The Dawg Staph

Cleveland Brown's Top 10 Prospects, or another article in futility (Chandler)

2009-07-27T15:48:00.002-04:00

So this writer for Scout.com is compiling a list of each organization's top ten prospects. He set an arbitrary criteria as 25 years old or younger, and entering his 3rd year in the league or less. His list I have an issue with, and to me only does the fans lip service with out much substance or thought brought forth. You can view his list and analysis here, http://profootball.scout.com/2/879669.html

For those who dont want to waste their time, I have brought the list to you:
1. Joe Thomas
2. Brady Quinn
3. Alex Mack
4. Eric Wright
5. Brandon McDonald
6. David Veikune
7. Brian Robiskie
8. Ahtyba Rubin
9. James Davis
10. Beau Bell

I have a huge issue with him saying that Joe Thomas is a "prospect". He is a TWO yes 2 time pro bowler, and thus what else can he do to get better? He is already established as if not THE best tackle in the game, certainly in the running. When one looks up the definition of the word prospect you'll find, "–noun an apparent probability of advancement, success, profit, likely to succeed (Credit here goes to Beck for his dictionary skills). Joe Thomas has already advanced and is already successful, and thus I find his analysis lazy and inaccurate. Another issue I have with the rankings is that you list David Veikune and not Alex Hall. How can you list Veikune and not the guy that will start ahead of him? Veikune will be lucky to see 20% of snaps this season, while Hall will start opposite of Wimbley.

Bell will not make the team, he was not a Mangini pick and word is that he has not adapted to the 3-4 very well. James Davis?! Really? A guy that will be third on the depth chart? Davis will be lucky to get 40 carries this year. And finally Rubin, who also barely saw the field last year and with a healthy defenisve line this year is preped to see even less snaps.

So here is what your top 10 prospects should have been for the browns this year:

1. Quinn
2. Eazy E (Eric Wright for those scoring at home)
3. Alex Mack
4. Alex Hall
5. Robo
6. B-Mac
7. Martin Rucker (He was practicing with the first unit duing OTAs)
8. Massa
9. Veikune
10. Louis Leonard (Least he saw the field last year, unlike Rubin)

Quinn for obvious reasons because he is the key to our offensive's success. If he falls on his face, than so do the browns. The most crucial and key component to the Browns season. Eazy - E because historically a Rob Ryan plays a lot of man coverage, and if Wright isn't up to the task, than the defense will be on the field a lot this year. He is critical to help slow the offensive's passing. Alex Mack because I'm sure you saw what Frarely did last year. He did not play well and consistently gave up pressure to the opposing defensives. They were able to push him around, and he lacks the strength to get a good push for running plays. As they say, it all starts in the middle and he was a weak link last year.

Now Alex Hall comes in fourth here because as a rookie he provided some sparks and something to cheer for early on. Typical of the RAC regime and refusal to play rookies or younger players even when my Grandma can tell that the old vets need to be put on the bench. He played a decent amount early on, but once Willie McGinest came back he was banished to the bench for god knows why. Our pass rush was far superior with Hall on the field. I expect 8 sacks from this kid during the season. Robo comes in next because he is also crucial to our offensive this year which last seasons still keeps me up at night. Did you see Stallworth/Carter/Steptoe over the past two seasons? Yea we need more than one wide receiver to be any good and hope to score 10 points a game. As a rookie, a lot of pressure will be on him to perform, and I believe the kid is up to the task.

B-Mac comes up next because he led the team in picks last year and will require even more this year for improvement on the defensive side of the ball. He performed well last year despite the Broncos game (Which is overly pointed out btw. He had one awful play, which everyone remembers but overall had a decent game considering that he was on the field for 43 minutes. He may have cost us the game, but the rest of his season last year I thought he was very solid considering the circumstances). He will be called upon to cover the #2's in the league and will be tested more throughout the season than Eazy-E. Without much safety help. he needs to play well.

There ends the section of young starters for the Browns. The rest of the list are players who wont start but will still be called for to make plays, and will actually SEE the field this season. Veikune will be a situational player, mostly on passing downs and I believe will be second on the team in special team tackles. With the new rules not allowing a wedge on kickoffs I see him wrecking havoc and making plays. However he will also be busy this season carrying Hall's helmet and getting him water to really see the field much. Massaquoi comes in next because I think he will be our 4th WR and probably step up to the 3rd slot as Furrey gets hurt. He will also see some time at special teams but I don't expect him to be a difference maker there. He will be more critical in the coming seasons, don't expect a huge year this season from the rookie. Martin Rucker comes in next, and one could argue that he should be above Massaquoi because he will see the field more this season. He will be our passing TE, not asked to block much. I think he should pull in 25 to 30 catches this year and perhaps at least a TD or two. Depending on Heiden's health this season of course. Lastly I listed Louis Leonard because he saw the field last season, and made some plays. I see him spelling the starters and getting into the DE rotation. He's a solid back up, and has some ability.

SO theres the REAL top 10 prospect list for the Browns.

- C to the Handler

Winslow Opens his Big Freakin' Mouth (Chandler)

2009-07-20T23:42:00.006-04:00

Remember last year when the rumors were flying around about Kellen Winslow having a gross STD and thus couldn't play? Yea, neither do most people, yet he felt the need to clear the air, and let EVERYONE know it was staph, and that's why his testicles swelled up to the size of grapefruits. He goes on to complain about how it was the "most painful thing he had ever gone through". I'm not doubting the guy, when ever the words scalpel and testicles are in the same sentence, I cringe. Basically he gives a big middle finger to the organization and goes against their wishes to release the info about the staph infection because he is so worried about the STD rumors. Really dude? To me it shows his immaturity and that it is in fact more about Kellen than the Browns. Between this and demanding a new contact, plus apparently being an ass in the locker room, his ego doesn't allow him to understand why his teammates didn't come to his defense. Well of course not dickhead. The jerk goes on to say, ""In Cleveland, I tried to treat everyone with respect and be myself." Well Kellen, allow me to retort. I contacted several former Browns employees on why no one defended Winslow. Those conversations revealed hard feelings over Winslow treating the trainers like he was their only patient, jeopardizing his damaged knee from a 2005 motorcycle accident by playing basketball in the off-season and his lewd locker room remarks. They also said Winslow got into "an altercation with a friend last summer, which the team kept private to protect him." Winslow also alienated teammates and staffers with his demand for a new contract. Some people just don't get it do they? Speaks volumes about his "leadership" skills and how much he has matured since his locker room solider escapade. Good luck Tampa Bay, you're getting the TO of TEs on you team.

http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/2009/07/20/winslow-reveals-staph-details/

-Return of the Chandler

Detroit's New Look - Beck

2009-05-15T05:40:00.016-04:00

I should've written a book, but this will have to do. I spent my significant time off researching this topic, so enjoy the findings:

Every team in the NFL has team colors, logos, and uniforms, and over the decades that the NFL has been in existence, as well as all the teams in the AFL that merged in 1970, these colors, logos, and uniforms have changed. Each of these gives the team a sense of identity, and sometimes that identity becomes stagnant and needs to be revamped, and the easiest way to change the attitude of team is to change any one of these identifying elements.

