Month: June 2009 (Page 8 of 58)

Was Vick overrated? Only because media made him that way.

June 26, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

There’s something that still chaps my hide whenever the topic of Michael Vick (the quarterback, not the dog fighter) gets brought up.

ESPN.com is running an “All-Decade” feature this week and for one of their topics they listed the top 25 most overrated NFL players of the decade (Insider subscription required). Who is No. 2 you ask? Well the ~~dog fighter~~ former Falcons quarterback himself, of course.

2. Michael Vick: Even before Vick’s sordid off-field activities came to light, he was a disappointing No. 1 overall pick. Vick was a great runner, sure, but when he dropped back to pass, he turned into Tyler Thigpen or Derek Anderson, quarterbacks who are close to Vick’s career averages of 6.7 yards per pass attempt, 1.4 touchdowns for every interception and 52.8 completion percentage. His upside at this point is “Best Wildcat Quarterback,” not best NFL quarterback.

What I’ve always found funny is that the media was the one that built Vick into this Super Jesus Quarterback (SJQ) coming out of college, then when he never lived up to their lofty expectations, they were the first to say he was one of the most overrated signal callers ever to lace up the cleats.

The media were the ones who said Vick would reinvent the quarterback position, find a cure for lupus and solve the world’s hunger problem. And some fans bought into that because of all the hype that surrounded him coming out of college.

But what was he at Virginia Tech? A runner. And what was he in Atlanta? ~~A dog fighter.~~ A runner. So how is he overrated? Because he didn’t live up to the media’s expectations? That’s what makes him overrated?

Why is it such a conundrum that Vick wasn’t a great passer? Frank Beamer only gave him six plays to learn at VA Tech, so it’s not like Vick was Peyton Manning (a great passer who put up great passing numbers at Tennessee) coming out of college. Dan Reeves and Jim Mora did their best to try and make Vick a quarterback, but obviously he just didn’t have it in him.

The media saw Vick’s big arm and thought, “passer.” But the fact of the matter is that Vick was an athlete first and always. Fans are partially to blame in all of this because they hyped him up too, but they mostly loved his athletic ability and marveled at what he could do with the ball in his hands. It was the media that wanted him to reinvent the position as both a runner and a passer. Now they want to claim, “Vick wasn’t a good quarterback – he was overrated.” Really, Captain Obvious? Well you made him that way.

You know what’s overrated? The term “overrated” in sports. A player is only overrated when the media over hypes him and he fails to live up to those expectations. So let’s relax with all the overrated talk and just enjoy the damn games for once. Either that, or let’s only talk about the players who are underrated, because at least it focuses on those who deserve more attention for what they can do on a field.

NFL

Atlanta Falcons ESPN overrated athletes Michael Vick dog fighting Michael Vick NFL Michel Vick rumors Overrated athletes

Trying to make sense of the Timberwolves’ first two picks

June 26, 2009 / John Paulsen

Probably the most perplexing sequence of events occurred early last night when the Minnesota Timberwolves picked Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn — two pure point guards — with back-to-back picks. My first instinct was that GM David Kahn (Kaaaaaaaaaahn!) was working out a trade for one of the guards, possibly moving Rubio to the Warriors or Knicks or some other team for a pick and/or veteran help. But then Ric Bucher popped his head in to inform us that Kahn said that he plans to play Rubio and Flynn together. Later on, Kahn mentioned a few examples of point guard duos that have played well in the past, citing Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, and…gulp…Michael Jordan and John Paxson.

Setting aside the Jordan/Paxson comparison for a moment, let’s look at the other two examples. DJ and Ainge were both 6’4″ combo guards and neither guy had to have the ball in his hands to be effective. I don’t think the same will be said about Rubio or Flynn (certainly not Rubio). Dumars was 6’3″ defensive stopper and deadeye shooter, while Zeke was a ball-dominant playmaker. In short, Thomas was a pure point guard, while Dumars, Ainge and DJ were combo guards. Those backcourts worked because the two players complemented each other.

But back to Jordan/Paxson — if I’m a Timberwolves fan and I hear that my general manager is referring to Michael Jordan as a point guard, I’m getting out on the ledge. MJ was a 6’6″ wing, who could do everything — handle, shoot, post up and play defense. He was more of a 2/3 who could run the point if necessary. If Kahn really thinks that he was a point guard, then that shows an alarming lack of basic knowledge about the game.

But that’s not the only reason the comparison is invalid. A general manager should not be invoking Jordan’s name when discussing his first few picks in the draft. He is arguably the greatest player ever to play the game, so it’s not fair to expect your rookies to do the same things he did. Any backcourt that featured Jordan would have worked. He was that good.

