Patriots Offseason: Defensive Line

Posted on February 27, 2012 by davecouture

The Patriots defensive line played better than most had expected coming into the season last year and at times was a bright spot for a primarily bad defense. Andre Carter was a great surprise and played exceptional prior to his season ending knee injury. Mark Anderson proved to be a great signing considering once Carter went down he stepped right in and ended the regular season with 10 sacks. Both Carter and Anderson will be free agents this offseason so keeping both seems rather unlikely. If healthy Carter is the more likely signing but as players age injuries like Carter suffered are much harder to bounce back from. Shaun Ellis and Gerard Warren are also free agents and I don’t expect the Pats to hang on to either, as they are both far past their prime. The anchor of the defensive line is obviously big Vince Wilfork and he will certainly maintain that role next year. Kyle Love and Brandon Deadrick have both been great surprises for the Pats, but they are not exactly quality NFL starters. Through the recent years the Patriots been reluctant to use first round picks on defensive lineman, but I expect that pattern to change this year. Of course if the Pats make a move prior to the draft and sign a top-tier free agent to play defensive end then they will more than likely shy away from defensive lineman in the first couple rounds. There are many quality options this offseason so talent certainly won’t be the issue. Some of the possible Patriots options are as follows.

Mario Williams: Obviously this signing would be a huge stretch, and with a young and very talented Texans team Williams might be more willing to stick around. He would certainly help turn this defense around who ranked 31^st in yards against last season. Williams would be used as a hybrid D-Line / Outside Linebacker for the Patriots.

Robert Mathis: Mathis is a great pass rusher with Pro-Bowl talent and would be a huge upgrade for the Pats. Mathis is more likely to leave Indy seeing as they are clearly about to begin their rebuilding process and when that occurs the veterans usually are not a part of their plans.

Aaron Smith: Smith might stay put in Pittsburgh but this would certainly be a viable option for the Pats. Belichick loves to stack depth at the defensive line position with veterans so this would certainly be along the lines of a typical Patriots signing. Smith has shown he can get after the QB.

Other possible options:

Raheem Brock

Amobi Okoye

John Abraham

C’s Give Little Help as East Falls

Posted on February 27, 2012 by jtulz07

We all know what’s going to happen when you put 10 of basketball’s best players on the same court at the same time. Last night’s NBA All-Star Game was nothing short of a dunk contest. As the second highest scoring matchup in the history of the All-Star Game, the Celtic’s contribution came in the form of a mere 5 points via Rondo and Pierce. But that’s neither here nor there. What matters is whether or not the C’s have what it takes to turn the season around when they get back to work Tuesday in Cleveland for game 33, marking the exact halfway point of the shortened 66 game schedule.

Also, in case you missed it, here’s a clip of Rondo’s half-court alley-oop to Lebron from last night. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing to watch as a C’s fan but I’ll put it up just because Durant beat LJB out for All-Star MVP and I don’t feel quite as guilty with Rondo creating the play.

All Star Break Grades – Shooting Guards

Posted on February 27, 2012 by leibo4

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
Ray Allen	14.5	3.1	2.8	.14	.79	+73	15.3

Positives: At 36, Ray is showing that he still has it. He is 3^rd on the team in minutes played with 33.9 per game and is constantly in motion. Due to a great diet, conditioning, and hard work Ray has aged the best out of the big three. He has taken less physical contact than both Paul and KG but the way his body has kept up is a testament to Ray. He is shooting 43.5% from 3 and almost 94% from the line. Ray opens up the floor for everyone else with his shooting. The way that he runs around on the floor, not only works to get him open, but wears out the opposing player.

Negatives: Can’t really take players off the dribble. Other than defending Kobe Bryant, Ray is just an average defender. He needs to cut down on his turnovers, because when he is not the primary ball handler he should be able to average less than 2 a game.