On April 20, 2009, the Detroit Lions updated their primary logo that had largely remained unchanged since 1970. They added some teeth to it, an eyeball, and a few white marks to accent a mane, all in an attempt to make it more ferocious and menacing and change the losing culture that had plagued the team for decades.

But do logo, uniform, or team-color alterations really change the identity of an entire franchise?

After some research, I will present the findings. Staying within the Super Bowl era (1966-present), I’ll go through each team in the NFL and their attempts to redefine the outlook of their organizations by changing what they clothe their players in, and whether or not these changes correspond to any trend in the success of the said organization to predict if the Lions really look to a more prosperous future.

ARIZONA CARDINALS
The oldest, continually-run professional football team in the United States, the Cardinals were founded in 1898 as the Racine Normals, becoming the Racine Cardinals, and changing their name to the much more recognizable Chicago Cardinals when they joined the NFL in 1920. They moved to St. Louis in 1960, becoming the second team in the city to have the nickname of Cardinals, joining the MLB franchise. Needless to say, the Cardinals have never been title-contenders until Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Co., led them to Super Bowl XLIII this past year, but what else can we learn?

1966-1987: During this period in St. Louis, the Cardinals compiled a win-loss record of 153-164-10, a 46.8 winning-percentage, 3 playoff trips, and 12 losing seasons in 22 years. They only had 8 seasons of 8+ wins, a little over 33% of the time. The last three seasons in St. Louis showed records of 7-8 (1987), 4-11-1 (1986), and 5-11 in 1985.

1988-1995: The Cardinals moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988, and the only major alteration to the uniform was the inclusion of the Arizona state flag and cardinal-head logo to the sleeves of the jerseys. Still they managed a 7-9 record in Gene Stallings’ final year as head coach and Neil Lomax’s final year under center. During this time-period, they compiled a record of 44-84, 34.4%, with no playoff appearances and not a single winning season. The new environs of Phoenix didn’t help, nor did the subtle addition of the logo and flag. In 1993, to broaden the market appeal of the Cardinals, they were renamed the “Arizona Cardinals,” as we know them today.

1996-2004: They took the cardinal-head off the sleeves in 1996, and the fates of the Cardinals began to change. Vince Tobin was inserted as head-coach, and Jake “The Snake” Plummer became the starting quarterback in 1997, who led them to a 9-7 record in 1998 and their first playoff appearance since the strike-shortened 1982 season. It was only a minor alteration, one that would easily go unnoticed unless you were a die-hard Cardinals fan (which didn’t exist until 2008) or a uniforms-junkie. Still it’s hard to argue that the name-change five years before and the uniform change, along with a coaching change, ushered in a new attitude in the desert and produced some success. Still, their combined record from these years was 51-93, 8 losing seasons around that one, special 9-7 year in 1998.

2005-Present: Finally, the Cardinals introduced major uniform changes in 2005, giving the cardinal-head logo an update, adding black as an accent color and trim lines to the shoulders, sleeves, and pants. Also, they put red shoulders on their white away jerseys, giving the team a very different look, obviously trying to jettison their losing past in favor of a more hopeful future. In 2006, they even moved to the futuristic University of Phoenix Stadium, further separating themselves from a lack-luster history. 2005 was the first year that Kurt Warner started, and within three years they went from a 5-11 record to winning the NFC West and facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. Not too shabby.

ATLANTA FALCONS
An expansion NFL franchise in 1965, the Falcons played their first season in 1966 and experienced typical growing pains for a new team, going 3-11. They’ve had lots of ups and downs, including a Super Bowl trip and their franchise quarterback being sent to jail in the prime of his career, but let’s see if any of that corresponds to logo or uniform changes.

1966-1970: The original Falcons uniforms included red helmets with a black falcon crest, along with a black stripe flanked on either side by two white and two gold stripes, supposedly an homage to the rival college football programs of the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. They had white pants with either red or white jerseys, and the falcon logo pasted onto the sleeves. This period was not kind to the Falcons, as they went 16-51-3, 22.9%, all losing seasons and never winning more than 6 games in any season. They had double-digit losses 3 times in 5 seasons. They could only go up from here, right?

1971-1977: The Falcons switched from red jerseys to black jerseys for their home ensemble, and they posted their franchise’s first winning record of 7-6-1 in 1971, and they set another franchise record for wins in 1973 going 9-5. Coincidence? I think not. Still, the success tapered off with three straight losing seasons from 1974-1976 (3-11, 4-10, 4-10), and the Falcons needed another shot in the arm…

1978-1989: In 1978, the Falcons switched from white pants to silver pants, and they really hit their stride. They finished with a 9-7 record and made the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s history. This uniform change corresponded to a regime change as Leeman Bennett took over the year earlier. A new attitude was in the air, as the Falcons stormed to a 12-4 record in 1980, setting another franchise-record for wins, and another playoff appearance. As is typical, the Falcons could only ride that good feeling for so long, and from 1983-1989 they posted 7 consecutive losing seasons, averaging 4.7 wins per season over that stretch.

1990-1996: 1990 saw the Falcons exchange red helmets and red jerseys for black helmets and black jerseys and ushered in Jerry Glanville as the head coach, but won only 5 games. One year later, though, and the Falcons won 10 games and went to the playoffs for the first time since 1982. There’s a shot in the arm.

1997-2002: Continuing to build off their success, the Falcons changed the numbers on their white jerseys from black to red, the same time as Dan Reeves was brought in as coach and Chris Chandler was tagged as the starting QB. The team went 7-9, and one year later, in 1998, the Falcons went 14-2 and met John Elway’s Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII, which they lost. It seems that whatever luck came with such a small alteration would vanish, as the Falcons also experienced 4 losing seasons with an average of 5.75 wins over these 6 seasons. Still, Michael Vick was drafted #1-overall in 2001, and he led the Falcons to a 9-6-1 record in 2002. The same year, Vick led the Falcons to a victory in the playoffs over the Packers in Lambeau, becoming the first team in the history of the NFL to pull off the feat.

2003: In an attempt to ride the wave, they dramatically changed the uniforms – red trim on the pants, red jerseys as the alternates – and updated the falcon logo with red and silver accents (also making it appear more aggressive) for this new era of the Falcons that was supposed to be headlined by Vick. However, in the preseason of 2003, Vick broke his leg and missed the first 12 games of the season. As a result, the Falcons got off to a rough 3-10 start, and Reeves was fired. Wade Phillips took over, Vick returned, and the team finished 5-11.

