Dave Sims Excellently Terrible Broadcasting

"The wind wont affect this one... OH and he missed!" - During Sunday Night Football Dallas vs Washington, after they missed a previous kick because of the wind.

How You Like them Now? The Seahawks are Playoffs Bound

With the recent win over the San Francisco 49ers (and what a win it was, embarrassing them on national TV), the Seattle Seahawks have clinched themselves a playoff spot for 2012 season. This is great news for a team that appears to be peaking at the absolute perfect time. They have won their last three games by a combined score of 150-30. The offense, which started the year as a liability, has turned into one of the best in the league. A large part of this turnaround is because the coaching staffing took the restraints off Russell Wilson and he has responded by playing at an elite level. His passing has been accurate and timely and his ability to decide whether to run or throw has been a major advantage for the Seahawks. He is definitely not racking up stats on the back of an All-Pro receiver a la Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. All this adds up to me really liking the Seahawks chance in the playoffs.

The teams guaranteed a playoff spot are the Falcons, Packers and 49ers. The Cowboys, Redskins, Vikings, Bears and Giants all have a shot at the final two spots. Looking at those teams on the Packers scare me and the Seahawks have already beat them once this year (albeit on in one of the most controversial games in recent history). Playing them in Lambeau will be a difficult no matter what.

The Falcons are probably the least scary #1 seed in recent memory. They have four wins against playoff caliber teams, the Broncos, Redskins, Cowboys and Giants.  Only the Broncos are an actual power house. The Falcons have picked up their 13 wins by beating bad teams. Now it isn’t their fault they have such and easy schedule and they clearly are a good team because they aren’t losing to these jokers, but they just don’t strike fear into opponents.

If recent history is anything to base a judgment on, the Seahawks have little to fear from the 49ers. They just finished demolishing them 42-13. Their previous meeting in October the 49ers won at hard fought game 13-6. In this game Russell Wilson hadn’t been allowed to flourish yet and suffered from several critical dropped passes. Changed a couple of those drops to catches and you have a very different game.

The Seahawks have already beat the Cowboys (for this game a more appropriate verb would be stomped as it was 27-7 and never really close), the Bears and the Vikings (another rout). Only the Redskins and Giants are unknowns. The Redskins are a team that has basically thrived on the stellar play of one guy, Robert Griffin III. The Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs, but haven’t looked that impressive at all this year.

All this basically means I feel very confident going into the playoffs. These Seahawks appear to have vanquished their past demon of playing on the road. As the away team, they beat the Panthers, Bears and Bills this season. The QB of the Seahawks is great (let’s not joke around and pretend he is just good or having a string of luck) and appears to be improving every week. The defense is still stoat, allowing the fewest PPG and fourth fewest YPG. Finally they are peaking at the absolutely best time. They have found a rhythm and are destroying teams in all three phases.

Invincible NFL Coaches

In the NFL world coaches come and go at a staggering rate. Owners and fans demand wins from their teams and have little patience for rebuilding or down years. If a guys doesnt turn things around in 1-3 years he is usually out the door. However in this turbulent world of NFL coaches two men have proved to be almost invincible. They are Norv Tuner and Marvin Lewis current head coaches of the Chargers and Bengals. 

In 2006 then head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the Chargers after his team went 14-2 but failed to advance in the playoffs. His firing was the result of the Charger's continued inability to win in the playoffs. They had done well in the regular season under his watch, but the ownership saw their consistent playoff failures as a sign that a change was needed. So, Norv Turner was brought in by the Chargers to change the pattern of playoff failure and win the team a championship. During his time with the team Turner has gone a respectable 53-37 over 6 seasons. He did make the playoffs his first three seasons (although once as an 8-8 team), but hasnt been back since then. He still hasnt won the big one and his teams are always being talked about as under performers.  Despite this the front office that felt it necessary to fire a coach that went 14-2, still hasnt given Turner the boot. Somehow Norv Tuner has appeared to find a suit of invincibility and avoid the NFL head coach chopping block.

Marvin Lewis' ability to stay employed is even more impressive then Turner's. Lewis has been the head coach since 2003 and has gone 74-79, that is right he has a losing record. Additionally he only has three playoff appearances and no wins. Yet he still has a job. This is almost unheard of for an NFL coach. In comparison Pete Carroll went 27-21, went to the playoffs twice and won a game in three seasons as the head coach of the Patriots and he got the axe. NFL owners have generally have high standards for their lead men. The Bengals appear to judge their coach's quality using a metric other then wins and losses.

Both Turner and Lewis appear to have found a way to avoid the chopping block year after year. We may never know what secret power they possess that allows them to do this, but one thing is clear they arent being judged solely on wins and losses.

Miguel Olivo and Chone Figgins Both Gone, What Now?

The Mariners haven't been a good team in close to ten years and they haven't made the playoffs since 2001. This chronic failure on the baseball field has brought down the interest levels of many fans. Those fans that still exist have grown frustrated and pessimistic. Well now, the main targets for the mariner fanbase's collective frustration have now been let go. This offseason the team announced that both Miguel Olivo and Chone Figgins will not be back next year. 

This is great news for the team's chances of actually winning games. Removing Olivo from the roster keeps Eric Wedge from playing the offensively limited and defensive liable Olivo over the much more talented John Jaso. Removing Chone Figgins from the ends the self inflicted handicap the Mariners were playing with last year. In 2013 they will actually have 25 men on the roster that they can use, instead of wasting a spot to let Figgins say he is a major leaguer. It will be hard, although not impossible, for the Mariners to not find upgrades for these two roster spots.

The question that must now be answered is what will we as fans do with all our frustration? We will have to find a new outlet for venting. My guess is we chose a new player to target, most likely Justin Smoak. The Smoakamotive has been a huge disappointment since he was acquired from Texas for Cliff Lee. In his two plus season he has hit .227/.304/.382 good for a about a 90 wRC+. As a first basemen he has been a detriment to the team, far from the potential allstar the M's thought they were getting. That right there is enough to warrant fan frustration  However, there is more, the stellar defense that we were promised has also been absent during his Seattle career. For his fragile psyche's sake I hope the fans go a little easy on him; he is only 26.

Before we throw too much of our disgruntled comments in Smoak's directions, let's remember the important thing, Miguel Olivo and Chone Figgins are gone. We wont have to watch endless K, passed balls and frowny donkey faces (at least from those two) ever again. Celebrate the change and try not to worry about the future.

Getting Under the Hump

He would make this article too easy.

The hump is an exceptionally awkward part of any sports league.  Every sports writer seems preoccupied with how a team can get over it, and just what new addition will help them do so.  It seems impossible to measure such a thing as the hump and, frankly, it is, because the hump doesn't exist.  It's an arbitrary measure of a team's improvement, and really means nothing.  This will never stop people from talking about the hump, of course.  It's far too much fun to go on and on about just what a team needs to get over the hump, despite the fact that few if any of us are competent enough to truly tell.

Of course, all this talk of getting over the hump isn't really fair.  The hump is there for a reason: if everybody was over it, then there wouldn't be any competition.  Teams need to be under the hump sometimes, to make it all the sweeter when they improve.  As such, we here at Unique Sports Theme Name bring you the most pertinent list for the continuation of the NBA: the players to help teams get under the hump.  These are teams just close enough to be true contenders that need that one player to push them farther away from that elusive championship, so the rest of us can enjoy it.

Where the NFL Fails, Trades

In the world of American sports the NFL reigns supreme. They dominate the TV ratings and have the highest annual revenue of the big four sports. In the world of fantasy sports the also dominate, with legions of fantasy football players all over the world. Another example of their dominance is the Madden video game franchise (the only licensed NFL video game). This game has a huge following and has been able to convince loyal fans to fork over $60 every year just to get new rosters and a few graphics tweaks. However, even with all its might there is one area that the NFL falls short, player trades.

