MLB’s 2013 All-Bust Team…So Far

May 19, 2013 MLB, Uncategorized

While watching baseball so far this season, a few guys have really caught my eye. And not in a good way.

I am seeing more “professional” hitters look overmatched at the plate than I have seen in a while. Pitchers getting shelled like they are throwing batting practice before a game.

With a help of a few baseball junkies I usually text to make fun of these ball players, I compiled a team that would most likely lose repeatedly, day in and day out, if put on the field together at this point in the season.

Have to give someone the ball to start the game right? The 2013 starting pitcher of the All-Bust team….(drum roll please)

P-Ryan Vogelsong (SF) Sir Ryan should throw for a hitter at this year’s Home Run Derby because he has been a batting practice machine so far. Ryan is 1-4, sporting an obese 8.06 ERA. He’s allowed 11 big flys and batters are hitting…wait for it… .333 against him this year. He’s our horse. [Alternate: Matt, SF, R.A. Dickey, TOR]

C-Derek Norris (OAK) Chuck…I mean Derek Norris is there to groom the young pitching staff in Oakland, but he’s an automatic out at the dish. Hitting .211 with 30 K’s and only one home run. He does have 19 walks though, which shows he has a good eye and can get on base. [Alternate: Chris Iannetta, LAA]

It's okay Ike, it's not the bat's fault

It’s okay Ike, it’s not the bat’s fault

1b-Ike Davis (NYM) This selection was so easy. I watched Ike hit a 6 hopper up the middle Friday afternoon to snap an 0-24 slump. I stood up at my desk and applauded. Hitting .146, Ike has 46 strikeouts. But he’s known for his power. Ya…he has 4 home runs and a .259 SLG. Not to mention he bats clean up. People say he can heat up, he did it last year, maybe, maybe he can do it again. I’ll sell my stock. [Alternate: Eric Hosmer, KC]

2b-Rickie Weeks (MIL) It’s amazing that a guy with speed like Rickie’s can hit .175 through the first 6 weeks of the season. 49 strikeouts in 143 AB’s. Or in math terms, more than 1/3rd of the time he whiffs. He did this type of thing last year, so it should be of no surprise that he can’t hit. Good thing he has Jean Segura carrying the middle infield. Maybe Jean can play 2b also? [Alternate: Danny Espinosa, WSH]

SS-Brendan Ryan (SEA) Hit his first bomb this week so I’ll take it easy on him at a position not known for offense. But a .178 AVG and a .236 OBP for a light hitter is poor. At least Weeks swings for the fences. [Alternate: Ruben Tejada, NYM]

3b-Mike Moustakas (KC) I scrolled to the bottom of 3B stats page on MLB.com, saw Pedro Alvarez and almost chose him, but I noticed a second page. Scrolled over and my choice was easy. For the hype, Moustakas is the All-Star of busts after being a first round selection out of high school. Career .242 hitter is going for the kill this year with his .185 AVG and .260 OBP so far. I’m willing to set his over/under at .230 this year. Hammer the under folks. [Alternate: Pedro Alvarez, PIT]

LF-Yoenis Cespedes (OAK) This is a little misleading. I think he’s just off to a miserable start because he’s a better player than his .196 AVG and .260 OBP, but he’s too big of a name and too important to Oakland’s success to leave off this list. I doubt he will be the LF All-Bust team starter by fall, but he’s poo-poo at the plate right now. [Alternate: Nolan Reimold, BAL]

"Wow, I stink. Good thing my bro is nasty"

“Wow, I stink. Good thing my bro is nasty”

CF- B.J. Upton (ATL) Bad. Job. Upton. Flat out stinks. Overpaid. The Braves are winning despite this guy’s pathetic stat line. Probably because of his brother. B.J. is sporting a gaudy .145 AVG and has struck out 53 times so far. It’s no longer skill if B.J.’s bat hits the ball, it’s luck. If he couldn’t cover so much ground in the outfield, he’d be benched. [Alternate: Colby Rasmus, TOR - 59 K's!!]

RF-Josh Hamilton (LAA) No doubter. More overpaid than B.J. .214 AVG and a .266 AVG plus 5 HR’s and 12 RBI’s for a guy who at this time last year was leading the AL-MVP vote. He can’t stay healthy and he’s pressing in the L.A. limelight. I want to say he’ll turn it around, but there is no confidence in that prediction. High fantasy pick has managers pulling hair early. [Alternate: Jason Heyward, ATL - got hurt, so I cut him a break] 

If somehow this All-Bust team got a lead in a professional baseball game, we’d have to summon a closer.

