Patriots Season Outlook II

Bill Belichick was bang-on after the Patriots' 24-21 win over the Seahawks Sunday when he said "that was a great example of 60 minutes."

The Patriots never stopped fighting in a game that not only saw them miss their starters that were out before the game (Tom Brady, Lawrence Mareoney, Adalius Thomas, Rodney Harrison, Pierre Woods, Vince Redd, Kelly Washington)but during the game lost defenders Mike Vrabel, Teddi Bruchi and Vince Wilfork.

Junior Seau and Rosey Colvin had to turn into every down linebackers, after both were family men in street clothes less than a week before the game, Seau hadn't even had a real practice with the team.

Now the Patriots are staying on the west coast, and face a Raiders team, that although they have shown some fight against some teams this year, (Bills, Jets etc.) it should be a win for the pats.

In most circumstances.

News of Matt Cassel's father passing away on Monday night has come about, and Cassel is back home and the Patriots are not sure when he will be back. First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with Matt and his family. And secondly, I hope Cassel has a little Brett Favre monday night after his faster passed in him.

As far as the Patriots playoff chances go, It looks like they are going to have to win out, as it is almost guaranteed that either the dolphins or jets will get to 10 wins, and maybe 11. The Ravens have a very tough remaining schedule and are by no means a lock for a wild card spot.

The big match up is still next week in Foxborough against the Cardinals. Lets hope its cold and rainy day and the Patriots running game and defence can dominate the game, and force Kurt "fumble alot" Warner into some untimely turnovers.

Sam Mitchell got the ax last night.

I was never a huge fan of Sam Mitchell, but i came to respect what he did and never was totally against him as a coach. It seemed he got along well with his players and emphasized the right things.

Emphasizing something, and actually getting the players to buy into it are two different things though, and the Raptors have not been able to defend in years. Mitchell did a great job with a young club, bring a group of European and American players, many who could not even understand each other, together and win 47 games two years ago, albeit in a division with 3 deadbeat teams at the time.

Now that the team has such a solid nucleus and is focused on advancing in the playoffs, The Raptors need more of an "x's and o's" guy. I think that Jay Triano is more of that, although I think you are crazy if you think that Collangelo sees Triano as his long term option.

Look at the history of Raptors coaches: Sam Mitchell, Butch Carter,Kevin O'Neill, Brenden Malone, Gene Keady, Darell Walker. None of these guys have ever had another NBA head coaching job and many have never been heard from again. Outside of Lenny Wilkens the Raptors have never had an "A List" coach. Bryan Collangelo never picked Sam Mitchell and now we will see who he brings in for next year. Personally, I think Avery Johnson is holding by. We need a quality coach in Order to help convince Chris Bosh that Toronto is a good place for him to sign a long term deal.

Here's Hoping.

Raptors out West

The Raptors got beat pretty handly on Sunday night in LA, but that I don't think that really upset too many Raptors fans, as the Lakers appear to have something special going on.

With O'Neill out of the lineup, it left Bosh to pound with Bynum, which Bosh is not built for, and clearly took away from his offensive game.

Something special about playing in LA with Jack Nicholson and David Beckham courtside, and Kobe seemingly scoring anytime he wanted. I enjoyed watching this game as much as any Raptors blow out loss I can remember.

My Sports Quick Thoughts

Leafs sign Burke. Although I think people in Toronto are overrating him, he is probably the best guy available, and hopefully he will bring some credibility back to a franchise, and a fan base that deserves it.

Surprise surprise, another Wide receiver in trouble. If you ask me, his days as a Giant are over.

On the same topic, this is the fourth or fifth incident recently involving an NFL player and a gun, the league as got to do something about the trend.

Ted Rogers has done much for the Toronto sports scene even though he was not the biggest fan himself, we thank him and his family for the contributions and keep them in our prayers.

Bosh may be putting up MVP numbers, but MVPs don't come from .500 teams.

Congratulation Michael Phelps on winning the prestigious Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year for 2008.

The Browns have gone from 2 quality starting quarterbacks, to none. Did you hear that return specialist Josh Cribbs is the backup QB this weekend?

Favorite all-time Athletes

I figured I would try and rank my all-time favourite athletes. I am only 21 so most of my sports knowledge is in recent times. As a kid I only followed my favorite teams, and that will be quite apparent in my list.

1. Tom Brady - The ultimate champion. Throughout his career Tom has played his best in the biggest games. He won three superbowl rings in his first 4 years as the Patriots starter, and led the team to their 16-0 season last year, in which he set the all-time record for touchdowns in a season. He plays for a "hometown" discount to help the patriots acquire other players and stay with their winning ways.