Seahawks Specialize in Nailbiters

In every Seahawks game so far this year, minus the Dallas Cowboys game, one of the two teams playing has had the chance to tie or win the game with under 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. So far in these tense, drama filled games the Seahawks have won three times (Green Bay, New England and Carolina) and lost three times (Arizona, St Louis and San Fransisco). I think it is now safe to say that these Seahawks specialize in nail biters.

The team is built to be a hard hitting, tough old school team. It is no secret that the main focuses by the front office and coaches have been on defense. The have brought in new player, who have been an upgrade, at almost every position on the field. Only Brandon Mebane, Leroy Hill and Marcus Trufant were on the Seahawks before Pete Carroll. The largest strength of the D is their secondary. In a pass happy league Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas have been able to regularly shut down top receivers. This combination of philosphy and personnel has resulted in opponents averaging only 15.1 ppg, third lowest in the league. The excellent secondary and all around quality play should continue to keep opponents scores low.


The Legion of Boom

The front office's one sided obsession with perfection at preventing points has lead to a deficit of talent on the offensive side of the ball. The little offense the team does produce is almost all generated from Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the running game, which is a power attack. However, the runningbacks generate yards in small consistent bunches 3-6 yards at a time. Rarely do they break open big game changing runs. This works great for controlling the tempo of the game, but doesnt generate high scores. The lack of a quality passing offense also limits the teams score. The WR have struggled often this season and QB Russell Wilson has looked exactly like the rookie he is. The below bad offense is evident by the teams 16.6 ppg, second lowest in the league.


The Legion of Gloom

The combination of a great defense and a bad offense has meant that the team limits the oppositions points and struggles to score their own. All of this translates into low scoring tightly contested games. Games that raise your heart rate and get you on the edge of your seats. Games that are 100% worth investing your time in and watching.

Sources: Yahoo Sports

NBA Preview: Detroit is Sad

This man was give $35 million
to be made fun of by Kevin Garnett.

There are some NBA teams that are just a lot of fun to be involved with in any way.  Just writing about the Nuggets, for instance, gets me all hot and bothered.  Which is a pretty strange saying, as it is the middle of October and I haven't spent enough time with Andre Iguodala for his quirks to bother me.  In short, there are some teams that can just make the NBA worth following, regardless of whether your city has a team or happens to have lost it due to illegal practices of an overly-powerful figurehead.  Even so, the NBA can be fun to write about.

The Detroit Pistons are not fun to write about.  Even the Bobcats are hilarious about being bad, so that gives at least a glimpse of interest.  The Pistons don't have that.  Perhaps nothing defines their entire organization better than Tayshaun Prince, a small forward who everyone is aware of but nobody can actually collaborate his story that he does, in fact, exist.  Prince, like the Pistons, used to be good, but at this point its better we all pretend that they don't exist to spare us the boredom that has become Pistons basketball.  

NBA Preview: Denver, Everybody's Second Favorite

A standard George Karl practice session.

Basketball is a lot more fun to watch when the team's are scoring.  Not just scoring with the efficiency of Nate McMillan's Trailblazers, but recklessly throwing themselves up and down the court, piling in the points. The famous Run TMC Warriors and the ridiculousness of Steve Nash's Suns hold a fond spot in the memory of anyone who watched basketball at the time.  Frankly, nobody hates an NBA team that runs and guns, with the possible exception of anything involving Stephen Jackson.

The Denver Nuggets have always understood this, or at least have always appeared that they have.  David Thompson poured in points as well as anyone ever has during Denver's last ABA years and into the NBA, while Alex English stuck around with such exalted scorers as Dan Issel, Calvin Natt, Kiki Vandeweghe, and even an aging Walter Davis.  Never has there been an NBA team who has so consistently ran up and down the floor and stayed in the NBA's top few teams in scoring.

NBA Preview: MC Dirk and the Cuban Crew

Dahntay Jones plays HOW much!?

Owners like Mark Cuban don't come around much.  Certainly, there are plenty of owners that are willing to spend money recklessly to be competitive and make fans happy (Paul Allen, the Busses), but rarely is their an owner that connects with fans so closely when they really don't need to.  The Mavericks are a popular enough team in a solid market that could pretty easily ignore their fans and still do alright.  Hell, even if they started losing fans, Cuban has enough money ($2.3 billion to be exact) to weather such a storm.

This is what makes the Mavs the unique franchise they are, not just in the NBA but in all of the big four sports.  The Mavericks actively listen to and interact with their fans, from the owner on down to the players, and continue to be competitive and lovable despite a roster of horribly overpaid old people.  At the center of all these oddities is one of the most entertaining men in basketball: Dirk Nowitzki.

Every year, Dirk gets older and older and rebounds less and less, and yet it never matters.  As long as Dirk can stand, he can scored as well as anyone, thanks to the stupidest looking turn-around jumper that has ever been.  It may not even qualify as a jumper, as Dirk seems to just spin around and fall to the floor, all while throwing the ball wildly at the rim and then, what do you know, it goes in ten times a game.  Even with Dirk's full-season career low in FG% last year, at a still-very-good 46%, expect the exact same production as ever from the German: 20 PPG, enough rebounding and post defense to be considered a power forward, and tons of hilarity.

Cleveland Cava****LeBrons

This counts as fat in the NBA.

Lebron James has made some very silly mistakes in his life.  Not silly in the realm of Tiger Woods' extramarital activities or Darryl Strawberry's everlasting love of cocaine, but still rather dumb of him.  Chief amongst these mistakes was what has become known as "The Decision," the hour long, nationally-aired Lebron ego show to announce that he was signing with the Heat.  Since then, Lebron has been on good behavior, has won two MVP awards and a championship, and continues to provide for the Boys and Girls Club, among other charitable organizations.

In Cleveland, this will never matter.  Lebron James could quite literally cure cancer, and there is a good chance that Cavaliers fans will insist that cancer isn't as bad as Lebron says.  Strangely, Lebron's defection was nowhere near as bad as hundreds of others of players who demand trades while still under contract, and certainly doesn't touch the shit show that was Dwight Howard's last two years.  Even so, the city of Cleveland may never move on, but thank G-d they've at least shut up a little bit.

NBA Preview: Chicago Defenses

Oh, that's where Joakim gets it from.

Almost every elite team in the NBA has been defined by their stars.  The Lakers had Shaq and Kobe.  The Celtics had Larry Bird.  Even the Clippers had Bob McAdoo.  Keeping with that theme, when people thought of the Bulls the last few years, it has been to talk about Derrick Rose.  Admittedly, this makes sense: the guy won an MVP award at age 22, the youngest ever.  He is, by all accounts, a superstar.

However, he also breaks easily, and this year will be the year the Bulls try and prove they can be elite because of their team defense, not because Derrick Rose runs really fast.  Rose shattered his leg in the playoffs last year, and he won't be back for some time this year, leaving the burden of leadership on Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah, and Rip Hamilton, and... well there is no lack of veteran leadership on the Bulls.  In much the same way, there is no lack of defensively sound players, thanks in part to the players and, possibly more so, to Tom Thibodeau's coaching.

NBA Preview: JordanCats

This happened.  Against a lottery team.

Sadly, it has come time for what may be the most depressing preview of all: the Charlotte Bobcats.  A team whose biggest star is their owner, with a leading scorer who may not be a rotation player on many other teams.  This is a team that by and large has no hope for the present or the future, regardless of how much the five fans of the Bobcats may yearn for Kemba Walker to be good at anything.

In short, this is going to be a hilariously depressing preview because honestly, there is no positive about these Bobcats.  They are absolutely awful in just about every way, with their only bright spot being that they have a new crop of rookies.  To be fair, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a very well regarded rookie to be sure, but there is no guarantee that he will amount to anything.  At the very least, he is much more promising than the Bobcats' crop of young players, who include the (surprise!) inefficient Kemba Walker (37% FG), the brick that is Bismack Biyombo (46% from the field, 48% from the line), and the unstoppable duo of Cory Higgins and Jeffery Taylor, players who were second-fiddles even at mediocre college programs.

