Going to the Rose Bowl isn’t anything new for us Badger fans, but this team that is going may be the best one we’ve seen in the last few trips. If you remember back to our last two appearances, the Badgers were all about Ron Dayne and a huge offensive line. The passing game was limited and the defense was average.
I’m not saying that running the ball behind a huge line isn’t still our bread and butter, but this time it comes in a little different flavor. It’s not just John Clay exploding out of the backfield. In fact, the past three weeks, Clay wasn’t the featured back at all. It’s Clay, Monte Ball and James White as a triple threat. And especially White isn’t your typical Badger running back that runs over people. He’s shifty and fast which presents defenses an entire different problem.
But this Badger team has another dynamic: their passing game. Scott Tolzien may be the best Badger quarterback of the past two decades. He is very accurate on any type of pass. He is patient and is even willing to take off and run. The receivers and tight ends are huge dependable targets which don’t allow defenses to load eight or nine in the box.
As for the defense, they might not be a whole lot better than those 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowl squads, but they have JJ Watt who is going to be make some NFL team very happy next year. And they are solid against the run. They also don’t have to worry about giving up a couple scores because this Badger offense is capable of digging itself out of a hole if need be. Maybe the most impressive stat is that this Badger team scored 70 or more points three times this year. They averaged 45 points a game. That is dominance.
I think the draw really favors UW too. We’re going to see what TCU is made of in this game. I have gone back and forth on what kind of value I place on these non AQ schools. The Frogs are obviously a very good football team. I am fairly certain that they would have lost at least a game or two had they played in the Big Ten, SEC, Big Twelve or Pac 10 this year. Wisconsin to me is clearly the better team, but TCU is not Indiana or Austin Peay. They can win this game especially when you throw into the mix the long break before the Bowl games, the festive atmosphere and the face that TCU arguably has more to prove than Wisconsin does.
With that said, I like our chance. Go Bucky!
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Badgers Continue To Dominate
It is becoming a magical year for the Wisconsin Badger football team. After a slow, inconsistent start that led to some white-knuckling wins over UNLV and Arizona State and a terrible loss to Michigan State, this club has turned it on. It’s not every year that Wisconsin wins against the then-number one team in the country Ohio State and then follows that up with a convincing win on the road against a highly ranked Iowa squad. Then in the weeks that follow, they blow out Purdue, put 83 up against Indiana for their second 70-plus game of the season and then score 48 in a win at the Big House against Michigan.
The Badgers have been good the last two decades, but they always seem to stub their toe in the second half of the Big Ten season. This year, the toe stubbing happened early, and now they have convincingly become the best team in the Big Ten and arguably the best team in the nation. If we had a playoff, everyone would be talking about Wisconsin as a favorite to win a national championship.
Instead, we have the BCS system, and Wisconsin along with some other very good teams such as Stanford, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State aren’t even considered in the mix because they lost a game. Wouldn’t it be something if the only teams we were considering in the NFL right now at two or three losses.
But it is not my point to complain about the BCS the rest of this blog. Instead, my question is regarding who do we cheer for along with the Badgers to help this invisible one-loss team out.
Well, it depends on what the ultimate goal is. Since, we are dealing with the BCS, a national championship is out of the question (although I’ll ponder it in just a bit). So what do we need for a Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl berth? First, the Red Machine needs to beat Northwestern on Friday. And if Brett and the boys could run up the score like they are accused of doing even though that’s what the NCAA requires you to do if you want to be considered good (sorry I’m complaining again), that would be great. Then they need one of two things. The easiest would be for Penn State to upset visiting Michigan State. Given, the Spartans have lost the last eight times they’ve been in Happy Valley, this could happen. But Penn State is down, and Sparty has been very lucky. The second scenario is to have Ohio State beat Michigan but still finish behind Wisconsin in the B(C)S rankings. Wisconsin currently leads OSU, but the Buckeyes should make a charge since their opponents this past week and this next week are better than the Badgers’. The computers are going to favor Ohio State in the end, so Wisconsin needs to continue piling up points and actually needs teams like Nebraska, Stanford and LSU to continue playing well so that the voters will feel the need to put these teams ahead of Ohio State. Fortunately, the two human polls continue to rank Wisconsin as the best one-loss team. LSU continues to stay ahead of Ohio State. And maybe Stanford can begin getting the consistent nod ahead of OSU.
It would be a real shame if Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin finish in a 3-way tie and Ohio State ends up going to the Rose Bowl even though they didn’t beat MIchigan State or Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Bucky beat OSU and Sparty beat Wisconsin. They have both proven they can beat a big-time team in the conference while Ohio State has not.
So that is the most realistic dream: a Rose Bowl invite. Now if you are still a little insane and think the Badgers could still slide into a Top 2 spot in the BCS, here is what we need. Oregon needs to lose to either Arizona or Oregon State. Auburn needs to lose to either Alabama or South Carolina. Boise State needs to lose to Nevada. TCU is not going to lose. LSU needs to lose to Arkansas. Stanford needs to lose to Oregon State. Nebraska needs to lose the Big 12 title game. And Wisconsin needs to win the Big Ten with one of scenarios above. The Badgers have needed the aforementioned teams to lose one game the past three weeks now, and they all continue to win. So the odds are about as long as the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series next year. Okay, no odds are that long, but you get the idea.
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The Badgers have been good the last two decades, but they always seem to stub their toe in the second half of the Big Ten season. This year, the toe stubbing happened early, and now they have convincingly become the best team in the Big Ten and arguably the best team in the nation. If we had a playoff, everyone would be talking about Wisconsin as a favorite to win a national championship.
Instead, we have the BCS system, and Wisconsin along with some other very good teams such as Stanford, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State aren’t even considered in the mix because they lost a game. Wouldn’t it be something if the only teams we were considering in the NFL right now at two or three losses.
But it is not my point to complain about the BCS the rest of this blog. Instead, my question is regarding who do we cheer for along with the Badgers to help this invisible one-loss team out.
Well, it depends on what the ultimate goal is. Since, we are dealing with the BCS, a national championship is out of the question (although I’ll ponder it in just a bit). So what do we need for a Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl berth? First, the Red Machine needs to beat Northwestern on Friday. And if Brett and the boys could run up the score like they are accused of doing even though that’s what the NCAA requires you to do if you want to be considered good (sorry I’m complaining again), that would be great. Then they need one of two things. The easiest would be for Penn State to upset visiting Michigan State. Given, the Spartans have lost the last eight times they’ve been in Happy Valley, this could happen. But Penn State is down, and Sparty has been very lucky. The second scenario is to have Ohio State beat Michigan but still finish behind Wisconsin in the B(C)S rankings. Wisconsin currently leads OSU, but the Buckeyes should make a charge since their opponents this past week and this next week are better than the Badgers’. The computers are going to favor Ohio State in the end, so Wisconsin needs to continue piling up points and actually needs teams like Nebraska, Stanford and LSU to continue playing well so that the voters will feel the need to put these teams ahead of Ohio State. Fortunately, the two human polls continue to rank Wisconsin as the best one-loss team. LSU continues to stay ahead of Ohio State. And maybe Stanford can begin getting the consistent nod ahead of OSU.
It would be a real shame if Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin finish in a 3-way tie and Ohio State ends up going to the Rose Bowl even though they didn’t beat MIchigan State or Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Bucky beat OSU and Sparty beat Wisconsin. They have both proven they can beat a big-time team in the conference while Ohio State has not.
So that is the most realistic dream: a Rose Bowl invite. Now if you are still a little insane and think the Badgers could still slide into a Top 2 spot in the BCS, here is what we need. Oregon needs to lose to either Arizona or Oregon State. Auburn needs to lose to either Alabama or South Carolina. Boise State needs to lose to Nevada. TCU is not going to lose. LSU needs to lose to Arkansas. Stanford needs to lose to Oregon State. Nebraska needs to lose the Big 12 title game. And Wisconsin needs to win the Big Ten with one of scenarios above. The Badgers have needed the aforementioned teams to lose one game the past three weeks now, and they all continue to win. So the odds are about as long as the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series next year. Okay, no odds are that long, but you get the idea.
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Friday, November 5, 2010
Bucks Struggle Early On
The Milwaukee Bucks were a pick by nearly all of us to be a shoe-in for the playoffs. After a surprising run to the number six seed a season ago and a 7-game series with the favored Atlanta Hawks, it seemed like a no brainer that the Deer would return to post season again this year.
It’s early, but it’s not looking too good so far.
After a come from behind victory over the lowly Indiana Pacers, the Bucks are 2-4. This includes a horrific loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that will struggle to win 15 games this year, a pounding at home at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers and a disappointing season opener at New Orleans. Arguably, their best game came in an overtime loss at Boston last Wednesday.
So why, the struggles early on. A lot has been placed on the injuries to John Salmons and Andrew Bogut which prevented the two stars from playing most (or in Salmons’ case all) of the preseason. Chris Douglas -Roberts is still trying to get back after missing preseason as well. A little has been placed on new role players trying to learn Scott Skiles’ intense defensive schemes.
I think these are both accurate assessments to the early season problems. But then it hit me that as nice as some of these off-season acquisitions looked, there is a very terrifying link to all these new players. The new guys are Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling, John Brockman and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Where did these five guys play last year? Gooden was with the Los Angeles Clippers. Maggette was at Golden State. Brockman belonged to Sacramento. And both Dooling and Douglas-Roberts were playing with the New Jersey Nets. The theme? All four of these teams were horrible last year. They all lacked a sense of team. They all, for the exception of Sacramento, underachieved. Talent was abundant, but the players never learned how to make the most of that talent.
Now, here they all are playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that does not have a true all star. Andrew Bogut has had one good season. Brandon Jennings, at this point, simply has potential. And John Salmons is streaky and not a guy you can count on all season long. So now we throw into the mix five guys who are not used to the team concept. They are used to looking out for themselves and putting up individual stats with only a mild concern on how the team does. Add into the mix that they are in Milwaukee, a small market that has struggled mightily the past two decades to be relevant. The combination of all these factors is not good.
Here is the one things I see that this team has going for them early on. The coach is Scott Skiles. I am convinced that Skiles is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He has a way of making something with nothing and a lot with something. Right now he has something. So we’ll see if he can work his magic. And once we get through our preseason which is basically the first two to four weeks of the season, maybe this team can start winning again and be a factor in the East.
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It’s early, but it’s not looking too good so far.
After a come from behind victory over the lowly Indiana Pacers, the Bucks are 2-4. This includes a horrific loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that will struggle to win 15 games this year, a pounding at home at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers and a disappointing season opener at New Orleans. Arguably, their best game came in an overtime loss at Boston last Wednesday.
So why, the struggles early on. A lot has been placed on the injuries to John Salmons and Andrew Bogut which prevented the two stars from playing most (or in Salmons’ case all) of the preseason. Chris Douglas -Roberts is still trying to get back after missing preseason as well. A little has been placed on new role players trying to learn Scott Skiles’ intense defensive schemes.
I think these are both accurate assessments to the early season problems. But then it hit me that as nice as some of these off-season acquisitions looked, there is a very terrifying link to all these new players. The new guys are Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling, John Brockman and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Where did these five guys play last year? Gooden was with the Los Angeles Clippers. Maggette was at Golden State. Brockman belonged to Sacramento. And both Dooling and Douglas-Roberts were playing with the New Jersey Nets. The theme? All four of these teams were horrible last year. They all lacked a sense of team. They all, for the exception of Sacramento, underachieved. Talent was abundant, but the players never learned how to make the most of that talent.
