Fantasy Baseball Awards Time!!! (Three exclamation marks because I'm that excited this thing is almost done and we can get back to football....you know, what really matters).
MVP-
Josh Hamilton
.362 BA 26HR 81R 80RBI 8 SB
Considering where he was drafted, he has to be the MVP and is definitely a league winner if you had him.
Honorable mention:
Miguel Cabrera
.340 28HR 96RBI
No offense to Albert Pujols, but Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball. To put up these numbers, especially the homers, in Detroit....filthy. Only knock is his draft position, and the fact that there are a lot of good 1B's in the game.
Cy Young-
Adam Wainwright
17-6 1.99ERA 158K 5CG
Want some weird stats? Wainwright is 11-0 at home and 6-6 on the road this year. Wainwright is 36-5 against the NL Central the last two seasons. Wainwright eats 27 green M&Ms with his left hand before every start. OK, two of those are true.
Honorable mention:
Doc Halladay
15-8 2.24ERA 175K 8CG
Dominance, thy name is Doc. If the Phillies had hit at all for two months, he'd have at least 18 wins. A guy this good coming to the NL is a joke. He'll win 24 next year.
Breakout Offensive Player:
Carlos Gonzalez
.321BA 25HR 79RBI 19SB
Those are first round numbers and he was taken far later in most drafts. He'll be next year's Matt Kemp, hopefully with better numbers in '11.
Honorable Mention:
Delmon Young
.316BA 14HR 84RBI
Nice to see Delmon commit himself to the game. Also nice to see a trade pay dividends for both teams, as Matt Garza has been huge for the Rays.
Breakout Pitcher:
David Price
15-5 2.85ERA 141K
There are guys with better peripherals, but for this guy to put up these numbers in that division for a team neck and neck with the Yankees makes him the clear winner.
Honorable Mention:
Matt Latos
12-5 2.32ERA 134K
Another young guy leading his team in the midst of a tight division race. No one thought the Padres would score enough runs to be this good, but the pitching has been even better than expected. Latos has the best stuff on a terrific staff.
(There are really a ton of good, young pitchers in the bigs now. It's an exciting time to be a fan, especially for some historically bad teams that have up and coming arms.)
Rookie of the Year:
Neftali Feliz
29 Saves 3.48ERA
Technically I'm pretty sure he still qualifies. Feliz took over the closer's role in April and hasn't looked back. He's a big reason the Rangers have run away and hidden in that division.
HM:
Jaime Garcia, Austin Jackson, Steven Strasburg, Jose Tabata, Mike Leake, Travis Wood....enough already.
Most disappointing:
Matt Kemp
2009 .297BA 26HR 101RBI 34SB
2010 .259BA 19HR 67RBI 16SB
I'm throwing out the Grady Sizemore's and Jacoby Ellsbury's who got hurt on this one. Kemp was drafted as a first rounder in most leagues and those numbers aren't first round caliber. This season's OBP of .315 is dreadful, and Kemp's strikeout numbers are sky high. He could be an interesting guy to look for in next year's pre-draft rankings, as he will certainly fall out of the first three rounds.
HM:
Chase Utley
Like how inconsistent my logic is. Utley was hurt too, I know, but his season certainly hasn't produced 1st round returns even when he wasn't.
Worst Injury:
Kendry Morales
KRod is an idiot, but even a torn thumb face punch of your soon to be father in law can't overcome the homerun celebration to literally end all homerun celebrations. Morales was on pace for close to a .300 average, 30+ homers and roughly 120 RBI. His injury killed the Halos. Clearly the winner, or loser, depending on how you look at it.
That's it folks. Ok, I'll have next year's watch list next week....and then we're really done. Football, here we come.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
What to watch for tonight in Canton
A lot will be made of the Ocho-TO show, and all the ex-Cowboys currently on the Bengal roster. Much attention will be paid to the play of the starters on both squads, but that's not really what I'm most interested in tonight.
While I will be watching how the offensive line does against two premier D-linemen in Jay Ratliff and Demarcus Ware, and how well the Bengal Defense does against one of the better offenses in the league, I'm going to constantly remind myself that no one shows anything in preseason. The offenses are vanilla, and so are the coverages and pressures, especially this early on. Take the results with a grain of salt.
