OneHopSports

The Case for Dwight Howard

2012-03-27T14:43:00.003-04:00

As the best center in the game and on his way to being one of the greatest centers to play the game since the merger.

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is without a doubt the best pure center in the league today. It’s not an argument because in all aspects, it doesn’t make sense to argue against it. He is a physical monster who has studiously filled out his frame with a bevy of post skills, plays unbelievable defense and produces at an enormous rate in the post.

What most people seem to dislike in Dwight is his perceived lack of dominance, considering how much better he is as a five than the next closest center. Almost like an indictment of Dwight because of the ability (or lack thereof) of other centers, many argue that Howard should destroy other teams in the post just based on his throwback physicality in a league where post players have gotten sleeker and, on many teams, smaller. The eye test would tell you Dwight Howard is the best five in the game, but

A) Partially because his competition is paltry. And

B) He just isn’t as good as he can be, considering the lack of talent opposing him.

During the 2010-2011 season, Dwight Howard had his best statistical year to date. He put up an absolutely dominant performance and, rightfully so, finished in the top two in MVP voting. But the idea that he didn’t dominate as he should have came up in the criticism of Howard again, despite Dwight leading an average Orlando Magic squad to 52 wins. So how does Dwight Howard stack up against three recent all time great centers? We took a look at the most efficient seasons (as determined by ESPN’s John Hollinger’s PER rating) by Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon to find out if Dwight is squandering his ability in a way these guys never would. For those of you who don’t know, PER, or player efficiency rating, is a statistic that determines all the productive plays a given player makes per minute of activity. An average center would rate a 15.00 in PER.

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL

Shaq was a revelation, an unstoppable force in the NBA almost from day one. His rookie season in Orlando was tremendous, and his four year run in Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003 was about as dominant as has ever been seen, as his win share rating shows he contributed an extra 70 wins to the Lakers during his tenure. Shaq’s most efficient year in that run was the 1999-2000 season (by a smidgen over the following season) when he posted a PER of 30.6, tops in the league. He also ranked top three in the league in Usage rate, figuring in on 31.2% of the Lakers plays. Traditional numbers, Shaq averaged 29.7 points on 57% shooting from the field, and rightfully won the MVP while the Lakers took the Larry O’Brien trophy. His 18.8 win shares was a number right up there with the most productive years of guys like David Robinson. Put it simply, Shaq destroyed his competition. But what was his competition?

1999-00 PER by Centers

Player	Team	PER
Shaquille O’Neal	Lakers	30.6
David Robinson	Spurs	24.6
Arvydas Sabonis	Trail Blazers	20.3
Cedric Ceballos	Mavericks	18.1
Vlade Divac	Kings	18.0
Raef Lafrentz	Nuggets	16.3
Kelvin Cato	Rockets	15.9
Greg Ostertag	Jazz	13.5
Adonal Foyle	Warriors	12.3
Horace Grant	Sonics	11.7
Rasho Nesterovic	Timberwolves	11.0
Bryant Reeves	Grizzlies	10.6
Michael Olowokandi	Clippers	10.4
Luc Longley	Suns	8.8
Not Shaq	Western Conference	14.73

As it turns out, Shaq wrecked a rather anemic western conference. Hollinger’s PER assumes the average center would post an efficiency rating of 15. During Shaq’s most dominant year, the Western Conference on average put out centers that were worse than a simple roster filler. Only David Robinson had an exemplary full season, (Sabonis was in and out of injuries,) and in the Lakers Pacific division, the PER rating Shaq contended against most often, was down to 13.58. O’Neal absolutely had an all-time great season, but he did so against very inferior competition.

The flip side of this is The Diesel did what Dwight Howard is often accused of not doing, which is just plain destroying inferior competition. Shaq posted similar numbers the following year, and continued on that pace while his only real intra-conference positional rivals were an aging David Robinson and a fragile Yao Ming.

HAKEEM OLAJUWON

When a player has a signature move associated with him, you know he was great. Think about the Marseille Roll and images of Zinedine Zidane pirouetting around a befuddled Brazilian midfield come to mind. When you hear the words “Dream Shake” you think of a gigantic man poetically spinning, pump faking and gracefully depositing a ball too small into a hoop too big. If Shaquille O’Neal was a physical revelation, a hurricane tearing the roof off everything in path, Olajuwon was a steady storm that erodes everything underneath it methodically and efficiently. The late 80s and early 90s saw a league with prominent centers and forward/centers, and if they weren’t deferring to Jordan, they were deferring to Hakeem. He averaged double digit win shares eight times in his career, and his most efficient year, the 1992-93 season, saw Dream roll up a tremendous 27.3 PER (though it was MJ’s Bulls who won the title.) That same year, Olajuwon contended with a peaking Shawn Kemp and an otherworldly David Robinson in the Western Conference. Half the Western Conference posted an efficiency rating greater than average, and the next four were within .7 efficiency points of the average rating.

1992-93 PER by Center top 5 (WC)

Player	Team	PER
Hakeem Olajuwon	Rockets	27.3
David Robinson	Spurs	24.2
Shawn Kemp	Sonics	20.4
Clifford Robinson	Trail Blazers	18.8
Dikembe Mutombo	Nuggets	17.2
Vlade Divac	Lakers	17.1
Not Olajuwon	Western Conference	16.18

As an average, the centers and center/forwards Olajuwon competed against were better than average across the board. The competition was fierce and Olajuwon was at the top of the class, posting traditional stats of 28-11-3.5-3.5 (points-rebounds-assists-blocks) with a field goal percentage of 52%.

But the knock on Olajuwon in terms of criticisms also leveled against Dwight Howard is also in the strength of competition. In ‘92-93, there were only 13 teams in the Western Conference, and excluding the Rockets, only 12 teams to compete against. Traditionally, a condensed league means more talent, since there are less roster spots available for players. If we adjust the Conference average PER for an expanded conference like the NBA that Dwight Howard plays in, the conference average PER dips to 15.39, only slightly better than average across the board. Compared to Shaq’s best year, for example, it shows Olajuwon’s PER is worth four points less based on a single point of competition effectiveness, a rather large discrepancy in comparative talents.

DAVID ROBINSON

The one and only, The Admiral. Today he’s erroneously remembered by younger fans as the sidekick to Tim Duncan in the early years of the Spurs. Instead, David Robinson is one of the most statistically accomplished centers to ever play the game. He carried the Spurs year after year, a team that dropped to the lottery the one year Robinson was hurt (landing Duncan in the process.) He averaged 21 points a game for his career, and over 20 points for each of his first full seven seasons, with four year peak averages of 26.5-11.3-3.6-3.3, shooting 51% from the field and 76% from the charity stripe. That his NBA debut was at the age of 24 probably led to his numbers being at least a little lower than what they should have been, as his rookie year numbers were 24-11-2-4. He was a freakish athlete and played like one. During the 1993-94 season, Robinson averaged 29.8 points over 80 games on a 55 win Spurs team. His season PER was an astounding 30.7, tops in the league by two efficiency points over Shaq (played in Orlando at the time) and five points above Olajuwon. Here’s how the Western Conference centers stacked up against Robinson in terms of efficiency:

1993-94 PER by Center

Player	Team	PER
David Robinson	Spurs	30.7
Hakeem Olajuwon	Houston Rockets	25.3
Shawn Kemp	Sonics	22.9
Vlade Divac	Lakers	18.8
Chris Gatling	Warriors	18.7
Dikembe Mutombo	Nuggets	17.9
Clifford Robinson	Trail Blazers	17.4
A.C. Green	Suns	17.0
Wayman Tisdale	Kings	15.8
Sean Rooks	Mavericks	14.6
Felton Spencer	Jazz	11.7
Elmore Spencer	Clippers	10.7
Mike Brown	T-Wolves	7.2
Not the Admiral	Western Conference	16.7

Of the three big years addressed, David Robinson faced the stiffest competition in terms of efficiency. The difference is the tougher competition, which, when adjusted for expansion, puts the Western Conference PER average at around 15.56. The number is close to Olajuwon’s, but the difference is Robinson was much more efficient than Olajuwon versus slightly better competition.

Of course, like Dwight Howard today, a look at Robinson’s competition shows a lot of hybrid forward/centers across the list. Half the guys on the list were four/fives, and most of those guys did not top 6’10”. Three of the bottom five in center PER in ’93-94 were true centers (Rooks and both Spencers.) For David Robinson, his best year was one where he was physically better than most everyone he lined up against. Sound familiar?

So how does Dwight Howard look based on efficiency, and how does he stack up to these three recent stars? Let’s isolate Dwight’s 2010-2011 season, his best one to date.

Howard posted traditional averages of 23-14-1.4-1.4. He shot 59% from the field and 60% from the line. His season’s PER was 26.2 unadjusted, tops in the league and in the Eastern Conference for Centers. Here’s how the rest of the conference stacked up in efficiency.

