Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if WGR's Jeremy White has a man crush on Sabre 18 year old rookie Mikhail Grigerenko, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* White's Sabres will be hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at the F'N Arena in downtown Buffalo. Last week, Ryan Miller was outstanding at the ACC and unless the Leafs can figure out a way to solve him it could be a long night for the Blue and White.
* Interesting article this morning in the Toronto Star by Damien Cox. Cox is advocating that Leafs GM Dave Nonis move Phil Kessel at the trade deadline on April 3rd. Kessel is one of my favorite players on the Leafs. He is the best pure scorer that the Leafs have had in years. I've said many times that it's too bad Kessel wasn't around when Mats Sundin was the Leafs number one center. Not sure who replaces Kessel's goal scoring ability as evidenced by the 33 goal a season average that the 25 year old has produced since coming to the Leafs. To be honest, I'm tired of the constant lamenting of the trade that brought the kid to Toronto and I'm beginning to believe that as with Luke Schenn the best thing that can happen to Kessel is if he is moved to a place where his ability will be fully appreciated.
* Here's hoping James Reimer continues to play well so that the incessant Roberto Luongo to Toronto rumors can be put to rest.
* It's funny but after the cancellation of the 2004-2005 hockey season there was greater emphasis on speed and skill and many experts said that with rule changes there would be more of a chance for smaller, skilled players to succeed in the NHL. Funny how now there is more emphasis on big bruisers who will crowd the net. Kind of makes the lost season of 04-05 pointless. Thank you Emperor Bettman.
* The Sabres reaction to anyone who gets close to Ryan Miller borders on the ridiculous. I want to see how tough they are when they take on the Bruins or the Rangers.
* Full marks to Tim Gleason of the Carolina Hurricanes for going at it with Boston's Milan Lucic. In last night's game, Gleason went toe-to-toe with Lucic and didn't back down. Wonder who on the Sabres will do the same thing.
* Don Cherry continues to become more ridiculous as evidenced by his calling Edmonton Oiler rookie Nail Yakupov "an idiot" as a result of the 18 year old's goal celebration. Maybe one of those good old boy Canadians should have warned the young Russian before the season started that he must not show any emotion and be stoic. You can bet your bottom dollar that if this was some 18 year old from Kingston, Ontario that Cherry's reaction would be different. I wonder if Cherry has ever called P.K. Subban "an idiot".
* Kudos to Tim Graham and Jerry Sullivan for their work in Sunday's Buffalo News pertaining to Ray Lewis. If you get a chance check them out.
* NY Daily News columnist Bob Raisman this morning wonders whether or not a reporter will have the guts to press Lewis about what happened on that fateful night in Atlanta 13 years ago. My guess is the answer to that question is no.
* This Super Bowl could be tops in ridiculous statements from its participants. First, you have Joe Flacco saying that having next year's Super Bowl in New Jersey is "retarded". Then you have the bombastic 49er coach Jim Harbaugh proclaiming that Niner DE Justin Smith is one of the best all-time players in the NFL. And let's not forget Raven Terrell Suggs who is talking about Rex Ryan's tattoo. With media day today, can't wait for more pearls of wisdom.
* Knicks Coach Mike Woodson is going to have to get his team playing better defense if they are to have a good chance to play deep into the NBA playoffs.
* The Niagara-Canisius game on Sunday was reminiscent of year's gone by as it was a thriller that had people talking about it. All people except the gasbags at WGR 550. Too busy debating who is the Sabres number one center. Earth to gasbags: the Sabres don't have a legitimate number one center.
* Niagara University has something special going on at Monteagle Ridge with the Purple Eagles being first in basketball in the MAAC and the hockey team being ranked 17th in the country. Of course, you don't hear too much about this from Gasbag 550.
* And finally, the Yankees signed Juan Rivera to a minor league contract with the hope that the 34 year old could be their right handed hitting outfielder/DH. This must be the big January move that we have been waiting for from Brian Cashman. I wonder if Chad Curtis, Ricky Ledee or Shane Spencer are available.
Reimer Plays Well, But Leafs Lose 5-2
For the second time in two games, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 2 goal first period lead as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the New York Rangers. Going into the game, it was clear that the Leafs would have their hands full as the Rangers were 1-3 and the pressure was mounting at MSG as the Blueshirts are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The only bright spot for the Leafs was the play of James Reimer.
