The Best Game of THIS Weekend Debate… Iggles Must Bear Down

November 23, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek.

It should come as no big surprise to the TSD faithful that Babe Ruthless is not the biggest fan of college football. While NCAA football may be the tantalizing main course for other writers here at The Sports Debates, college football is usually just lumpy mashed potatoes to me.

So while this holiday weekend provides a virtual cornucopia of mouth watering college matchups – such as the intense border battles between schools like Michigan and Ohio state and the deep-seated state rivalries between schools like Auburn and Alabama, Clemson and South Carolina, Florida and Florida State, and Georgia and Georgia Tech – the amateur action leaves me wanting for seconds on my fill of football.

But, I have no fear. The NFL delivers its own smorgasbord of marquee matchups and dramatic storylines to fill the awkward silent moments while you await the departure of your house guests. Storylines such as the well timed return of Vincent Jackson to an underachieving San Diego Charger offense, and the highly publicized war of words between T.O. and Darrelle Revis. It’s enough for any with gridiron glutton.

But far and away the game that packs the most punch this Thanksgiving weekend is the NFC showdown between the NFC East leading Eagles (7-3) and the NFC North leading Bears (7-3).

This matchup figures to be a classic case of the unstoppable force colliding with the immovable object. Philadelphia is playing ridiculously well with Michael Vick under center, but the team faces, quite possibly, its biggest challenge against one of the league’s best defenses in Chicago.

By all appearances the Eagles offense seems to be unstoppable. The Eagles have posted the second most points in the NFL this season with 284 points, just five points fewer than the league leader New England’s 289. But, if Vick had been starting the entire season, it is possible the Eagles would be at the top. Keep in mind the short-lived Kevin Kolb era had Vick pulling down sideline duty with a clipboard in hand. But now Philly has found its groove with a dynamic offense that has been running wild with #7 as the full time signal caller. Many certainly doubted the legitimacy of Vick’s ability to bounce back after his time away from the game – myself included. But he has bounced back… in a big way. Look no further than the absolute humiliation of the man who brought Vick to the Eagles, Donovan McNabb, when the Redskins were drubbed 59-28. Make no second guesses about Vick’s Eagles, they are a force.

Still if any team figures to slow down these juggernauts it’s the Daaaaaaaaa Bears (I always wanted to write that). Chicago has earned its reputation once again as the dominant defensive powerhouse in the league. This season the Bears have held opponents to a measly 146 points, tied for best in the NFL with division rival Green Bay. Even more amazing is the fact that the Bears have secured the top spot in the competitive NFC North, to say nothing of posting the same win-loss record as Philly, all while ranking among the bottom third of the league in average points per game as well as rushing and passing. I do not intend to celebrate offensive ineptitude. I mean to call attention to just how awesome the defense truly is, and the scary thing is it seems to be getting better. Since adding phenom defensive end Julius Peppers this off-season the Bears have become much more dangerous on defense. The most recent shutout performance against the Dolphins indicates that Peppers and company are heating up at the right time.

This is certain to be a brutal clash of epic proportions. One that should make even the worst Thanksgiving experiences a distant memory even if just for a few hours.

My Zimbio Blog Directory Sport Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
Add us to your technorati favorites Digg! Bookmark and Share

Leave a Comment » | The Best Game of this PRE-BCS Bowl Season Debate | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Babe Ruthless

The 2010 NCAAB Player of the Year Debate – Contenders Cannot Scale the Wall

March 12, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.

It sure is easy to hand Ohio State’s Evan Turner the college basketball national Player of the Year award (especially after Friday’s game-winner), isn’t it? But, if Bleacher Fan is unable to convince anyone of Evan Turner’s greatness, a few sentences of accolades won’t cut it here. The point is, Turner is a great player who had a great season. But he is NOT the ONLY player in college basketball to have a great season – no matter what the talking faces on ESPN and CBS say. While Turner fills up a stat sheet, Kentucky’s John Wall fills up the win column, and is the straw that stirs the drink on a sure-fire number one seed next week.

While Turner’s stats are nice, John Wall has amassed some excellent stats this season as well. He is averaging just under 17 points per game, four rebounds (not bad for a six-foot something guard), and over six assists per game. While he shoots 46 percent from the field, his 33 percent clip from behind the 3 point line is solid, as is his 78 percent accuracy from the free throw line.

Oh, and he’s a 19-year-old freshman in college and the point guard on arguably the best team in the entire country.