With no other real quality shooting guards on the roster Doc has to rely on Ray in both wins and losses. Hopefully his legs will be able to handle the rest of the strenuous season because if the Celtics are going to make a run, they’re going to need Ray’s shooting.

Grade: A-

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
Marquis Daniels	2.8	1.7	1.3	.26	.43	+7	6.0

Positives: Marquis is a smart player, who rebounds and hustles. His skills aren’t the greatest. But he defends hard and is a favorite of Doc’s.

Negatives: Daniels is having a terrible season so far. He has lost his minutes in recent games to Sasha Pavlovic. In the last five games he has played 14 minutes combined and scored 0 points. He had been turning over the ball and was looking frantic out there. Not something you expect from an 8 year vet. In the game against the Thunder the other night his +/- was -17 in only 5 minutes of playing time.

Grade: D

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
E’Twaun Moore	3	.7	1	.13	.3	-4	8.8

Positives: E’Twaun has been a big surprise for the Celtics. People weren’t expecting much from the second-round pick. He had his best game of the season against the Orlando Magic in the comeback game. He had a career high 16 points and shot 4-4 from three in only 18 minutes. The emergence of Avery Bradley has severely cut into Moore’s minutes as the season’s progressed. He has a positive future for the Celtics but from here on out, I do not see him getting any big minutes this season.

Negatives: Still not sure where E’Twaun fits, is he a point guard or a shooting guard? When he comes off the bench he needs to provide a spark for the Celtics every game like he did in the Magic game. It’s a tough job to do but he has to do but it doesn’t come easy for 2^nd round picks in the NBA.

If the Celtics had more depth on the team, I would be guessing that E’Twaun may be spending this season with their D-League affiliate. Unfortunately the Celtics do not have that luxury and E’Twaun is going to get only sporadic playing time for the rest of the season.

Grade: C+

Click here for Point Guard Grades

College Weekend Recap

Posted on February 27, 2012 by christoph131

On Friday night, Marquette’s coach Buzz Williams decided to bench 3 of his starters due to “undisclosed team violations”. However, #10 Marquette was able to erase a 15 point, 4^th quarter, deficit and came back to beat Big East rival West Virginia, 61-60. One of the few starters that played for the Golden Eagles was Senior Jae Crowder. Crowder scored 26 points on 9 for 17 shooting in 40 minutes of play.

On Saturday, #1 Kentucky was able to capture the SEC Conference Title by beating Vanderbilt 83-74. Star forward Anthony Davis was able to connect on 10 of his 11 shots and 8 of his 9 free throws to score a game-high 28 points. He also had 11 rebounds to reach the double-double platform. He is a one-of-a-kind player who also put in 6 blocks for the Wildcats.

Somehow, #5 Kansas was able to come back from 19 points down against #3 Missouri in overtime. This was one of the better games this season in my opinion. Possible player of the year, Thomas Robinson, scored yet another double-double with 12 rebounds and 28 points. Tyshawn Taylor was able to pitch in 24 points of his own on 44 minutes of play. I think the Jayhawks should be considered as one of the best teams in the country, despite their 5 losses.

#2 Syracuse somehow only beat struggling UConn by 2 points. Kris Joseph nabbed three 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the Orange. With the victory, Syracuse captured the Big East title. Despite the loss, the entire Husky starting line-up was able to score in double digits, with the exception of Lowell native Alex Oriakhi. Unfortunately, not one player off the bench was able to score a single point, and that includes Shabazz Napier.

#4 Duke was able to hold off Virginia Tech in yet another Saturday overtime game. The final score was 70-65. Austin Rivers put in 23 points with the help of 17 free throw attempts. Seth Curry was able to add 19 points of his own for the Blue Devils.