Reimer gave the Leafs a chance to win the game by making big saves in the first 2 periods, which included two beauties against Rick Nash. The Leafs were badly out shot and Reimer's stellar play had the Leafs ahead 2-1 heading into the third period. Prior to the game New York hockey broadcast legend, Stan Fischler, posted on Twitter that the Rangers had the advantage going into the game because the Leaf goaltending was bad. After the game, the respected Fischler posted that the Leafs got good goaltending but that the Rangers dominated in all other aspects of the game. Reimer's performance last night and Wednesday in Pittsburgh should cement his status as the team's number one goalie.
Last year, the Leafs speed seemed to give the Rangers fits. Last night, it looked like the Leafs were playing the Bruins. You remember the Leaf games last year against the Bruins where the Beantowners outmuscled the Leafs. Well, that's what happened last night as the Leafs speed advantage was gone right from the beginning as the Rangers got the puck deep in the Toronto zone and smothered them. I have a feeling we will see the same thing next Saturday night when Boston comes into the ACC.
The Leafs are the second youngest team in the NHL. They faced a team last night that is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. However, the Leafs need to exhibit the ability to deal with adversity. It's also apparent that the Leafs need a shutdown line beyond Mikhail Grabovski's. His line provides the Leafs with offense. In fact, it has been the team's most productive line of late. If they have to be in defensive mode against the likes of Brad Richards, Marion Gaborik and Nash, then offense becomes secondary. Without Joffrey Lupul, it appears the Bozak line is having trouble mounting scoring chances. Lupul provided the jam in the corners and traffic in front of the net to allow Kessel space. I'm not sure what Randy Carlyle can do to make up for that.
Nazem Kadri's line was non-existent last night as the much bigger Rangers just banged them around preventing their speed from being a factor. It's also apparent that Carlyle has little confidence in Mike Komisarek and whoever his sixth defenseman happens to be. It will be interesting to see how much longer Dion Phaneuf and Mike Kostka can continue to log big minutes without their play suffering.
While there will be some beating the drum for the Leafs to get Roberto Luongo, the acquisition off the high-priced over thirty goaltender will not solve this team's problems. James Reimer should be the team's number one goalie and the Leafs should go with him and Ben Scrivens the rest of the way. What is of bigger need for this team is getting a big forward or two that have some skill. Of course, that is easier said than done. With plenty of defenseman, maybe Dave Nonis can swing a trade for a big forward who has some offensive ability. If not, the Leafs will have plenty of cap space in the summer and could have a high enough draft pick to select an impact player and isn't that what all the Burke haters wanted all along.
Leafs Fall Again at Home 7-4
In by far their worse performance of the year, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 3-1 first period lead falling to the New York Islanders 7-4. With an opportunity to pick up another two points after knocking off the Penguins on Wednesday night, the Leafs abandoned their recent defensive responsible style of play and gave up five unanswered goals.
The turning point of the game was while the Leafs were shorthanded in the second period. The Leafs actually had the Islanders on their heels coming up with two shorthanded scoring chances. However, the Islanders weathered the storm and two Leafs were caught up ice as Mark Streit put one past Ben Scrivens making the score 3-2. It was all downhill after that as the Islanders took the play to Leafs.
The aggressive forecheck and responsible defensive play that was exhibited the night before in Pittsburgh was completely abandoned. Ben Scrivens did not have a good night. Scrivens made some nice saves early on but seemed to falter like the rest of the team as the game wore on. He was pulled in the third period with the score 5-3. James Reimer played the rest of the way, allowing a Matt Moulson goal with the Islanders seventh goal going into an empty net.
In this 48 game compressed season, the Leafs will have to put this game behind them and get ready for the Rangers, who they play Saturday night. However, I think that Randy Carlyle will remind this team today that they can't be successful if they play like they did against the Islanders. The Leafs must be willing to pay the price every shift in order to have a chance to win. Last night, that didn't happen and I'm sure Carlyle will have something to say about that today at practice.
