Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Titanic Loss Wasn’t What Pats Needed
Tennessee lost last weekend to the San Diego Chargers 17-6 in a Wildcard play-off game the Titans should have won. The Titans held San Diego scoreless in the first half and LaDainian Tomlison to just 42 yards rushing for the entire game, however the Chargers still managed to pull out their first play-off victory in 13 years.San Diego now gets to play the Indianapolis Colts at Indy. Having squeaked by the Titans at home and possibly losing their All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates in the process, the Chargers aren’t as dominating nor pose the same threat as last year thus the Colts should have an easy time 32-10.
More importantly, the Titans collapse coupled with the Pittsburgh loss means that the Jacksonville Jaguars will be traveling to Gillette Stadium this Saturday to tangle with the New England Patriots. Now the Pats have to play one of the hottest teams in the NFL and could possibly have a battle on their hands.
With a physical front seven, a vaunted running game, and an accurate quarterback in David Garrard, the Jags became the only team in history to beat the Steelers twice in one season at Pittsburgh. Lead by NFL Pro Bowl selection Fred Taylor and former UCLA standout Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars’ backs will try to take advantage of the Pats aging linebackers with short passes and runs up the middle.
Also, like Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlesberger, Tom Brady is sure to be affected by the Jags’ pass rush. But unlike ‘Big Ben’, the reigning NFL MVP will pick apart the Jags’ weak secondary and the Patriots will win 28-17.
NFL Play-offs: Pats vs. Jags Saturday @ 8 pm (5 pm on the Left coast). Can't wait!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Breed of Football Coach
With all the coaching changes occurring in College football and the NFL, many of the same names get recycled every year. As everyone focusses on a similar pool of candidates, General Mangers and Athletic Directors need to start looking outside the box for new talent. On that note, I am nominating a High School football coaching legend that is ready for the next level.Head Coach Ricky Jimmy has been leading the Eisenhower Screaming Eagles of Rialto, CA for 35 seasons. During his tenure Coach Jimmy lead his teams to 352-3-1 record and has coached such athletic luminaries as Rob Chow, Rick Chow, and NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. During the Summer, Coach Jimmy runs his highly successful "I Will Make You Cry" football camps and also acts as a special advisor to Pete Carroll running clinics at the USC Trojan football camps. Aside from his unparalleled football instruction, Coach Jimmy is also a solid citizen who enriches his community every day. He is the Junior Varsity Water Polo coach and even moderates the bingo night at the local Rialto Senior Living Center every week.
In short, Ricky Jimmy is a leader both on and off the field and should be considered for one of the many coaching vacancies available in both College and Professional football. Hopefully somebody will give this guy a shot.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
For the love of Pete!
The USC Trojans completed another stellar season by trouncing the Fighting Illini in the 2008 Rose Bowl 49-17. I didn’t remember the score because I watched the game or saw the endless highlights on ESPN’s SportCenter. I know the score because that is all anyone talked about on local sports radio in Los Angeles.Without an NFL football team in LA (even though they try, the SD Chargers don’t count), USC is the closest thing to professional football...literally. The program is so deep with talent and such a powerhouse that some years they might be able to compete with NFL teams. They are winning and have a strong alumni base but is there any danger of over-exposure?
I woke-up New Year’s Day only to hear the USC pre-game show in progress on LA sports radio. The show began at 7 AM, a full 7 hours before kick-off! How much can you analyze a game in which a majority of the players aren’t old enough to drink yet? Even the 16-0 New England Patriots of the NFL don’t have a pre-game show that long. That wasn’t the end. Following the game, the post-game show lasted until midnight. By the end of the show, the hosts were so tired and punchy that they were forgetting players’ names!
Anyway, thankfully USC has one of the greatest fight songs of all time, but in an effort to free-up local radio, will the NFL please come back to Los Angeles?!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
NHL Winter Classic game - Saving the sport?
I watched the NHL's first US outdoor game between the Penguins and Sabres on New Years Day. Pretty cool. With 70,000 fans and the snow falling, the game was fun and totally lived up to the hype.
The experience reminded me of skating on cranberry bogs when I was a kid in New England and showed the rest of the country how historical and cool hockey can be. Gary Bettman said it cost the league $1 million to put the game on, so I don't see it becoming a regular event but I wouldn't be opposed to watching two 'Original 6' teams like the Bruins, Canadiens, or Rangers playing at Gillette Stadium sometime soon.
Anyway, with the NHL struggling to carve out an identity in the shadow of the NFL, NBA, and MLB in the lower 48, I thought I would look at some recent complaints and theories as to why the league is not as popular...
13.) NHL tickets are too expensive:
But so are NFL tickets, so it really shouldn't matter if the product is good.
12.) The Goalies' pads are too big:
The shooters are bigger, faster, and more skilled so it really shouldn't matter. Scoring is not down because the goalies have extra padding.
11.) The players are too big:
People have talked about things like removing the red line, making the trap illegal, or widening the ice surface all to open up the game. Just like in basketball, players evolve and get bigger and better but you don't see the NBA widening the court or raising the rim.
10.) The game is too fast and hard to follow:
I am confused. Is the game hard to follow or does it need to be opened-up more? Although I do feel a long camera angle of the rink will show new viewers more of the excitement, movement and strategy of the game, we don't need anymore gimmicks like glowing pucks.
9.) There is no top American superstar in the league:
Contrary to what American marketers may think, the presence of great US players like Roenik, Modano, and La Fontaine does not directly affect the success of the league.
8.) Players all wearing helmets takes away the personality of the game:
Initially this was a concern when the mandatory helmet rule was passed in the NHL several years ago, but there has been no evidence of this affecting the very successful NFL. Besides NHL players are notoriously more accessible.