Wall’s stats are solid, but his work ethic is too, by evidence of his willingness to use his amazing speed at both ends of the floor. Yes, that’s right, John Wall plays defense. Getting technical for a moment, there is a reason coach’s recruit speed. Wall’s quick lateral movement on the perimeter makes it very difficult to turn the corner on him on a pick and roll, and very hard to beat him back in transition. Going the other direction, Wall is an excellent finisher around the basket in the unlikely event he is not the first person to reach it due to his speed.

Wall makes the other players on the floor better in a way Evan Turner cannot. While Turner is an ISO player for Ohio State – a skill that will serve him well at the next level, especially – Wall makes other players better… and here’s what I mean. It’s not just the direct, easy-to-see stat line where it is super obvious that a player is good for a team based on the number of assists they log. John Wall does not always get the most assists in a game. Often he will make the right pass to start a ball swing to the opposite side of the floor, resulting in a wide open three point shot attempt or an easy entry pass into the post for a high percentage shot. Those types of plays do not show up in the stat line, but they perfectly describe the impact a player like John Wall has on a team.

Wall’s speed and position – point guard – also translate well into a natural leadership role, even for a youngster. Leadership breeds confidence – and confidence breeds clutch shots.

Perhaps the most critical and difficult to replicate aspect of Wall’s game is his ability to make the big play when it matters the most. Wall’s game is not devoted solely to what shots or passes he makes, it is devoted in large part to when he makes them. In short, John Wall is clutch… and not just one time, but many times during the course of the season. Whether it’s a last second layup or a clutch jump shot, Wall does not shy away from the spotlight. He has proven that he is able to make the play when the most is on the line.

Of course Kentucky is a deeper team than Ohio State. Wall definitely has more players with more skills around him that Turner does. Though Wall may not fill up a stat sheet like Turner does, he fills up the coach’s checklist, the win column… and the stat sheet, too.

My Zimbio Blog Directory Sport Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
Add us to your technorati favorites Digg! Bookmark and Share

1 Comment | The NCAAB Player of the Year Debate | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sports Geek

The 2010 Most Surprising NFL Move (So Far) Debate – Peppers’ Pick Wrong Kind of Spicy

March 8, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Babe Ruthless.

For me, NFL free agency is the real beginning of the new season. When you grow up rooting for teams that just are not reliably good year in and year out, free agency is a particularly exciting part of the professional football year.

With that take on free agency it may be surprising to discover that, as a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears, I am seriously disappointed in general manager Jerry Angelo’s signing of defensive end Julius Peppers.

First, the size of the contract is far too large. Peppers is 31-years-old, and Chicago signed him to six year contract valued at $91.5M. It is difficult to imagine the Peppers Chicago signed at 31 will be the same Peppers at 36 or 37-years-old (assuming he’s still playing). Not only are the Bears paying high prices for declining skills a problem with signing Peppers, he has shown a tendency toward being a mercenary. The Charlotte Observer reported Peppers indicated he would have stayed in Charlotte if the Panthers could have come up with an additional six million dollars. Six million dollars!! Chump change to him, but it proves a larger point.

Aside from the clear reach of the contract, its enormous size – even an uncapped year like this one – puts severe limitations on adding other necessary talent to the Bears. The fact is, the Bears did not need a defensive end.

The team invested a great deal of time and money and disruption into acquiring quarterback Jay Cutler. Historically, the offense has relied a great deal on a run-first strategy – in large part because of the wind in the stadium and the inability to consistently pass effectively – and invested accordingly with the offensive rookie of the year two seasons ago, running back Matt Forte. What the Bears currently do not have right now is anyone capable of effectively blocking for the team’s primary offensive strategy. Angelo’s huge contract to Peppers makes investment in a much-needed offensive lineman or two virtually impossible. What’s more, if head coach Lovie Smith really DID want to add a defensive player, the emphasis should have been placed on a defensive back, as the team’s pass defense was terrible last season. With the health of the defensive line improving toward the end of last season (read: Tommie Harris), and the linebacker corps taking a similar turn toward health for the 2010 season, emphasis must be placed on pass defense where an extremely inexperienced group is often exploited. Rather than placing resources behind real need, Angelo has perpetuated the problems on the team and is setting up what promises to be Lovie Smith’s last season as a Chicago Bears head coach.

Plus, an already old Chicago Bears team just keeps getting older. Angelo, either through trades and other moves that create additional financial limitations, made it impossible to get younger or draft a group of players high in the draft because of the salary requirements for that caliber of talent. The Bears need to trade away some of the older talent and accentuate the younger talent. Instead, through coaching staff changes and bad free agent moves, the best players are being marginalized. Tight end Greg Olsen is likely on his way out of town or straight to the bench because he is not the type of tight end who can succeed in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system. In short, the Bears’ best player on offensive is now not important anymore.

