals in th 1977-78 season only to lose to the Canadiens. Then of course, Punch Imlach came onto the scene and the rest was history.
While for me, HNIC on Saturday night is always a must, when the Leafs play the Canadiens it is always extra special. I'll never forget a game back during the 1967-68 season when the Leafs were at the Forum and playing against a much talented Montreal team. The Leafs played hard and were about to walk away with a well deserved one point as a result of a tie. (this was before a five minute overtime and the ridiculous shoot out). There were 3 seconds remaining and there was a faceoff deep inside the Toronto zone. I was quite pleased at that point. But my happiness soon changed to sadness as the Montreal center won the draw and the puck went back to the point where Canadiens defenseman Jacques Laperierre fired a slap shot that beat Leaf netminder Bruce Gamble and the Canadiens would come away with a 3-2 win. I was devastated. To this day when I hear Jacques Laperierre's name I bristle with anger.
Tonight these two ancient rivals meet again at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadiens are coming off last night's heartbreaking 5-4 shoot out loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins after blowing a 4-2 lead going into the third period. The Leafs last game was Thursday night's 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. This is a huge game for the Leafs as they are one point behind the Florida Panthers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East and only 3 points behind the New Jersey Devils for 7th. On the flip side they are only 2 points ahead of 10th place Winnipeg, who hosts the aforementioned Panthers Saturday night. Because of the rivalry you know this will be a tough one. The Canadiens have saved Carey Price for tonight's game. The Leafs will be going once again with Jonas Gustavsson. Records mean nothing when the Leafs and Canadiens meet but this is a game that the Leafs should win. They are the better team. Just like the Canadiens were in that game during the 67-68 season when Jacques Laperierre scored with less than three seconds left.
The puck drops at the ACC at 7:05.
Leafs Stop The Bleeding With 4-1 Win
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in danger of losing their fourth game in a row heading into Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild had been struggling badly on the road and the Leafs took advantage of that last night by posting a 4-1 win at the Air Canada Centre. Jonas Gustavsson played a solid game in net for Toronto and it would seem that he would be in goal for the remaining two games of the homestand.
Coach Ron Wilson mixed the lines up by splitting Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul and Lupul ended up with 3 assists, the first one 50 seconds into the game on a nice pass to Nazem Kadri. The Leafs led 2-0 and the game was still in doubt until Phil Kessel's power play goal late in the second period put the game away. The Leafs once again were very disciplined only having to kill off one penalty which they did effectively. While the power play only scored one goal on five chances, there was plenty of puck movement and the Wild did a good job of blocking shots.
Joey Crabb scored the Leafs second goal on a beautiful rush toward the net beating the Wild defenseman. Crabb showed a good burst of speed and has really been a nice contributor for the Leafs. Mikhail Grabovski scored the Leafs fourth goal and his line was its usual dangerous self throughout the game. Wilson mixed up the defensive pairings and it seemed to work as I thought the Luke Schenn-Dion Phaneuf pairing provided a physical presence and Schenn seemed to be finishing off checks with authority. It was once again apparent to me that Jake Gardiner is going to be very special player. His skating and passing ability certainly provides an added dimension to the Maple Leafs. He also makes a difference on the second power play unit. Once John-Michael Liles comes back, which could be as early as Tuesday or just after the All-Star break, the Leafs will have eight NHL ready defenseman. I just find it hard to believe that a trade won't happen with the Leafs sending a defenseman as part of the deal. The acquisition of Lupul and Gardiner may be the trade that Leaf fans look back on as being the piece which put the Leafs back into the playoffs.