CL- Carlos Marmol (CHC) This guy ripped Cubs fans hearts out last year, by being awful, and he’s doing it again this year. Already on a short leash, Marmol is 2/4 in SVO and has a 5.4 ERA while opponents hit .246 off him in the 9th inning. He’ll be out of a job soon probably. [Alternate - Fernando Rodney, TB, such a stud last year it kept him off this list. 7/10 on SVO and will figure it out]

"You have to run me! My team is flopping and I'm a lousy coach!"

“You have to run me! My team is flopping and I’m a lousy coach!”

Who makes the decisions for this All-Bust team? John Gibbons, TOR. This is Gibbons’ second stint with the Blue Jays and boy do they look awful. No team has had more hype coming into a season than the Blue Jays and they are flopping on their face in the early going. His coaching moves are questionable (Melky lead off, Joey Bats 2-hole?! What?) and he just looks clueless in the dugout. He’d be the perfect lame duck manager for this All-Bust team. [Alternate: Mike Scoscia, LAA, hot seat for his hyped team underperforming, but his tenure and track record speaks for itself.]

Enjoy folks. Maybe we’ll do this again at the end of the year and see if any of these guys are still on it. I’m willing to bet over 3.5 of them are. Rickie Weeks and B.J. Upton are almost locks.

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Andrew Wiggins Picks…Kansas?!

May 14, 2013 NCAAB

Andrew Wiggins, the number one men’s basketball recruit in the United States, made everyone wait a long time to tell us what college he would play basketball at for one year. He chose Kansas.

He made the right choice.

Wiggins has been dubbed, “The Next LeBron,” and rightfully so if you spend a few minutes watching his YouTube highlight tapes.


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The next LBJ had his choices down to four schools: Florida State, where his parents are both alumni. Kentucky, where Coach Cal recruits the best and puts them in the lottery of the NBA draft. North Carolina, where top recruits have gone in year’s past and also get drafted early in the NBA draft. And Kansas, the Jayhawks seemingly always win the Big 12 and have had lottery picks each of the last two years. (Thomas Robinson, 2012 and presumably Ben McLemore, 2013) Kansas and North Carolina were seemingly dark horses as UK and FSU put forth full effort in recruiting Wiggins.

The Canadian-born Wiggins is amazing defensively. He he can guard the point guard as well as the opposing power forward and protect the rim like a 7 footer. His offensive skills in transition are unmatched. It’s scary to say he’s still raw in the half court and his jumper can only improve. NBA executives are just praying for an injury-free season and their team goes 18-64 record to get the first pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Andrew Wiggins is as talented as you will find.

Andrew Wiggins is as talented as you will find.

At Kansas, he is automatically the star. Kansas lost notables Jeff Withey, Ben McLemore, Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson from their 2012 team that was knocked out by Trey Burke and a 30-foot 3 pointer in the 3rd round of the NCAA tournament. He can and will dominate the Big 12, even with Oklahoma State returning standout guard Marcus Smart.

By denying UNC and FSU, Wiggins won’t have to deal with the newly revamped ACC, the best conference in the country. Welcoming Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, the ACC just got a whole lot tougher. The pressure would have been greater at UNC to deliver, see: Harrison Barnes; and he would have been asked to do too much at Florida State, possibly stunting his development and building his skills as a power forward in the NBA.

By avoiding Kentucky, Andrew doesn’t have to play alongside SIX 5-star recruits that Coach Calipari has brought in this year. Just finding enough shots for each guy without Wiggings will be a major struggle. I personally think there is too much talent there for Kentucky to really succeed in a one-year window. But we’ll save that for another post.

Surely ESPN will be flying their Gameday crew to Lawrence, Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse quite often and we’ll be able to see Wiggins first hand on the national stage. Bill Self already has a national championship from 2008 and brought in the No. 2 recruiting class for this year, before striking gold in Wiggins’ decision to play for him.

Enjoy Andrew Wiggins while you can college basketball fans, he’ll be gone before you know it.

