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      Do the Bengals already have concerns about Andy Dalton?

      September 7, 2011 /
      Texas Christian University quarterback Andy Dalton celebrates after his 23 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bart Johnson during first quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena on January 1, 2011. UPI/Jon SooHoo

      Andy Dalton hasn’t taken one meaningful snap yet in his NFL career and already his team may have concerns about whether or not he can get the job done.

      According to Yahoo Sports’ Jason Cole, the Bengals “leaked” their interest in Carson Palmer coming out of retirement because they’re concerned about Dalton starting as a rookie. But as Rotoworld.com points out, this might just be speculation on Cole’s part and they’re probably right. After all, what difference does it make if they “leak” out that they’re interested in Palmer? It would make more sense if they were being coy about situation because then it wouldn’t look bad on their part that they’re not showing faith in Dalton. How do the Bengals help themselves by “leaking” this information out? Cole’s report makes zero sense.

      But let’s assume for a moment that part of Cole’s report makes sense and that the Bengals fear Dalton isn’t ready. My question is: What did they expect? Dalton was a fine college quarterback but he didn’t exactly face the toughest competition at TCU and there were questions about his arm strength heading into the draft. They knew Palmer didn’t want anything to do with coming back and they should have known that Dalton was going to be a major project. Thus, they should have had option B in place in case Dalton struggled in preseason. Vince Young was available earlier this offseason, as was Matt Hasselbeck and now so is David Garrard. There’s no guarantee that Young or Hasselbeck would have come to Cincinnati but as far as I know the Bengals never tried to pursue them either. If I were them, I’d jump on the phone with Garrard’s agent before a team like the Colts beats them to the punch.

      But if Garrard isn’t in their plans then I say the Bengals mush on with Dalton. He’s a rookie and he’s going to have his ups and downs. But if he learns on the job then maybe next year he’ll be better. And maybe the year after that he’ll turn the Bengals into a contender assuming they add pieces around him.

      Or maybe the guy will be a total bust and never live up to anything in the NFL. Either way, the Bengals took this risk and now they might as well show their full support in the kid. After all, it’s not like they’ve left themselves with better options.

      External Sports, NFL

      Let’s talk Celtics!

      September 7, 2011 /
      Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce reacts after being fouled by the Miami Heat during the third quarter of Game 3 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series in Boston, Massachusetts May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Here are five questions about the C’s that ESPN posed to its network of basketbloggers along with my take.

      1. Fact or Fiction: Rajon Rondo’s up-and-down play is a concern.
      Fact! Of course you don’t want up-and-down play from your point guard. That’s a silly question.

      2. Fact or Fiction: The Celtics should consider trading Ray Allen.
      Fiction. What’s the point? The C’s are in “win now” mode, so why trade away one of the best shooters in the game? On the off chance that Kevin Garnett undergoes a resurgence and the C’s can get back into contender status, wouldn’t they want Jesus Shuttlesworth out there knocking down three-pointers?

      3. Fact or Fiction: Boston should bring back Jeff Green and Glen Davis.
      Fiction-ish. It depends on what Green wants to return. I think he could still be part of Boston’s future, but he’ll probably get more money than he’s worth. As for Davis, he looked lethargic last season and I’m not sure he can trim down enough to earn a new deal.

      4. Fact or Fiction: The C’s will go as far as Kevin Garnett takes them.
      Fiction, but KG is the key. The Celtics are a team in the truest sense of the word and will need contributions and good play from several players if they hope to make another title run, but Garnett has to get back to All-Star level play on both ends of the court if the C’s are going to go anywhere.

      5. Fact or Fiction: The Celtics’ title window has closed.
      Fact. It’s not completely closed, but if you’re standing a few feet away, it sure looks like it’s closed. It would take a perfect storm of good play and good health by the Celtics along with disaster striking in both Miami and Chicago (not to mention the Western Conference contenders) to re-open the window to let anything more than a draft through.

      External Sports, NBA

      Strasburg strong in return

      September 7, 2011 /
      Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Nationals Park in Washington on September 6, 2011. This is Strasburg’s first Major League game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      Stephen Strasburg pitched five shutout innings in his first Major League game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September.

