Halftime Analysis

The Disease of Me

2010-11-18T16:08:00.000-05:00

"The Disease of Me leads to the Defeat of Us."

1. CHRONIC FEELINGS OF UNDER APPRECIATION – FOCUS ON ONESELF.

2. PARANOIA OVER BEING CHEATED OUT OF ONE’S RIGHTFUL SHARE.

3. LEADERSHIP VACUUM RESULTING FROM FORMATION OF CLIQUES AND RIVALRIES.

4. FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION EVEN WHEN THE TEAM PERFORMS SUCCESSFULLY.

5. PERSONAL EFFORT MUSTERED SOLELY TO OUTSHINE ONE’S TEAMMATE.

6. RESENTMENT OF THE COMPETENCE OF ANOTHER – REFUSE TO ADMIT HIS CONTRIBUTION.

I wish I could take credit for saying that, but I am not the genius that is Pat Riley. In his book, The Winner Within, Pat Riley goes in depth in analyzing his years with the Lakers. He tells us how after winning the championship in 1980, the following year players started to gripe about who was getting the attention and credit for being the "reason" they were so successful. Just to keep things in perspective, Magic Johnson was still a kid and this team had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many were giving the credit to Magic Johnson. So what does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar do? That off-season he worked out harder than ever before and reported to training camp in the best shape of his life. However, his intention was not to show up in better shape to help the team, his intention was to prove he was the best player and the main reason why they were winning. This type of attitude became an issue for the entire team and lead to them falling apart. Additionally, Magic Johnson got a 25 year, $25 million deal which didn't help much.

What really created the rift between the Lakers' players? I say the media. Outsiders who wish to do nothing but harm the core of a team. If you think for one second players are not cognizant of what is being said about them you have not been paying attention to sports for too long. Part of the reason the Bulls' dynasty was dismantled was due to Scottie Pippen griping with management over what he perceived as a slight when they signed Toni Kukoc and low-balled him on a new contract. Jerry Krause also felt Phil Jackson was getting too much credit for winning championships. According to Krause, he was responsible for assembling the team, therefore he should get the credit. Then there was the famous line from Krause: "Michael Jordan doesn't win championships. Teams win championships." Scottie dipped out of town, Phil wasn't resigned, Michael retired.

The reason I am writing this is because I just read Bill Simmons' article about the Miami Heat.ESPN-Simmons article. In the article, Simmons compares Dwyane Wade and Lebron James' relationship to that of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Michael Eisner was the CEO of Disney for a while and was responsible for the deal that brought ABC and ESPN to Disney. Simmons argues the Miami Heat will not "come together" until Dwyane Wade has a Frank Wells moment and realizes he is not the Chairman and CEO of the Miami Heat, but rather Lebron James is and Wade should settle for being second in command.

My take on the whole situation? Simmons should shut up. He's jumping to conclusions early in the season, as are the rest of the so called experts. Dwyane Wade and Lebron James are two of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NBA. Both of them are very conscious about their image and their legacies. They understand the decision they made requires them to succeed. Success means multiple championships. One or two will not suffice in the eyes of the sports world. In order to accomplish this, the duo must understand they will need to sacrifice and that on any given night one of them will be the hero, the other the sidekick. There is no need to define the roles now, and the roles can change depending on match-ups or other variables. For example, if Wade is on fire and hitting every shot he takes, I promise you Lebron James is going to keep feeding him. Wade is also aware that there will be times where Lebron wants the ball and he will barrel his way into the lane and either score or draw a foul. One night one of them can be Superman, the other Batman. (I refuse to use the Batman and Robin analogy because Robin is definitely the side-kick to Batman, whereas in Comic book world Batman and Superman are considered equal). Superman/Batman

I do not feel for one second that these future Hall of Famers will fall into the trap the media has created for them. Feel free to argue they created the trap for themselves, but I don't see it that way. Everyone in the country is writing these "hate" filled articles about this Miami Heat team. Each time they lose someone will try to over-analyze the reason.

Recently, that reason was Chris Bosh. The national media was speculating whether or not it was time to trade Chris Bosh. Bosh was labeled "soft" and was criticized for looking "lost" during the first few games. I shared in this view, however I was not going to start talking about trading him after 8 or 9 games. Tim Legler, Charles Barkley, Jon Barry (he's my favorite one of all) have all publicly made comments about how the Miami Heat doesn't have what it takes, Lebron and Wade look awkward together, Bosh doesn't rebound, etc. I would love to know, just for the record here, how many of them won an NBA championship? Ouch. Guess they didn't have what it took. Ten games is definitely enough to gauge how good this team will be. What world do these people live in? How can you speculate so wildly? What bothers me the most is how no one calls them out on this! All of their comments are generalizations that require no real analysis.

I would like to take an example from Hollywood of how it is possible to take stars, put them all in one movie, and get the desired result. The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon. Mark Wahlberg was a nice supporting piece who many would also consider to be a top notch actor. The movie won Best Picture and Martin Scorsese won Best Director. You're probably thinking, "Erik Spoelstra is not Martin Scorsese." You'd be right in saying that, but Pat Riley sure is. Like Riley said, "The Disease of Me will lead to the Defeat of Us." I'm sure Riles will do whatever it takes to make sure this team achieves the success it was built for, even if that means he may have to return to the bench to make it happen.

Oh, and by the way, back to the Michael Eisner reference in Simmons' column: he's also the guy who drove away Jeffery Katzenberg. Anyone know who that is? Heard of Dreamworks? Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, all got together and founded Dreamworks SKG. All the subtle Disney jokes in Shrek? That's Katzenberg giving the middle finger to Disney. Hopefully the Miami Heat will be doing the same to the critics at the end of this season.

A little something from Jorge...enjoy!

2010-11-17T19:38:00.002-05:00

Larry Beinfest and David Samson, oh how I love thee![1] A few years ago, I wrote a scathing letter to the editor of the Miami Herald regarding trust and the Florida Marlins. A few years later and a World Series championship ring later, those words still ring true. I complained then and I complain now that these guys cannot be trusted.

First, yes, they got us a stadium. Throw your hands up in appreciation, Miami! David Samson, however, spent the years trying to get a stadium criticizing and alienating anybody that enjoyed the Marlins. He is a patronizing little guy with a Napoleonic complex that should credit the power of nepotism for having any sort of career in this sport (and does anyone other than myself hate that guy’s voice? So smarmy!). Oh yeah, that guy helped lie about the Marlins’ profits and those profits secured the Marlins a stadium (and destroyed the only constant in Miami sports, the Orange Bowl, along with it). If the Marlins were publicly traded we might have some sort of legal action taken against those fraudulent clowns.

Now onto the good stuff. Why does everyone think that Larry Beinfest is some sort of magician? What has he done for the Marlins? Yes, the Marlins won the world series in 2003 and he made midseason trades that helped seal the deal. Does anyone not realize how lucky the Marlins were in 2003? Pudge was signed last minute. Miguel Cabrera blossomed early. Dontrelle Willis was the next coming of Fernando Valenzuela. But were we really expecting Jack McKeon to save us from the disastrous season? He brought in Braden Looper was the game-winning pitcher in Game 4 of the World Series for God’s sake! Did we really expect Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Encarnacion, Juan Pierre, D-Lee, and pretty much everybody to have a career year? Really, it was the perfect storm. But, let’s take a closer look. Whose players were they? Mostly Dave Dombrowski’s.

Derek Lee was acquired in a trade for Kevin Brown after 1997 World Series. Luis Castillo signed as an amateur free agent in 1992. Alex Gonzalez signed as an amateur free agent in 1994. Mike Lowell traded to Marlins from Yankees in 1999. Brad Penny was acquired for Matt Mantei in 1999. Josh Beckett was drafted in 1999 and Cabrera was signed in 1999. Mark Redman, Mike Redmond, Carl Pavano, Juan Encarnacion, Chad Fox, Jeff Conine, D-Train, Juan Pierre, and Ugueth Urbina were Larry Beinfest decisions (the list is not exhaustive). That infield I just mentioned was responsible for the third best defense in terms of errors, Beckett was the World Series MVP, and Cabrera provided a much-needed spark in the outfield. The rest is history.