Where the preseason IS meaningful is in how the roster shapes up, especially for special teams. The most intriguing position battles for me are in the secondary. Typically a team takes 10 secondary players, some combination of 5 to 6 corners and 4 to 5 safeties, for the 53 man roster. There are many more than 10 good secondary players fighting for a spot on this year's Bengals team.
At corner, JJoe and Leon Hall are obvious. Adam "Don't call me Pacman" Jones has looked good so far and is likely to make the team. Brandon Ghee has flashed athleticism, and should make the team for planting Dez Briscoe in the Oklahoma drill if for nothing else (kidding). David Jones and Morgan Trent have logged significant time in this defense, Jones primarily as a backup outside and Trent as a nickel. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, you'd just take these six guys and roll with four safeties, but with the injury issues and special teams skills of the safeties, I don't think it's that easy a decision.
Last year the Bengals kept 5 safeties on the 53 man roster, and I think the decision this year will come down to who contributes the most on special teams. Starters Chris Crocker and Roy Williams are in. Chinny Ndukwe and Gibril Wilson should both make it given the injury issues of both starters and their veteran status. Kyries Hebert is a special teams ace, the team's best, and should make the team. See the issue?
Crocker can play corner in a pinch, but was pretty awful at nickel corner last year. I don't know enough about Wilson to say whether he can cover enough to do the same. Also on the roster are two "tweaners" in Tom Nelson and Rico Murray. The coaches seem high on both guys, and the versatility and special teams abilities are nice, but making the 53 would be surprising.
I really don't have a good feel for which way this will go, but my gut says five corners and five safeties. That would probably mean a decision to take two of Pacman, David Jones, and Trent. That decision could very well come down to who gives them the most on teams. As I stated in a previous post, this position is also tied to the Wide Receiver decision. And more specifically, who will be the primary punt returner for this team.
If Pacman or Jordan Shipley (or someone else) can establish himself in the return game, you'd no longer have to keep Quan Cosby for just that role. So, the moral of the story is to keep an eye on special teams during the preseason as it is the most telling aspect of these early games.
If any of these guys don't make the team, it'll be interesting to see if they are claimed on waivers prior to being put on the practice squad. There area some talented guys here that will getting cut, which is another sign of how talented this team is.
Two things are certain about tonight. Football is back, and tomorrow, fans everywhere will be totally overreacting to the outcome of the first quarter. (Keep repeating the mantra "it's only preseason, it's only preseason, it's....).
Who Dey!!!!
While I will be watching how the offensive line does against two premier D-linemen in Jay Ratliff and Demarcus Ware, and how well the Bengal Defense does against one of the better offenses in the league, I'm going to constantly remind myself that no one shows anything in preseason. The offenses are vanilla, and so are the coverages and pressures, especially this early on. Take the results with a grain of salt.
Where the preseason IS meaningful is in how the roster shapes up, especially for special teams. The most intriguing position battles for me are in the secondary. Typically a team takes 10 secondary players, some combination of 5 to 6 corners and 4 to 5 safeties, for the 53 man roster. There are many more than 10 good secondary players fighting for a spot on this year's Bengals team.
At corner, JJoe and Leon Hall are obvious. Adam "Don't call me Pacman" Jones has looked good so far and is likely to make the team. Brandon Ghee has flashed athleticism, and should make the team for planting Dez Briscoe in the Oklahoma drill if for nothing else (kidding). David Jones and Morgan Trent have logged significant time in this defense, Jones primarily as a backup outside and Trent as a nickel. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, you'd just take these six guys and roll with four safeties, but with the injury issues and special teams skills of the safeties, I don't think it's that easy a decision.
Last year the Bengals kept 5 safeties on the 53 man roster, and I think the decision this year will come down to who contributes the most on special teams. Starters Chris Crocker and Roy Williams are in. Chinny Ndukwe and Gibril Wilson should both make it given the injury issues of both starters and their veteran status. Kyries Hebert is a special teams ace, the team's best, and should make the team. See the issue?