Time to Pay the Man (in stripes)

Prior to the NFL week 3, I didnt understand what all the fuss about the replacement refs was. Sure there had been a blown call here and a missed call there, but nothing had happened to drastically change the outcome of a game. Then this weekend all hell broke lose. Against the Vikings, the 49ers got what appeared to be an indefinite amount of timeouts and challenges. In the Lions-Titans game a 27 yard penalty was awarded because of incorrect field placement. Several other games had terrible moments by the officials. If, after all that there was still any doubt about the struggles of the replacement refs, last nights MNF game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks  completely squashed it.

The MNF game was one of the worst, if not the worst, officiated games in the Superbowl era of the NFL. All of the mainstream media focus has been on the simultaneous possession rule on the last play of the game. Sure, that by ultimately determined the final outcome of the game, but there were numerous other bad calls throughout the game. There were a total of 24 penalties accepted and at least 1 declined. That kind of number is way high to happen normally. Going into the fourth quarter I was telling my Packer friend sitting next to me how my mind was change, the NFL needed to bring back the real refs. There were just too many bad calls in this game. It was becoming a farce.

Then the fourth quarter started and an already poorly called game turned into a complete cluster. In the fourth quarter there were several plays that potentially changed the outcome of the game. The Golden Tate touchdown was just the capstone. Here are just the few I can remember (with some fuzzy details because the final play blurs everything):

• On a third and short play outside of field goal range a Seahawks defender make a beautiful pass defense against a Packers WR only to be called for PI (incorrectly) and extend the drive.
• Greg Jenning is awarded a touchdown, only to have it later overturned (correctly). The ball is  placed short of the first down marker (incorrectly).
• Shortly there after Aaron Rodgers is stopped short of the first down marker by the Seahawks bringing up what should have been a fourth and 1 on the 2 yard line. Instead the call was overturned (incorrectly) and the Packers awarded a first down.
• On a crucial drive in the fourth quarter Seahawks WR Sidney Rice tangles up a Green Bay defender and manages to draw a PI (incorrectly) extending the Seahawks drive.

I doubt I was the only one who notices all the important mistakes that were being made. So, NFL fans, let's not get so pissed off at the Seahawks. Stop calling them cheaters or undeserving. If the roles were reversed, I doubt any Green Bay Packers fan would volunteerily give up the win. There were too many bad calls in that game to have any idea what the final out come might have been. Instead let's focus our anger on the NFL and their ridicuouls battle with the "good" refs (never thought I would compliment the NFL officials). It is time for the billion business that is the NFL to pony up the cash and pay the men in stripes.

NBA Preview: Jay-Z

Still better than Shawne Williams.

I have never enjoyed "big market" sports teams.  It's never been about the money either: the fact that the Knicks, all the Boston teams, and other such franchises get to have slightly above-average players consistently painted as superstars on the national level (see: Stoudemire, Amar'e) just annoys me.  Every preview issue ever puts these teams in the hunt for a title in whatever sport it may be, regardless of whether Julio Lugo is their starting shortstop.  Frankly, big market teams get slanted coverage that is just annoying and makes me root against them.  So really, it's not my fault, it's just science.

This brings us to the Brooklyn Nets, which inexplicably do not inspire my vitriol.  They play in as big of a market as they can, they throw money at players that are vastly overrated (Gerald Wallace, Joe Johnson), and they seem to think they're immediately good enough to win a title just because.  Yet, I don't dislike them.  Mikhail Prokhorov is an enigma as an owner, the quintessential exotic foreign millionaire that nobody understands.  Jay-Z hangs around and makes everyone laugh by pretending he matters for basketball.  MarShon Brooks absolutely refuses to stop shooting, a la Antoine Walker.  Their new uniforms are the default design for "Create-A-Team" programs in video games.

NBA Preview: Beantown

Fab Melo is too stupid to read that jersey.

Welcome back to the 2nd installment of our 30 part series: Better Know an NBA Team (apologies to Stephen Colbert).  Much like our previous installment, the Atlanta Hawks, we see a team that has changed greatly in the last year, yet still manages to just piss me off all the time: the Boston Celtics.

Yes, the one redeeming factor of the Celtics, former Sonic Ray Allen, has moved on, signing with the Heat to shoot threes and, presumably, go out to stud for his twilight years.  This would leave the Celtics with a gaping hole at shooting guard, if it weren't for the tremendous development of Washingtonian Avery Bradley and the signing of equally Washingtonian Jason Terry.  At this point, it's perfectly reasonable to assume the Celtics have some sort of conspiracy to sign all the Seattle-area shooting guards possible.  Brandon Roy, be careful.

NBA Preview: the ATL

"Hello.  I'm the reason people are
 afraid of NBA players."

Much like Odysseus or Allen Iverson, I have returned from my long absence and will once again be writing as much as I can for this prestigious blog.  Of couse, much like Allen Iverson, my return will probably be nowhere near as prestigious and exciting as you think it is.  Regardless, my absence from writing here has created a bit of a dearth in quality NBA writing for our tens of fans to read up on their least favorite sport.  I only refer to basketball as the least of the sports as most of our readers (and writers!) are still a bit confused why the hockey players of today don't score as much as they did in Wayne Gretzky Hockey '98.

Anywho, the NBA season is quickly coming upon us once again and, with the passing of the new arena deal for Seattle, there is a need for Washingtonians to actually start paying attention to basketball.  This means its time for the oldest of blog entry ideas: the team preview!

Starting alphabetically, the most time-honored of traditions, brings us to the Atlanta Hawks, the blandest and possibly least exciting of all franchises.  Yes, even with the trade of Joe Johnson and the "loss" of Marvin Williams, the Hawks still seem like the same old mediocre playoff team of the last few years.  Josh Smith will continue to score and block shots while taking the most ill-advised threes which, in his case, are any threes at all (career 3PT FG: 28%).  As talented as he is, Josh Smith just isn't quite what he should be.  The ridiculousness of this statement, for a player that averaged 19 PPG and is continually amongst the league leaders in blocks, isn't lost on me: Josh Smith just insists on making the strangest of choices in his game, the exact opposite of Al Horford, everybody's favorite boring center.

Some Thoughts on the Seahawks, Part 3: Why We Should Have a Chance to Win Every Game, The Defense

Probably the most universally accepted belief about the 2012 Seahawks is that their defense should be good, really good. I am thinking top five in the NFL good. Seriously, even without a dominate pass rush these guys are that good. In 2011 the defensive unit showed legit talent by finishing the season ranked as the 7th best team based on PPG and 8th based on YDG. To strengthen their weakest aspect, the pass rush, they drafted Bruce Irvin and signed Jason Jones. Hopefully both will make a big impact. If they are evening average it will only strengthen our defense.

The most exciting part of the defense is probably the secondary. Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman form the core of what is one of the strongest secondary in the NFL. Throw in that the backups are Walter Thurmond (remember that guy, we were all pumped about him until he got hurt) and Marcus Trufant and you are also looking a a really deep secondary. Thomas is especially good. He a speedy ball hawk who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He and his partner at the safety position, Kam Chancellor, finished second and third on the team in total tackles. Only MLB David Hawthorne had more. I think Thomas has the potential to finish the season as an All-Pro. Anything less then a Pro-Bowler would be a shocker.

If one thing is going to stop them from reaching the elite level it will be the quality of opponent they have to face. The Seahawks have to play both the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots this year. Those are the two best offensive teams in football. However, I think even with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers trying to pass all over them the Seahawks D will prevail. I dont necessarily think we will beat those teams but we should limit their points scored.