At the beginning of this month, I stated that the Leafs needed to win at least 6 out of the 9 home games that they had in the month of January if they were to have a good shot to make the playoffs. They are currently 5-2 at the ACC for the month with two games remaining at home: Montreal on Saturday and the Islanders on Monday which is the first of a back-to-back against the Islanders. Tuesday's game vs the Isles will be their last game before the All-Star break. All three games are winnable as both teams are below the Leafs in the standings. However, there are no gimme games for the Leafs. They need to continue to take care of business at home. Arguably they should be 6-1 right now at home for January in that they blew a two-goal lead on Tuesday against Ottawa. Saturday night they face the Canadiens who are playing tonight against the Penguins. The Leafs need to jump on Montreal early. It won't be easy as its Saturday Hockey Night In Canada against their ancient rivals. But if this team is to make the playoffs this is a game they have to win.
The puck drop is 7:05. Leafs-Canadiens on Hockey Night. Can't beat it.
Trade On The Horizon For Leafs??
Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 2 goal lead and lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-2. What has become painfully evident over the last 2 games is that the Leafs are being outmuscled by teams who happen to be ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. Brian Burke has said that he just doesn't want to make the playoffs, he wants to be a factor in those playoffs. If the Leafs make the playoffs they will not be a factor the way this team's roster currently sits. Along with the lack of muscle, there has been a lack of scoring. Over the last four games, the Leafs have managed to score 6 goals while giving up 9. Their lone win over those four games was as a result of a 2-0 shutout. Now what??
Brian Burke is known for making trades well before the late February trade deadline. He sees what all of us see: a team with skilled forwards who are being banged around. The strategy against Phil Kessel is to make sure you have a big body on him. The Bruins do it and the Rangers did it and unless others step up offensively, you get 6 goals over four games. I honestly believe that we may see two trades made, one for a big scoring forward, hopefully a center and then a bruising forward who has some offensive ability. Think Bobby Ryan and Ryan Malone. The acquisition of 2 such players would immediately make the Leafs a tougher team to play.
Their recent play has put the Leafs in ninth place, behind Pittsburgh and Washington. A prolonged scoring slump could end whatever legitimate chance they have to make the playoffs. The lack of scoring is related to the Leafs being banged around and outmuscled. Something has to be done to save what has been a most promising season. Burke has done it before and I have faith that he will do something again, this time to save a season.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering who was the genius at CBS Sports who thought it was a good idea to have Ndamukong Suh on the NFL Today, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Maple Leafs begin a critical four game stretch at home tonight against the surging Ottawa Senators. The Leafs find themselves this morning in ninth place, one point behind both the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Senators are in fifth place, seven points ahead of the Leafs but the Leafs do have three games in hand on their provincial rivals. Tonight marks the return of James Reimer in goal for the Leafs. This is a tremendous opportunity for Reimer to re-establish himself as the team's number one goalie.
* The Leafs will also have Tyler Bozak and Jake Gardiner back in the lineup. Bozak will center Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul and it is hoped that he will be able to get the high scoring pair back on track. I was happy to see that Gardiner is back in the lineup. Coach Ron Wilson has acknowledged that they need Gardiner's speed and ability to move the puck out of their own end to get their speed game going offensively. Gardiner will also be a much needed boost to a power play that stumbled over the weekend and hopefully will put an end to Tim Connolly or Clarke MacArthur being on the point with Dion Phaneuf.
* Bucky Gleason had a nice article Sunday about Brian Burke's rebuilding of the Maple Leafs. I have believed from the beginning that Burke was the right man for the job. He had received plenty of criticism from the Toronto media when he traded for Phil Kessel. But Burke had a plan and is not afraid of acknowledging a mistake (Beauchemin, Versteeg & Lebda and turned them into Gardiner, Lupul, Franson, Lombardi & a first round pick). I fully expect that Burkie will be making another move well before the February 27th deadline.
* Speaking of moves, the New York Yankees certainly had a busy Friday the 13th with the acquistion of Micahel Pineda and the signing of Hiroki Kuroda. Now there is plenty of discussion about who will be the DH. A point to consider is that ARod is probably going to DH at least 2 games a week depending upon his wonky hip and knee. The Yanks will also try to give Derek Jeter an occasional day as the DH. While it has been reported that the Yankees have contacted Hidecki Matsui and Johnny Damon, they could very well alternate Eduardo Nunez, Jeter and AROD between DH, third base and shortstop. Remember it was Nunez, not Jesus Montero, who Brian Cashman refused to part with in 2010 in order to get Cliff Lee from Seattle. The Yankees want to get Nunez more at bats and this would seem to be a way to do it.