Leafs Win In Pittsburgh, Lose Lupul
The Toronto Maple Leafs went into Pittsburgh Wednesday night to take on the high-flying Penguins in their home opener in the Steel City and came out with a solid 5-2 win. While there was plenty to be happy about with the victory, the Leafs suffered a big loss when Joffrey Lupul was hit by a Dion Phaneuf slapshot that resulted in a broken forearm for the Leaf winger. It has been reported that Lupul will be out 6 to 8 weeks.
Many were not giving the Leafs much of a chance heading into the game, but they received contributions from a number of players and as a unit appear to be accepting Coach Randy Carlyle's defensive style of play. Carlyle challenged Mikhail Grabovski and James van Riemsdyk to pick up their game and they responded. van Riemsdyk scored twice and Mikhail Grabovski also scored with their linemate Nikolai Kulemin getting three assists. Kulemin may have played his best game in 2 years as he was driving the net consistently and was his usually responsible defensive self. van Riemsdyk's second goal was a bullet that Penguin goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had no chance on.
James Reimer made his return to the Leaf net with a solid performance in his first game since last March. Reimer made saves when he had to and was especially solid during the second period when Malkin and Sidney Crosby were out on the ice together against the Leafs fourth line. Both Malkin and Crosby were stoned by Reimer, as a Penguin goal there may have changed the complexion of the game. While I'm sure he would like another chance at the 2 shots that beat him, Reimer met the expectation that Carlyle has for his 2 young goalies: they don't have to win the game for us, they have to give us a chance to win.
Tyler Bozak may have played his best all around game as a Maple Leaf. He was going into the corner after pucks, winning face-offs, killing penalties and was rewarded with a goal late in the third period which salted the game away. Dion Phaneuf played a solid game, once again logging the most minutes of any Maple Leaf. There seems to be a difference in the Captain's play, as he appears to be more responsible defensively and he was matched up quite a bit against Malkin and Crosby.
Clarke MacArthur replaced Lupul on the Bozak-Phil Kessel line and seemed to fit in. MacArthur's first goal of the season gave the Leafs a 3-2 lead which they never relinquished. While he didn't score, Phil Kessel once again played a solid all-around game. He was robbed by a great glove save by Fleury, as the Leaf right winger continues to be snake bitten. It's only a matter of time before the Leaf sniper finds the back of the net.
The Leaf penalty killing has been solid this year and last night was no different as they killed off 4 out of 5 penalties. Jay McClement has been a big reason along with solid play by Leo Komorov. Tyler Bozak and Nikolai Kulemin have also formed a nice PK unit. It appears that the system employed by Carlyle and his staff is much more aggressive in nature than that used previously by Ron Wilson. The Leafs are pressuring the points and are doing a good job in obstructing passing lanes.
The one area that still needs work is the power play. The Leafs seem to be looking to be too cute in passing the puck around looking for the picture perfect goal. The Leafs speed will continue to provide them with power play opportunities as team's are not able to match it. Carlyle's plea for his team to go to the front of the net must be adhered to on the power play if the Leafs are to capitalize.
With Lupul out for an extended period of time, it will be interesting to see who is called up as his replacement. I would think that Matt Frattin is the likely candidate and it remains to be seen how Carlyle alters his lines. Another thing to watch is whether Cody Franson gets back into the lineup and if Jake Gardiner gets more power play time.
While it has only been three games, it appears that the Leafs have bought into Coach Randy Carlyle's message of being defensively responsible as evidenced by giving up only 5 goals in 3 games. If they can keep this up throughout the 45 games remaining, the Leafs may be able to break their playoff drought.
They are back in action at the ACC tonight to take on the Islanders and John Tavares.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if Jeremy White will be the Grand Marshall for the Sabres Stanley Cup parade, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* Ryan Miller was in the zone last night as Buffalo defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1. The Leafs had plenty of chances but could not capitalize, particularly on the power play where they were 1 for 7.
* Not sure if I have heard a worse broadcast team than the duo of Kevin Sylvester and Rob Ray. How these two picked Patrick Kaleta as the "Miller Time" player of the game is unreal. Kaleta's ill-timed penalty late in the game resulted in the Leafs lone goal and provided for some scary moments for Sabre fans. How Ryan Miller wasn't selected beats the hell out of me.