The biggest loss the off-season was the team leader in tackle, middle linebacker David Hawthorne. While the Heater was a really good player, his loss shouldn’t be insurmountable. In the modern NFL, the middle linebacker position has become less of a lynchpin position. Additionally, the Seahawks drafted Bobby Wagner in the second round with the hopes of him being able to step right in and try to make us forget. He will be assisted by a Seahawks defensive unit that always to get at least and seven guys to the ball. Gus Bradley and Pete Carroll have shown us several times that they have an eye for defensive talent and I dont see why Wagner should be any different.

No written piece about the Seahawks defense would be complete without mention of Red Bryant. Although he only plays on about half the teams downs he is a very obvious play maker. Pete Carroll and his coaches foresight, to try the unconventional and play a 323lb player at DE, has paid huge dividends for the Seahawks. Last year he had 32 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT and 4 blocked kicks. That doesnt even take into account the several intangibles Red brings to the defense. His play brings multiple blockers and pumps up his teammates and the crowd. Big Red is an awesome player.

So, if you havent figured it out yet, I am really high on the Seahawks defense this year. So high that it is probably rubbing off on my overall impression of the team. In my preseason dreaming I started to imagine a 10 to 11 win team all because of that amazing defense. SEA-FENCE!

2012 Seahawks Offseason Check-up: QB situation

It is now customary for all players and fans in attendance to rise for Russell Wilson as he enters the stadium on his golden chariot led by Shadowfax, the lord of all horses.

Most of this blog's immense fan base are probably unaware that the chief editor, Matt Swanson, flew me out to New York back in January to cover the 2012 Super Bowl. The Super Bowl was so unimpressive that Matt ended up asking me to temporarily re-locate to the New York area with company funds where I was to use my sophisticated investigative journalism techniques to uncover exactly how the Giants won and expose the genius of Tom Coughlin.

After nearly nine months of exhaustive data analysis and one-on-one interviewing I've come to a revealing conclusion: The Giants really aren't that good. Tom Coughlin actually isn't that smart. They were able to limp into the playoffs and get hot at the right time. Also, the Patriots didn't play very well. Now take a few minutes to digest these puzzling findings before you continue reading.

So this is why I have been in dereliction of my duties covering the Seahawks. I see that Kevin has been moving in on my turf and rather than comment on his good posts I'd rather just contribute with my own.

On Russell Wilson & Rookie QBs

Should we really be so surprised that Russell Wilson legitimately beat out Matt Flynn in the competition for the starting job? After all, Wilson was one of the most mentally prepared and technically sound QBs in the 2012 draft class. Echoing common themes from Moneyball, it was the bias of conventional scouting against his height which kept him from being a potential 1st round talent right behind Andrew Luck and RGIII. It stands to reason that his 5 to 1 TD-Int preseason total and decimation of the Chief's defense -which was ranked 12th in DVOA last season- are honest indicators of his promise.

Yet a lot of the opposition within the fan base to Wilson starting has been less about him specifically and more about the principle of starting rookie QBs in general which worries them. I think this argument fundamentally confuses correlation and causation. Rookies QBs don't typically fail exclusively due their own inexperience and mental aptitude. They typically fail because they're drafted onto very bad teams and are asked to be the savior of the franchise. Every once in a while you get a Cam Newton who defies the odds and manages to almost single-handedly uplift the franchise. But more often than not you get Alex Smith and Tim Couch results.

Wilson won't be asked to constantly overcome score deficits in a pass-heavy talentless offense with minimal run support. Instead he'll be playing behind a much improved offensive line, a dominant run game in Lynch, and a potentially elite defense. At minimum Pete Carroll is asking him to avoid turning the ball over and, at most, to decisively move the ball down field where an assertive run game will enable savory play-action opportunities.

Yes, Wilson will make some rookie mistakes. But as Kevin points out, his big-play potential should more than off-set this and, more importantly, he'll gain necessary NFL experience where we can more accurately evaluate his potential as the Seahawk's franchise quarterback.

Some Thoughts on the Seahawks, Part 2: the WR Gum Wall

At some point this off season all of these player have suited up for the Seahawks at the wide receiver position: Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate, Mike Williams, Braylon Edwards, Terrell Owens, Ricardo Lockette, Ben Obamanu, Sidney Rice, Kris Durham and that isnt even everybody, the list goes on and on. It sure looks like the front office's strategy is to throw stuff at the wall and hope some of it sticks. All this metaphorical stuff flying at the wall and other stuff falling off makes it hard for a fan to keep track of who all is actually in that group.
 
This approach is worrisome because it gives us outsiders looking in the impression that the coaches and staff dont have much faith in the current corps of wide receivers. Now some might say this is just Pete Carroll practicing his constant roster manipulation, looking for that perfect combination and this might be true. I dont think that is the case though.
 
My confidence in the WR corps is even more shaken when I take a look at the guys currently stuck to the wall. The starting three receivers are probably going to be Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate. All three of them are solid but appear to have major flaws that limit their star capability.
 
When he is healthy Sidney Rice has the potential to be a game changer. He is a onetime Pro-bowler who forces other teams to game plan for him. The problem is he isnt healthy often. During the off season he had surgery on both shoulders and the coaching staff has limited his playing time during the pre-season. For him to find success this year we need both shoulders to have healed well and for him to avoid further injury. I am rooting for him but I am not holding out hope.
 
Doug Baldwin had a really solid rookie season and will hopefully be able to take that next step. He could become a real weapon for the Seahawks, but currently he doesnt strike fear into the opposition's coaches and players for a reason. Even so, he appears to be the most dependable option the Seahawks have. We can expect a lot of hard work and solid play out of Baldwin.
 
Golden Tate has already been labeled a bust by many. This is because of his overall lack of production during his first two seasons. However, I think that before we write him off, we need to remember that he is still young, only 24. When he was at Notre Dame he was a legit offensive force and he has shown some signs of that in the NFL. He just has never been able to put it together for an entire game, let alone a season. If he can final reach near the potential level of talent John Schneider and Pere Carroll saw when they drafted him we could be very happy.
 
Now some of you might be thinking, "what about Obamanu or Edwards or any of the other 15 guys trying out, couldnt they take over as one of the top three?" Let’s face it, none of them are that good. That is why saw many people got try outs. In my opinion if the Seahawks get to a point where one of those guys is starting we are probably in trouble. Most likely they would mean Rice got hurt, Baldwin regressed or Tate failed to take that final step. Those would all be bad things for us, especially when you consider that the Seahawks are going to be starting a rookie QB. This means the guys catching Russell Wilson's passes are probably not going to be making it any easier on him.
 
I don’t want to be all doom and gloom though. I am just trying to be a realist. The WR position is definitely the weakest on the team, but that also speaks to the strength of the rest of the team. Like I highlighted about all three starters do have the potential to step up their game and help the offense shine. It just seems more likely that they will play mediocre and cause us some frustration throughout the season.

Some Thoughts on the Seahawks, Part 1: The QB Situation

The biggest and most important issue in the Seahawks preseason is the QB situation. After the NFL draft, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks found themselves with three QB on the roster with the potential to start. These were:

• Tarvaris Jackson, who started every game in 2011 he was healthy and able to and did an adequate job  while showing some potential flashes.
• Matt Flynn, who put up monster numbers in his two career starts for the Green Bay Packers and signed with the Seahawks during the offseason to a medium sized deal.
• Russell Wilson, who the Seahawks draft in the third round out of Wisconsin, where he dominated the Big Ten, but failed to have a growth spurt and remained 5'10".

After summer workouts, training camp and three preseason games Jackon has been traded, Matt Flynn is sitting on the bench again and Russell Wilson has been named the week one starter. This is big news as Wilson will be the first third round draftee to start his first game as a rookie since 1973. My overall feeling on the situation is optimistic excitement.

Let me touch briefly on Tarvaris Jackson. At the beginning of the off season I legitimately thought he would be the week one starter. Tarvar had a leg up on the competition by knowing the playbook, coaches and receivers. The job was definitely his to lose. By the time the first preseason game had role around I was no longer under the impression that Jackson had any kind of chance at starting. Now I was just concerned we would have to end up cutting him or carrying an expensive third stringer. So, when the news broke that the Seahawks had worked a deal to trade him to the Bills, I was happy. The Seahawks had managed to turn Jackson and his contract into something of potential value, a late round draft pick. What a great bit of roster maneuvering by the front office.

