Stern Punishment

NBA Commissioner David Stern followed through with "substantial sanctions" against the San Antonio Spurs in the form of a $250K fine for their decision to rest key players in a nationally televised game against Miami last night.  Does Stern make a valid point in defense of angry fans (not to mention TNT - the station broadcasting the game) who were deprived of seeing star players they tuned in, or even paid good money, to see?  Did the Spurs make the right decision by benching their best players?  Or is this just the frosting on the cake to a larger issue facing the league?

First of all, let's just say that Stern's punishment is a wild overreaction that has no precedent.  This is hardly the first time that a team has rested healthy players - in fact, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has a track record of doing this (just look to last season, when he did the same thing in a blow out loss to Portland).  Anyone that follows the Spurs (admittedly a disgracefully small sample size) should not be surprised that Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green skipped this game, which was the Spurs fourth game in five nights at the end of a six game road trip.  A marquee match up against the defending champions in Miami is one fans likely marked their calenders for, but Popovich marked this game on his calender back in July when the schedule came out as a game he planned to punt.  With an important game against division rival Memphis looming this weekend, the Spurs decided it was to their benefit to send their aging stars home early to prepare for that game instead of putting them through a grueling stretch of schedule that would have left them exhausted.

Things I Noticed: Week 12

Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays.  A day filled with three of my favorite "F" words - food, family and football!  This week kicked off with a three game slate on Thursday, which included the traditional games in Detroit and Dallas.  Why these two cities continue to host games on Thanksgiving, even when their teams are bad, is anyone's guess, but I suppose you can't go against tradition on a holiday like this.

Bye weeks are over, so every team is in action this week.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Bill Belichick picked up his 200th career coaching victory as the Patriots embarrassed the Jets on Thursday night.  After a scoreless first quarter, the Pats began to dominate by putting up 35 unanswered points in the second quarter. 
• 21 of those points came in the span of under a minute of game time.  The offense scored quickly with a pass to Shane Vereen that he took 83 yards to the end zone.  On the next drive the Jets coughed up a fumble that was returned for a TD and they then fumbled the ensuing kick-off, which was run back for another score.  The Jets buried themselves before halftime.
• Julian Edelman had another big game, returning that fumbled kick-off for a score and later adding a 56 yard TD reception before exiting with a head injury.  Given the vacant expression on his face as he wobbled off the field, it looked like he may have suffered a concussion, so I suppose we can forgive him for fumbling on the play given that he likely had no idea what was going on at the time.
• The Jets may have managed over 400 yards of total offense, but it almost all came in garbage time in the second half when the game was never close.  They were barely on pace for even half of that by halftime.  New York turned the ball over 5 times, four of which Steve Gregory had a hand in - one INT, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
• Frustrated Jets fans booed loudly as they watched this disaster unfold.  Many of them chanted for Tim Tebow to take over for Sanchez.  The way things were going, Mark Sanchez may have joined them in hoping for Tebow to take over.
• As if things couldn't get any worse for the Jets, now even Fireman Ed is bailing on them.  The Jets number one fan, best known for leading the J-E-T-S cheer, has decided to hang up his helmet after leaving the blow out loss early.

Things I Noticed: Week 11

It was an exciting week that saw 8 one score games, with three of them going to overtime.  Some wild finishes and historic performances made for a compelling weekend of NFL action.

Bye Weeks: Tennessee, Minnesota, New York Giants, Seattle

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Buffalo entered the week ranked 31st in yards allowed and last in the league in points allowed (31.6), which is a travesty considering how much they invested in their defense this season.  This week they finally started to look like the defense they expected after all those off-season acquisitions by holding the Dolphins to 184 total yards and equaling a season best by giving up only 14 points.  Three sacks and three turnovers went a long way to limiting what Miami was able to do offensively.
• Special teams played a key role in the game as well.  After Buffalo's defense held Miami to an opening drive three and out, Leodis McKelvin returned the punt 79 yards for a score to put the Bills on the board early.  They later added to their lead with a field goal following a Miami turnover, but Marcus Thigpen then returned the ensuing kick-off for a TD to get the Dolphins back in the game.
• After getting benched for a costly fumble last week, Reggie Bush appears to have fallen out of favor with the Dolphins as Daniel Thomas once again led the team in carries.  Not that Thomas did any better.  The two somehow combined for only 53 yards against a Bills defense ranked 31st in the league that gives up a staggering 153.3 yards per game (a number that looked even worse before they shut down the Dolphins running game). 
• Has the Bills defense turned a corner or has the Dolphins offense declined?  Miami looked like a sleeper team that could find themselves in the Wild Card race, but they've followed a three game win streak with a three game losing streak in which they've failed to score more than 20 points in any of those loses and averaged only 12.3 points per game over that span.
• What was hyped as a renewal of one of the game's best rivalries - with rookie Andrew Luck taking over the role of the departed Peyton Manning - turned out to be a one sided affair, as New England demolished the Colts to the tune of a season high 59 points.
• The Patriots defense has taken it's share of criticism, but Bill Belichick has a history of confusing rookie QBs - even ones as talented as Luck.  The Pats forced four turnovers from the rookie and returned two of them for TDs.  The recently acquired Aqib Talib accounted for one of those scores in an impactful debut with the team.