Crocker can play corner in a pinch, but was pretty awful at nickel corner last year. I don't know enough about Wilson to say whether he can cover enough to do the same. Also on the roster are two "tweaners" in Tom Nelson and Rico Murray. The coaches seem high on both guys, and the versatility and special teams abilities are nice, but making the 53 would be surprising.
I really don't have a good feel for which way this will go, but my gut says five corners and five safeties. That would probably mean a decision to take two of Pacman, David Jones, and Trent. That decision could very well come down to who gives them the most on teams. As I stated in a previous post, this position is also tied to the Wide Receiver decision. And more specifically, who will be the primary punt returner for this team.
If Pacman or Jordan Shipley (or someone else) can establish himself in the return game, you'd no longer have to keep Quan Cosby for just that role. So, the moral of the story is to keep an eye on special teams during the preseason as it is the most telling aspect of these early games.
If any of these guys don't make the team, it'll be interesting to see if they are claimed on waivers prior to being put on the practice squad. There area some talented guys here that will getting cut, which is another sign of how talented this team is.
Two things are certain about tonight. Football is back, and tomorrow, fans everywhere will be totally overreacting to the outcome of the first quarter. (Keep repeating the mantra "it's only preseason, it's only preseason, it's....).
Who Dey!!!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Terrelle Pryor....boom or bust?
The ultimate success of the 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes, delivering on the promise of a pre-season #2 ranking, fittingly have been laid at the feet of #2. While Terrelle Pryor's athletic talent is undeniable, there are more questions about his leadership abilities and quarterback skills than answers. How good is he? How good can he be? Is he capable of the decision making and is he capable of making the throws necessary to win a national title? I'll admit that I don't know, but I do have some thoughts.
Firstly, I'm a homer. I admit it. I'd be more likely to say negative things if he were a Wolverine instead of a beloved Buckeye. Sue me. No, please don't. Secondly, I'm a homer. Okay, let's move on. I think Terrelle Pryor will be better this season than he was last season, both as a runner and a passer. One thing really bothers me about saying that though, is that you have to acknowledge that he got better LAST year.
I love stats, and I'd love to point directly at the stats and say the Pryor was markedly better every week after the Purdue game. I can't, because the stats don't say that. He had huge games against Penn State and Oregon after the Purdue game, but he also had very marginal games including pedestrian numbers against Michigan. Still, my overall impression of Pryor last season was that he played better after that disappointing loss at Purdue.
The coaches seemed to trust him more and more each week. Starting with more controlled passing to get him into a rhythm and finally allowing him to start airing it out more consistently. While his completion percentages weren't great in all those games, he never again had more interceptions than touchdowns as he did in the two previous loses. (Of course he'd played horribly against USC in the second game of the season).
Detractors might say that he had poor numbers against Iowa and at Michigan, and too much will be made of his huge game against Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Fair points to which I would say that Jim Tressel, in typical fashion, played it close to the vest against an Iowa team starting a young backup quarterback and against a Michigan team they would've rolled with Joe Bauserman at QB. That doesn't make up for a 9-17 performance, but it's also not fair to suggest he isn't capable of repeating the 22-37 game he'd have a few weeks later in Pasadena.
I think it's rather funny that people always want to criticize his mechanics when stating that Pryor will never be a good passer. Vince Young has ugly form. Phillip Rivers has less than ideal mechanics. Bernie Kosar had an ugly motion. They were all effective. Pryor will never have great form, but does the ball come out well? The ball looks like it has a pretty nice spiral on it on both intermediate and deep balls to me. They're not always accurate, and they don't always come out on time, but they aren't wounded ducks either.
People criticize his decision making, and here I'm much more inclined to agree. Pryor has not consistently demonstrated good decision making or anticipation in the passing game. Even in the Oregon game, his best as a collegiate, Pryor struggled to read progressions when his initial target was covered. He is, or at least was, still a read and run quarterback. But he didn't always run, and that lead to negative plays. He also made some poor decisions to take sacks instead of giving up on plays. He'll have to learn that you can't always make something out of nothing.
Pryor also had a tendency towards making big mistakes in bad situations. There are times when you can force throws and times when you just can't. Deep in your own territory or in the red zone, you can't turn it over. You can't take away points and you can't, can't, can't give the other team points. He will have to be smarter and more instinctive, and I think he will.