Although that does not seem like such a lopsided matchup, history has since shown that Larry Beinfest is mediocre at best. Luis Castillo was traded for a pitcher with a dead elbow or was it his dead shoulder? Pudge was replaced by… wait for it… wait for it… the sexual assault king Ramon Castro. Derek Lee was traded for Hee Sop Choi, the Korean pop enthusiast sensation. Juan Pierre was traded for Ricky Nolasco, a solid, potential-filled contributor, but not a crazy success. While Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett netted Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez, many would consider that trade a wash (Boston went out and won some rings, you know). Yes, yes, Beinfest has been known to “resurrect” some bullpen arms, but he has had mixed success. And yes, Dan Uggla was a rule 5 pick (but possibly would have never seen the field if Pokey Reese didn’t go AWOL). I have saved the best of them all for last.

The Marlins traded perhaps one of the top 5 hitters in baseball in Miguel Cabrera, amid rumors that he was a drunk, a clubhouse cancer, and overweight. That overweight drunk is currently competing for triple crowns in the American League while actually playing some decent first base. The Marlins got a Rajon Rondo clone without the talent in Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop, the world’s best horrible catcher in Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, and the coolest name of them all, Eulogio De La Cruz. Andrew Miller, the suicidal man’s Randy Johnson was recently traded for denture cream to the Boston Red Sox. Mike Rabelo might be catching in someone’s bullpen by now. Burke Badenhop is a mildly successful middle reliever who was semi-ridiculously dubbed captain of the comebacker by the unintentional comedy tag team duo of Tommy Hutton and Rich Waltz. Eulogio De La Cruz is the best Eulogio in MLB history, I think. Currently playing first base is the super solid Gaby Sanchez. Meanwhile, the Marlins are trying to pay Dan Uggla franchise player money despite the fact that he is not as talented as Josh Johnson or Hanley and is severely one-dimensional. But, get this, Uggla is trying to help the free world by rejecting 4 year, 48mil offers. Thank God for Uggla. Maybe we will trade him for more hot dogs.

[1] The Marlins are my favorite professional sports team. This column is about my hate for them.

A little late...

2010-11-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am late to the party. I promised to write about the Canes game this past weekend and I didn't. But hey, better late than never. I'll start off by telling you I was pleasantly surprised. The stadium was full, which was shocking considering the fact the fan base seems to be up in arms against Randy Shannon. Perhaps it was the fact we had a new starting quarterback in Stephen Morris. Who knows, but let's segue into that.

Stephen Morris. If I am Randy Shannon, the Jacory Harris era is over. The kid led the team down the field with under two minutes left, no timeouts (all due to Randy Shannon's poor clock management), and fired a bullet to Leonard Hankerson for a touchdown to seal the victory. My favorite part about the throw? Morris didn't see it. He was laying on his back. His version of what happened? He was staring into the sky, laying on his back waiting for the crowd to erupt and let him know he had just won the game. As soon as he heard the roars, he knew. What did he do? Pointed to the sky and thanked God. Great story that could just be the beginning of something great for the University of Miami. This is chapter 1 of Stephen Morris' college career. A kid who had no idea he would even be playing this year. A kid who at the same time the year before was playing against Gulliver Prep. All of a sudden he's tossing the game winning touchdown in an ACC game against Maryland. All of a sudden he's the hero, the savior of the season (according to some). Will the end of his book include a national championship? It's fun to dream of the possibilities for now isn't it? That's what happens when your freshman quarterback leads a come from behind victory. Your fan base is rejuvenated. The media lays off a little bit. The audacity to be optimistic is no longer seen as a neurotic break from reality.

Now Stephen Morris finds himself in the middle of a quarterback controversy, because whether or not Randy Shannon wants to admit it, there is a controversy here. The fans were blowing up the radio stations minutes after the game calling for Jacory Harris' permanent benching. Shannon released a statement hours later saying Jacory would return to the starting lineup once deemed healthy by team doctors. Right move? I don't think so.

If you're Randy Shannon you stick with the freshman. Look at Bill Belichik. Drew Bledsoe goes down, Tom Brady comes in. The rest is history. Who knows what happens to the Patriots if Belichik decided to give Drew Bledsoe his starting job back? Do the Patriots still win multiple Super Bowls? Tough to answer yes to that question. There's no guarantee that Stephen Morris will lead this team to a championship next year or the year after. Here's the thing though. We've all seen what Jacory Harris is capable of. We've seen his best football already. He's an inconsistent quarterback with an average arm. He's prone to throwing interceptions and has not progressed at all in his three years as the starting quarterback. The truth is we've gone as far as we can go with Jacory Harris. Why not find out if Stephen Morris can take you farther? Roll the dice here Randy Shannon.

Hurricane's Game this weekend

2010-11-04T12:23:00.000-04:00

For the first time all season I will be in attendance at this weekend's Hurricane game. I have been busy with school and work for the past month so I have not been able to devote much attention to the Canes or Dolphins. I have watched a few quarters, maybe a whole half if I am lucky, but now that I have more free time I will be able to fully dissect their ineptitude.

First thing I want to see at the game is how many fans will actually show up. It's pretty sad that the Hurricanes don't draw more fans. Sure we show up for the FSU game in ridiculous numbers, but at this point UM v. FSU has turned into that event where even your grandma shows up. People don't go because they want to see a good football game, or even because they are truly fans of either team. People show up because as is typical in Miami, it is the place to be that given weekend. Case in point: I know girls who never watch football. Never. They know absolutely nothing about who is playing, the names of players on either team, but they will make sure they have tickets to the UM-FSU game simply because they need to take pictures and post it on their Facebook profile so the entire world knows they attended the game. This is the type of person who will walk around the rest of the weekend and ask every soul they cross, "Did you go to the game?" Of course, when you say no, they will respond, "Wow that sucks. I was there! I saw the game! I was so wasted!" Ask them who won, or how the game itself played out, and this person will not be able to give you a single detail. So in reality, the UM-FSU game should not be taken into consideration as a measuring stick for fan attendance at UM games. Look at the rest of the ACC games and you'll find a lot of empty seats.

I don't want to continue analyzing the possible reasons for the poor attendance, so let's move on. The second thing I am looking for is how the team reacts to a new starting quarterback. This is really the only thing I am excited about. Stephen Morris will be making his official debut as the starting quarterback this weekend. Last week Randy Shannon burned his red-shirt year when he through him into the fire against UVA. I think the kid handled things pretty well considering he probably had no clue he would be thrown in there and considering at this point last year he was playing quarterback for Pace High School. I'm going into this game as an optimist. I want to see Morris succeed and I want the team to focus more on running the football. Make no mistake about this. If Mark Whipple does not adjust his gameplan and focus on the ground game, the man needs to be taken to a mental institution. You are starting a young quarterback. You have a stable of running backs available to you who have shown flashes of greatness this season. Yes, they are also young, but the running back position is more instinctual as opposed to the quarterback position. Take the hand off and plow forward. Of course having great field vision helps, and that takes some time to develop, but as a running back you can get by using your pure talents and strength. Lamar Miller runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. Give that kid the ball and let him work. Don't complicate things for Morris by forcing him to throw the ball 30-plus times. Anyway, my hope is simple. Morris plays relatively well and causes the coaching staff a headache: To bench, or not to bench Jacory Harris. I've heard all these reports that Mark Whipple hand-picked Stephen Morris. If the kid has success, why not begin the Stephen Morris era immediately? Why go back to turnover prone Jacory Harris?

Let's talk about loyalty. I am sure some fans will feel that Randy Shannon owes some sort of loyalty to Jacory Harris. Here's what I have to say about that: NO! Randy Shannon, and this fan base for that matter, has shown plenty of support and loyalty for Jacory Harris. We have defended him time and time again even when he throws four interceptions and costs us a win. Shannon gets paid to win games. Some of you feel he should be given the benefit of the doubt because of his off-field record (graduation rates, no crime, etc.), but the harsh truth is Shannon is a football coach. A football coach, although he is responsible for fostering a positive environment and being a role model to his players, gets paid for one ultimate essential job function: Win. Win and make money for the school. Randy Shannon can not get caught up in any promises he may have made to Jacory Harris. I say this because at times I wonder if Shannon sold his soul to the devil when he brought in the Northwestern recruiting class a few years ago. I play these weird scenarios out in my head at times when it comes to sports, and the idea I have of how this all went down goes as follows: Shannon promised Jacory Harris the starting job as long as Harris could deliver the rest of the stud Northwestern kids. It is widely reported that many players hitched their football careers to wherever Jacory chose to play. Surely, at some point, this must have been brought up. I can see it now. Randy Shannon asks Jacory which players he has in his pocket, and Jacory stares into his eyes and says: "I start, I will bring them ALL." You might laugh and find that ridiculous, but I honestly believe that something similar to that occurred. Point I am making is that Randy Shannon needs to make smart, objective decisions. If Stephen Morris plays well and you know he is the future, bail on Jacory Harris now.

