BEEN AWHILE BUT I AM BACK

I am back to talk sports since my favorite pro sport is upon us, the nfl...might be minus the other guy though...hopefully he will find time to get back into this.

Lebron back to Cleveland.  I for one love it but some may be right to say he wanted out of the "heat"  of the kitchen playing in Miami.  He will be revered for returning to Cleveland and I really hope he can bring the championship those fans in that city deserve.

Speaking of Cleveland....Josh Gordon blowing his chances but his talent is so great he will get more than a few more chances to screw up.  As the Jimmie Johnson story goes,  when he first got to the Cowboys he cut a guy for sleeping in a special teams meeting.  However, when asked if the player was someone like Troy Aikman he indicated he would certainly not have cut a good player.  The number of chances a player gets is usually proportional to the talent he possesses.  Would love for Josh Gordon's story to end in a similar fashion to once problematic, Hall of Famer, Chris Carter

How can the writer for the Jets put the Butt Fumble up as one of the most memorable moments in Jets history?  Certainly, memorable but the game was blow out at this point anyway and had no impact on the outcome of the game.  Cleveland got the same treatment in theirs with the fumble at the goalline in the AFC Championship rematch with Denver.  What a painful moment for those fans who may have ended up winning that game if they score?  What about Brian Sipe's int in the endzone versus the raiders or the drive by Elway?
I guess one of Jim Brown's ridiculous runs does not qualify as memorable.  What a joke ESPN is becoming.

World Cup was exciting but I have to say I have little interest in it at this point but that does not take away how excited fans are worldwide.  Why does the media continue to try to compare this sport to all of the sports?  It has its place with fans and why is it not good enough for fans to get fired up every four years.  Does soccer have to be like other professionaly sports for us to enjoy it.  One of my most enjoyable sports moments was watching Brazil and Chile battle into penalty kicks.  My wife and daughter were watching as if there life depended on it and they did not care who one.  I enjoyed it on the big screen as a pizza place in Asheville NC.  Good stuff and well done World Cup.  Who ends up winning does not take anything away from the journey of all the teams and the great moments we enjoyed.

Getting into a lot of Hall of Fame discussion amongst all of the sports lately.   I will always have an ax to grind with Troy Aikman being in the hall and the other guy has a problem with Barry Larkin being in the hall.  Why is Dan Marino not respected and talked about much? - just because he did not win a superbowl.  The guy was so incredible with the football yet people talk about others and not him when it comes to the greatest of all-time.  I hate the Dolphins but watching them when Marino was throwing to Duper and Clayton was must watch TV for this die-hard Jet Fan.

Went to Falcons mini-camp and enjoyed it very much.  The efficiency with which nfl practices are conducted is amazing.  It was fun  be so close to the players and the Falcons made the defensive available for autographs after.  I encourage football fans across the nation to attend a training camp at some point.

Until next time.

Instant Replay Review in Jets game

Clyde Gates dropped touchdown pass was initially ruled a touchdown by the refs.   The play was reviewed and overturned.  Now while I agree the player dropped the ball I failed to see the video evidence that the ball hit the turf.  How could the refs overturn the call without evidence.  The announcers made no issue of this.  Am I the only one who saw it this way.

Week One NFL picks -

TITANS OVER STEELERS - JOHNSON RUNS WILD
BUCS OVER JETS - FREEMAN DOES JUST ENOUGH
SAINTS OVER FALCONS - SHADES OF THE KATRINA GAME
CHIEFS OVER JAGS - SMITH PLAYS WELL WITH GUIDANCE OF REID
COLTS OVER RAIDERS - LUCK NO SOPHOMORE JINX
BENGALS OVER BEARS - DLINE HITS CUTLER OFTEN
LIONS OVER VIKINGS - PONDER IS AWFUL
PANTHERS OVER SEAHAWKS - UPSET SPECIAL
BROWNS OVER DOLPHINS - MUCH IMPROVED TEAM THIS YEAR
PATRIOTS OVER BILLS - PATS HARDLY EVER LOSE TO BILLS
RAMS OVER CARDINALS - BRADFORD'S NEW TOYS PROVE TO BE FUN
49ERS OVER PACKERS - PACKERS JUST NOT AS TALENTED AS 9ERS
GIANTS OVER COWBOYS - ROMO COMES UP SMALL LATE
EAGLES OVER REDSKINS - WELCOME TO THE NFL CHIP KELLY
TEXANS OVER CHARGERS - RIVERS IS A SHELL OF HIS FORMER SELF