7.) Except Detroit, the 'Original 6' franchises have not done well recently:
Since history and tradition are so important in the NHL, I think this is a legitimate issue.
6.) There isn't any fighting anymore:
A few years ago the NHL nearly eliminated pugilism from the game but as young stars in the league emerge, so has a new of group of bodyguards.
5.) No National TV contract in United States:
Chicken -or- the egg. Improve the game and exposure will follow.
4.) All the team uniforms look the same:
This is more a pet-peeve of mine. In the years after the LA Kings got Gretsky and changed their uniforms to black and white, it seemed most teams incorporated black into their color scheme. To me it takes away from the uniqueness of the teams and pageantry and history of the game. Hockey sweaters were once colorful works of art. The Rangers and B's have gone back to some original designs, but how cool would it be if teams like the Penguins (light blue) and Kings (purple & gold) adopted their retro sweaters again full time.
3.) There are just too many teams:
If the product is not good, then expansion will hurt any league.
2.) Franchises in top media cities have not been successful:
Since team success in a top media market (especially an 'Original 6' city like NY, Bos, or Chi) would naturally create more interest, this does have some validity.
1.) The dreaded 'Quick whistle' is ruining play:
The more I watch this game the more I notice how a simple thing like a quick whistle can affect a game. It was instituted to protect goalies and clamp down on fisticuffs. Instead of players crashing the net after a loose puck , the referee now blows the whistle and stops play once the goalie has control of the puck or worse, whenever the puck is out of sight. I understand the intention, but the goalies are already well protected as mentioned earlier. Besides, if you are already cracking down on fighting and activity within the crease, why mess with the flow of the game? Now the excitment of loose pucks and all the intensity around the net is missing. Also, goalie stickhandling was always high drama. Now once a goalie corrals the puck he can get a whistle simply by skating in the direction of an opposing player and face-offs routinely break the momentum and flow of an intense, action-oriented game. If you remove the 'quick whistle', the action again will be more continuous, the game will be more exciting, and thus the product more appealing to new viewers and traditionalists.
The experience reminded me of skating on cranberry bogs when I was a kid in New England and showed the rest of the country how historical and cool hockey can be. Gary Bettman said it cost the league $1 million to put the game on, so I don't see it becoming a regular event but I wouldn't be opposed to watching two 'Original 6' teams like the Bruins, Canadiens, or Rangers playing at Gillette Stadium sometime soon.
Anyway, with the NHL struggling to carve out an identity in the shadow of the NFL, NBA, and MLB in the lower 48, I thought I would look at some recent complaints and theories as to why the league is not as popular...
13.) NHL tickets are too expensive:
But so are NFL tickets, so it really shouldn't matter if the product is good.
12.) The Goalies' pads are too big:
The shooters are bigger, faster, and more skilled so it really shouldn't matter. Scoring is not down because the goalies have extra padding.
11.) The players are too big:
People have talked about things like removing the red line, making the trap illegal, or widening the ice surface all to open up the game. Just like in basketball, players evolve and get bigger and better but you don't see the NBA widening the court or raising the rim.
10.) The game is too fast and hard to follow:
I am confused. Is the game hard to follow or does it need to be opened-up more? Although I do feel a long camera angle of the rink will show new viewers more of the excitement, movement and strategy of the game, we don't need anymore gimmicks like glowing pucks.
9.) There is no top American superstar in the league:
Contrary to what American marketers may think, the presence of great US players like Roenik, Modano, and La Fontaine does not directly affect the success of the league.
8.) Players all wearing helmets takes away the personality of the game:
Initially this was a concern when the mandatory helmet rule was passed in the NHL several years ago, but there has been no evidence of this affecting the very successful NFL. Besides NHL players are notoriously more accessible.
7.) Except Detroit, the 'Original 6' franchises have not done well recently:
Since history and tradition are so important in the NHL, I think this is a legitimate issue.
6.) There isn't any fighting anymore:
A few years ago the NHL nearly eliminated pugilism from the game but as young stars in the league emerge, so has a new of group of bodyguards.
5.) No National TV contract in United States:
Chicken -or- the egg. Improve the game and exposure will follow.
4.) All the team uniforms look the same:
This is more a pet-peeve of mine. In the years after the LA Kings got Gretsky and changed their uniforms to black and white, it seemed most teams incorporated black into their color scheme. To me it takes away from the uniqueness of the teams and pageantry and history of the game. Hockey sweaters were once colorful works of art. The Rangers and B's have gone back to some original designs, but how cool would it be if teams like the Penguins (light blue) and Kings (purple & gold) adopted their retro sweaters again full time.
3.) There are just too many teams:
If the product is not good, then expansion will hurt any league.
2.) Franchises in top media cities have not been successful:
Since team success in a top media market (especially an 'Original 6' city like NY, Bos, or Chi) would naturally create more interest, this does have some validity.
1.) The dreaded 'Quick whistle' is ruining play:
The more I watch this game the more I notice how a simple thing like a quick whistle can affect a game. It was instituted to protect goalies and clamp down on fisticuffs. Instead of players crashing the net after a loose puck , the referee now blows the whistle and stops play once the goalie has control of the puck or worse, whenever the puck is out of sight. I understand the intention, but the goalies are already well protected as mentioned earlier. Besides, if you are already cracking down on fighting and activity within the crease, why mess with the flow of the game? Now the excitment of loose pucks and all the intensity around the net is missing. Also, goalie stickhandling was always high drama. Now once a goalie corrals the puck he can get a whistle simply by skating in the direction of an opposing player and face-offs routinely break the momentum and flow of an intense, action-oriented game. If you remove the 'quick whistle', the action again will be more continuous, the game will be more exciting, and thus the product more appealing to new viewers and traditionalists.
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