Last, I want to see if I can get a feel for the fans. What is the mood in the stadium? I need to know. I listen to the radio shows, I watch ESPN and listen to Herbstreit, and I read all the crap that is being spewed on the internet. Now I will get to see it for myself. If we go down early, will the fans boo? Will there be "Fire Shannon" posters?

I'll make sure to let you all know. Stay tuned to my Twitter account for updates from the game.

Dan Henning has to go

2010-11-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

It's been quite some time since I post, but I have been paying attention to South Florida sports. Have no doubts about that gentlemen (and ladies, if there are any reading). I would like to turn your attention to the Miami Dolphins. Our record says we are 4-3. Bill Parcells is famous for saying, "You are what your record says you are." Halfway through the season, the Miami Dolphins are mediocre. Who's to blame though? Is it Chad Henne's fault? The defense? Since this is my blog I get to attribute blame to whoever I please. I blame Dan Henning.

If you were watching yesterday's Fins game, I am sure you wanted to throw whatever you had in your hand (pizza, burger, beer, cell phone) at your television set at several points throughout the game. My boiling point? Running the wildcat, not once, but twice in the 4th quarter. The wildcat has averaged around 1.6 yards per carry this season. It has clearly lost its element of surprise. Why Dan Henning is taking Chad Henne out of the offense to run two throw away plays in the 4th quarter is a question that causes me to suffer from a temporary bout of Tourette's Syndrome (apologies to anyone who really does suffer from this disease, I do not intend this to be offensive or disparaging in any light whatsoever). I believe Dan Henning was doing his very best to sabotage our team. I believe he wanted to make things interesting for the viewers. I am clearly kidding, but seriously what the hell was he thinking? Chad Henne orchestrates a beautiful 96 yard drive, and we follow that up with....fill in the blank and use your word of choice.

It is this type of play calling that irks me and brings me to the conclusion Dan Henning must go. Too many times this season the wildcat has stalled drives. Too many times Dan Henning calls for a predictable play (draw play anyone?). There was a point in yesterday's game where my brother successfully called three plays in a row. The sequence went as follows: 1) Draw play. 2) Pass to Davone Bess in the flat for a gain of three. 3) Pass to Brian Hartline. 4) Punt. While I found this hysterical, it only showed that Dan Henning's play calling really has become easier to predict than the sun rising each morning.

This team is mediocre. Brandon Marshall said it best this morning: "Put playmakers in position to make plays. Otherwise, we'll be seeing our kicker in the Pro Bowl."

An apology

2010-11-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

To my loyal readers (all 3 of you):

I apologize for the lack of content in the recent months. I have been wrapped up in school work.

Sincerely,

Juan Perez

P.S. I am very happy to say that Mark Sanchez is not clutch.

Shannon's attitude is a concern

2010-10-13T18:51:00.000-04:00

Randy Shannon was on the Joe Rose Show this morning on 560 WQAM. He said something I find incredibly disturbing. When Joe asked him if it would be a big disappointment if UM didn't end up in the ACC Championship, Shannon responded:

"I don't know if it would be a big disappointment. It'd be disappointing. For anybody, because we are always trying to be the best we can be at Miami and in anything we are trying to get done."

No. It would be disastrous. People are already calling for his head. The witch hunt is only going to grow, especially if the team loses more games. Virginia Tech is still out there, and don't underestimate UNC. We've had trouble against both teams in the past and Butch Davis has had our number for a few years now. Randy Shannon needs to face reality. Fans are tired of being patient. Fans want to win. Now. The "U" has always been about winning. Win big or go home. Shannon better start delivering.

Diagnosing the "U"

2010-10-13T09:15:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about this for days. Shannon supporters say the reason we have been playing below expectations is because Shannon inherited Larry Coker's team, a team that everyone says was recruited based on website rankings instead of actual scouting. That excuse was acceptable for a while, but this team right now is Randy Shannon's team. These are kids he recruited. These are the players he brought in to restore the "U" legacy. There is no excuse anymore. The loss to Ohio State hurt, but hey Ohio State is one of the power houses of college football. Hold on. This last sentence is the exact problem!!! I just told you it was ok to lose to Ohio State because they are a college football power house. That used to be the University of Miami! People used to make that excuse when THEIR teams were losing to us! Now the roles have been reversed? Some will say, "Well Randy has changed the image of the school. We graduate all our players and no one has been arrested." Blah, blah, blah. None of that means a thing if you don't have a ring. (Yes, that sentence rhymed. Yes, it was on purpose.) I started tweeting immediately after the FSU game that Shannon needed to be fired. After a few days, my stance on that has softened, but not by much. One more loss this year and I will be first in line with my pitch fork. I am embarrassed to be a fan of this team right now, and that is a shame.

Melvin Bratton said something in an interview with Manny Navarro that many Miami Hurricane fans have been wondering for a while now. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

"Look at Sam Shields starting for the Green Bay Packers. Look at Bruce Johnson. Randy Phillips. Tavares Gooden. These kids didn't get drafted," Bratton said. "Let's be real. This is the NFL. There are only 53 people that can be on a roster. These kids at the University of Miami were part time starters, didn't make any All-American lists. But they can go to the league and dominate? Something is wrong. I don't know if it's coaching or if its scheme. But how can you go to the next level and start on opening day? Somebody isn't getting the best out of these kids."

If this isn't a sign that Randy has lost the support of the alumni, I don't know what is. The problem? We just gave Randy Shannon a four year extension. Translation? The University of Miami is not going to fire him and continue paying his salary. We're stuck with him.

What no one else wants to admit

2010-10-12T13:19:00.001-04:00

No one wants to say it. They are afraid to. They think making a big deal about it will upset the powers that be in the NFL. But I am not on anyone's payroll and there is no way I can be threatened directly or indirectly to not say what I am about to say. Brett Favre needs to leave. For good. Forever. It is time for his legend to be put to rest, and for the record, he was never that great to begin with.

Now I am going to get the inevitable argument from most football fans reading this. Brett is a gunslinger, the last of a kind. Brett holds the NFL record for touchdown passes. Yeah, so what? He also holds the record for most interceptions and is notorious for having many of his seasons end on his arm. In big time moments you can put money on it! Brett Favre will throw an interception. He will disappoint you. You will be going home empty handed. So let's stop this legend talk now. He was great in his prime, but he hasn't been in years. Don't dare point to his numbers last season as a defense that he still has something left in the tank. Regular season numbers may be impressive, but it's what you do in big moments that defines careers and Brett ended last season in similar fashion to the way he ended most of his seasons this decade...an interception.

We are not even half way through the 2010-2011 football season, but I am watching an old Brett Favre right now. I am watching Brett Favre single-handedly ruin any chance that the Minnesota Vikings have of winning a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, there is another story regarding Brett Favre that is somehow going under the radar. The Brett Favre-Jenn Sterger Scandal. No one seems to want to talk about the allegations swirling around that Brett Favre was sending nude pictures of himself to Jenn Sterger. Not only do we now have the picture evidence, but we have voicemails that Brett left on Jenn's phone. Say it ain't so Brett

Hand caught in the cookie jar?

Here comes the question that is sure to stir the pot, because no matter what anyone says this country is still racist and people are still oblivious to their own subconscious prejudices. Why is Brett Favre being treated differently in the media in comparison to someone like Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, or even Lebron James? Had Brett Favre been black, wouldn't we be hearing about him and the alleged scandal every single second on ESPN or the local evening news? Of course we would. It is undeniable. The only difference between Brett Favre and all of these athletes is color. You can't tell me it has anything to do with giving him the benefit of the doubt because he has never been in trouble because that's just false. During the 90's Brett Favre was in trouble quite often for his addiction to pain killers. Yeah that's right, I didn't forget that one even though the rest of the sports world apparently has. Besides, last I checked Tiger Woods had a spotless record before it was learned he was flying strippers and porn stars all over the country to have these secret trysts. Michael Vick had never been in trouble either (well there was that whole Ron Mexico incident). Yet when Tiger Woods and Michael Vick got in trouble it is all America spoke about. Race was a major part of the conversations people were having.