#7 North Carolina was barely able to slip by unranked Virginia in an ACC battle, by only 3 points. Forward Tyler Zeller scored 20 points while fellow Tar Heel John Henson was able to contribute a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. I was really hoping they lost…

On Sunday, #15 Wisconsin handed #9 Ohio State their 6^th loss of the season. Star forward Jared Sullinger only connected on four of his shots, and missed all three free throws. He finished the game with a mere 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Notable Upsets:
Georgia 76                          #11 Florida 62
Purdue 75                           #13 Michigan 61
St. Johns 61                        #18 Notre Dame 58
TCU 83                                  #21 New Mexico 64
Saint Joseph’s 82             #22 Temple 83
Miami 78                             #16 Florida State 62

AL East Position Matchup: Center Field

Posted on February 24, 2012 by TOB$

Today, I will cover the AL East’s strongest position, Centerfield. To the surprise of many Sox fans, Jacoby Ellsbury absolutely broke out last year. The big story throughout the year will be how the Red Sox handle his expiring contract. They avoided arbitration with Jacoby this year by signing him to a one year $8.05 million contract (a big raise from his $2.4 million earned in 2011). I understand that the Red Sox didn’t want to reward him MVP money for the long term after his one year sample of his abilities, but I think they should make moves on a contract early in the season. The bad news for the Red Sox is that Jacoby’s agent is Scott Boras and he’ll be sure to try to squeeze every penny out of any organization for his clients.

For previous positional rankings click here: C–1B–2B–3B–SS–LF

Here are the rankings for Centerfielder:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
2. Curtis Granderson, Yankees
3. B.J. Upton, Rays
4. Adam Jones, Orioles
5. Colby Rasmus, Blue Jays

Throughout all 2011, Jacoby and Granderson were fighting to be the best centerfielder in their division, but also were fighting to be the league MVP at the same time. Long story short, Jacoby got snubbed for the MVP and placed second, while Granderson came in 4th place after his monster season for the Bronx Bombers. 2012 should be no different. As noted earlier, Ellsbury will be in a contract year and out to prove that last year was no fluke. Granderson wants to prove the same thing, considering he finally lived up to the hype that was pegged onto him after his breakout year in 2007 with the Tigers. Similar to the MVP race, Ellsbury inched ahead of Granderson in the rankings. Jacoby really looks like he figured out his power stroke last year and has speed for days. I think his steal numbers will bump back up to the 50’s, but not near the 70 he swiped in 2009. Jacoby’s speed on the basepaths and in the outfield coupled with his consistent batting average make him a good choice to repeat another big year. I’m predicting .305/18 HR/80 RBI’s out of Ells, with 53 SB’s and 115 runs in his contract year. Granderson on the other hand has pretty much established what he is capable of in his six full years in the majors. I see his 41 hrs as a bit of a hiccup last year. Last year, Granderson hit 16 home runs against lefty’s, while he had only hit 20 against them in his entire career. I still see him getting around 30 HR in Yankee stadium, which is built for swings like Grandersons. Despite this, Granderson has a lower average than Ells and doesn’t swipe as many bags. He gets slotted into the second spot due to this.

Next up is Rays outfielder BJ Upton. As his career really begins to shape, it is starting to look like his brother Justin got the better genes. He was an absolute monster for the D-Backs last year in the NL West. BJ has been exposed for his flaws at the plate throughout his career. He has been known for his streaky hitting and when he’s on a hot streak no pitcher wants to face him (like the 2008 playoffs). He’s a very similar player to Jacoby from a statistical standpoint, except for his much lower batting average (.243 BA last year).

Upton’s edge in the field gave him the third ranking over number four, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles. Jones is a very dangerous hitter and getting better each year, but he has yet to master his control of the strike zone (.280 BA with a .319 OBP last year).

Rounding up the rankings in Colby Rasmus of the Blue Jays. Colby had an off year last year after a promising first two seasons in St. Louis. He had a horrible batting year last year, with drops in BA, OBP, HR’s, RBI’s and SB’s. If he can figure out how to correct his batting woes from last year, he can provide some power in the sneaky good Blue Jays offense.

