With UCLA's recent win in the elite eight they have now successfully made the Final Four for three straight years. UCLA will play Memphis, the number one seed from the Midwest, who comes into the Final Four with only one loss and winning their last two games by double digits.
Just taking a quick glance at the game you'd have to give the upper hand to Memphis on paper. They have the better winning percentage, have finished games off better, and have more length, talent and depth at the skill positions. My answer to that is not so fast my un-educated basketball fans. College basketball is not played on paper. It's a game that's played with passion for 40 minutes on the hardwood. It's played with skill and smarts, it's played with talent and brains. Ben Howland and the UCLA Bruins have played that style of game for a very long time. If UCLA plays the basketball that they've played for the majority of they year, the grind it out and get in your face on defense, they will beat the Tigers and advance to their second Final Four in three years.
What the Bruins must to do win. - the first few will be obvious, things that must be done in basketball at every level but if the Bruins can successfully do all of these you can book em for the championship game.
1. Play Defense - something the Bruins have done all year. The do a great job doubling in the post and rotating to the players closet to the ball and basket. They also do a superb job hedging off screens and defending the ball. Just play D like you did all year and you'll be fine.
2. Take Care of the Ball and take good/high percentage shots - Do not force things and do not rush shots. Shoot the three's when they're there but please don't force them. The Bruins have the best low post player in college basketball in Kevin Love. They must get him the ball early and often. Get him in a great rhythm and the more he touches the ball the more attention he will get. Doubling Love will just allow him to show off his uncanny passing skills and allow many opportunities for offensive rebounds which the Bruins do very well. Mbah Moute, Westbrook and Shipp all are great finishers and have noses for loose balls. We must be all over the loose balls. Note to Shipp, please shoot when you have an open shot. You have the ability to go 5 for 8.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Lions Defensive Off Season News
Since I last wrote, the Lions have made several moves in free agency. Nothing stands out as a serious move in order to contend for the NFC championship however they have signed guys in areas of need.
In the secondary, the Lions, resigned CB's Travis Fisher and Keith Smith along with signing CB's Brian Kelly, from Tampa and and Dwight Smith from Minnesota. The trade of Shaun Rogers for a draft pick and Leigh Bodden has solved our #1 corner spot for now but left the DT position with no depth. Brian Kelly and Travis Fisher will contend for the #2 and 3 spots with Dwight Smith and Keith Smith looking to hold down the backup safety and corner spots. The Lions also signed special teamer Kalvin Pearson who last played and led the Bucs special teams in tackles. Unless the lions choose a CB with their first draft pick I think the Lions secondary is set for the start of training camp.
In the area of the front seven the Lions added depth at DT by signing veteran Chuck Darby from Seattle. We need help at both DE and DT still.
At the LB position the Lions let Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman sign with Denver and Tampa respectively. Neither lived up to their potential and best of luck to them in the future. No new signings or acquisitions yet at LB however much help is needed here in free agency and the draft.
Current Depth Chart
CB's 1. Leigh Bodden 2. Brian Kelly 3. Travis Fisher 4. Keith Smith 5. Dwight Smith
Safety's 1. Daniel Bullocks 2. Gerald Alexander 3. Dwight Smith 4. Kalvin Pearson
LB's 1. Ernie Sims 2. Paris Lenon 3. Alex Lewis 4. Anthony Canon 5. Buster Davis
DE's 1. DeWayne White 2. Jared Devries 3. Alama-Francis 4. Claude Harriot
DT's 1. Cory Redding 2. Shaun Cody 3. Chuck Darby
Going into the April Draft we need a lot of help on defense. Our secondary is actually the least suspect position right now and that's the complete opposite of where we were in January. Our front seven is extremely thin and inexperienced. If we want to contend in 2008 we need to add talent and depth at all 7 positions.
Look for the Lions to go after a LB, DE or OT in the first round of the NFL draft in April. My current pick is LB Dan Connor from Penn State.
