Andy Pettitte, 38, ended his 16 year career last week by announcing his retirement. Throughout his career, Pettitte has collected 240 wins, 5 World Series rings, a 3.88 career ERA, and 2,251 strikeouts. Does Pettitte deserve to have ticket punched to Cooperstown? Let’s go inside the numbers…
If Pettitte is going to be remembered for anything, it is the fact the he is all time wins leader in the postseason with 19. Granted, he pitched in the postseason 14 out of 16 seasons he was in the major leagues. That is a crucial fact to the reason why he won so many games, mainly during the Yankee dynasty in the late 1990’s, but without Pettitte the Yankees might not have won all five World Series Championships.
Pettitte was a big game pitcher in the postseason as he always rose to the occasion and was usually dubbed with being the starter in game 2 of every series. He would either be the stopper from game 1 if his team lost or push his team to a 2-0 lead with another victory.
Some memorable postseason games:
1996 World Series – Game 5 (series tied 2-2) at Turner Field
Pettitte: 8.1 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, W
2003 ALCS – Game 2 (series 1-0 Boston) at Yankee Stadium
Pettitte: 6.2 innings, 9 hits, 2 ER, 5 K, W
2003 World Series – Game 2 (series 1-0 Florida) at Yankee Stadium
Pettitte: 8.2 innings, 6 hits, 0 ER, 7 K’s, W
2009 World Series – Game 3 (series tied 1-1) at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia
Pettitte: 6 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs, 7 K’s, W
Yes, Pettitte is not the best postseason pitcher to ever live, but he did have a tremendous amount of success in October and should not be looked over. One thing that does get looked over a lot is the fact that for 13 seasons he pitched in the AL East, which has been considered a hitters division for many years. Pettitte won a lot of games against AL East opponents, let alone the rest of the American League. During the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s, there were a plethora of great hitters and DH’s like Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas, David Ortiz, Edgar Martinez, and many others Pettitte had to deal with.
Looking back, Pettitte never won a CY Young Award, was an All-Star 3 times, only won 20 games twice, was not close to 3,000 strikeouts, and only won 240 regular season games. Putting numbers aside, he should be in the Hall of Fame because he was a fierce competitor, extremely durable, not afraid of the big game, pitched in a hitters league (American League), let alone in a hitters division, and was the core foundation for the Yankees for several years. He pitched with great control and had three effective pitches (fastball, cutter, and curveball) that made him extremely successful. Pettitte was a leader in the clubhouse, whether it was for the Yankees or the Astros and was someone who could be counted on to get the job done.
Overall, Pettitte won 240 games and had 100+ more wins than loses for his career. He had 10+ winning seasons 15 out of 16 years in the majors. He also had a sub 4.00 ERA pitching most of his career in the AL East and won 19 postseason games. How many pitchers in the Hall of Fame can say that? Not many!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday Evening Review
Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers on their Super Bowl Championship victory. Now that the game is over lets take some time to reflect and get some of these thoughts out on paper while the game is fresh in our minds.
While the Steelers may have been the team with the most super bowl experience they were certainly the team that seemed to be a little bit jittery to start. Were going to break down both teams by positions on offense and the defenses as a whole on how they played in this Super Bowl.
Quarterback: Did anyone else notice Big Ben throwing high for most of the first quarter? This was the guy that others and myself thought would stand alone as the difference in this game. Was the loss of Emmanuel Sanders that detrimental to their offensive scheme, because other than that I don’t see an excuse as to why his timing would be so off? His two interceptions were products of being hit as he threw and a great play by Jarrett Bush to undercut his intended receiver so I will give him a pass on those, even though they turned out to be the difference in the game.
Running Backs: Rashard Mendenhall seemed as though he was an all-pro running back at times and at others he got lost in translation and was almost forgotten about in times of play calling because of the early deficit the Steelers faced. The thing to look back on in this game for him was when he ran into the cameraman on the sideline and appeared to be banged up after the collision. Was this the reason that he couldn’t hold onto the ball in the fourth quarter when Clay Matthews caused the late fumble, granted this was a great form tackle and a well placed hit, but Mendenhall needs to know that a fumble just cannot happen in that situation. Redman and Moore performed admirably in limited action while Mendenhall was out but they really didn’t play enough to make a difference in this game.
