Bears Busy..Packers Boring
Mar 09, 2010 -- 12:39pmSure the Chicago Bears are better after their one million dollar plus spending spree. It shouldn't have a dramatic long term effect on the Bears ability to continue to add quality players,but I can't help but feel the bears took a page out of the Washington Redskins playbook. We all know how successfull that has been. Hey, we need pass rush, let's get a big name pass rusher, even if there are some questions about work ethic. Hey, we need a guy familar with our new offensive coordinator, lets find a guy who used to play for him, even if he doesn't do much. No top draft choices and basically one year to get things fixed makes for desperate measures in desperate times. It could work, but it will depend more on the Bears quarterback than any free agent just signed.
As for the Packers,ah, spring is upon us and its as sure a sign of spring as pitchers and cacthers reporting... its Packers General Manager Ted Thompson going into hiberation. Only because the Redskins sniffed around did the packers "act quickly" to re-sign left tackle Chad Clifton. a token offer to linebacker/def. end Aaron Kampmann and the Packers premier sack man the last half a dozen years blows town. The Packers had to know Kampmann would look for a 4-3 fit, so you would think they would be looking for somebody to replace him. Naw, that costs money and besides, the Pack told 7th rounder Brad Jones to put on 10 pounds. He'll be fine. Don't even get me started on Mark Tauscher. He shoulda been signed on day 1. Ted, I said the Packers were one player away, not give some players away.
bears packersRandom Ramblings
Mar 05, 2010 -- 7:28amSo the San Francisco Giants were sooo mad at Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers for the clever choreographed home run celebration last September that they decided to plunk Prince on his hip in Game 1 of the exhibition season. OOOOO Scary!!! Really, how stupid is that eye-for-an-eye stuff. It ranks right up there with two fights in the first five SECONDS of a recent Philadelphia Flyer hockey game.
The Chicago Bears are considered one of the contenders for Julius Peppers. Are they really one star player away from the Super Bowl? If the Bears sign him, it could hamper the team in future years when the time comes to acquire more talent. Granted, they don't have the draft choices to select future stars..but throwing alot of money at Peppers for a team with more then just one problem seems like a splashy attempt to save a bunch of jobs. Jerry, Lovie and maybe even Ted Phillips might be making one last desperate bid by trying to lure Peppers on board. Mind you, I like Peppers, and he will certainly help address one of the Bears glaring weaknesses, but you spend all your money on him and what's left for the O-line, the safety, the cornerback and wide receivers?
bears, brewersSpring is Sprung
Feb 25, 2010 -- 8:43amSpring Training camps are full of baseball players and optimism. I am full of realism.
The Chicago Cubs are old. 6 of the 8 everyday starters are 30 or older. You can win with veterans, but its hard to win with veterans who are injury-prone and/or clearly on the downside of their offensive production. A certain leftfielder fits both categories. Hitting Coach Rudy Jaramillo may be able to help a few guys produce more, but he can't make em any younger. Carlos Marmol gets the closer's job. Can he do it? Even if he can, are there enough arms in the bullpen to get to him?
The Brewers have the best hitting duo in baseball, but Braun and Fielder are surrounded by guys who can't get on base. Gomez and Weeks are low OBP guys. Weeks is rarely healthy. The Brewers pitching is better, but not good enough to contend with Chicago or St. Louis. Can Trevor Hoffman be as effective as he was last season?
The White Sox are in the discussion about the best starting staff in the majors, but you have to score.....Juan Pierre hasn't been an everyday player in three years. Alex Rios hit .199 as a White Sox. Andruw Jones hasn't hit in three years. The Sox are counting on all three. I sens they will regret passing on Thome and most certainly Johnny Damon.
Still, despite those flaws, all three teams should challenge for their division titles. See, I can be an optimist!
Super Bowl XLIV
Feb 06, 2010 -- 9:49amI suppose I oughta weigh in on the Colts and Saints. Both teams blessed with alot of weapons offensively and fast, opportunistic defenses. The Saints are better in special teams and that should not be overlooked. That could prove to be a big edge for New Orleans. I'm not impressed with the cornerbacks from either team so expect an aerial assault in good weather conditions. Dwight Freeney's injury and playing status is a serious blow to the Colts. The best way to stop an aerial circus is to pressure the quarterback and Freeney's one of the best in the business doing that. If he is out, or at best, limited...that's a problem. Yet, I can't shake the fact that Indy hasn't lost a game it wanted to win this year. I can't shake the fact that the Saints defensive rank is 25th in the NFL. The Saints have lived off turnovers and the Colts tend not to make many. I think the Colts will use their speed to blitz and find some way to make Drew Brees uncomfortable in the pocket. I got through this prediction without mentioning Peyton Manning until now. He's pretty good and he's the difference once again. Indianapolis 34 Saints 27. Enjoy!!
I'm a Believer!
Feb 03, 2010 -- 8:05amThe Wisconsin Badgers basketball team is making a believer out of me. Sure, there are some things about the team and the way they play I don't particularly like, but this is a Bo Ryan team that can do some things. The main reason is they are much more athletic than some previous teams. Taylor, Hughes, Evans and Wilson all can slash and create their own shots. I don't like that the Badgers seem content to run the shot clock down to 7 seconds before forcing one of those four to create one-on-one, but at least they can on occasion. Nankivil and Bohanon cannot be overlooked. Nankivil is a regular shooting machine and he has held his own on the boards. Bohanon still can't make the "dagger three", but he is quietly becoming a defensive stopper and a prety fair rebound in his own right.
For tourney success, the Badgers will need to attack the hoop earlier in the shot clock and Hughes will have to reassert himself again. Adding Leuer to the mix should help on both ends of the court, but hopefully it doesn't take too many minutes from the Evans and the Wilsons' who are growing more and more comfortable and confident each game.
I just flew in from the Caribbean and boy are my arms tired.
Jan 19, 2010 -- 7:32amRandom thoughts on a week or so gone by....
Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid, and I know there have been some mistakes and rough spots, but being a Packer fan has been a ton of fun for nearly two decades and it's gonna stay that way for some time. It's nice to know that every year you will be following a team that--AT WORST- is a playoff contender. Don't expect that to change anytime soon.
The Bears still don't get it...If you weren't gonna blow out Lovie, why dump anybody? It just makes the coordinator positions harder to fill because those candidates have an uncertain future in Chicago. If the Bears don't improve next year, one would think Lovie and probably Jerry would be out. New regime..new coordinators. What difference-making coaches will take a job with such limited security?
I thought Vinny del Negro would be gone by Christmas..then New Years... he's still "coaching" the Bulls? Why? Really...WHY? Can anybody tell me any game that Vinny's "coaching acumen" has won the game for the Bulls? I didn't think so.
By all accounts, Michael Redd is a nice man. He is not a me-first ballhog. In my opinion, he has been a team guy. Sure, he forces shots and takes too many shots late...but that's who he is. He's a shooter. That's what he was supposed to do. And in his prime, when he was on, he was fun to watch. Now he is out again. Michael...keep being a team guy...call it a career. Take a medical retirement and provide your team with some much needed cap relief so this seemingly endless turn-around can get going.
