Seriously, Fuck The Jets

A few hours before I board a plane for a lovely trip to Brooklyn, I feel it is time to release some rage upon New York. As a New England sports fan, it is infuriating to turn on the TV, listen to the radio, even glance at a newspaper. ESPN and the New York Times Co. have made it impossible to go five minutes without hearing a "feel-good" story about the Jets/Knicks/Giants, and dare I say it, even the Mets. All New York franchises are turned into media darlings by every major sports outlet, and I am sick and tired of it. All NY franchises are completely over-hyped, and given WAY too much credit for their own good. For instance, the media harped about Amare Stoudamire's 26-game 20+ point streak all throughout December and early January, but guess what? During that 26 game stretch, the Knicks went just 15-11, and FELL 6.5 games further behind the Celtics, who went 22-5 during that stretch. But no, all we hear about is how great the Knicks are, how they are "returning" to glory, blah blah blah. Seemingly forgotten by NY fans is that the Knicks haven't won an NBA championship since 1973, and only have 2 titles in 65 years of existence. The "glory days" of the Knicks in the 90's? No such thing. They wont two conference titles (1994 & 1999), and lost to the Rockets and Spurs in the Finals. All of the big name players the Knicks acquire, bought, and drafted cannot make up for the fact that they are behind Boston, LA, Chicago, San Antonio, Philly, Detroit, and Golden State in Finals victories. It is impossible to understand all the praise for a franchise that has employed the likes of Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby, etc., only to show a grand total of ZERO titles in 37 years. Maybe the argument can be made that dynasties such as the Bulls, Lakers, and Celtics have been the only thing that stood in the Knicks' way. BUT since 1973, eleven other teams have won NBA titles. I don't see Portland, Seattle, San Antonio, or Detroit making excuses that some of the NBA's all-time greats stood in their way. But because the pathetic Knickerbockers are located in New York, is it ASTONISHING to NBA analysts and fans alike that they have gone almost half a century without a title.
But that is plenty of Knick-bashing. The real focus of this rant is the Jets. The lone Super Bowl-winning Jets. The Jets who haven't won anything of importance since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. IN FACT, the J-E-T-S haven't even appeared in a Super Bowl since their 1969 victory, and of the 32 current NFL franchises, 18 teams have more Super Bowl appearances. Only the Lions, Browns, Texans, and Jaguars have fewer conference titles than the Jets. Even the 1995 Carolina Panthers and 1996 Baltimore Ravens expansion teams have more appearances since the merger than the lowly Jets. In their history, the Jets have just 2 players that were on the team for more then 4 seasons in the Hall of Fame. And just to diminish that feat, Joe Namath is arguably the worst QB (and maybe player) in the Hall of Fame. He finished his career with 47 more interceptions than touchdowns, and has the lowest QB rating of any player in the Hall, at 65.5. To put that into today's perspective, the only qualifying QB in the 2010 season with a rating lower than Namath's is Jimmy Clausen, who posted a 58.4 rating. That means the likes of Derek Anderson, Chad Henne, Shaun Hill, and Jon Kitna posted better seasons than Namath averaged in his career. The Jets other true HOFer? Wide receiver Don Maynard played for the Jets from 1960-1972, accruing only 2 seasons in the merger-era. Unlike Namath, he posted respectable numbers, ranking 20th all-time in receiving yardage and 10th in touchdowns. But even those rankings will be insignificant in the next decade, as the likes of Reggie Wayne, Antonio Gates, Hines Ward, Anquan Boldin, and Larry Fitzgerald will all pass Maynard in touchdowns and/or yardage. Basically, it is safe to say the Jets haven't hosted very many prolific players in their tenure.
The most irking trait of the Jets this year was their sense of entitlement. As a die-hard Patriots fan, I understand the Jets fairly beat the Patriots in the playoffs. To the Patriots credit, they were and always will be the better team, but when it comes to game day anything can happen. What is irritating is all of the trash-talking, low blows, and complete bullshit coming from Jets like Antonio Cromartie, David Harris, Rex Ryan, and even totally insignificant players such as James Ihedigbo and Eric Smith. They seem to forget they went 11-5, barely nabbed the final AFC playoff slot, and now have lost consecutive AFC title games. You don't see more entitled teams like the Patriots and Steelers continuously harping on their opponents - they just put up and shut up. Look at the past decade; the Jets haven't won the division, had 6 wild card berths, went a combined 82-78 in the regular season, and posted only four double-digit win seasons. The Patriots went 121-39 in the same period of time, winning 8 division titles, going 14-5 in the playoffs, and winning 3 of 4 Super Bowls. The Colts and Steelers also posted much better numbers, as seen in the attached image. Pending this week's Packers-Steelers Super Bowl matchup, if the Steelers win then the threesome of New England, Indy, and Pitt won 7 of 10 Super Bowls in the decade. That is extremely impressive for a league known for parody and upsets, much ado to the salary cap. But still, washed up veterans to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Shaun Ellis, Trevor Pryce, and Kris Jenkins all came into the 2010 season as the self-proclaimed favorites, forgetting that they play for a franchise that has not and never will be anything but a middle-tier team.