LET'S SEE HOW I DID MONDAY

THE JETS

Not having tv all summer is a part of what we do in my family from April through the end of August each year.  So it is hard for me to keep up with my favorite team the Jets and the team I get to watch regularly here in the Atl, the Falcons.  I did not get to watch the Jets play last week since I was not at home to watch online.  I watched the Jets tonite from start to finish online.  While the score says the Jets dominated upon further review it pains me to say that that the Jets are on the clock for the April draft.   The defense was dominated by Blaine Gabbert who is in competition with Mark Sanchez for worst qb in the NFL.
The Jets got killed on the edges but I do love Mo Wilkerson and Quinton Coples.  They may make the season tolerable to watch.  Safeties and Linebacker are a huge concern.
I do love Morhnigweg as the OC but unfortunately his offense gets receivers open but the qb's throwing to the receivers, namely Sanchez, are awful.  Two drives inside the five yard line and no points to show.  Another drive ended with an awful pass by Sanchez to Stephen Hill.  Bench Sanchez now.  My whole family owns Sanchez jerseys but I it pains me to watch this guy.  I will root for the Jets everyday of my life but I will root without much confidence if Sanchez is the one behind center this season.  Give the ball to Matt Simms, Mcleroy, or Smith.  I really do not care but just like Paulie in GoodFellas, I got to turn my back on Sanchez.

I know many others feel this way about Sanchez but I just had to let go of some of the pain he causes me.

Week One Preseason Thoughts so far

Haven't seen all the games (recorded them all) but so far here are ten quick thoughts.... 1. Don't see the big deal with Terrell Pryor. He looks like a slightly better Quincy Carter for the Raiders. Matt Flynn gives them the best chance to win. 2. Larry Fitzgerald will catch over 100 balls this year for Arizona. Carson Palmer represents a huge upgrade at the quarterback position. The Cardinals may be more competitive than people give them credit for. 3. Bernie Kosar was way out of line with his comments as an announcer in the Rams/Browns game. It was like he had a personal vendetta against Jeff Fisher's team. It is fine to be critical but he went a little overboard. Even when his play by play man tried to change the subject. 4. I really like Bill Callahan calling the plays in Dallas instead of Head Coach Jason Garrett. Look for Dallas to be much more balanced and have fewer turnovers this season. If Demarco Murray can stay healthy, he's a 1,000 yard back in this offense. 5. I'm still trying to figure out why the Ravens traded WR Anquan Boldin. (SEE JOE FLACCO'S CONTRACT) They are going to really miss him this season, especially now that TE Dennis Pitta is out for the season with a hip. They just signed two guys off the street to fill spots in former Colts Brandon Stokely and Dallas Clark. They will regret not having Boldin. 6. Round one of the Eagles QB battle goes to Michael Vick. But Nick Foles didn't do anything to embarass himself. 7. Watching the Dolphins/Jaguars game looked like two Arena League or Canadian Football League teams. Not in their play, but in the jerseys. Bring back the classic Dolphins jerseys and helmet. There is no need for this new look. And Jaguars, lose the multi colored helmets. This is the NFL! 8. On paper the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have one of the best secondaries in the league. 9. Bears Head Coach Mark Trestman looks like Leonard from the Big Bang Theory. And from what I hear, uses big intelligent words just like him too. 10. Dear Graham Harrell (backup QB for the Packers), if you let Vince Young beat you out for the backup job, then your career is officially over sir.

Donovan McNabb

So called journalist Stephen A. Smith said that Donovan McNabb is the greatest QB in Philadelphia Eagles history. I disagree, I think Randall Cunningham was. Then Stephen A. Smith said that Donovan McNabb should have alot of consideration for the Hall of Fame. I hope he was talking about the Eagles HOF and not the Pro Football Hall of Fame because I again disagree with him. I love the NFL but I can't stand stories like Donovan McNabb reaching out to RGIII of the Redskins. Who cares? Donovan McNabb is a disgruntled, bitter, former Washington QB who doesn't like the Shanahans and is just trying to get his name in the news. I used to have respect for him but since his one year debacles in Washington and Minnesota, and his comments about the league since retiring, I have none left. Kudos to RGIII for ignoring him.

METS ARE WASTING MATT HARVEY

 I am not sure how many years the mets have Matt Harvey under contract.  However, I can see him jumping ship at the first moment he can go to a team that can score some runs. My greatest fear is he ends up with the Yankees because the Yankees will be one of the few teams that may be able to meet Boras' ( Harvey's Agent, UGH!!!!) demands for a 200 million contract.  He has hinted he wants a life like Derek Jeter's.

With the Mets Harvey must pitch nearly perfect to get a win.  He has at least 10 no-decisions at this time and has lost a some games in which he has pitched well.  For those older fans, he is certainly Ron Darling-like in this regard.   He may be the most dominant pitcher in the sport but will certainly not garner any attention when it comes to the CY YOUNG award.  He has pitched well enough to have at least 13 victories maybe more at this time.

Harvey is the only reason I follow the Mets.  The highlight for me was watching him live, dominate the Braves in the first game of  doubleheader back in June.  I hope the Mets have a plan for improvement that they can show Harvey and convince him to stay a Met.

With this being said, I really hope the Mets wait to to give him the big money extension until he has another great season next year.