For previous positional rankings click here: C–1B–2B–3B–SS–LF

All Star Break Grades – Point Guards

Posted on February 24, 2012 by leibo4

Over the next few days during the All-Star Break I am going to be grading the Celtics players by their positions. Starting with the C’s point guards.

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
Rajon Rondo	14.8	4.9	9.5	0	1.64	+61	18.9

Positives: Without Rajon Rondo, I am not sure where the Celtics would be. He is the heart and the motor that drives the team. His jump shot is continually improving to the point where teams are at least aware of where he is on the floor. When he is looking for his shot, he can easily put up over 25 points, but feels content to let the shots come to him and feed the rest of his players. Defensively he is an animal who comes up with over 1.5 steals per game. May be the best passer in the NBA, with his vision, long arms, and huge hands he has not found a pass he couldn’t make. Rondo made the All-Star team, replacing Joe Johnson, and also made the Skills competition, replacing Steph Curry.

Negatives: Still has a way below-average jump shot. Plays hard, but mood can affect his tenacity. May gamble too much as he gives up more points than he saves from steals, relies on power forwards and centers to slide over to help defend. Struggles at free throw line continue (61.5%). Rondo needs to be a less moody player and learn to control his emotions (aka throwing ball at referee other night).

Grade: B+

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
Avery Bradley	4.3	1.8	1.3	.27	.53	+26	7.8

Avery has a very different role when Rondo is out. I am also going to add the 10 games that he started.

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-
Avery Bradley	7.3	3.1	2.6	.2	.9	N/A
Bradley vs Thunder	12	2	5	3	1	+3

Avery is obviously getting more and more comfortable with the minutes he is getting. Obviously he cannot replicate the types of numbers that Rondo provides, but the drop off is not as bad as people might think. The offense goes into a different direction with Rondo out, the ball moves much more fluidly and is touched by everyone on offense

Positives: Bradley has a better jumper than Rondo and defenses are going to learn that they have to respect that. This opens up more of a lane for Pierce and Allen to penetrate and find open shooters. He is one of the premier defenders, if not the premier on ball defender in the NBA.

Negatives: Jump shot is still a little shaky although it has looked great in past few games. Can get a little out of control on offense and commit a few turnovers. He can over pursue when he full court presses leading to more problems for other teammates. Avery needs to find more consistency to get the faith from Doc on a day in day out basis.

Grade: B

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	+/-	PER
Keyon Dooling	5.1	.7	1.1	.06	.25	-31	7.2

Positives: Keyon has shown that he is not afraid of taking shots at big times, he has shown that he wants to be a crucial scorer off the bench. He is a plus defender and puts in effort on defense, can defend point guard or shooting guard position.

Negatives: For all that Keyon has wanted to do, I am coming to the conclusion that he is just not that good. He is a combo guard who wants to be a shooting guard. He does not have the handle for a point guard, or the ability to create as a two. He forces up too many three’s to allow the Celtics get into a flow. He has struggled with injuries this season and personally when I see him on the floor I just see it as time being taken away from Rondo, Bradley, or even E’Twaun Moore.

Grade: D

Overall:

Rajon Rondo is clearly one of the premier point guards in the NBA and is the best player on the Celtics this season. All he needs to do is mature a little bit more and get his jump shot to just an adequate level to become one of the best players in the NBA. Avery Bradley has been the surprise of the season for the Celtics, playing great defense and being an adequate backup and spot starter for Rondo. He has shown the Celtics he is a player for the future and is my favorite player on the team. Keyon Dooling has been a major disappointment so far. The bench has been extremely weak for the Celtics this season, and Keyon is a major part of that. The offense is not run well, and he has not seemed to mesh with any of those players on the second unit yet. I expect him to have a better second half, but I have not been impressed with him so far.