In the secondary, the Lions, resigned CB's Travis Fisher and Keith Smith along with signing CB's Brian Kelly, from Tampa and and Dwight Smith from Minnesota. The trade of Shaun Rogers for a draft pick and Leigh Bodden has solved our #1 corner spot for now but left the DT position with no depth. Brian Kelly and Travis Fisher will contend for the #2 and 3 spots with Dwight Smith and Keith Smith looking to hold down the backup safety and corner spots. The Lions also signed special teamer Kalvin Pearson who last played and led the Bucs special teams in tackles. Unless the lions choose a CB with their first draft pick I think the Lions secondary is set for the start of training camp.
In the area of the front seven the Lions added depth at DT by signing veteran Chuck Darby from Seattle. We need help at both DE and DT still.
At the LB position the Lions let Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman sign with Denver and Tampa respectively. Neither lived up to their potential and best of luck to them in the future. No new signings or acquisitions yet at LB however much help is needed here in free agency and the draft.
Current Depth Chart
CB's 1. Leigh Bodden 2. Brian Kelly 3. Travis Fisher 4. Keith Smith 5. Dwight Smith
Safety's 1. Daniel Bullocks 2. Gerald Alexander 3. Dwight Smith 4. Kalvin Pearson
LB's 1. Ernie Sims 2. Paris Lenon 3. Alex Lewis 4. Anthony Canon 5. Buster Davis
DE's 1. DeWayne White 2. Jared Devries 3. Alama-Francis 4. Claude Harriot
DT's 1. Cory Redding 2. Shaun Cody 3. Chuck Darby
Going into the April Draft we need a lot of help on defense. Our secondary is actually the least suspect position right now and that's the complete opposite of where we were in January. Our front seven is extremely thin and inexperienced. If we want to contend in 2008 we need to add talent and depth at all 7 positions.
Look for the Lions to go after a LB, DE or OT in the first round of the NFL draft in April. My current pick is LB Dan Connor from Penn State.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Super Bowl XLII
Well its down to two teams vying for the Vince Lombardi trophy. The 18-0 Patriots and the NFC Champs, the Giants. As well saw in week 17 the Giants played their best game of the year by almost beating the Patriots and coming close to spoiling their perfect regular season. It's not everyday that you get second chances and the Giants find themselves with that opportunity.
In the AFC championship the Chargers looked like the better team for most of the game. They ran the ball well and picked off Tom Brady three times. The Bolts defense looked dominant until Lawrence Maroney started getting the ball in the 4th quarter. Maroney is an extremely underrated RB because of the system he plays in but as you saw Sunday he can and will be a difference maker when he gets his touches. Look for Maroney to pound the Giants like he did in the second half of the Chargers game.
The Giants, in their championship game, did a great job controlling the ball and time of possession. They ran the ball 39 times vs. the 14 by the Packers and kept the chains moving by getting 8 first down runs. I cannot comprehend why the Packers made Favre sling the ball around 40 times in those frigid weather conditions but that's an afterthought. Eli did a fine job not turning the ball over (thank the ref's for that as well) and completing the tough pass when he needed to. The Giants played smart football and got the key game winning Field Goal in over time.
The question now is can the Giants duplicate their performance a month ago and score 5 times against the haunting Patriots defense. A defense that stops the run with ease and puts pressure on a QB like no other team.
In my "expert" opinion I say no possible way. Give the Patriots two weeks to look over their previous game film and prepare to for the Giants offense attack and I think Eli will be in the fight of his life. In Arizona, weather will not be a problem so look for Brady to chuck it all over the Giants secondary in the first half. Then in the second half, look for Maroney and the play action pass to blow the game out of reach.
The Giants put up a early fight but the dominance of the Patriots and the AFC take over the game in the long run.