* This year's Super Bowl has the makings for some interesting story lines regardless of which two teams get in. If San Francisco gets in and faces Baltimore, you will have the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other in the Big Game. If San Francisco meets New England, you will have the Niners tough defense going up against the Patriots high-powered offense. If New York gets in, you will have a rematch of two recent Super Bowls: the Giants loss at the hands of the Ravens or the Giants upset win against the then undefeated Patriots. It's the first time since that Giant-Patriot Super Bowl that I'm actually going to look forward to the Big Game.
* I watched the last quarter of the Knicks-Magic game yesterday and it was a terrible performance by the Knicks down the stretch. Carmelo Anthony had a chance to draw the Knicks close and fired up an air ball. Can't see how New York can be considered a legitimate contender for the NBA title.
* Since the boring BCS Championship Game, there has been plenty of talk about the need for a playoff system. Apparently, the NCAA high muckity-mucks and the major conference presidents are going to be discussing the possibilities. The TV ratings indicate that this was the lowest rated BCS Game in history and this year's Orange Bowl was the lowest rated one in history. The sporting public has had it with this charade known as the BCS. If there was a semi-final featuring LSU vs Stanford and Alabama vs Oklahoma State, the ratings would have been through the roof. This can be done using the existing bowls. Let's see what happens but I'm not going to hold my breath.
* Kudos to Jerry Sullivan on his column yesterday taking the Sabres to task and specifically team owner Terry Pegula. Pegula's claim that injuries are the problem for the team's recent troubles contributes to the lack of accountability. Sullivan hit the nail on the head that the core of this team is under performing and that Darcy Reiger and Lindy Ruff are unable to turn things around.
* Interesting how WGR550's Jeremy White is raising the white flag on the 2011-12 season. He just tweeted that enough about this season and all moves should be made for next year. Really??? Last week, I got into with White on twitter after Paul "Gasbag" Hamilton tweeted that the Sabres could acquire Getzlaf and that he could be in the lineup for last Tuesday's game vs Toronto. The funny thing was that when I went out to get my Buffalo News, there was an article where Pegula said there was not going to be any major shake-up and that injuries were the problem. When I pointed out that Pegula said that there would be no trades, White went at me saying not to twist things. I went back at him reminding him that Hamilton said that a Getzlaf deal was imminent and that he could be in the lineup vs the Leafs. White is a joke. He is such a homer it's not even funny anymore.
* Once again yesterday morning, Sullivan had White all in a tizzy to the point where you could hear White whining to Howard Simon.
* I wonder if Ryan Miller wishes he was left behind in Detroit.
* Finally, can someone please check to see if Jeremy White is on the Pegula payroll???
Heading Into Championship Week
Except for the Patriots destruction of the Denver Broncos, divisional playoff weekend provided great entertainment for football fans. The best game without a doubt was the New Orleans-San Francisco contest which saw a coming out party for the much-mailgned Alex Smith. Smith has often been considered a first round bust. The thinking was that Smith was nothing more than a game manager, just like Trent Dilfer, and that the 49ers relied on a running game and defense. But Saturday afternoon, Smith went toe-to-toe with NFL MVP candidate Drew Brees and drove his team down the field not once but twice, the last time with 9 seconds remaining to punch the Niners ticket to the NFC Championship game. A championship game that will be played at Candlestick Park as a result of the New York Giants victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The Giants were led by their franchise quarterback, Eli Manning, who outplayed the other NFL MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers. The Giant defense pressured Rodgers and made plays when they had to and the Packer defense which has been suspect all year long could not get it done when they needed to. New York's victory was not surprising to me as they had the better defense, were on a roll and their QB and WRs were every bit as good as the Packers. On top of that, the Giant running game was firing on all cylinders as evidenced by Brandon Jacobs' touchdown at the end of the game which sealed the deal for New York.
