How to Beat Green Bay

Every single week, for the past eleven straight weeks, the Green Bay Packers have emerged from the football field victorious. For eleven straight weeks, hapless Vikings fans have had to endure the torture of watching their hated rivals shred every team that has stepped into their path. However, this wonderful Thanksgiving afternoon things were different. The Packers looked surprisingly vulnerable, and the apparent fragility of the best team in recent NFL history was exposed.

Aaron Rodgers represents the entirety of what the Green Bay Packers have become. While I don’t want to spend time and effort discussing his superiority, it is incredibly difficult. Just watch Sportscenter. There isn’t a fifteen minute period of that program that doesn’t reference Rodgers in some fashion. It’s disgusting really, but the coverage isn’t entirely unfounded. However, what most viewers fail to see during the Rodgers-a-thon is how average the Packers would become without him. This was presented today during their contest against the Lions.

Any NFL fan would understand how important it is to manage time of possession. The math works out pretty well actually. More time to score will inevitably translate into more scores right? It’s economics. It’s basic. However, in the case of the 2011 Packers, that is most likely the largest weapon that an opposing team can use. Keeping Rodgers off the field is paramount. At this point, he is utterly unstoppable. Teams just have to hope he misses, or that they can keep up in the slugfest because Rodgers will not be the reason Green Bay loses game one. He is simply that good right now.

What teams need to do is exactly what the Lions did. They need to keep Rodgers off the field and disrupt his zen-like tempo. Coming into the game, the Lions seemed like the prototypical team to end the Packers’ success; a formidable front four and an equally explosive offense that can match Green Bay stride for stride. Had N. Suh not went certifiably insane, the pressure on Rodgers would only increase. Pressure leads to mistakes, and while Rodgers doesn’t make many, he is still by all accounts human. As far as we can tell.

The problem that teams face when playing Green Bay is their ability to make seemingly zero mistakes. Rodgers has thrown four interceptions. Four. With turnovers that low, any team that is fortunate enough to grab a turnover from Green Bay absolutely must capitalize on that opportunity every single time. If you don’t, Green Bay will score on their next possession. Something they are very good at doing.

Just like the Lions, teams need to avoid beating themselves out of games. The amount and timing of Detroit’s penalties on Thanksgiving were not only unfortunate, they were absolutely unacceptable. Any time you give Rodgers another chance to make a play, any play, you are signing your death certificate

In short, Green Bay’s kryptonite starts and ends with Rodgers. The simple way to beat Green Bay, and maybe the only way, is to ensure that he remains off the field. He has been playing with special “concussion-proof” helmet since late last season. One nasty hit and it could be curtains. Keep Rodgers off the field by managing the game, running an efficient offense, and keeping his time of possession as low as possible. Teams need to make less mistakes. They need to play professionally and aggressively. They need to stop letting Rodgers beat them and MAKE Rodgers beat them.

In the mean time, watch LeGarrette Blount embarrass the Green Bay defense. This has to be one of the most astounding football plays in recent memory and literally represents a player putting a team on his back. Literally. Most of the Green Bay defense was on his back at some point. It should makes Vikings fans feel better.  Enjoy!

The Worst Team in the NFL

Well Vikings fans, it is official. The Minnesota Vikings are the worst team in the NFL. 

While this fact may not be news to most of you, it is fairly apparent that the rest of the NFL world has completely given up on the Vikings and rightfully so. Minnesota has the second worst record in the NFL (tied with Carolina and St. Louis), however they possess some of the best talent in football on both sides of the game, and still look wildly inefficient and non-competitive week in and week out. How is it possible that a team can possess a perennial NFL rushing leader in Adrian Peterson, AND the NFL’s sack leader in Jared Allen and still manage to lose 80% of their games? The answer may seem complicated, but the heart of the matter lies with the coaching staff. A coaching staff that has somehow manage to un-motivate nearly every player in the locker room not named Ponder, Allen, or Peterson. 

It can’t all be Leslie Frazier, can it? While that answer is pondered, look at the facts. This team has somehow “developed” one of the worst secondaries in the NFL despite Frazier being a secondary “guru” after winning the Superbowl with the Chicago Bears as a cornerback in 1985. The benefit of the doubt will go to Frazier since that position has been completely ignored since Chris Cook was drafted several years ago. The Vikings are hurting badly at secondary and there is no way to stop the bleeding. They need a complete overhaul, and the only player capable of staying (Antoine Winfield) is too slow for corner and needs to be moved to safety.