This is Pryor's team, and this is arguably the best supporting cast he's had. Granted, there is no Beanie Wells on this team, but outside of a clear cut workhorse back, this team is more skilled than even the 2008 team that narrowly lost to Texas. Devier Posey has the potential to be an elite #1 receiver. 70 catches and 1000 yards is not unreasonable. Dan Sanzenbacher should provide a solid #2 target, though his 18.7 yards per catch will hard to duplicate. Jake Stoneburner should provide more of a pass catching threat from the Tight End position than anyone in the Tressel era. Brandon Saine, especially, provides a dynamic weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, so the weapons are there.
The play of the offensive line will be key, especially the Left Tackle position, and was a major culprit for some of Pryor's poor play last year. I can't remember how many different starting lineups they had last year, but you have to envision more stability this season. However the names shake out, the play should be better. The running game will feature more and better options than Boom Herron as well, which will only help the passing game.
So where am I going with this? Well, it wouldn't be any fun unless we did some projections for Mr. Pryor, right? To do this, I thought we'd look at a reasonably comparable player: Vince Young. Okay, I'm not saying that Terrelle Pryor will end up in the same conversation as one of arguably the greatest college players ever, only that Young is often mentioned when discussing the growth of Pryor.
When you look at the numbers in the context of progression from year to year, there are some interesting correlations. Not necessarily comparing the numbers themselves too closely per se, but looking at the season to season improvements. Young was clearly a better runner statistically, but to this point in his career, Pryor is the better passer. Scary, I know.
Young split time at quarterback as a redshirt freshman in 2003, and started outright in 2004 and 2005, after which he turned pro. Pryor, of course, split time as a true freshman in 2008 and took over as starter last season. So for this exercise we'll compare this pairs first two seasons and look at Young's third for a preview of Pryor's.
Young 2003
84 completions/143 attempts 1,155 yards 6 TD 7 Int 135 Rushes 998 Yds 11 TD
Chance Mock had more completions and attempts, and Cedric Benson led the team in rushing.
Young 2004
148 comp/250 att 1,849 yards 12 TD 11 Int 167 Rushes 1079 Yds 14 TD
Cedric Benson led the team in rushing
Young 2005
212 comp/325 att 3,036 yards 26 TD 10 Int 155 Rushes 1050 Yds 12 TD
Young led the team in rushing, the only rusher over 1,000 yards (Jamaal Charles had 878)
Progression analysis:
Young steadily increased the number of attempts, completions and touchdowns in his three seasons, while his rushing attempts and touchdowns actually went down his third year, indicating his growing confidence in his passing ability. His rushing remained effective at nearly 7 yards per carry through his career, with nearly 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns each season. The huge jump statistically came in the passing touchdowns (26) with fewer interceptions in 75 more attempts as a passer in his third year. His total of 38 touchdowns in extremely impressive, though not totally surprising given the loss of Cedric Benson to the NFL. Young was also surrounded by NFL talent at both the Wide Receiver and Tight End positions throughout his career.
Pryor 2008
100 completions/165 attempts 1,311 yards 12 TD 4 Int 139 Rushes 631 Yds 6 TD
Pryor had more completions than Todd Boeckman had attempts. Wells led the team in rushing.
Pryor 2009
167 comp/295 attempts 2,094 yards 18 TD 11 Int 162 Rushes 779 Yds 7 TD
Pryor led team in rushing, no one close to 1,000 yards.
Progression analysis:
Pryor, like Young, split time as a first year player, though he was a true freshman not having the benefit of a redshirt year to learn the offense. While he isn't, and probably will never be the runner Young was, the 12 TD to 4 Int ratio is impressive over more attempts and completions than Young's first year. While Young increased his attempts by 105 between years one and two, Pryor threw it 130 more times (and that doesn't include the 37 attempt Rose Bowl). Pryor too, lost a premier running back to the NFL though it didn't happen to Young until year three. Pryor also had an extremely young receiving corp, which helped contribute to a drop in completion percentage and an increase in interceptions. Pryor was actually a more effective runner in year two, averaging more yards per carry and an additional score.