What about Lebron James? The guy goes from being loved by America to being public enemy #1 all because he left his hometown team for a better chance at winning a championship ring. All of a sudden he's a coward, he is selfish, he doesn't care about his fans, etc. He is now a marked man and all of the talk regarding him has turned from highly positive to degrading. Is it fair? No. It isn't. Not even a little bit. Brett Favre deserves to be ridiculed and embarrassed just like any other athlete. But he's white. He deserves the benefit of the doubt. All because of the color of his skin.

Time to go all in

2010-10-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

I'm not a poker player. I don't gamble at all actually. I did one time and it ended in disastrous fashion. You see I was on a cruise with one of my best friends and he likes to gamble quite a bit. We started playing some black jack and I got up a few hundred bucks. I was feeling cocky so I kept playing instead of taking his advice to stop while I was ahead. Of course, I started losing money and I ended up in a situation where I was certain to lose--I wanted to get back the money I had already made. You see where this ends.

Even though I don't gamble, I am a firm believer that sometimes when making decisions you need to go all in instead of pussy footing around the issue. Case in point? When I was deciding whether or not to go to law school. I made up my mind that if I got a certain LSAT score I would quit my job as a teacher and go to law school. I went all in. Nothing was going to change my mind. You're probably wondering what the hell this has to do with a sports blog. I'll tie it in right now.

The Miami Dolphins need to go all in when it comes to Chad Henne.This past Monday night Chad Henne threw three (3) interceptions. Some of them at key points when the Dolphins were driving and could have taken momentum from the Patriots. However, when you sit back and analyze the game statistics Chad Henne shouldn't be blamed. He was 29-39 for a 74 percent completion percentage. He tossed two touchdowns. He was moving around in the pocket and looked more poised than he has in the past. Let's face it. Special teams lost the game for us, not Chad Henne. True, he threw the interceptions, but he was facing the New England Patriots defense.

I know New England's defense hasn't been as good as it has in the past, but this is still a team coached by Bill Belichik and his defensive schemes are still one of the most confusing in the NFL. Much has been made of the fact that a linebacker named Rob Minkovich was the one picking off Henne. Go back and look at the tapes though and you'll see what happened. Belichik used the outside linebacker to take away drag and curl routes. Henne didn't make the read and failed to adjust, a mistake that he shouldn't be making anymore. This doesn't mean that Dolphin fans should be panicking. Yet panic is exactly what is going on here.

Fans are calling the radio stations and calling for Henne's head. Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting Henne's job might be in trouble. Over reaction ladies and gentleman. We got our asses whooped. That is undeniable. Does this mean Chad Pennington wins this game, as some are suggesting? No. Pennington doesn't play special teams and he isn't going to be chasing around a 5'7" running back named Woodhead either. Should we start experimenting with Tyler Thigpen? It's too soon to resort to that, unless the Dolphins want to end up with a top five (5) draft pick. It's time the Dolphins went all in with Chad Henne.

NFL's 18 Game Season: More $$$ for owners and league, problematic for players

2010-09-30T16:43:00.001-04:00

An 18 game regular season. It makes sense for the owners. It makes sense for the league. The NFL has proven that it never really leaves the spot light, as more people watched last year's NFL Draft than they did the NBA Playoffs. (Check the ratings). It is getting to the point where there is never a time period throughout the year where there is not a story related to football. In the off-season, all we hear about is the NFL Combine, the players who are entering the draft, what position does your home team need to improve in order to be competitive, etc. ESPN offers us analyst after analyst, expert after expert, to discuss football all year long. We read about voluntary workouts, we are concerned about who is showing up to the team facility and who isn't. Is player "x" going to hold out? Even when there seems to be a lag in information, we scour the internet searching for trade rumors and scandals. Bottom line is it makes perfect sense for the league and the owners to want to expand the regular season. People will show up to the games. They will buy hats. They will buy jerseys. They will buy over-priced beer and hot dogs. The television contracts will continue to provide a constant stream of revenue.

Let's look at the flip side though. The players are not excited about this. Look no further than Ray Lewis, a future Hall of Fame linebacker, and see what his opinion is concerning the 18 game season. Lewis was quoted as saying: "If fans want to show their love, they should let everyone know that we are not machines. I've been blessed to play this game for so long, but it's time to start thinking about what legacy and impact changes like this will leave for the players of tomorrow, and us after we retire. I know our fans may not like preseason games, and I don't like all of them, but swapping two preseason games for two end-of-season games — when players already play hurt — comes at a huge cost for the player and the team. I know our union is on top of it, and players need to stay in touch with the union and our Executive Director to stay informed."

Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots and currently the NFL's highest paid player had this to add: "I've taken part in several postseason runs where we have played 20 games. The long-term impact this game has on our bodies is well documented. Look no further than the players that came before we did. Each player today has to play three years in order to earn five years of post-career health care. Our Union has done a great job of raising the awareness on these issues and will make the right decision for us players, the game and the fans."

Analyze this logically. Aside from the wear and tear on their bodies, the players have another reason not to expand the regular season. That reason? The same reason the owners want to expand. Money. Let's look at the trend at the running back position. In the 80's and 90's most teams had a clear number one running back, their "horse." Names like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith come to mind. Now fast forward to today. We have multiple teams utilizing a two back system, alternating their backs throughout the game in order to maintain their bodies fresh. The Miami Dolphins are an easy example because I live in Miami. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are one of the best running back duos in football. How did we get here though? Well Ricky Williams had a few great years when he first arrived to Miami and as I have mentioned many times before, he bolted to smoke marijuana. But Ricky has stated several times his body needed a rest. He felt the Dolphins were over-using him. Then you have Ronnie Brown, who is talented but injury prone. Hence, we need a two back system here in Miami. The New York Jets have Ladainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. The Kansas City Chiefs use Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. The list goes on and on. Teams do this because they fear losing their number one backs to injury, so they "stash" two legit starting running backs on their teams as an insurance. Moving to 18 game season will only cause this trend to become the norm for every single team in the league. This will translate into star running backs getting paid less money. It should be no surprise then that running backs like Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams is not fascinated with the idea of a two back system, or players with specific packages. Read Steven Jackson's thoughts on two-back system

More games is going to lead to an expansion of the roster size. Anyone who knows anything about sports knows that expansion always leads to a worst product. Some may argue it leads to parity, but in reality it means we will see a lot of athletes wearing uniforms on Sundays who really have no business being there. Additionally, an athlete's career will most likely be shortened due to the new 18 game schedule. I've heard people say it isn't going to be much of a difference, that in reality all the league is doing is making some of the pre-season games actually matter. I feel this argument is ignorant in the sense that most teams don't play their starters full time during the pre-season (actually all teams) and teams are very careful in how they utilize their star players. If I was a player, I wouldn't be happy about the NFL moving towards an 18 game schedule.

ESPN's John Clayton: "For those judging QB development, Mark Sanchez has a slight lead over Chad Henne."

2010-09-29T13:56:00.001-04:00

ESPN's John Clayton

ESPN's John Clayton has been an NFL analyst for quite a while. He's old. Nerdy looking. He wears glasses. Honestly, he looks more like a tax lawyer than an NFL analyst. In this week's NFL Power Rankings, he made a comment on why the Jets are ranked ahead of the Dolphins. The reason? He claims Mark Sanchez is ahead of Chad Henne in terms of quarterback development.

I'm confused. I consider myself an avid football fan. I played the sport, albeit in high school and I never really had a shot in hell of advancing to the next level (although if you would have asked me when I was 15 years old, I was ready for the NFL). After I realized I had no future as a player, I decided to coach football. None of this makes me an expert, and I am in no way trying to say that I know more than John Clayton, but I am having trouble with the fact that he can so nonchalantly say that Mark Sanchez is ahead of Chad Henne.

Let's look at the numbers before I start going over personnel. Last year, Mark Sanchez had a whopping QB rating of 63.0. He threw 12 touchdowns compared with 20 interceptions. Yards? 2,444. Completion percentage? Are you on the edge of your seat? 53.8%. I did an entire post on how Chad Henne just played his 16th game last week, the equivalent of a full NFL season. In that post I went over Henne's numbers, and although the numbers are not Pro Bowl level, they are better than Mark Sanchez's numbers. Over 16 games Chad Henne threw 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, passed for over 3,500 yards, and his completion percentage was almost 10 percentage points higher than Sanchez's. What does this show? Simple. Chad Henne over a full NFL season is the more efficient quarterback. Less interceptions and completes the ball more often.