It’s time for Percy to figure it out. Ever since he emerged from Florida, Percy Harvin has been touted as some “elite” player with an amazing skill set. He is supposed to be some sort of a superweapon on the field capable of winning games with his fleet feet and incredible talent. So far, all I’ve seen is an oft-injured prima donna who cannot succeed without the success of his teammates. While his migraine issue has been seemingly resolved, Harvin caught his first receiving touchdown of the season yesterday. It is week ELEVEN. A little late for a number one receiving option to break that goose egg. It would be nice to see some more production before touting him as the answer to our WR issues. Face it, since Randy Moss left (the first time) there has been a void at the position that has yet to be filled. 

Frazier was frequently praised by football minds around the league when he decided to part ways with Bryant McKinnie following an undedicated offseason in which McKinnie entered the season nearly 50 pounds overweight. The answer to fill his void was Charlie Johnson. All the while Max Starks left Minnesota and calmly waited until Pittsburgh finally took him back. Looks like Starks won out and Minnesota is left with an Indianapolis cast off that can’t protect Christian Ponder’s blind side. Sounds like progress. 

It isn’t fair to blame everything on the administration, but it is also tough to blame the players fully either. The stock of the team was placed in Donovan McNabb’s chubby hands. While supported and embraced at first, it appears that Mike Shanahan was right, at least when it came to McNabb’s potential to continue as a top tier QB. Now Minnesota is stuck with a 2-8 record, a bevy of aging superstars,a promising rookie quarterback, the best pure running back in all of football, and a shred of an offensive line tasked with blocking for him. This is gonna be fun. 

Skol!

Loyalty, It’s still there

Joe is back for 2010. And he's here to stay.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about Joe Mauer. Go figure, right? It’s April, and that means three things; Target Field, daily golf cravings, and #7. As we draw closer and closer to Opening Day, I began to think about just how monumental Mauer’s new deal really was. Not only from a financial standpoint, but from all types of different standpoints.

I thought the days of the loyal athlete were dead. For years I have been watching guys like A-Rod, Mark Texeira, and basically any other Yankee dive into the folds of Steinbrenner’s wallet while they leave the teams that made them superstars in the dust. Money talks these days, and most players will take any pay raise they can. The same holds true for Mauer, but his was a special case.

Joe Mauer is a God send. He is truly a gift from the Heavens. He is a once in a lifetime kind of talent. Never has the MLB seen a catcher of this caliber, and he’s just beginning the prime of his career. To make it even more interesting, he is a member of the Minnesota Twins. Most people outside of baseball have never heard of the Minnesota Twins. In Florida, some people don’t even know where (or what) Minnesota is. No offense Floridians. So for one of the world’s best baseball players to spend the prime of his career with a small market squad from podunk little Minnesota is truly groundbreaking. It goes even deeper. Granted Joe didn’t necessarily give Minnesota the hometown discount ($23 million dollars. Enough said.), but anyone who is anyone knows the Yankees would have spent endless amounts of Georgy Boy’s trust fund to get him in pinstripes. But, Joe stayed. He wants to be here. He wants to win here. Hey, if he’s happy, we’re happy.  Twins fans rejoice.

From a bigger perspective, this is the first time in recorded history the Twins have made a move to actually keep a superstar. Remember David Ortiz playing first base? Or Johan Santana footing the mound? Honestly, as a Twins fan, I had grown a little weary of the “bargain-bin approach”. It is remarkably comforting to know the Twins have amassed so much talent, and are wanting to win. No matter the stakes.

It feels like we got Kirby back. It feels good. Thank you Joe, now do us proud!

Enough is Enough

Ok, I get it. Tiger Woods likes sex. He likes sex so much that he cheated on his wife. His hot, Swedish, supermodel wife may I add. He is a world renowned and uber-famous superathlete. The things he did were atrocious and wrong in every way, shape and form. But he’s a man, he made some mistakes, and he has apologized over and over again for being such a sorry excuse for a human being. There, that should be it.

So why is Tiger holding a media conference in the press room at Augusta National Golf Club a few days before the Master’s Tournament begins? What else does the media possibly need from Tiger? The story is old. Seriously, Tiger’s downfall broke around Thanksgiving. Which by my calculations makes this story next to ancient. Tiger’s Sex Scandal has been over covered again and again since November, and each new attempt at reporting about the scandal becomes more and more dilapidated and worn out as the previous 9,000. It is over everyone. Just move on. We’re bordering on Brett Favre like coverage here. There was a point in time last year when I was seriously convinced that ESPN was going to create an entire channel for the Brett Favre Saga (channel 4, obviously, with hidden cameras following him around as he mowed lawn and went deer hunting while analysts at a desk zealously interpreted every decision he made as an implication about his playing status). I’d probably watch. Hell, I was pretty much doing it anyway whenever I watched Sportscenter.