Now, here they all are playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that does not have a true all star. Andrew Bogut has had one good season. Brandon Jennings, at this point, simply has potential. And John Salmons is streaky and not a guy you can count on all season long. So now we throw into the mix five guys who are not used to the team concept. They are used to looking out for themselves and putting up individual stats with only a mild concern on how the team does. Add into the mix that they are in Milwaukee, a small market that has struggled mightily the past two decades to be relevant. The combination of all these factors is not good.
Here is the one things I see that this team has going for them early on. The coach is Scott Skiles. I am convinced that Skiles is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He has a way of making something with nothing and a lot with something. Right now he has something. So we’ll see if he can work his magic. And once we get through our preseason which is basically the first two to four weeks of the season, maybe this team can start winning again and be a factor in the East.
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Saturday, October 30, 2010
Packer-Viking Recap
I came away with many thoughts and opinions after the latest installment of Packers/Vikings:
And I lead with this because it’s the most important of all my thoughts and opinions. The NFL is as about as unpredictable as it comes. And everything I mention from here on out in this rant, could easily be as far from the truth as possible by next week.
Both of these football teams have a ton of weaknesses. The Packers have so many injuries that they should be holding open tryouts on a daily basis across Wisconsin to see if anyone can help them out.
The Vikings are the most underachieving team in the league, and I blame most of that on the coach who is so bent on running his system that he doesn’t have the vision of how to use his players the best way.
This was an extremely entertaining game. The ebb and flow combined with the story lines and last minute finish were spectacular.
Oh, and of course throw in the absolutely pathetic officiating. And by the way Viking fans, it didn’t just work against you. Let me just mention a few bad calls that went AGAINST the Packers in this game: the late hit by Nick Collins was not late. He made the hit in bounds. The interception at the end of the first half in the end zone might have been caught had Greg Jennings not been mugged running his route down the sideline and yet no pass interference or holding was called. The spot after a third down pass to Jennings before the Vikings last drive was horrendous. It should have been first down, but instead it was fourth down. The Packers failed to pick it up and there began the final Viking drive. On one of the Adrian Peterson’s 20-year gallops on the last drive, there was a blatant block in the back that sprang Peterson on a cut back move. There were more, but I’ll stop there.
Mike McCarthy needs to run the ball more. Brandon Jackson may be a below average NFL running back, but like any running back in this league, if you give him 20-plus carries, he is going to start picking up more and more yardage as the game goes along, especially when you are winning in the 3rd and 4th quarter.
Brett Favre is amazing and yet a shell of himself. He almost pulled this game out. But he can’t move in the pocket and is back to throwing interceptions this year. When you throw in the terrible coaching, I don’t think he can succeed in this system anymore.
Back to the Packer injury situation. Frank Zambo was playing defensive end during the fourth quarter. Zambo is a rookie backup linebacker. But because of the Packers injury epidemic and the front office’s refusal to do anything about it, Zambo actually helped lead the Packers to victory.
Clay Matthews is the difference maker in this defense. With Matthews and the return of Al Harris and Atari Bigby, this defense may be able to salvage the season.
At the moment, I don’t see either of these teams contending for anything this year, but as they say, championships aren’t won in October in the NFL.
For more, visit my website at www.songerstudio.com
And I lead with this because it’s the most important of all my thoughts and opinions. The NFL is as about as unpredictable as it comes. And everything I mention from here on out in this rant, could easily be as far from the truth as possible by next week.
Both of these football teams have a ton of weaknesses. The Packers have so many injuries that they should be holding open tryouts on a daily basis across Wisconsin to see if anyone can help them out.
The Vikings are the most underachieving team in the league, and I blame most of that on the coach who is so bent on running his system that he doesn’t have the vision of how to use his players the best way.
This was an extremely entertaining game. The ebb and flow combined with the story lines and last minute finish were spectacular.
Oh, and of course throw in the absolutely pathetic officiating. And by the way Viking fans, it didn’t just work against you. Let me just mention a few bad calls that went AGAINST the Packers in this game: the late hit by Nick Collins was not late. He made the hit in bounds. The interception at the end of the first half in the end zone might have been caught had Greg Jennings not been mugged running his route down the sideline and yet no pass interference or holding was called. The spot after a third down pass to Jennings before the Vikings last drive was horrendous. It should have been first down, but instead it was fourth down. The Packers failed to pick it up and there began the final Viking drive. On one of the Adrian Peterson’s 20-year gallops on the last drive, there was a blatant block in the back that sprang Peterson on a cut back move. There were more, but I’ll stop there.
Mike McCarthy needs to run the ball more. Brandon Jackson may be a below average NFL running back, but like any running back in this league, if you give him 20-plus carries, he is going to start picking up more and more yardage as the game goes along, especially when you are winning in the 3rd and 4th quarter.
Brett Favre is amazing and yet a shell of himself. He almost pulled this game out. But he can’t move in the pocket and is back to throwing interceptions this year. When you throw in the terrible coaching, I don’t think he can succeed in this system anymore.
Back to the Packer injury situation. Frank Zambo was playing defensive end during the fourth quarter. Zambo is a rookie backup linebacker. But because of the Packers injury epidemic and the front office’s refusal to do anything about it, Zambo actually helped lead the Packers to victory.
Clay Matthews is the difference maker in this defense. With Matthews and the return of Al Harris and Atari Bigby, this defense may be able to salvage the season.
At the moment, I don’t see either of these teams contending for anything this year, but as they say, championships aren’t won in October in the NFL.
For more, visit my website at www.songerstudio.com
Monday, October 25, 2010
Badgers-Best 1-Loss Team in the Country
What an impressive two-week run for the Wisconsin Badgers. Back to back wins over then #1 Ohio State and then at a very good Iowa squad has me somewhat in shock. I don’t remember back to back wins in such impressive fashion since the Rose Bowl days of a decade ago.
The best part about both wins is that neither was a fluke. Against Ohio State, we absolutely dominated the Buckeyes. The Badgers ran the ball at will and controlled the line of scrimmage. And when Ohio State made a run in the second half, the Badgers responded by putting together a long scoring drive that eliminated any chance of Ohio State coming back to win.
Then against Iowa, the Badgers found themselves in a back and forth affair in which the Badgers could have folded at any time. The most impressive moment actually came after a Scott Tolzien interception early in the fourth quarter with Iowa up by 3. Then the defense rose to the occasion stopping the Hawkeyes and holding them to a field goal. The Badger offense then responded with a very impressive drive which included a fake punt for a first down and a 4th down conversion. The drive took seven of the last eight minutes off the clock and resulted in a game winning touchdown.
Now here we are with four games left in the season, and the Badgers are 7-1 and in my opinion are the best 1-loss team in the country. When the BCS rankings came out last Sunday unfortunately, the computers and voters did not completely agree. They rated both Alabama and Oklahoma slightly ahead of Wisconsin. I don’t think either team had a legitimate reason to rank higher than the Badgers. Oklahoma’s lone win over a ranked team came at home to Florida State. They lost to Missouri and barely squeaked out wins over Utah State, Air Force, Cincinnati and Texas. Alabama owns two wins over ranked teams, Arkansas and LSU. They lost to South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin owns the most impressive wins of either team. They have the Ohio State and Iowa victories. And they played Michigan State tough in their loss. I could see an argument to put Alabama ahead of Wisconsin, but not Oklahoma or any other one-loss team. In my opinion, the Badgers should be #8 in the BCS, behind the seven undefeated teams.
Regardless, if the Badgers win out, they should make a BCS bowl. An 11-1 record out of the Big Ten should do it. Even if Michigan State goes undefeated and wins the conference, the Badgers should go as an at-large
The best part about both wins is that neither was a fluke. Against Ohio State, we absolutely dominated the Buckeyes. The Badgers ran the ball at will and controlled the line of scrimmage. And when Ohio State made a run in the second half, the Badgers responded by putting together a long scoring drive that eliminated any chance of Ohio State coming back to win.
Then against Iowa, the Badgers found themselves in a back and forth affair in which the Badgers could have folded at any time. The most impressive moment actually came after a Scott Tolzien interception early in the fourth quarter with Iowa up by 3. Then the defense rose to the occasion stopping the Hawkeyes and holding them to a field goal. The Badger offense then responded with a very impressive drive which included a fake punt for a first down and a 4th down conversion. The drive took seven of the last eight minutes off the clock and resulted in a game winning touchdown.
Now here we are with four games left in the season, and the Badgers are 7-1 and in my opinion are the best 1-loss team in the country. When the BCS rankings came out last Sunday unfortunately, the computers and voters did not completely agree. They rated both Alabama and Oklahoma slightly ahead of Wisconsin. I don’t think either team had a legitimate reason to rank higher than the Badgers. Oklahoma’s lone win over a ranked team came at home to Florida State. They lost to Missouri and barely squeaked out wins over Utah State, Air Force, Cincinnati and Texas. Alabama owns two wins over ranked teams, Arkansas and LSU. They lost to South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin owns the most impressive wins of either team. They have the Ohio State and Iowa victories. And they played Michigan State tough in their loss. I could see an argument to put Alabama ahead of Wisconsin, but not Oklahoma or any other one-loss team. In my opinion, the Badgers should be #8 in the BCS, behind the seven undefeated teams.
Regardless, if the Badgers win out, they should make a BCS bowl. An 11-1 record out of the Big Ten should do it. Even if Michigan State goes undefeated and wins the conference, the Badgers should go as an at-large
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Packers Roll Past Bills
It’s time for my weekly Green Bay Packer update. Week Two was a 34-7 victory by the green and gold over the Buffalo Bills. The Packers jumped on top early scoring on their first three drives and holding the Bills to two three-and-outs. The Bills came back in the second quarter to close to within 13-7 at halftime. But the Packers took over in the second half with three straight touchdown drives and impressive defensive plays en route to the easy win.
Here are the plusses in the win:
Aaron Rodgers looked a lot better than last week as he spread the ball around and took what the defense gave him.
Clay Matthews is the defensive player of the year after two weeks. He has six sacks, a number of tackles and makes big play after big play.
Special teams was not as impressive as last week but they didn’t have any bone headed plays and held up fairly nicely.
Jermichael Finley is yet to get into the endzone but 100-yard games aren’t common amongst tight ends.
Whatever adjustments were made at halftime were perfect as the team came out and completely dominated the last 30 minutes.
Interceptions by Chillar and Burnett sparked the offensive onslaught in the third quarter.
Here are the negatives:
The running game did not do much. Even in the fourth quarter when the Packers were just trying to run down the clock, they couldn’t sustain anything. John Kuhn looked better than Brandon Jackson.
Chad Clifton is hurting. Thankfully we have a quality backup in our number one draft pick Bryan Bulaga.
This was probably the easiest game on the schedule and we failed to put this team away early due to settling for field goals on the first two drives and giving up way too many rushing yards in the second quarter.
So the Packers are 2-0 and tied with the Bears for first place in the NFC North as the two teams prepare for battle on Monday night. The really good news is that the Vikings are 0-2 after a loss at home to the Dolphins in which Brett Favre threw for three interceptions and fumbled the ball in the end zone. This is the Brett Favre we saw two or three times a year in Green Bay. It’s good to see him returning to form this year in Minnesota. And hey Dallas: how does it feel to be 0-2? It’s nice to quiet down the Cowboy fans!
