The Way I see It

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Rated: from 1 votes

What is going on with the Boston Bruins? That is the question on every New England sport fan’s mind. Since the end of December the team that ripped up the NHL for two months has been a sub .500 hockey team. Is it injuries? Is flaws with the roster? Is it just bad luck? No. The answer is simple – they just aren’t focusing. The Bruins are just not making the easy plays. The attention to detail simply has not ben there and as a result the Bruins have been losing hockey games.

This is not a personnel problem. Look at goals three, four, and five of the Bruins most recent bad loss to the Florida Panthers. The turnovers that led to those goals are plays that any NHL player can and should make. But Joe Corvo missed Danny Paille with a very easy pass, Gregory Campbell gave the puck away, and so did Chris Kelly. These are easily avoidable mistakes, but the Bruins keep making them. It’s not a physical problem, it’s a mental problem. The Bruins are simply not focusing and as a result they are giving away goals and points.

How does a team, that has been one of the very best defensive groups in the NHL since Claude Julien arrived, all of a sudden become a team that gives up four plus goals a night? Anyone who says goaltending is just not paying attention. Yes Tim Thomas has not been at his very best in the second half, however any team with an NHL goalie should do better than allowing four plus goals a night. There have been times when the Bruins have made Tim Thomas look good. There have been times when he has made them look bad. Lately it’s been the Bruins who have been making Thomas look bad. There is only so much a goalie can do when a team gives the puck away as often as the Bruins have over the last two games, indeed over the last two months. The plays that the Bruins aren’t making in their own zone are plays that every NHL player should make. The only possible reason for them not to make them is because they aren’t paying attention and that is unacceptable.

Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley got injured shortly before the trade deadline. The Bruins obviously needed scoring depth, but instead of making a big deal and shaking up the Bruins core, Bruins GM Peter Charielli made minor moves bringing in forward Brian Rolston and defensemen Greg Zanon and Mike Mottau. At the time I loved the decision. I thought that Charielli was giving the Bruins a vote of confidence, saying “I believe in my guys”, and the Bruins would respond and reward his confidence. Instead the opposite has happened. The Bruins have played progressively worse and worse ever since the trade deadline and now look like a team that can’t even win a game let alone a playoff series.

I thought that the Bruins were playing tentative leading up to the trading deadline and that a vote of confidence from management would pull them out of it. Instead the Bruins sunk even deeper into their post All-Star break funk. To me this points to a team that is too comfortable. The lack of focus, the lack of attention to detail, the overall failure to do the little things right all point to a team that is not driven like they were at this point last year. Yes the Bruins are better with Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley in the lineup. But it’s not as if the Bruins cannot win without them. Injuries are not the reason the Bruins are giving up four plus goals a game.

It is very easy to panic when something like this happens, but practically every team has a four game losing steak at some point in a season. The troubling thing is that this stretch is coming when the Bruins should be playing their best getting ready for the playoffs. And more troubling than that is how inconsistent, if not downright bad, the Bruins have been over the entire second half. It is perfectly understandable if people want to hit the panic button right now. However, Bruins fans should not, because these problems are easily correctable. What they really need is an attitude adjustment and there are two ways to get this done – coaching and leadership. There are two people who can do this for the Bruins – Claude Julien and Zdeno Chara.

The Bruins problems all began when they started playing “hero hockey.” Instead of making the simple play they started habitually looking for the home run pass. This led to turnovers and a huge spike in goals against. The main culprit in this area has been Bruins’ Captain Zdeno Chara. Chara has more turnovers this year than he has in the past two seasons combined. Most of these have been the result of plain old bad decisions. Chara’s focus simply has not been good enough during the second half, and because the Bruins are Chara’s team, they have followed suite. Chara has the reputation as a guy who leads by example but isn’t afraid to yell and scream either. For the Bruins to pull out of this funk he needs to do both. If the Bruins see Chara being more responsible with the puck, they will do the same, and everything will be fine. If he doesn’t the Bruins struggles will continue. The Bruins are relying on Chara to be their best player every night but, due to his lack of focus, that has not been the case during the second half. If he gets his head back into it the Bruins will be fine. If not they are in trouble.