The Hangover 2

Before I dive into my Patriots season summary, I have to give it a little more time after Sunday's EXTREMELY depressing loss to the Jets. I can't even bring myself to think about it, which is surely the feeling among the majority of Pats fans. Lets for now leave it as a continually distancing nightmare, and wait for the Steelers to murder New York so we can regain some sense of self-worth before exploring the playoff loss, the disgusting play of the whole team, and the disappointing season that was full of "woulda-shoulda-coulda's".
A lesser disheartening topic in relation to the Patriots would be the upcoming draft, as we look ahead to 2011. Now that the Patriots are a solid 6 years removed from their last Super Bowl victory, an extreme sense of urgency must be acknowledged by the team. Brady's window is closing, and it seems that every year there are specific positions on this team that aren't addressed properly. So below I have listed a few players that the Patriots will hopefully target, as they each address a need and depth that the Patriots not only lacked in 2010, but over the past few season as well.

• A Pass Rushing DE - Obviously the lack of a true passing rushing defensive end or outside linebacker is the most glaring weakness of this team. As great as it was to watch Rob Ninkovich, TBC, Brandon Deaderick, Kyle Love, and Gerard Warren, and their feeble pressure on opposing QB's, it is time to overhaul the pass rush. The Pats finished 4th to last in total sacks on the season with 25, a far cry from league-leading Chicago whom had 56. The sack leader on the Patriots was Mike Wright with 5.5, and he missed half the season due to injury. Losing Ty Warren was a huge loss early in the season, but even with Ty the team lacked a pass-rush good enough to be a Super Bowl team. Here are a few players that could possibly make an immediate impact on this team:

1. Robert Quinn, UNC - Quinn will probably be long gone by the time the Patriots pick at 17, but there is always the option to trade up. Quinn was suspended for the entire 2010 season but racked up 11 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in 2009. Certainly his combine performance will have much to do with where he is picked, but at 6'5, 270 pounds, he has dimensions much like some of the elite defensive ends in the NFL. He has top-3 DE speed in the 2011 class, and would easily be a consensus top-5 pick if it wasn't for his suspension. Although it is important to mention Quinn as a top draft target, it would cost too much for the Patriots to snag him, and I would much rather see them use draft picks to trade for veteran pass rushers.
2. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson - Bowers was a monster in 2010, totaling 15.5 sacks and establishing himself as the top non-suspended defensive end. He has almost the exact same dimensions of Quinn, and very similar speed. His combine performance will ultimately decide which of the two are drafted first. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the same applies to Bowers as with Quinn, as he will be virtually unreachable at pick 17.
   
3. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin - If you have seen Kiper or McShay's mock drafts, you will notice they both like the Patriots taking Watt in the middle of the first round. After the top 2 defensive ends, the position has plenty of possible stars, but they all lack exactly what the Pats need, which is explosiveness off the edge. J.J. Watt could fall into this category, but his size makes up for it. Watt had 36.5 tackles for a loss over the past 2 seasons, as well as 11.5 sacks. At 6'6, 292 pounds, he is the largest end in the draft, and would seemingly team up perfectly with Wilfork and Warren in the 3-4 defensive alignment. If an explosive end isn't available through the draft, Watt would be an excellent addition to an already elite defensive line. Imagine the run-stuffing ability of the 6'2, 325 pound Wilfork, 6'5, 300 pound Warren, and Watt. If the Patriots are able to draft or acquire more athletic outside linebackers, this would be the perfect defensive line to wreak backfield havoc.

• Athletic Outside Linebackers - I'm skipping the projected top-2 OLB's, simply because they will not be on the board by pick 17. The consensus top-2 are Von Miller of Texas A&M and Akeem Ayers of UCLA. Both are excellent backers, but I really only have one OLB in mind that could be an amazing pass-rusher for this team.

1. Dontay Moch, Nevada - Moch is a fifth year senior, after receiving a medical red shirt his freshman year. He has had 5 years in an excellent Nevada program to develop his skills, and falls somewhere in the middle of the top ten in terms of OLB rankings. He is certainly obtainable with the Pats second 1st-round pick, but probably could be had in the second round. What makes Moch so appealing is his play-making ability. I guarantee if you watched a single Nevada game this year, you noticed the speed he has coming off the edge. He runs a reported 4.25 40-yard dash, almost unheard of for an OLB. His speed led to 71 tackles for a loss and 28.5 sacks in his four seasons as a starter. Another impressive aspect of Moch is that for such a quick player, he doesn't lack ideal size. Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich are both 6'2 and about 250 pounds, and Moch is about an inch shorter and at 245 will easily reach 250+ with an off-season of NFL workouts. I firmly believe the Patriots will look to acquire a decent veteran outside backer, but of all the OLB's in the draft that fit their needs, Moch hits the nail on the head.

• Cornerback Depth - Devin McCourty was unbelievable in his rookie season, making his way to a Pro-Bowl. If Leigh Bodden hadn't missed the season, the defensive backfield would have had a much different look. But because he was missing, the Patriots were forced to use Darius Butler, Kyle Arrington, and Jonathan Wilhite as their second starter. Unfortunately for all three of them, they showed zero consistancy and I have little faith that the Patriots could ever win a Super Bowl with any of them starting. In fact, the Patriots need another corner just for the nickel defense, assuming Bodden comes back full strength. There are two elite corners in this draft - Patrick Peterson of LSU and Prince Amukamara of Nebraska. Unless the Patriots unwisely trade into the top-10, neither will be available.
  

1. Aaron Williams, Texas - I haven't seen any mock drafts with Williams going in the first round, and I also agree that would be a long-shot. But if he can show his speed at the combine, to go along with his excellent coverage skills, he could weasel his way into the late first round. Williams is a big, coverage-corner, measuring 6'1 and 195 pounds. His 4.5 speed isn't exactly ideal in the NFL, but he could be compared to Antonio Cromartie's skill set. Williams is the type of corner that matches up well with the Braylon Edwards / Mike Williams / Randy Moss's of the world, as long as he can stick with them. I like him as a second or third corner, possibly a strong safety. But Williams, just as almost any defensive back would, certainly improves the Pats' pass-coverage.
2. Brandon Harris, Miami - If the Patriots keep and use both of their first round picks, I would rank Harris in the top 5 most-likely-to-be-drafted-by-the-Patriots list. Although Meriweather made his second Pro Bowl this year, the Patriots know he doesn't always perform like a top safety. But because of his flashes of success, Belichick probably won't hesitate to take a flyer on another Randy Shannon DB. Harris would've stayed at Miami if it wasn't for Shannon's firing, so he is still young as a true junior. He has ideal size at 5'11, 190 pounds, and is quick, running a sub-4.5 forty. The only reason his stats were down across the board this year was teams were throwing his way less, thanks to his excellent coverage skills. Harris is the third-ranked CB in this draft, and is the front-runner of the second-tier of CB's (after the elite Peterson and Amukamara).