Overall Grade: B

March Madness Preview Day 5

Posted on February 24, 2012 by christoph131

Kentucky | Syracuse | Missouri | Kansas | Duke

#5 Duke

Remaining Opponents: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Prediction: UNC is a toss-up, anyone can win that game. Other than that, they should beat V-Tech (15-13) & will most likely run over Wake Forest (12-15). I would be surprised if they are not a number 1 seed.

Austin Rivers is a freshman who we have all heard of. Son of Doc Rivers. He averages 15 PPG, 3.2 RPG, & 2.1 APG. Most Blue Devils graduate, but if his dad is okay with it, he may be leaving after this season. But I don’t see that happening.

Seth Curry is a 6’2 Junior who averages 13.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, & 2.5 APG. He also shoots 88% from the line. As far as I know, he will most likely be back for his senior year.

Junior Ryan Kelly is a 6’11 forward who puts in 11.9 PPG and 5.4 rebounds per contest.

Mason Plumlee is a Junior who is 6’10. He contributes nearly a double-double with 11.2 PPG and 9.7 RPG on 56% shooting from the field.

Andre Dawkins is also a Junior, who is a 6’4 guard. He is able to score 9.4 PPG on only 24.1 minutes per night.

Duke is always a tough opponent to play in the tourney. They have enough veteran leadership with the perfect amount of young stars on their team. They also have strength off the bench and one of the best coaches to ever live.

Bruins vs. Blues Recap

Posted on February 23, 2012 by amazze

Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch the game last night but the Bruins did pull out a solid 4-2 victory against one of the better home teams in the NHL. Marchand got on the board with two goals in the game scoring 2:29 into the first. It’s good to see this team have some success on the scoreboard because as of late they have been weak in the goal-scoring department. It doesn’t look like Nathan Horton is coming back any time soon. The Rick Nash trade rumors are starting to swirl and I would love to see the big goal-scorer in a Bruins sweater, but at what cost? He is a special player and an elite goal scorer (and only 27 years old) but he will command at least Tuukka Rask and top D prospect Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins play the Sabres tomorrow night.

Celtics vs. Thunder Recap

Posted on February 23, 2012 by leibo4

The Celtics lost their fifth straight game against the Thunder 119-104. It was always going to be a struggle as the Celtics were missing Rondo (suspension), Jermaine O’Neal (Wrist), Chris Wilcox (Right Abductor), and Brandon Bass (Knee). This led to a shift in the lineup of Paul Pierce to the 4 position and Kevin Garnett to the 5. The Celtics started out well in their new lineup jumping out to a 22-12 lead in the first quarter. The Celtics could not hold the lead though, and once the second unit came onto the floor, the Thunder pounced and went on a 30-3 run. The Thunder continued the hot streak and put up the most points in a half all season (72). James Harden was constantly exposing the Celtics defense as he kept blowing by for easy layups.

Pierce actually had one of his better games of the season, by attacking the rim he got to the line 16 times, scored 23 points, and had 8 assists. Kevin Garnett in his first game back had 23 points on 8-11 shooting. Turnovers still hurt the Celtics as they committed 18 in the game. Doc ended up relying much more on his starters than he wanted to as his subs had a terrible night from the floor. Marquis Daniels was only on the court for five minutes but the Celtics were outscored by 17 during those five minutes.

The Celtics mercifully have the All-Star Break coming up this week and have a full week off until their next game against the Bucks.

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo will be playing in the All-Star Game as reserves for the Eastern Squad.

Extra Notes:

Kevin Garnett came back after two games from missing due to personal reasons; Pavlovic was the only Celtics player who did not play due to Coaches decision; The Thunder had 50 points in the paint; James Harden was +23 while he was on the floor; The Celtics had 3 offensive rebounds, Kendrick Perkins had 5 on his own.