When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup I decided to stop criticizing Claude Julien. I never did much to begin with, but the Stanley Cup victory proved that Claude’s defense-first system really does work. He answered his critics with results and earned himself a free pass for a while. However there is one thing I still blame him for – the Bruins’ slow starts. The Bruins routinely come out of the locker room not ready to play and this is the one thing that I put squarely on the Coach’s shoulders. The recent skid is the players’ fault. However when a team routinely shows up unready to play it is a coaching error. One of the biggest problems the Bs have had during this slump is that they are always behind. They constantly give up the first goal, often the first two, and it’s very hard to win like this. The Bruins have to be better at the start of games and that is on the coach.

Overall there is no reason to bury the Bruins. They are still the Stanley Cup Champions and still have the ability to easily pull themselves out of this. But I’ve been saying this for two months and it still hasn’t happened. Lack of focus is an easily correctible issue, but Chara and Julien have to be the guys to make this happen. The team seems like they have gotten too comfortable and they need some sort of jolt to get their focus back. It’s on the Captain and the Coach to pull the Bruins out of this. If it doesn’t happen they just aren’t doing their jobs.

Rated: from 2 votes

By Matt Ferrari

Jim Irsay is letting Peyton Manning walk away. I can’t believe it.

The 2011 NFL season featured multiple passers making Marino’s records look like child’s play, took us to the edge of perfection with Mr. Discount Double-Check, and emphasized the importance of play-making tight ends. However, despite the intrigue that this season brought, the spotlight wasn’t even stolen by a 2008 super bowl flashback. Instead the spotlight shone on the absence of Peyton Manning and the incredible impact it had on a franchise that had dominated its division for the previous decade. The collapse of the Colts is evidence of the elder Manning’s value, but more importantly highlights the ineptitude of the rest of that team in Indianapolis. Yet Colts owner Jim Irsay has decided to cut ties with a player who took his team to previously unseen heights in favor of College sensation Andrew Luck. Irsay believes Luck to be the next Peyton Manning, the new face of the franchise, deserving of the first overall pick, and the pressure that comes with having to carry a new team on his back surrounded by minimal weapons.

SO Peyton Manning is leaving Indianapolis. The means free agents Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne are not likely to stay with Manning-less Colts. Underrated center Jeff Saturday will also leave with Manning. I certainly understand why Irsay wants to make this call, and history may prove him the wiser. But given all that the Colts stand to lose by letting Manning walk away my advice to him would be simple: Keep Peyton Manning.

This might seem a bit crazy considering Manning’s age (36) and the doubt surrounding his neck. The Colts were anemic this season, particularly on defense (see their 62-7 mauling at the hand of the Saints in week 7). A good quarterback can transform that 2-14 team into a weaker wild card team or even a division winner, and by all accounts Andrew Luck is a good quarterback. However Luck is not going to get the Colts to get to the Superbowl. To get to the Superbowl you need to be at least somewhat successful on defense, and you need an offensive line that will protect your quarterback. Adding Andrew Luck won’t improve either of these things. So what do you do with the coveted first round pick in the draft? Trade it. The Rams are rumored to be getting a fairly large haul for their number 2 overall pick; possibly as much as two first round picks, a second round pick, and a first round pick next year. If the Colts could have gotten anything close to that for their pick – two first round picks and a second round pick from Cleveland for instance – then it should be worth doing. Certainly this would have improved the Colts more than letting Manning walk away.

The Colts have some severe needs at CB, SS, LB, OG, and even RB given Joseph Addai’s injury history. A trade that can net four picks in the top 64 can have an immediate impact on an organization. Trading the 1st overall pick could bring back something along the lines of:

Round 1 Pick 4 (from Cleveland) : RB Trent Richardson - should be available here, and he might be worth taking, as the RB out of Alabama is a rare talent with the work ethic to go far in the NFL.

Round 1 Pick 22 (from Cleveland) : OG Cordy Glenn - Already one of the top 5 guards in this draft, Glenn is a massive 6’5″, 346 lbs player who has the versatility to play right guard and the speed to pull around the edge and get to the next level on blocking schemes. He solidifies the Colts interior.