The Patriots could also use help at WR, running back, and a few other spots, but the needs listed above are the most glaring. It is more hard this year than ever to try and predict what the Patriots will select because of the new CBA not being in place yet, but once it is and free agency begins, a clearer picture will be available on what the Patriots will be targeting in this VERY important upcoming draft.

The Hangover Effect

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were blown out by the Lakers, 112-57 on Tuesday, everyone and their mom (pun intended) made a huge deal about LeBron's tweet. Although LeBron says the words weren't his own, his tweet stated "Crazy. Karma is a bitch. Gets you every time. It's not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!" So maybe his words seem cocky, and he should more or less pity the Cavs as opposed to mocking them, but the NBA is the most elite basketball league in the world. Who cares what players have to say, if they are putting up the results and wins, they are free to say what they want. The assumption that karma has anything to do with it may be outlandish, but if you take the Cavs current record into perspective, they certainly are nothing without LeBron. Let's explore what I will refer to as the "Hangover Effect".
In any sport, when a team loses a superstar to free agency, trade, or retirement, it can have a devastating effect on the franchise. Some may quickly recover, whether it is due to an improved team chemistry or a player stepping up in a time of need (ie. the 2001 Patriots and Tom Brady, 2010 Eagles and Mike Vick, 2003-2004 Utah Jazz and Andrei Kirilenko, etc.). Other times, the loss of a key player will cripple a franchise for up to a decade. After LeBron and Co. took their talents to South Beach this summer, both Cleveland and Toronto are feeling the aftershock of losing James and Chris Bosh, respectively. After 38 games last year, the Raptors were 19-19, and well in the hunt for one of the final three playoff spots in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. At the same point this year, Toronto is 13-25, good for 11th place in the Eastern Conference, and only 5 wins ahead of the team with the worst record in the NBA, which ironically is the Cavaliers. Although Toronto is struggling without Bosh, and having to rely on the likes of Andrea Bargnani and Tommy Heinson's proclaimed worst player in the NBA, Jose Calderon, Cleveland is feeling the pain ten times worse.
The 2002-2003 season was dismal for Cleveland, as they finished 17-65, and their leading scorer was Ricky Davis. They hit paydirt in the lottery, grabbing the first pick and taking LeBron. The next season, LeBron would lead the team with almost 21 ppg, and the team improved to 35-47, missing the playoffs by one game. The Cavs finished the 2004-2005 season at 42-40, tied for 8th but losing out on the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot. After that disappointing season, the Cavs would never miss the playoffs again during LeBron's tenure, finishing 4th, 2nd, 4th, 1st, and 1st in the Eastern Conference through 2010. Their run included a 2007 appearance in the Finals against the Spurs, which they were promptly swept in. LeBron won a scoring title in 2008, back to back MVP's in 2009 and 2010, and made 6 All-Star teams while making $27 million a year in his early 20's. LeBron's career stats with Cleveland are virtually unmatchable, as he played in 548 regular season games, averaging 27.8 ppg, 7 rpg, and the Cavs went 349-225 during that stretch, winning at a 60.8% clip. The Cavs also made 5 straight playoff appearances, in which LeBron averaged almost 30 ppg in 71 games. No one needs to dive into James' stats to know the impact he has had on the NBA, but more interestingly is the "Hangover Effect" that Cleveland is feeling now that he has departed.
Through 38 games this year, Cleveland is a league worst 8-30. Through the same period last year, the Cavs were 28-10, just 2 games behind the Celts for the league's best record. To date, their -20 win differential is league worst. LeBron had triple-doubled twice through the first 2.5 months, averaging nearly 30 ppg and 7 rpg. This year, Antawn Jamison leads the Cavs with 16.7 ppg, and the Cavs are averaging just 93.3 ppg, compared to last years total of 102.1 ppg. To put the complete change in team success into perspective, look at these key stats:

• 2009-2010 Cavs average 102.1 ppg, allowed 95.6 ppg (+6.5 ppg differential)
• 2010-2011 Cavs average 93.3 ppg, allowed 103.9 ppg (-10.6 ppg differential)

• 2009-2010 Cavs finished 61-21, longest losing streak was 4 games
• 2010-2011 Cavs on pace to finish 18-64, longest losing streak to date is 11 (lost 21 of last 22 games currently)