* One would think that James Reimer will get a start either in Pittsburgh on Wednesday or Thursday at home against the Islanders.
* The Los Angeles Kings are in need of a defenseman. Wonder if Dave Nonis will look to make a deal since the Leafs would seem to have too many defenseman especially with Jake Gardiner due to come back later this week.
* The Super Bowl is set as San Francisco will take on Baltimore. Get ready for the over-hyped angle of the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other. First Super Bowl in a long time that I have no rooting interest.
* Brace up for two more weeks of the inspirational Ray Lewis story. Makes me want to puke!!
* Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam needs to tell his right hand man, Joe Banner, to concentrate on the upcoming draft and keep his mouth shut. Banner went back and forth with Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and then tried to explain away his failure to bring Chip Kelly to Cleveland as head coach.
* As has been reported since November, Banner has hired Mike Lombardi to be the Browns Director of Player Personnel. I'm getting a bad feeling already of what lies ahead for the Browns. Prediction: Banner, Lombardi and Chudzinski will all be fired in 3 years. Hope I'm wrong.
* When will everyone realize that the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers are flawed teams. Both defenses are not championship material.
* Does anyone really care that the Pro Bowl will be played Sunday??
* Looks like this year's March Madness will be wide open as none of the top teams look dominant. Wouldn't it be something if a Butler won it all??
* Weren't Yankee fans being told during the Winter Meetings that Brian Cashman does his best work in January?? Well, it's January 22 and the Yanks right-handed hitting outfielder appears to be the 34 year old Matt Diaz or the 26 year old Russ Canzler. Diaz hit .222 last year for the Braves with 2 home runs in 51 games. His best season was in 2009 when he hit .313 in 125 games with 13 HRs and 58 RBIs. Canzler was claimed on waivers three times this winter. And don't forget they have Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate. Boy, sure seems like the makings of a great summer!!
* R.I.P. Stan Musial and Earl Weaver.
* And finally, when will the Gasbags on GR550 begin the call for Jonas Enroth??
Leafs Win Opener 2-1 Over Habs
The Toronto Maple Leafs survived the spectacular pre-game ceremonies by Montreal and defeated the Canadiens 2-1 at the Bell Centre. Two power play goals, one by Nazem Kadri and the other by Tyler Bozak, were all that the Leafs needed as their special teams played reasonably well. The Leafs were 2 for 5 on the power play and more importantly killed off 4 out of 5 penalties.
Ben Scrivens notched his first win of the season in a Leaf uniform. It was the right decision by Randy Carlyle to start Scrivens in that the Cornell grad had been playing with the Marlies since October. Scrivens did enough to win the game but at times looked shaky and had some hair-raising moments in and around his net. It will be interesting to see if Carlyle comes back with Scrivens on Monday night against the Sabres or if he gives James Reimer the start.
Other observations: I thought the Komorov-Kadri-van Riemsdyk line was the best one in 5 on 5 situations. They had a lot of jam and seemed to give the Canadiens a rough time in their own zone. Mike Kostka was very good last night. If he continues playing this way, the Leafs are going to have a tough decision to make once Jake Gardiner comes back. Jay McClement looked very good on the PK. I could see why the Leafs picked him up in the off season. I thought that the PK as a whole was much more aggressive than in the past. Thought I'd see more from the Grabovski line in that all of them played in Europe during the lockout, though that line was on the ice in closing moments of the game.
In a 48 game schedule, every game is important so the victory on the road against a team who you may be battling for a playoff spot with was huge. I really am tired of all of the Negative Nellies out there who can find a dark lining in a white cloud. Had to hear on the radio, television or read on twitter that it was just the Canadiens that the Leafs beat. That Dion Phaneuf was awful, that van Riemsdyk is slow, that Kulemin is no good and the Leafs better get Luongo. I guess I would say to all of the haters, get over it the Leafs won the game. Phaneuf logged the most minutes of any player and I thought he was steady throughout. van Riemsdyk was doing what he was brought here to do, he was going to the net and he was a threat. He also seemed to have good chemistry with Kadri. Kulemin was solid defensively but didn't see much from the entire line. As far as Luongo goes, unless Vancouver GM Mike Gillis gets real and stops demanding a huge ransom, the Leafs are better off going with the 2 young goalies.