2. Mats Sundin - Growing up a leafs fan, there was only one constant. Sundin led the beloved leafs in scoring seemingly every year, he wore the "C" with pride and was an elite centre. When he had the chance to go elsewhere he stuck with the leafs, even last year when he could have left to a true contender, he wanted to stick it out with "his" team. He has taken a lot of criticism, as any captain in the hockey hot-bed would over the years, and has never said a harsh word about it.

3. Roy Halladay - Halladay may be the most intense athlete I have ever watched. No one takes their job more seriously than "The Doctor". Halladay is a workhorse in the true sense of the word, leading the league in Complete games most years. He faced a lot of adversity early in his career being sent back to the minors and having to fight back. Halladay won the 2003 AL Cy Young award. He is supportive of the Blue Jays franchise and does his bes to get others to come and stay.

4. Chris Bosh - I was sold on Bosh in his rookie season when Vince Carter threw a towel at him during a lopsided game and said something along the lines of "Don't worry chris there will be other days" Bosh took the towel threw it back at Vince and said "This game isn't over Vince" and walked back onto the floor.

5. Tiger Woods - I don't think an explanation is needed here. I remember the 97 masters that this kid was just incredible, and a legend was born.

6. Carlos Delgado - The leader of the Jays while I was growing up, Delgado was an intimidating force in the middle of the lineup. A perennial all-star, Delgado was called up in late fall 1993, but wasn't on the roster in the post-season for the world series. Delgado was the one constant from the world series' years to the new crop of Jays trying to make another run.

7. Wendel Clark - My first sports hero. Wendel was the definition of what Toronto hockey fans want. A skilled player, who when the time was right would drop the gloves and tussle with anyone. Wendel was an incredible captain and then was also the chip that got us Sundin who would be the captain for the next era of Leafs.

8. Teddi Bruschi - A hero in all three superbowls, Bruschi was the emotional leader of a defensive team. The image of bruschi celebrating in the end zone of the Snow bowl sticks with me. Bruschi suffered a stroke in February 2005 that had negative affects on both his vision and motor skills. He managed to come back to football the following year mid-way through and remains an inspiration for stroke survivors as he is still an effective player today.

9. Michael Jordan - Although i was young, and not the biggest basketball fan growing up, looking back, I wish I had watched more of MJ live. I constantly am looking on youtube and tuning into the odd ESPN classic game to watch him work on the court. In the time I have watched sports, no one has dominated a sport, and been as clutch as Michael Jordan.

10. Troy Brown - The ultimate patriot. Brown did whatever Bill Belichick asked whenever he asked during the Patriots superbowls. Whether it was being the Number one wide receiver, being a 3rd or fourth option or even playing defensive back, Troy Brown would do it. Belichick doesn't smile much, and doesn't give his players too much credit, but the times Troy Brown comes up in press conferences, Bill gushes about him.

11. David Ortiz - If anyone remotely into baseball, or sports for that matter was not captivated by the 2004 MLB playoffs, then please step forward. David Ortiz had the entire sports world on hold with each at bat, hitting multiple clutch homers. Ortiz is a perennial all-star, an intimidating bat in Boston's line-up, an overall good guy, and a fun personality for baseball.

12. Morris Peterson - Peterson came to the Raptors as a rookie and immediately produced. He won the city over with big shots and an attractive personality. He left on bog terms, but any who follows the Raptors remembers the circus shot in Washington his final year. He noe starts on the Hornets, a championship contender this year.

13. Brett Favre - Favre is a guy who truly loves to play football. You have to love his gunslinger approach, it isn't always pretty, but overall Favre has gotten the job done, capturing the 1996 superbowl. He continues to play the game with the joy of a child even now that he is 38, which is a truly refreshing thing in sports.

14. Curtis Joseph - Toronto Maple Leafs fans fell in love with "Cujo" during his time in Toronto, riding him as far as the Eastern conference finals. Cujo was a local kid playing for his favorite team. He made the leafs an immediate contender and was a cinderella for a team that had not won a championship in over 30 years. Cujo had an accomplished career in Edmonton before he was a leaf, and had success in Detroit, he came back to the leafs and is the backup this year.

15. Paul Kariya - Kariya was truly a good guy in the NHL in the 90s. He and Selanne made one of the most exciting duos in recent memory. Kariya was also one of the headliners for Canada in Nagano, a very much hyped Olympics, although it ended in disappointment. Kariya was back in Salt Lake city and paired with Lemieux for the famous goal in the gold medal game.