Then again, the media may have something to do with ESPN's enamoration with Mark Sanchez. Sanchez is the one posing for GQ Magazine. Sanchez was also a big part of the Ines Sainz scandal up in New York a few weeks ago when the Mexican reporter was attempting to interview him in the Jets locker room (for more details see my prior post on Ines Sainz). Sanchez was a higher pick, going 9th overall out of USC. It's not like he plays for the Cleveland Browns either, he's on the New York Jets who were just featured on HBO's Hardknocks, a show that goes behind the scenes of an NFL team during the offseason. They have a loud mouth coach in Rex Ryan who is in the spotlight every other week for some absurd reason. Mark Sanchez plays in New York City, the largest sports market in the United States of America, if not in the entire world. Of course Mark Sanchez is going to garner more of the media spotlight in comparison to country boy Chad Henne. You also need to consider that the Miami Dolphins are not exactly known for being media friendly ever since Bill Parcells rode into town. But when we look at the numbers, Henne has outperformed him over the course of a full NFL season.

The next Broadway Joe?

Let's look at head to head matchups:

November 1st, 2009: Miami Dolphins 30-New York Jets 25.

Mark Sanchez- 20-35, 265 yards, 2 touchdowns, QB rating 100.3
Chad Henne- 12-21, 112 yards, 1 touchdown, QB rating 87.8

October 12, 2009: Miami Dolphins 31-New York Jets 27

Mark Sanchez- 12-24, 172 yards, 1 touchdown, QB rating 87.5
Chad Henne- 20-26, 241 yards, 2 touchdowns, QB rating 130.4

September 26, 2010: New York Jets 31-Miami Dolphins 23

Mark Sanchez- 15-28, 256 yards, 3 touchdowns, QB rating 120.5
Chad Henne- 26-44, 363 yards, 2 touchdowns, QB rating 91.4

In three head to head matchups, Chad Henne has won two out of three games. Look at the numbers and you'll see both quarterbacks have played fairy well against each other, however it looks like Chad Henne might have a slighter edge in the last two games they played. Henne came out on the losing end last Sunday, but anyone watching the game would tell you Henne was the better quarterback. Mark Sanchez was the beneficiary of a few botched plays by Jason Allen and a few dropped interceptions. Henne was shredding apart what has been called the NFL's best defense by many of the so called experts.

Next, let's take a look at the personnel on both teams dating back to last season and the beginning of this one. Mark Sanchez had a better supporting cast last year. Not only does he have what many believe to be the best offensive line in the league, he also benefits from something that Henne doesn't have--an athletic tight end in Dustin Keller that creates mismatches against opposing defenses. That was highlighted against the Dolphins last week as the Jets proved yet again that the middle of the field is the Achilles heel of the Dolphins' defense. Also, Jerricho Cotchery was a better receiver than anything the Miami Dolphins had on their roster last season. Throw in the Braylon Edwards trade towards the end of the season and it is clear the Jets had a better receiving corp then the Dolphins did at any point last year. The same can't be said this season, as Brandon Marshall is clearly the best receiver if not player on any of the Dolphins' or Jets' rosters. Sanchez also had the league's best rushing attack last season. While the Dolphins didn't have a shabby running game, Ronnie Brown was injured and we relied on Ricky Williams most of the second half. Although he filled in admirably and rushed for over 1,000 yards, the element of the wildcat was gone.

It is easy to see these two quarterbacks have a bright future ahead of them. To say Mark Sanchez is slightly ahead of Henne is not a fair statement though. If anything, I believe Chad Henne is ahead at this point in their careers.

Men lie, women lie, numbers don't

2010-09-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Chad Henne has started 16 NFL games going back to last season when he took over for Chad Pennington. Technically, he just finished his first NFL season. When we look at the numbers he has compiled, Henne seems to be off to a good start.

In his first 16 games Chad Henne has thrown for 3,604 yards and completed 60.6% of his passes. He has thrown 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 77.4. The numbers don't necessarily make your jaw drop, but let's compare the numbers to the player most consider to be the best quarterback of this generation--Peyton Manning. In Manning's first NFL season he threw for 3,739 yards and completed only 56% of his passes. Manning tossed 26 touchdowns, but threw 28 interceptions. His quarterback rating was 71.2.

Steve Mitchell/US Presswire

Keep in mind that Manning started off his career with Marvin Harrison as his number one receiver, whereas Henne didn't have a star receiver on his roster until the Dolphins acquired Brandon Marshall. It was not until Peyton Manning's second NFL season that his numbers really improved and he began turning into one of the most talented quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.

This is not to say that I believe Chad Henne will be the next Peyton Manning or that his career will resemble Manning's in any way. All I am saying is maybe we should keep things in perspective as Dolphin fans.

Chad Henne and what could have been...

2010-09-27T13:56:00.001-04:00

Athletes become legends right before our eyes. Sometimes we are aware of the moment we are observing, sometimes we are ignorant of it. I knew I was watching greatness back in the 2006 NBA Finals when Dwyane Wade did his best Michael Jordan impersonation. I also saw it when Josh Beckett shut down the Yankees back in 2003. Last night as I watched the Miami Dolphins play against the New York Jets, I was watching carefully in anticipation as the game went on thinking to myself, "Am I watching Chad Henne turn into the leader of this Miami Dolphins team right now?"

As the clock ticked down in the 4th quarter with the Dolphins in possession, I was sure of at least one thing: Chad Henne had an opportunity to win over his entire team, fan base, critics, and take his first step into what could become a great career. This one drive could be the beginning of the Chad Henne legend, after all it is The Drive that makes John Elway such a big part of NFL lore. Here was Chad Henne, having what many would say is the best game of his career, about to lead his team down the field to victory. He completes a pass to Brandon Marshall, who turns it into a 30 yard gain. With the Dolphins on the 11 yard line and 52 seconds left in the game, the scene was set. Chad Henne was about to win our hearts.

Sunday Night Football, national audience, sold out stadium, the orange jerseys the team has only worn on four occasions, the star power in attendance (Lebron James was at the game), all made for great dramatic effect. I wish I could tell you the game ended in fairy tale fashion. For my sake, and for yours. On 4th down, Henne drops back to throw and fires a pass to Anthony Fasano on a tight end dump. The ball is deflected and inevitably ends up in the hands of a Jet defender. Game over. Moment vanished. We are left questioning what could have been.

What can we take from this game? Chad Henne sure as hell deserves a chance to prove he can be an elite quarterback in this league. The Dolphins coaching staff, whether it is Head Coach Tony Sparano or offensive coordinator Dan Henning, need to let this guy throw the ball. With Brandon Marshall at your disposal, why not throw the ball more? He had 10 catches for 166 yards last night and made it look easy. This is the same man who owns the NFL record for most catches in a football game! Not Jerry Rice, not Randy Moss. Brandon Marshall!

AP Images.

There are plenty of people saying that this air it out style the Dolphins displayed last night doesn't win football games. Instead, we should stick to the style that got us two wins to start the season. Hand the ball off to Ricky and Ronnie, score 15 points and let the defense do the rest. Granted, the Dolphins need to mix it up a little more and there were several moments in last night's game where they should have stuck to the running game. However, you can't continue to handcuff Chad Henne and expect for him to blossom into a star. You have to let him loose, especially if he's capable of doing what he did last night.

Potential star in the making?

Thoughts on Canes win over Pitt

2010-09-24T00:34:00.001-04:00

There has been a lot of drama for the Canes since their loss at Ohio State. Randy Shannon banned Twitter. Some fans made racist comments on Jacory Harris' twitter page, saying Miami didn't want a black quarterback. Randy Shannon allegedly ripped into the team according to the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro, rightfully so as I stated in an earlier blog. I was anxious to see how the team would come out against Pitt. After watching the game I'm left feeling confused. I'm not sure if I am happy. I am not angry either, but not happy. We won 31-3 and made Dave Wannstedt look horrible on ESPN. Yet I feel so unimpressed. Jacory Harris threw two more interceptions and had a very mediocre first half. At times I wanted to reach through the screen and slap him.

Eric Winston, a former UM player who now plays in the NFL, tweeted this:

"@ericwinston: Dear jacory, There is nothing wrong with dumping the ball in the flat. Even Babe Ruth didn't hit a homerun every at bat. Sincerely, Alumni."

At one point I told my brother I thought Jacory should be benched. The only problem with that is who would you play in his place? Then immediately after I say something like that Jacory makes a beautiful pass to Travis Benjamin. Moments like this frustrate me. I have seen Jacory Harris make big plays. I have seen him make gorgeous throws with such touch it looks like the ball floats into the receiver's hands. But then I am reminded of Ohio State and that four interception game. Then I remember that last year he threw 17 interceptions. I am not sure if Jacory Harris can lead this team to wins against big time teams.