Patriots 34 - Giants 17
-DLB
In the AFC championship the Chargers looked like the better team for most of the game. They ran the ball well and picked off Tom Brady three times. The Bolts defense looked dominant until Lawrence Maroney started getting the ball in the 4th quarter. Maroney is an extremely underrated RB because of the system he plays in but as you saw Sunday he can and will be a difference maker when he gets his touches. Look for Maroney to pound the Giants like he did in the second half of the Chargers game.
The Giants, in their championship game, did a great job controlling the ball and time of possession. They ran the ball 39 times vs. the 14 by the Packers and kept the chains moving by getting 8 first down runs. I cannot comprehend why the Packers made Favre sling the ball around 40 times in those frigid weather conditions but that's an afterthought. Eli did a fine job not turning the ball over (thank the ref's for that as well) and completing the tough pass when he needed to. The Giants played smart football and got the key game winning Field Goal in over time.
The question now is can the Giants duplicate their performance a month ago and score 5 times against the haunting Patriots defense. A defense that stops the run with ease and puts pressure on a QB like no other team.
In my "expert" opinion I say no possible way. Give the Patriots two weeks to look over their previous game film and prepare to for the Giants offense attack and I think Eli will be in the fight of his life. In Arizona, weather will not be a problem so look for Brady to chuck it all over the Giants secondary in the first half. Then in the second half, look for Maroney and the play action pass to blow the game out of reach.
The Giants put up a early fight but the dominance of the Patriots and the AFC take over the game in the long run.
Patriots 34 - Giants 17
-DLB
Sunday, January 13, 2008
NFL Playoffs
With the NFL down to only 4 teams and a only a week away from crowning a NFC and AFC champ I thought it'd be a good time to voice my opinion on the championship games. In the start of the year I predicted the AFC Championship game to be NE and Indy. Not too far off there. In the NFC I said the Bears and the Seahawks. A little more off however the Seahawks did have a good year and was flat out outplayed by Favre and the Packers.
NFC - Giants vs. Packers
Both teams I thought would struggle to win 7 games and finish in the middle of their respective divisions. Boy was I wrong there.
The Giants were slow out of the gate losing their first two games and I don't think ever looked like a serious contender until the second half of week 16 against Buffalo. The near win in the week 17 shootout with NE gave them serious momentum and confidence coming into the Playoffs. A huge advantage. With a very week schedule in the middle part of the year the Giants took advantage and won the games they should of. Week's 5-10 included the Jets, Falcons, Niners, Dolphins, and Lions.
In the NFC championship game the Giants have just as good a shot at beating the Packers as they did the Cowboys. If they can run the ball effectively and keep away from turnovers it should prove to be a close game. Look out for the nasty weather in GB in January though.
Green Bay on the other hand surprised me and looked like the class of the NFC central from the start by winning 10 of their first 11 games. Brett Favre was Brett Favre and the emergence of the running game provided by Ryan Grant a one year veteran from Notre Dame sparked what could be the best offense in the NFC.
Early Prediction - Green Bay 28 - New York 17
Both teams in the AFC championship games have veteran depth and both were expected to contend. The Chargers have surprised though by handling Tennessee rather easily and making Peyton look somewhat ordinary.
New England is New England and I don't need to say more.
San Diego, with backups at RB and QB in the second half against Indy, looked very good. Like they actually belong in the Championship game. Michael Turner ran the ball well in place of Tomlinson and Darren Sproles showed his devastating speed by taking a little dump off 50+ yards for a go ahead TD to end the third quarter. Billy Volek came in and replaced Rivers after an injury and scored the game winning TD on a QB sneak with 4:50 left. The Chargers defense, full of speed and play makers, did a great job keeping the Colts out of the end zone in the last 4+ minutes of the game.
If the defense can replicate their play against at NE I would look for a much closer game than the one that was played in week 2.
Early Prediction - New England 31 - San Diego 28
NFC - Giants vs. Packers
Both teams I thought would struggle to win 7 games and finish in the middle of their respective divisions. Boy was I wrong there.