2004-Present: While the uniform overhaul took place in 2003, the Falcons switched the red jerseys with the black jerseys as the team’s primary home jersey. 2004 also saw the arrival of the younger Jim Mora, the return of Vick, an 11-5 record and a playoff appearance. All the planets lined up, until Mora talked too much about becoming the head coach of the Washington Huskies and was dismissed, Vick was sent off to jail for bank-rolling dog-fighting, and Bobby Petrino skipped town in 2007, resulting in a 4-12 record. However, the Falcons used that top-10 pick to draft QB Matt Ryan out of Boston College, and added him to Pro-Bowl RB Michael Turner and first-time head coach Mike Smith, and they turned the franchise around with an 11-5 season in 2008. It’s in the jerseys!

BALTIMORE RAVENS
It’s hard to count moving a franchise to an entirely different city with an entirely different nickname as just changing uniforms or logos or colors within a team, but for the sake of argument I guess I will count them. And no, alternate jerseys aren’t considered because they aren’t the primary dreads for any time – hence the name “alternate” – so the Ravens’ black get-ups aren’t getting love here. Despite the wishes of Chandler and many others in Northeast Ohio, the Ravens were formed in 1996 when back-stabber extraordinaire Art Modell moved the Browns to Maryland, then defiled it even more by making purple one of the Ravens’ primary colors. At least he left the franchise history of the Browns in Cleveland, which they boldly took back up in 1999 when the Browns returned. The Ravens managed to build from the ground-up quickly, winning a Super Bowl – also to the chagrin of Chandler and everyone else in Northeast Ohio.

1996-1998: The Ravens first three seasons saw records of 4-12, 6-9-1, and 6-10. Ted Marchibroda was the head coach, and he sucked. Vinny Testaverde started the first two years and Jim Harbaugh the last, and they both sucked. It looked like the Ravens weren’t going anywhere fast until…

1999-Present: … the Ravens were forced to change their logo after Frederick E. Bouchat, an amateur artist and security guard, sued the Ravens for copyright infringement based on their original logo. The Ravens gave in and switched the logo to the now-distinguishable purple raven’s head with the “B” in the middle of it. Bouchat may have sped up fate: Brian Billick came on as head coach in 1999, steered the team to an 8-8 record, and the very next season orchestrated a 12-4 campaign that culminated in a Super Bowl XXXV victory over the New York Giants. They’ve been to the playoffs 5 times over the last 9 years, and only had 3 losing seasons, with a 91-69 combined record.

BUFFALO BILLS
A charter member of the AFL, the Bills were founded in 1960. Their original colors were royal blue, silver, and white, and were quite similar to the Lions color scheme. The red bison wasn’t added until 1962, the same year that red replaced silver as one of their primary colors. The Bills have been close to reaching the top of the mountain, but failed 4 consecutive times in the 1990s. We’ll get to that.

1966-1973: The helmets were white with red and blue center stripes, blue jerseys with red and white stripes on the sleeves. 1966 saw a 9-4-1 record with a trip to playoffs under the first year of coach Joe Collier’s tenure, as well as featuring Jack Kemp at quarterback. O.J. Simpson was drafted in 1969, ran for 2,003 yards in 1973, was voted MVP, and led the Bills that year to a 9-5 mark, their highest since 1966. Despite the Juice’s success, the Bills’ combined record over this period was 36-63, 36.3%, 6 losing seasons in 8 years, and twice finished with only 1 win (1968 and 1971). Not too great, Bills.

1974-1983: The standing red buffalo was replaced with the stylized charging bison as the Bill’s primary logo, and the Bills repeated with a 9-5 record in 1974 and reached the playoffs for the first time since, you guessed it, 1966. The Bills went to the playoffs 3 times, but had 4 straight losing seasons from 1976-1979. The Bills became mediocre in 1982 and 1983, and they needed something else to push them over the top.

1984-2001: The background color on the helmet was changed from white to red in 1984, and the Bills fell to a sorrowful 2-14. By 1986, however, help was on the way, as Marv Levy saw his first full season as head coach and Jim Kelly was brought in as the starting quarterback. Over this 18-year period, the Bills went 150-137, 52.3%, 10 playoff appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances (losses in XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVII), with only 7 losing seasons – 4 of those in a row from 1984-1987. Once Thurman Thomas became the team’s leading rusher in 1988, it was up, up, and away for the Bills, and the helmet change signaled that a new wave of success was on the way for the Bills.

2002-Present: The Bills drastically changed their uniforms and team colors for the first time since 1962, following the typical NFL trend as they traded in their familiar royal blue for a new, darker navy-blue. The jerseys featured red piping down the sides, and the white jerseys had navy-blue shoulders. They went 8-8 in 2002, after having gone 3-13 in 2001. 2002 saw the arrival of Drew Bledsoe as the starting quarterback, and their best season was a 9-7 campaign in 2004 with Mike Mularkey wearing the head-set, Bledsoe under center, and Willis McGahee carrying the rock. 9 wins that year was the most they had since Doug Flutie was the man in Buffalo. The initial high of the uniform transformation washed off quickly, with Mularkey fired a year later in 2005 and three straight 7-9 seasons under Dick Jauron. Maybe they need to switch something up and reignite the flames of triumph…

CAROLINA PANTHERS
Haven’t been around long enough to change anything. Those blue alternate jerseys are nice, but they don’t count for anything. Call me when they do something else.

CHICAGO BEARS
A founding member of the NFL, the Bears have a lot of history, just not of uniform or logo changes.

1966-1972: The original “C” logo for the Bears was actually white with blue trim, and their record reflected the strange choice of colors for this. They were a combined 36-58-4, 36.7%, no playoff trips, never more than 7 wins in a season, and 5 losing seasons in 7 years. This is definitely a stretch of the Bears’ franchise history that they would like to forget.

1973-1982: Finally, in 1973, the Bears changed the “C” from white to orange, and things mildly began to pick up. They were 60-83, 42.0%, and actually enjoyed 2 playoff trips, one in 1977 after a 9-5 campaign, the most wins since 1965 and the first playoff trip since 1963 when George Halas was still the coach, and the other trip in 1979 after a 10-6 season. 1982 saw the NFL strike and the arrival of Mike Ditka as head coach and Jim McMahon’s first full season at QB, ushering in a new era in the Windy City.

1983: The Bears thought a quick facemask change from grey to navy-blue would do the trick, and it did. The Bears went 8-8, after a 3-6 season in 1982 and 6-10 in 1981.