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Here are the plusses in the win:
Aaron Rodgers looked a lot better than last week as he spread the ball around and took what the defense gave him.
Clay Matthews is the defensive player of the year after two weeks. He has six sacks, a number of tackles and makes big play after big play.
Special teams was not as impressive as last week but they didn’t have any bone headed plays and held up fairly nicely.
Jermichael Finley is yet to get into the endzone but 100-yard games aren’t common amongst tight ends.
Whatever adjustments were made at halftime were perfect as the team came out and completely dominated the last 30 minutes.
Interceptions by Chillar and Burnett sparked the offensive onslaught in the third quarter.
Here are the negatives:
The running game did not do much. Even in the fourth quarter when the Packers were just trying to run down the clock, they couldn’t sustain anything. John Kuhn looked better than Brandon Jackson.
Chad Clifton is hurting. Thankfully we have a quality backup in our number one draft pick Bryan Bulaga.
This was probably the easiest game on the schedule and we failed to put this team away early due to settling for field goals on the first two drives and giving up way too many rushing yards in the second quarter.
So the Packers are 2-0 and tied with the Bears for first place in the NFC North as the two teams prepare for battle on Monday night. The really good news is that the Vikings are 0-2 after a loss at home to the Dolphins in which Brett Favre threw for three interceptions and fumbled the ball in the end zone. This is the Brett Favre we saw two or three times a year in Green Bay. It’s good to see him returning to form this year in Minnesota. And hey Dallas: how does it feel to be 0-2? It’s nice to quiet down the Cowboy fans!
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Sunday, September 12, 2010
Packers-Eagles Game Recap
It’s time for my weekly Green Bay Packer update. Week One was a 27-20 victory by the green and gold over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a physical game that featured very good defense by both teams and a ton of injuries and penalties. The latter was luckily only sustained by the Eagles which played a role in the Packers coming out on top.
Here are the plusses in the win:
Aaron Rodgers was not sharp but did a great job doing what he needed to do to put points on the board.
Brandon Jackson showed what he did during the preseason filling in for Ryan Grant in this game. I don’t know if we’ll see a step back in the running game if he has to continue playing.
Clay Matthews is a beast.
Hardly any penalties. There’s a change from last year.
Special teams was very good. When’s the last time we could say that about a Packer team. Jordy Nelson was rockin’ on kick returns. Mason Crosby nailed a team-record long 56-yard field goal. And our punter was even good!
We won on the road against a fairly good team.
Here are the negatives:
The secondary is going to struggle if the Packers have to play a mobile running back, especially one that can throw accurately unlike Michael Vick.
Injuries were not good. Justin Harrell is probably out for the year with a knee injury. Cullen Jenkins broke his hand. That won’t keep him out but will hinder his play. Nick Collins has bruised ribs. And then the Ryan Grant ankle injury which will probably keep him out or at the very least limited for awhile.
Our offensive line was inconsistent.
Aaron Rodgers seemed rattled.
But, we are 1-0 and are coming home for a good team to face when you are battered. Buffalo is not very good. Hopefully Grant and Collins can heal up.
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Here are the plusses in the win:
Aaron Rodgers was not sharp but did a great job doing what he needed to do to put points on the board.
Brandon Jackson showed what he did during the preseason filling in for Ryan Grant in this game. I don’t know if we’ll see a step back in the running game if he has to continue playing.
Clay Matthews is a beast.
Hardly any penalties. There’s a change from last year.
Special teams was very good. When’s the last time we could say that about a Packer team. Jordy Nelson was rockin’ on kick returns. Mason Crosby nailed a team-record long 56-yard field goal. And our punter was even good!
We won on the road against a fairly good team.
Here are the negatives:
The secondary is going to struggle if the Packers have to play a mobile running back, especially one that can throw accurately unlike Michael Vick.
Injuries were not good. Justin Harrell is probably out for the year with a knee injury. Cullen Jenkins broke his hand. That won’t keep him out but will hinder his play. Nick Collins has bruised ribs. And then the Ryan Grant ankle injury which will probably keep him out or at the very least limited for awhile.
Our offensive line was inconsistent.
Aaron Rodgers seemed rattled.
But, we are 1-0 and are coming home for a good team to face when you are battered. Buffalo is not very good. Hopefully Grant and Collins can heal up.
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Friday, September 3, 2010
NFL Predictions 2010
As I sit here typing, it is 65 degrees, overcast and breezy outside. It is obvious that football season has arrived. And with it come my annual football predictions. I like to stress a couple things before I roll these out.
First, the NFL is by far the hardest professional sports league to predict for a number of reasons. The season is short, injuries play a huge factor, the salary structure allows for parody and there is a lot of luck involved. It is the complete opposite as the joke known as Major League Baseball where I picked the Yankees, Twins, Rangers, Phillies, Cardinals and Giants this year to win their divisions. All of those teams are in first or second place. As great of a football mind as I am (sorry I’m a little cocky with that statement), I can guarantee you that I will be wrong on some of these because unlike Major League Baseball, every NFL team has a chance going into the season. You can’t buy championships in the NFL. The commissioner and players union actually care about the fans. And NFL fans aren’t as ignorant to competitiveness as baseball fans.
Okay, second somewhat relates to the first point. The last seven years, at least one team has gone from last place in its division to making the playoffs. Often times there have been two. On average, only half of the eight division winners from the previous year go on to repeat as division champs. So many NFL talking heads fall into the trap of thinking that the twelve playoff teams from a year ago are the clear favorites to make it again the following year. It’s hard to fault them when you look at their reasoning. These teams did go to the playoffs last year so they were good. But history tells us that there will be teams that surprise us.
So here I go with my picks for 2010.
AFC East
Patriots. Never count out teams with really good quarterbacks.
Jets. I am not buying into the hype, but this team does have a great defense.
Dolphins. I would not be surprised if they finish ahead of the Jets. I’m having a hard time judging them.
Bills. Young team that could have a bright future. Division is too tough for them to be good this year.
AFC North
Ravens. Joe Flacco is the real deal. Their offense might be better than their defense.
Browns. This is one of those picks where you’re wondering what I’m smoking. But again, it’s the NFL.
Bengals. At some point the T.O. experiment will not work.
Steelers. Losing Big Ben at the start hurts. They lack the rough and tough aura they had a few years ago.
AFC South
Colts. Same thing I said about New England. Peyton Manning is still on top of his game.
Texans. If luck goes their way, they could win this division. But I think this is the year they breakout.
Titans. Much like the Dolphins. It’s a hard team to read. So much rests on Vince Young’s performance.
Jaguars. They’re in a tough division. They will pull off some upsets but lack the talent to win a lot.
AFC West
Chargers. Still very potent on offense but by far the weakest division winner in the bunch.
Raiders. Becoming a defensive force in this league. Might still be a year away from playoffs.
Chiefs. Another team in this division that has turned the corner. Could be another pleasant surprise.
Broncos. Too many injuries and defections. Tim Tebow might be starting by the end of the year.
NFC East
Redskins. What? I’m not picking Dallas. If Donovan McNabb remains healthy, watch out!
Cowboys. This team never lives up to potential. Tony Romo lacks that big game mentality.
Eagles. I think Kolb could be a star in this league but he needs a year to get his feet wet.
Giants. This division is so difficult to pick. I could see the Giants finishing second with a little luck.
NFC North
Packers. Aaron Rodgers has a breakout season. Offense will be this team’s best defense.
Vikings. Adrian Peterson will be the MVP of the team this year. Not Brett Favre.
Lions. Stafford to Johnson might be the most prominent connection in the league this year.
Bears. Jay Cutler is not the answer. It could be a very long season.
NFC South
Falcons. Good one year, not so good the next. It’s their year to be good again.
Saints. Drew Brees may have surpassed Manning as the best quarterback in the NFL.
Buccaneers. I really like this team to turn the corner this year. Freeman might be for real.
Panthers. Lots of changes in Carolina means a lot of losses.
NFC West
49ers. It’s the fashionable pick, but honestly who else are you going to take? They win by default.
Cardinals. Needs their defense to take it up a notch because offense will not be the same without Warner.
Seahawks. An offense that can be competitive but has very little defense.
Rams. I feel sorry for Sam Bradford. With that offensive line, it’s going to be David Carr all over again.
Playoffs:
AFC Wildcard:
Texans over Chargers
Colts over Browns
NFC Wildcard:
Vikings over 49ers
Saints over Redskins
AFC Divisional Round:
Ravens over Texans
Colts over Patriots
NFC Divisional Round:
Packers over Saints
Falcons over Vikings
AFC Championship Game:
Ravens over Colts
NFC Championship Game:
Falcons over Packers
Super Bowl:
Ravens over Falcons
I’m going back outside to enjoy the football weather. Happy NFL season everybody!
Hey, come visit our website at www.songerstudio.com!
First, the NFL is by far the hardest professional sports league to predict for a number of reasons. The season is short, injuries play a huge factor, the salary structure allows for parody and there is a lot of luck involved. It is the complete opposite as the joke known as Major League Baseball where I picked the Yankees, Twins, Rangers, Phillies, Cardinals and Giants this year to win their divisions. All of those teams are in first or second place. As great of a football mind as I am (sorry I’m a little cocky with that statement), I can guarantee you that I will be wrong on some of these because unlike Major League Baseball, every NFL team has a chance going into the season. You can’t buy championships in the NFL. The commissioner and players union actually care about the fans. And NFL fans aren’t as ignorant to competitiveness as baseball fans.
Okay, second somewhat relates to the first point. The last seven years, at least one team has gone from last place in its division to making the playoffs. Often times there have been two. On average, only half of the eight division winners from the previous year go on to repeat as division champs. So many NFL talking heads fall into the trap of thinking that the twelve playoff teams from a year ago are the clear favorites to make it again the following year. It’s hard to fault them when you look at their reasoning. These teams did go to the playoffs last year so they were good. But history tells us that there will be teams that surprise us.
So here I go with my picks for 2010.
AFC East
Patriots. Never count out teams with really good quarterbacks.
Jets. I am not buying into the hype, but this team does have a great defense.
Dolphins. I would not be surprised if they finish ahead of the Jets. I’m having a hard time judging them.
Bills. Young team that could have a bright future. Division is too tough for them to be good this year.
AFC North
Ravens. Joe Flacco is the real deal. Their offense might be better than their defense.
Browns. This is one of those picks where you’re wondering what I’m smoking. But again, it’s the NFL.
Bengals. At some point the T.O. experiment will not work.
Steelers. Losing Big Ben at the start hurts. They lack the rough and tough aura they had a few years ago.
AFC South
Colts. Same thing I said about New England. Peyton Manning is still on top of his game.
Texans. If luck goes their way, they could win this division. But I think this is the year they breakout.
Titans. Much like the Dolphins. It’s a hard team to read. So much rests on Vince Young’s performance.
Jaguars. They’re in a tough division. They will pull off some upsets but lack the talent to win a lot.
AFC West
Chargers. Still very potent on offense but by far the weakest division winner in the bunch.
Raiders. Becoming a defensive force in this league. Might still be a year away from playoffs.
Chiefs. Another team in this division that has turned the corner. Could be another pleasant surprise.
Broncos. Too many injuries and defections. Tim Tebow might be starting by the end of the year.
NFC East
Redskins. What? I’m not picking Dallas. If Donovan McNabb remains healthy, watch out!