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MLB Power Rankings: Top 10

May 9, 2013 MLB

The 2013 MLB regular season is about 20% of the way complete, roughly somewhere from 30-35 games completed by each team. Here’s our top 10 power rankings so far:

Top Spot (1) Detroit Tigers 19-13

Not the best record in baseball at this point in the season, but clearly picking up where they left off last season. Prince Fielder and reigning Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera have knocked in 69 rbi’s thus far and look to be dominating AL pitching once again. Verlander and Scherzer boast an impressive 104 strikeouts and 8 wins between the two. The Tigers will be playing in October again this year.

These two guys are BIG. And the numbers they put up are BIG

These two guys are BIG. And the numbers they put up are BIG

(2) Texas Rangers 21-13

Can Yu believe the Rangers are still this good after losing Josh Hamilton? I can. He’s hitting .205 with 40 strikeouts and a whopping 4 home runs for the Angels. He’s stinks. Or he’s drunk. Whatever he is, they don’t miss him. Yu Darvish is a front runner for AL Cy Young and they still have a powerhouse lineup with Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz mashing night in and night out.

(3) San Francisco Giants 20-14

Sort of disgraceful that I don’t have the defending champs at the 1 spot. But I don’t, thanks to Matt Cain and his obsession with throwing baseballs over the white part of the plate and watching them get hit very, very far. Once Cain settles into his ace status the Giants will be playing ball in October and probably find themselves in the NLCS. They just know how to win close games and have two studs similar to Detroit in Panda and Buster Posey, reigning MVP.

(4) Boston Red Sox 21-13

Addition by subtraction. Get that idiot Bobby Valentine out of beantown and the Red Sox, plus Mike Napoli, become AL East contenders again. Napoli and Ortiz knock in runs. Pedroia and Ellsbury rake like its fall season all the time. Lester is a No. 1 again and the emergence of Clay Buchholz, (foreign substance or not) who has been lights out this year, will help the Sox forget about that nightmare 2012 season.

(5) Atlanta Braves 20-13

After a 12-2 start they are 8-11. They found a hidden gem in Evan Gattis, but he also has the strikeout bug on occasion. The Braves strike out…a lot. But they hit the long ball and play very good defense. Craig Kimbrel has shown he is human, but the good thing is that it is May and he should be robotic in closing out games come September. Washington is the only true test in the division.

(6) St. Louis Cardinals 21-12

New year, same old Cardinals. Hitting. Pitching. Winning. Jaime Garcia has sported a 2.25 ERA, Jake Westbrook 1.62, Adam Wainwright 2.72 and Lance Lynn is 5-1 with a 2.72. Edward Mujica has filled in nicely since Jason motte went down with an arm injury. Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday are studs. Enough said. This team will be in the hunt in October.

(7) Baltimore Orioles 21-13

The Buck Truck has rubbed off on the Orioles and they expect to compete and win every year and show last year was no fluke. Abusive offense with Wieters, Jones, Davis and Machado can score runs with anybody. Pitching is the key for the AL East contenders.We’ll see how this staff and ‘pen does to get the ball to Jimmy J for the 9th.

Chris Davis is religious, strong and...just really strong

Chris Davis is religious, strong and…just really strong

(8) I can’t believe this, but the New York Yankees have my 8 spot 19-13

This may Joe Girardi’s best managing job thus far in his coaching career. Without Granderson, Teixeira, A Roid and The Captain, Girardi has helped this team stay afloat into May. “Send in the reinforcements!” We all know once the big pinstripes come back, the Yanks will contend. C.C. is still really effective…and fat. Pettitte and Kuroda are worthy starters. Mo Rivera in his goodbye tour looks like he could close games for 7 more years.

(9) Cincinnati Reds 19-16

Slow start for the Reds, last year’s NL Central champs. However, signs pointing upwards. Shin Shoo Choo is abusing NL pitcher’s feelings and with a core like Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto, this team will be right in it after the All Star Break. This team is better than they’ve shown and HAVE to be hungry after throwing up the division series vs the San Francisco Giants last October.  

(10) Washington Nationals 19-15

The Nats are similar to the Reds in the sense that they are way better than the slow start they’ve shown. Gio Gonzalez has been doing his best Matt Cain impression early on, but Jordan Zimmermann has picked up the slack. This team’s pitching is so good and they have Bryce Harper. They’ll be fine. Could be the overall Number 1 power ranking in weeks or a month their roster is that good.

That rounds out the top 10 throw the 1/5th pole of this young MLB season. We’ll do this every fifth of the season with changes in and out I am sure. 1/5th is different and unique and no one does 1/5th updates so we will. Booyah.