There is nothing better than a win on Saturday night, especially against the Canadiens. Monday will be a good test against a team who has historically given the Leafs trouble but for today I'm going to celebrate the opening day win regardless of what the haters have to say. Go Leafs Go!!
My Expectation For 2013 Maple Leafs
It's been a long wait, but tonight the NHL season begins for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they face-off against their long time rivals the Montreal Canadiens. In light of the trading of Matthew Lombardi, the waiving and subsequent demotion of Tim Connolly and no trade for a veteran goalie (Roberto Luongo), it appears that the Leafs are content to go with more youth. And I'm in total agreement with this path.
Several months ago, I believed that the Leafs should get Luongo. The pressure was on to make the playoffs at all costs. After all, plenty in the media were saying that in order for Brian Burke to keep his job the playoff drought needed to end. But with Burke gone and Dave Nonis being given the reins long term, it makes more sense not to mortgage the future to get Luongo since the Canucks are still wanting a huge ransom for him. With a promising crop of prospects available in this year's draft, coupled with the young corp that they already have and plenty of cap space available heading into next season, it makes sense for the Leafs to go with youth.
If the Leafs make the playoffs this year, I will be as excited as the next member of Leaf Nation. But more than a low seed playoff spot, I want to see Jake Gardiner back and continue to progress. I want to see the line of Leo Komorov-Nazem Kadri-James Van Reiemsdyk develop into an aggressive hard charging third line that makes it tough to play against the Leafs while also providing some scoring punch. I want to see Tyler Bozak take his game to another level. I want to see Phil Kessel continue on an upward trend. I want to see Dion Phaneuf grow more into the captain's role and be a leader on the ice. I want to see the Leaf special teams improve to the point where they are a strength. I want to see the young goalies, James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, develop into a good NHL goalie tandem. I particularly want to see James Reimer bounce back. And I want to see Nikolai Kulemin revert back to his 2010-11 form.
To me, making the playoffs would be a side benefit for the Leafs. What is more important is seeing progress from the young players that the Leafs currently have. If they don't succeed, the Leafs will be in a position to select a franchise-type prospect. More than anything else, there is reason to be hopeful that this franchise is turning the corner. I've believed that for the last 2 years based on the young talent that has been brought in. Now is the time to let the kids play and let the chips fall where they may. Can't wait for it all to start tonight. And there would be nothing better than a win over Montreal on a Saturday night. Go Leafs Go!!!!
Leafs Making The Right Moves
The opening of the NHL season is a little over 24 hours away and the direction of the Toronto Maple Leafs under new GM Dave Nonis seems to be directed toward youth and for me it's the right move. On Wednesday evening, the Leafs moved Matthew Lombardi to Phoenix for a 2014 fourth round draft pick which could turn into a third round pick if Lombardi re-signs with the Coyotes at the end of this season.
To further clear up space for young players, the Leafs yesterday put Tim Connolly on waivers. Connolly was one of the worst free agent signings by Brian Burke. The oft-injured center hardly made an impact last year playing like a third or fourth line center as opposed to being the guy to center Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. On Wednesday, Coach Randy Carlyle indicated that he was not happy with Connolly's effort in practice. It's highly unlikely that anyone will claim Connolly with his $4.75 million salary cap hit which could mean that he will find himself playing with the Marlies.
These moves would indicate that Nonis is ready to give more younger players a chance to excel in the NHL. It would appear that Nazem Kadri would be a lock to start with the Leafs. It was reported in the Toronto Star that Kadri was paired with newly acquired James Van Riemsdyk and Leo Komorov. Komorov is the type of player that the Leafs have been looking for as he is a banger who will go into the corners and be a real pest to an opponent. The Leafs haven't had that since Darcy Tucker. Van Riemsdyk is a big body who likes to go to the net and has a good scoring touch. Take these two and add them with the offensive skills of Kadri and the Leafs could have a very talented high energy third line. The other factor to consider: this line is young. Komorov is the oldest at 25, while Van Riemsdyk is 23 and Kadri is 22.