2010-11 PER value for Centers

Player	Team	Rating
Dwight Howard	Magic	26.2
Amare Stoudemire	Knicks	24.3
Al Horford	Hawks	20.7
Brook Lopez	Nets	19.3
Joakim Noah	Bulls	18.8
Greg Monroe	Pistons	18.0
Javele McGee	Wizards	17.4
Andrew Bogut	Bucks	16.7
Andrea Bargnagni	Raptors	16.2
Roy Hibbert	Pacers	15.9
JJ Hickson	Cavaliers	15.6
Glen Davis	Celtics	14.0
Boris Diaw	Bobcats	13.9
Spencer Hawes	76ers	13.2
Joel Anthony	Heat	7.3
Not Howard	Eastern Conference	16.5

Howard put together his best year in a very offensively gifted Eastern Conference. With 14 teams in the Conference, the proportional average to the most efficient seasons by Olajuwon and David Robinson actually suggests Howard faced stiffer offensive competition than the other three studied here. I say offensive because PER as a stat skews towards offense, which is why, for example, Andrea Bargnagni is considered an above-average efficient Center.

Still, unadjusted, the difference between the PER of Howard (26.2), Olajuwon (27.3), O’Neal (30.6) and Robinson (30.7) has a pretty big gap, with Robinson in 1993-94 being four points more efficient than Howard. If all of Dwight’s other numbers stack up, then what’s missing?

Simply put, the league changed. And that’s not in the criticizing Dwight sense, but just the focus of the league has changed from the big years posted by those other guys and where Dwight Howard plays now. What in the 90s was a league run through the post and the paint, now the league is dominated by guards. The best way to see this? Usage rate percentage.

Usage rate percentage is the amount of plays a team runs for a player over the course of a game. Let’s look at the usage rate career averages and season high (for the same seasons we used for PER) for the four centers we looked at.

Player	Usage Rate pct Career	URP season
Hakeem Olajuwon	27.1%	28.8%
David Robinson	26.2%	32.0%
Shaquille O’Neal	29.5%	31.2%
Dwight Howard	23.5%	27.2%

As we can see, Dwight Howard’s usage rate for his career is low, while his most efficient season to this date comes in fourth on this list as well. But this also includes latter years of Olajuwon, O’Neal and Robinson’s careers. If we adjust the ratings to exclude obvious decline years, we get considerable new values.

Player	Adjusted URP Career
Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-99)	27.8%
David Robinson (1989-99)	28.2%
Shaquille O’Neal (1992-07)	30.5%

With adjusted usage rate, it shows Dwight Howard is, to this point of his career, used considerably less than the other three guys, who all had their highest usage rates within the time frame of the up to date length of Dwight Howard’s career. Basically, Dwight Howard doesn’t get the ball enough to be as effective as centers in a center-dominated era did. To drive it home, consider the peak PER years of Olajuwon (’92-93), Robinson (’93-94) and Shaq in LA (’99-00):

1992-93 Usage pct.

Player	Usage Pct.
Michael Jordan	34.7
Dominique Wilkins	31.9
Patrick Ewing	29.7
Hakeem Olajuwon	28.8
Karl Malone	28.4
Danny Manning	27.16
Shaquille O’Neal	27.03
Clifford Robinson	27.02
Charles Barkley	26.9
John Starks	26.5

1993-94 Usage Pct

Player	Usage Pct.
David Robinson	32.0
Dominique Wilkins	32.0
Patrick Ewing	29.8
Hakeem Olajuwon	29.8
Shaquille O’Neal	29.0
Karl Malone	28.03
Alonzo Mourning	27.33
Mitch Richmond	27.21
Scottie Pippen	27.11
John Starks	27.05

1999-00 Usage pct

Player	Usage pct
Allen Iverson	34.4
Karl Malone	31.9
Shaquille O’Neal	31.2
Grant Hill	30.5
Shawn Kemp	30.2
Vince Carter	29.96
Jerry Stackhouse	29.19
Isaiah Rider	28.81
Tim Duncan	28.72

For Olajuwon and David Robinson, 7 out of the 10 players in the top 10 in usage rate were post players. For Shaq, at least 4 out of the 10 were. Now let’s look at the usage rate leaders around the league in Dwight Howard’s most efficient season:

2010-11 Usage Pct Leaders

Player	Usage pct.
Kobe Bryant	35.08
Derrick Rose	32.18
Carmelo Anthony	31.97
Dwyane Wade	31.63
Russell Westbrook	31.6
Lebron James	31.50
Amare Stoudemire	30.86
Kevin Durant	30.65
Kevin Martin	29.62
Michael Beasley	28.3

Only one of those players can be considered a post player, in Amare Stoudemire, and none of them are Dwight Howard. Otherwise, you have five guards, three small forwards and a point forward in Lebron James. Essentially, today’s league just does not run through the post like it used to. In fact, since Dwight entered the league up until last season, 60 out of the 70 players who topped usage rates over that seven season span HAVE NOT been post players. Howard himself has never been in the top 10 of usage rate. For his career, Howard (23.5%) has a lower usage rate than Michael Beasley (27.0%)!

Which leads to this extraction: what if we adjusted Dwight Howard’s PER from 2010-11 in a usage rate proportionate to the three most efficient years of guys like Olajuwon, Robinson and Shaq in LA (average usage rate percentage in the years we covered=30.97)? Howard’s adjusted efficiency per usage rate would be 29.83, higher than Olajuwon and more in line with David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal. For his career to this point, in a short sampling, if Dwight Howard played in the early 90s, he would be just as good as the leading centers of the era.

So what’s with all the criticism? It’s really three-fold. The first is Howard’s level of competition, which is an accurate concern, but not one Dwight Howard can control. As mentioned before, PER skews towards the offense, meaning Dwight Howard is playing against better offensive centers than others on a more consistent basis, meaning in turn, his player efficiency is not as affected by defensive centers as, say, Robinson or Olajuwon’s. But as it turns out, this puts greater value in Dwight Howard as an all around center. According to 82games.com, Dwight Howard reduces an opposing center’s efficiency to an 11.8 PER against. That means, on defense, Howard makes an opposing center 4.7 PER points lower than an average one in a league where the five is averaging greater offensive efficiency. For reference, last year he was turning Andrew Bogut into Louis Amundson.

The second is the perception that Howard doesn’t dominate as much as he should. But this is more a product of the league being guard-heavy rather than an indictment on Howard’s basketball ability/aggressiveness, as evidenced by his usage rate and the leaders in the category during Howard’s career. In fact, it could be suggested in terms of dependent stats like usage rate and unadjusted PER, that Dwight Howard in 2010-11 was maximizing his value as was allowed by his teammates. It’s not so much Howard doesn’t dominate as much as he should, but that Howard is starting to dominate as much as he could.

Lastly, there’s the success test. Basketball royalty is determined by champions, and no position is more dependent on rings for its GOAT list than the center spot. Look at the who’s who at the top, guys like Russell, Wilt and Kareem, who had the statistics and the titles. The other guys in this comparison all had rings as well. And while it’s real early in Howard’s career to bump him from any great center conversation for his lack of titles, the make up of the NBA today is not conducive to a dominant center ahead of his opposition physically like it was during the times of the other greats.

But the point of this exercise is this: statistically speaking, Dwight Howard is certainly on his way to being one of the greatest centers to play the game, regardless of who he plays against. Right now, we’re looking at the start of the prime years of Howard’s career, which when adjusted for usage, are on par with all-time great centers that have played the game right before him. If we spend too much time complaining how much better Dwight Howard should be, the statistics suggest we’ll run the risk of missing an all-time talent lay waste to the paint over the next half a decade.

Stats in this article were used from ESPN.com and John Hollinger, basketball-reference.com and 82games.com

Unadjusted PER used for this article were taken from basketball-reference.com

Adjusted PER is an updated version of Mr. Hollinger's stat which tries to minimize the effect of teammates on a player's efficiency rating. For Dwight Howard's defensive value, the PER figures used were adjusted, and taken from 82games.com. At the time of the publishing of this article, those values were unavailable for the seasons analyzed of Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal.

An ode to Coach Krzyzewski

2011-11-15T20:31:00.001-05:00

Debating Coach K's greatest success

          Not all the news out of the basketball world in November has been miserable. For the first time in a long time, college basketball is important in the fall. And nothing is more important right now than Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's pursuit of the all-time Division I men's win record, a record currently held by his former coach and mentor Bob Knight. By the time this article is up, Coach K will be well on his way to win number 903, the record setter. That Coach K is a legend is a cliched remark and one that doesn't really need another voice of support. Just look at his resume, or any article written about him in the past decade and a half.

          Listening to ESPN the other day, I heard Dick Vitale mention his belief that Coach K is the greatest leader of men in sports right now. And I think I agree, wholeheartedly. Forget about the basketball success here, that's not part of the superlative. The debate is not if he's the greatest coach in college basketball history, but the greatest leader of men in any sport today. And he is.

          What makes Coach K such an accomplished leader is the point at which his coaching and discipline take place. The man has made a career out of turning 18 year old kids into men when they leave Cameron Indoor. He doesn't just prep the future pros, he councils all his kids to become better men. Look at the job he did with former point guard Jay Williams, a terrific college athlete whose professional career was derailed by a horrific motorcycle accident. Coach K helped Williams stick around in basketball, guiding him first on a comeback attempt and then towards a gig as a color analyst.