Round 2 Pick 1: SS Mark Baron – The best safety in this year’s class, the Alabama prospect’s stock fell due to a double hernia surgery and should be available at the top of the second round.

Round 2 Pick 4: DT Brandon Thompson – Measuring at 6’2″ 311 lbs Thompson is a run stuffer who will force double teams and give the Colts a huge lift along their defensive line. With Thompson clogging up the middle, Freeney and Mathis will tee off on opposing quarterbacks.

Another guy I want to mention is Vontaze Burfict. An incredible middle linebacker with a slew of character issues who showed up the combine out of shape, Burfict is a guy that most teams can get with a late round pick. He is a first round talent who should be successful at the NFL level due to his hard-nosed style of play and ability to cover the pass and the run (Number 7 from ASU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7achvXsy3Q). It’ll be interesting to see where he goes, and the Colts should consider risking a late round pick on him.

Instead Jim Irsay is letting Peyton Manning walk away. Rather than adding the incredible amount of value that the 1st overall pick could bring in, he is getting nothing in return for one of the best players ever. An Indianapolis team with a healthy Peyton Manning and significant help from the draft becomes a super-bowl caliber team. Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne have already gone on record saying that they would like to play with Manning next season, and trading away the top pick for such a massive injection of talent should have been a no-brainer. Yet instead of maximizing value by trading the top pick and retaining significant assets in Wayne, Saturday, and Garcon, Irsay is cutting ties with Manning and thus letting value walk out the door.

I found it astounding that Irsay was so determined to release the heart and soul of his franchise when such a viable alternative existed. I know Manning’s years are limited, I know there are question marks about his health, and I know that Luck is supposedly a quarterback that can be successful for years to come. Yet even if Luck is as good as advertised, was it not worth considering trading that one potential pro-bowler for three potential pro-bowlers while simultaneously making an old roster a little younger? The Colts were eventually going to need a new franchise quarterback in the next five years, and franchise quarterbacks are hard to come by. However letting Manning leave and getting nothing in return simply seems like a failure to get maximum value out of the situation.

This is the decision that I would have recommended, and I may not be right. In ten years I might read this and laugh about how very, very wrong I was. But for now, that’s the way I see it.

Rated: from 0 votes

This is not 2008. Whenever a team loses the Superbowl their fans have a right to be disappointed. The New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants just like they did five years ago. New England fans have a right to be upset and other fans have a right to rub it in. When the team that has been lording it over the NFL for over a decade goes down, it’s understandable that people want to kick them. However they need to put a stop to all the “choke” talk. The Patriots did not choke, they lost to a better team. Patriots fans have a right to be disappointed, but they really shouldn’t be.

In 2008 the Patriots rolled into the Superbowl at 18-0 and then inexplicably did not show up for the big game. They lost in the biggest upset in NFL history. The most crushing loss any fan could imagine. The unstoppable Patriots stumbled on the last mile and walked away empty handed. In 2008 New England lost the perfect season to a team they could have beaten by three scores. It was unbelievable, painful, and impossible to forget. However this is not 2008. New England did not choke. They didn’t squander this one away. They were beaten by a better team.

A quick look at these two teams rosters shows that the New York Giants are better at almost every single position. They are better at receiver. They are better at running back. They are better on the offensive and defensive line. They are better at linebacker. They are better in the secondary. They are probably even better on special teams. The only place where the Patriots have the edge is at quarterback, and even then it’s not exactly a landslide. The 2008 Patriots lost a game they should have won. The 2012 Patriots lost to a better team.

It is frustrating for Patriots fans because the opportunities were there. A few more plays and a few different bounces and the result could easily have been different. The Patriots easily could have won the game, but they ended up losing to a better team. New England has good players on offense, but they don’t have a player capable of making the catch that Mario Manningham did. They have good players on defense, but they don’t have a player capable of winning one on one matchups the way Justin Tuck did. At the end of the day the Giants are just more talented than the Patriots.

Again it’s hard because the Patriots did miss some big opportunities. However people saying that Brady and the Patriots choked are simply not giving the Giants the credit they deserve. Mario Manningham made and incredible catch that no one on the Patriots could have made. Eli Manning matched Brady and Eli’s team is better. It’s really as simple as that. Everyone in New England is disappointed, but they really shouldn’t be. There is shame in losing to a team that you should beat, there is no shame in failing to steal one from a team that should beat you.