Who is kept on the defense corp is also going to be interesting. It appears that Jake Gardiner is close to coming back from his concussion. Obviously, Dion Phaneuf, John-Michael Liles and Carl Gunnarsson will anchor the blue line along with Gardiner. It would seem that Cody Franson will also be a part of the team's defense corp. The competition will be for the sixth and seventh spots. Based on reports, Marlies Mark Fraser and Mike Kostka have outperformed veteran Mike Komisarek. Would the Leafs send Komisarek down to the Marlies?? What is also interesting is whether or not Korbian Holzer has a shot of making the big team.
The Leafs must get their roster down to 23 by 3pm today and it will be interesting to see who makes the trip to Montreal. Tomorrow, I will share what my expectations are for the upcoming 48 game schedule and the goaltending situation. Go Leafs Go!!!
My Take On The Manti Te’O Story
Late yesterday afternoon, a story broke from Deadspin indicating that the death of Manti Te'o's girl friend was a hoax. Deadspin reported that the girl never existed and that a source was 80% sure that Te'o was involved in perpetrating the fake story. The once most celebrated defensive college player was now being viewed as a self-promoting disgrace. Along with Te'o's reputation taking a hit, Notre Dame was getting slammed as it was being speculated as to whether or not the university was involved in the trumped up story or a cover-up.
The university held a press conference last night where Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick stated that Te'o informed the university on December 26th about a phone call that he received early in the month where he was told that the whole thing was a joke. Subsequently, Notre Dame hired private investigators to look into the situation and it was determined that Te'o was duped. Swarbrick also indicated that he believed that Te'o and his family will address the media possibly today or Friday.
To further complicate this story, a report from the Business Insider indicates that Reagan Maui'a knew Teo's girl friend and in fact she did exist. Maui'a is a fullback for the Arizona Cardinals and he indicated that he met the girl while doing charity work in American Samoa and that allegedly Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive back Troy Polamalu was also there.
As this story was being continually reported, as if it was a national emergency, the overriding question in my mind is if Te'o was involved in the hoax what did he have to gain?? The easy answer, as was being spewed by many in the media, was that it was a way to garner publicity which would advance the senior linebacker's chances for the Heisman Trophy, other awards and possible endorsements. I don't buy it.
Manti Te'o was the middle linebacker for the University of Notre Dame. He made a conscious decision to return for his senior year because he loved Notre Dame and wanted to be a part of bringing the football program back to national prominence. It has been verified that his grandmother did die before the Michigan game. Te'o was close to his grandmother and was deeply effected by her death. If the notion that he played despite personal grief was part of the so-called story, then was it really necessary on his part to supersize the grief by adding on a dead girl friend?? Te'o didn't need to create this story in order to get publicity.
Now many have said that Te'o must be pretty naive to fall for such a hoax but could he also be that naive to believe that if he was involved in the hoax that it wouldn't eventually come out?? Would he also be that naive to believe that if it did come out that his reputation would not take a major hit and possibly effect his status in the upcoming NFL Draft?? There is nothing that makes sense to me as to why Te'o would be a part of the commission of this joke. Moreover, the implication that the University of Notre Dame was somehow involved in this is completely ridiculous.
As the evening wore on and everyone was having their say on Twitter, talk radio and the television, it struck me that there are two reasons why this was such a big story: 1.) Te'o was the middle linebacker of Notre Dame and 2.) the media was duped. If Manti Te'o played for New Mexico State or Missouri, this would be a blip on the sports radar screen and certainly would not have made Anderson Cooper. In case you don't know it, there are many in the media who have an anti-Notre Dame bias. The haters are thriving on this and no matter what Te'o or Notre Dame says it will not be enough.
If Te'o was naive to fall for this, so was the media and I'm not just talking about the South Bend Tribune. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC and the New York Times all bought into it. Now doesn't this make all of these bastions of media intelligensia look foolish that they got punked or I guess the new term is catfished?? And you see the only thing worse than a woman scorned is that of a media type who has been made to be a fool.