So what does 2010 potentially look like? Well, one key stat is going to be yards per attempt. For Young, he went from 8.1 in 2003 to 7.3 in 2004 to 9.3 in 2005. That was the key to the almost 1,200 yard increase in passing yards. Pryor averaged 7.95 in 2008 and 7.1 in 2009. If he too, can get a roughly 2 yard per attempt jump, you're looking at roughly 3,000 yards if he attempts just 30 more passes than last season. Here's what I'd predict if that's the case:
195 completions/325 attempts 2,958 yards 24 TD 12 Int 150 Rushes 750 yards 8 TD
(The 325 attempts comes out to roughly 27 per game. Tressel has said publicly he expects Pryor to throw it 25-30 times a game this season).
Over the entire season, I don't think these projections are out of line. I am calling for that elusive increase in yards per pass AND a corresponding increase in productivity and turnover prevention. I think he can do it in his third year in the system, with a stronger and more mature supporting cast. If he can make these improvements, you're talking about 32 total touchdowns.
Is Terrelle Pryor going to be a sharp passer every game? No. Is he going to have some monster games? You better believe it. Hopefully the offense is balanced enough that he doesn't have to be great every game to win. He just can't be awful, especially against good opponents.
Firstly, I'm a homer. I admit it. I'd be more likely to say negative things if he were a Wolverine instead of a beloved Buckeye. Sue me. No, please don't. Secondly, I'm a homer. Okay, let's move on. I think Terrelle Pryor will be better this season than he was last season, both as a runner and a passer. One thing really bothers me about saying that though, is that you have to acknowledge that he got better LAST year.
I love stats, and I'd love to point directly at the stats and say the Pryor was markedly better every week after the Purdue game. I can't, because the stats don't say that. He had huge games against Penn State and Oregon after the Purdue game, but he also had very marginal games including pedestrian numbers against Michigan. Still, my overall impression of Pryor last season was that he played better after that disappointing loss at Purdue.
The coaches seemed to trust him more and more each week. Starting with more controlled passing to get him into a rhythm and finally allowing him to start airing it out more consistently. While his completion percentages weren't great in all those games, he never again had more interceptions than touchdowns as he did in the two previous loses. (Of course he'd played horribly against USC in the second game of the season).
Detractors might say that he had poor numbers against Iowa and at Michigan, and too much will be made of his huge game against Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Fair points to which I would say that Jim Tressel, in typical fashion, played it close to the vest against an Iowa team starting a young backup quarterback and against a Michigan team they would've rolled with Joe Bauserman at QB. That doesn't make up for a 9-17 performance, but it's also not fair to suggest he isn't capable of repeating the 22-37 game he'd have a few weeks later in Pasadena.
I think it's rather funny that people always want to criticize his mechanics when stating that Pryor will never be a good passer. Vince Young has ugly form. Phillip Rivers has less than ideal mechanics. Bernie Kosar had an ugly motion. They were all effective. Pryor will never have great form, but does the ball come out well? The ball looks like it has a pretty nice spiral on it on both intermediate and deep balls to me. They're not always accurate, and they don't always come out on time, but they aren't wounded ducks either.
People criticize his decision making, and here I'm much more inclined to agree. Pryor has not consistently demonstrated good decision making or anticipation in the passing game. Even in the Oregon game, his best as a collegiate, Pryor struggled to read progressions when his initial target was covered. He is, or at least was, still a read and run quarterback. But he didn't always run, and that lead to negative plays. He also made some poor decisions to take sacks instead of giving up on plays. He'll have to learn that you can't always make something out of nothing.
Pryor also had a tendency towards making big mistakes in bad situations. There are times when you can force throws and times when you just can't. Deep in your own territory or in the red zone, you can't turn it over. You can't take away points and you can't, can't, can't give the other team points. He will have to be smarter and more instinctive, and I think he will.