In Baltimore, the Ravens recipe for victory remained the same as they capitalized on turnovers and their defense was able to make big plays. Give the Houston Texans credit for not backing down as they trailed 17-3 in the first quarter and it looked like it was going to be a blowout. But they made it close behind the running of Arian Foster but in the end it wasn't enough. One has to think that if Matt Schaub had not been injured that this game would have ended differently.
Saturday night, Tom Brady showed that he wasn't screwing around as he lit up the Bronco defense for 6 touchdown passes, 5 in the first half, as the Patriots rolled Denver 45-10. Tim Tebow was not a factor at all as the Patriot defense played one of its better games of the year. A defense that was just as bad as that of the Packers. In the end, the Patriots were just too much for the Broncos.
The championship games should be very interesting. Two years ago the Ravens knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs, as Ray Rice ran all over them in Foxboro. Don't think that Bill Belichik won't remind his team of that. On the NFC side, the Giants will try to avenge a loss that they suffered at the hands of the Niners during the regular season. In what has become a quarterbacks league, next Sunday it will come down to four QB's. Right now, I'd have to go with Tom Brady and Eli Manning and what a Super Bowl that would be: a rematch from 2007 that saw the Giants win the Super Bowl and end the Patriots undefeated season. Stay tuned.
Rangers Get Revenge With 3-0 Win At ACC
There are times heading into a game when you know that the odds might not be looking too good. The Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated the New York Rangers twice at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were coming off a terrible loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs were coming off a tough 3-2 loss at Buffalo the night before. Well while it didn't look good before the game started it looked worse when the game was over as the Rangers manhandled the Maple Leafs 3-0.
The Rangers banged around the Leaf forwards as if they were pinballs. Toronto was unable to get their speed advantage going as the Rangers bottled up the Leafs, especially the Kessel-Connolly-Lupul line. The Rangers made sure that Kessel was shadowed by a big body all night and leads one to wonder if Brian Burke's pursuit of a big forward will intensify as a result. The only line that had any jump was that centered by Mikhail Grabovski, who has been the best Leaf in the new year.
The Rangers intense and physical forechecking caused the Leafs to cough up the puck on numerous occasions. The one highlight for the Leafs was their penalty killing as they were 100% successful. It's obvious that their more aggressive style has been successful. Success cannot describe the power play unit, firing blanks once again. It's apparent that the loss of John-Michael Liles is really hurting them. I also think that the Leafs need to put an end to a forward on the point with the first power play unit. They either have to rotate three defensemen, Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson, or put Jake Gardiner back in the lineup. It's obvious that the power play unit needs a change.
The Maple Leafs' next four games are at home with Ottawa the opponent on Tuesday night. It will be interesting to see who Coach Ron Wilson will put in goal. Wilson indicated earlier this month that he would play the goalie who was winning and he rode Jonas Gustavsson for the first 4 games of 2012. But, Gustavsson has lost two in a row and in each game there has been a soft goal. In my mind, James Reimer needs to be in goal on Tuesday night. The Leafs need to give the young 23 year-old a chance to take over.
The Leafs need to win 3 out of 4 of these next home games. In fact, these are all winnable games for the Leafs: Ottawa, Minnesota, Montreal and the Islanders. It is important that the Leafs get back on a roll. They have lost two in a row. The playoffs are there for the taking and hopefully the Leafs will grab it.
Lindy Ruff’s Culture Of Whining
After Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff was lamenting the charging call against Patrick Kaleta which resulted in Nikolai Kulemin's power play goal that gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Ruff complained that Kaleta was a marked man by NHL referees and that he doesn't think Kaleta can hit anybody now because the refs are looking to penalize him which could result in Kaleta being suspended. Really???? The NHL is targeting a slug like Patrick Kaleta. Please???