          The work he did with team USA doesn't even need to be considered. Coach K's ability to raise his kids is currently second to none. The men he has made are his greatest accomplishments. In the coming days, OneHopSports will pay proper tribute to Coach K and his record-setting wins tally. Tonight is an ode to the disciplinarian, the father figure, the councilor and the guardian. It will be great to see what group of kids he takes with him on his way to 1,000 wins.

Congratulations, Coach K.

New York Football Recap

2011-11-15T19:27:00.002-05:00

Bloody Sunday
A look back at the ugly week that was in New York football.

Looks like this pro-New York OneHopSports contributor picked the wrong week to take off. After missing an opportunity to bask in the glory that was week 9, where the Jets and Giants pulled off two incredibly satisfying road wins, I'm back in time for an extremely disappointing look back at week 10. (Sidenote: For those of you who don't know there are at least two contributors to OHS, allow me to introduce myself as SlideStep.)

Where to begin? How about three timezones away in sunny San Francisco, where the Giants continued their varsity schedule against the surprising 7-1 49ers. Here on the east coast, the success of a west coast team is usually just word of mouth. Except, as it turns out, in the case of the niners, who have played more than enough games east of the Mississippi to get a good look at. They've torn through the NFC East, going 3-1 after Sunday, and also have wins at Detroit and Cincinnatti, closer to home than California. And that all makes you look at the quality teams San Fran has run through on their way to an 8-1 start. In the same vein a win at Philly meant a lot more when the schedules came out than it does now, road wins at the Lions (6-3) and Bengals (6-3) are downright impressive at the current NFL juncture. Their only loss was to a hot-at-anytime Dallas Cowboys team in OT. In a sense, the Giants have nothing to be ashamed about. And they probably aren't. But there's more to their performance and its implications than W's and L's.


One of a very select group of people that can eat Brandon Jacobs.

The Giants played a well enough game to be sure, and yes, they left a lot of points on the board with two long first half drives netting only six points on two mid-20 yard field goals. Yes, the final drive of the game was a bit of a downer, but the G-men played a good game against a great team in their building and lost. It happens. What stinks are the tiebreaker implications in all of this. The Giants trail the Niners by two games now for one of the NFC's byes (probably the second seed, because let's be honest, no one's catching the Pack.) There's a good chance they won't catch San Fran, who still have five games in their own decrepit division to play. Now the focus shifts to keeping the New Orleans Saints and their red-hot Quarterback at bay. Oh, speaking of red hot, the Giants now have the Dallas Cowboys breathing right down their necks. Did I mention that three of their last seven games are against the Saints and Cowboys, respectively? Yikes.


"At least we're not the Eagles!"

Now, unlike the Giants, who did alright for themselves in a loss, the Jets put up an absolute stinker in the Meadowlands air on Sunday night, losing 37-16 to the always ahead Patriots. Presented with a golden opportunity the likes of which rarely happens in Gang Green, New Joisey, the Jets found tin and called it a day. Here came Brady and the Pats. Arch-rivals, bad guys the dudes you just wanna beat. Here they came on a two game losing streak, beaten and stumbling. Here they came, with first place in the AFC East on the line. And the Jets played scared again. The D looked like the almighty Mangina was still calling plays. Tom Brady was taking full advantage of his daylight saving's time extra-hour in the pocket. Aaron Maybin whiffed on a few gimme sacks, which isn't really a joke and more the tagline of his career. Vernon Gholston could have gotten more pressure than the Jets front four. Ochocinco even got in on the action! It was a night to forget. Also, Rex Ryan apparently doesn't entirely believe the hoodie is a better coach than the sweater vest.

Rick Mirer thinks he could've done better Sunday Night.

Look, the Jets aren't better than the Patriots, we all know that. But they did beat them twice the last two seasons at home, not to mention the playoff triumph last season. So under Rex, the idea that the Jets had to pencil in two losses before the season even started was all but erased from Jet thought. Not this season. The Jets have looked horrendous against the Pats in both meetings this year. From week to week, the word is Mark Sanchez is regressing, and I don't know if that's true or not, but regardless, it's a topic for another week. What is true is the gap between the Jets and New England is widening. Rex Ryan had made it bridgeable, and this season, it seems to have reverted to a chasm. The Jets got punked at home by the Patriots. That tagline was getting old the last two years. Now it seems unfortunately appropriate again. And to make matters worse, the Jets head to Denver on a short week in which they have to prepare for the most enigmatic offense in the league. This is a game they can't afford to lose. It's also a game they could very easily drop. Tough night for the green and white.

Also, the Bills lost. Bad. The Bills loss shows what's wrong with the American economy. It would have made more sense to stay in Buffalo and forfeit the game, donate the travel fees to charity and just gear up for next week. But the schedule called for them to get whipped in Texas, and whipped in Texas they were. What a week.

-SlideStep

NFL Week 10 Picks

2011-11-11T19:27:00.001-05:00

Week 10 NFL Picks in 140 characters or less

The question on everyone's mind, drum rolls please.... what will happen first, do the Packers lose or do the Colts win ? Now, this is a tough one and advise everyone to not hurt their noggins trying to figure out this one. Miami tries to make it two in a row, Niners try to prove they're for real, Dallas tries to stay relevant and the Patriots and Jets meet for what seems like the 5th time this season.

Oakland Raiders(5-4) vs San Diego Chargers(4-5)
this game was played on Thursday night..today is Friday... #IFailed #MissedTheCut
*Official Score* OAK 24-SD 17

New Orleans Saint(6-3) vs Atlanta Falcons(5-3)
This is going to be a real dog fight down in ATL... #NoPunIntended #MattyIceCantDoIt
NO 28-ATL 23

Pittsburgh Steeler(6-3) vs Cincinnati Bengals(6-2)
Who would of thought, this game would be as big as Ravens-Steelers #BengalsAreForReal #HoldYourHorses #RealityCheck
PIT 27-CIN 16

St. Louis Rams(1-7) vs Cleveland Browns(3-5)
Marquee match-up of the week.. Oklahoma vs Texas #RedRiverRivalry #WhatElseIsThereTooSayAboutThisGame
STL 17-CLE 14

Buffalo Bills(5-3) vs Dallas Cowboys(4-4)
Big game for both teams as they fight for playoff spot relevancy, i think Dallas pulls this one out.. #BadPick #RomoWillChoke
BUF 20-DAL 23

Jacksonville Jaguars(2-6) vs Indianapolis Colts(0-9)
The Colts WINNNNN...The Colts WINNNNN..... #ThatsRight #MarkItDown
JAC 17-IND 23

Denver Broncos(3-5) vs Kansas City Chiefs(4-4)
Tebow pulls of the upset..no defense could stop the option..well at least not this Sunday! #ThisDivisionJustGotInteresting #ChargersSuck
Den 24-KC 20

Washington Redskins(3-5) vs Miami Dolphins(1-7)
The win streak we've all been waiting for, the Dolphins win 2 that's right..2 in a row!!! #NobodyCaresThoo #LetRexGrossmanPlay
WAS 14-MIA 27

Arizona Cardinals(2-6) vs Philadelphia Eagles(3-5)
Cardinals try to pull even with the Eagles #BirdsOfAFeather ..too bad Patrick Peterson is not starting at QB. #EaglesTryToStayRelevant
ARI 16-PHI 30

Houston Texans(6-3) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers(4-4)
Which Texans RB will rush for 100yards ?...ALL OF THEM!!!... Tough season for the Bucs... #WhereIsAndreJohnson #NextYearTampa #NextYear
HOU 28-TB 20

Tennessee Titans(4-4) vs Carolina Panthers(2-6)
Steve Smith is the man... Can't and won't be stopped .. enough about Cam..will someone show this man some love !!! #SteveSmithLove #TheRealSteveSmith
TEN-21- CAR 33

Baltimore Ravens(6-2) vs Seattle Seahawks(2-6)
Ravens beat good teams..Ravens lose to bad teams...The Ravens will #Beatdown this bad team! #BeatdownInSeattle #SleeplessInSeattle
BAL 28-SEA 9

Detroit Lions(6-2) vs Chicago Bears(5-3)
Where are the Tigers?...OHHHH MYYYY !!!... Chicago will win the this game where football talent will be violently displayed! #Peppers vs #Suh
DET 21-CHI 24

New York Giants(6-2) vs San Francisco 49ers(7-1)
Which of teams is for real?... The G-Men win this one convincingly !!! #AlexSmithIsNotElite #NinersNeedToPlayARealTeam
NYG 24-SF 13

New York Jets(5-3) vs New England Patriots(5-3)
Battle for AFC East Supremacy... The Patriots don't lose 3 in a row...right?... #PatriotsDontLose3InARow #ToughLossForGangGreen
NYJ 17-NE 28

Minnesota Vikings(2-6) vs Green Bay Packers
Green Bay will lose a game but not this week... Ponder will throw 3INT's ..common he's a #Rookie.. #RodgersForGreatestPlayerOfAllTime
MIN 17-GB 33

Week 10 Fantasy Football TALK

2011-11-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

Free Agent Finds..

Helu has got the job..we think.