This is Pryor's team, and this is arguably the best supporting cast he's had. Granted, there is no Beanie Wells on this team, but outside of a clear cut workhorse back, this team is more skilled than even the 2008 team that narrowly lost to Texas. Devier Posey has the potential to be an elite #1 receiver. 70 catches and 1000 yards is not unreasonable. Dan Sanzenbacher should provide a solid #2 target, though his 18.7 yards per catch will hard to duplicate. Jake Stoneburner should provide more of a pass catching threat from the Tight End position than anyone in the Tressel era. Brandon Saine, especially, provides a dynamic weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, so the weapons are there.
The play of the offensive line will be key, especially the Left Tackle position, and was a major culprit for some of Pryor's poor play last year. I can't remember how many different starting lineups they had last year, but you have to envision more stability this season. However the names shake out, the play should be better. The running game will feature more and better options than Boom Herron as well, which will only help the passing game.
So where am I going with this? Well, it wouldn't be any fun unless we did some projections for Mr. Pryor, right? To do this, I thought we'd look at a reasonably comparable player: Vince Young. Okay, I'm not saying that Terrelle Pryor will end up in the same conversation as one of arguably the greatest college players ever, only that Young is often mentioned when discussing the growth of Pryor.
When you look at the numbers in the context of progression from year to year, there are some interesting correlations. Not necessarily comparing the numbers themselves too closely per se, but looking at the season to season improvements. Young was clearly a better runner statistically, but to this point in his career, Pryor is the better passer. Scary, I know.
Young split time at quarterback as a redshirt freshman in 2003, and started outright in 2004 and 2005, after which he turned pro. Pryor, of course, split time as a true freshman in 2008 and took over as starter last season. So for this exercise we'll compare this pairs first two seasons and look at Young's third for a preview of Pryor's.
Young 2003
84 completions/143 attempts 1,155 yards 6 TD 7 Int 135 Rushes 998 Yds 11 TD
Chance Mock had more completions and attempts, and Cedric Benson led the team in rushing.
Young 2004
148 comp/250 att 1,849 yards 12 TD 11 Int 167 Rushes 1079 Yds 14 TD
Cedric Benson led the team in rushing
Young 2005
212 comp/325 att 3,036 yards 26 TD 10 Int 155 Rushes 1050 Yds 12 TD
Young led the team in rushing, the only rusher over 1,000 yards (Jamaal Charles had 878)
Progression analysis:
Young steadily increased the number of attempts, completions and touchdowns in his three seasons, while his rushing attempts and touchdowns actually went down his third year, indicating his growing confidence in his passing ability. His rushing remained effective at nearly 7 yards per carry through his career, with nearly 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns each season. The huge jump statistically came in the passing touchdowns (26) with fewer interceptions in 75 more attempts as a passer in his third year. His total of 38 touchdowns in extremely impressive, though not totally surprising given the loss of Cedric Benson to the NFL. Young was also surrounded by NFL talent at both the Wide Receiver and Tight End positions throughout his career.
Pryor 2008
100 completions/165 attempts 1,311 yards 12 TD 4 Int 139 Rushes 631 Yds 6 TD
Pryor had more completions than Todd Boeckman had attempts. Wells led the team in rushing.
Pryor 2009
167 comp/295 attempts 2,094 yards 18 TD 11 Int 162 Rushes 779 Yds 7 TD
Pryor led team in rushing, no one close to 1,000 yards.
Progression analysis:
Pryor, like Young, split time as a first year player, though he was a true freshman not having the benefit of a redshirt year to learn the offense. While he isn't, and probably will never be the runner Young was, the 12 TD to 4 Int ratio is impressive over more attempts and completions than Young's first year. While Young increased his attempts by 105 between years one and two, Pryor threw it 130 more times (and that doesn't include the 37 attempt Rose Bowl). Pryor too, lost a premier running back to the NFL though it didn't happen to Young until year three. Pryor also had an extremely young receiving corp, which helped contribute to a drop in completion percentage and an increase in interceptions. Pryor was actually a more effective runner in year two, averaging more yards per carry and an additional score.