Anyway, I'd like to talk about something positive I saw in this game. Damien Berry is a good running back. He kind of reminds me of Willis Mcgahee. He had 21 carries for 87 yards and one touchdown. The numbers don't sound too shocking, but there was one play I was particularly impressed with. In the second half, Berry took a handoff for 27 yards around the corner. I have always thought of him as a physical, powerful runner, but on this play he showed some elusiveness and speed. If Berry has a breakout game at some point this year he could experience something similar to what happened with Edgerrin James before he was drafted. Edgerrin James climbed rapidly up the draft charts after he had a 299 yard rushing day against UCLA in 1998. Damien Berry was also a bright spot against Ohio State. In that game he rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries. If we had run the ball a bit more perhaps we would have had a better chance to win. With a little luck I can see Damien Berry getting drafted on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.

I'll finish by completely contradicting myself. I wish the Hurricanes would watch the Miami Dolphins and use some of their philosophy. Run the ball. Control the clock. Play good, solid defense. Don't let Jacory lose the game for you by trying to do too much. These are the exact same things I criticize about the Miami Dolphins' offense, but right now I trust Damien Berry and the rest of the Hurricanes' stable of running backs in comparison to Jacory Harris' arm.

AP photo/ Wilfredo Lee

Redemption

2010-09-22T12:24:00.001-04:00

A second chance. All of us know what that feels like. We all know what it's like to make a mistake, regret it, and wish we could somehow fix what we did. Some of us get lucky and find a way to get that second chance. Others are not as blessed. I think there is one thing we can all agree on though. There is no better feeling than seeing someone be at their lowest, and watch them climb back up to the top. A redemption story. America loves redemption stories.

Why? Perhaps it is because of this nation's history. We went from being a blip on the world's radar screen to being a world power in 250 years. We experienced the Great Depression, arguably this nation's lowest point, and fought back to become even stronger. We experienced 9/11. Look no further than the famous words of Vince Lombardi: "It isn't about whether you got knocked down, it's about whether you get back up."

Some of the movies we love, movies that have become ingrained in our minds, deal with that simple theme. Look at Rocky. Have you ever met someone that doesn't like Rocky? Rocky is about a guy who comes from nothing and all of a sudden becomes a champion boxer. To continue with Sylvester Stallone movies, another example is Rambo. John Rambo is a Vietnam vet who comes back to America to realize he is an outcast. He essentially is a "bad guy" who blows up a whole town because they arrested him for being a drifter. It's odd, but you are rooting for Rambo the entire time. There are more examples of movies like this. You've got Scarface, where the main character is a coke snorting crazy Cuban drug lord, yet at the end of the movie when his house is infiltrated by Colombians who have been hired to kill him you are cheering for him to somehow survive the ambush.

It should be no surprise that we do the same exact thing with athletes. Most of America believes Pete Rose should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He gambled on baseball and denied it for years, was banned from the game, and for a long time we were angry with him. But America has moved on. The same goes for Ron Artest, who in 2004 during a basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons went into the crowd and started a brawl between the fans and the teams. Now he is a Laker and is fresh off a championship. America has moved on. Miami Dolphin fans were enraged when Ricky Williams quit the team to smoke dope, but now he is a fan favorite. He has been forgiven.

It happens over and over again. A player hits rock bottom, but over time you want to see him succeed again. Most recently we have dealt with athletes like Tiger Woods, who we thought was squeaky clean for all these years and now we see he has been having extra-marital affairs for years with several women. Tiger Woods will eventually win a major tournament and be back in America's good graces in no time.

This brings me to Michael Vick. In 2005, Michael Vick was the NFL's highest paid player. He was 24 years old at that point and had just signed a 10 year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. We all know what happened next. The dog fighting scandal. The gambling. The tax evasion. Michael Vick went from being one of the NFL's most popular players to a convict. Fast forward to September 2010. Michael Vick is now the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He gets his shot at redemption.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

2010-09-20T11:01:00.001-04:00

We know the saying. We know what it's like to be let down, year after year. We've been fooled before. Some of us are being fooled right now. Me? I'm trying my very best to not fall for this trap the Dolphins have laid before us after week 2. Our record says we are undefeated right now. Two wins. Zero losses. The bandwagon is driving around the neighborhood. Better jump on now. Not me. I'm not that naiive anymore. I'm a wise man when it comes to this. Don't get me wrong. The feeling is there. The pull, the twinge in your heart when you read 2-0, it's there. Hope. Just a glimmer. But I'm stomping it down. I am doing everything I can to keep it locked away in a box deep down inside my soul.

Why you ask? Why so jaded? Why so determined to stop myself from celebrating a victory, especially one on the road against a team many consider Super Bowl caliber with a Hall of Fame quarterback and a Pro Bowl running back? Why not, for just a second, admit that it feels good to pull off this victory and be atop the AFC East Division? I've been down this road before. Since the very beginning of my Dolphin fandom I have been a hopeless romantic. Always believing the Dolphins will give me what my heart desires--a championship.

At first, it was because Dan Marino needed one. It would be the one thing that would cement him in the minds of many as the top quarterback of all time. Year after year I would feel pain when the Dolphins would lose in the playoffs. Not just my pain, I would feel Dan's pain. I would see him on the sideline or in the locker room, head hung, looking older each passing season. His arm was not failing him, but his legs and hips surely were. Time was running out on Dan.

In 1995, the Dolphins seemed set to make a run at the Super Bowl. We started off the year 4-0 and expectations were through the roof. Then we lost three in a row. The rest of the season was up and down, but even so we believed that come playoff time, Marino would get us to the Super Bowl. First round playoff exit. The Buffalo Bills rushed for over 300 yards and we got destroyed even though Marino threw for over 400 yards. That's when everyone started saying it was time for a change. Don Shula had to go.

Bring on the Jimmy Johnson era. More promises being made. Jimmy promised he would win us a championship by his third year. That didn't workout the way he planned, so he quit, leaving us in the hands of Dave Wannstedt. During all those years we had a few nice seasons. But we never made it to the promised land. Wannstedt quit the same year Ricky Williams left the team and then we started playing what seemed to be musical chairs with our coaching staff. Jim Bates was the head coach for some time, then there was Nick Saban. Saban seemed promising. I wanted to believe in him so much because I had read his book and he was part of the Parcells/Belichik coaching tree. Sports Illustrated predicted the Dolphins would win the Super Bowl. We signed Daunte Culpepper instead of Drew Brees. Culpepper played a few games before he was back on the injured list, and Nick bailed on us when he saw we were much further from a Super Bowl than what he had envisioned. He lied to all of us, packed his bags and went to Alabama.

Bring on Cam Cameron and the worst season in Miami Dolphins history. This was definitely the most painful season of football I have ever had to endure. I watched the games only because I was hoping we could win at least ONE. We did, against the Baltimore Ravens on a catch over the middle by Greg Camarillo. Then we got Parcells, Sparano, and Ireland. This is where we are at. Years and years of first round playoff exits, watching legends get tossed to the curb, stars simply walk away from the game for reasons I yet don't fully comprehend (Ricky Williams), draft day screw ups, free agency miscues, career ending injuries, have all left me in a fetal position on the floor sucking my thumb. The Super Bowl has become something of a myth around Miami. It's like the Holy Grail. Is it even real? Again, the Dolphins may be 2-0, and we may have beaten Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, but I refuse to allow myself to fall into the same traps I've fallen into since I was a kid.

Dolphins-Vikings: What to look for...

2010-09-19T12:12:00.001-04:00

In an about an hour the Miami Dolphins will be taking on the Minnesota Vikings on the road. While most of the national attention will revolve around Brett Favre, I'll be keeping a close eye on Chad Henne. Last week Henne averaged somewhere around 5.6 yards per completion, most of those dump offs to his running backs or check downs underneath. Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning claims the team called for at least two or three deep passes but on one of them the ball was under-thrown (to Brandon Marshall), another Henne was sacked, and the third he checked down.

I made the assertion in an earlier blog that the Dolphins will have to be able to sling the ball down field in order to have a realistic shot of competing when it comes to the playoffs. Henne technically has not yet played a full season, having only become the starter after Chad Pennington went down with a shoulder injury last season. Last week I jumped all over him and started to doubt whether he could be the guy to lead this team to the Super Bowl. A week has passed and although I have many of the same concerns, I am willing to let Henne evolve before my eyes (hopefully he does).