Wide Receivers: Mike Wallace was outstanding, other than the final play of the game where I thought that he could made a better effort to make that catch and not blame the minimal contact from Tramon Williams, he had nine catches and scored a big touchdown for the Steelers towards the end. Also he probably could have had another if Roethlisberger wasn’t hit on his first interception. Hines Ward was Hines Ward, made big catches all day, especially in the end zone for his only score. He was consistently open on plays when it mattered most. Antwaan Randle El played probably his best game of the season in the absence of Sanders, but that isn’t saying much after a disappointing season. Heath Miller and others were insignificant other than a few catches here and there. Ultimately some early struggles for Roethlisberger led to this offense never getting in a good tempo.
Defense: Troy Polamalu is the defensive player of the year this season, so where was he ALL GAME. He got beat on the Greg Jennings touchdown and was virtually unseen when it came to a pass rush or stopping the run, he may have had a good amount of tackles but he was trying way to hard to make that game changing play we were expecting. The front seven for the Steelers did an outstanding job putting pressure on Rodgers all night and forced him to make some uncomfortable throws throughout this game. Second half pass rush led to the sputtering of the Packers offense and a few key sacks down the stretch. The defensive backfield for the Steelers were useless, McFadden got banged up so Rodgers went right after William Gay for their first touchdown to Jordy Nelson and then after that the front seven were the only people who were seemingly on the field. I said this before but I feel like it needs to be said twice, WHERE WAS TROY POLAMALU, maybe trying to do too much?
Special Teams: Where in the world was Sean Suisham kicking that football, a huge unremembered play in that game was indeed his missed field goal. Other than that the Steelers special teams played well.
And now for the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers….
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers at times looked as though he was rattled and bothered by the Steelers pass rush and at times they were a bit overwhelming in the second half. He had some balls sail on him throughout the game but when it came down to crunch time he was able to throw the touchdowns to Greg Jennings, and Jordy Nelson and connect with Jennings on a deep ball to really clinch the last drive field goal. In addition to the balls that he did complete he also had several key drops most notably by Nelson and James Jones, which one or more could have lead to possible scores. Rodgers won the MVP and in this case I think he deserved it.
Running Back: James Starks and Brandon Jackson didn’t really do much in this game, in fact that Packers just won the Super Bowl with an NFL record low in rushing yards. Jackson did have a nice third down catch and Starks did pick up a few rushing first downs late in the game to help the Pack put it away.
Wide Receivers: Donald Driver went out early and only had one catch. Jennings and Nelson were the story beginning middle and late in this game. Nelson may have distinguished himself as one of the better slot receivers in the game after this playoff season. Making big catches in big spots all playoffs. This however does not overlook the fact that he also had some key drops throughout the game and may have even had two more touchdowns if he was able to catch that deep ball on the second drive and the ball in the corner of the end zone on the last drive. Jennings played pretty well throughout, making some good plays, especially with his first touchdown catch in front of Polamalu. Jones had some huge drops including one for a touchdown and a few others for first downs. Andrew Quarless barley played and didn’t contribute much at all.
Defense: Charles Woodson and Sam Shields went out at half time, subtracting two huge playmakers from the Green Bay defense. Tramon Williams was gift wrapped an interception and had a nice return for a touchdown, while Jarrett Bush made a great play on the interception over the middle, and contributed with the pass rush while replacing Woodson. Clay Matthews the defensive player of the year runner up played well but only had a few standout plays, when he knocked down a Roethlisberger play action pass and causing the late fumble which halted the best Steelers comeback attempt. Ultimately this defense and Dom Capers were handed an easy road to stopping Big Ben because of the deficit the Steelers faced all game which made them one dimensional. On the one drive the Steelers were able to use their running game they went right down the field to start the second half and scored a quick touchdown. BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins were relatively quiet all game and the front seven didn’t really do much to standout. They played very well in spots but ultimately were able to sit back and defend the pass.
Special Teams: Crosby knocked down his only chance, and other than a botched fumble catch on the opening punt and the stupid Tramon Williams penalty they played really well.