So what does 2010 potentially look like? Well, one key stat is going to be yards per attempt. For Young, he went from 8.1 in 2003 to 7.3 in 2004 to 9.3 in 2005. That was the key to the almost 1,200 yard increase in passing yards. Pryor averaged 7.95 in 2008 and 7.1 in 2009. If he too, can get a roughly 2 yard per attempt jump, you're looking at roughly 3,000 yards if he attempts just 30 more passes than last season. Here's what I'd predict if that's the case:
195 completions/325 attempts 2,958 yards 24 TD 12 Int 150 Rushes 750 yards 8 TD
(The 325 attempts comes out to roughly 27 per game. Tressel has said publicly he expects Pryor to throw it 25-30 times a game this season).
Over the entire season, I don't think these projections are out of line. I am calling for that elusive increase in yards per pass AND a corresponding increase in productivity and turnover prevention. I think he can do it in his third year in the system, with a stronger and more mature supporting cast. If he can make these improvements, you're talking about 32 total touchdowns.
Is Terrelle Pryor going to be a sharp passer every game? No. Is he going to have some monster games? You better believe it. Hopefully the offense is balanced enough that he doesn't have to be great every game to win. He just can't be awful, especially against good opponents.
I'll be a big Virginia Tech fan....for one week
Virginia Tech must beat Boise State, they must. I don't want to see Boise State in the BCS title game, and I'd be saying that whether the Buckeyes are title contenders or not. You know what? I don't think I'm alone.
Just look at what happened last year when the BCS had the opportunity to pair not one, but two Davids versus the big conference Goliaths. They made the little schools play each other because they knew they'd only kill the ratings for one game instead of two. Little schools make for nice stories and great movies, but they are dreadful television.
Football drives the collegiate sports landscape, and television drives college football. For evidence, look no further than the conference realignment we've just witnessed in the Big Ten, Pac Ten, and Big 12. It's all about television revenue, and nobody wants to watch Boise kick the crap out of Hawaii on ESPN the Ocho, on Blue turf. In HD. Unless you are a complete loser with no life, or have a gambling problem. Or both.
Hopefully Va Tech makes this a non-issue by beating Boise in DC to start the season. If they don't, we'll be hearing about this small conference strength of schedule crap all season long.
Just look at what happened last year when the BCS had the opportunity to pair not one, but two Davids versus the big conference Goliaths. They made the little schools play each other because they knew they'd only kill the ratings for one game instead of two. Little schools make for nice stories and great movies, but they are dreadful television.
Football drives the collegiate sports landscape, and television drives college football. For evidence, look no further than the conference realignment we've just witnessed in the Big Ten, Pac Ten, and Big 12. It's all about television revenue, and nobody wants to watch Boise kick the crap out of Hawaii on ESPN the Ocho, on Blue turf. In HD. Unless you are a complete loser with no life, or have a gambling problem. Or both.
Hopefully Va Tech makes this a non-issue by beating Boise in DC to start the season. If they don't, we'll be hearing about this small conference strength of schedule crap all season long.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Marvin Lewis interview on Jim Rome's show yesterday
http://www.jimrome.com/guest/lewis-marvin/17099
Sorry, this is a pay site. If you're already an insider, than by all means enjoy. If you aren't, like me, than we can say screw you Jim Rome.
Sorry, this is a pay site. If you're already an insider, than by all means enjoy. If you aren't, like me, than we can say screw you Jim Rome.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Eat BEFORE you go to the ballpark!
From ESPN.com:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5401646
Great American Ball Park
Cincinnati Reds
Vendors with critical violations: 40%
Inspection report excerpt: Inspectors saw an employee scraping food debris from a spatula using the trash bin and then trying to continue using the same spatula without cleaning it.
Paul Brown Stadium
Cincinnati Bengals
Vendors with critical violations: 31%
Inspection report excerpt: Inspectors found a few stands where hot dogs were being held at unsafe temperatures, among other violations.
Lovely.....
One more reason that Carson Palmer is....AWESOME.
“I signed arms. I signed a towel I had on. Shoes,” Palmer said. “I did see an awesome mullet. A Kentucky mullet. I wanted to get a picture with him, but he high-fived me and took off.”
A Kentucky mullet....hilarious. Anyone who's been to camp in Georgetown can attest to seeing some seriously jacked up individuals.
A Kentucky mullet....hilarious. Anyone who's been to camp in Georgetown can attest to seeing some seriously jacked up individuals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)