In the end, whether Te'o was duped or not really makes no difference to me. The only person who gets hurt here is Manti Te'o. If he was involved in the hoax, then he has some serious character flaws that could impact his draft status. If he was duped, then he is viewed as a naive dope who will be the butt of jokes throughout his career. As a Notre Dame fan, I felt bad for his personal loss, but his performance on the field throughout the season is what I was interested in. But you can chalk this up to another a media generated news item that will be beaten to death until the NFL Draft and the ND haters will have a field day.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if Phil Simms has ever admitted that he is wrong, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* There were some very good NFL games over the weekend, much better than the wild card games. You just have to love the play of Russell Wilson. This kid is exciting to watch. A third round draft pick out of Wisconsin who is undersized according to all of the draft gurus. That's why you have to wonder how much is luck involved when drafting a quarterback.
* Too bad Wilson has Pete Carroll for a head coach. What was Carroll thinking with a 3rd and 1 in the red zone and you leave Marshawn Lynch on the bench?? To make matters worse, down 13-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter, Carroll decides to go for it on fourth down and runs the same play and is stopped!! If he gets the field goal, the Seahawks are up 31-27 at the end of the game and Atlanta must score a touchdown. Instead they get a field goal to win the game. A field goal after Matt Bryant missed his first try but the play was dead because Carroll was cute and called time out. Nice job, Pete. You cost your team the game twice.
* It was so evident that Matt Ryan and Mike Smith were shaking big time. Smith's reactions on the sidelines were that of a panicked head coach. What I could not understand was why he decided to go with gimmick end arounds and flanker screens when Michael Turner was having a decent day. While you need to be aggressive in these playoff games, you don't need to be stupid.
* Heard an interesting stat on Peyton Manning yesterday: he is 0-4 in cold weather playoff games.
* I have to grudgingly give credit to Joe Flacco on his performance against the Broncos but what was Rahim Moore thinking.
* Isn't it funny how members of the sports media are railing away at Lance Armstrong, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for using illegal substances yet they idolize Ray Lewis even though he was involved in a double homicide, took a plea and paid a cash settlement to the victims' families?
* Kudos for the USA Today for having a story in their weekend edition on how the families of the two victims feel when they here all of the praise given to Lewis.
* I wonder if Hal Steinbrenner has any clue as to the strength of his team's farm system?? In an interview last week, Hal said that the system's young talent will have to step up to ensure that the team will remain at the top while getting the payroll to $189 million. He further went on to say that the team will continue to vie for a championship. Really Hal??? And I fell off a turnip truck.
* Maybe Hal needs to read Bill Madden's column that was in Saturday's NY Daily News (below). It's the first time I've seen someone in print question the Yankees player development program.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/columnists?columnist=2.1058
* Is Andy Pettitte kidding me or what? The 40 year old lefty pitcher is playing for Team USA in the ridiculous World Baseball Classic. While I understand the desire to represent your country, Pettitte is 40 years old and any type of injury will throw the Yankee rotation in a downward spiral. The rotation needs to be relatively healthy all year in order for the Yanks to have a shot at making the playoffs, let alone winning the AL East.
* Just loved Brian Burke's press conference on Saturday. Burke was as forth right as always and didn't back down from anything. I agree with him that if James Reimer had not been injured with a concussion in October 2011, last season would have turned out differently. Loved when he told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, " Steve, the best thing about today is that I won't have to speak to you anymore." Classic Burke.
* While the media continues to speculate what the reasons were for Burke's dismissal, my question is: why don't they get someone from Bell and/or Rogers to answer that question?? Probably the reason for that is that Bell and Rogers employ most of the media.
* Dave Nonis is in a no-win situation when it comes to trading for Roberto Luongo. Some will say he gave up to much and others will say he threw away the season. The best case scenario is that Reimer bounces back from the concussion and plays like he did in 2010-11 and in the four games prior to the concussion.
* David Stern should have his head examined for scheduling a game in London, England. He obviously took a page from Emperor Bettman and Roger Goodell. All three of them are morons.
* Can't wait to see Iman Shumpert back in the lineup for the Knicks.
* Niagara University's hockey team has climbed to 15th in the national rankings. Wonder if the gasbags at GR550 will notice.
* King Gasbag Howard Simon was admonishing fans for complaining about the hiring of Doug Marrone. The funny thing is that he and the rest of the gasbags at GR550 will be the first ones to jump on the new coach's back when the team loses its first game.
* And finally, best of luck to ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott in his battle with cancer.
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