All in all Bill Belichick got everything he possibly could out of this Patriots squad. The lockout, injuries, miss-steps in free agency forced the hooded genius to adjust on the fly and the Patriots were still within three minutes of a title. They missed on Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco, but struck gold with Brian Waters, Andre Carter, and Mark Anderson. They have built a strong nucleus of young players in Pat Chung, Brandon Spikes, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Devin McCourtey, Nate Solder and Kyle Love who are surrounded by the veteran leadership of Brady, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and Deion Branch. They have all their key players locked up next year with the exception of Wes Welker who isn’t going anywhere. They have significant cap space and four picks in the first two rounds of the 2012 draft. This team is not going to fall of the map.

The Patriots will be back. They went as far as they possibly could this season and came up a few plays short. It’s disappointing but it’s a learning experience and they should come back as a stronger group. As long as their young players continue to develop, and Brady doesn’t blow up his knee in week one, this team will be dangerous next year. Few saw them as legitimate title contenders this year, yet there they were three minutes from a Superbowl. Next year they will be better. Next year they will be title contenders in every sense of the word. It’s disappointing that they couldn’t get there this season, but they lost to a better team. When New England was winning Superbowls they were better than every team they faced. This year they weren’t and they lost. Next year the results may be different.

Patriot fans should be upset but shouldn’t dwell on it too long. There is no shame in losing to a better team if you learn from it and come back stronger and smarter. The message from coach Belichick after the game was “stick together.” If they do that another championship should be in the making.

That’s the way I see it.

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I predicted that the New England Patriots would win their fourth Superbowl last night. However as that game went on it became abundantly apparent that the New York Giants are simply the better football team. Eli Manning is able to match Tom Brady and the rest of the Giants are just more talented than the rest of the Patriots. In order for the Patriots to win, they had to play their best game and they simply didn’t do that. They missed too many opportunities and the ball didn’t bounce their way. It’s a hard one to take for Patriot fans because the chances were there for New England to win this game, but they left too many plays on the field. They simply didn’t make enough plays and ended walking away empty handed. Despite the Giants obvious edge the Patriots still had multiple opportunities to put that game away, they just didn’t do it.

From a New England fan’s perspective this game all boils down to bad bounces and missed opportunities. The Patriots recovered a fumble in the first quarter but had it negated by a 12 men on the field penalty. The Giants scored a few plays later. New York fumbled twice more, but the ball just bounced right back to them. The Patriots had a 17-9 lead at the beginning of the third quarter and had numerous opportunities to extend it, but they never did. They didn’t make the plays and they didn’t get the bounces. Tom Brady was pretty good, but he wasn’t quite good enough. The defense was pretty good, but not quite good enough. Overall the Patriots played decent, but they had numerous opportunities to put that game away and they didn’t do it. They didn’t make the plays.

Tom Brady threw an ill advised fourth quarter interception, but he had to figure that Rob Gronkowski going up for a jump ball against Chase Blackburn was a matchup the Patriots would take everyday. The injured Gronk just couldn’t make the play. The Patriots stopped the Giants on the ensuing possession, but Rob Ninkovich was offsides allowing the drive to continue. Wes Welker had the ball in his hands for a catch that could have sealed the game, but he didn’t bring it in. In the end Mario Manningham made a play, and Wes Welker didn’t. The Giants made the plays that the Patriots didn’t. The Patriots let it slip away.

The Patriots still had a shot down by four with under a minute to go, but Tom Brady’s pass was just a tiny big behind Deion Branch. That, coupled with a few key Patriot drops, doomed them. They didn’t get the breaks and they didn’t make the plays. It’s frustrating for a Pats fan because it’s not like the Giants went out and beat them. The opportunities were there for them to win the game. They just didn’t do it. In the end the better team won, but it didn’t have to be like that. The Patriots came a long way this year, and no one thought they were going to make it this far. However, after having so many things bounce their way over the course of the year, it didn’t happen on Superbowl Sunday. The best team won but for a Patriot fan it’s a tough one to swallow. They could have, and probably should have, won that game. They just didn’t do it.

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