A few notables:

Most Disappointing Team So Far: Do I even need to provide stats for this?! The Los Angeles Angels have been brutal and they play the Houston Astros 18 times a year, thank goodness for them. You could make the argument that their Los Angeles counterparts have been just as disappointing.

Most Surprising Team So Far: This was a toss up. I will say the Colorado Rockies at 19-14 over the Kansas City Royals because a lot of experts had the Royals pegged as a good, solid, young team. The Rockies started hot and have cooled off. If Tulo and CarGo can stay healthy this team can close in on .500, but no more due to the lack of pitching and no pitching in Coors Field spells trouble.

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You Be The Judge

May 2, 2013 Youtube

On a scale of 1-10 how would you grade this dunk?


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NBA First Round Craziness

May 2, 2013 NBA

nba_playoffs_logo

With the NBA first round coming to a close, there has been a lot of headlines for the first couple of games. Will the Knicks blow a 3-0 lead? Can the Bulls advance without Derrick Rose? Can Steph Curry lead Golden State past the first round? Will the Clippers season be a failure if they can’t come back against the Grizzlies?

The two series that everyone expected sweeps in finished that way. The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs advanced easily through the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Kobe-less Lakers. In fact, it was embarrassing the way the Lakers played. Granted they dealt with some injuries, and had to call up a D-Leaguer to be their starting point guard, but the fact that Dwight Howard didn’t show up was the worst part about it. Instead he received two technicals in game four and walked off the court in possibly his last game as a Laker. For the Bucks, they had no chance. They did not have anyone that could stop LeBron which is like every other team in the league, and Brandon Jennings should learn not to write checks his ass can cash (Bucks in 6).

With every other series at 3-2 we could see a completion of the first round tomorrow night, but that will not happen. The New York Knicks were one game away from Knicks-Blacksweeping the old Boston Celtics, and then JR Smith had to pull a JR Smith and get suspended for his foul on Jason Terry. Even up 3-1, Kenyon Martin thought it would be smart for his teammates to wear all black to the game, as if they were going to a funeral. Kenyon, you are going up against Kevin Garnett. You think he is just going to back down for you and Carmelo? Things got heated last night when bench player Jordan Crawford had some kind words for Carmelo Anthony. It sure will be interesting to see how that all plays out.

Chicago will close out the series at home over Brooklyn. Nate Robinson will provide that spark and get the crowd into it. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will have big games, and Joe Johnson will choke under pressure, pretty much like he has done his entire career. The Bulls may provide the greatest challenge to the Heat in the next round. In the other series out East, you have the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks. With the Pacers up 3-2, they travel to Atlanta for game 6. This might be the most boring series of them all. No big time superstar, so no one watches.

In what has now become the most entertaining series in the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors return home for game 6. In what turned out to be a physical game in game 5, or at least the Nuggets going after Steph Curry, do not expect much tocurry change as Kenneth Faried even said so. Mark Jackson sent a message to the refs with his post game comments which may have an impact on how they call the game tonight. The other series that has been fun to watch is the Clippers versus the Grizzlies. Blake Griffin versus Zach Randolph. Edge clearly goes to ZBo so far who has been averaging 25 points and putting Blake to shame. Now with Griffin battling an ankle injury, this series could end tomorrow night in Memphis.

The Oklahoma Thunder might start wishing they never let James Harden go. Up three games to two, Kevin Durant and the Thunder are without point guard Russell Westbrook who is done for the rest of the playoffs. That is a lot of pressure to put on one mans shoulders. Durant sure wishes Harden was still a teammate of his. Instead, Harden has put life back into the Rockets and has them playing solid ball, even without Jeremy Lin who has seemed to just disappear the past two playoffs. Wouldn’t be as entertaining of a Finals series without the Thunder in there against the Heat.

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WIll The Real Derrick Rose Please Stand Up…And Play!

April 30, 2013 NBA

I am probably “beating a dead horse” while writing about this topic, but it erks me more and more each day, each Chicago Bulls playoff game and each Miami Heat playoff win, that Derrick Rose (ACL) is not on the floor for the Chicago Bulls.

Note: I am writing this as a fan of the New York Knicks! Derrick Rose not playing is what helped the Knicks lock up the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and won’t have to see the Miami Heat until the Eastern Conference Finals. I still want Derrick Rose to play! You always want your team to beat the best. There is no hatred towards him or his team from me.