1984-Present: Unfortunately, 1983 also saw the passing of the legendary George Halas, and the Bears chose to honor him by adding the initials “GSH” on the left sleeves of their jerseys. Those initials have remained ever since, and the uniform change quickly shoved the Bears over the top. What began in 1982 continued, and the Bears posted a 10-6 season in 1984, then the remarkable 15-1 season in 1985 that culminated in their victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Plus, this gave us the unforgettable “Super Bowl Shuffle,” and we got to laugh at how cool Jim McMahon thought he was and how fat William “The Refrigerator” Perry really was. These jerseys have remained unchanged for 25 years now, and the Bears have been the playoffs 11 times, made another Super Bowl appearance (however briefly) in XLI against the Colts after the 2006 season, and were a picture of stability in the NFL: each head coach lasted at least 5 years with the team. They’ve got a nice string, but their fortunes haven’t been as good as that 8-year run from 1984-1991. Looks like it’s time for a change…

CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Bengals were Paul Brown’s second attempt at running a franchise in Ohio, and it’s not hard to believe that he named this team after the Massillon Tigers, the high school he graduated from in 1925 and the team he coached from 1932-1940, winning 6 straight state championships and outscoring their opponents in the 1940 season 477-6. Of course, Brown attached himself to the upstart AAFC Cleveland Browns in 1945, won every AAFC championship, merged with the NFL, won 3 more championships, and was promptly fired in 1962, a year after Art Modell –the man who took the Browns to Baltimore – purchased the team. Brown was pissed, and in 1968 he formed the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFL as the owner and coach. His primary goal was to spite Modell and the Browns.

1968-1980: The early Bengals uniforms were almost identical to the Browns uniforms at the time: they featured the exact same shade of orange, but instead of brown they had black as a primary color. The helmet design was the same, except for the “Bengals” script. The Bengals went 3-11 in their first season, but managed to make the playoffs their third season in the league. In 13 years, they only went to the playoffs 3 times, won 10 games thrice, and finished with 4 or less wins 5 times. This was not the hey-day of the Bengals.

1981-1996: The Bengals decided to switch things up a little bit in 1981 as they replaced the “Bengals” script on the helmets with tiger stripes, as well as adding tiger stripes to the jerseys. This also represented Forrest Gregg’s second year as head coach, and the Bengals set a franchise-record mark of 12-4 that featured a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. They went 7-2 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, making the playoffs. Then, in 1988, the Bengals returned to the Super Bowl and found the 49ers waiting for them again, and the Bengals would lose again in XXIII. This period was the most successful period for the entire Bengals franchise, but ended with the failed Shula regime (1992-1996) that resulted in 5 straight non-winning seasons.

1997-2003: The Bengals didn’t change much; they added the leaping tiger as an alternative logo and added it to the sleeves of their jerseys. Needless to say, this minor addition had no effect on the team’s success, as the Bengals dipped back into the doldrums, never winning more than 8 games, which it took them until 2003 – and the hire of Marvin Lewis – to pull off. A minor highlight during this period was Corey Dillon’s record-setting rushing performance of 246 yards against the Tenneessee Oilers in 1997, his rookie season. Of course, that record would be broken by Adrian Peterson in 2007, but at least they had something.

2004-Present: In 2004, the Bengals did the first overhaul of their uniforms since 1981, and it was perfectly timed to usher in a new era of football in southwest Ohio. Quarterback Carson Palmer, drafted #1-overall in 2003 after a Heisman-winning campaign at USC, sat the entire 2003 season behind Jon Kitna, and would become the starter in 2004. It was also the second year of Marvin Lewis’s reign, and the Bengals had kicked out Corey Dillon after calling out the management. They changed the logo to an orange “B” with tiger stripes on it, and they added orange sleeves to the black jerseys with black sleeves and orange shoulders on the white jerseys. The Bengals went 8-8, and in 2005 they had a spectacular season, going 11-5 and winning the AFC North – only to have Carson Palmer’s knee be torn to shreds in the opening stages of the game. It was the first time they’d won 10 games or more since 1988, and it was the first time they’d had a winning season or made the playoffs since 1990. Of course, like all good things in Cincinnati, this success vanished, and the won 8, then 8, then 4 games in the 3 seasons after, had their Pro Bowl wide receiver change his last name to Spanish gibberish, and featured a year in which Ryan Fitzpatrick, the pride of Harvard, led the team in passing yardage.

CLEVELAND BROWNS
Speaking of Paul Brown, how ‘bout the people who named their entire franchise after him? Brown was already a beloved sports figure in Ohio, so it wasn’t a surprise that his last name was the most popular submission in the 1945 naming contest. I’m repeating myself a little, but for the benefit of Chandler I’ll recount the Browns’ successes, all of which happened before the Super Bowl-era in 1996: 4 AAFC championships from 1946-1949 in the league’s 4-year existence; NFL championships in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964; and the career of the best running back of all-time, Jim Brown (1957-1965). Sadly, the time from 1966 hasn’t been as kind in Cleveland, and it would seem that Paul Brown’s hex on his former team could be the culprit.

1966-1974: The Browns uniforms were the standard orange, brown, and white, complete with the logo-less helmet, the only team in the NFL to still not have a logo on their helmets at all. This was a period of success for the Browns, seeing them go 75-49-3, 59.1%, with only one losing season (1974, 4-10). They would also earn 5 trips to the playoffs in 9 years, including three in a row from 1967-1969, something that all Browns fans would go ape-shit over today.

1975-1983: The Browns introduced a minor change in their uniforms, switching from white pants to orange. That season, they would fall to a woeful 3-11, but the very next season, in 1976, the first year with Brian Sipe as the full-time starter, the Browns would improve to 9-5. Sam Rutigliano would take over in 1978, and the Browns would enter another prosperous stretch that featured Sipe’s MVP in 1980, the year of the "Kardiac Kids," coupled with an 11-5 season and a trip to the postseason. Forget that the Browns went 4-5 in 1982 and still made the playoffs. However, the pants-switch reinvigorated the franchise for a few seasons, but ultimately that brief feeling disappeared.

1984: The Browns did something extremely odd in 1984 that is altogether difficult to explain, but I’ll do my best: brown numerals were outlined in orange, orange numerals were double-outlined in brown and white, and white numerals were double-outlined in orange and brown. This occurred in the same season that Rutigliano was let go and Marty Schottenheimer took over. Needless to say, the change was confusing for everyone, and the Browns finished 5-11 with Paul McDonald as the starting QB.

1985-1995: The incomprehensible change in 1984 was not popular amongst the fans either, so the Browns switched back to a normal look in 1985 and would stay that way until 1995, plus they switched the pants back to white. 1985 was a watershed moment for the Browns: it was Schottenheimer’s first full season as head coach and Bernie Kosar’s first season as the starter. The Browns went to the playoffs every year from 1985-1989, went once more in 1994 – under Bill Belichick – and only had less than 7 wins twice in 11 seasons. This also did encapsulate “The Drive,” but I’ll just stop there before Chandler has his own cardiac arrest.