The Giants were slow out of the gate losing their first two games and I don't think ever looked like a serious contender until the second half of week 16 against Buffalo. The near win in the week 17 shootout with NE gave them serious momentum and confidence coming into the Playoffs. A huge advantage. With a very week schedule in the middle part of the year the Giants took advantage and won the games they should of. Week's 5-10 included the Jets, Falcons, Niners, Dolphins, and Lions.
In the NFC championship game the Giants have just as good a shot at beating the Packers as they did the Cowboys. If they can run the ball effectively and keep away from turnovers it should prove to be a close game. Look out for the nasty weather in GB in January though.
Green Bay on the other hand surprised me and looked like the class of the NFC central from the start by winning 10 of their first 11 games. Brett Favre was Brett Favre and the emergence of the running game provided by Ryan Grant a one year veteran from Notre Dame sparked what could be the best offense in the NFC.
Early Prediction - Green Bay 28 - New York 17
Both teams in the AFC championship games have veteran depth and both were expected to contend. The Chargers have surprised though by handling Tennessee rather easily and making Peyton look somewhat ordinary.
New England is New England and I don't need to say more.
San Diego, with backups at RB and QB in the second half against Indy, looked very good. Like they actually belong in the Championship game. Michael Turner ran the ball well in place of Tomlinson and Darren Sproles showed his devastating speed by taking a little dump off 50+ yards for a go ahead TD to end the third quarter. Billy Volek came in and replaced Rivers after an injury and scored the game winning TD on a QB sneak with 4:50 left. The Chargers defense, full of speed and play makers, did a great job keeping the Colts out of the end zone in the last 4+ minutes of the game.
If the defense can replicate their play against at NE I would look for a much closer game than the one that was played in week 2.
Early Prediction - New England 31 - San Diego 28
Detroit Lions Needs for 2008 Season
Considering the fact that my two favorite pro sports teams both had monumental collapses in their second halves of the season I have been a little bitter watching the MLB and NFL playoffs. Without question the Mets collapse in their last two weeks of the regular season had a greater impact on me but in all sense of the matter I am a bigger football fan and think the Lions have a lot more needs and areas to fix.
That being said, I truly was never comfortable with the Lions this year, even after the 6-2 start. I knew from the start their defense was suspect. Especially in the secondary where there was not one single playmaker. The D-Line was definitely the strong point on the D however like other season's past the injury bug took it's toll. Sims continues to impress me a ton in the LB unit but as for the other two starting spots much improvement is needed.
On the offensive side of the ball, which was supposed to be one of the bests in the NFL, things never really clicked and got going. Jon Kitna can manage a game but he's not the guy I want in there when a game HAS to be won. He's dependable and that's it. Injuries to the receiving corp prevented the explosion we all were expecting from that unit and true to his reputation, Martz never allowed a running game to develop. The offensive line was one of the worsts units in the NFL and because of injuries there were only three constant starters. Backus and Raiola, and Mulitalo.
Our first offseason move of canning Martz was a step in the right direction but there are many other things the Lions front office must do.
The list of free agents we have is as follows, Unrestricted: RB’s T.J. Duckett, Aveion Cason, Tatum Bell, LB Boss Bailey, TE John Owens, CB Tony Beckham, S Idrees Bashir, CB Keith Smith, CB Travis Fisher, T George Foster, WR/PR Troy Walters, and G/T Damien Woody. Restricted: QB Dan Orlovsky, G Stephen Peterman, DT Langston Moore, CB Stanley Wilson, Jr.
There is not one single free agent this year that is a must to re-sign however there are several key guys who will contribute and make our team deeper and add veteran help. TJ Duckett is a viable #3 RB and did well in that role this year. The other Offensive Player we need to resign is Woody who made the move from Guard to Tackle and did well in the new role.