The Chicago Bulls are currently up 3 games to 2 on the Brooklyn Nets and look to put away the series in Game 6 on their home court. If they do so, they will have a date with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Forget about Rose coming back now. It is too late and will do his team a disservice coming back without playing in a game for over a year. Not to mention, Rose’s replacement, Nate Robinson, is playing at the highest level of his career, winning game 4 practically by himself and sparking this Bulls team that is limping its way through the playoffs.

Let me just give you a few season-ending injuries that occurred last year in the 2012 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made noise last year in the Western Conference and threatened a playoff spot midway through the year, until their star point guard Ricky Rubio went down, also with an ACL injury. They never rebounded as a team and missed the playoffs. Rubio didn’t have his injury as late in the season as Derrick, but he came back this year to play in 57 games, averaging 10.7 points and 7.3 assists a game.

Chauncey Billups tore his Achilles tendon about 20 games into the 2012 season. He was averaging 15 points a game and we all know the leader he is in any locker room he’s eveer been in. He came back this year, a shell of his former self, and played in 22 games. Now he’s averaging 7.5 points per game in the Clippers’ 2-2 series grudge match with the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a 36 year old, past-his-prime point guard, coming back from a possible career ending injury to help give his team any veteran leadership he can provide. Hats off to you Chauncey.

Now for the most comparable injury to Derrick’s…Iman Shumpert. The same day, a few hours after Derrick Rose’s knee exploded on him last year, Iman’s knee did the same in non-contact fashion. Shumpert came back to play and start in 45 games as the Knicks wing man this year, averaging 6.8 points and a steal per game.

“Yeah but Joe, Derrick Rose is 24 years old! He could ruin his career.”

Iman Shumpert is 22. He could ruin his.

“Yeah but Joe, Derrick is a former MVP.” True, so he is the most valuable player to his team no doubt. But I could argue Iman Shumpert plays just as an essential role in the Knicks success. He is their best perimeter defender and usually draws the Dwayne Wades, Paul Pierces and Paul Georges of the Eastern Conference.

Iman Shumpert steals ball from Paul Pierce. Knee seems to be fine.

Iman Shumpert steals ball from Paul Pierce. Knee seems to be fine.

“Joe, come one now, the way Derrick Rose plays, he needs a healthy knee.” I would think Shumpert needs his knee just as much to contribute and defend the All Stars I mentioned above.

Iman came back and its no coincidence once he got his speed back for the game, the Knicks defense improved and they want on a 13 game winning streak towards the end of the year to finish with the second seed. He is now averaging 6.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game.

And if you have watched the Knicks-Celtics series, you will have seen him badgering Paul Pierce all game long. Pierce is shooting 42% from field in the series and 25% from 3-point range…oh, and 4.7 turnovers a game.

Derrick Rose can do what he wants in terms of his body and his health. As a fan, even more so if I was a Bulls fan, it’s tough to see Joakim Noah hobbling up and down the court fighting plantar fasciatis and still willing his team to victories with tough defense and offensive rebounding.

Luol Deng has logged the third most minutes of his career this year and is shooting his lowest playoff field goal percentage at 38%. Safe to say, after an All-Star regular season, Luol may be feeling the burden of being the team’s go-to scorer.

d rose suit

If Rose had come back a month ago, gotten his body into game shape, erased the fear of his surgically repaired knee, the Bulls would have as good of a shot as anybody to dethrone the Heat. His teammates are hush, but I know practicing with him and seeing him “dunk in practice,” can’t be sitting well with most of them as they are logging extra minutes.

Maybe he surprises us, pulls a Willis Reed and hobbles out there for game 6 against Brooklyn. Or even better, he returns in the next series vs the Heat if the Bulls survive. I guess we were teased by the Adidas commercials showing Derrick hurt, then rehabbing, and asking us to join him in his rise.


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Derrick will be a great player in this league for at least another decade and may collect more MVP hardware, but his teammates aren’t getting any younger and every year each team experiences turn over.

This year was a great chance for the Bulls. Derrick should be playing…

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Buffalo Bills Draft Recap

April 29, 2013 NFL

The 2013 NFL Draft is officially closed, and fans are now even closer to cheering on their favorite team. For the Buffalo Bills this was a very important draft. It was head coach Doug Marrone’s first ever draft, the same with assistant general manager Doug Whaley and President Russ Brandon, at least in terms of control. The Bills as all Buffalo fans know have not made the playoffs in 13 years, and most likely will not make it again this fall. However with the help from this years draft, it might not be long before Buffalo fans will be cheering early in 2014.