The difference in the game were the turnovers and the fact that the Steelers were forced to become one dimensional, Rodgers didn’t turn the ball over and the Packers D forced a late turnover. This game didn’t necessarily prove that Roethlisberger isn’t the big game quarterback we thought he was but it did open our eyes to the next star quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
All Predictions BUT The Final Score
Everyone in the world wants to know one thing, who will win Super Bowl XLV? Will it be Big Ben and the Black and Yellow, or Aaron Rodgers and the Cheese Heads? Well I am here not to answer that question, but to answer any other question you may have. Lets start with the National Anthem.
This year the national anthem is being sung by Christina Aguilera, award winning artist who has had her up and downs in life. On Sunday evening Christina will be singing her red, white, and blue with a smile on her face, and billions watching her. With all those eyes on her, how long will it take for her to sing this beautiful tune. Usually the National Anthem takes around one minute fifty seconds. With her big voice, and the huge spotlight on her, expect her to take at least a minute fifty seven.
Now to the coin toss. Every year the coin is brand new and has some new logos on it and such. First think, who will be tossing the coin? It is usually a special guest or an old legendary player, which means the toss will be sloppy and has the chance not to even flip in the air. Aside from who is flipping the coin, you may want to take into effect that one of the Packers traditions are the fans with their Cheese HEADS. With that being said, even though there are going to be Cheese HEADS everywhere, Tails is the way to go.
Another major part of the Super Bowl is the commercials. The commercials during the game are the ones everyone waits for all year. This is the only day people actually watch and enjoy them. Throughout the years we have been witness to great ads. Last year the viewers at home got to see the brand new "Here We Go," campaign put on by Bud Light, along with another Doritos commercial campaign where the fans voted for which ones got to go on air. The first commercial last year was Bud Light, expect this years first commercial to be... Coors Light. Why? Because its a business and they are most likely jealous they weren't the first commercial last year.
In the actual game though lets face it, every year one wide receiver shows his abilities and skills and makes a name for himself. If you remember the Patriots/Eagles Super Bowl, Terrell Owens put on a showcase, despite the loss and basically a torn ankle. Santonio Holmes did the same thing in the last Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl victory, and Deion Branch did it a while back for the Patriots. This year the Super Bowl MVP will be... Mike Wallace. Wallace is the most explosive receiver in the game today, and may be the fastest player on the field. Expect huge numbers from this speedster.
This year the national anthem is being sung by Christina Aguilera, award winning artist who has had her up and downs in life. On Sunday evening Christina will be singing her red, white, and blue with a smile on her face, and billions watching her. With all those eyes on her, how long will it take for her to sing this beautiful tune. Usually the National Anthem takes around one minute fifty seconds. With her big voice, and the huge spotlight on her, expect her to take at least a minute fifty seven.
Now to the coin toss. Every year the coin is brand new and has some new logos on it and such. First think, who will be tossing the coin? It is usually a special guest or an old legendary player, which means the toss will be sloppy and has the chance not to even flip in the air. Aside from who is flipping the coin, you may want to take into effect that one of the Packers traditions are the fans with their Cheese HEADS. With that being said, even though there are going to be Cheese HEADS everywhere, Tails is the way to go.
Another major part of the Super Bowl is the commercials. The commercials during the game are the ones everyone waits for all year. This is the only day people actually watch and enjoy them. Throughout the years we have been witness to great ads. Last year the viewers at home got to see the brand new "Here We Go," campaign put on by Bud Light, along with another Doritos commercial campaign where the fans voted for which ones got to go on air. The first commercial last year was Bud Light, expect this years first commercial to be... Coors Light. Why? Because its a business and they are most likely jealous they weren't the first commercial last year.
In the actual game though lets face it, every year one wide receiver shows his abilities and skills and makes a name for himself. If you remember the Patriots/Eagles Super Bowl, Terrell Owens put on a showcase, despite the loss and basically a torn ankle. Santonio Holmes did the same thing in the last Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl victory, and Deion Branch did it a while back for the Patriots. This year the Super Bowl MVP will be... Mike Wallace. Wallace is the most explosive receiver in the game today, and may be the fastest player on the field. Expect huge numbers from this speedster.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Big Ben = Big Time
Super Bowl Sunday. The story lines, the trash talk, the history, the heroes, and finally the plays and players we will always remember. This Sunday’s football comes layered with a little extra something on every play. It is in this light that we need to give a little credit to those who have lead their teams to victory and give a little more credit to those who deserve it. In the beginning of the season I went as far as to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers would not make the playoffs because of them not having their starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to some off the field issues that will not be commented on by this blogger as he has taken plenty of grief for his mistakes already. In addition to that Ben Roethlisberger will never be remembered to me as a great off the field person, because no one cares what he does off the field, he’s the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and that is all we really care about.