But this is the type of stuff that you would expect from Lindy Ruff and explains why he has been perfect for the Buffalo Sabres. You see Ruff plays right into the inferiority complex that Buffalo sports fans have had for years. Remember when the Miami Dolphins dominated the Bills in the 70's and early 80's??? It was because Dolphin Head Coach Don Shula was on the NFL's Rules Committee and that's why the Dolphins received all the favorable calls.
Sometimes a coach says things in order to get a favorable call the next time around but Ruff's assertion that Kaleta is being targeted is a big joke. Kaleta is not even considered a top ten agitator, let alone a top ten fighter. On Wednesday, Schopp & The Bulldog made the point that Kaleta has been totally ineffective and brought up the game on November 12th against the Bruins when Milan Lucic ran Ryan Miller. Bulldog made the point that Kaleta had an opportunity to run Tim Thomas and didn't. If he had there is no doubt a brawl would have ensued but at least the Sabres would have showed a willingness to stand up to the Bruins and showed the rest of the league that they were not going to back down to anyone.
Ruff's whining about referees and other teams' players is nothing new. But the damage is that it creates a culture of whining and no accountability and that is what's wrong with the Sabres. I have to laugh when I hear Sabre fans complain that the players are complacent because Terry Pegula upgraded the team's locker room. Really??? The reason why this team is complacent is because the players have tuned out Ruff. It's either that or they are simply not good enough. To use injuries as an excuse is nonsense. Every team goes through that but the key is whether or not the veterans can respond and whether the coach can hold things together. In the Sabres case, it appears that Ruff wants to make excuses. The refs are targeting Kaleta. Injuries are killing us.
Terry Pegula spent a considerable amount of money in the off season bringing in high priced free agents. Optimism abounded throughout Western New York. But since the Lucic hit on Miller, the Sabres have been in a tailspin and neither the players nor their head coach have been able to turn things around. Where is the accountability??? Instead Ruff whines that the NHL is targeting Patrick Kaleta. The question becomes: how long will Terry Pegula put up with this???
Four In A Row: Leafs Defeat Sabres 2-0
The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their winning ways by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 at the Air Canada Centre. The win was the Leafs fourth in a row and may have been one of the team's most defensively responsible of the year. Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski provided the scoring for the Leafs. Grabovski has been on a roll in this four game winning streak scoring 3 goals and registering two assists. Kulemin opened the scoring on the power play and made a nice pass to set up Grabovski's goal. If these two can get going, the Leafs will really be firing on all cylinders and provide them with a great compliment to the Kessel line.
Jonas Gustavsson registered his 2nd shutout in this four game win streak and has been solid in goal. While the Sabres out shot the Leafs, the number of really good scoring chances were limited. However, Gustavsson came up big when he needed to and seems to be gaining in confidence. More importantly, the team seems to be having more confidence in The Monster.
After the first period with a 2-0 lead, the Leafs played a very strong defensive game not allowing the Sabres to get anything going and playing very solidly in their own zone. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the Leafs needed to play smarter when they had a lead. Last night they did just that. For the second game in a row, they did not allow a power play for their opponent which indicates that they are skating well and being responsible with their sticks.
The fourth line of David Steckel-Darryl Boyce-Mike Brown has also made a difference. They provide energy and are a force when they are on the ice. Steckel was dominant in the face-off circle and Brown and Boyce were excellent on the forecheck. I don't see how the Leafs could send Boyce down to the minors. Since he has been called up, the Leafs have been on a roll.
One of the more gratifying moments last night was the excellent body check by Kulemin on Patrick Kaleta. Kaleta is a joke. I can't recall him ever getting into a scrap with a tough guy. I highly doubt that Pork Chop Jenneret called the hit, a "Carrubba Collision" but it certainly was the best hit of the night. In a Buffalo News article before last night's game, Kaleta talked about being physical against the Leafs but he was hardly a factor.