1996-1998: Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996 and incurred so many death threats you could fill Lake Erie in its entirety several times over with all of them. The Dark Ages for football in NE Ohio…

1999-2002: The Browns featured a reboot as the franchise returned in 1999, moving the numbers from the sleeves to the shoulders and expanded the stripes on the sleeves. They drafted Tim Couch with the #1-overall pick out of Kentucky, had Chris Palmer at head coach, and sucked to the tune of 5-27 in two seasons. Butch Davis arrived in 2001, brought the team up to 7-9, and led them to a 9-7 record in 2002 that featured a playoff appearance against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers that ended in a loss, despite back-up Kelly Holcomb starting the game and throwing for a Browns’ playoff record 429 yards. The high-times in Cleveland were short-lived, I’m afraid …

2003-Present: Al Lerner, the beloved owner who brought the Browns back to Cleveland in 1999, passed away in October of the 2002 season, which some believe was the necessary motivation for that team to succeed as they did. In 2003, the Browns took a page out of the Bears’ playbook and added Lerner’s initials to their left sleeve. Naturally, the move backfired, as the Browns fell to 5-11 in Davis’s last season and Holcomb’s only season as the team’s leading passer. 2004 saw the arrival of Romeo Crennel from the New England Patriots, and despite a 10-win season in 2007, Crennel was fired after a 4-12 record in 2008. Maybe the Browns should add a logo to their domes…

DALLAS COWBOYS
“America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys have appeared in more Super Bowls than other team in NFL history with 8. They’ve prided themselves in their tradition of excellence beginning with Tom Landry and leading all the way up to the present-day. Over the years, not much has changed in the way of Dallas’s uniforms or logos, and that makes it a lot easier on this guy.

1966: The first major change happened to Cowboys uniforms happened in 1964, when the white helmets changed to the much more iconic silver ones. In 1966, the Cowboys went 10-3-1 under the legendary Landry with Don Meredith as the starting quarterback.

1967-1969: The Cowboys fiddled for the last time with the infamous blue star, moving the white border in and adding blue trim around that for the 1967 season, the logo that has remained with the Cowboys ever since. This brief period saw the Cowboys go 32-9-1, 76.2%, playoff appearances each year.

1970-1973: They moved the numbers from the shoulders to the sleeves of the jerseys, and this period saw the Cowboys go 41-15, 73.2%, with 2 Super Bowl appearances (loss in V after the 1970 season to the Colts, and a win in VI against the Dolphins after the 1971 season). This also featured the beginning of the quarterback duel between Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach and Craig Morton, a duel that the Navy alum eventually won.

1974-1980: The numbers moved back to the shoulders in 1974, which was a mistake because it broke the Cowboys’ streak of consecutive playoff appearances as they finished 8-6. This was the first time they missed the playoffs since 1965. However, the Cowboys bounced back, compiling a record of 76-28, 73.1%, with 3 Super Bowl appearances (losses in X and XIII against the Steelers, and a win against the Broncos in XII after the 1977 season), and 6 playoff appearances in 7 years. Not too shabby. This period also featured the transition from Staubach to Danny White and the continuance of Tony Dorsett’s dominance, who broke into the NFL in 1977.

1981-1988: A blue elliptical with white numbers in it was added to hips of the Cowboys’ pants and changed the numerals from white to silver on the blue jerseys in 1981, and the team would suffer a drop-off to the immense success they had enjoyed for the past 20 years. The combined record was 66-54, 55%, with only 4 playoff trips in 9 years. They also had three straight losing seasons from 1986-1988 (Landry’s last years with the team), punctuated by the abysmal 3-13 campaign in 1988. The blue circles wouldn’t last much longer in Big D.

1989-1994: The circles were removed and order was hoped to be restored. Jimmy Johnson was hired as the head coach, Troy Aikman was drafted as the franchise-QB, yet the Cowboys actually worsened to a 1-15 record in 1989. Growing pains, because by 1991 they would go 11-5 and make the playoffs. The very next season, the Cowboys met the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII and beat them, meeting again in 1993 and Super Bowl XXVIII, breaking Buffalo’s heart for the second time. The Cowboys went to the playoffs 4 times out of 6 years, 4 straight from 1991-1994.

1995-Present: In 1995, they also ditched the silver numerals and went back to white, which have remained the same ever since. They also switched to solid color socks for good. That same year, they would defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. Still, the success was just about worn out, and in 1997, Barry Switzer’s last year, the Cowboys had their first losing season in 6 years. Since then, the Cowboys would go through 4 more head coaches in 11 seasons, after having gone with only 3 head coaches for 38 seasons. The combined record would fall to 117-107, 52.2%, and 7 playoff trips in 14 seasons. They still would average 8.36 wins per season, but they haven’t been back to a Super Bowl since 1995, and Jerry Jones doesn’t have any crazy ideas to update the uniforms in the near future.

DENVER BRONCOS
Ah, one of my primary cases for a radical uniform shift! It’s about time I got to this one, because it sure is a doozy. The Denver Broncos were a charter member of the AFL and played their first season in 1960. For those of you who don’t know, the Broncos original colors were poop-brown and piss-yellow, and I just have to include these hideous uniforms because I’ve heard that they’re making a comeback as alternates for the 2009 season. Atrocious. Either way, the Broncos had small success in the 1960s and hit their peak with Elway, but it wasn’t until 1997 and a certain uniform overhaul that allowed them to reach their fullest potential…

1966-1996: The Broncos changed the much more recognizable orange, royal blue, and white for the 1962 season, so by the time we start to look at the team they’ve already gotten their colors that they kept essentially unchanged for 31 years. The sleeves got shorter as all sleeves did across the NFL, but the logo didn’t undergo any changes and neither did the uniforms. They went to Super Bowl XII after the 1977 season and lost to the Dallas Cowboys, which just so happened to be the only Super Bowl to have co-MVPs (Harvey Martin and Randy White for the ‘Boys). John Elway was drafted in 1983, and he would take the Broncos to three Super Bowls in the 1980s, all losses: XXI against the New York Giants after the 1986 season, XXII against the Washington Redskins after the 1987 season, and XXIV against the San Francisco 49ers after the 1989 season. The Broncos only went to the playoffs 11 times in 31 seasons, and 8 of those were with John Elway under center for the last 14 years. However, Mike Shanahan arrived in 1995, as well as Terrell Davis and the “Mile-High Salute,” and the team went 8-8 after a 7-9 campaign in 1994 in Wade Phillips’ last year as coach. Then, in 1996, the Broncos went 13-3.