The franchise

It all started Thursday evening when the Bills traded their 8th overall pick to the St. Louis Rams and then chose former Florida St quarterback EJ Manuel. Great move. Manuel has the most potential of all the quarterbacks in the draft and does not have to be thrown into the starting role right away. It will be an interesting training camp to say the least where Manuel and newly acquired Kevin Kolb will battle it out. Tarvaris Jackson who?

On day 2, the Bills selected wide receiver Robert Woods from USC. Woods who stands at 6’1” 190 pounds had 76 receptions for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not bad, but not his best. During his sophomore season in 2011, Woods went off for 111 catches for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns. Woods who shined at the USC pro day ran a 4.51 at the NFL combine. Five picks later, the Bills went defensive and took Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso. This pick has very high upside, but also could result in a large bust. Primarily a blitzer, Alonso could have an immediate impact blitzing up the middle behind the front line. Alonso recorded 81 tackles in 2012 to go along with 1.5 sacks, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. With the 78th overall pick, the Bills selected another wide receiver in Maquise Goodwin. Goodwin from Texas, who represented the U.S. in the Olympics as a long jumper, ran a 4.27 at the NFL Combine. Speed, speed, speed. Goodwin cannot only use his speed to beat you deep but he has the ability to cross the middle of the field and make some plays. With the addition of Woods and Goodwin to Stevie Johnson and CJ Spiller this offense will be fast paced.

In the fourth round the Bills took safety Duke Williams out of Nevada. This was a solid pick especially with the absence of George Wilson. Williams is already as talented if not more so than any safety that plays up in the box as anyone on the roster. Williams is quick, agile and an explosive athlete with versatility to play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. This is where I am confused. With the 5th round pick, the Bills went for another safety in Jonathan Meeks out of Clemson. While Meeks does have range from sideline to sideline but he has had some issues with tackling. In the 6th round the Bills went with former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins who some have compared to Stephen Gostowski, hasn’t played in many cold weather games. He consistently reached the endzone on kickoffs and won’t have any problem doing so in the NFL. With their last pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Bills went with tight end Chris Cragg from Arkansas. In 2011 Cragg had 41 receptions for 518 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cragg did have a bit of a drop off his senior year with only 22 catches for 289 yards. Cragg definitely has long term potential, just wish the Bills would have gone with a more athletic TE.


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With this draft, I would give the Bills a draft grade of a B. However, the Bills did sign undrafted free agent Da’Rick Rogers from Tennessee Tech. Rogers who played for Tennessee is 2011 caught 67 passes for 1,040 yards and 9 touchdowns. Cordarrelle Patterson who was Rogers replacement in 2012 caught only 46 passes for 778 yards and 5 touchdowns. Replacement you ask? Rogers had his issues off the field including failed drug tests and run ins with the coaching staff which resulted in his transfer to Tennessee Tech. In 2012 Rogers caught 78 passes for 1,207 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sure the competition did not come from the SEC but regardless, the troubled Rogers put up numbers. With that free agent signing, I give the Bills a B+ grade. If Rogers pans out, the 6’2” wide out could become the number 1 threat the Bills have been waiting for since Eric Moulds.

 

 

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Bills Fans Rejoice?!?!?!?!?!

April 26, 2013 NFL

With the 16th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select EJ Manuel, quarterback from Florida State.

Mixed emotions throughout Quaker Steak and Lube last night not only when the Bills traded down, but also with their selection. Rumors spread like wild fire when the draft started about what the Bills would do at 8. Would they take the speedy Tavon Austin, or would they draft his college teammate Geno Smith? Would they trade back, knowing that the St. Louis Rams wanted Austin?

The Arizona Cardinals had the 7th pick overall and went with offensive guard Jonathan Cooper from North Carolina. The Bills were now on the clock. It did not take long before Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped up to the podium to announce that the Bills had traded back with the St. Louis Rams. The Rams went on to select Tavon Austin just in font of the New York Jets who had picks 9 and 13. The New Orleans Saints were on the clock at pick 15 and went with Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. The Bills were up next, and once again people at the Lube started going crazy. This is only the third time in franchise history, the Bills have used their first round pick on a quarterback.