Not a good few days in raptorland.
I was at the game Friday night when the Raptors blew a 17 point third quarter lead to the Nets.

Vince Carter simply went off. The constant booing of the crowd usually causes Vince to take a ton of ill-suggested jump shots to try and show the crowd what they are missing out on, but on Friday Vince showed a determination to get to the rim, and when he does that, he's as good as just about anyone.

What a scary moment when J.O went down grabbing his knee. The building went absolutely silent. I sat there with my hands over my mouth picturing what the Raptors season was going to look like without him.

Ironically, the Raptors got a pretty good idea of what the season would look like when their defense absolutely caved after he left the game (they gave up 111 points to a team that averaged 95 in regulation). And does Vince get an alley-oop dunk to win the game in OT with Jermaine on the floor? I don't think so.
Sunday was even worse for the raps, as they simply did not show up against the defending champs.

Bosh was simply as frustrated as I have ever seen him. This obviously doesn't bode well when we are hoping to give him a contract extension in the off-season.

After the game Garnett was asked about Bosh and he said that he looked frustrated and he "Needs to decide whether or not he wants to be [in Toronto]"

Scary.

Bosh is the best thing to ever happen to the Raptors franchise. He is a young super-star with a team first attitude. He gives 100% effort on every play and never takes a shot at anyone. He is a good player to interview and good with the media. You can tell he has the desire to win. If he gets frustrated with the team and leaves town after next season, the Raptors franchise will be in rough shape.

Patriots Season Outlook

The Patriots will have a much clearer image of where there season is going 10 days from now.
Two big matchups, this sunday against the 6-4 Dolphins, and next sunday against the Steelers are two big tests for the Matt Cassel led team from Boston.

Exiting these games at 6-6 would almost guarantee needing a sweep the final four games to even have a shot at the post-season. The general consensus is that one AFC East team will get to 11-5 and win the division outright, and at 7-3 the Jets appear on their way, which leaves a lot of teams fighting for the wildcard.

If the Patriots can get a split from these two games, and the way Pitsburg is playing I suggest beating the Dolphins, then they have games at Seattle and at Oakland, tough places to play, but very winnable games.

The Bills shouldn't have much to play for come week 17, but eliminating New England's playoff hopes is probably enough of a reason, so no gimme there.

That leaves week 16 against the Cardinals as a very decisive game, and to be honest, that passing game worries me, with MVP favorite Kurt Warner under centre, (or in shotgun, whatever) throwing to Boldin and Fitzgerald is a scary thing when the Patriots are starting names like Jonathon Wilhite and Terrence Wheatly in the secondary some weeks.

raptors and quick thoughts

Tough night for the raps last night, and an excellent effort wasted by Chris Bosh.

Bosh scores 40 points and rips down 18 boards, Jermaine O'Neal does an outstanding job shutting down Dwight Howard, and record his third straight double double, and they lose.
The Raptors are simply getting zero production from their wing players. For whatever reason Anthony Parker is in a shooting Slump and the raps simply cannot get Jason Kapono any good looks.
I had thought in the offseason after acquiring O'neal that if the Raptors could have acquired someone like Corey Magette, who I love as a player, they could be a championship contender. I still feel the Raptors could have a chance at winning 50 games and a playoff series win once they get everyone on the same page and Jose Calderon is back healthy. Clearly Solomon and Ukic proved they can't carry the load on their own for any long amount of time.
The offense was completely out of sync last night, which can be expected with a new quarterback running the show, but Solomon made a lot of lazy pass turnovers and actually turned the ball over 3 or 4 times per assist recorded. Ukic time and time tried to shoot the ball, and time and time again proved to us his jumper is not developed.

Sports Quick thoughts:
-Crisp to the Royals - this has to be bitter sweet for Coco. Sure he will play more, but winning 30 less games and no shot at ever winning a world series can't sit well. I doubt there is any thank-you cards in the mail to Jacoby Elsbury
-I have to say I called Pedroia winning the MVP at seasons end, those who gave me flack can apologize any time.
-It appears the Leafs have come down to earth. The only part of their team that didnt appear a question mark, Vesa Toskala, appears to be a big one right now. Lowest save percentage in the East. So much for that possible gold chip at the deadline.
-Another NCAA basketball season and curry goes for 44, this guy can shoot.
UNC dominates with the best player in the country, Tyler Hansborough sitting on the bench, this team is scary, could be pretty easy brackets this march.
-Lebron the early heavy favorite for his first MVP, Mo Williams has really helped that offense
- just wondering, is Brandon Jacobs human, or machine?