1997-Present: The Broncos were knocking on the championship door ever since John Elway and his flowing hair arrived in Denver in 1983, but it took a complete makeover for them to knock the door down and bust the party. The royal blue was replaced with navy blue, the orange was darkened, the logo was redrawn, stripes ran on both sides of the jerseys and onto the pants, the number font was changed, and the public hated the new uniforms. That is, until the Broncos went 12-4 and defeated the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Then, in 1998, the Broncos returned to the Super Bowl after a 14-2 season and Terrell Davis rushing for 2,008 yards. Elway would cap his career off with a victory in XXXIII over Chris Chandler, Jamal Anderson, and the “Dirty Bird” Atlanta Falcons. Elway retired in 1999, causing a minor drop in performance, but in 2000 the Broncos replaced him with Brian Griese and won 11 games. In this time period, the Broncos have been to the playoffs 6 times in 12 seasons, the glory years from 2003-2006 with Jake “the Snake” Plummer at QB. No matter what, it’s undeniable that in the same season that the Broncos change everything, they take the Lombardi Trophy back to the Rockies. Coincidence? I think not.

If you’ve noticed, I’ve been going alphabetically, which means that this should be the Detroit Lions’ turn. However, I’m keeping the Lions for last so we can see how other teams have fared with major and minor uniform/logo changes, then analyze what they’ve got going for them. So we move on to...

GREEN BAY PACKERS
The “G” logo was created in 1961, so that predates my research. And guess what? Another one of the tradition-rich franchises in the NFL hasn’t changed a damn thing in decades, and there’s no use analyzing a team’s changes if they don’t have any. So, moving on!

HOUSTON TEXANS
Well, you guessed it, not enough time in the league to have even changed uniforms yet, so I don’t really care. Onward!

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The Colts formed in 1953, but didn’t hit their stride until 1956 when head coach Weeb Ewbank was paired with Mr. Black High-Tops himself, Johnny Unitas. The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Colts and the New York Giants has been called, “the Greatest Game Ever Played,” as it was the first NFL game to go into sudden-death overtime, and the publicity after the game raised the NFL’s popularity across the country. At that time, college football dominated the television and the public, but this single game made the nation stand up and notice the NFL as it was broadcasted nationwide by NBC. With such a prominent role in the shaping of the NFL’s image, the Colts haven’t decided to change much with their uniforms over the years, though someone did think it a good idea to move from Baltimore to the cornfields of Indiana.

1966-1976: The Colts wore grey facemasks with their blue and white uniforms. They had great success during this time, compiling a record of 94-54-4, 61.8%, with 2 Super Bowl trips (a loss in the infamous Super Bowl III against Joe Namath and the Jets, then a victory in Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys), 5 playoff trips in 11 seasons, and only 3 losing seasons from 1972-1974 as the Colts scrambled to replace Unitas at QB.

1977-1981: In 1977, the Colts decided to change the facemasks from grey to white, and they would enjoy a 10-4 season and a trip to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they made a fatal mistake in that they changed their uniforms while they were on top and ruined the luck they had accumulated in 1975 and 1976. The year after the switch, the Colts fell to 5-11, and would experience losing seasons all the way through 1981. Their combined record for this period was 29-49, 37.2%. Not very great, and it should’ve made the Colts rethink that whole white facemask thing.

1982-1986: But the Colts shrugged that off and decided to switch from white pants to grey pants with their blue jerseys in 1982. The Colts didn’t address the main factor for their bad luck – the facemasks – and they went an abysmal 0-8-1 in the abbreviated 1982 season, Frank Kush’s first year as coach and Mike Pagel’s first year at QB. Their record would be 19-53-1, 26.0%, with 3 head coaches in 5 losing seasons.

1987-1994: The Colts mistakenly thought that the grey pants must be to blame for their terrible performances, so they switched back to white pants and watched their record soar to 9-6 in 1987, the first winning season and the first playoff trip since 1977. ’87 was the first full year that Ron Meyer was coach and the arrival of Eric Dickerson from the Rams. The Colts continued mild success for the next three seasons, then the Colts fell apart and finished with a record of 1-15 in 1991. They didn’t deal with the root problem (white facemasks), and this period would also be marked with failure: 55-71, 43.7%.

1995-2003: Finally, in 1995, the Colts decided to change their facemasks, but rather than return to the grey facemasks that had been their staple from the very beginning, they switched them to blue. The switch coincided with the arrivals of Jim Harbaugh at QB and Marshall Faulk at RB, who had bonded during the 1994 season with coach Ted Marchibroda to the tune of 8-8. In 1995, they went 9-7 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1987. The Colts even managed to survive the transition from Harbaugh to Peyton Manning, who was drafted #1-overall in 1998 and won his first MVP in 2003. They also survived the transition from the elder Jim Mora – “Playoffs?!” – to Tony Dungy, which would pay off just a few years later.

2004-Present: Even more finally, someone told the Colts that they had their best seasons with grey facemasks, and they switched back in 2004. The move would pay off, as the Colts went 12-4 in 2006 and defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Peyton Manning won two move MVP awards, and the Colts have been 63-19, 76.8%, and playoff appearances every year. It only took them 28 years of failure to realize that grey was their color.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Hmm, let’s see… formed as an expansion franchise in 1995, the same year as the Panthers, and 14 seasons of having the same uniforms… I don’t think they count for this discussion, do you? Yes, they’ve got the fancy black alternates, but nothing really has changed beyond that. That being said, an uniform alteration has been planned for the 2009 season, so stay tuned and see if it changes anything.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Talk about a boring bunch of franchises in a row. The Chiefs were also an original franchise in the AFL, so they started play in 1960, lost in Super Bowl I, won in Super Bowl IV, and never changed their logo, colors, or uniforms. The faces change, but not the jerseys. This was the easiest section of my research.

MIAMI DOLPHINS
Continuing along with the recent theme, the Dolphins haven’t changed much with their jerseys since their inception in as an expansion franchise in the AFL in 1966. The aqua, coral – that’s orange for all the color-challenged men out there – and white have been the staples of the Dolphins’ uniforms forever, and they have remained unchanged throughout the years. To be honest, the only real change with the Dolphins over the decades has been the logo.

1966-1973: The original Dolphins logo had the dolphin’s head going through the orange hoop, which I’m told is supposed to be the sun – how many dolphins do you know that can jump through the sun? – and the Dolphins won both of their Super Bowls during this period. Don Shula arrived with Larry Csonka in Miami in 1970, both men joining QB Bob Griese, and the Dolphins went 10-4, the first winning season and playoff appearance in the franchise’s short history. They lost in Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys after the 1971 season, completed the perfect season in 1972 with a victory over Redskins in Super Bowl VII, and won Super Bowl VIII after the 1973 season against Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins were untouchable, but they just had to fiddle around with the logo while they were on top.