Once Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and Tyreke Evans were off the board, I thought for sure the T-Wolves would take a point guard (Rubio or Flynn) and Stephen Curry, who is a smallish combo guard that can shoot the lights out. If you want to run him at off guard, you need to pair him with a pure point guard to set him up. A Flynn/Curry or Rubio/Curry backcourt would have had a real chance at working. Rubio/Flynn would serve as the playmaker, while Curry’s shooting would create space for Al Jefferson and Kevin Love to work in the post. Defensively, a backcourt like that would have its share of problems, but at least it would make sense on the other end of the court.

I just don’t think a Rubio/Flynn backcourt will work. Both players are ball-dominant and neither guy shoots the ball very well. Rubio isn’t strong enough to cover most opposing shooting guards and Flynn isn’t tall enough to cover big guards on the block. Throw in the fact that Rubio doesn’t sound too thrilled about the prospect of playing in Minnesota, and Kahn might have one big mess on his hands.

Here is some more commentary about Minnesota’s first two picks…

NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip

2009 NBA Draft David Kahn Jonny Flynn draft Jonny Flynn rumors NBA Draft rumors Ricky Rubio Ricky Rubio draft Ricky Rubio rumors what are the T-Wolves thinking?what are the Wolves thinking?what was David Kahn thinking?

T.O.: ‘I’ll be the scapegoat for what happened in Dallas.’

June 26, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Even though he’s moved on to other pastures, Terrell Owens continues to be asked about what happened that led to his release in Dallas, to which the wide receiver still doesn’t understand.

“(Romo) was the quarterback of the team,” T.O. said during his camp for kids today at Duncanville High School. “I think everybody realized that. It was upon him to adopt that leadership role and carry that out. Obviously, they saw that didn’t happen.
“So, for whatever reason, I’ll be the scapegoat. I’m not here. Now, it’s his team. You know, and I wish him well.”
T.O., who famously cried while defending Romo after the top-seeded Cowboys’ playoff loss to the Giants two years ago, claimed to be confused when asked how the relationship between the quarterback and receiver changed last season.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” T.O. said. “I don’t know what happened. Obviously, somebody is lying somewhere. I don’t know what happened. All I know is that I’m not here. I’m with the Buffalo Bills, and I’ll leave it at that.”

T.O. is right about one thing – he is playing the scapegoat. The Cowboys obviously felt that Romo could lead the team with Owens still on the roster and decided that the best thing to do was to cut bait and move on. But what Owens fails to understand is how big of a negative effect he had in Dallas.

What T.O. sees when he looks back on his days in Dallas (and San Francisco, and Philadelphia for that matter) was all the touchdowns, the stats and the receptions. He blocks out the times where he’s humiliated quarterbacks, offensive coordinators and everyone else when things weren’t going his way. He doesn’t see himself as a malcontent, yet he’s been run out of three cities already and fails to see what everyone else sees.

So yes, he was the scapegoat in Dallas but for good reason – reasons he’ll never fathom.

NFL

Cowboys rumors Dallas Cowboys Terrell Owens Tony Romo

Has Lou Piniella lost his fire?

June 26, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

…that’s what some Cubs fans believe, although Sweet Lou says he’s just more in control now.

“I still have fire,” he said Thursday morning in an interview with the Tribune, hours before the Cubs’ 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. “It’s more under control. The amazing thing is when I was younger and I showed it more, then I’d be criticized at times, ‘This guy is showing too much [fire].’
“I understand this business. I’ve been in it a long time, and the bottom line is you have to win. It doesn’t matter if you have fire, no fire, passion, no passion, stupidity, smartness … all of these things don’t even come into the equation. What comes into the equation — for the fans, for the organization, for the people watching — is you either win or you lose. It’s a simple thing.
“I’m doing the best I can. That’s all I can do. Last year we won 97 games and I was the manager of the year in the National League. And all of a sudden this year, I don’t have any fire? That’s why we’re not winning?
“I don’t buy that at all.”

Everyone do themselves a favor and re-read that second quote by Piniella – the one about winning and losing, because he hits the nail on the head. Fans want to see their teams win – period. If the team is losing, then the manager, general manager and hot dog vendors aren’t doing enough. If the team is winning, then the manager, general manager and hot dog vendors are the best manager, general manager and hot dog vendors this world has ever seen.

Fans who watch their teams on a nightly basis aren’t stupid – they know what’s going on and they have a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of their team. But in general, most fans are irrational and they lose site of the bigger picture when their team starts to lose.

Piniella hasn’t lost his fire – the Cubs simply can’t hit right now. Lou kicking dirt on an umpire isn’t going to make Aramis Ramirez healthy again and it’s not going to help Alfonso Soriano cut down on the strikeouts or Derrek Lee not hit into any double plays. If a team needs a fire lit under their ass, then Piniella is the one manager you’d pick to do that. But there’s not much he can do right now with the suckhole that the Cubs’ offense is currently in.

MLB

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