Roethlisberger has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL and has an outstanding record when it comes to games that matter. If Big Ben is able to gain a victory on Sunday he will join an exclusive group that includes both present and future hall of famers. The group is quarterbacks that have won three super bowl titles in their career. Names like Montana, Bradshaw, and even Brady come to mind when thinking about this group. Notice how inside this group you will never find a Manning, Brees, or Rivers. Nothing against those quarterbacks but when it comes to winning the big game those three just aren’t cutting it, however when you ask people around the league who the best quarterbacks are these are most of the names you hear. In a quarterback driven league these quarterbacks may be winning MVPs and putting up huge numbers but they are not helping their teams win titles, which really means more? Manning and Brady continuously put up big numbers every season but only one of them has won more than one super bowl, and there in the background is Big Ben, not a flashy guy, not a trash talker, a guy who goes out and wins football games for his team every Sunday. I mean the guy played his college ball at the University of Miami Ohio, not a Tennessee, not Michigan, or even an NC State. This guy has persevered and even got his subpar college team to win football games.
As a football fan is this what our fan hood has come down to, just being interested in the flashy players and not giving the guys who win football games their due? Big Ben is one of if not the best in the league at winning big football games, he’s right up there with Tom Brady and sure there are people who will argue that Ben has a great defense but when a team loses a big game it’s the quarterback that has a record and a reputation for losing the big games not the defense. If Big Ben wins it might be time to start tipping our caps and giving him a little bit more credit than he’s gotten in the past.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Superbowl XLV
Superbowl XLV will feature a 2 seed from the AFC and a 6 seed from the NFC. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers will play for the ultimate prize of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and calling themselves World Champions. The game is now less than a week away, so let’s break down everything about this game.
QUARTERBACKS: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Aaron Rodgers
Roethlisberger is 10-2 for his career in the playoffs, which includes two Superbowl Championships and is now only one game away from winning his third. Big Ben is a great quarterback and he is on the cusp of becoming an elite quarterback in the NFL. How many quarterbacks or players for that matter can say that they have won three Superbowls before the age of 30. Not many. The intangibles Roethlisberger brings to the field each night cannot be match by many others. His size and mobility make it tough for opposing defenses to pursue and bring him down. Roethlisberger is very good at extending the play outside of the pocket and by time for his receivers to get open down field. He also has a strong arm and one of the fastest receivers in the league with Mike Wallace, so the big play threat is always there. Roethlisberger will be facing different blitz packages and has to deal with two tough corners in Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams.
Rodgers in his second go around in the playoffs has put up some remarkable numbers before his hiccup in the NFC Championship game against the Bears. In his first four games of the playoffs (which includes the 2009 Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals), Rodgers has thrown for 10 TD’s and 3 INT’s. Rodgers is also very good at extending the play with his feet and is not afraid to take off for the first down markers. Rodgers is very accurate with the ball and also has a strong arm like Big Ben. The Packers offense relies heavily on the pass game and the Steelers are the best team in the league at shutting down the run, so Rodgers will have to throw, throw, throw.
EDGE: even
RUNNING BACKS: Rashard Mendenhall vs. James Starks
Mendenhall has really blossomed this season into a really good running back. Mendenhall ran for over 1,200 yards on the ground and had 13 TD’s. Watching Mendenhall run the ball this postseason, it is clear that he is hard to bring down. He is shifty with quick feet, but is also strong enough to shrug and break tackles. Mendenhall is not the fastest back in the league, but he does have a nice burst of speed out of the backfield and is not afraid to run north and south in the trenches.
Starks is a rookie running back for the Packers and only played in three games during the regular season. Starks exploded into the postseason by running for over 120 yards against the Eagles in the Wild Card game. Starks failed to live up to the hype he created after that game in the next two, but did have a rushing TD against a stingy Bears defense. Starks is still a nobody in this league, but he has done well enough this postseason to give a little more balance for the Packers on offense. Starks is going against the #1 rush defense in the NFL, so all I have to say is good luck.