Cowboys. This team never lives up to potential. Tony Romo lacks that big game mentality.
Eagles. I think Kolb could be a star in this league but he needs a year to get his feet wet.
Giants. This division is so difficult to pick. I could see the Giants finishing second with a little luck.
NFC North
Packers. Aaron Rodgers has a breakout season. Offense will be this team’s best defense.
Vikings. Adrian Peterson will be the MVP of the team this year. Not Brett Favre.
Lions. Stafford to Johnson might be the most prominent connection in the league this year.
Bears. Jay Cutler is not the answer. It could be a very long season.
NFC South
Falcons. Good one year, not so good the next. It’s their year to be good again.
Saints. Drew Brees may have surpassed Manning as the best quarterback in the NFL.
Buccaneers. I really like this team to turn the corner this year. Freeman might be for real.
Panthers. Lots of changes in Carolina means a lot of losses.
NFC West
49ers. It’s the fashionable pick, but honestly who else are you going to take? They win by default.
Cardinals. Needs their defense to take it up a notch because offense will not be the same without Warner.
Seahawks. An offense that can be competitive but has very little defense.
Rams. I feel sorry for Sam Bradford. With that offensive line, it’s going to be David Carr all over again.
Playoffs:
AFC Wildcard:
Texans over Chargers
Colts over Browns
NFC Wildcard:
Vikings over 49ers
Saints over Redskins
AFC Divisional Round:
Ravens over Texans
Colts over Patriots
NFC Divisional Round:
Packers over Saints
Falcons over Vikings
AFC Championship Game:
Ravens over Colts
NFC Championship Game:
Falcons over Packers
Super Bowl:
Ravens over Falcons
I’m going back outside to enjoy the football weather. Happy NFL season everybody!
Hey, come visit our website at www.songerstudio.com!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Packers Mid-Pre-Season Review
After two preseason games, here is what I have learned about the Green Bay Packers and the upcoming season:
1. The offense is going to be freaky good. Think early 1980’s San Diego Chargers with this passing game.
1a. Aaron Rodgers could very easily be the league MVP
1b. Jermichael Finley is going to be the premiere tight end in the NFL the next five years.
2.Bryan Bulaga is a very huge man.
3. Remember when the Packers went to the Super Bowl in the 1996 and Edgar Bennett was joined by Dorsey Levens to create a two-headed running back monster. Don’t be surprised if this happens again this year with Brandon Jackson joining Ryan Grant. 4. This is a much-improved Brandon Jackson.
5. If the Packers play with second string linebackers and secondary with a vanilla defensive plan like they have the first two games, this team is in trouble.
6. The defensive line needs to become more dominant.
7. The special teams still stinks.
8. Mason Crosby has made three field goals. I’m just saying.
9. The Packers are still looking for their first good punter since Craig Hentrich.
10. Penalties are still an issue.
Preseason games continue to be not much of an indicator of what the regular season will offer up.
Visit our website at www.songerstudio.com.
1. The offense is going to be freaky good. Think early 1980’s San Diego Chargers with this passing game.
1a. Aaron Rodgers could very easily be the league MVP
1b. Jermichael Finley is going to be the premiere tight end in the NFL the next five years.
2.Bryan Bulaga is a very huge man.
3. Remember when the Packers went to the Super Bowl in the 1996 and Edgar Bennett was joined by Dorsey Levens to create a two-headed running back monster. Don’t be surprised if this happens again this year with Brandon Jackson joining Ryan Grant. 4. This is a much-improved Brandon Jackson.
5. If the Packers play with second string linebackers and secondary with a vanilla defensive plan like they have the first two games, this team is in trouble.
6. The defensive line needs to become more dominant.
7. The special teams still stinks.
8. Mason Crosby has made three field goals. I’m just saying.
9. The Packers are still looking for their first good punter since Craig Hentrich.
10. Penalties are still an issue.
Preseason games continue to be not much of an indicator of what the regular season will offer up.
Visit our website at www.songerstudio.com.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Packers Prepare For Super Season
As we turn the calendar to August, it is time to turn our attention to football season. All 32 teams are reporting to camp this week which to mean indicates the end of baseball season is here. It is officially time to focus on football.
For the Green Bay Packers, Coach Mike McCarthy started camp off by talking about the realistic shot at a Super Bowl in Title Town. This is definitely as close as this team has been since the NFC Title Game in 2007. Here is what excites me about the Packers of 2010.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is about ready to become a superstar in this league. If he played in New York or Dallas, he already would be. Last year he threw 30 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions while racking up over 4,000 passing yards. The last half of the season he was a machine. I think back to games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and the final two contests against Arizona where he was nearly unstoppable. It is very exciting to think about what he is going to do this year.
Tight end Jermichael Finley was one of my picks last year to be a breakout star. An injury early on delayed that a bit, but by the last month and a half of the season, he became a major threat in the Packer offense. He is big, runs routes well and has great hands. A couple scouts have already said that this offense is going to be very hard to contain with Rodgers having Finley, Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to throw to.
The linebackers on this team are scary good. Clay Matthews had an incredible rookie season a year ago, and he is only going to get better. AJ Hawk might be a step down from an all-pro linebacker, but only a step down. He is very consistent. And Nick Barnett can still bring it. This may be the best linebacking core in the conference.
Here is what worries me about this Packer squad.
The lines. Teams that win championships have dominating front lines. The offensive line will again be very fragile this year. They drafted Bryan Bulaga in the first round and hopefully he can step in and be a big time tackle. And last year this line came around so maybe it will continue to give Rodgers the time he needs like they did the second half of last season, not the first half. The loss of Johnny Jolly on the defensive line hurts. But this is the year for B.J. Raji to step up and anchor a line that luckily is quite deep even without Jolly.
The Packers have done nothing to improve special teams. They have no return specialist. They are not strong at punter. Mason Crosby needs to rebound from a dismal year and prove he can kick in this league and you never really know what your coverage teams are going to look like until the first couple weeks of the season.
Lastly, I am a little worried about the mental thought process of this team. This team knows it can win in the regular season, and some of these guys were around three years ago when they made the run to the NFC Championship game. But that was not with Aaron Rodgers leading this team and many other players who are now expected to contribute. This team needs to prove that it can win in the postseason against the likes of Minnesota, Dallas and New Orleans.
It’s still a little early to predict what I think this team is going to do this year, but I definitely have them as a playoff team barring major injury problems. The issues with the lines and special teams though has me wondering how far they can go in the playoffs. I think it will really come down to those couple areas. Let’s watch two or three preseason games and then make some predictions!
Hey, visit my website for weekly sports comments, music and more. www.songerstudio.com
For the Green Bay Packers, Coach Mike McCarthy started camp off by talking about the realistic shot at a Super Bowl in Title Town. This is definitely as close as this team has been since the NFC Title Game in 2007. Here is what excites me about the Packers of 2010.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is about ready to become a superstar in this league. If he played in New York or Dallas, he already would be. Last year he threw 30 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions while racking up over 4,000 passing yards. The last half of the season he was a machine. I think back to games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and the final two contests against Arizona where he was nearly unstoppable. It is very exciting to think about what he is going to do this year.
Tight end Jermichael Finley was one of my picks last year to be a breakout star. An injury early on delayed that a bit, but by the last month and a half of the season, he became a major threat in the Packer offense. He is big, runs routes well and has great hands. A couple scouts have already said that this offense is going to be very hard to contain with Rodgers having Finley, Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to throw to.
The linebackers on this team are scary good. Clay Matthews had an incredible rookie season a year ago, and he is only going to get better. AJ Hawk might be a step down from an all-pro linebacker, but only a step down. He is very consistent. And Nick Barnett can still bring it. This may be the best linebacking core in the conference.
Here is what worries me about this Packer squad.
The lines. Teams that win championships have dominating front lines. The offensive line will again be very fragile this year. They drafted Bryan Bulaga in the first round and hopefully he can step in and be a big time tackle. And last year this line came around so maybe it will continue to give Rodgers the time he needs like they did the second half of last season, not the first half. The loss of Johnny Jolly on the defensive line hurts. But this is the year for B.J. Raji to step up and anchor a line that luckily is quite deep even without Jolly.
The Packers have done nothing to improve special teams. They have no return specialist. They are not strong at punter. Mason Crosby needs to rebound from a dismal year and prove he can kick in this league and you never really know what your coverage teams are going to look like until the first couple weeks of the season.
Lastly, I am a little worried about the mental thought process of this team. This team knows it can win in the regular season, and some of these guys were around three years ago when they made the run to the NFC Championship game. But that was not with Aaron Rodgers leading this team and many other players who are now expected to contribute. This team needs to prove that it can win in the postseason against the likes of Minnesota, Dallas and New Orleans.
It’s still a little early to predict what I think this team is going to do this year, but I definitely have them as a playoff team barring major injury problems. The issues with the lines and special teams though has me wondering how far they can go in the playoffs. I think it will really come down to those couple areas. Let’s watch two or three preseason games and then make some predictions!
Hey, visit my website for weekly sports comments, music and more. www.songerstudio.com
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Please Don't Pay Collegiate Student Athletes
One of the hot topics right now in sports is whether college athletes should get paid or not. At one point in time, I though they should for many of the reasons that you hear. However, I have done a complete 180 and strongly feel that college athletes should not get paid.
Why?
First, they already get paid. They get paid in the form of college scholarships. A lot of times these scholarships are full rides to school meaning that they don’t need to apply for financial aid, they don’t have to get part time jobs, they don’t have to apply for scholarships. They are getting everything paid for. And once they graduate, they will have no debt to pay off unlike the majority of college graduates. I realize that most college athletes don’t go on to play professional sports so it’s unfair to say that they have millions of dollars waiting for them after college, but what these student athletes do have that many of us don’t is a balance of zero in the area of college loan debt which puts them far ahead of most of us.
Second, I don’t buy in to the fact that these colleges are making money off their star athletes. It’s true that last year college football fans went to see the likes of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford (before he was hurt) and that fans were buying these jerseys by the thousands. However, that does not mean that these players should be making money off of this. That money is going right back into the schools so that they can provide the best equipment, stadiums, workout facilities and all the other incentives that lured these players into playing at these schools. It’s not like these colleges have endless sources of income (like the New York Yankees). In this case you can use the saying that these players are going to make millions of dollars someday. This is their way of giving back to the school that is giving them a chance to prove their talents and abilities.
Third, and this argument may be a little weak, but I think it has some validity. I was recruited by UW-Eau Claire to play trombone. I was given a scholarship for both my academic achievements and my trombone playing ability. Throughout my career as a student at UWEC, I performed concerts, did recording sessions, toured many different high schools and communities and assisted with various events to help university recruitment. At no time was I paid for any of these situations nor should I have been. All these experiences helped build me into the type of person who was qualified to become a music teacher and a performer. The same could be said for somebody who becomes a math major and presents at conferences, competes in academic competitions and assists staff in recruitment. I realize that these comparisons may not be fair since neither bring in anywhere close to the amount of money that college football does. However, it is the same because college is a training ground for life, not an employment opportunity.
Finally, how is paying players going to solve the problem? No matter how much you pay them, they will want more and agents and runners for agents will continue to tempt them with more. I don’t see how any good can come from paying collegiate student athletes.
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Why?