Roy Helu RB-WAS- Shanahan gave the job to Helu in week 9 and he performed. Helu had 10 carries for 41 yards and 14 catches for 105 yards because we all know John Beck likes to let it fly. Now don't expect Helu to catch 14 passes every week but somewhere between 5-9 receptions and 15-20 carries will be up his ally. We know it's Shanahan calling the shots and this mean Roy Helu is not guaranteed anything, but for now it looks like the job is his, at least until Mike decides to factor Choice and Torain into the mix.

Chris Ogbonnaya RB-CLE- Yes, he had 13 carries for 28 yards and lost a fumble in week 9, but he is the only back left in Cleveland. With Hillis and Hardesty nursing injuries, he will continue to get double digit touches, it may not be pretty but it's something. Only start Ogbonnaya if you're running thin at RB, but if you have a spot on your bench, there is nothing to lose in picking up the Browns back.

Laurent Robinson WR-DAL- Miles Austin is expected to miss somewhere between 2-4 weeks. This could be a big hit to many of his owners who are fighting and trying to make that end of the season playoff push. Dez Bryant is the obvious beneficiary of Miles absent, but Robinson and Ogletree will see an increase in targets as well. In weeks 8 & 9 Robinson has had 14 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. Seems Romo has been giving Robinson some attention with both Bryant and Austin on the field, it will be up to Robinson to capitalize on his increase in targets, when called upon.

Deep Threat.

Torrey Smith WR-BAL- Many people are concerned with the fact that Smith drops passes. Yes, that is a concern but he is the fastest guy on the Baltimore offense and no matter what he is the Ravens deep threat. Flacco has the arm and he uses it, Joe will take his shots deep. Boldin is the most talented receiver on this team but will continue to play the slot and see double coverage, this will give Smith some nice one on one match ups down field.

Marion Barber RB-CHI- Barber has now scored in 4 out of 5 games played this season. Even with Matt Forte having a phenomenal season thus far, Barber seems to be the short yardage/goal-line back. Barber is like the poor man's Mike Tolbert. Forte will get the heavy work load but Barber will get his chances to punch it in as long as the Bears are at the goal line. Barber makes for a solid flex start.

New look passing attack.

Oakland Raiders WR's- With Carson Palmer trying to get in sync with this offense, he will soon make it clear who his favorite and number one WR is. Let's keep an eye on this team as they progress forward with Carson under center. Within the next 1-3 weeks we should know which Oakland WR is worth a flex/no.3 start heading into the Fantasy post season.

Mike Williams WR-TB- Williams has 1 lone TD through 8 games this season, but he still leads the Bucs in targets. Because Williams continues to be heavily targeted, the upside and the potential is definitely still alive. This week the Bucs are expected to be throwing and Mike Williams will be Freeman's first option. As of now Williams is a number 3 WR/Flex start at best but he could transform and return to the Williams of 2010 at any moment.

Leave Him On The Bench...

Marshawn, meet Rey Lewis and the boys.

Marshawn Lynch RB-SEA- Lynch has 4 TD's in his last five games but this match up has disaster written all over it. The Ravens D has allowed 3 rushing TD's all year and the Seahawks struggle to throw the ball. The Ravens D will focus on stop stopping Lynch and odds are they will stop him, because the Seattle passing attack will probably shoot themselves in the foot.

Knowshon Moreno RB-DAL- Willis McGahee is back. Tim Tebow is running amok . These are the only reasons needed know, Knowshon is now a non-factor again in Denver.

Someone throw me a pass I could catch

Sidney Rice WR-SEA- Accuracy and Seattle Quarterbacks don't go hand in hand. Tarvaris Jackson struggles against most NFL defense and this week the Ravens are coming to town, expect Ed Reed to take one to the house. Sidney Rice is the target of opposing defenses, as he is the best WR threat on the Seahawks. He will see double coverages and when open or in single coverage the ball may be a tad bit to high or to low for Rice to catch.

Maurice Morris RB-DET- Best is still expected to be out, and Morris will get the start in Detroit but I would not start him this week. Morris is not a slice and dice runner and the Bears defense will be licking their chops waiting to push him back. Detriot will rely heavily on their passing game to win this game and Morris will also have to share some carries.

Brandon Jacobs RB-NYG - Jacobs had his coming out party last week against the Patriots but don't get all hyped. Jacobs has definitely lost a step in his game and has yet to get into a groove this season. Last week Jacobs played high on emotions and adrenaline, it was not only a chance to redeem himself and salvage what remains of his career as a G-Men but it was against the Goliath (Patriots) that David (Giants) once slayed in Superbowl XLII. This Week Jacobs will have to run against the number one ranked defense against the rush, and incase you missed the memo, the 49ers are for real.Giants will rely heavily on there passing game to come out victorious in this one.

Not worth the risk.

Deion Branch WR-NE- Deion Branch or may not have a touchdown, it's not a risk you should be willing to take. In the first meeting against NYJ this season, Branch had 7 catches for 74 yards and 1 TD. This time out the Jets will put more focus on Deion as we figure Welker will spend the day on Revis Island. Brady will look for all receivers but Gronk and Hernandez will a lot of balls thrown their way.

2011 Week 9 NFL Recap

2011-11-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

Week 9 NFL Recap in 140 characters or less

Yes, college fans got to see their "Game of The Century" on Saturday night but that game was no match for the excitement and fire power of NFL Sunday. Green Bay fans got to see the present and a flash from the past, as Rodgers played like Rodgers and Rivers played like Farve. The G-Men reminded Bill and Tom that they fear no Patriot. The Cardinals run on special teams. The Steelers and Ravens need to pay attention to the Bengals.

New York Jets(5-3) vs Buffalo Bills(5-3)
Best all around game thus far for Gang Green. What did we Learn? The AFC East is going to be a #DogFight til the end. #WhoRunsTheAFCEast
NYJ 27-BUF 11

Seattle Seahawks(2-6) vs Dallas Cowboys(4-4)
This proved nothing for the Cowboys credibility. The Seattle QB's need to learn how to throw spirals. #BeatARealTeam #AnyoneCanQBinTheNFL
SEA 13-DAL 23

Atlanta Falcons(5-3) vs Indianapolis Colts(0-9)
Julio was having trouble getting into the end-zone against opposing NFL defenses then he faced the Colts. #ComingOutParty #WatchOuts2008Lions

Miami Dolphins(1-7) vs Kansas City Chiefs(4-4)
i was off by one week ..but nonetheless ... #DolphinsGetOffTheSnide !!!.. #AreTheChiefsForReal ?
MIA 31-KC 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers(4-4) vs New Orleans Saints(6-3)
Drew Brees will have the best offensive season in the history of the NFL for someone that did not win the #MVP Award. #WackyNFLSeason
TB 16-NO 27

San Francisco 49ers(7-1) vs Washington Redskins(3-5)
Roy Helu caught 14 passes, yes 14. When on offense, The Skins need to ask Madden. #NinersKeepRollingRollingRolling
SF 19-WAS 11

Cincinnati Bengals(6-2) vs Tennessee Titans(4-4)
Ravens-Steelers- Striped Cats. The Bengals are for real, this young team knows how to win. Dalton is better than Flacco...HA! #YeahISaidIt
CIN 24-TEN 17

Cleveland Browns(3-5) vs Houston Texans(6-3)
Maybe the Texans can get on a win streak and play like who we think they are. #WillTheRealTexansPleaseStandUp #AnyoneWatchTheClevelandShow ?
CLE 12-HOU 31

Denver Broncos(3-5) vs Oakland Raiders(4-4)
Palmer is getting in sync but may not be ready until next season. McGahee still got it. #TheUbabyTheU #RIPAL
DEN 38-OAK 24

New York Giants(6-2) vs New England Patriots(5-3)
Anyone remember 2007?..well in case you forgot, the Giants did one hell of a job sunday of reminding everyone of super bowl XLII. #TheCatch
NYG 24-NE 20

St. Louis Rams(1-7) vs Arizona Cardinals(2-6)
was Patrick Peterson worth being the 5th pick..because of one play?...YES!!!... #Excitement #WowTheseNFLRookies #99YardWalkOff
STL 13-ARI 19

Green Bay Packers(9-0) vs San Diego Chargers(4-4)
Aaron Rodgers is not human #Cyborg. Philip Rivers has become a 2nd-tier QB. #WackyNFLSeaon #PackersMustBeStopped
GB 45-SD 38

Baltimore Ravens (6-2) vs Pittsburgh Steelers(6-3)
as this #ClashOfTheTitans came to an end, the Ravens stood victorious. Flacco looked he was ready to take the next step..:"looked" #Playoffs
BAL 23-PIT 20

Chicago Bears(4-3) vs Philadelphia Eagles(3-4)
MNF..to be determined.

NFL Week 8 Picks

2011-10-28T23:51:00.001-04:00

Week 8 NFL Picks in 140 characters or less

Week 8 is finally here! No NFL weekend could possibly be worst than week 7...right? Well this week we actually have some match ups we want to see. The OneHopSports match up of the week is Cowboys vs Eagles. Both teams have under achieved and have topped NFL headlines almost every week. The Cowboys can't close out games and the Eagles can't tackle. Both teams want to make up ground on Giants and believe the Giants have no business being there. This game has the potential to be a shoot out and display of great athletic ability.