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People were thinking Geno Smith right here. Others Jarvis Jones, and some Kyle Eifert. But the Bills made the right move, and took 6’4” 220 pound senior quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel, who was forced to play as a red shirt freshman after Christian Ponder went down with injuries, led the Seminoles to a bowl game all four years. Manuel, brings a leadership quality that the Bills have been lacking at the quarterback position, and at the same time is still raw and has plenty of potential. There is the dangerous word…potential. Ryan Leaf had major potential, Jamarcus Russell had plenty of potential, and look what happened to them. After listening to EJ on WGR550 and Kiss 98.5 this morning, it seems like Manuel is mature beyond his years. Coaches and scouts can talk about his athletic accolades but more importantly they will speak about his character and how he is off the field and that is what is very important.

In his four years in Tallahasse, Manuel threw for over 7,700 yards and 47 touchdowns, throwing 3,397 yards his senior season along with 23 touchdowns. Manuel who is also very versatile rushed for over 800 yards and 11 touchdowns including going for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns this past season. Manuel will definitely bring excitement to this team with his style of play with with first year head coach Doug Marrone, this should be a fast paced offense. Will EJ Manuel be running the show come week one is definitely a possibility, but I have no problem with him sitting out the first couple of weeks. However with the way the game has evolved with first year quarterbacks stepping in right away and having an immediate impact, that might be the way to go for the Bills.

vanceWith the Bills trading back, they also acquired another second round pick, which gives them picks 46 in the second round and the 222nd overall pick. In rounds two and three the Bills have picks 41, 46, and 78. The Bills desperately need a wide receiver, preferably a tall one that can go up and make a play to go along with Stevie Johnson. The Bills also need help on the defense, especially at the linebacker position, and could use another tight end to go along with Scott Campbell. The tight end the Bills should keep an eye on and who could still be around come pick 78 is Vance McDonald from Rice. McDonald stands at 6’4” and 267 pounds and could make an immediate impact in the passing game.

One name to keep an eye on and someone the Bills could definitely make a reach for is Marcus Lattimore who is coming back from a serious leg injury. The former Gamecock already came back from an ACL tear and was just catching his stride when he went down to one of the most gruesome injury in sports history. Through hard work and dedication Lattimore will once again prove his doubters wrong. Freddy Jackson isn’t getting any younger, and with the NFL moving to a two back league, it can’t hurt to have a solid number two guy.

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2013 NFL Draft: The Drama Starts with Buffalo at 8

April 25, 2013 NFL

Let’s set the record straight first. This draft could be the most unpredictable draft we’ve seen in years. No Mike Mayock or NFL “expert” knows exactly what will happen with these 32 picks tonight, but they have educated reasoning for each team they have taking certain players.

From what I’ve read, the first half dozen picks or so will be offensive lineman, defensive run pluggers and/or hyrbid pass rushers. Could be boring for the most part, unless a trade takes place that catches the draft by storm.

In my opinion, the most influential swing pick in the draft is at 8, the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills, still looking for their franchise quarterback since Jim Kelly, hired Doug Marrone away from Syracuse University and immediately the rumor mill followed. Marrone, who coached Ryan Nassib the past few years at Syracuse is thought to be linked to the quarterback and the assumption has been that the Bills would use their number 8 overall pick on the quarterback.

marrone nasibI have taken to social media outlets, texts and phone calls to ask Bills fans what they think should be done with the 8th pick. The answers are definitely mixed…

Some want GM Buddy Nix to take the Syracuse quarterback, Nassib, not to be confused with ‘Cuse legend Donovan McNabb. Others say take the exciting hybrid RB/WR Tavon Austin from West Virginia. He’ll sell tickets, he’s explosive, a playmaker and a special teams threat. That’s great, but who will get him the ball?

Bills fans seem fully against free agent signee Kevin Kolb starting game 1 under center. So maybe the Bills should look to trade down in the first round? They could dangle Austin as trade bait for a team who covets him and move to the latter half of the first round, while adding more picks to Friday and maybe Saturday’s rounds.

There is only one person who truly knows the answer to this. That person is Doug Marrone. Only he knows if Nassib is NFL worthy, let alone the use of an 8th OVERALL pick.

This same coach-quarterback example was seen last year. Joe Philbin was brought on to coach the Miami Dolphins in 2012. The “experts” said it seemed destined and a perfect fit for the Dolphins to trade picks to Green Bay for free agent Matt Flynn, whom Philbin coached in Green Bay.