First, they already get paid. They get paid in the form of college scholarships. A lot of times these scholarships are full rides to school meaning that they don’t need to apply for financial aid, they don’t have to get part time jobs, they don’t have to apply for scholarships. They are getting everything paid for. And once they graduate, they will have no debt to pay off unlike the majority of college graduates. I realize that most college athletes don’t go on to play professional sports so it’s unfair to say that they have millions of dollars waiting for them after college, but what these student athletes do have that many of us don’t is a balance of zero in the area of college loan debt which puts them far ahead of most of us.
Second, I don’t buy in to the fact that these colleges are making money off their star athletes. It’s true that last year college football fans went to see the likes of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford (before he was hurt) and that fans were buying these jerseys by the thousands. However, that does not mean that these players should be making money off of this. That money is going right back into the schools so that they can provide the best equipment, stadiums, workout facilities and all the other incentives that lured these players into playing at these schools. It’s not like these colleges have endless sources of income (like the New York Yankees). In this case you can use the saying that these players are going to make millions of dollars someday. This is their way of giving back to the school that is giving them a chance to prove their talents and abilities.
Third, and this argument may be a little weak, but I think it has some validity. I was recruited by UW-Eau Claire to play trombone. I was given a scholarship for both my academic achievements and my trombone playing ability. Throughout my career as a student at UWEC, I performed concerts, did recording sessions, toured many different high schools and communities and assisted with various events to help university recruitment. At no time was I paid for any of these situations nor should I have been. All these experiences helped build me into the type of person who was qualified to become a music teacher and a performer. The same could be said for somebody who becomes a math major and presents at conferences, competes in academic competitions and assists staff in recruitment. I realize that these comparisons may not be fair since neither bring in anywhere close to the amount of money that college football does. However, it is the same because college is a training ground for life, not an employment opportunity.
Finally, how is paying players going to solve the problem? No matter how much you pay them, they will want more and agents and runners for agents will continue to tempt them with more. I don’t see how any good can come from paying collegiate student athletes.
www.songerstudio.com
Monday, July 5, 2010
Bucks Free Agency Update
You wouldn’t know from watching ESPN that it is baseball season right now or that the World Cup and Wimbleton have been going on. All you hear about right now is NBA free agency. Every other story is on LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh amongst others.
Although it was my Bucks fan dream for Milwaukee to sign Dwayne Wade, I knew that it wasn’t going to happen. What the Bucks have done instead is what I think is the second best approach they could take. They have taken advantage of teams trying to clear salary cap space to sign these NBA divas and obtained decent players for reasonable (by NBA terms) wages. These moves are not going to lead the Bucks to a championship in and of themselves but it should keep them in the playoff hunt for the next couple years.
In the past couple weeks, the Bucks have signed veteran Corey Maggette from Golden State, the young and upcoming Chris Douglas-Roberts from New Jersey, the well-travelled Drew Gooden from the Clippers and their own free agent John Salmons who almost single handedly led the Bucks to the playoffs last spring.
When you look at these names, nothing jumps out at you too much but I think the Bucks have made a huge upgrade to their roster. Maggette had one of the best years of his 11-year career last year with the Warriors. His role will most likely be to back up Salmons. In order to obtain Maggette, the Bucks dealt Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric. Both players although serviceable and talented have shown in their fairly lengthy tenures with the Bucks that they weren’t going to help get this team very far, even as role players. And Gadzuric especially was taking up a lot of salary space. In some ways, I look at the subtraction of Bell and Gadzuric being even more important than the addition of Maggette.
Chris Douglas-Roberts was a gift from the Nets. He showed great potential last year with a terrible team. He ended up not playing much the second half of the season after a change in coaches and philosophies. He will back up Carlos Delfino and probably get plenty of playing time especially if he can adopt Scott Skiles’ approach of tenacious defense.
The Drew Gooden acquisition doesn’t impress me as much. However, they are not paying him as much as some other teams have spent on average big men. Gooden will likely start next to Andrew Bogut. And if he can conjure up the way he played in Cleveland a couple years ago when he played power forward along side a top-notch NBA center, this could be a good move for Milwaukee. When you also consider that the Bucks also have three other guys who can play power forward/center (and maybe four if they keep Kurt Thomas), they should be very strong inside both offensively and defensively.
So this is the deepest the Bucks roster has been in many many years. They should be able to go 10 or 11 deep easily. They will need that without a superstar. That is what frustrates me most though is that we don’t have a superstar. The teams that win NBA titles, have superstars. What the Bucks are banking on is that Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut and possibly John Salmons can become superstar level players. If that happens, then the Bucks go from a 5-8 seed in the playoffs to a contender.
We’ll see. Regardless, though it is pleasant talking about a team that should make the playoffs instead of debating what lottery pick they will get next year. The Bucks are finally back into the conversation.
Although it was my Bucks fan dream for Milwaukee to sign Dwayne Wade, I knew that it wasn’t going to happen. What the Bucks have done instead is what I think is the second best approach they could take. They have taken advantage of teams trying to clear salary cap space to sign these NBA divas and obtained decent players for reasonable (by NBA terms) wages. These moves are not going to lead the Bucks to a championship in and of themselves but it should keep them in the playoff hunt for the next couple years.
In the past couple weeks, the Bucks have signed veteran Corey Maggette from Golden State, the young and upcoming Chris Douglas-Roberts from New Jersey, the well-travelled Drew Gooden from the Clippers and their own free agent John Salmons who almost single handedly led the Bucks to the playoffs last spring.
When you look at these names, nothing jumps out at you too much but I think the Bucks have made a huge upgrade to their roster. Maggette had one of the best years of his 11-year career last year with the Warriors. His role will most likely be to back up Salmons. In order to obtain Maggette, the Bucks dealt Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric. Both players although serviceable and talented have shown in their fairly lengthy tenures with the Bucks that they weren’t going to help get this team very far, even as role players. And Gadzuric especially was taking up a lot of salary space. In some ways, I look at the subtraction of Bell and Gadzuric being even more important than the addition of Maggette.
Chris Douglas-Roberts was a gift from the Nets. He showed great potential last year with a terrible team. He ended up not playing much the second half of the season after a change in coaches and philosophies. He will back up Carlos Delfino and probably get plenty of playing time especially if he can adopt Scott Skiles’ approach of tenacious defense.
The Drew Gooden acquisition doesn’t impress me as much. However, they are not paying him as much as some other teams have spent on average big men. Gooden will likely start next to Andrew Bogut. And if he can conjure up the way he played in Cleveland a couple years ago when he played power forward along side a top-notch NBA center, this could be a good move for Milwaukee. When you also consider that the Bucks also have three other guys who can play power forward/center (and maybe four if they keep Kurt Thomas), they should be very strong inside both offensively and defensively.
So this is the deepest the Bucks roster has been in many many years. They should be able to go 10 or 11 deep easily. They will need that without a superstar. That is what frustrates me most though is that we don’t have a superstar. The teams that win NBA titles, have superstars. What the Bucks are banking on is that Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut and possibly John Salmons can become superstar level players. If that happens, then the Bucks go from a 5-8 seed in the playoffs to a contender.
We’ll see. Regardless, though it is pleasant talking about a team that should make the playoffs instead of debating what lottery pick they will get next year. The Bucks are finally back into the conversation.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Celtics v. Lakers...There's A Shock
The NBA Finals are set. It’s the Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Is anyone really surprised? Now I realize, the Celtics didn’t have a great season. They looked old at times. They were the four seed and were supposed to be a decisive notch below Cleveland and Orlando in the East. So maybe there is a little surprise there.
But this is the NBA. Big markets find a way to get there. Whether it’s crooked referees, rigged ping pong ball drawings, or shady trades and player acquisitions, the NBA has found a way to always have at least one big market in the Finals almost every year during David Stern’s reign as commissioner.
I know that most people looked at me as a wacko when it comes to this stuff. Their arguments include 1) how can an entire league be rigged?. 2) if it was rigged, why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long?, 3) money is made when series go seven games, not when big markets make it (which is a complete joke) or 4) how do you explain the San Antonio Spurs? Okay, that last one is difficult, although San Antonio is a huge television market. It ranks in the top ten even though from a population standpoint, it is not.
All of the rest of these arguments hold no water. Looking at these other three points in reverse order: 3) Of course the league makes more money in riveting 7-game series, but they also make a ton of money when big markets are in the mix. Compare any 7-game series with L.A. with a 7-game series without L.A. and the first one makes more. In fact, I would be willing to bet that a 5-game series with L.A. and let’s say someone like Dallas gets better ratings than a highly contested and exciting 7-game series between Utah and Portland.
2) Why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long? Two reasons. First of all, even David Stern can’t fix organizations that have made so many bad decisions. And second of all, Stern doesn’t want to make it too obvious that the fix is on. He has had the occasional strong Knicks team in 1994 and 1999. He has also subtly had the New York market in the mix this past decade with the New Jersey Nets appearing in two Finals. Let’s face it, New Jersey is just a giant suburb of New York.
Finally, how can an entire league be rigged? Well, you make the a couple key draft lotteries go the right way. You tie the hands of teams like Utah and Memphis to make stupid moves to give up Derek Fischer and Paul Gasol to the L.A. Lakers and twist it to make it look rational. You pay off referees. Don’t tell me that Tim Donaghy was an isolated incident. That Sacramento v. L.A. Lakers game wasn’t the only game decided by referees. Being a Bucks fan, I am all too aware of Game 6 of the Philadelphia v. Milwaukee Eastern Conference Finals where the referees gave the game to the 76ers. Even Ray Allen attested to that. I know that Glenn Robinson could have changed all of that by hitting a shot at the buzzer, but the referees were clearly calling that game in favor of Philly.
If you still think I’m wacko, just look at the bottom line. Year after year, big markets make the NBA Finals. In the past 30 years, there has been one NBA Finals featuring two teams not in the Top 10 market size: San Antonio vs. Cleveland. Just one! The odds of that happening are astronomical. The fix is in ladies and gentlemen. David Stern is running one big reality television show and is bringing in the big bucks.
But this is the NBA. Big markets find a way to get there. Whether it’s crooked referees, rigged ping pong ball drawings, or shady trades and player acquisitions, the NBA has found a way to always have at least one big market in the Finals almost every year during David Stern’s reign as commissioner.
I know that most people looked at me as a wacko when it comes to this stuff. Their arguments include 1) how can an entire league be rigged?. 2) if it was rigged, why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long?, 3) money is made when series go seven games, not when big markets make it (which is a complete joke) or 4) how do you explain the San Antonio Spurs? Okay, that last one is difficult, although San Antonio is a huge television market. It ranks in the top ten even though from a population standpoint, it is not.
All of the rest of these arguments hold no water. Looking at these other three points in reverse order: 3) Of course the league makes more money in riveting 7-game series, but they also make a ton of money when big markets are in the mix. Compare any 7-game series with L.A. with a 7-game series without L.A. and the first one makes more. In fact, I would be willing to bet that a 5-game series with L.A. and let’s say someone like Dallas gets better ratings than a highly contested and exciting 7-game series between Utah and Portland.
2) Why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long? Two reasons. First of all, even David Stern can’t fix organizations that have made so many bad decisions. And second of all, Stern doesn’t want to make it too obvious that the fix is on. He has had the occasional strong Knicks team in 1994 and 1999. He has also subtly had the New York market in the mix this past decade with the New Jersey Nets appearing in two Finals. Let’s face it, New Jersey is just a giant suburb of New York.