Avery Bradley Alert

Avery Bradley along with Paul Pierce was the only two players for the Celtics who had a positive +/- for the Celtics. Avery shot well again for a second consecutive game going 5-9 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. We also had two of my favorite Avery moments of the season. In the first half Avery got the ball off of a rebound, dribbled the full length of the court and posterized Kevin Durant. Later on in the game, it looked as if Russell Westbrook had a clear path to the bucket but was tapped by Bradley off the backboard and forced a jump ball. Avery had 5 assists and 3 blocks on the night along with his 12 points. In the games that Rondo has missed, Avery has shown Doc that he is a capable backup and definitely a player that the Celtics should be excited about in the future.

Here’s a link to the Avery bradley Dunk (must watch)

AL East Position Matchup: Left field

Posted on February 23, 2012 by TOB$

On the agenda today is Left field. Left field looked like it was going to be a very weak spot last month when it was announced that Carl Crawford underwent offseason surgery on his wrist. It was recently announced that Crawford has high hopes to be back for Opening Day, which is great news for the Red Sox. Hopefully he can start living up to his contract.

Anyways, back to the rankings:

(Once again for other positional rankings click here: C–1B–2B–3B–SS)

1. Brett Gardner, Yankees
2. Carl Crawford, Red Sox
3. Desmond Jennings, Rays
4. Nolan Reimold, Orioles
5. Eric Thames, Blue Jays

Brett Gardner was a no brainer in the top spot. If this was said before the season last year, it is almost guaranteed that most of Red Sox Nation would have been up in arms. Gardner has been one of the top defensive outfielders in the past two years (3.2 defensive WAR last year) and he’s a force on the basepaths (at least 47 SB’s in each of the last two years). Gardner came back down to Earth in batting last year from his ridiculous 2010 numbers and saw a drop in his BA (.277 to .259), but he still drew a lot of walks.

Carl Crawford is the true question of this division, and the Red Sox team. After a monster year in 2010, where he had a .307/19/90 line with 47 steals, the Red Sox signed him to a massive contract. Hoping for production close to his 6.1 WAR (wins above replacement) in 2010, they were rewarded with a whopping 0.0 WAR in 2011. Despite this, I can’t stand hearing Sox fans bitch about how bad the guy is. Yes, we overpaid for him, but what big signing haven’t we overpaid for?!? He had a horrible April, along with the rest of the squad, and then as he was starting to get into a groove, he got injured. His wrist was nagging him for a while and his hamstring’s were bothering him all summer. Speed is his forte, and he lost his speed last season, I don’t know what fans expected. I’ve heard how hard of a worker he is and I’m confident he will come back strong this year. It’s great news that he is on pace to come back earlier than initially planned, but I’d rather we make sure we don’t rush this one. Crawford was very consistent for the Rays with the exception of 2008 (marred by injuries) and I am confident he will get his mojo back this year and start to live up to (some) of his money.

Next up is the Tampa Bay Rays leftfielder, Desmond Jennings. Jennings was the main reason that the Rays were able to so willingly part with Crawford (that and the fact that the Sox put way too much money on the table). Jennings came into the big leagues on fire last year hitting .333 throughout July and August, until he finally cooled off in September with a .160 BA. Jennings has been touted as one of the top prospects for the last couple years. He is a great athlete and was voted the most exciting player to watch in the International League in the minors.He is regarded as a top baserunner and defensive player in the minors and I’m really interested in seeing how Jennings does as an everyday guy for the Rays this year.

The fourth spot was the hardest decision to make. Eric Thames was never a big prospect for the Blue Jays organization, but had a good run in his first year in the Majors last year. Nolan Reimold was a highly touted prospect, but is now 28 years old and has yet to make an impact for the Orioles. I’m not sold on Thames considering his struggles against lefties and weak fielding skills. Reimold has yet to pan out in the majors due to injuries and personal problems, but he has been effective in his small samples (13 HR in 267 AB’s last year). He has good speed, which pays off on the basepaths and makes up for his bad instincts in the field. Reimold gets the edge in this matchup due to his greater potential for a full year.

For other positional rankings click here: C–1B–2B–3B–SS

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