      Stephen Strasburg met every reasonable expectation, and exceeded several ridiculous ones, in his nearly flawless return to the major leagues Tuesday night at Nationals Park.

      Where’s the rust or the lost command? Who returns to the big leagues after 382 days away for elbow surgery with more precision and better efficiency than when he left? Who fans one Dodger on a 99 mph fastball, barely allows an audibly struck ball in five innings, but has the touch and finesse to fan both Matt Kemp and Andre Eithier on 90 mph change-ups?

      It’s amazing how far we’ve come with Tommy John surgery.

      External Sports, MLB

      Five burning questions about the Knicks

      September 6, 2011 /
      New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and head coach Mike D’Antoni (L) react in the final moments of the second half of Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts April 19, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      It’s time to discuss the Knicks. ESPN is running a five-question series with its network of bloggers, and I’ve been tossing in my two cents (which is worth about one and a half cents in today’s economy). Anyway, off we go:

      1. Fact or Fiction: The Melo trade, as constructed, was a mistake.
      Fiction. The Knicks didn’t gel right away (and never really did), but they still added a Top 15 player and anytime you can do that, you’ve won the trade. This question was never going to be answered in 2011. It’s going to be answered over the next four or five years.

      2. Fact or Fiction: The Knicks will eventually form their own Big Three.
      Fact. I’m not sure how they’ll do it, but the prospects of playing in New York with Carmelo and Amare would have to convince some point guard somewhere to force a trade or take a less than market deal.

      3. Fact or Fiction: Landry Fields is a legitimate starter for a contender.
      Fiction. But only because of the word “is.” He has the potential to be a legit starter on a contender, but I don’t think he’s there yet. He has to find his niche on the perimeter alongside Anthony, who holds the ball too much and that doesn’t jibe well with Landry’s game. But he can shoot, rebound and defend, so he can certainly develop into a legit starter.

      4. Fact or Fiction: This is the final season in New York for Mike D’Antoni.
      Fiction. Give D’Antoni a full season — wait, there’s a lockout isn’t there? I don’t think that the Knicks are going to find a better coach unless they’re somehow able to coax a revitalized Phil Jackson out of retirement. I think D’Antoni is capable of shaping the Knicks into the Suns of the East, but he needs to find a point guard to run the show.

      5. Fact or Fiction: The Knicks are a top-four team in the East.
      Fiction. I’d still take the Heat, Bulls, Magic (for now) and Celtics (for now) over the Knicks. They’re a “next four” team — should make the playoffs every year, but they aren’t going to make that next step until they find a good point guard.

      External Sports, NBA

      2011 NFL Season Preview & Predictions

      September 6, 2011 /

      Thirty-two teams, 32 predictions. That’s what you’ll find in our 2011 NFL Season Preview, which consists of division-by-division breakdowns, playoff projections and of course, a Super Bowl prediction. (Let’s see if I can’t make it two in a row after correctly predicting the Packers to win last year.)

      Let’s get nasty…

      AFC EAST

      New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches his team play the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago on December 12, 2010. The Patriots won 36-7. UPI/Brian Kersey

      1. Patriots
      2. Jets
      3. Dolphins
      4. Bills

      Go ahead and pick against the Patriots but it won’t help you sleep better at night. Fact is they addressed their biggest weakness in the offseason by adding more pass-rushers and they’ve improved as a whole. I wonder if releasing James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather will hurt their depth in the secondary but Bill Belichick knows what he’s doing on that side of the ball, even if others don’t see it…Mark Sanchez needs to be just as good in the regular season as he has been in the postseason so that the Jets can win this division and host a couple of playoff games (as opposed to having to win on the road every year). I don’t think the Jets will surpass the Pats this season but Rex Ryan is once again at the controls of a Super Bowl contender…The Dolphins have a real nice linebacker corps and I love their young cornerback duo of Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. But they’ve got a real problem at quarterback in Chad Henne and outside of left tackle Jake Long, their offensive line is shaky as well. What’s the over/under for number of days before Brandon Marshall blows a gasket?…Chances are the Bills are going to be better than their overall record indicates but they play in a tough division, their offensive line is still a weakness and Ryan Fitzpatrick will only take a team so far. That said, Buffalo is slowly getting better each year and it has a couple of playmakers on defense in Shawne Merriman and George Wilson.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

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