As much as Martz’s hiring has distracted the offense from improving in 2010, Rod Marinelli’s promotion to defensive coordinator, and his professional emphasis on coaching defensive lineman, means the free safety and cornerback positions were not addressed despite the fact that established and successful defensive backs were available.

While adding Chester Taylor at running back is pointless without any blockers, the move to add Julius Peppers is pointless and distracting and sure to make the Bears worse for 2010 and well beyond. I hope that Jerry Angelo and the coaching staff is already getting their respective resumes together. It is going to be a long 2010 season in Chicago.

My Zimbio Blog Directory Sport Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
Add us to your technorati favorites Digg! Bookmark and Share

Leave a Comment » | The 2010 Most Surprising NFL Free Agent Move Debate | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sports Geek

The Starting the Back Up Quarterback Debate – Leinart Is Ready To Leave the Nest

November 25, 2009

Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer about which NFL backup quarterback SHOULD be starting for their team right now.



Matt Leinart should be starting at quarterback in the NFL this season… at least, somewhere. Since Leinart was drafted as the tenth overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, a series of unfortunate events (i.e. a broken collarbone, a horrendous preseason, Paris Hilton) derailed Leinart from the fast track to superstardom. Now, during just his fourth season in the NFL, he finds himself blocked on the depth charts by a surprisingly resurgent fossil – I mean, quarterback – Kurt Warner. Leinart deserves a shot at a starting gig, if not in Arizona then somewhere.

Leinart has demonstrated immense talent. His college accolades are a testament to that, but he also has NFL experience. Leinart displayed flashes of brilliance his first season in the league throwing for 11 touchdowns and rushing for two more. In just 11 starts during the 2006 season, Leinart amassed 2,547 passing yards proving that he is more than capable of starting in the NFL, but he has not been given the opportunity to develop further. Leinart’s critics will point to his 12 interceptions that season and claim it was a sign of problems to come. Those critics should remember that a young Peyton Manning threw 26 touchdowns and a league leading 28 interception across four more starts than Leinart during his first season, and he turned out okay.

Serviceable quarterbacks are in high demand in the NFL in 2009. Numerous teams are looking to resolve QB questions in the upcoming 2010 draft, but Leinart serves as a unique and much better alternative. Leinart provides experience and affordability. The top two quarterbacks in last year’s draft received massive contracts, including $41.7 million (Matthew Stafford) and $28 million (Mark Sanchez) in guaranteed money. Leinart is currently in the fourth year of his six year deal, and his salary breaks down to an average around $6.75 million a year. His contract allows the team that acquires him a relatively cheap test drive. If they like him, they could sign him long term. If they find him a poor fit then they could part ways following the 2011 season. That is like offering a guy on a moped a $25 a month lease on a sports car. Who could turn that down?

You may be thinking, “Babe Ruthless, you are CRAZY! There is no way the Cardinals could afford to let Leinart go because Kurt Warner is way too old.” Let me assure you that I am crazy… crazy like a fox. You see, trading Matt Leinart is the right deal for both Leinart and the Cardinals. Warner has some gas left in the tank and many think he will remain the starter for the next two seasons. This creates a situation for Leinart not unlike what Aaron Rodgers faced just two seasons ago. Rodgers was blocked from the role of starter by living legend, Brett Farve, but the Packers waited till it was too late to make the most of both quarterbacks value. I suggest that the Cardinals strike while the iron is hot and trade Leinart for players that can make a difference now. The Cardinals could trade Leinart to a team in need of a new quarterback and get an upgrade that pays immediate dividends. I would bet that the Bills, Panthers, and more teams could find suitable trades that would benefit both teams. The Cardinals could get a trade that brings in a game-changing pass rusher like Julius Peppers or Aaron Schobel. Such a trade could bring the missing piece of the puzzle the Cardinals need to return to and win the Super Bowl, and allow Leinart to prove he has what it takes to lead a team.

Leinart must start somewhere, and soon. He is capable and ready to shine. If the Cardinals are not ready to give him the reigns, then the team should use him as trade bait to improve a team that is bordering on the cusp of greatness.

My Zimbio Blog Directory Sport Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
Add us to your technorati favorites Digg! Bookmark and Share

Leave a Comment » | The Starting the Back Up Quarterback Debate | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Babe Ruthless

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.