Indianapolis Cotls(0-7) at Tennessee Titans(3-3)
We get the Colts out the way as early as possible this weekend & CJ #FindsHisLegs...#KillingTwoBirdsWithOneStone
IND 13-TEN 27

New Orleans Saints(4-2) at St. Louis Rams(0-6)
Brees will give NFL fans an encore or is it that the Rams will give us their best rendition of the #Manningless Colts? #FantasyPointsGalore
NO 38-STL 10

Miami Dolphins(0-6) at New York Giants(4-2)
yes, ill say it..The Fins get of the snide ... that is all i have too say... #LivingOnTheEdge
MIA 24-NYG 21

Minnesota Vikings(1-6) at Carolina Panthers(2-5)
Elway vs Marino, Brady vs Manning....Newton vs Ponder? #YearOfTheRookieQB
MIN 20-CAR 30

Arizona Cardinals(1-5) at Baltimore Ravens(4-2)
don't you just love when 2 birds battle it out for 60 minutes?..Ravens beat down ARI #BirdOnBirdAction
ARI 17-BAL 28

Jacksonville Jaguars(2-5) at Houston Texans(4-3)
Jacksonville blew their #Load on monday...Houston wins easily..#IHope #WillSomeoneTakeControlOfThisDivision
JAC 13-HOU 27

Buffalo Bills(4-2) at Washington Redskins(3-3)
Both teams try to stop sliding in the wrong direction, The Bills head in the right direction... #TryingToStayRelevant
BUF 20-WAS 17

Detroit Lions(5-2) at Denver Broncos(2-4)
Tebow loses fight (Still Alive) vs multiple Lions..Stafford gets SEC revenge #BackToRealityForTim #BulldogsVSGators
DET 33-DEN21

New England Patriots(5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers(5-2)
Tom Brady picks apart the #SteelCurtain defense..Mike Wallace has a long TD..Patriots win.. #TheUsual
NE 33-PIT 23

Cleveland Browns(3-3) at San Francisco 49ers (5-1)
Niners win, Harbaugh confuses Pat Shurmur for V.Davis and slaps the crap out of him. Apologizes due to excitement #NewLookNiners
CLE 9-SF 20

Cincinnati Bengals(4-2) at Seattle Seahawks
Seattle's offense is currently out at sea, the Bengals pounce..Ravens and Steelers get angry #MakingPlayoffNoise
CIN 24-SEA 10

Dallas Cowboys(3-3) at Philadelphia Eagles(2-4)
when 2 disappointments meet...one has to win..The Eagles win a shootout, because...one team has to win... #NFCeastMadness
DAL 27-PHI 33

San Diego Chargers(4-2) at Kansas City Chiefs(3-3)
Rivers and Jackson hook up for 2 TD's, Cassel and Bowe hook up for 1TD...#DecidingFactors #GoChargersGo
SD 27-KC 17

2011 World Series

2011-10-28T12:32:00.001-04:00

About Last Night
How the Cardinals and Rangers played an epic in front of no one

While sitting intently on my couch last night, watching Ron Washington hop around like he got into the Halloween stash early, spotting the exact moments in the game when Tony La Russa either popped or grew ulcers and marking the points in Joe Buck's play by play when he had to fight his inner Cardinals fan from exploding in jubilation, a thought crept into my mind that I haven't been able to shake: this was the best World Series game since game 6 of the 2002 fall classic. I'm hoping my memory has failed me, because between Giants-Angels and the current classic, there have been eight other championships contested and while I can remember boxscores, the only images I really remember are the champagne showers or the last out leaps. But I can tell you in '02, Russ Ortiz didn't want to come out of that game, Dusty Baker had a look on his face that said, "well, I've made the walk to the mound, I can't just not make a pitching change." Scott Spiezio faced a hundred pitches, I'm pretty sure, before hitting a wall scraper of a three run home run. There was a monkey in an Angels uniform jumping up and down every other inning.

It is, indeed, rally time.

          Such was the epicness of last night's game 6 between the Cardinals and the Rangers. It's the kind of game that will be remembered in images, not boxscores. And, unfortunately it suffers the same fate as '02 game 6: no one was really watching it. It's like the election montage from Gangs of New York, where a couple thousand more people voted than were actually alive. More people will say they saw game 6 than the ratings suggest. Which is a shame, because most people missed the moment this World Series went from deceptively good to over the top kickass.

          Where to begin? How about the absurdity of the Cardinals twice being down to their season's last strike. Just think about it for a second: a season's worth of baseball, 162+ games, nine months, thousands of at-bats and a couple thousand more pitches faced were reduced to a baseball crossing any point across a 17-inch width between the knees and belly button. Twice. Yet for no conventional reason, the Cardinals are still playing baseball in the 2011 season.

          Speaking of unconventional, the hottest hitter on the Redbirds, Lance Berkman, looks more like an ice road trucker than a right fielder. He was washed up and out last year. But the Puma came up big yet again, keeping the rally going in the ninth and saving St. Louis for the second time in the 10th, his two out softball swing single driving in the tying run in extras. Berkman was an after-thought this time last year. Don't bet against a Puma.

Pictured: Lance Berkman in the offseason.

And for those of us watching, I'm sure you may have caught the now well-known anecdote about how David Freese, local Missouri boy-turned big ballclub third basemen, quit baseball at the end of high school, only to find himself playing off World Series Game 6 in appropriate fashion: a towering blast to straight center into the midwestern night. Dreams are made of this and legends are born from that, or so it goes.

Freese frame: David Freese rounding the bases after the game winning HR. RIP his jersey.

          It's hard to think on September 1st, the mumbling in Missouri was focused on the future of Albert Pujols as a Cardinal, the playoffs more of a "wait til next year" prospect. A World Series? Ask the Rangers about that, not us.

          And yet, you gotta ask: what's the bigger story from a glorious game? The Cardinals staring down the barrel and smiling or the Rangers looking down the sights and blinking? Because yes, the Cardinals were twice a strike away from losing the series, but that means the Rangers were twice a strike away from rising to the highest pedestal in North American baseball (and, with little argument, the world.) Suddenly, Ron Washington's dugout antics have gone from sincere to silly, from unadultered jubilation to reflective of a juvenile adult. Many who backed him just a day ago are now comparing him to Bob Brenly, the less than reputable Diamondbacks manager, who in 2001 checked off the names "Johnson" and "Schilling" every day and tried not to look too confused in the dugout. Washington burning a pinch hitter for his best reliever in the 11th when scoring a run seemed pretty unlikely is now a bigger gaffe than the three or four Tony La Russa has made in the World Series. Hero to goat in one night flat.

          And by all accounts, the Rangers have lost this one. It's nothing but gloom and doom for the Metroplex Mashers, dazed repetition of "one strike twice" clogging up a locker room that was twice taped up for the impending triumphant champagne shower. If the Rangers lose this series, it brings us back to the foundation of the pro game: baseball is cruel, and there's no crying in it. Nolan Ryan's not buying a set of "we almost did it" rings.


Former genius (or future genius) Ron Washington.

Last night felt like that ad campaign FOX set up for the postseason a few years ago, "You can't script October," was actually put into the spirit of competition by Bud Selig. It was exciting, thrilling and tense. But it probably had less viewers in its first half than CBS' Person of Interest, another show in the "exciting, thrilling, tense" category. This is a postseason that has regularly pulled in less viewers than NFL pregame shows. Not enough people were watching the Cardinals save their season and/or the Rangers blow theirs. And it sucks because you might just have missed the definitive World Series game of the next decade. Are you ready for 10 years of laughing nervously when your baseball buddies ask if you remember the rally squirrel? But hey, redemption is a game 7 away. For the Rangers and the fans.

Comments are much appreciated, particularly for you big game historians who can jog my memory of the last eight or so fall classics. Got a memorable game that I forgot about? Leave it in the comments.

NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football TALK

2011-10-26T18:07:00.003-04:00

Free Agent Finds..

It's the Colts.

Matt Hasselbeck QB-TEN- With bye weeks still clicking and ticking, your star QB (Aaron Rodgers) has to ride the bench this week. Now, I'm not saying Hasselbeck will put up A-Rodg numbers but he will have a very good day. Hasselbeck had good games against both the Ravens and Steelers D and I expect him to have his best performance thus far this weekend against a depleted Colts defense.

Jonathan Stewart RB-CAR- The only way Stewart takes a starting spot, is if you're a victim of bye week at the RB position. But keep in mind Stewart has split time with DeAngelo Williams and with limited work Stewart has out performed him every step of the way. He is definitely a solid start at the flex position, he has scored in back to back weeks and even if he doesn't find the end-zone his catches out the back field should give him enough production to make him a solid start at the flex position, especially in PPR leagues.

Ingram's status is key.