The Leafs now head to Buffalo for a rematch with the Sabres on Friday night. It will be interesting to see if Coach Ron Wilson will stick with Gustavsson or if he will start James Reimer with a back-to-back situation over the weekend. One could make the argument that he should continue to ride the hot hand and go with The Monster. Whoever starts in goal, the Leafs could really put the hammer down on the Sabres with a win on Friday night. Regardless of that, the Leafs have so far done what they needed to do with this current four game homestand by winning all four games. The wins have pushed them up from outside the top eight to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. With 5 out of their next 7 games at home, if the Leafs can continue their winning ways at home they should set the stage for a playoff appearance in April
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if anyone cares who Todd Palin endorses for President, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Toronto Maple Leafs begin a home and home series tonight against the Buffalo Sabres at the Air Canada Center. The Leafs have won three in a row, including a 4-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings. With 9 games this month in January, the Leafs have started that stretch off well with the 3 home wins. Tonight they face a team that has historically given them problems. The Sabres are reeling right now and the Leafs really need to come out flying tonight and take it to the Sabres early. With Leaf-nemisis, Ryan Miller in goal, it won't be easy. The puck drop is 7:05.
* Last night's BCS Championship Game was boring as hell. Those that say this is what football is all about need to get off the BCS bandwagon. There were only 3 plays of twenty yards or more, hardly the makings of a classic championship game. Alabama wins 21-0, however that includes 5 field goals. I still say that the more intriguing game would have been Oklahoma State against one of these two SEC teams.
* The total ineptness of the LSU offense made the game less than a classic. The LSU defense needs to be given full marks for keeping their team in the game and limiting Alabama to 5 field goals before Trent Richardson's late 35 yard touchdown run.
* http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-wetzel_alabama_lsu_bad_bcs_title_game_010912 This article says it all.
* Trent Richardson last night rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries, with 35 of those yards coming off of a late fourth quarter touchdown run. Richardson did nothing to impress me to the point where I believe that the Cleveland Browns should take him with the fourth pick overall. Unfortunately most recent mock drafts have wide receiver Justin Blackmon being taken before the Browns pick. If that is the case, they should trade their pick down to Washington's 6th pick overall and draft Ashley Jeffries, wide receiver from South Carolina.
* Congratulations to Jorge Posada on his retirement. I'm glad that the former Yankee catcher decided to forego playing with any other team. For Yankee fans, Posada's retirement is a stark reminder that the 1996-2000 championship run is slipping farther and farther away in history. There are only two players remaining from those great Yankee teams: Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The critical question is: will we ever see a team like that again and if so, when??
* I just have a feeling that the New York Giants are going to give the Green Bay Packers all they can handle on Sunday. Even though he plays in the largest media market in the country, Eli Manning does not get all the notoriety that some other quarterbacks receive and he is deserving. The Giants are a more complete team right now than the Packers: they can run, pass and play defense. The Packers can't run or play defense. If the Giant front four can pressure Aaron Rodgers, New York may be headed to the NFC Championship Game.
* Browns fans watching the Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos game featured two teams that have tortured us for years. However, we can take solace in knowing that the Browns contributed to the Steeler defeat with the ankle injury that Ben Roethlisberg sustained on December 8th against the Browns. By the way, do you think Denver wins if Big Ben was healthy???
* WGR Radio 550 is the new radio voice of the Buffalo Bills and yesterday Schopp & The Bulldog had Bills General Manager Buddy Nix on to discuss the state of the team. Nix sounded like a pretty solid old school football guy. He also sounded like Foghorn Leghorn.
* I have to give Paul "Gasbag" Hamilton credit for his objective analysis on the Sabres. While Jeremy White and Howard Simon were begging to hear that the Sabres were going to make a move, Hamilton explained that the team believes that they have the right players and that injuries are the reason why the team is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Simon and White were heartbroken. Actually kind of funny.
* And finally, does anyone have any idea when the MSG-TWC stalemate will be resolved?? Once again, the fans suffer so what else is new.