That being said, here are some of the problems I see with Henne so far. I think he holds the ball way too long and at times doesn't look too confident about where to throw the ball. Against the Vikings he will have to get rid of the ball early because Jared Allen is lining up on the other side of the ball and will be looking to wreak havoc on him. But the main thing I want to see from Henne is a little of the stuff that makes Brett Favre one of the all time greats--Henne needs to trust himself and trust his instincts. He can't be worried about making mistakes. I know the Dolphins preach no interceptions, no fumbles, and no penalties. All of that is beautiful, but if Henne is worried about making mistakes, he'll never be the playmaker we need him to be.

Henne has a strong arm and is capable of hitting the deep pass (he made Ten Ginn look great against the New York Jets). We need him to become the leader of this offense, and he will never gain that position by being the guy who makes the safe passes. He needs to be the guy who takes some risks, makes some big plays. The quarterback needs to live and die on his arm, a la Brett Favre. The Dolphins need look no further than their own past. Dan Marino trusted his arm more than anything else. He had the utmost confidence in himself. Take a look at this play just to see exactly what I mean. In this game against the New England Patriots, coming from behind and on 4th down and 5, instead of going for the safe play Marino slung the ball down field to Irving Fryar. What happens next is a thing of beauty (fast forward to the 3:43 mark to see the play I am referring to).

LET LBJ PLAY PG

2010-09-18T15:16:00.001-04:00

The Miami Heat have a situation at point guard. Who to start? Mario Chalmers? A guy who showed talent his rookie year but then had a huge drop-off his second year in the league? Or Carlos Arroyo, an NBA journeyman who doesn't really do anything spectacularly? Mario Chalmers is most famous for making a last second shot in the NCAA tournament a few years ago. "Super" Mario is his nickname, but he has done close to nothing in the NBA so far to be considered starter caliber. He's an average on the ball defender who likes to gamble. He might get a few steals, but more likely than not he is getting beat by most point guards in the league. What is most shocking to me is that he appeared slower his second season. I don't know how it's possible to lose speed at his age (second year player) but that's how it seemed to me. Carlos Arroyo on the other hand has never been known to be a great defensive player. The upside for Arroyo is that he doesn't turn the ball over much, but that is countered by the fact he's not a great playmaker either. Aside from that, his range is not as good as Chalmers' (although I wouldn't call Chalmers a lethal threat from beyond three point range either).

Many people around the league, the so called experts, have made much of the fact we don't have a true starting caliber point guard on the Miami Heat roster. I disagree. Ever since Lebron James came into the NBA I thought to myself Lebron should be playing point guard. At his size, speed, and athletic ability, it would create a mismatch against any team in the NBA. Many have touted his passing ability as his best attribute. I know in Cleveland he needed to carry the team and score a whole lot of points in order to win ball games, but now that he's in Miami, he has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to feed the ball to. Adding to that, he is going to have Mike Miller, one of the best three point shooters in the league, out on the wing by himself when opposing teams send a double team to make up for the size mismatch Lebron has over "x" point guard. Obviously Erik Spoelstra needs to clear it with Lebron and make sure he would be willing to play point guard, but I really don't see any reason why he wouldn't.

It would benefit the team greatly and he has made it clear he wants to try and average a triple double next year. What better way for him to reach those numbers than to play point guard? Lebron would be this generation's Magic Johnson, if not even better (I still give Magic the advantage when it comes to intangibles such as leadership skills). It's not like this is a new idea either. The Chicago Bulls used Scottie Pippen as a point forward who would handle the ball for a large part of the game, especially towards the end of the Bulls dynasty when Michael Jordan needed someone to carry some of the ball handling load. The second wave of Bulls' championships featured Ron Harper as the starting point guard, and he was brought on more for his defense than his playmaking or ball handling ability. The backup point guard was Steve Kerr, another player who was really a specialist type and not starting caliber (Kerr retired with the highest three point shooting percentage in league history). Scottie Pippen's numbers reflect more of what Lebron's numbers should be if he played point guard (Pippen was really a triple threat player in that he could score, rebound, and distribute the ball as well as any point guard in the league). In today's league, players like the Lakers' Lamar Odom are used as point forwards as well.

Everyone has expected Lebron to be the next Michael Jordan. To me, he is more of a blend of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen. Sure he can score tons of points. He proved that in Cleveland. But in order for him to win championships here in Miami and for the Heat to become the dynasty he and the rest of the Heat stars envisioned when they all agreed to take less money and come to South Beach, scoring can't be his main focus.

With this much talent around him, Lebron doesn't need to carry the scoring load.

It's about time!

2010-09-17T10:46:00.000-04:00

According to Manny Navarro from the Miami Herald, Randy Shannon lit into his players. (Eye on the U). I have been complaining about Randy Shannon's sideline demeanor since he was hired. Honestly, I have been complaining about Randy Shannon for many other reasons as well and have at times flip-flopped when it comes to any discussion dealing with him. I applauded Shannon when he first became the head coach for making discipline a priority. He made sure his players were going to class, he banned guns on campus, he told them that their main focus should be on getting a solid education. I read about these stories in the paper and thought to myself it was about time someone stepped up and helped mold these kids into men, not just athletes hoping to make it to the NFL.

Many of my friends, most of them varsity coaches in Dade County, told me they felt Randy Shannon was the wrong guy for the job. Some of them even stopped being Hurricane fans when he was hired because they felt the program was heading in the wrong direction. Randy Shannon was a good defensive coordinator, they'd say, but not head coach material. Year in and year out, I would find myself wondering if they were correct when I would notice several blunders that even a casual fan could see. To begin with, I felt Shannon handled the Robert Marve/Jacory Harris quarterback competition the wrong way. Reading between the lines, and I could be wrong, I felt Shannon had made promises to both players. After Randy brought in the entire Northwestern team, I thought the writing was already on the wall--Jacory would become the starter.

Then there were the clock management issues. Shannon seemed to use his time-outs at the most inopportune times, leaving the team vulnerable in the last few minutes of games. Why was he taking so many time-outs? Too many men on the field, the wrong personnel on the field, not knowing how to line up against certain offenses, etc. These are things that an organized coach takes care of way before the game on the practice field. As a guy who was a high school coach for a few years, I understand that these things happen. In my first year I found myself calling time-outs all the time. Difference is I was 23 and had no experience in managing a team. Shannon has been around football his whole life and is getting paid a hell of a whole lot more than I was.

Another thing that bothered me about Randy was he always seemed to be so calm on the sidelines. I know ranting and raving during games isn't for everyone (personally, I don't know any other way to behave. I am naturally a loud guy, so as a coach, I stormed up and down the sideline the entire game. Especially when a player would jump offsides or forget their blocking assignment). So when I read this story that Randy Shannon lit into his players after losing to Ohio State, I felt this was something long overdue. He should have done this a very long time ago. He should have done it last year when we lost to Virginia Tech.

People have been making excuses for this team for far too long. I have heard it all from blaming Larry Coker for his poor recruiting to Randy just needs more time to get his guys in place. I am sorry to say this is the Northwestern class' third year and I have seen very little improvement from most of their players. I am not at practice every day but I do watch the games. Where the hell is Tommy Streeter? Why is Aldarius Johnson playing so poorly? We were told these guys would be the next wave of great receivers at the U and we have barely seen anything from either of them. Jacory Harris has been nothing but mediocre at best!

I know it is a sports cliche, but I firmly believe it to be true...a team takes on the personality of their head coach. Attitude is contagious. I am not friends with Randy Shannon, nor am I with the team when they are behind closed doors. Judging from what I see during games, there does not seem to be much urgency from this team. The Miami fans are getting tired of being told to wait. They are tired of being told that this team is too young. Watch the Ohio State game again. We should have won that game.

Black Eyed Peas to perform in next Super Bowl

2010-09-16T19:10:00.000-04:00

The NFL has had a problem with their halftime show in the past few years ever since Janet Jackson's boob popped out on stage (Thank Justin Timberlake). In order to try and remain "family" friendly, the league has had rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who perform during halftime. The problem with this? The stats show most people under the age of 30 are tuning out. While I personally have no problem watching Mick Jagger decompose on stage, most people I know disagree with me. This was made clear to me last year via my facebook account. Every other status update was some form of complaint about The Who being selected for the halftime show. When I defended the NFL's choice I was surprised to find out most people on my friends list had never even heard of The Who. I assume the NFL's choice this year will appeal to a more general mass of people. The Black Eyed Peas have a variety of songs that appeal to a younger crowd while not offending the "family" group out there. Songs such as "I got a feeling", "Let's get it started", or "Where is the love" are sure to be neutral and vanilla. However, there are certain songs I am sure the NFL won't let them play on stage such as "My Humps" and "Boom Boom Pow" which both revolve around certain female body parts.