• 2009-2010 Cavs had a league best 35-6 home record
• 2010-2011 Cavs are currently 5-12 at home, on pace to finish 12-29

• 2009-2010 Cavs were 9th in the NBA in PPG, 2nd in 3-point FG%, 3rd in FG%, 5th in PPG allowed, 5th in APG, 1oth in BPG, and only turned the ball over 13.9 times per game
• 2010-2011 Cavs are 27th in the NBA in PPG, 26th in 3-point FG%, 29th in FG%, 23rd in PPG allowed, 16th in APG, 30th in BPG, and turn the ball over 13.6 times per game

• The 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers franchise had an estimated value of $476 million.
• The 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers franchise has a projected estimate worth of $226 million. The loss of LeBron devalued the franchise by around $250 million.

If those numbers don't prove the impact of losing a superstar, I don't know what does. The purpose of this analogy is not to blame LeBron for almost single-handedly destroying the franchise, but just to show the impact he has had on them in his absence. In my opinion, his loss is one the team will never recover from, and it is hard to see the Cavs still in Cleveland in the next ten years or so.

The Much Needed Shot In The Arm

Saturday, January 8th, 8:55PM - The Bruins are clinging to a 1 point lead in the division over Montreal, and hold a 2-0 with 5 minutes remaining in the third period against the rival Habs on the road. In front of a packed Bell Centre, Scott Gomez nets a power play goal with 2:22 remaining in the period, and Bruins fans hold their breath as they know how the team performs in one-goal games. Unsurprisingly, Brian Gionta nets the tying goal with 41 seconds to go. It was safe to say the Bruins were completely deflated, and it was obvious that overtime was not favorable for them. After Blake Wheelers tripping penalty 10 seconds into overtime, the Canadians took total puck control, and Max Pacioretty netted the game winner at the 3:43 mark. The Bruins officially lost their third in a row to Montreal on the season, and fell into a tie for the division lead with the hated Habs.
Monday, January 10th, 9:03PM - Coming off one of the worst losses of the season, the Bruins needed a jolt, but it didn't look like it would come on this night. Facing an 0-2 deficit in Pittsburgh, the Bruins offense couldn't seem to generate anything, and found themselves losing against a Sydney Crosby-less Penguins team. After most fans had tuned out, Brian Orpik put the B's on a power play with a roughing penalty with 5:21 remaining in the game. With two seconds remaining on the power play, Zdeno Chara fired his 100+ MPH slapshot in to bring the B's within one. Amazing, only 12 seconds later Brad Marchand found the net to tie the game. The CONSOL Energy Center went silent, and the Bruins all of a sudden came to life. Jordan Staal was then called for holding Dennis Seidenberg only a minute later, and it took just 78 seconds for Mark Recchi to put the Bruins ahead, 3-2. With less than a minute remaining, the deflated Pens pulled Fleury, and Greg Campbell sealed the win with an empty netter at the 19:52 mark. The Bruins not only earned their 2 points in a must-win game, but they did it in spectacular fashion.

When the season ends, Bruins fans will look back on this game as a season changer. The Bruins have had quite a few periods of struggle, including 7 back-to-back losses already this season. During their late-December 5 game road trip, they managed to get 8 out of 10 possible points, which looked great coming into the new year. But when they finally returned home, they looked awful in a 3-1 loss to the Wild, and needed a spark as they went to Montreal and Pittsburgh before coming home to play the next 5 of 6 at the Garden. The Pittsburgh game was huge for not only this team in the standings, but also in terms of confidence. B's fans are notoriously cut-throat, and if they played poorly during their homestand they would surely hear about it. But coming off the Pitt game to play four in a row at home, the Bruins got the shot in the arm that they needed and should come out strong and rejuvenated against the Senators tonight at the Garden. The B's have split the season series with Ottawa so far, winning 4-0 on the road in October, but losing 2-0 at home November 13th. Starting off this homestand with a victory will be huge for this team, and it was all made possible by the thrilling victory against the Penguins on Monday night.