On the defensive side of the ball, Boss Bailey will never be a dominate LB but is a key contributor and in the right role should help a lot. Especially on the special teams. CB's Keith Smith, Travis Fisher and Stanley Wilson Jr. all have starting experience and provide good depth and the 3,4, and 5 CB spots. I see us keeping maybe one or two of them.
Now that our free agents our out of the way I'll briefly talk about where our team desperately needs the most help from the draft and the free agent market. First and foremost we need to address the defense. Getting a legitimate #1 and playmaking CB is a must and needs to be addressed. After that we need to get a starting MLB and that can run sideline to sideline and plug any running game up the middle. We need someone to help Ernie so he can have all the freedom he needs.
After addressing those two positions we need to get down and dirty in the trenches, where games are really won. Solid and athletic players are needed both on the O-line and D-line.
After that we do not have glaring needs but we do need to get better at several positions. We have not had a good TE in a while now. Getting a TE who can block and be dependable in the middle of the field to take pressure of the QB is always helpful.
More depth to RB and Safety is also needed and either getting our QB for the future or finding someone to push for the starting spot would be very beneficial.
More in depth analysis on what specific players from both the free agent market and the 2008 draft is on its way.
That being said, I truly was never comfortable with the Lions this year, even after the 6-2 start. I knew from the start their defense was suspect. Especially in the secondary where there was not one single playmaker. The D-Line was definitely the strong point on the D however like other season's past the injury bug took it's toll. Sims continues to impress me a ton in the LB unit but as for the other two starting spots much improvement is needed.
On the offensive side of the ball, which was supposed to be one of the bests in the NFL, things never really clicked and got going. Jon Kitna can manage a game but he's not the guy I want in there when a game HAS to be won. He's dependable and that's it. Injuries to the receiving corp prevented the explosion we all were expecting from that unit and true to his reputation, Martz never allowed a running game to develop. The offensive line was one of the worsts units in the NFL and because of injuries there were only three constant starters. Backus and Raiola, and Mulitalo.
Our first offseason move of canning Martz was a step in the right direction but there are many other things the Lions front office must do.
The list of free agents we have is as follows, Unrestricted: RB’s T.J. Duckett, Aveion Cason, Tatum Bell, LB Boss Bailey, TE John Owens, CB Tony Beckham, S Idrees Bashir, CB Keith Smith, CB Travis Fisher, T George Foster, WR/PR Troy Walters, and G/T Damien Woody. Restricted: QB Dan Orlovsky, G Stephen Peterman, DT Langston Moore, CB Stanley Wilson, Jr.
There is not one single free agent this year that is a must to re-sign however there are several key guys who will contribute and make our team deeper and add veteran help. TJ Duckett is a viable #3 RB and did well in that role this year. The other Offensive Player we need to resign is Woody who made the move from Guard to Tackle and did well in the new role.
On the defensive side of the ball, Boss Bailey will never be a dominate LB but is a key contributor and in the right role should help a lot. Especially on the special teams. CB's Keith Smith, Travis Fisher and Stanley Wilson Jr. all have starting experience and provide good depth and the 3,4, and 5 CB spots. I see us keeping maybe one or two of them.
Now that our free agents our out of the way I'll briefly talk about where our team desperately needs the most help from the draft and the free agent market. First and foremost we need to address the defense. Getting a legitimate #1 and playmaking CB is a must and needs to be addressed. After that we need to get a starting MLB and that can run sideline to sideline and plug any running game up the middle. We need someone to help Ernie so he can have all the freedom he needs.
After addressing those two positions we need to get down and dirty in the trenches, where games are really won. Solid and athletic players are needed both on the O-line and D-line.
After that we do not have glaring needs but we do need to get better at several positions. We have not had a good TE in a while now. Getting a TE who can block and be dependable in the middle of the field to take pressure of the QB is always helpful.
More depth to RB and Safety is also needed and either getting our QB for the future or finding someone to push for the starting spot would be very beneficial.
More in depth analysis on what specific players from both the free agent market and the 2008 draft is on its way.
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