Pierre Thomas RB-NO- This all depends on Mark Ingram's ankle. If Ingram can't go or is limited on Sunday, Thomas is definitely worth a pick up. The Saints will be in the red-zone often against the Rams D and when they're at the goal line, Thomas will get his chances. Don't let Sproles scare you off, if Ingram can't go, Thomas will get the heavy workload. Keep an eye on the Saints injury report this week.

Knowshon Moreno RB-DEN- With McGahee out, Moreno is next in line to carry the rock in Denver. Even though he has proven nothing all season, this is still a run first offense. With Tebow under center there will be a lot of opportunities for Knowshon.

Jabbar Gaffney WR-WAS- Well, he is the number one WR in the nations capital. Moss is expected to miss 5-7 weeks and opposing defenses will stack the box to stop Shanahan's run heavy offense. Gaffney will be in a lot of single coverage and will have his opportunities. Worth a pick up.

He's will have his chances

Michael Crabtree WR-SF- Josh Morgan is out for the season, opposing defenses will focus on stopping Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. What other choice does Alex Smith have? Braylon Edwards?. If you still have a hole at the WR position, give Crabtree a shot.

Demaryius ThomasWR-DEN- Demaryius has a good shot at becoming the new number one WR in Denver. After one game with Tebow under center, he is headed in the right direction. For now pick him up an leave him on your bench. If he gets in sync with Tebow, the pay off could be huge.

Leave Him On The Bench...

Percy Harvin WR-MIN- Harvin is not 100% and he may sit out this weekend so the bruised ribs that have plagued him for the past 3 weeks could heal. Even if Harvin plays, it seems the young Christian Ponder is developing a repertoire with WR Michael Jenkins and TE Visanthe Shiancoe.

His ribs need to heal.

Peyton Hillis RB-CLE- Now read this carefully. If you have better option at your number two RB position leave Hillis on the bench. Hillis is caught in a downward spiral and until he shows he's out of this funk, he will be detrimental to your team. If his hamstring is good to go, he will still give up some carries to Montario Hardesty. If you could, leave him out of this weeks starting line up.

Eric Decker WR-DEN- Tebow needs more time to show us who his number one wide out will be. So far it looks likes Demaryius Thomas will see most of the action from Tim but nothing has been proven, so we sit and wait. Don't take the risk.

Reggie Wayne WR-IND- Without Peyton, this season has been a complete mess for Reggie and the Colts. Wayne should stay on your bench for the rest of the season. Even though many drafted Reggie fairly early, there is no reason to feel obligated here. Reggie can't do anything for you this season, even when Painter does throw for 100+ yards...Garcon is his man.

anyone, someone, anybody throw this man a ball

Brandon Jacobs RB-NYG- It seems like he's getting healthy and will play Sunday. Even if he does play, Bradshaw is coming off a huge week 6 and a lot of rest in a bye week. Jacobs may steal a goal line carry or two but for now he is not worth the risk.

2011 NFL Week 7 Recap

2011-10-25T01:29:00.000-04:00

Week 7 NFL Recap in 140 characters or less

Not the most beautiful match-ups this weekend, but hey nonetheless it's NFL Football! Rivers played like an average QB, Hue Jackson backed up his quote "best trade ever", Arian Foster was one punt away from having the single greatest NFL performance and Maurice Jones Drew and Ray Rice played a good ole fashion game of, who could rub butter on their hands and get into the end-zone first.

San Diego Chargers(4-2) at New York Jets(4-3)
To early for the Chargers to be dominant ! ..you must be smoking something #Illegal if you think Rivers has a game like this after week 9.
SD 21-NYJ 27

Seattle Seahawks (2-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-3)
Too much victories to enter the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes... #WhatAreWePlayingFor #PoorFans
SEA 3-CLE 6

Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Detroit Lions (5-2)
Megatron had a TD but on this day the Autobots were victorious.. #MegatronWillRiseAgain
ATL 23-DET 16

Houston Texans (4-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-3)
Houston actually played like the best team in that divsion #ImNotFallingForThisAgain #WeShallSee
HOU 41-TEN 7

Denver Broncos (2-4) at Miami Dolphins (0-6)
Tebow for 2011 Heisman Award .. #HeShookHandsWithGod
DEN 18-MIA 15

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
May The Forte Be With You... #GiveThisManAContract
CHI 24-TB 18

Washington Redskins (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (2-5)
and so the Redskins are at the bottom of the Divsion... #WhatOnceWas TeBow who?.. #CamIsTheBestGatorQB
WAS 20- CAR 33

Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-3)
KC's Defense had a field day, Palmer is still on vacation #BestTradeEver #StillWorkingOutTheKinks
KC 28- OAK 0

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-5)
Mike Wallace Vs Road Runner VS Flash..#WhoWins
PIT 32-ARI 20

St. Louis Rams (0-6) at Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
We want Andrew Luck but we have Bradford #WhatToDoWhatToDo .. Emitt Who..#DemarcoMurray4Lyfe
STL 7-DAL 34

Green Bay Packers (7-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-6)
Ponder came out swinging, Rodgers showed why he is the World Champ.. #WhatHappensToMcNabb #RodgersVSCena for the #Belt.
GB 33-MINN 27

Indianapolis Colts (0-7) at New Orleans Saints (5-2)
Drew Brees put on one heck of a show...but Peyton was the MVP on this night... #WhatsTonyDungyUptoo
IND 7- NO 62

Baltimore Ravens (4-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
What an ugly game, pretty much summed up this week of football #IWantMyTimeBack
BAL 7-JAX 12

New York Jets Recap Week 7 Jets vs Chargers

2011-10-23T16:26:00.002-04:00

Under Burress
Plaxico pulls in three TDs, Jets D pitches second half shutout in much needed win.

Mark Sanchez threw three touchdowns, all to receiver Plaxico Burress, and the New York Jets defense held the vaunted Chargers O in check during a 27-21 win at MetLife Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Jets rallied from down by as much as 11 for their second straight win.


Burress has his biggest day as a Jet.

Burress, playing in just his seventh game since his release from prison, validated the Jets gamble in signing him, a signing which was brought into question throughout the week.

           Needing a big win against a quality opponent, the Jets got off to a rocky start when Mark Sanchez's pass to tight end Dustin Keller was ripped right out of Keller's hands by Chargers linebacker Donald Butler, who returned the turnover for the games opening touchdown. After a Nick Folk field goal, the Jets had a tremendous touchdown catch by wideout Santonio Holmes negated by a holding penalty on all-pro center Nick Mangold, one of an uncharacteristic three penalties committed by Mangold on the day. The Chargers responded with two long, sustained touchdown drives and went into the half up 21-10.

          The Jets defense came out of the intermission swinging, reducing Rivers to ordinary and ineffective. Rivers opened the second half completing only one of 10 pass attempts before throwing a pick to cornerback Derrelle Revis, who returned it 68 yards to set up the Jets offense for a go-ahead score. The turnover led to Burress's third touchdown of the game, which proved to be the game winning score. Folk added another field goal to bring the game to its final score. Shonn Greene topped 100 yards running, the first time a Jets player topped the century rushing mark this season.

          The Chargers repeatedly hurt their own cause all game. Coming into the contest as the least penalized team in the NFL, the Chargers committed 13 penalties for 95 yards. San Diego (4-2) now heads to Kansas City to play the division rival Chiefs in prime time. The Jets (4-3) will head into their bye week on a high note.

-OneHop

2011 World Series Cardinals vs Rangers

2011-10-23T13:34:00.001-04:00

Prince Albert owns Arlington
Pujols bashes three homers, five total hits, six total RBIs in game 2 Cardinals romp.

The offenses finally showed up at the Ballpark in Arlington last night as the Cardinals and Rangers, who combined for only eight total runs in the first two games of the World Series struck for a a combined 23 runs in game 3, a 16-7 Cardinals romp to regain home field advantage. But the story of the night certainly wasn't the awakening offenses, but the one man who has been the story of St. Louis for the last decade.

           All-world first basemen Albert Pujols, coming off a bizarrely unproductive game 2, exploded in historical fashion in game 3, putting up numbers whose closest analogues are the likes of Jackson and Ruth. Indeed, if there is a player whose name sounds right at place with those Yankee legends of yester-year, its Albert Pujols.

          Pujols went 5-6 for the game with three home runs, including a mammoth three run shot in the sixth inning to quell a burgeoning Rangers rally. His three home runs tied a World Series single game record shared by baseball legends Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. His five hits also tied a World Series record, each coming off a different Rangers pitcher. His six RBIs tied yet another fall classic record, this one most recently achieved by former Yankee outfielder Hideki Matsui during the 2009 World Series. "Tonight was something special" said a shell-shocked Texas manager Ron Washington.

          Indeed it was, possibly a career-defining performance by a sure fire hall of famer whose career is already littered with displays of other-worldly talent. With the World Series hanging in the balance, Pujols turned it in favor of the Cardinals, his record-setting night making sure there was no doubt.

          A trip to the cozy confines of Arlington proved to be the necessary treatment for an offensively-challenged World Series. Both teams combined for 28 hits, including six home runs. A combined 11 pitchers were used.