EDGE: Rashard Mendenhall
WIDE RECEIVERS: Steelers WR/TE vs. Packers WR/TE
Mike Wallace and Hines Ward are the two standout wide receivers for the Steelers. Wallace in his second year has made a name for himself by being one of the fastest wide outs in the league and is known for the home run threat. Ward has been around for 13 years and has won two Superbowls with Big Ben already. Ward has tremendous hands and can make the big catch. Ward is not the fastest wide out, but he runs excellent routes, which makes it hard to cover him. Both receivers will be covered by Packers corners Woodson and Williams, so nothing will come easy to them during the game, but don’t be surprised if one or both of them make a huge play during the course of the game. Heath Miller has been a staple at the tight end position for the Steelers for years now. Miller is an excellent blocking tight end, but is very capable of going out over the middle and making a catch in traffic. The Steelers also have young receivers in Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders that are going to need to step up on Sunday as well.
Donald Driver is in his first Superbowl as a player after spending his entire 12 year career with the Packers. Driver doesn’t seem to show his age as he is the model of consistency for wide receivers in the NFL. Greg Jennings is probably the Packers best wide out and in his 5th year in the league, he had his best season totals by racking up over 1,200 yards receiving for 12 TD’s. The Packers lost TE Jermichael Finley earlier in the season to a leg injury, but Donald Lee and Andrew Quarless have done an admirable job filling for the injured Finley. Both James Jones and Jordy Nelson have developed at the wide receiver position as well.
EDGE: Even
DEFENSE: Steelers D vs. Packers D
The Steelers Defense comes into Superbowl XLV with the #1 overall defense in the NFL. They are the best at stopping the run and have an outstanding secondary too. This defense is anchored by Safety Troy Polamalu who can call on his number on any play and potentially cause a turnover. Polamalu is a ball hog and must be accounted for on every play. The linebacking core of James Harrison, James Farrior, and LaMarr Woodley is intimidating in itself. We all know about Harrison and his hard-hitting abilities thanks to all those fines he received from the NFL front office, but Woodley and Farrior are expected linebackers as well. The defensive linemen speak for themselves because they are so good at stopping the run and clogging up and potential holes. The Steelers should mainly concern themselves with stopping Rodgers in the passing game because they should be fine in stopping the running game. I really like the Steelers defense, especially also due to the playoff experience most of these guys have too.
The Packers Defense comes into this Superbowl matchup with the #2 overall defense in the league. The Packers are known best for the secondary with Woodson, Williams, and Nick Collins. This Packers defense has really grown into Dom Capers 3-4 system and one player who has benefited the most from it would be LB Clay Matthews. Matthews finished the regular season with 13.5 sacks and thrived in all the different blitz packages. Offenses struggled at times trying to adapt to all the different schemes brought on by the Packers. Many of the players on the Packers defense do not have the playoff experience that the Steelers do, which may play a factor on the biggest stage of them all next Sunday. Capers will have to continue to bring pressure of the edge to get to Big Ben and the most important thing for the Packers defense to remember is to finish each play.
EDGE: Steelers
This is building up to be one of the more exciting Superbowls in recent history. Roethlisberger is playing to restore his image and place his name in the elite hall of quarterbacks by winning his 3rd Superbowl. Rodgers is trying to make a name for himself and finally cast away the rest of talks of still being in Brett Favre’s shadow. We have the two best defenses in the NFL going against each other and two offenses that are capable of lighting up the scoreboard in a heartbeat. I fully expect this game to be within a touchdown and will most likely come down to the final minutes in the 4th quarter.
QUARTERBACKS: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Aaron Rodgers
Roethlisberger is 10-2 for his career in the playoffs, which includes two Superbowl Championships and is now only one game away from winning his third. Big Ben is a great quarterback and he is on the cusp of becoming an elite quarterback in the NFL. How many quarterbacks or players for that matter can say that they have won three Superbowls before the age of 30. Not many. The intangibles Roethlisberger brings to the field each night cannot be match by many others. His size and mobility make it tough for opposing defenses to pursue and bring him down. Roethlisberger is very good at extending the play outside of the pocket and by time for his receivers to get open down field. He also has a strong arm and one of the fastest receivers in the league with Mike Wallace, so the big play threat is always there. Roethlisberger will be facing different blitz packages and has to deal with two tough corners in Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams.