Looks like a Tiger channel may be next. What a sad world we live in, when we are more interested in Tiger Woods sexual infidelities than we are about an NHL team that was inches from being sold to Canada that is now owned by the NHL and almost in 1st place in the West. Honestly, its annoying. Leave Tiger alone! Let him work through his issues without having to tell the media of the world what happens next, or how his wife reacted to the affairs. She was probably pissed, which explains the golf club to the face. I dread the day the Masters become a media frenzy about some off the course mistakes one man made. Granted, he IS  the face of golf, but the Masters is the tournament of the year. Let Tiger out of the hot seat. Remember all the other golfers that take to the tee in early April. Remember that sports are about what happens on the field of competition, not always about what happens in the personal lives of the athletes. Enough is enough.

With or Without Nathan

With the news about the apparent destruction of Joe Nathan’s arm still fresh on the morning broadcast of Sportscenter, I find myself surprisingly complacent. Hopefully things work out for the guy, but should he need to spend the rest of this season keeping Morneau’s spot warm on the bench I can’t say I would be disappointed.

You see, when it comes to Joe Nathan, I could care less. I say that with confidence. Rave all you want about him. Top 5 closer, sure. Statistically? Yeah. But when push comes to shove, is he worth the 11.7 million the Twins are paying him? Not after last post season, and especially not now since he’ll be sitting on the bench for 2 seasons. All that money, gone; with nothing in return.

We should have traded him when we had the chance. I know that sounds cliche considering recent events, but now it is going to cripple Minnesota. Let’s hope Jon Rausch can get nostalgic, or that the surgeon who rebuilt Pat Neshek is a God-delivered gift. Either way, losing Nathan will hurt, but it won’t devastate. Ron Gardenhire has built a career around Improvising, and he’ll just dig into the bag of tricks and figure something out.

I never trusted Joe Nathan, he gives me nightmares. This season will be one of a few where we get to see arguably the best Twins team since ’91 without him. I can’t wait.

R.I.P Chris Henry

I know this might sound like broken record, but the NFL sadly had to say goodbye to another member of their elite fraternity recently. Unfortunately, this goodbye had to come much, much too soon.

Sure, Chris Henry had his issues. Who doesn’t? But the magical part of life comes in the form of second chances. The NFL is no stranger to such events. Players like Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson come to mind. Chris had his problems, but every man deserves a second chance.

Some will waste them (see Jones, Pacman), yet some will heed the mistakes of others, and look to make changes. Chris was of the latter. He was on his way. On his way back. Trying to fix his life, and do things right for himself, and his family.

Life is so commonly unfair. Things don’t always work out the way they should, or the way we desire them to. Chris has lost his life at too young of an age. These things, we cannot change. Things we can change however, is how he will be remembered during his earthly life. Sure, Sportscenter might give him a segment on their daily broadcast, the Bengals could retire his jersey, and we could give him countless “moments of silence”. But Chris should be remembered for something other than his football skills. He should be remembered for a gift he was granted, continues, and will continue to grant to numerous young, troubled athletes trudging down their own paths.

Chris should be remembered for second chances.

Bye Bye Go-Go!

It looks like the Minnesota Twins are looking to get back in the Joe Mauer business. Earlier this morning, the Twins announced they have traded speedy center fielder Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy. This move marks the second trade the Twins have made in the last 6 months. Both of which have occurred on behalf of the shortstop position. The frequency of these roster moves are typically uncommon for a Minnesota team that prefers promoting from within the organization instead of looking for help from outside sources. Clearly, Twins management is doing everything they can to keep one-in-a-million catcher Joe Mauer happy behind the plate as his contract draws agonizingly closer to its conclusion.

More importantly, however, is the immediate impact this move will have on the rosters of the clubs involved. In Milwaukee, the answer to the question “Who is going to play shortstop for the Brew Crew this season?” was effectively answered Friday morning. Waiting in the wings was standout prospect Alcides Escobar, whom has been ready for big league action for some time now. Looks like he’s about to get his chance. For Minnesota, the movement of Gomez has two effects. First, the Twins have now cleaned up their crowded outfield a little more. This move solidifies Denard Span as the team’s ongoing centerfielder, and gives them the options of Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and even Jason Kubel (if need be) in their outfield. Secondly, this move finally brings stability into a Twins infield that sees more players than a college scout. Essentially, Minnesota had 3, sometimes 4, players on rotation on the left side of the infield. Between Brendan Harris, Nick Punto, Orlando Cabrera, and Brian Buscher, the Twins can now designate one of those players to play third (Harris) and now have a solid, everyday shortstop in J.J. Hardy (this all assuming Cabrera will not be returning). In baseball, consistency is king, and keeping the same players in the lineup most of the time will help this team in the long run.

Dez Bryant Suspended for the Year

Early this morning, during my daily Sportscenter period, ESPN ran a headline discussing Oklahoma St. wide receiver and his recent judgment by the hands of the NCAA. They have decided to suspend Dez Bryant for the rest of the season, and next season, until September, 2010. The decision was made based on evidence that Bryant lied to the NCAA about the extent of the relationship he had with a former NFL superstar. We all know him as “Primetime” Deion Sanders.