Holmgren Doesn’t Get it
Last week, Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert held an end-of-the year press conference to discuss the team's season and what lies ahead. What was apparent is that Mike Holmgren doesn't understand what he needs to do as team president: Give the fans hope that things will turn around. The press conference didn't do that for me. The Double H boys want Browns fans to have hope that things will turn around because they say so. Really???
Mike Holmgren has never built a Super Bowl winning team. He coached two teams in the Super Bowl: Green Bay (won) and Seattle (lost). When he had general manager responsibilities in Seattle, the Seahawks did not do all that well and he was forced out of that role. With respect to Heckert, none of his Philadelphia Eagle teams won the Super Bowl. Based on the record, it's hard to buy what Holmgren is selling when he lectures us that we need to have faith in him.
While I agree that the Browns need to have continuity and stop the coaching carousel, what I have a problem with is how the Double H boys seemed to have ceded the decision about having an offensive coordinator to their rookie coach, Pat Shurmur. It appears that Holmgren likes to deal with his coaches the way he would like to be dealt with as a coach. The problem is that he is no longer a coach. He is a team executive who has years of experience in the NFL and needs to use that experience to assist his young first-time head coach. They hired an experienced NFL defensive coordinator (and former head coach) in Dick Jauron and the defensive unit had a fairly good year. The same cannot be said for the offense which stumbled and bumbled under the guidance of an overwhelmed rookie head coach. The same can be said for special teams, which went from a team strength to a team weakness that cost them at least two games. By the way the guy they got rid of, Brad Seely, coaches the San Francisco 49er special teams which won the NFC Western Division.
Holmgren made a point of saying that this was actually the first year of the Browns rebuild. Hmmmmmm. I can understand why he said that but he has been in Cleveland for two years and allowed his first year to be wasted by holding on to Eric Mangini. Again, this was a case where Holmgren acted as a coach as opposed to an executive. I remember him saying that it wasn't fair to Mangini to just come in and fire him. Really??? It was the first big decision that Holmgren had to make and it was a bust as he set the rebuild back a year.
As far as I'm concerned, the Double H boys do not deserve a pass. I'm not saying that I was expecting a playoff appearance this year. I'm also not saying that I expected an 8-8 record. But another double digit loss season with an offense that was putrid after hiring an offensive-minded head coach who was calling his own plays is totally unacceptable. Their handling of Colt McCoy also leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I will say that McCoy has regressed. The whole concussion issue was badly mishandled and now the revelation from Seneca Wallace that he did not help McCoy in learning the new offensive scheme is an indictment on Holmgren because Wallace is Holmgren's guy. At the press conference he waxed glowingly about Seneca. Yet, the career back-up admitted that he didn't help McCoy because he wanted the starting job. If I were Colt McCoy, I wouldn't want to play another down for the Cleveland Browns.
The thing with McCoy is that Holmgren drafted him. He sold him as their guy. He believed that he could be the guy who would lead the Browns to the playoffs. Yet, Seneca Wallace refuses to help the kid quarterback out??? The same Seneca Wallace who played for Holmgren in Seattle and who Holmgren spoke so glowingly of last week. If McCoy is not the guy, and I don't believe he is, then Holmgren has set the rebuild back another year which makes this year's off season critical.
It is apparent that the Browns need to acquire playmakers, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. If they can't move up to get Andrew Luck then they need to acquire someone like Kyle Orton. With their two first round picks they need to draft players who can make a difference. Justin Blackmon would be a no-brainer if he is available with their first pick in the first round. If they can't get him, maybe they move down a couple of spots where they would draft either Ashton Jeffries or Michael Floyd plus pick up another draft pick. With that second first round pick, they need to take someone who can make a difference on either side of the ball. By acquiring someone like Orton, the Browns can have a chance to improve offensively while setting themselves up to be able to draft a quarterback in 2013. They could also use a third or fourth round pick this year to draft someone like Kellen Moore.
The Double H boys need to make the right moves this off season. Their first two major decisions have not panned out and in baseball its three strikes and your out.
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