Rodgers in his second go around in the playoffs has put up some remarkable numbers before his hiccup in the NFC Championship game against the Bears. In his first four games of the playoffs (which includes the 2009 Wild Card game against the Arizona Cardinals), Rodgers has thrown for 10 TD’s and 3 INT’s. Rodgers is also very good at extending the play with his feet and is not afraid to take off for the first down markers. Rodgers is very accurate with the ball and also has a strong arm like Big Ben. The Packers offense relies heavily on the pass game and the Steelers are the best team in the league at shutting down the run, so Rodgers will have to throw, throw, throw.
EDGE: even
RUNNING BACKS: Rashard Mendenhall vs. James Starks
Mendenhall has really blossomed this season into a really good running back. Mendenhall ran for over 1,200 yards on the ground and had 13 TD’s. Watching Mendenhall run the ball this postseason, it is clear that he is hard to bring down. He is shifty with quick feet, but is also strong enough to shrug and break tackles. Mendenhall is not the fastest back in the league, but he does have a nice burst of speed out of the backfield and is not afraid to run north and south in the trenches.
Starks is a rookie running back for the Packers and only played in three games during the regular season. Starks exploded into the postseason by running for over 120 yards against the Eagles in the Wild Card game. Starks failed to live up to the hype he created after that game in the next two, but did have a rushing TD against a stingy Bears defense. Starks is still a nobody in this league, but he has done well enough this postseason to give a little more balance for the Packers on offense. Starks is going against the #1 rush defense in the NFL, so all I have to say is good luck.
EDGE: Rashard Mendenhall
WIDE RECEIVERS: Steelers WR/TE vs. Packers WR/TE
Mike Wallace and Hines Ward are the two standout wide receivers for the Steelers. Wallace in his second year has made a name for himself by being one of the fastest wide outs in the league and is known for the home run threat. Ward has been around for 13 years and has won two Superbowls with Big Ben already. Ward has tremendous hands and can make the big catch. Ward is not the fastest wide out, but he runs excellent routes, which makes it hard to cover him. Both receivers will be covered by Packers corners Woodson and Williams, so nothing will come easy to them during the game, but don’t be surprised if one or both of them make a huge play during the course of the game. Heath Miller has been a staple at the tight end position for the Steelers for years now. Miller is an excellent blocking tight end, but is very capable of going out over the middle and making a catch in traffic. The Steelers also have young receivers in Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders that are going to need to step up on Sunday as well.
Donald Driver is in his first Superbowl as a player after spending his entire 12 year career with the Packers. Driver doesn’t seem to show his age as he is the model of consistency for wide receivers in the NFL. Greg Jennings is probably the Packers best wide out and in his 5th year in the league, he had his best season totals by racking up over 1,200 yards receiving for 12 TD’s. The Packers lost TE Jermichael Finley earlier in the season to a leg injury, but Donald Lee and Andrew Quarless have done an admirable job filling for the injured Finley. Both James Jones and Jordy Nelson have developed at the wide receiver position as well.
EDGE: Even
DEFENSE: Steelers D vs. Packers D
The Steelers Defense comes into Superbowl XLV with the #1 overall defense in the NFL. They are the best at stopping the run and have an outstanding secondary too. This defense is anchored by Safety Troy Polamalu who can call on his number on any play and potentially cause a turnover. Polamalu is a ball hog and must be accounted for on every play. The linebacking core of James Harrison, James Farrior, and LaMarr Woodley is intimidating in itself. We all know about Harrison and his hard-hitting abilities thanks to all those fines he received from the NFL front office, but Woodley and Farrior are expected linebackers as well. The defensive linemen speak for themselves because they are so good at stopping the run and clogging up and potential holes. The Steelers should mainly concern themselves with stopping Rodgers in the passing game because they should be fine in stopping the running game. I really like the Steelers defense, especially also due to the playoff experience most of these guys have too.