          The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, when Allen Craig hit a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning. With some help from the Rangers defense---and a blown call by first base umpire Ron Kulpa---the lead ballooned to five by the fourth inning. Texas responded in the home half of the fourth with three runs of their own, capped off by another Nelson Cruz homer. After the Cardinals got the runs back in the top of fifth behind catcher Yadier Molina's (4 RBI) two run double, the Rangers were able to pull the game to within two runs. That's when Pujols launched a devestating three run bomb, sealing the game for the Cardinals and starting Pujols' march into the history books.

          For the Rangers, manager Ron Washington has to come to terms with the fact that his team has been outplayed for 26 of the series' 27 innings, and could easily be a game from elimination. A start is to not pitch to number 5 anymore. Asked how he would deal with Pujols from here on out, Washington said, "...I'm not going to let him swing the bat."

-OneHop

All quotes courtesy of the Associated Press. All stats courtesy of si.com and baseball-reference.com

NFL Week 7 Picks

2011-10-22T23:39:00.003-04:00

Week 7 NFL Picks in 140 characters or less

What an unfortunate week for the NFL. Not that no one will tune in, but the slated primetime games for week touchdown stink. Colts-Saints? Okay, that one's understandable, since the primetime picks are made well in advance of the NFL preseason, and a recent Super Bowl rematch is usually a solid get. But Ravens-Jaguars? What was the thinking behind that one, ESPN? MJD versus the Ravens D? The public execution of Blaine Gabbert? A dream matchup between two animals who wouldn't fight in nature? Looks like this Monday night will be a good time to pick up some overtime hours. Here are the OneHop picks for Week 7, in 140 characters or less.

San Diego Chargers(4-1) at New York Jets(3-3)
San Diego's circadian rhythm says its 10am, we shouldn't be playing football. Rex Ryan's mouth will fix the lethargy for Phillip Rivers and co. #ShutUpRex
SD 24-NYJ 14

Seattle Seahawks (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3)
Ehh, this game. Teams are too good for Luck and too bad for anything else. #Whatareweplayingfor
CLE 20-SEA 17

Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Detroit Lions (5-1)
Matty Ice fails to keep his cool in frenzied Ford Field. #MoTownThanYouCanHandle
DET 24-ATL 17

Houston Texans (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-2)
Hobbled Houston loses ground in Manningless division race. #whocares
TEN 31-HOU 24

Denver Broncos (1-4) at Miami Dolphins (0-5)
Fins honor 08 Gators, in time for Tebow. If the Fins win, they can have Tebow next year. #SuckforLuck
MIA 20-DEN 16

Chicago Bears (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)
Cussin Cutler stumbles against Freeman's panhandle pirates.
Bucs ride late offensive wave to victory. #TellMartzF*%kHim
TB 20-CHI 17

Washington Redskins (3-2) at Carolina Panthers (1-5)
How often is a 1-5 team a no brainer? Newton scores second NFL win. Indian giving Skins want McNabb back. #QBHelpWanted
CAR 24-WAS 19

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-2)
Carson or Kyle, Raiders romp for Al in emotional first home game since Davis's death. #JustWinBaby
OAK 27-KC 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-4)
Maybe I was wrong about recent SB rematches being generally memorable. #WheresKurtWarner
PIT 27-ARZ 14

St. Louis Rams (0-5) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
Bradford hasn't practiced all week. Romo will play. Which one is better for the Rams? #RomonotbeingRomo
DAL 31-STL 13

Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5)
What is there to (Christian) Ponder? Rodgers is the best. #Metrodromemassacre
GB 34-MINN 10

Indianapolis Colts (0-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-2)
Super Bowl rematch includes no Peyton picks or Painter TDs. Saints rebound in Sunday night snoozer. #wherestheremote
NO 24-IND 9

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Ray Lewis and co decleat Gabbert, send flowers to his hospital bed. Gabbert considers putting communications degree to use. #welcometotheNFL
BAL 38-JAX 13

-OneHop

2011 World Series Cardinals vs Rangers

2011-10-21T14:32:00.002-04:00

Card Out :

La Russa Busts, Rangers Ride NL-Style Ninth to Game 2 Glory.

           In the blustery confines of Busch Stadium, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa's bullpen roulette turned into the Russian variant as his decorated relief corps blew a stellar performance from starter Jaime Garcia in the ninth inning, yielding two runs to the heart of the Rangers lineup in a 2-1 loss.

          But the runs came in the most National League of style: the sacrifice fly. Texas second basemen Ian Kinsler led off the final frame with a single off the ever reliable Jason Motte. Kinsler then stole second, sliding in just ahead of a tremendous throw by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. Rangers short stop Elvis Andrus followed up with a sharp single to center, moving Kinsler to third and advancing to second when center fielder John Jay's throw skipped past Albert Pujols' glove.

          La Russa, sticking to his formula of mixing and matching the bullpen, pulled his closer, Motte, in favor of lefty Arthur Rhodes to dispatch an ailing Josh Hamilton. Hamilton laced a fly ball to right field, dying in the swirling St. Louis wind, but deep enough to score Kinsler and advance Andrus. La Russa again dipped into his pen, this time---curiously---calling upon rookie Lance Lynn to face veteran first basemen Michael Young. Young promptly produced his own sacrifice fly, more than deep enough to allow the speedy Andrus to saunter home with the game winning run. Rangers closer Neftali Feliz cruised through the home half of the inning to send the two teams to Arlington tied at a game apiece.

          Texas starter Colby Lewis pitched an effective game, going 6 2/3rd innings while allowing one run on four hits. The Cardinals' sole run came on Allen Craig's seventh inning single off reliever Alexi Ogando, a run charged to Lewis.

          Lewis was matched pitch for pitch (and then some) by Cards starter Garcia, who breezed through seven innings of work, allowing only three hits and striking out seven Rangers while throwing a minimal 87 pitches. Still, La Russa yanked Garcia in favor of his bullpen, which had been untouchable in the postseason up until game 2. With Motte entering in the ninth, a victory seemed inevitable. But the hard-throwing righty couldn't shut the door on the American League champs this time. Said Motte, "I didn't do my job."

          The series now becomes a best of five, with the Rangers taking over home field advantage, the next three games to be contested in Arlington. Game three starters are slated to be Kyle Lohse (0-2, 7.45 ERA in the playoffs) for the Cardinals and Matt Harrison (1-0, 4.22) for the Rangers. With the DH now in play, expect La Russa to have an even quicker trigger on his starters in an attempt to get the World Series back to Missouri.

Quotes courtesy of the Associated Press. Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com.

NFL Fantasy Football 2011

2011-10-20T14:13:00.006-04:00

User Submitted Question: Is fantasy football good for the real game or not?

One thing that immediately comes to mind , Maurice Jones-Drew infamous kneel down at the 1-yard line against the New York Jets on Nov 15 2009. The Jets were at a point where the only way they were going to get the ball back late in the game was letting Jacksonville's RB Jones-Drew score a TD, but to there dismay, Jones-Drew suddenly stopped at the one yard line and took a knee. This was very reminiscent to Brian Westbrook's kneel down against the the New York Giants in 2007, but this one was more obvious and way more strategic. Jones-Drew knew kneeling down would run the clock down allowing Josh Scoobe a chance at a chip shot that would put the game away, giving the Jets virtually no time to respond or have a chance at a comeback.

   This shows that athletes have zero or no attachments to fantasy teams and leagues, whether they love their fans or they themselves are partaking in a fantasy game. In a league as prestigious as the NFL, athletes number one priority is doing what's best in helping the team win on that given week and that's the way it should be. If the Jaguars needed a TD, Jones-Drew would have definitely been in the end-zone but the Jaguars need an opportunity to run the clock and still have a shot at a high percentage field goal to put the game away and Jones-Drew gave them just that. Yes, he did apologize to his fantasy owners and did rag on himself because he owned Maurice Jones Drew in his fantasy league, but it was all in good fun. No way was there any regret and or remorse and nor should he have felt that way.
        Fantasy football has been nothing more than great for the NFL. Jones Drew apologizing was a perfect example of fans and athletes interacting and having some type of connection or bond. Kenny Mayne and Maurice Jones Drew even did a parody on ESPN's "Mayne Event" about the whole situation, the kneel down basically gave ESPN a freebie at an episode for the "Mayne Event" and they ran with it. For athletes fantasy football games are all in good fun because not only could they draft themselves, they have the chance to draft teammates and other athletes around the league they may have played college ball with or have some sort of on going-friendly rivalry.
   For many fans, fanatsy football games finally gives them the opportunity to draft,manage,trade,make transactions and crucial decisions involving a team of professional athletes in doing what's in the teams best interest and ultimately winning the big one, whether it may be referred to as the "Shiva Bowl" or the "Wotless Championship",whatever your version of the Super Bowl may be, you want to win it all! A lot of fans have great insight and analysis of whats currently going on the league, especially when it comes to talent and production but have no where to put this knowledge to use. Fantasy football gives fans a chance to take the driver seat on managing a team an applying their football intellect. Many fans may have never been athletic enough to make it pass JV but have the brain power to command what should be done on the field. Fantasy football gives them the ultimate experience as to what it's like to manage and run a team/organization. A Giants fan may root for an Eagle because he/she drafted Micheal Vick, a Jets fan may root for the Patriots on Any Given Sunday because he/she drafted Wes Welker, for 15 minutes an historic rivalry is put on the back burner. This is what Fantasy Football brings to the table, an interaction between Fans, Athletes and the NFL that cannot be matched or duplicated.