Philbin must have known something. Flynn couldn’t beat out rookie Russel Wilson, who just so happens to be a baller now, and held a clipboard for a season before being traded to Oakland this off season. Clearly, Philbin knew.

There are so many questions surrounding the Bills with this draft. Is GM Buddy Nix’s job safe after this year? Are the Bills just sending smoke by throwing names like Dee Milliner and Tavon Austin in hope that teams behind them panic? Can they get the same type quarterback later in the draft? For example, Matt Barkely, EJ Manuel, Mike Glennon, and a few others with similar potential.

GM Buddy Nix has to get this 2013 draft right

GM Buddy Nix has to get this 2013 draft right

Marrone has coached in the NFL before, but never as a head coach. He served as the offensive line coach for the New York Jets and then the offensive coordinator from 2006-2008 in New Orleans. He knows what it should look like when drafting an NFL quarterback.

My opinion, as an unbiased, non-Bills fan is to trade the pick and move down. Look for someone hoping to move up, especially if one of the 3 highly sought out offensive tackles are available. The Bills could add a late first, another second and/or another third if they get the right team desperately looking for the right player.

They need to address the quarterback position, no doubt, but there are plenty of signal callers that have the talent, potential and upside as Ryan Nassib does. Heck, any of these quarterbacks could give Kevin Kolb a run for the starting job, right?

It would be the smart move for the Bills to gather picks and bolster their roster that has significant talent. Like most of the AFC East, they are still a year or two or a Tom Brady retirement away from contending.

As the first round approaches tonight, only Doug Marrone knows what to do with Ryan Nassib and that 8th pick. For Bills fans, let’s hope he gets it right.

 

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One and Done: Dunlap Out as Bobcats Head Coach

April 23, 2013 NBA

The ongoing circus that resides in North Carolina known as the Charlotte Bobcats continues to impress as the NBA’s most laughable team.

If someone who doesn’t follow the NBA was told the owner of this comical organization was none other than, Michael Jordan, they’d probably scratch their head and respond, “Well if he is the greatest…shouldn’t they be good?”

You would think so.

A year removed from the lock-out-shortened 2012 season, where the Bobcats went a historically bad, 7-59, they decided to bring in Mike Dunlap to lead the troops for the 2013 adventure.

Dunlap took the job and brought zero NBA head coaching experience to a team that was very young and not very talented. He previously was an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2006-2008 and recently was the interim coach at St. John’s University, while head coach Steve Lavin underwent treatment for cancer.

mike-dunlap-charlotte-bobcatsThis year saw a slight improvement for the ‘Cats. They started off the season very well at 7-5, but it proved to be an aberration as they finished the next 70 games at 14-56. A closing record of 21-61, good for 40 games under .500 and the second worst record in the association.

As they were routinely blown out on the road, the Cats lack of front court talent hurt them the most. Earlier this season they lost by more than 45 points in Oklahoma City.

Reports surfacing from the Charlotte media show that the players were not to fond of Coach Dunlap. Known for his ability to teach the game of basketball, his long practices were the usual and after weeks of continuous losing, 20-something year olds can become very frustrated.

The players were asked to fill out a direct review of Coach Dunlap at season’s end and it appeared to be the undoing of the coach.

Fair? Not Fair? Should one season and a 14-win improvement lead to termination?

There really doesn’t seem to be a correct answer anymore with MJ’s franchise. We are accustomed to seeing Michael Jordan be great. And always be great. So far he has failed. And failed miserably.

paper bobcats

The Bobcats have been a laughing stock the last few years and a “get-right” game for team’s off a few losses or a bad road trip.

To try and flip the negative outlook, maybe fans and management think MJ has another answer at head coach. They will have a high lottery pick in the upcoming draft and 21 million dollars in cap space to attract free agents.

Maybe Dunlap wasn’t a player’s coach and free agents resented the thought of signing to play ball in Charlotte. Maybe his long practice skills and lack of people skills don’t sit well with veterans like Ben Gordon, who was routinely in the coach’s doghouse.

(Check out the picture at the top and notice Gordon looking away, arms crossed and uninterested, as Dunlap tries to talk to him during a game)

Whoever the next coach of the franchise is, he better find a way to win…and win quickly.

Because even winning more games than the year before shows your job is not safe at the ongoing circuis in Charlotte.

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