Finally, how can an entire league be rigged? Well, you make the a couple key draft lotteries go the right way. You tie the hands of teams like Utah and Memphis to make stupid moves to give up Derek Fischer and Paul Gasol to the L.A. Lakers and twist it to make it look rational. You pay off referees. Don’t tell me that Tim Donaghy was an isolated incident. That Sacramento v. L.A. Lakers game wasn’t the only game decided by referees. Being a Bucks fan, I am all too aware of Game 6 of the Philadelphia v. Milwaukee Eastern Conference Finals where the referees gave the game to the 76ers. Even Ray Allen attested to that. I know that Glenn Robinson could have changed all of that by hitting a shot at the buzzer, but the referees were clearly calling that game in favor of Philly.
If you still think I’m wacko, just look at the bottom line. Year after year, big markets make the NBA Finals. In the past 30 years, there has been one NBA Finals featuring two teams not in the Top 10 market size: San Antonio vs. Cleveland. Just one! The odds of that happening are astronomical. The fix is in ladies and gentlemen. David Stern is running one big reality television show and is bringing in the big bucks.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Bucks Improbable Season
I have been a Milwaukee Bucks fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up, us fans were treated to some incredibly good seasons in the 1980s. Sidney Moncrief, Junior Bridgeman and Marques Johnson were follwed by Jack Sikma, Ricky Pierce and Paul Pressey. Year after year the Bucks won the division or finished behind the “Bad Boy” Pistons and competed hard in the playoffs. There was nothing quite like going to the Arena to watch this team play in such an exciting atmosphere.
Then came the lean years which were interrupted briefly in the late 90s and early 00s by the George Karl era which featured Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell and a wonderful run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. But the team was inexplicably broken apart and the past few years have once again been frustratingly bad.
This season was not only supposed to be bad again but maybe once of the worst teams yet. I can’t remember looking at one preseason outlook that did not have the Bucks destined for last place in the Eastern Conference. I remember watching the first game of the season against Philadelphia and seeing some very bad moments. And then I watched the first half of the second game against Detroit. The Bucks were definitely living down to their expectations. Then in the second half of that Piston game, the first glimpse of what we were in for this season appeared. Young Brandon Jennings, our first round draft pick, went off. He scored from everywhere. He dished the ball to his teammates. He played defense and rebounded. He made free throws. “Who was this guy?” I thought. The Bucks came back and won.
A few nights later, Brandon Jennings had his memorable 55-point performance against Golden State and the now the entire world knew about Brandon Jennings. And it appeared that this Bucks team was not the worst team in the East (especially with the New Jersey Nets going well into December without a win). Coach Scott Skiles was also getting the other players on this team to play defense and to move around on offense and play solid team-ball, a concept missing in Milwaukee for quite some time.
The first half of the season had its ups and downs. There was the traditional loss of Michael Redd to injury, and also the inconsistent play of Jennings which was expected of a rookie. The team was slipping further and further under .500 but yet showed that they were better than what we all thought. Right around the all-star break, another sign of positivity was making itself known. Andrew Bogut was having a breakout season. He was finally becoming the force inside on the offensive end that the Bucks had hoped they were getting when he was drafted #1 overall in 2005.
A couple weeks later, the Bucks traded for John Salmons which became the lightning strike this team needed to take yet another step toward improvement. The Bucks began winning games in bunches and found themselves in a playoff race in February for the first time since Bogut’s rookie year. They quickly went from battling for an 8-seed to putting themselves firmly in the playoff picture. With a month to play, the Bucks surprisingly were considered a near-lock for the playoffs. It was amazing that in a five-month period, this team went from being considered the worst in the conference to a team that was a darling pick to knock off Boston or Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.
Then came the devastating injury to Andrew Bogut. The air went out of the balloon as the Bucks lost two home games to their potential first-round opponents Boston and Atlanta. But this team still had a little more life in them. They have taken the Atlanta Hawks to a seventh game in their opening round series, a series that most predicted would be over in four or five games without Bogut.
In all my years of being a Bucks fan, this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons ever. It sure gives me hope for the future as well. Hopefully the Bucks resign Salmons and can watch Bogut and Jennings continue to grow into superstars in 2010-11. It will be interesting to see where this team goes now that there are expectations.
www.songerstudio.com
Then came the lean years which were interrupted briefly in the late 90s and early 00s by the George Karl era which featured Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell and a wonderful run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. But the team was inexplicably broken apart and the past few years have once again been frustratingly bad.
This season was not only supposed to be bad again but maybe once of the worst teams yet. I can’t remember looking at one preseason outlook that did not have the Bucks destined for last place in the Eastern Conference. I remember watching the first game of the season against Philadelphia and seeing some very bad moments. And then I watched the first half of the second game against Detroit. The Bucks were definitely living down to their expectations. Then in the second half of that Piston game, the first glimpse of what we were in for this season appeared. Young Brandon Jennings, our first round draft pick, went off. He scored from everywhere. He dished the ball to his teammates. He played defense and rebounded. He made free throws. “Who was this guy?” I thought. The Bucks came back and won.
A few nights later, Brandon Jennings had his memorable 55-point performance against Golden State and the now the entire world knew about Brandon Jennings. And it appeared that this Bucks team was not the worst team in the East (especially with the New Jersey Nets going well into December without a win). Coach Scott Skiles was also getting the other players on this team to play defense and to move around on offense and play solid team-ball, a concept missing in Milwaukee for quite some time.
The first half of the season had its ups and downs. There was the traditional loss of Michael Redd to injury, and also the inconsistent play of Jennings which was expected of a rookie. The team was slipping further and further under .500 but yet showed that they were better than what we all thought. Right around the all-star break, another sign of positivity was making itself known. Andrew Bogut was having a breakout season. He was finally becoming the force inside on the offensive end that the Bucks had hoped they were getting when he was drafted #1 overall in 2005.
A couple weeks later, the Bucks traded for John Salmons which became the lightning strike this team needed to take yet another step toward improvement. The Bucks began winning games in bunches and found themselves in a playoff race in February for the first time since Bogut’s rookie year. They quickly went from battling for an 8-seed to putting themselves firmly in the playoff picture. With a month to play, the Bucks surprisingly were considered a near-lock for the playoffs. It was amazing that in a five-month period, this team went from being considered the worst in the conference to a team that was a darling pick to knock off Boston or Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.
Then came the devastating injury to Andrew Bogut. The air went out of the balloon as the Bucks lost two home games to their potential first-round opponents Boston and Atlanta. But this team still had a little more life in them. They have taken the Atlanta Hawks to a seventh game in their opening round series, a series that most predicted would be over in four or five games without Bogut.
In all my years of being a Bucks fan, this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons ever. It sure gives me hope for the future as well. Hopefully the Bucks resign Salmons and can watch Bogut and Jennings continue to grow into superstars in 2010-11. It will be interesting to see where this team goes now that there are expectations.
www.songerstudio.com
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bucks Big Picture
The incredible Milwaukee Bucks season encountered a stiff road block last Saturday when their star center Andrew Bogut, who was having a breakout season, suffered a horrific arm injury against the Phoenix Suns which has ended his season.
The Bucks, who were being picked to have a great chance to upset either Boston or Atlanta in the first round, are now pretty much being left for dead as they approach their first playoff appearance since 2006. But let’s look at this from two angles: small picture and big picture.
First of all, small picture. The Bucks were picked by nearly everyone to finish last in the Eastern Conference. That’s right. Even worse than the New Jersey Nets! The Bucks quickly suffered their annual season loss of star Michael Redd which to many indicated that this team would live up to their ominous pre-season expectations. Instead, we have been treated to a plethora of surprises. Bogut had an incredible season. Many now consider him to be one of the top five centers in the league. Rookie Brandon Jennings appears to be an up and coming star and will finish in the top three for rookie of the year. The Bucks acquired John Salmons at the trade deadline. At first, this appeared to be a ho hum trade. Instead, Salmons has become the star of this team. European players Ersan Iryaslova and Carols Delfino have been very pleasant surprises. Veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas have brought much needed leadership to this team. And Coach Scott Skiles has the Bucks playing defense for the first time since I don’t remember when. To be going to the playoffs as a 5 or 6-seed in the East is much more than any of us could have anticipated at the beginning of the season. Even if Bogut had not been lost for the year, this team would still be an underdog even to win one playoff series and would definitely have not advanced past the second round.
Now for the big picture. Even though the Bucks will most likely go out in round one, they are going to get some great playoff experience. When you consider how this team plays under Skiles, I think they are going to give the Hawks or Celtics some tough physical games. Whether they take the series to seven or get swept is really immaterial in my opinion. The next step this team takes will not happen this season. It will happen beginning this off season with who the organization decides to keep and draft. And then we will see what happens next winter when there are expectations for this team. Bogut will be expected to continue playing at a high level. Jennings, Iryaslova and Delfino will be expected to continue their growth process. John Salmons will need to continue to produce. And Skiles must figure out how to use Michael Redd if and when he returns and stays healthy in 2010-11. Much like the Atlanta Hawks of last year, the Bucks should expect to contend for a top four seed in the East a year after their breakout season. They should win a first round series next year and be competitive in a second round series.
What they can’t allow to happen is what occurred in Philadelphia this year. It looked like the 76ers were primed to be that breakout team this year. Instead, they slid completely in the other direction. Next year should be exciting and has the potential to be very fun. There hasn’t been this much expected of the Milwaukee Bucks in ten years. It’s a good feeling!
(Notice I have no baseball predictions or comments as has been tradition. My hatred of Major League Baseball has finally resulted in me not even following it anymore. Bud Selig, the players' union, the owners and everyone associated with the head office of MLB has ruined the game for me. Call me a hater if you want, but I like my sports to have competitve balance. I have no desire to follow a sport that has become so corrupt.)
The Bucks, who were being picked to have a great chance to upset either Boston or Atlanta in the first round, are now pretty much being left for dead as they approach their first playoff appearance since 2006. But let’s look at this from two angles: small picture and big picture.
First of all, small picture. The Bucks were picked by nearly everyone to finish last in the Eastern Conference. That’s right. Even worse than the New Jersey Nets! The Bucks quickly suffered their annual season loss of star Michael Redd which to many indicated that this team would live up to their ominous pre-season expectations. Instead, we have been treated to a plethora of surprises. Bogut had an incredible season. Many now consider him to be one of the top five centers in the league. Rookie Brandon Jennings appears to be an up and coming star and will finish in the top three for rookie of the year. The Bucks acquired John Salmons at the trade deadline. At first, this appeared to be a ho hum trade. Instead, Salmons has become the star of this team. European players Ersan Iryaslova and Carols Delfino have been very pleasant surprises. Veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas have brought much needed leadership to this team. And Coach Scott Skiles has the Bucks playing defense for the first time since I don’t remember when. To be going to the playoffs as a 5 or 6-seed in the East is much more than any of us could have anticipated at the beginning of the season. Even if Bogut had not been lost for the year, this team would still be an underdog even to win one playoff series and would definitely have not advanced past the second round.
Now for the big picture. Even though the Bucks will most likely go out in round one, they are going to get some great playoff experience. When you consider how this team plays under Skiles, I think they are going to give the Hawks or Celtics some tough physical games. Whether they take the series to seven or get swept is really immaterial in my opinion. The next step this team takes will not happen this season. It will happen beginning this off season with who the organization decides to keep and draft. And then we will see what happens next winter when there are expectations for this team. Bogut will be expected to continue playing at a high level. Jennings, Iryaslova and Delfino will be expected to continue their growth process. John Salmons will need to continue to produce. And Skiles must figure out how to use Michael Redd if and when he returns and stays healthy in 2010-11. Much like the Atlanta Hawks of last year, the Bucks should expect to contend for a top four seed in the East a year after their breakout season. They should win a first round series next year and be competitive in a second round series.