-OneHop

Week 7 Fantasy Football TALK.

2011-10-19T02:33:00.004-04:00

Free Agents Finds..

Carson is back.

Carson Palmer QB-OAK- If you have the room or a player too dump, feel free to pick up Carson Palmer. He is in no way a "must start" and probably will not be for most of the season but he is a solid security blanket. I believe by week 11 he will hit his stride, with a week 8 bye coming up, he will have more than enough time too get acclimated with this already familiar offense. Now, if you are relying on Carson Palmer to make some noise in the fantasy post-season and carry you to the promise land, you may want to reevaluate your team.

Montario Hardesty RB-CLE- Why not take a shot on Montario?. Hillis has only gotten into the end-zone twice this season and both TD's came in the same game. For a lot of owners that drafted Hillis high, they might be looking for something new, a change of pace, anyone that could give half of the production expected from Peyton, this late in the FA pool. Hillis has been a lost cause all season and it seems even when healthy, his contract disputes are factoring into his focus. I say ride Montario while Hillis is unfocused, injured or suffering from the "Madden Curse", whatever it may be.

Jackie Battle RB-KC- At this point, the Chiefs will probably feed the ball to the hottest hand at RB. It seems as if Dexter McCluster is not an every down back and Todd Haley will continue to use him as a change of pace back, which still makes him a solid flex spot, especially during bye weeks. Thomas Jones has been about average as a fantasy RB could be, rushing for "decent" yards but not able to find the endzone. The Raiders may be prepared for Jackie but he showed he could handle the heavy work load and is worth a flex start this week.

Dallas Duo.

DeMarco Murray/ Tashard Choice RB-DAL- Felix Jones will probably miss a couple of games. Now i do think the Cowboys will rely heavily on the passing game, with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin getting back to 100%. Both Murray and Choice are good flex start options, or if losing Jones really put you in a choke-hold at RB. Even though neither has yet to show they will be the every down back or get the higher percent of the carries, Murray looked stronger and more productive against the Patriots, where as Choice had 5 rushes for 14 yards and a fumble in the red-zone. I would try to grab Murray first, but if you really need a RB or flex player, grab Choice.

Fred Davis TE-WAS- Fred Davis is a TE that should already be on everyone's radar, if not already on your roster.With this being Beck's first start of season, the Redskins will probably pound the ball as Beck eases into the start role. Beck has not shown that he will sling it deep at will and with Chris Cooley out, Fred Davis makes for the perfect safety blanket for ole' Johnny boy.

Leave him on the bench...

Odd Man Out

Robert Meachem WR-NO- Jimmy Graham is Drew's number one target, no matter the opponent. Colston is back and healthy and Sproles continues to be Drew's saftey blankey. Meachem is just the odd man out.

Delone Carter RB-IND- Even if Addai misses another game and Carter gets the start, you are probably just setting yourself up for disappointment. Carter has not shown he could handle the load and the Colts do not get to the goal line often enough too bank on Carter getting into the end-zone.

Stay Away

Tim Hightower RB-WAS- As seen last week, being listed as the starting RB in Washington could get you zero action. No RB in Shanahan's offense is a safe start, Torain if you are in dire need of a flex starter, even then i would leave Torain on my bench and let things play out in Washington. Tim seems to be ailing and Shanahan seems to be Shanahan.

DeAngelo Williams RB-CAR- First let me make it clear, the best goal line back on this team has been Cam Newton. The most productive running back on this team has been Jonathon Stewart because he has caught passes out the backfield. Stewart's production has been limited due to splitting the work with Williams and it seems due to Williams contract from this off-season, Carolina is staying loyal in trying to make him a factor in this offense.Even though he has under achieved and is still a question mark. DeAngelo just does not have his legs under him.

-One Hop

Carson Back in Cali.

2011-10-18T19:51:00.001-04:00

      It's been ten days and all of Raider Nation and the NFL could still feel the presence and spirit of the late Al Davis. Today the Raiders pulled of a trade that had an eerie Al Davis feel to it. The Oakland Raiders traded their 2012 1st round draft pick and a conditional 2013 2nd round draft pick that will become a 1st round pick if the Raiders win a playoff game this season with Carson Palmer under center.
      Both teams could potentially be winners in this deal. The Raiders have a offense that is on the ground running and ready to roll, all that's missing is someone to put the ball/offense into motion. Carson Palmer could and will fit perfectly into this playbook. Hue Jackson knows Carson like the back of his hand and Carson knows Hue's playbook and style like he played for him in USC and Cincinnati. With McFadden and Bush setting the pace and tone of this offense, speedy receivers will be running lose waiting for Carson and Hue to call plays that will get them the ball. This Oakland offense is ready to explode and they don't necessarily need a gunslinger. This young team needs a leader, veteran wisdom and a smart QB who could deliver the ball and show them how to put it all together.
       The Bengals are 4-2 ! An offense led by Andy "Don't Call Me Ginger" Dalton and a young A.J. Green. A defense that lost Jonathon Joseph but still ranked top 5 in the NFL. This young team is not overachieving, they're a young team that is learning how to put it all together and win in the NFL. They may not make the playoffs playing in a division with the Ravens and Steelers, but they've had already made a name for themselves as a team to watch out for. With an extra 1st round pick in the next draft and another potential 1st round pick in 2013 but at least a 2nd round pick, this team is in a prime spot to get the right pieces needed to become contenders and show the league that they're for real. It did not take Packers long to stop missing Brett Farve and it will take the Bengals less time to move on after Carson...who?

-One Hop

A Very Special Super Bowl

2011-10-18T18:27:00.003-04:00

I was once asked "who do you think were the best football movie athletes/characters ?" But I did one better: I gave said person the greatest football movie scene ever (if I were ever allowed to write a movie scene, yet alone be allowed within 100 yards of a movie set.)
Ultimate Football Movie Scene- Nigel "The Leg" Gruff (The Replacements) stands, staring down field as the leagues most feared Return Man, Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump,) is returning his kick off. He stands there hoping his gunner Bobby Boucher (The Water Boy) will bring Gump down and possibly take him out the game, like Boucher has done all season to anyone who dares cross the 50 yard line. It's not going to be easy, because special teams coach Radio (Radio) has been drawing up some really tricky schemes that have allowed the speedster return man Gump to get into the endzone. Some say Gump and Radio speak their own language. Gruff needs his team to get the stop because his gambling problems have finally caught up to him. In the stands, sits his dangerous, violent , break your-legs-if-you-don't-pay bookie, Rain Man (Rain Man). But as he looks into the stands, his worries are quelled. He's no longer focused on the game or his bookie. He sees a man and his little daughter sharing an ice cream cone, enjoying the moment and the game. That mans name is Sam.

-One Hop

Sport Psychology

2011-10-18T18:23:00.003-04:00

Names: Do they tell your destiny? (NFL)

      Name, its defined as: a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called or known. But in the world of sports, a name is more than just a title. Your name could dictate whether you have a long lasting career, whether you're a feast or famine player and definitely gives it away when a team just wasted a franchise pick , because you're going to be bust and nothing more, because your full government name just told us so.
Let's cut right to the chase. "And with the second pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers select Ryan Leaf, Quarterback, Washington State". Where in that sentence do you see "hope, future, championship, franchise QB?" Nowhere. The name Ryan Leaf sounds like a 4th grade math teacher. "Mr. Leaf, may I please go to the bathroom?" It doesn't sound like it could be succeeded with "Super Bowl MVP." Just saying that made me chuckle a little. Fast forward 12 years, and The Chargers have a top 5 QB at the helm named Rivers. Philip Rivers. Now that's a name that says gunslinger, throw bombs in the end-zone, successful NFL Quarterback.
      But not every players misfortune on the field is a result of his full name. In some cases an unsuspecting athlete will fall victim to a letter being out of place. Consider if you will, one Joey Harrington. First off, nothing much is expected from you if you're the starting QB of the Detroit Lions. But with that being said, Joey Joey Joey, sounds like the man who never was. The man who always came close but fell short, never made an entrance when entering a room. Now what if he was named Joe Harrington ? Then he would be a grizzled QB, known for not being scared, getting into bar brawls the night before the game and the QB who came into Detroit, kicked ass and took names. A guy named Joey Montana was not going to win 5 super bowls. Joey Namath? He would never make a guarantee. Mean "Joey" Green? Probably drinks Pepsi. A young hot shot named Joey Flacco goes into that tenacious Ravens locker room and gains respect? Not even in your slightest dreams.
      Hey look, I know there are no sabre-metrics or advanced calculations to back this all up, and young parents, naming your kid Peyton or Tom doesn't guarantee him a spot in Canton. I mean, if you already picked Reginald, why go through all the trouble of changing that garish name now? But if you want your kids to have a better shot at hitting boxcars in the veritable crap shoot that is professional football success, try calling him Reggie. At the very least, it'll make high school easier.

-One Hop