Read Sports Geek’s argument that Big Ben is someone the Steelers cannot lose to injury while Bleacher Fan argues that the Ravens cannot afford to lose Ed Reed.
Most teams have played two pre-season games to this point, with two more following in the next couple of weeks. The third pre-season game traditionally showcases the starters for at least a half, while the fourth and final game is basically a showcase for the reserves and the guys trying to make the team. Excited yet? I’m sure excited! What is not exciting is the thought of a star player going down due to injury. Which NFL team can least afford to lose their superstar? After careful deliberation, I have decided that the Indianapolis Colts can ill afford to lose quarterback Peyton Manning.
Peyton Manning has been a star in the league ever since he was drafted first overall by the Colts back in the 1998 NFL Draft. He is a beloved figure in the league. People in SEC country absolutely love him. You will even hear Gator fans and Bulldog fans say they have the utmost respect for Manning. Loyal Homer’s mother, who was born and raised in Georgia and is an avid Georgia Bulldog fan, will root for Peyton Manning against the Falcons and it drives me crazy!! The truth is you will not find many people who will say a negative comment about Manning.
In the NFL, Manning has been named MVP three times. Since starting as a rookie, Manning has an overall record of 124-68 (which includes a 7-8 record in the playoffs and a 3-13 record his rookie season.) The offense is built around him. Before the beginning of the 2008 season, Manning had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee. The injury caused him to miss a good bit of training camp and all of pre-season. Did he struggle? No, not him individually. He actually won his third MVP.
This year could be one of Manning’s biggest challenges. Gone is longtime Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison. That is a big hole to fill, as Harrison has been with Manning since the beginning of the Manning Era. Also gone is former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore. He has been Manning’s offensive coordinator for his entire career. Together, Moore and Manning developed the hurry up offense for the Colts. In this offense, the team skips the huddle and goes straight to the line. It is Manning’s responsibility to read the defense and call a play that he sees as a successful play. He audibles the play to the rest of the team through verbal and hand signals.
I am not sure any other quarterback in the NFL could do this. He is the unquestioned leader of the team. Can you honestly see Jim Sorgi running the hurry-up offense? That is exactly what would happen if Manning went down with an injury. Sorgi is to Manning what Jason Garrett was to Troy Aikman for years – nothing but a career backup. If Manning goes down, he takes the team down with him. They go from a Super Bowl contender to a mediocre team. Does another team take that much of a fall in a league built on parity. I think not!
If there is a team that cannot afford to have its star go down, it is the Indianapolis Colts.
Posted by Loyal Homer 
The What Makes a Better In-Game Analyst Debate – Analyze This!
August 5, 2009Read the debate intro and read Sport’s Geek’s argument that someone with no playing experience makes a better in-game analyst.
This is sure to be an interesting and unique debate, and it is appropriate that Sports Geek and I debate it. We both have backgrounds in various types of media, both on-air broadcast and print. Plus, we are both fascinated with sports media. Heck, we read the same TV media columns, including our favorite written by USA Today columnist Michael Hiestand.
Bleacher Fan asks us what qualification makes for a better in-game sports analyst. And to me, a better analyst is someone who has played the game. A better analyst is someone who can break down the X’s and O’s and the nuances of the game he is analyzing. In his intro, Bleacher Fan asks Sports Geek to argue that the better analyst possesses “an ability to communicate in a manner that makes the sport compelling to watch.” The onus should fall on the play-by-play commentator to do that.
Let’s use a couple of examples. I will hopefully prove that this is an excellent way to get the point across and it is something that only someone who has played the game can talk about.
Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 324 games, is currently a commentator for the Atlanta Braves radio network and very underrated as an analyst. He was and still is a student of the game. What he does better than most is go inside the head of a pitcher. When a situation comes up in a game he will often talk about what is in the head of a pitcher from a psychological perspective. He’ll break down scouting reports of not only pitchers, but also hitters. He often breaks down what a pitcher does – or should do – on his non-throwing days. It really does vary from pitcher to pitcher. He can talk about this and have instant credibility because of his background as a Hall of Fame pitcher. He is someone listeners trust. His words mean more than someone like Steve Phillips when he says something to about a pitcher. I respect Phillips and his front office background. He did, after all, build a team that made it to the World Series (2000 New York Mets). But, what does he know about pitching? If Sutton was not in the broadcast booth, he could be in the dugout as a pitching coach. Having met the guy in person, he is a heckuva nice guy… and even comes across that way on air.
Another analyst and former player I like is Troy Aikman. When Aikman was first hired by FOX in 2001, I thought it was a match made in hell. Aikman never came across to me as someone who could break down a game the way an analyst should. Folks, I was wrong. He has quickly shot up the FOX chain of command and is now the analyst on the lead crew with Joe Buck on FOX. Aikman’s dry wit and smooth persona go along with his deep knowledge of the game. He is able to see things in the coverage of defenses that Tony Kornheiser can’t see (to be fair, that was not Tony’s role on Monday Night Football). Perhaps Aikman keeps his eye on linebacker or a safety from the booth – much the same way he did on the field – and is able to express how Peyton Manning was able to hit Dallas Clark over the middle. These are little things that make a broadcast more effective… these are little things that Kornheiser might study film and be able to say that, but he is not a Hall of Fame quarterback. He is not Troy Aikman. Whose opinion do you value more when discussing football? It is nothing against Kornhesier. I absolutely love him on Pardon the Interruption. But again, he is not Troy Aikman and would probably tell you so.
Imagine you are at a doctor’s office awaiting a consultation with your cardiologist. You are talking to the nurse and she says, “What they usually do is go in and…” Now, ten minutes later, you talk to your doctor and he tells you, “Loyal Homer, I have done hundreds of surgeries like this. What I will do is connect this valve to this valve and…” Now, who makes you feel better there?
Analysts analyze. Just ask yourself… can you really effectively analyze if you have not been in that position yourself? No you cannot!