Things I Noticed: Week 10

Several contending teams lost their starting QB to injury this week, which could drastically alter the landscape the playoff hunt down the stretch if any of them misses extended time.  Last season it appeared Houston would be a top contender to win the AFC, until injuries forced them to use a 3rd string QB, which led to an early playoff exit.  Could the same fate impact a contender this year?
Bye Weeks: Cleveland, Green Bay, Arizona, Washington

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Andrew Luck struggled early in his rookie season with accuracy, putting him near the bottom of the league in completion percentage (57.5%), but he has vastly improved in recent weeks.  His 18-26 (69.2%) effort this week was his most accurate game of the season thus far.  That mark is high enough to put him in the top 3 in the league if he could perform like that over the course of the entire season, but unfortunately he doesn't get to face the Jaguars every week.
• Luck also added two rushing TDs, giving him 5 for the season.  RGIII gets all the hype for his skills as a running QB, but Luck is right on his tail when it comes to running it in for a score.

• Luck's second rushing TD was a short yardage dive from the 1 yard line.  Replays made it difficult to determine if he had actually crossed the line and he may have even briefly lost control of the ball.  Scoring plays can't be challenged by the opposing team because they are supposed to automatically be reviewed.  Jaguars coach Mike Murlarky was furious that the officials didn't even bother to consult the video on what appeared to be a close play.  There probably wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call anyway, but the fact that the officials basically refused to even look at it again is a bunch of malarkey.
• Blaine Gabbert injured his shoulder again and was sidelined the rest of the game.  He was initially ruled as probable to return, but given that Chad Henne outplayed him, there was no reason to rush Gabbert back into the game.  In fact, there's no reason to rush Gabbert back... ever.
• Another injured Jaguar that the team can't wait to get back is Maurice Jones-Drew.  Rashad Jennings continues to be mediocre as his replacement, which  makes us all wonder why he was hyped as a big time sleeper in fantasy football leagues before the season when MJD was holding out with a contract dispute (yup, I was on that bandwagon).  The lesson: never pay too much attention to pre-season performance.

Should the Sox trade Ellsbury?

Following their most disappointing season in decades, the Red Sox are under a lot of pressure this off-season to rebuild a talented, yet flawed, roster.  The team already has several key building blocks established on the roster.  One of those franchise players is Jacoby Ellsbury, but with the talented center fielder entering the last year of his contract, rumors have began to swirl that the team may consider trading him this winter.

The idea may not be as crazy as you might think.  After GM Ben Cherington jettisoned high profile players in Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford at last season's trade deadline - a move that saved the franchise a quarter of a billion dollars in long term salary - it's clear the front office isn't afraid to make bold decisions in their effort to restructure the struggling team.

Ellsbury will be a free agent after this season and with Scott Boras as his agent, you can forget about any chance of an extension being reached before he has the chance to test the market.  That doesn't mean that they won't be able to re-sign him next winter, it just means they'll be forced into a bidding war in order to do it.  There will be no hometown discount.  The front office needs to decide if they are willing to invest in Ellsbury in the long term.  If the answer is no, then exploring trade offers may not be such a bad idea.

Ellsbury broke out in 2011 with a monstrous season in which he was arguably the best all around player in the league and likely would have taken home the MVP award if not for a dominant season from Justin Verlander that resulted in a rare first place finish for a pitcher.  Ellsbury hit .321/.376/.552 with 32 HRs and 39 steals while playing Gold Glove defense at a premier position.  After years of being a spark plug at the top of the line-up who used his blazing speed (career high 70 steals in 2009) to be a game changer, he proved himself to be a well rounded five tool player.  As he entered the prime of his career, Ellsbury appeared to be on the path to being one of the game's best players.

Things I Noticed: Week 9

Every team in the league has now played at least 8 games, meaning we have officially entered the second half of the season.  Goes by quickly, doesn't it? 

This past Thursday afternoon also marked the end of the trade deadline, which of course was relatively quiet because big trades rarely ever happen mid-season in the NFL. 

Bye weeks: St. Louis, New England, NY Jets, San Francisco

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• One notable deadline deal sent Aqib Talib and a 7th round draft pick from Tampa to New England for a 4th round pick.  Talib will help a struggling Patriots secondary, improving on one of the team's few weaknesses.  He is a tall, physical cover corner that the team had been lacking to match up against elite receivers.

• Talib does come with some baggage, as he still has one game left to serve on a suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.  Talib tested positive for Adderall, which he took without a prescription and without notifying team doctors.  Maybe he does have valid medical reasons for taking the drug and wasn't just using it to get an unfair advantage, but he didn't follow the proper procedure and paid the price for it.  This is the second suspension of his career.  He was suspended one game in 2010 for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy after an altercation with a cab driver.
• For the Patriots, Talib is a low risk-high reward acquisition.  They gave up only a mid-round draft pick for him and are responsible for paying only a prorated portion of the final year of his contract.  If he plays to his ability without creating a disturbance then he has the talent to drastically improve their pass defense.  If he doesn't pan out then they won't hesitate to cut their losses and move on, but his talent and the team's obvious need make him worth the risk.  Keep in mind that the Pats have a history of getting the most out of players with baggage, including Corey Dillon and Randy Moss.  Let's just hope Talib turns out more like them and less like Albert Haynesworth or Chad Ochocinco.