As usual, ESPN hosted their college football analyst, Todd McShay. McShay gave his own personal insight on the reaction to the news. Keep in mind that McShay has picked Bryant as the #1 receiver prospect in the upcoming NFL draft. McShay was disappointed that the NCAA suspended Bryant for such an extensive amount of time. Also arguing that LeGarrette Blount (the Rocky Balboa wannabe from Oregon), was going to be able to possibly return to college football this season, and Bryant has to sit the rest of the season out. Good point McShay, but try this one.

Let’s set the record straight. For ANYONE that has played competitive sports in their lives, we can all relate to LeGarrette Blount’s situation. The only difference being that those games most likely weren’t broadcast on national television. But think back to those days. Undoubtedly, there were opponents on the other side of the field that you wanted to punch. As an athlete growing up, there were people I wanted to hurt. It’s a fact of life. If you have passion for what you’re doing, you won’t take any jive from a cocky whiteboy from Boise, Idaho. Just like LeGarrette, the passion of the sport got to him. I’ve personally seen more brutal fights in a high school hockey game. Those players sat out 2 games and were right back at it. It’s a competition, and only the strong survive. So, I can sympathize with Blount. That Boise St. Player who shall not be named was talking smack, and Blount smacked it right out of him. Too aggressive? Yes. Unacceptable? Yes. Understandable? Absolutely.

Now, we get to Dez Bryant. Instead of a quick lapse of judgment, Bryant INTENTIONALLY violates NCAA policy. Then, INTENTIONALLY lied about violating said policy. This was no one-and-done moment. This was a planned meeting, and a planned cover up from the Bryant camp. Premeditation, baby. If this was a court of law, Bryant would be getting 50-life for 1st degree arrogance. He’s talented, but, he comes off as just another arrogant college athlete that thinks he’s bigger than the system. Those rules are there for a reason, and they aren’t meant to be broken. No matter what you think Mr. Bryant. Shame on Deion Sanders for doing this to the poor kid. You went to college Deion, you know what’s right and what’s wrong. You screwed the guy.

So, for whichever team ends up picking Bryant in the first round this April, I hope that his NFL career gets started better than his college career ended.

(see Bryant’s interview following notice of the ruling)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4601251

Bring Back Jacques!

Marty Havlat returns to his former home. Jonathan Toews got roughed up like a peewee at Bantam practice, and watched the game sharing a box of popcorn with Brent Seabrook, who also didn’t dress. Everything looks poised for the Wild to take this game away from a hungry Chicago crowd. Well, we forgot to mention that the Wild are still missing one of their biggest assets. An asset they have been missing since the beginning of the season; a head coach.

Todd Richards, who to this point should still be coaching in the AHL, must have forgotten all the defense that made him a standout during his days under Doug Woog at the University of Minnesota. Following this glorious defeat, the Wild have fallen to 0-8 on the Road, 3-8 on the season, and most importantly, dead last in the Northwest division. Three ENTIRE games behind Vancouver.

Following a disappointing season, where the Wild missed the playoffs by a slight margin, the calls came calling. The fans of the State of Hockey wanted Lemaire gone. They said the program wasn’t going anywhere. It was stuck in neutral. Marian Gaborik doesn’t want to play for a defensive minded coach, blah blah blah. Whatever the case, Gaborik didn’t want to play for ANY coach in Minnesota. He wanted out, we let him go, and now he’s scoring at will in the Big Apple. Tough break, we lost our franchise player, too bad. But that happens, you have to adjust, and strive to get better. So, Lemaire resigns amid pressure from the public and front office, and we bring in offensive minded Richards to get this program on the right track right? Not even close.

“A team’s best offense, is a good defense.” You’ve all heard it. Well, Todd Richards has thrown defense out the door completely. The Wild are being outscored 23-35 this season. Man, it sure is tough to win games being behind all the time isn’t it? The underlying problem behind all of this madness is simple. The Wild do not have the right personnel to compete like this. They just lost the most prolific scorer in franchise history, and replaced him with, well, Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora. They’re trying, but it just isn’t going to take. The farm team is tapped, there is no legitimate scoring threat on the team (sorry Mikko), AND the defense is getting shelled relentlessly. Things are not looking good in Minnesota. Hey, maybe if they played every game at home they would at least have a chance.

(information in this post was provided in part by http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/standings)

(watch Patrick Kane silence the Wild’s “offensive minded system”)

Watch AP Run Over William Gay like a Truck. Literally.

I don’t know which part is my favorite. The “trucking” of Gay, or how he steps on him afterwards. Just get out his way.

Ugh, just pure beauty.