The Packers Defense comes into this Superbowl matchup with the #2 overall defense in the league. The Packers are known best for the secondary with Woodson, Williams, and Nick Collins. This Packers defense has really grown into Dom Capers 3-4 system and one player who has benefited the most from it would be LB Clay Matthews. Matthews finished the regular season with 13.5 sacks and thrived in all the different blitz packages. Offenses struggled at times trying to adapt to all the different schemes brought on by the Packers. Many of the players on the Packers defense do not have the playoff experience that the Steelers do, which may play a factor on the biggest stage of them all next Sunday. Capers will have to continue to bring pressure of the edge to get to Big Ben and the most important thing for the Packers defense to remember is to finish each play.
EDGE: Steelers
This is building up to be one of the more exciting Superbowls in recent history. Roethlisberger is playing to restore his image and place his name in the elite hall of quarterbacks by winning his 3rd Superbowl. Rodgers is trying to make a name for himself and finally cast away the rest of talks of still being in Brett Favre’s shadow. We have the two best defenses in the NFL going against each other and two offenses that are capable of lighting up the scoreboard in a heartbeat. I fully expect this game to be within a touchdown and will most likely come down to the final minutes in the 4th quarter.
9 All Star starters, One not so much.
The NBA All Star game seems to have controversy every single. Whether it is over a starter or a reserve player. So far it seems that the controversy lies within the tallest player in the recent past, Yao Ming.
Yao Ming was selected this past week to his 8th all star game, all as a member of the Houston Rockets. This season the Rockets kept him below 24 minutes and not play him on the second night of back to backs. In December it was found that Ming had a stress fracture in his left ankle, and again Yao was gone for another season. Yao played in five games and averaged only 18 minutes a night, is that really an all star? No. Is it his fault? No.
The rule in the NBA is that the fans get to vote their favorite all stars to start this glorified pickup game, and then the coaches decided who will be the reserves. The people who vote are not just from the United States but from all over the world, meaning China will obviously vote for their hero Yao Ming. This is not fair to any American player, let alone any American player that plays the Center position in the Western Conference. Andrew Bynum I will skip over because he is injury prone as well, but what about Nene from Denver. Nene is a warrior underneath and one of those guys who gives you his all every night. The reason he is not an all star is because his name.
The NBA, like all other major sports, is a business and you cannot take power away from the fans once given to them. There has to be a way to prevent the injured players to be on these teams. If they are injured and know they will not be able to perform, then they should not even have their name on the ballot. Give the players that have been working hard on the court all year the opportunity to start in the most fun fan friendly game on the NBA calender.
This fans have voted in the following:
Western Conference
C- Yao Ming, HOU
F- Carmelo Anthony, DEN
F-Kevin Durant, OKC
G- Kobe Bryant. LAL
G- Chris Paul, NO
Eastern Conference
C- Dwight Howard, ORL
F- Amare Stoudimere, NYK
F-Lebron James, MIA
G- Derrick Rose, CHI
G-Dwyane Wade, MIA
Yao Ming was selected this past week to his 8th all star game, all as a member of the Houston Rockets. This season the Rockets kept him below 24 minutes and not play him on the second night of back to backs. In December it was found that Ming had a stress fracture in his left ankle, and again Yao was gone for another season. Yao played in five games and averaged only 18 minutes a night, is that really an all star? No. Is it his fault? No.
The rule in the NBA is that the fans get to vote their favorite all stars to start this glorified pickup game, and then the coaches decided who will be the reserves. The people who vote are not just from the United States but from all over the world, meaning China will obviously vote for their hero Yao Ming. This is not fair to any American player, let alone any American player that plays the Center position in the Western Conference. Andrew Bynum I will skip over because he is injury prone as well, but what about Nene from Denver. Nene is a warrior underneath and one of those guys who gives you his all every night. The reason he is not an all star is because his name.
The NBA, like all other major sports, is a business and you cannot take power away from the fans once given to them. There has to be a way to prevent the injured players to be on these teams. If they are injured and know they will not be able to perform, then they should not even have their name on the ballot. Give the players that have been working hard on the court all year the opportunity to start in the most fun fan friendly game on the NBA calender.