1974-1996: In 1974, the Dolphins thought they would be cute and update the logo by moving the dolphin’s body to the center of the sunrise instead of the head, breaking the string of luck that they had going for them in the seasons previous. They still went 11-3 in 1974 and made the playoffs, but they wouldn’t in 1975, and by 1976 they finished 6-8 and experienced their first losing season of the decade. They went to the Super Bowl after the shortened 1982 season, but lost in Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins. Dan Marino was drafted in the heralded 1983 class, went 12-4 as a rookie, and after the 1984 season he led the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX against the 49ers. Though he threw for over 300 yards, he also threw two interceptions and the Dolphins lost 38-16. Marino, and the Dolphins, would never go back. The Dolphins went 219-132-1, 62.2%, over these 23 seasons, making 12 playoff trips and only experiencing 2 losing seasons. Too bad they couldn’t replicate the success from before.

1997-Present: They added navy blue as a primary color in 1997 and included navy drop-shadows around the numerals on the jerseys. They also had the brilliant idea to update the logo, but rather than revert back to the old logo and recapture the success of the past, they decided to make the dolphin larger and more 3-D. This did not do the trick, as Marino retired after the 1999 season without having been back to the Super Bowl, and the Dolphins went 100-92, 52.1%, over the next 12 seasons. They still managed 6 playoff trips, but they also had the 1-15 2007 campaign that featured the excellent passing of Cleo Lemon. The Dolphins managed a rather sizeable turn-around in 2008, going 11-5 with Chad Pennington at quarterback, Tony Sparano at head coach, and Bill Parcells as the puppet-master pulling all the strings. The won the AFC East, the first time they’d done that since 2001. Things might be looking up, but they’ll never be as good as when the dolphin’s head was in the middle of the sun.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Vikings joined the NFL in 1961 after having withdrawn their membership in the AFL. A power-play by the NFL, the ownership group of the Vikings decided to not take a risk with the upstart and instead sign up with the well-established NFL. In the 1961 draft, the Vikings would take Fran Tarkenton in the third round out of the University of Georgia, and the “Purple People-Eaters” era began.

1966-1968: The Vikings main colors have – and always will be – purple, yellow, and white, and it was no different back in 1966. That year turned out to be the final year with Norm Van Brocklin as head coach and Tarkenton was traded after the season to the New York Giants. Bud Grant took the helm, Joe Kapp went under center, and in 1967 the Vikings went 3-8-3. However, in 1968 Grant and Kapp finally meshed, and the Vikings went 8-6 for the franchise’s first winning season and playoff appearance.

1969-1979: They made a minor change to their uniforms in 1969, adding purple stripes to the shoulders of their white jerseys, while the white stripes on the purple jerseys remained around the sleeves. They went 12-2 in 1969, reached Super Bowl IV, which they lost to the Chiefs. Kapp gave way to QB Gary Cuozzo in 1970, and in 1972 Fran Tarkenton returned via trade back to the Vikings. The very next year, Tarkenton led the Vikings to Super Bowl VIII against the Dolphins – and lost – and then led them to Super Bowl IX the next season against the Steelers – and lost – and then one more time to Super Bowl XI against the Raiders – and lost. This was the glory period in the history of the Vikings, as they went 111-45-2, 70.3%, 4 Super Bowl appearances, 9 playoff trips in 11 years, and only one losing season. This was the height of the Purple People Eaters, yet they didn’t deliver the only trophy that matters.

1980-1984: They changed the facemasks from grey to white in 1980, and the Vikings went 9-7 and to the playoffs a year after going 7-9. This period featured the end of Bud Grant’s tenure as coach plus the beginning and end of Tommy Kramer’s career in Minnesota. Like the Colts before them, changing the facemasks away from grey was bad news, as the Vikings went 32-41, 43.8%, with a 3-13 season in 1984 that was the worst they had since 1967.

1985-1995: Also like the Colts, they refused to change the facemasks back to grey, and in 1985 they changed the facemasks to purple. While they improved from 3-13 to 7-9 in 1985, then 9-7 in 1986, but it wasn’t quite enough. Jerry Burns took over as head coach and went through Wade Wilson and Rich Gannon at quarterback through 1991, also presiding over Herschel Walker. Dennis Green – the man who is what we thought he was – took over in 1992, tried Rich Gannon, Jim McMahon, and Warren Moon over the next four seasons, and went to the playoffs from 1992-1994. These were surely good times for the Vikings, going 97-78 (55.4%) with 6 playoff trips in 11 seasons, but they weren’t quite as good as they were back in the 1970s with Bud Grant, Fran Tarkenton, and those grey facemasks.

1996-2005: The Norseman logo was added to the sleeves in 1996, and the Vikings would continue their success with another 9-7 season and a playoff appearance in Brad Johnson’s and Robert Smith’s first years as starters. This was the stretch of time that made Dennis Green look like a legitimate coach, going to the playoffs five years in a row from 1996-2000, including the memorable 15-1 campaign in 1998 with Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, and Cris Carter, and it’s sad that just a few years later in Arizona he’d lose his mind. Then again, he was fired partway through the 2001 season after having taken the Vikings to the playoffs every year of his tenure but one, being replaced by Mike Tice, who couldn’t live up to Green’s success – that’s scary – and had to deal with the Loveboat scandal. Tice would go to the playoffs once, in 2004, which seems like it was almost by mistake since the Vikings were a mediocre 8-8. He tried to recapture the magic in 2005 by bringing back Brad Johnson, who led the Vikings to several wins in a row and a 9-7 record, but Tice was still let go. Over this time, the Vikings were 91-69, 56.9%. All of this is nice, but wouldn’t you rather have the frequent Super Bowl appearances from the 1970s with those damn grey facemasks? Should never have changed them, man.

2006-Present: The Vikings ushered in a new era in 2006 by welcoming Brad Childress as head coach and giving the uniforms a face-lift. They added trim lines around the shoulders, sleeves, and the sides of the jerseys and pants; the horn was slightly more defined on the helmet; and they took the Norseman head off the sleeves. Purple pants also became an option. The Vikings went 6-10 in 2006, but one year later they drafted Adrian “All Day” Peterson out of Oklahoma, who would set the single-game rushing record at 297 yards, and improved to 8-8. Then, in 2008, the Vikings returned to some semblance of success by going 10-6 and making it back to the postseason. They could improve their fortunes even more if they would copy off the Colts and go back to the grey facemasks …

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The Patriots were the final team added to the AFL’s lineup in 1960, initially conceived as the Boston Patriots and with “Pat Patriot,” the Minute-Man hiking the football, as the primary logo. Their colors were apple-red, royal blue, and white, which all makes sense since those are American colors and this franchise is supposed to be a throwback to the American Revolution. The Patriots stand as another great example of how a good uniform change can improve the culture, even incrementally.