Bringing in Matt Flynn over the off season, even now that he isnt going to be starting, was also a great move. Sure, I would have liked to see what he could have done if given the chance to start. Those two amazing games sure show he has a lot of potential and it would be great if the Seahawks could tap into that. However, after two seasons of pulling so many diamonds out of the rough, Pete Carroll and John Schneider have earned a little trust and if they think Wilson is a better QB to lead this team then Flynn I am not going to argue with them.

As for the new big dog the field general, I am pumped up to see what Russell Wilson can do. It is awesome for the Seahawks to have a rookie QB with so much talent and skill potential. The NFL conventional wisdom about rookie QB is changing. Teams are giving guys like Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Andy Dalton are getting chances to start right away and finding success. It is great to see that the Seahawks are not so entrenched in the old ways that they are blinded from seeing what they have. The upside for Wilson appears so high I think we have to take a chance and see what he can do for us.

Sure, Wilson might falter and the Seahawks might lose some games because of poor QB play, rookies make mistakes, but Flynn provides a safety net for the Seahawks at the QB position. The same Matt Flynn that just two months ago cause a huge stir in the Seattle sports community by signing here over Miami. Having a super solid backup QB is a good thing. If you dont agree just think about Charlie Whitehurst and I think you will change your mind. Regardless of who is playing this is a great situation for the Seahawks.

Let's not dwell on the potential failures though. Let's think about how awesome Wilson has been and how awesome it would be if he could ride that success into the regular season. Remember all that really matters is getting the W on Sundays and having the most talented signal caller on the roster starting gives the Seahawks a leg up on their opponents.

Better put all those Matt Flynn jersey on clearance.

Some Thoughts on the Seahawks, Introduction

In case you weren't aware the NFL season is almost upon us. In just two short weeks the Seahawks will kickoff their season in Arizona against the Cardinals. Leading up to this game there has been lost of sports news stories breaking from the Seahawks world. All these stories have resulted in a lot of text messages and facebook status updates debating, discussing and commenting on the most current issue. All of these various information outlets have resulted in glimpses of my overall impressions for many, but these thoughts are jumbled at best, and missing altogether on some topics. However, today I received an email from part-time contributor tzane, inquiring as to my thoughts on the Seahawks, that sparked inspiration. So, I decided to use this blog to answer tzane's question and tie all these thoughts together, with a lot more words then he probably expected.

I am going to write three or four post on what I view as the major off season talking points. Probably this will cover the QB situation, the massive amount of WR that have been on the roster so far this off season, the potentially dominate defense and what I think or playoff chances are. Breaking it up this way gives you all less to read at a time and opens up unique discussion threads for each topic. So, tune back in over the next couple days to chime with your thoughts on the post topics.

A Few Tidbits from Around the Web: Olympics!

The summer Olympics are officially under way in London. As such this last week has been an awesome one in the world of sports. With all the events going on there has certainly been no shortage of compelling story lines. In Gymnastics we saw the American women win the team all-around in impressive fashion and the men fall flat. In the pool we saw Michael Phelps prove he could lose to only then remind us that he is the greatest Olympic champion of all time. So, to highlight this first week here are links to some of my favorite story lines.

• In gymnastics, the UK team won a medal in the Men's Team All-Around for the first time in 100 years. However, this win wasnt without controversy as Japan appealed a score to the judges which changed the final standings.
• Also in gymnastics Aly Raisman on the United States missed out on a bronze medal because of a stupid tie breaker rule.
• One of the strangest things at the Olympics was 8 female badminton players being expelled from the tournament and sent home. Watching these guys made me think I could win a medal, then I found out they were losing on purpose.
• If you are like me losing on purpose doesnt make a lot of sense, but Slate's explaination really helps clear it all up.
• In women's basketball Australia and France played a game that will always be remember for just one shot, this one.

Athletes and Drunk Driving

This summer several NFL players have been in the news after getting arrested for drunk driving. Here in Seattle the biggest name for us is Marshawn Lynch who got busted in July. In football terms this could be a huge issue for the Seahawks whose offense is built around Marshawn and the running game. As a repeat offender of the league conduct policy Marshawn is facing up to a 6 game suspension. Speculation has estimated about a 4 game suspension. This could seriously impact the Seahawks chances at the beginning of the season. Looks like Seattle fans are going to get to see what rookie Robby Turbin is all about sooner rather then latter.

In real life terms this is also a big deal. Driving under the influence is a very dangerous and 100% preventable crime. It is super dangerous for not only the driver but also everyone else on the road. In 2010 over 10,000 people died because of drunk driving. No one has to drive drunk.

This rings true for athletes even more then regular people. They are rich so they can afford to have private drivers, not even cabs, take them to and from where ever they are going. Sure they often own a sweet car and they want to show it off to all the ladies at the club, but isnt pulling up in a stretch limo pretty impressive?Is that shorty with the hoop earings and tight white dress really going to stop paying attention to you because you arent driving yourself home in a lambo? My guess would be no, she is still going to hang all over you.

Maybe they just have an issue with letting someone they dont know drive them around, fine. Most athletes are also surrounded by an entrouage of friends and employees who are paid just to hang out and make sure they have a good time. If they dont trust a town car and cab driver, they should just make it one of these guys duties to stay sober and drive them home. Tell scooter (I assume they all have a friend named scooter) that if he wants to keep getting all his tabs paid for he needs to drive your drunk ass home.

This isnt just me that is fed up with NFL players drinking and driving. Former player Derrick Ward recently went on a twitter rampage scolding players for their stupidity. My favorite part of stream of tweets? This beauty, "There's no excuse to drive drunk! NONE! If all else fails WALK! NFL players are world class athletes Walking should be nothing!" You tell em Derrick! Just in case all the players dont follow Mr. Ward, the NFL is working on strengthening their drunk driving punishment policy. That is bad news for potential inebriated drivers and good news for everyone else on the road because if Roger Goodell has shown us anything, it is that he is tough on policy violators. So, get ready to see the suspensions and fines flying.

If you are an NFL athlete or for that matter anyone reading this blog, do me a favor, dont drink and drive. The potential pros are just not worth the risks. Before you get behind the wheel do us all a favor and ask Scooter if he is alright to drive home. If he's not, slap him in the face (dont worry he will forgive you, you pay if for that) and call a cab! DONT DRINK AND DRIVE.

Ichiro Gets Traded, Seriously!

This has sure been a year of the unprecedented for the Mariners and Ichiro. First he started the year batting third. Then he got benched and move to second in the order. Finally, today the Mariners did something that was previously thought to be improbable if not impossible, they traded the legendary Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees. For the future hall of famer the Yankees gave the Mariners two minor league pitchers. Even more shocking is that Ichiro requested the trade to make room for younger players on the Mariners. He was often portrayed as a selfish me first player by the media, but this move seems to counter that notion. I for one have always been a big Ichiro fan and I feel sad and glad to see him go

I feel sad because for the last nine of the last eleven years Ichiro has been a stalwart for the Mariners. When you went to a game you could always count on Ichiro playing and playing well. With his highlight reel defense and speed based offense, he brought excitement to what were often boring games. Losing Ichiro severs a tie to between the Mariners and one of the most successful players in the clubs history. It ends an era and leaves us with a void for fan favorite players.We basically have Felix now. (So, no pressure Felix!)

I am also glad to see him go. For the last two years he has struggled and he has taken up a spot on a rebuilding team which could have been used for an audition for a young player. That spot wouldn't have been that big of a deal if Ichiro had continued to produce at or near his career norms, but he didn't. Instead he was a below league average hitter. His presence hurt the team. During that time I would have liked to see guys like Trayvon Robinson and Casper Wells play more often to understand what they can offer. Now we get a chance for exactly that.