This fans have voted in the following:
Western Conference
C- Yao Ming, HOU
F- Carmelo Anthony, DEN
F-Kevin Durant, OKC
G- Kobe Bryant. LAL
G- Chris Paul, NO
Eastern Conference
C- Dwight Howard, ORL
F- Amare Stoudimere, NYK
F-Lebron James, MIA
G- Derrick Rose, CHI
G-Dwyane Wade, MIA
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Stags trip up Peacocks 70-43
Entering Sunday's MAAC contest, the Fairfield Stags were number five in the nation in scoring defense, giving up only 54.7 points per contest. Sunday would be no different, as Fairfield once again proved why they are one of the feistiest defenses in the nation.
Entering the game St. Peter's College was 3-1 in the MAAC, and were set to be Fairfield's toughest conference matchup yet, and coming off a 70-52 loss to Iona it was thought to be a battle. Both teams came slow out of the gate and Nick Leon for St. Peter's led all scorers with seven. The Stags had only shot the ball 10 times up to that point and had turned the ball over three times, two by point guard Derek Needham. The Stags led though 12-11. After the media timeout though the Stags would put some breathing room in between the two. The Stags would end the half with eight different players scoring, led by Needham who had seven, and the front court of Maurice Barrow and Ryan Olander each having six of their own. At this point the Stags had a 35-21 lead, and held the leading scorer of the Peacocks Leon to only two more points since the media timeout at 10:55.
The second half would be dominated by the Stags on both the offensive and defensive end. Offensively the two headed attack of strength and speed (Olander and Needham) would score 15 and 16 respectively. The balance of half court offense and high tempo kept St. Peter's uneasy the entire half. Olander would finished up with 12 rebounds also, while Needham dished out four assists. The supporting cast of the Stags was no pushover either as shooting guard Colin Nickerson caught fire scoring nine of his own, and Barrow powered for eight. This made up for second leading scorer Yorel Hawkins not playing the second half with a leg injury, he is day to day.
Despite the impressive offense, the story of the year has been the defense and Sunday this was no different. St. Peters would only score 43 points and shoot a poor 25% from the floor, 16% in the second half. The Stags stole the ball eight times, and blocked seven Peacock shots (3 by Olander). Leon was held without a point in the second half and end with those nine points. Coming into the game Leon was the leading scorer of the team, putting in just over 10. Leon and the Peacocks would turn the ball over 16 times.
The Fairfield Stags lowered their average to 53.9 points per game and will hit the road for four conference games starting with Loyola on Friday night.
Entering the game St. Peter's College was 3-1 in the MAAC, and were set to be Fairfield's toughest conference matchup yet, and coming off a 70-52 loss to Iona it was thought to be a battle. Both teams came slow out of the gate and Nick Leon for St. Peter's led all scorers with seven. The Stags had only shot the ball 10 times up to that point and had turned the ball over three times, two by point guard Derek Needham. The Stags led though 12-11. After the media timeout though the Stags would put some breathing room in between the two. The Stags would end the half with eight different players scoring, led by Needham who had seven, and the front court of Maurice Barrow and Ryan Olander each having six of their own. At this point the Stags had a 35-21 lead, and held the leading scorer of the Peacocks Leon to only two more points since the media timeout at 10:55.
The second half would be dominated by the Stags on both the offensive and defensive end. Offensively the two headed attack of strength and speed (Olander and Needham) would score 15 and 16 respectively. The balance of half court offense and high tempo kept St. Peter's uneasy the entire half. Olander would finished up with 12 rebounds also, while Needham dished out four assists. The supporting cast of the Stags was no pushover either as shooting guard Colin Nickerson caught fire scoring nine of his own, and Barrow powered for eight. This made up for second leading scorer Yorel Hawkins not playing the second half with a leg injury, he is day to day.
Despite the impressive offense, the story of the year has been the defense and Sunday this was no different. St. Peters would only score 43 points and shoot a poor 25% from the floor, 16% in the second half. The Stags stole the ball eight times, and blocked seven Peacock shots (3 by Olander). Leon was held without a point in the second half and end with those nine points. Coming into the game Leon was the leading scorer of the team, putting in just over 10. Leon and the Peacocks would turn the ball over 16 times.
The Fairfield Stags lowered their average to 53.9 points per game and will hit the road for four conference games starting with Loyola on Friday night.
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