What they can’t allow to happen is what occurred in Philadelphia this year. It looked like the 76ers were primed to be that breakout team this year. Instead, they slid completely in the other direction. Next year should be exciting and has the potential to be very fun. There hasn’t been this much expected of the Milwaukee Bucks in ten years. It’s a good feeling!
(Notice I have no baseball predictions or comments as has been tradition. My hatred of Major League Baseball has finally resulted in me not even following it anymore. Bud Selig, the players' union, the owners and everyone associated with the head office of MLB has ruined the game for me. Call me a hater if you want, but I like my sports to have competitve balance. I have no desire to follow a sport that has become so corrupt.)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Slippery Home Stretch for Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks had been the hottest team in the NBA until these past few games. It will be interesting to see how this team handles the last week and a half of the regular season and how this affects their performance if and when they make the playoffs.
The acquisition of John Salmons along with the development of Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings have provided Bucks fans with the most exciting basketball we have seen in seven or eight years from the hometown team. They are playing defense, executing on offense, winning on the road and winning period. This team has risen from the depths of a 16-23 first half to on the verge of having a winning season and a playoff berth. As of just ten days ago, it looked like the Bucks were going to cruise into the Eastern conference playoffs as a 5-seed and have an interesting first round matchup with Atlanta or Boston.
Although they could still end up with this 5-seed, they are going to have to take it to yet another level to do that and then be prepared to take it up yet another step when the playoffs start. This past week has seen the Bucks drop two close road games against the best team in the East, Cleveland in which the Cavs shot 40 more free throws than the Bucks, and Charlotte in which the Bucks could not clamp down defensively at the end of regulation or overtime to pull out a win. Combine this with a loss to lowly Philadelphia and a demoralizing loss to Miami which has overtaken the Bucks for the 5-seed, and all of the sudden it appears that this Bucks team is not ready for a playoff run.
They have now dropped three straight games against fellow Eastern conference contenders and have watched Miami, Charlotte, Toronto and Chicago all surpass them in recent performance over the past ten days. Add to that, that the top four seeds, Cleveland, Boston, Atlanta and Orlando are all beginning to step it up as well, and it appears that the Bucks have quickly fallen from the league’s hottest team to the most suspect as we hit two weeks before the playoffs tip off.
And it isn’t going to get easier for the Bucks. Their last seven games include contests against Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta and two against Boston. All four teams are in a similar position as the Bucks as they are fighting for playoff positioning or in the case of Chicago, trying to make it into the playoffs.
From a fan perspective, I am just excited that the Bucks are in a position to make the playoffs. But, even this isn’t a gimme anymore. If the Bucks lose to Phoenix and then can’t beat the Bulls Tuesday night, Milwaukee would then ride a 4-game losing streak and be only five games over .500. With five games to play, they could be staring at only a three game lead over the Bulls for that final playoff position. Stranger things have happened.
Of course, the other downer would be if the Bucks slip to seven or eight in the standings and have to open with Cleveland or Orlando. This would not bode well for a Bucks team especially if they are struggling. A sweep out of the playoffs would be eminent.
It’s tough to look at the glass half full when you are a Bucks fan. It’s rare that this team puts it together at all, not to mention at the right time. Hopefully Scott Skiles can get this team coached up again to be physical and execute like they did in February and most of March. They are going to need to if they are going to continue to give us anything to cheer about.
Visit my website at www.songerstudio.com
The acquisition of John Salmons along with the development of Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings have provided Bucks fans with the most exciting basketball we have seen in seven or eight years from the hometown team. They are playing defense, executing on offense, winning on the road and winning period. This team has risen from the depths of a 16-23 first half to on the verge of having a winning season and a playoff berth. As of just ten days ago, it looked like the Bucks were going to cruise into the Eastern conference playoffs as a 5-seed and have an interesting first round matchup with Atlanta or Boston.
Although they could still end up with this 5-seed, they are going to have to take it to yet another level to do that and then be prepared to take it up yet another step when the playoffs start. This past week has seen the Bucks drop two close road games against the best team in the East, Cleveland in which the Cavs shot 40 more free throws than the Bucks, and Charlotte in which the Bucks could not clamp down defensively at the end of regulation or overtime to pull out a win. Combine this with a loss to lowly Philadelphia and a demoralizing loss to Miami which has overtaken the Bucks for the 5-seed, and all of the sudden it appears that this Bucks team is not ready for a playoff run.
They have now dropped three straight games against fellow Eastern conference contenders and have watched Miami, Charlotte, Toronto and Chicago all surpass them in recent performance over the past ten days. Add to that, that the top four seeds, Cleveland, Boston, Atlanta and Orlando are all beginning to step it up as well, and it appears that the Bucks have quickly fallen from the league’s hottest team to the most suspect as we hit two weeks before the playoffs tip off.
And it isn’t going to get easier for the Bucks. Their last seven games include contests against Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta and two against Boston. All four teams are in a similar position as the Bucks as they are fighting for playoff positioning or in the case of Chicago, trying to make it into the playoffs.
From a fan perspective, I am just excited that the Bucks are in a position to make the playoffs. But, even this isn’t a gimme anymore. If the Bucks lose to Phoenix and then can’t beat the Bulls Tuesday night, Milwaukee would then ride a 4-game losing streak and be only five games over .500. With five games to play, they could be staring at only a three game lead over the Bulls for that final playoff position. Stranger things have happened.
Of course, the other downer would be if the Bucks slip to seven or eight in the standings and have to open with Cleveland or Orlando. This would not bode well for a Bucks team especially if they are struggling. A sweep out of the playoffs would be eminent.
It’s tough to look at the glass half full when you are a Bucks fan. It’s rare that this team puts it together at all, not to mention at the right time. Hopefully Scott Skiles can get this team coached up again to be physical and execute like they did in February and most of March. They are going to need to if they are going to continue to give us anything to cheer about.
Visit my website at www.songerstudio.com
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Milwaukee Bucks Win 6th Straight
With March here, usually I am talking college basketball. And I will be soon. Our annual March Madness basketball tournament is right around the corner. But this week, this column has a special March guest, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The past three seasons have seen the Bucks well out of playoff contention when the calendar turned to March. Usually by this point, Michael Redd is out for the season, there are a bunch of young players leading the green machine out against teams with superior talent and their highlights usually don’t even make SportsCenter.
So what has changed this season? Well, come to think of it nothing. Redd is out for the year. There are a bunch of young guys that we don’t know much about playing big minutes and ESPN still thinks Bucks refers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But somehow, this team is winning. Today the Bucks won their season-high sixth in a row to improve to 30-28 and pull a game and a half ahead of Miami and Charlotte who are currently tied for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. They are only a game behind Chicago for 6th in the East. And even though the competition stiffens in March, 10 of their 15 games are at home. Not that they would mind playing on the road. The Bucks have won six in a row away from the Bradley Center.
Probably the biggest reasons this team is contending for its first playoff appearance since 2006 include: Andrew Bogut is finally emerging as a star in this league. Taken #1 overall in the 2005 draft, Bogut has struggled with injuries and a weak supporting cast as well as underachieving. This year, he has turned things around and is considered to be one of the top three centers in the Eastern Conference. Another reason is the acquisition of John Salmons from Chicago. He is not exactly a superstar in this league but is a consistent scorer who is picking up the slack lost when Redd went out for the year. Then you add in the level of play form the young guys starting with sensation Brandon Jennings. Jennings is still trying to figure out how he can present the biggest impact in the NBA but he has high potential and doesn’t play like a rookie.
Let’s not forget coach Scott Skiles. He has found a way to move parts around and keep this team in games nearly every night. And lately, the Bucks aren’t just winning, but they are showing flashes of offensive explosiveness and defensive brilliance.
Many would say this team would be better suited missing the playoffs again and playing the lottery again to get another piece in the puzzle. But a playoff appearance would be wonderful for this young group. And quite honestly, this team needs to go out and get an older impact player with their cap room instead of drafting another promising rookie. Maybe Dwayne Wade was watching this team from the bench the other day thinking that he would love to return to Milwaukee where he enjoyed college success and help take this young Bucks team to the next level.
That may be a pipe dream, but one can only hope that this is the beginning of something good.
For more from Eric Songer, visit www.songerstudio.com
The past three seasons have seen the Bucks well out of playoff contention when the calendar turned to March. Usually by this point, Michael Redd is out for the season, there are a bunch of young players leading the green machine out against teams with superior talent and their highlights usually don’t even make SportsCenter.
So what has changed this season? Well, come to think of it nothing. Redd is out for the year. There are a bunch of young guys that we don’t know much about playing big minutes and ESPN still thinks Bucks refers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But somehow, this team is winning. Today the Bucks won their season-high sixth in a row to improve to 30-28 and pull a game and a half ahead of Miami and Charlotte who are currently tied for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. They are only a game behind Chicago for 6th in the East. And even though the competition stiffens in March, 10 of their 15 games are at home. Not that they would mind playing on the road. The Bucks have won six in a row away from the Bradley Center.
Probably the biggest reasons this team is contending for its first playoff appearance since 2006 include: Andrew Bogut is finally emerging as a star in this league. Taken #1 overall in the 2005 draft, Bogut has struggled with injuries and a weak supporting cast as well as underachieving. This year, he has turned things around and is considered to be one of the top three centers in the Eastern Conference. Another reason is the acquisition of John Salmons from Chicago. He is not exactly a superstar in this league but is a consistent scorer who is picking up the slack lost when Redd went out for the year. Then you add in the level of play form the young guys starting with sensation Brandon Jennings. Jennings is still trying to figure out how he can present the biggest impact in the NBA but he has high potential and doesn’t play like a rookie.
Let’s not forget coach Scott Skiles. He has found a way to move parts around and keep this team in games nearly every night. And lately, the Bucks aren’t just winning, but they are showing flashes of offensive explosiveness and defensive brilliance.
Many would say this team would be better suited missing the playoffs again and playing the lottery again to get another piece in the puzzle. But a playoff appearance would be wonderful for this young group. And quite honestly, this team needs to go out and get an older impact player with their cap room instead of drafting another promising rookie. Maybe Dwayne Wade was watching this team from the bench the other day thinking that he would love to return to Milwaukee where he enjoyed college success and help take this young Bucks team to the next level.
That may be a pipe dream, but one can only hope that this is the beginning of something good.
For more from Eric Songer, visit www.songerstudio.com
Saturday, February 6, 2010
NFL Season In Review (from an NFC North slant of course)
This is always a sad time for me when it comes to my sports watching addiction. It’s the end of football season which is by far my favorite sport to watch. Luckily, my second favorite is college basketball which is entering it’s most exciting part of the season. (The most sad time is when college basketball ends and baseball starts.)
With that said, this NFL season was probably the most exciting and fun season for me as a fan since two years ago when the Packers made the NFC Championship Game. And before that it was probably the most exciting since the Packers’ two Super Bowl runs in that late 1990’s. And I say this even though the Packers lost twice to Brett Favre and Vikings and were bounced in a most horrible way out of the playoffs.