I also am glad to see that he finally gets a chance to play for a contender. In his long storied career in MLB Ichiro has only played for one playoff team. That was his rookie season in 2001. A guy of his skill deserves a chance to try and win a world series and the Yankees provide him one of the best chances for that. I hope he enjoys his time with the Yankees and that they make the playoffs (I dont however hope they win the whole thing. I cant bring myself to do that).

This trade also makes me wonder what the Ichiro haters going to attack now?  We dont have any other good players for them to undervalue and disrespect. What are they going to do attack Justin Smoak, that is way to easy. Maybe they will turn on Felix and complain that he doesnt throw fast enough. Some of them might even jump sports and start attacking Keith Price and Husky Football. If we are all lucky they will just shut up and go away.

Sure he had his warts, but almost every player does. Overall he was one of the greatest Mariners ever and I hope fans remember him that way.

Basketball Tall

For those of you that dont know I am 6'2" tall. According to the CDC the average height for a 20-29 yr old male is 69.4"or about 5'9". So, in general society I am considered tall. Something else you might not know about me is I like to play basketball. During college I frequently played in pickup games and inter-murals and now I play in an adult men's rec league. I am not any good but I like to play. On these teams I often end up being the tallest guy on the team, which means I get to play center or power forward. Based on the national average height, you might not think much of this. However, one thing I have learned through all my basketball playing, is that real world tall is much different then basketball tall.

When I step onto the court I am often dwarfed. Every team seems to have someone 6'4" or taller. My short 6'2" self cant post up against these Goliaths. Inevitably these tall guys always pick me to guard. They look around at all my shorter teammates and decide that I must be the "big guy". My inside game (what little of it there is) goes into the crapper. This leaves my wondering, as one of my teammate's recently put it, "where are all these guys in real life?"

I walk around work all the time and I dont see all these tall people. I dont think of myself as a giant or anything but I do feel taller then most. Its like as soon as I step onto the basketball court it's like the normal distribution of the world's height get all outta wack. I created figure one to help illustrate how this phenomena feels. See how in the real world I am taller then average, but in the basketball world I am a short guy?

This is a very real and very annoying predicament. What I need is all you 5'9" guys to start playing basketball. Bring the bell curve back to the court because just for once I would like to play in a game where the other guys dont have someone who towers over me.

I Dont Get Some Soccer Fans

One of the fun things about attending a Sounders home game is all the pagentery and fan spirit. Everyone cheers and sings. Most people wear Sounders gear. In the south endzone, The Emerald City Supporters keep intensity up the entire game, only stopping their songs to cheer Soudner's goals or boo opponents. One of the common things fans do to show their support is bring flag emblazened with logos and colors representing the Rave Green.

All of this makes for a pretty awesome attendance experience. However, some things that fans do dont make sense. Take this guy at the Sounders vs Rapids game for instance:

Yep, you saw that right. He is waving a flag with a giant picture of Kurt Cobain's head. What this has to do with soccer, the Sounders or even Century Link Field I have no idea. I will never quite get some soccer fans.

The Olympics are Almost Here

They're almost here and I am so excited! In just 20 some odd days the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are going to start in London. As we inch closer to the opening ceremonies every passing day causes my excitement to grow. There are so many great things about the Olympics so I am going to try to list just a few of my favorite here. Feel free to comment about why you think the Olympics are awesome or if you are one of those weird and depressing people that doesnt like the Games feel free to complain about how you summer is going to be ruined.


I am about to start caring about all kinds of sports that are no where near my radar during non Olympic year. Sports, like badminton and beach volleyball are about to become very important to me. One of my favorites to watch is platform diving. The twirling, flipping and spinning athletes provide a lot of entertainment and we only get to see them every four years during the summer Olympics. It is fun to break away from the football, baseball and basketball dominated world and see great competition in other sports.

I am going to learn about the greatest athletes from all over the world that I have never seen or heard of. How many of you knew who Ian Thorpe was prior to 2000 when he won five metals swimming for his home country of Australia? My guess is not many, but because of the Olympics we now know the greatness of the Thorpedo. How about Brian Clay, ever heard of him? He is probably the greatest American athlete that to play in one of the big four sports leagues. His claim to fame is the Decathalon, which he won silver in 2004 and gold in 2008. The guy is an all around athlete. He can run fast, run far, jump high and throw stuff. Finally how about Elena Isinbaeva, the Russian pole vaulter who has broken the world record 24 times (most of them her own). Yeah, she is an amazing athlete. Without the Olympics we wouldnt get to know any of these people.

I will be reminded about the existance of lots of countries that would otherwise never having a face or meaning in my mental data banks. As a child I remember watching an Olympic games (I think it was Atlanta but it could have been somewhere else) and wondering why the State of Georgia got to field their own athletes while Washington was stuck competing with the US national team. It didnt seem fair to me but it seemed obvious that it was the State. At some point my erronous way of thinking was corrected by my parents who explained to me that Georgia was also a country. As you can imagine my mind was blown. If it weren't for the Olympics, when else would I hear about this otherwise unremarkable republic? Maybe in 2008 when Russia decided to invade Georgia, but I was 22 years old in 2008 and who wants to wait till they are 22 to hear about a country called Georgia? In case you missed it, my point is the Olympics allow you to expand your culture and international knowledge base like very few other event all while watching sports. It is educational and entertaining.

Non-Thunder Related Reasons Why I am Rooting for Lebron

The NBA Finals are set and the Oklahoma City Bandits (Thunder) are going to play the Miami Heat for the Championship. Here in Seattle a large and loud majority are rooting against the Thunder which in turn means they are rooting for the Heat. Around the country fans appear to be much more divided. Lots of fans are simply opposing the Heat because of there dislike of Lebron. Since his Decision Stunt two years ago King James has become enemy number one to many NBA fans. This is a very loud and vocal group of haters. You can find articles all over the web villifying James. However, if you can get past his one really bad decision, there are lots of reasons to root for Lebron and I for one am not in the camp that pulls against him.

Since his early days in Cleveland I have been a fan of James and his basketball skills. He isn't really a guard or a forward and because conventional basketball doesn't offer him a natural position he has basically created his own. A sort of point forward. This makes him almost unguardable. He is to powerful for guards and to fast for forwards. His super well rounded style of play is highlighted by his career averages of 27.6 pt, 7.2 rb , 6.2 ast, 1.7 stl and .8 blk. Lebron can do so much of everything. He offers the best combined skill set of any player in recent NBA history.

Lebron is also super exciting to watch. From high flying dunks to stealthy no look passes his game also provides a show worth watching. A perfect example of this was right before half time in the Eastern Conference Finals game 7. Lebron stole the ball drove up court passed to Dwyane Wade who then passed back for an alley-oop dunk. Simply and amazing play by an amazing player.

The one blotch on Lebron's record is The Decision. That fateful event catapulted James into the sports star villain category. However, outside that he has been an ideal citizen, which can be hard to find in the NBA. He has never been pulled over for a DUI or mentioned in connection with sexual harassment. As far as the law is concerned he has kept a clean sheet. Additionally, Lebron has been a good sports citizen, never racking up technical and flagrant fouls. A lot of times players like this, clean team players on and off the court, come across as dull and boring. Uncommonly, James has managed to keep a sense of fun about him through his interactions with fans and in game showmanship. If you are going to look up to the personel life of an NBA player you could do a lot worse then James.

However, the Decision does way heavy on the minds of many (especially those in Cleveland who are given a life long pass to hate him). So, let's not forget about it or ignore it. Yes, playing with the hearts and minds of the city that drafted you and then deciding to announce on a national TV special that you were leaving to team up with some friends in another city was a bad idea. Too many it basically felt like a big middle finger to the enitre city of Cleveland. But, let's not put all the blame for this on Lebron.