I am decomposing.

The female reporter everyone is talking about...

2010-09-15T14:56:00.002-04:00

Ines Sainz. By now you know who this woman is unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few days. Well, in case you didn't already know (Seriously, where have you been?) she is the Mexican female reporter who has been at the center of some recent controversy regarding female reporters in NFL locker rooms. Sainz attended a New York Jets practice last week with the hopes of interviewing Mark Sanchez, one of the few Hispanic players in the NFL and the Jets current quarterback. Sainz allegedly was harrassed by Jets players while she waited in the locker room. It has also been alleged that Rex Ryan and the defensive backs moved their drill period closer to Sainz in order to try and bump into her. Now while this may seem childish, I will defend the Jets players on this.

I was a high school football player. I remember what it was like when the cheerleaders or track girls would be running around the track during our practices. Some of us would intentionally throw the ball towards them in order to try and show off. No player can say they were not aware the girls were watching. Some of us would get reprimanded by our coaches for turning around to watch them do their cheers. While it is true that the Jets players are adults and professionals, at the end of the day they are football players who behave like children for the most part. They are being paid to play a game. It's not like they were in a corporate office discussing company assets and mergers.

All of this has spurred some heated debate about whether female reporters should be allowed in NFL locker rooms period. Let's use some common sense here. There are 53 men on an NFL team. That's 53 men with raging hormones. That's 53 men playing the most violent sport on this planet who are full of nothing but testosterone. They are in their locker room, their safe haven. They are showering, eating, watching television, listening to music, etc. Some of them are walking around naked, some of them are wearing close to nothing. Enter this woman:

You're a football player in a locker room full of dudes. This walks in. What are you going to do?

Is it realistic to expect 53 men to all be on their best behavior? Think of the atmosphere you are in. These guys are pulling pranks on one another, every other word out of their mouth starts with an F and ends with a K. They are basically in a frat house. How are they not going to whistle and make comments? Especially when she is dressed like this!

Call me a misogynist if you'd like. Call me a pig. I don't see how the Jets players are to blame for what happened to Ines Sainz. She very well knows what she looks like and she very well knows she's entering a locker room full of sweaty pigs. Anyone who will try to tell you these 53 men are supposed to be gentlemen with manners don't know much about football players.

By the way, now that we're on the topic...Is Ines Sainz hotter than Erin Andrews?

Jacory Harris' last tweet...

2010-09-15T11:43:00.000-04:00

Jacory Harris has a history of responding to fans in a fashion that doesn't make much sense to me. Last year he told fans he didn't want them on the UM bandwagon when they had "disappeared" over the last few years. I have no problem with him talking like that except for the fact he has done nothing in his three years at the U to earn this right. If Willis McGahee says something like that, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, or any other UM great says that, it has a little more meaning. Jacory Harris says it and I scratch my head. Especially after he threw 17 interceptions last season and especially after his poor showing against Ohio State last week. Yesterday it was announced Head Coach Randy Shannon banned Twitter. (For full story click UM bans Twitter).

Jacory's comments before deactivating his Twitter account are more alarming:

"To the fans that's here only when things go right. Thank you. We loved you while you were here. Just know if everything goes as planned, don't come back. With that being said....God bless you! Negative or positive. I'm out!!"

Now here's my issue. When Jacory was first recruited out of Northwestern, I was a firm supporter. I believed Jacory would eventually beat out Robert Marve just because it appeared the writing was on the wall. After all, Jacory was part of the #1 rated recruiting class that came out of Northwestern. The fact Jacory split time his first year with Marve was done purposefully to force out Marve in my opinion. Whether that was Randy Shannon's intent or not, Marve left the U after a falling out with the coaching staff. Jacory has shown flashes of greatness during the last few years. Sometimes he hits Travis Benjamin on a deep pass and you can't help but feel, "Finally! We're back! The U is back!" The problem is he follows up a beautiful deep pass with an untimely interception and the occasional four pick game like the one he had against Ohio State.

Until Jacory Harris wins something significant I don't think he has earned any right to tell fans to jump off the UM bandwagon. Leave that to the players who have actually brought respect and honor to the football program. Leave that to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just because you play for the U doesn't mean you are part of that circle. You have to earn that. So far Jacory has been nothing but inconsistent. I hope Randy Shannon keeps the Twitter ban all year long and that he bans their facebook accounts as well. All of the current
players should keep their mouths shut until they win something.

Jacory Harris playing for the Northwestern Bulls.

Twitter Ban at the U

2010-09-15T09:56:00.002-04:00

Randy Shannon has banned his players from using Twitter. He says the team needs to regain focus. Is this shocking? Most coaches are control freaks. They have meticulous practice plans that are planned out to the minute. At 3:00 PM you have group drills. At 3:15, you break into individual drills. At 3:30, you work on a passing skeleton. The whistle blows and the players are expected to move around the practice field as quickly as possible. No time is wasted. A friend of mine who played college football told me he couldn't stand to have his whole life planned out for him. His class schedule was selected for him and he was expected to be in study hall while not in practice or lifting weights in the gym. Everything was pre-packaged. For some, this is a small sacrifice to pay in order to play college football. After all, only a very small percentage of us who play high school football make it to the next level.

Which brings me to my point. If it is well understood by anyone who follows college football that the coach is usually akin to a dictator, why is the media making such a big deal out of the fact that Randy Shannon banned Twitter? (Take this Quiz: Who said it? NFL Coach or Dictator?) C'mon. The Miami Dolphins run their organization like the Pentagon. The New England Patriots don't even tell the media when their players are injured, or when they do, they only vaguely describe the injury. The year the Patriots almost went undefeated (Thank you David Tyree and Eli Manning), Tom Brady was listed as having a shoulder injury the entire season. The only thing Twitter does is give the players more control over how they are perceived by their fans and media. However, the social networking site can cause distractions.

All it takes is for one player to post an inappropriate picture (Former Miami Heat player Michael Beasley accidentally posting pictures of his weed) and all of a sudden you have a public relations disaster on your hands that could lead to an NCAA investigation, more media pressure, and a giant headache for the University of Miami Athletics Department. What is shocking to me is how Shannon has not banned other social networking sites such as Facebook. Facebook is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than twitter because of the fact people post photo albums of virtually every social event they partake in.

You went to a party this weekend? Someone took a picture. Were you drinking a beer? You better believe there is a picture somewhere out there. I'll give you a perfect example. Just last year I was at Chili's in Coconut Grove when I realized sitting right behind me was Graig Cooper, a running back who plays for the Hurricanes. I try as much as possible to not be "that annoying fan" who is always asking for autographs and pictures, but I figured he was sitting right behind me and I was really the only one who had noticed he was there. I approached him and asked if it was ok if I took a picture with him. He seemed very shy to be honest, but he took the picture with me (of course he threw up the "U" sign with his hands). Now what would have happened if Graig Cooper was out with a bunch of his friends drinking beers (nothing illegal about that by the way) and I secretly took a bunch of pictures from the corner and later posted them on my Twitter or Facebook account? Would people have made an issue out of it? Maybe, maybe not. What if he was at a strip club? What if he was smoking weed? Players need to be very careful what they do in public. This has always been an issue for all athletes, but even more so in this generation of camera phones.

UF the new convicts?

2010-09-14T20:40:00.001-04:00

Chris Rainey told his ex-girlfriend it was "time to die, bitch." He was arrested. That brings the total of Gators arrested over the last few years to a whopping 27. The media has yet to put the University of Florida under the microscope the way they did when the University of Miami was dominating college football. In 1995, Sports Illustrated called for the banning of the University of Miami football program after the Pell Grant scandal.

Sports Illustrated called for the end of the University of Miami football program. Why not do the same for the University of Florida?

While it is true the Miami program was in disarray at the time, it faced an unprecedented amount of media attention and scrutiny. Why is that no one criticizes the Gators now? Tim Tebow served as a distraction while he was playing at the University of Florida, his off field philanthropic efforts and his religious fervor being as much a part of his image as his talent as a football player. Now that he plays for the Denver Broncos, Urban Meyer might be in trouble. The Gators don't have a media darling to shield them from criticism any longer.