What made this season so fun was the drama that built throughout. It of course all started with Brett Favre signing with the Vikings. Throw in the signing of Jay Cutler by the Bears and a lot of us fans of the NFC North were convinced that this was going to be a great three-team race. Many “experts” were picking the Bears, Vikings and Packers to all have good seasons.
So we sat back and watched the preseason. Cutler, Favre and Rodgers all impressed us. When the real season started, the Packers pulled out a close one against the Bears. Brett Favre had that spectacular game winning throw against San Francisco. Then of course there were the two Packer losses to the Vikings which of course were not easy to take but the drama surrounding those two games were very entertaining. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler’s fast start was quickly fading as the interceptions began to mount.
It appeared that the Vikings were going to run away with the division after the Packers and Bears scuffled through the first half of the season. But the second half of the season had it’s own set of story lines. After Aaron Rodgers endured a terrible first eight games in the department of being sacked at a near record pace, he began getting more protection and started unloading the ball in a more timely fashion and racked up numbers that put him in the MVP race. The Packers also put together a winning streak that included great wins over Dallas and Baltimore and solidified a place in the playoffs. The defense was ranked number one in the league thanks to great play by Clay Matthews and a revival from the eventual defensive player of the year Charles Woodson.
Meanwhile, the Vikings stumbled in losses to Arizona and Carolina. And Brett Favre and Brad Childress had a major run in when it came to play calling and audibles at the line. The division could have been on the line had it not been for a game-ending touchdown by Pittsburgh over the Packers in December in one of the best 4th quarters I have ever watched. The Vikings then engaged in a very entertaining Monday night game against the Bears who had slid completely off the table during the middle of the season. The Bears won in overtime after a furious Viking comeback in the second half jeopardizing the Vikings shot at a first round bye.
When all was said and done, the Vikings won the division and earned a bye after throttling New York the final week of the season. And the Packers easily took the first wildcard slot after convincing wins over Seattle and Arizona.
The ending of the story did not disappoint from a drama standpoint although fans of both teams were left in complete disappointment in the final games. The Packers spotted Arizona leads of 17-0 and 31-10 before mounting a comeback to tie the game at 45 at the end of regulation. Aaron Rodgers who would eventually start the ProBowl for the NFC missed a wide open Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime that would have won the game. Two plays later he lost the ball and the Cardinals won the game 51-45. Heartbreak.
The Vikings matched that disappointment and then some after a convincing defeat of Dallas in the Divisional round, they overcame a turnover infested performance against New Orleans to put them in position to win the game. But a 12-players in a huddle mistake by Childress and then an interception by Brett Favre cost them that opportunity. And New Orleans went on to win an overtime. The irony of Favre not only repeating history by making a bone headed play in a playoff game is amazing. But throw in how his last throw as a Viking could have the same disastrous result as his last throw as a Packer could not have even been written in Hollywood.
So here we are at the end of the season awaiting the 2010 NFL season much like a movie that begs for a sequel. And fortunately, that is what we are going to get.
Eric Songer
With that said, this NFL season was probably the most exciting and fun season for me as a fan since two years ago when the Packers made the NFC Championship Game. And before that it was probably the most exciting since the Packers’ two Super Bowl runs in that late 1990’s. And I say this even though the Packers lost twice to Brett Favre and Vikings and were bounced in a most horrible way out of the playoffs.
What made this season so fun was the drama that built throughout. It of course all started with Brett Favre signing with the Vikings. Throw in the signing of Jay Cutler by the Bears and a lot of us fans of the NFC North were convinced that this was going to be a great three-team race. Many “experts” were picking the Bears, Vikings and Packers to all have good seasons.
So we sat back and watched the preseason. Cutler, Favre and Rodgers all impressed us. When the real season started, the Packers pulled out a close one against the Bears. Brett Favre had that spectacular game winning throw against San Francisco. Then of course there were the two Packer losses to the Vikings which of course were not easy to take but the drama surrounding those two games were very entertaining. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler’s fast start was quickly fading as the interceptions began to mount.
It appeared that the Vikings were going to run away with the division after the Packers and Bears scuffled through the first half of the season. But the second half of the season had it’s own set of story lines. After Aaron Rodgers endured a terrible first eight games in the department of being sacked at a near record pace, he began getting more protection and started unloading the ball in a more timely fashion and racked up numbers that put him in the MVP race. The Packers also put together a winning streak that included great wins over Dallas and Baltimore and solidified a place in the playoffs. The defense was ranked number one in the league thanks to great play by Clay Matthews and a revival from the eventual defensive player of the year Charles Woodson.
Meanwhile, the Vikings stumbled in losses to Arizona and Carolina. And Brett Favre and Brad Childress had a major run in when it came to play calling and audibles at the line. The division could have been on the line had it not been for a game-ending touchdown by Pittsburgh over the Packers in December in one of the best 4th quarters I have ever watched. The Vikings then engaged in a very entertaining Monday night game against the Bears who had slid completely off the table during the middle of the season. The Bears won in overtime after a furious Viking comeback in the second half jeopardizing the Vikings shot at a first round bye.
When all was said and done, the Vikings won the division and earned a bye after throttling New York the final week of the season. And the Packers easily took the first wildcard slot after convincing wins over Seattle and Arizona.
The ending of the story did not disappoint from a drama standpoint although fans of both teams were left in complete disappointment in the final games. The Packers spotted Arizona leads of 17-0 and 31-10 before mounting a comeback to tie the game at 45 at the end of regulation. Aaron Rodgers who would eventually start the ProBowl for the NFC missed a wide open Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime that would have won the game. Two plays later he lost the ball and the Cardinals won the game 51-45. Heartbreak.
The Vikings matched that disappointment and then some after a convincing defeat of Dallas in the Divisional round, they overcame a turnover infested performance against New Orleans to put them in position to win the game. But a 12-players in a huddle mistake by Childress and then an interception by Brett Favre cost them that opportunity. And New Orleans went on to win an overtime. The irony of Favre not only repeating history by making a bone headed play in a playoff game is amazing. But throw in how his last throw as a Viking could have the same disastrous result as his last throw as a Packer could not have even been written in Hollywood.
So here we are at the end of the season awaiting the 2010 NFL season much like a movie that begs for a sequel. And fortunately, that is what we are going to get.
Eric Songer
Friday, January 15, 2010
Packers Heartbreak, Badgers Annual "Surprise"
When the Green Bay Packers fell behind 17-0 last weekend in their wildcard playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, I was obviously frustrated with my team’s performance but I was not about to call the game over. Even after the Packers could not hold the Cardinals after a couple first half scores and even the touchdown to being the third quarter which put Arizona up 31-10, I thought this team still had a shot.
And sure enough. An amazing second half ensued. The third and fourth quarter were filled with amazing plays and exciting moments such as Greg Jennings’ one-handed catch, an onside kick that the Packers recovered, countless moments where Aaron Rodgers scrambled out of the pocket and made big plays. Then as the game came down to the end, a touchdown by Havner that I was convinced had been scored too soon. And I would have been right had Neil Rackers not botched a short field goal that would have won the game in regulation.
When the Packers won the toss in overtime, I was sure we would win. I said to Heidi, “throw it deep to Jennings on the first play”, reminiscent of the Broncos-Packers overtime game two years ago. Sure enough, Rodgers let it fly, but just a tad to far out of Jennings’ reach. One play and one penalty later, the game was lost on one of Aaron Rodgers’ two bad plays of the game when he lost the ball and it was run back for the winning touchdown.
Although the game ended in heartbreaking fashion, it was the game of the year in my opinion and one of the ten best NFL games I have ever watched. And if nothing else, it gave me hope for the future. Aaron Rodgers is going to become one of the top quarterbacks of the next decade and if Ted Thompson is as good as he thinks he is, this team will be in the playoffs many years to come. There is some work to do on the offensive line and continued learning that needs to be done in the 3-4 defense if they decide to continue down that path. There are other minor details to work out like is Ryan Grant the back they want to stick with, finding a punter, and making some adjustments to the secondary when going against good passing attacks.
But I am confident this team will be a winner again next season. The schedule will be tougher but this team will be better. Ron Jaworski, ESPN analyst for Monday Night Football, made a comment at the beginning of the 2008 season that this was the beginning of a destiny. It’s off to a slowly-improving start, but so was the Packer run of the mid-1990s and many of the championship teams of this past decade. Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay all had many disappointments in the playoffs before winning their championships. I think it is just a matter of time for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
So with football season culminating, it’s time to shift attention to college basketball. And does anyone notice how the Wisconsin Badgers are picked to finish between fifth and eighth in the Big Ten every year. And all they do is finish in the top four every year. The Badgers are once again doing this. I saw them picked to finish as low as eighth place this year in the Big Ten. All they’ve done is beaten Maryland, Duke, Ohio State and Purdue when all those teams were ranked and a couple still are. They are sitting at 4-1 in the Big Ten and are arguably the second best team in the conference right now behind Michigan State.
Here we go as we get set for another exciting final half of the college basketball season!
Check out my website at www.songerstudio.com
And sure enough. An amazing second half ensued. The third and fourth quarter were filled with amazing plays and exciting moments such as Greg Jennings’ one-handed catch, an onside kick that the Packers recovered, countless moments where Aaron Rodgers scrambled out of the pocket and made big plays. Then as the game came down to the end, a touchdown by Havner that I was convinced had been scored too soon. And I would have been right had Neil Rackers not botched a short field goal that would have won the game in regulation.
When the Packers won the toss in overtime, I was sure we would win. I said to Heidi, “throw it deep to Jennings on the first play”, reminiscent of the Broncos-Packers overtime game two years ago. Sure enough, Rodgers let it fly, but just a tad to far out of Jennings’ reach. One play and one penalty later, the game was lost on one of Aaron Rodgers’ two bad plays of the game when he lost the ball and it was run back for the winning touchdown.
Although the game ended in heartbreaking fashion, it was the game of the year in my opinion and one of the ten best NFL games I have ever watched. And if nothing else, it gave me hope for the future. Aaron Rodgers is going to become one of the top quarterbacks of the next decade and if Ted Thompson is as good as he thinks he is, this team will be in the playoffs many years to come. There is some work to do on the offensive line and continued learning that needs to be done in the 3-4 defense if they decide to continue down that path. There are other minor details to work out like is Ryan Grant the back they want to stick with, finding a punter, and making some adjustments to the secondary when going against good passing attacks.
But I am confident this team will be a winner again next season. The schedule will be tougher but this team will be better. Ron Jaworski, ESPN analyst for Monday Night Football, made a comment at the beginning of the 2008 season that this was the beginning of a destiny. It’s off to a slowly-improving start, but so was the Packer run of the mid-1990s and many of the championship teams of this past decade. Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay all had many disappointments in the playoffs before winning their championships. I think it is just a matter of time for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
So with football season culminating, it’s time to shift attention to college basketball. And does anyone notice how the Wisconsin Badgers are picked to finish between fifth and eighth in the Big Ten every year. And all they do is finish in the top four every year. The Badgers are once again doing this. I saw them picked to finish as low as eighth place this year in the Big Ten. All they’ve done is beaten Maryland, Duke, Ohio State and Purdue when all those teams were ranked and a couple still are. They are sitting at 4-1 in the Big Ten and are arguably the second best team in the conference right now behind Michigan State.
Here we go as we get set for another exciting final half of the college basketball season!
Check out my website at www.songerstudio.com
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