Lebron is a guy that loves to entertain. He has comic books about himself, tweets on a regular basis and does that whole chalk thing. Add to this persona that since he was 16ish he has been told, by almost the entire sports media world and legions of yes-men, how great and wonderful everything he does is and you can see why it might not have occurred to him what he was about to unleash.  The epic spectacle that was the decision took a lot more people to put on then just Lebron. Somebody in that group should have stopped him and told him what a big mistake it was. (You know the bigwigs at ESPN just loved the idea of a hour long special showcasing Lebron big decision and you know they loved turning around and attacking him for the stupidity of it right afterwards.)  I am sure the guy couldnt see it himself. All this doesnt forgive him for the stunt but it definitely helps explain it.

Basically, rooting for Lebron is rooting for a hard working, law abiding, fun loving guy that just also happens to be the best player in the NBA. For me all that definitely outweighs any stupid one time decision he might have staged. It is time to let bygones be bygones and enjoy watching one of the most electric athletes on the planet. If all that is not enough, there is the whole making the Thunder lose thing.

Does Safeco Field Make the Mariners Worse?

The Mariners have been an offensively inept team for years. This has been readily apparent over the last two years when the Mariners broke several modern day records for offensive futility. These years of failure have driven many fans to look outside of the obvious for explanations. One of the theories often proposed is that Safeco Field is just too hard to hit in. The argument is that the field’s dimensions prevent the Mariners from scoring runs and winning games. The field somehow turns good players into bad ones. This theory is popular and it intrigues me. So, I did some research to try and answer the question, does Safeco hurt the Mariners ability to win games?

Come On Man, Get with the Program!

Carlos Silvia was right; Ichiro needs to go. He just embarrasses the rest of the team with his offensive success.  I mean what nerve this guy has thinking it is ok to show up and hit near .300 on this team!

Doesn’t he know that the team can’t win if everyone is not pulling in the same direction? The University of Washington crew team didn’t become a national powerhouse because all of the individual accomplishment and accolades of the members. They did it by synchronizing themselves and working to a common goal. No one player stood out above the rest.

Hasn’t he heard anything Eric Wedge has said about being a team player? The rest of these guys come to the park and do their parts. They know what it means to be a Seattle Mariners. They get it. That Ichiro guy, he is still stuck in some delusional world where success is measured by the number of hits you get and runs you score. Who thinks that way?

The fans of this fine city have made their voices heard. If Ichiro cares so much about his personal numbers, he should just go somewhere else. Somewhere like Boston or New York where individual accomplishments are valued over team unity.

A Few Tidbits from Around the Web

Time for another blog post. Here are a bunch of links to interesting things that have happened in the sports world recently. The links are pretty baseball heavy, but I like baseball a lot. So, get over it.

• Sure it didn't ruin a perfect game, but this play in a Rockies-Dodgers game might go down as the most wrong call ever.
• Tacoma News Tribune columnist John McGrath muses about Jesus Montero's less than blazing speed.
• This goal against the Sounders won Goal of the Week.
• Orioles DH Chris Davis picked up his first major league win recently.
• Josh Hamilton just hit four homeruns in one game and will soon be a free agent. Jeff Passan takes a look at what might lie in the future for Hamilton.
  

Someone Needs to Tell Steve Kelley He Doesn’t Know Shit about Football

In his column titled “Someone needs to tell Seahawks they play in a pass-and-catch league” Steve Kelley imparts his vast sum of NFL knowledge on the fan base by arguing that the Seahawks should have drafted better receivers. He starts by implicitly criticizing the Seahawks attempts at building an elite defense:

I wish the Seahawks had more seriously addressed their passing game in this draft, wish they had picked at least one wide receiver. 

Last season, NFL scoreboards spun like dials on a slot machine.

The Green Bay Packers had the worst defense in the league. They lost once. The New England Patriots were the second-worst defense. They went to the Super Bowl.

Of course, Kelley surely realizes that those teams also have elite QBs in Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, etc. It bugs me to no end when pundits act as if teams like the 49ers and Seahawks are doing something bizarre and unconventional by emphasizing defense in similar model to the post-2000 Ravens. As far as I know, no NFL coach or general manager is denying the proven formula of NFL success through elite offenses.  But elite offenses generally require elite QBs who are very hard to find. When you don’t have a franchise quarterback identified you logically invest resources on the defensive side of the ball where it is the least dependent on any one single player. The Hawks allocated so much draft capital towards the defense because that’s naturally where the highest return on investment is for now.

He specifically errors when he says: 

To that end, the Seahawks should have drafted at least one wide receiver. There were plenty of good ones available. Thirty-three were taken in the draft, including Mohamed Sanu, Nick Toon, Chris Givens, Ryan Broyles, DeVier Posey and Juron Criner, all of whom, I believe, could help.

The Hawks did well last spring, signing undrafted free agents Doug Baldwin and Ricardo Lockette and drafting Kris Durham. But their passing game still is loaded with ifs.

If new quarterback Matt Flynn is the second coming of Matt Hasselbeck; if tight end Zach Miller is allowed to be more receiver and less blocker; if Sidney Rice can stay healthy; if Mike Williams is repaired; if Durham is healthy and plays to the promise of the scouting reports; if Lockette really is as good as he looked late last season, and if Baldwin plays again like the next incarnation of Bobby Engram, then maybe that will be enough.

But that's a load of ifs.

We have everyone reason to believe Sidney Rice can be a greater receiver with a decent quarterback throwing to him. Mike Williams showed he can be of pro bowl caliber when he has a skilled QB who can fit passes into small windows in a west coast offense style (this is not Tavaris Jackson). But let's set aside Sidney Rice and Mike Williams for now. The rest of these receiver "ifs" are a result of their inevitable development process. Starting caliber receivers commonly require 2-3 years (sometimes as long as a quarterback even) to develop to their full potential. Tate, Baldwin, Lockette, and Durham haven't even had two full seasons in the NFL.If a 2nd round pick like Tate doesn't come around then Schneider should get criticized for making a bad pick but not for failing to add even more rookie receivers we won't be able to evaluate for a few seasons to come without having a franchise QB identified anyways. Is this really your solution, Steve? I'm no Martha Stewart but would you start baking another cake if the one you had didn't look good after sitting in the oven for 5 minutes? No. See, even Martha Stewart knows more about football than Steve Kelley.

The best way to upgrade our passing game isn’t by drafting even more receivers whose success would be largely dependent on the incumbent QB. It’s by upgrading the QB position first and foremost. The Hawks have been aggressive doing just that by signing Matt Flynn and drafting Russell Wilson. By all means, I'll be the first wringing my hands for the Seahawks to spend early draft picks on a receiver if Matt Flynn plays this season like his only two prior NFL games or if Russell Wilson defies the Mel Kipers of this world by becoming the first franchise QB under 6 feet. I’m all for maintaining healthy criticism and pressure on our front office (especially for any Seattle sports team!) but I have nothing but contempt for nonsensical knee-jerk reactions coming from the Seattle Times. Sit down, Steve.

P.S. 

 Stay tuned for an upcoming post reviewing the Seahawks 2012 draft.

Miguel Olivo Shittiness Tracker Hiatus

I know were all thrilled by the idea of the USTN blog crew diligently tracking all of Miguel Olivo's fails on a game to game basis. Fortunately for the Mariners and unfortunately for the tracker, right after we debuted Olivo went on an 8 game hitting streak. This utter destruction of major league pitching brought Olivo's triple slash to .210/.229/.346. I assume this vast improvement is directly related to the embarrassment he felt after the one entry in the MOST.

Then last night in the extras inning game, Miguel Olivo hurt his groin, in what must be an attempt to take himself out of the lineup long enough for me to forget about this silly blog idea. The injury has landed Olivo on the 15 day DL and has put the Shittiness Tracker of at least a 15 day hiatus. The silver lining from this injury is obviously that now Mariner's fans can put all our energy into booing Chone Figgins.

Miguel Olivo Shittiness Tracker Entry #1

Mariner's catchers have a long proud/disgraceful tradition of complete and total ineptitude on offense. This tradition includes such offensively lifeless Mariners as Rob Johnson, Ben Davis and Dave Valle. Current starting catcher Miguel Olivo is continuing the tradition. He currently has  wRC+ of -15. You read that right he has a negative fifteen wRC+. I didn't even know wRC+ went into the negatives. That means he is 115% worse than the league average offensive player. Additionally, Olivo has also continued the tradition started by Rob Johnson of not being able to catch any pitched not thrown directly into his glove.

As you can imagine this complete terribleness exhibited by Miguel Olivo has drawn the ire of large part of the Mariner's internet fan base, myself included (USS Mariner and Lookout Landing). To celebrate/criticize Olivo complete and total failure at offense I have decided to start the Miguel Olivo Shittiness Tracker (MOST). On this tracker I will keep track of the most annoyingly bad things Olivo does to help the Mariners loose. I plan on keep the MOST up to date until Olivo is cut, traded or the season ends. This will give us a place to rant and rage about his failures and maybe find some catharsis. So, for the first entry...

... On 4/19/12 (I wrote this up on friday but forgot to click post, oops) in the 2nd inning against the Indians the Mariners started to threaten with runner on 1st and 3rd Miguel Olivo came to the plate. In a great opportunity for the Mariners to score some runs Olivo grounded into a double play and killed the Mariners rally before it could even get going. The Mariners ended up losing the game 2-1 and could have really used a run in that situation. Total suckiness by Miguel Olivo.

A Note on Peyton Manning, the Cardinals, and the Rams

I honestly didn't want Peyton Manning in the division even if he were to be a Seahawk - Superbowl or not. Although the 49ers have deservedly garnered more national attention, I don't want the spotlight on the division just because a future hall of fame QB got casted-off his team and wandered this way. Suffice to say, it couldn't have worked out better for him to end up with the Broncos. Anyways, it was disappointing to see that the rest of the NFC West didn't appear to even remotely share the same feeling. Mike Sando's facebook wall nearly imploded with the weepings of 49ers and Cardinals fans at the news. In the heat of the moment I wrote a post on his wall which ended up getting a lot of likes and makes me think there are others who agreed. I thought I'd share:

Mike, you lamented:

"I was looking forward to the possibility of having him in the division, however, whether with Arizona or San Francisco."

I think that’s an unfortunate sentiment. I, for one, am happy Peyton steered clear of this division. The NFC West overall is finally becoming legitimately good on our own accord by building through the draft and signing undervalued players in the market. Adding Peyton to mix would have just created a caricature that the NFC West can only be of championship caliber by landing elite players from other teams. Even if Peyton did land at AZ or SF and that team went on to win the Super Bowl next season, do you think the rest of the league would be quick to credit the top quality defense and the various talented players that have come out of the draft? No. It would be because a Hall of Famer on his way towards the exit decided to make a stop here and grace the team with his presence, or as Steve Young says:

"He can really make a big huge difference for this team. It’s not just the one incremental step to the Super Bowl. If he can take this team to the Super Bowl, it really says ‘I did it.’"

Something special is happening in this division and we don’t need Peyton Manning to rob us of that.

Admittedly, I was being disingenuous. By saying the "NFC West overall is finally becoming legitimately good" I was really just referring to the 49ers and the Seahawks.

Yes, the Cardinals finished with a better record at 8-8 but quite a few of their games we're won in a most unimpressive Tim Tebow-esque fashion of 4th quarter comebacks. Kevin Kolb is fatally flawed and I don't expect a full off-season to result in significant improvement. Their defense didn't finish in the top 10 last season like the 49ers and Seahawks. The stars on their defense such as Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson are becoming old and will be difficult to replace. Even Larry Fitzgerald will be 29 once the season starts and he's being wasted in his peak with Kolb under center. Although they've got great young talent in guys like Patrick Peterson and Daryl Washington, the age of their overall roster suggests they're in a "win big or go home" mode.

The Rams are, well, they're the Rams. I know they entered re-build mode with Jeff Fischer as head coach and Les Snead as GM, but the burden of proof will still be on them to show that they can finally start drafting well overall. You know things are bad when your top priority is to keep your QB drafted 1st overall from further regressing. If the Rams can't pull it together with the ridiculous King's ransom (three 1st rounds and a 2nd) they got for the 2nd overall pick (you moron, Dan Snyder) under new leadership then I might they might not be in St. Louis for much longer.

2012 Seahawks Off-Season: Free Agency

"I can haz contract?"

In:

Marshawn Lynch (RB) – You don’t need me to tell you this was easily the most important re-signing of the off-season. Lynch didn’t just showcase his talent by becoming the top rusher last season after week 6, he helped to vindicate Pete Carroll’s strategy of reviving the run game.  His punishing style of running gives the offense a gritty smash mouth identity. I really think this signing was a best-case scenario too as the front office didn’t overpay or have to resort to an expensive franchise tag. A $31 million 4-year contract describes Lynch exactly for what he is: an above-average unique RB that isn’t elite. This signing will be even better if the FO can maximize his NFL life expectancy by acquiring another similar power-RB that can take some carries and absorb hits.

Matt Flynn (QB) – I said Lynch was easily the most important re-signing.  Not the best overall signing. The cheap acquisition of Matt Flynn makes that case hotly contested. Going into the off-season I was really expecting some impulsive front office to break the bank on Flynn and pull a Kevin Kolb II. As it turns out the rest of the NFL was paying attention to what the Cardinals did last season and realized it’s not a good idea to gamble big money on quarterbacks who only started a few games in highly developed offenses. For perspective on how bad of a signing that was, even T-Jack had a higher career passer-rating than Kolb when the Cardinals traded for him. Flynn, on the other hand, has a cumulative 92.8 passer rating and signed a contract 2.5 times cheaper (and that doesn’t factor in the 2^nd round pick and Pro Bowl CB the Cards threw in too). Say what you want about the talent on Green Bay’s offense that accommodated him, but throwing 6TDs and 480 yards against the Lion’s defense passes some kind of reasonable litmus test. An NFL debut of 3TDs-1int 254 yards to keep pace against Tom Brady isn’t chump change. It’s a small sample size – but its one hell of a sample size! He simply doesn’t have the physical tools to develop into an elite quarterback but his high football IQ gives him a good shot to become a superior point-guard type QB that Pete Carroll values. Although it’s unlikely Flynn will become our quarterback of the future, if he plays half as well as he’s expected to in this offense then he’ll still be a good upgrade over T-Jack at a relatively small cost.

Red Bryant (DE) – Big Red was arguably the second most important player to re-sign after Lynch. He’s an integral part in containing the run (perhaps even in defending the pass as he had a pick six last season!), huge player on special teams with blocked field goals, and maintains a significant leadership role on the defense. That being said, I was a bit nervous when I read his contract entailed a staggering 5-year 35 million deal. Bryant now makes much more than Mebane (who last year signed a contract worth $25 million) despite not playing a position as critically important as nose tackle. Yes, Bryant is valuable and his contract reflects this year’s bull market for DEs, but he hardly even plays a majority of defensive snaps as PC switches him out with a pass-rushing DE on passing downs.  On the other hand, the good news is that he’s only guaranteed $14.5 million and much of his contract pertains to future seasons where he can be cut should his value decline. I’m happy to have him back and it was ultimately a good re-signing but not at a bargain deal for the franchise.

Jason Jones (DT) – After adding Flynn, Jones is the best free agent acquisition from another team. He should provide additional pass-rush from the interior of the line and I expect him to be a solid upgrade over Anthony Hargrove (who himself had a good 2011 season). He was highly sought-after by other teams yet signed a reasonable 1-year deal worth $5 million. Jones is only 25 years old right now too and very compatible with the young talented defense PC wants to field. If he has a good upcoming season then this gives the front office an inside opportunity to re-sign him for the long-term.