1966-1992: The Patriots moved to Foxborough, a suburb 22 miles away from Boston, and changed their name to the “New England Patriots” to reflect the move, but I don’t count that as being the same kind of franchise move that happened to the Baltimore Ravens or the Tennessee Titans. Either way, this was not a very good stretch of history for the Patriots. They went 8-4-2 in 1966, then followed that up with 7 straight losing seasons. They reached the playoffs in 1963 with a 7-6-1 record, and didn’t return until 1976, the nation’s bicentennial – coincidence? – with an 11-3 mark. 1976 was the second year that Steve Grogan would start at quarterback in his 16-year career with the team. This period did feature the Patriots’ first trip to the Super Bowl, an utter debacle after the 1985 season when they met the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and were destroyed 46-10. Tony Eason was the quarterback then, but that would only last for 3 seasons. Overall, the Patriots only made 6 playoff appearances in 27 years and had 13 losing seasons.

1993-1999: Clearly, “Pat Patriot” needed to go. In 1993, the Patriots updated their logo with the stylized Patriot head, changed the helmets from white to silver, and switched the primary color from red to blue. All this welcomed Bill Parcells and Drew Bledsoe – who was drafted in 1993 out of Washington State – to the franchise. They struggled to adapt, going 5-11, but went 10-6 and to the playoffs in 1994, then to the Super Bowl after an 11-5 campaign in 1996. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers were waiting for the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, and they would go on to win the game and spoil the Patriots pursuit of the ultimate trophy in the NFL. Parcells left after the season, being replaced by Pete Carroll, who lasted three seasons before being released. Looking back now, it’s a boon for USC, but Carroll went to the playoffs two out of three years and never finished with a losing record, so it’s hard to really understand what the Patriots were so pissed about.

2000-Present: Like many teams around the turn of the millennium, the Patriots decided to further update their look by changing from a royal blue to a navy blue and added grey stripes to the uniforms. Bill Belichick arrived in 2000, and so did Tom Brady in the 6^th Round of the NFL Draft. As with the past regime and uniform change, the Patriots struggled to adapt and wound up 5-11. Then, in 2001, Bledsoe went down with a season-ending injury, Brady took over, led the Patriots to an 11-5 record and win over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Belichick-Brady tandem hooked up for two more Super Bowl victories this decade (XXXVIII over the Panthers and XXXIX over the Eagles) and one Super Bowl loss (XLII to the New York Giants). Their combined record is 102-42, 70.8%, with 6 playoff appearances in 9 seasons, an MVP for Tom Brady to go along with his record for touchdown passes in a season, and a perfect 16-0 regular season in 2007. The first uniform alteration changed the losing culture with the Patriots, but it was still too close since the colors remained identical. It took the modernization of the Patriots’ color scheme to complete the culture-adjustment, and that resulted in 3 Super Bowls this decade.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
The Saints began play in 1967 with Tom Fears – a 1970 HOF inductee who played wide receiver and spent his career with the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-1956, featuring the 1949 season when he set the record for receptions at 77 – and Gary Cuozzo at quarterback. Yes, the same Cuozzo that backed Unitas with the Colts and started two seasons in Minnesota before Tarkenton came back. This tandem led the team to a 3-11 record, as bad as most expansion franchises fare, but it was also the start of what came to be known affectionately in the 1980s as the “Aints.”

1967-1974: The team was new and terrible. Their combined record over this span was 30-77-5, 26.8%, all losing seasons. Archie Manning arrived in 1971 and, although he started 10 of the 14 games, he split time with Ed Hargett at QB, who actually finished with more passing yards than Manning that season. Hargett didn’t play down the next year as Manning became the full-time starter. No matter how little protection Manning had and how many yards he threw for, it was still bad times in the Bayou.

1975-1985: The Saints thought the color of the pants might be to blame, so they switched from gold pants to white and black pants in 1975. The move coincided with the last year of John North’s reign as head coach; he was replaced mid-season by Ernie Hefferle as the Saints sunk to a 2-12 record. The best the Saints could ever do during this period was reach 8-8, a feat they pulled off in 1979 with Dick Nolan – the father of former-49ers head coach Mike Nolan – and Archie Manning, then again in 1983 with Bum Phillips – the father of Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips – and former Super-Bowl-winning QB Kenny Stabler. The combined record was 53-110, 32.95%, with 9 losing seasons in 11 years and an average of 4.81 wins per season. However, a single bright spot occurred in 1985 when Tom Benson purchased the team, and he had changes to make.

1986-1995: Benson waited out the pitiful 1985 season (an awkward 5-11 year that saw Wade take over for his dad, Bum, who was fired mid-season) and he wanted to bring a new attitude to the “Aints.” The gold pants were brought back instead of the white, and an outline of the state of Louisiana with a fleur-de-lis in it was added to the pants in place of the stripes. The elder Jim Mora was hired on, and the Saints actually had a renaissance. Mora cycled through QBs over this period (including Dave Wilson, Bobby Hebert, Steve Walsh, Wade Wilson, and Jim Everett), but all these men had Eric Martin to throw to, who led the team in receiving yards 7 times over these 10 seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 1988. In 1987, a year after the change, the Saints went 12-3 and made the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise, then followed that with a 10-6 season in 1988, 9-7 in 1989, and then a series of three playoff appearances from 1990-1992. The combined record over this span was 91-68, 57.2%, 4 playoff trips, 5 winning seasons, only 3 losing seasons, and an average of 9.1 wins per season. If the team ever had a hey-day, this would probably have been it.

1996-1998: 1996 wasn’t a good year for the Saints. The Louisiana logo was replaced with a simple fleur-de-lis on the pants and sleeves, and they changed the numerals to gold on both the black and white jerseys. Of course, the move jinxed Mora. He started out 2-6, was fired and replaced by Rick Venturi, who finished out that awful 3-13 season. Mike Ditka, the Super-Bowl winning coach of the 1985 Bears, was hired in 1997, and people were hoping that the fortunes of the franchise would rise. Ditka’s first two seasons (1997 and 1998) resulted in identical 6-10 campaigns.

1999: The gold numerals drew complaints from referees, coaches, players, and fans for being too difficult to see on the white jerseys, so the Saints changed the numerals to black. Plus, Ditka introduced black pants with a wide, gold stripe with the white jerseys. Ditka knew his job was jeopardy, so he traded away the entire Saints draft in order to take the stand-out Texas RB, Ricky Williams. This proved to be an awful decision, with Williams only rushing for 884 yards and the team finishing 3-13. Benson promptly fired Ditka after the season.

2000-2005: Benson knew something needed to be done, and that his most recent changes to the uniform weren’t equaling enough wins, so in 2000 he designed an improved fleur-de-lis logo, and new head coach Jim Haslett gave the black pants for the white jerseys the axe. Haslett’s regime got off to a great start with Jeff Blake at QB, Ricky Williams at RB, and Joe Horn at WR, going 10-6 and appearing in the postseason for the first time since 1992. Aaron Brooks took over as the full-time starter in 2001, Deuce McAllister started in 2002, and the Saints had a mini-revival. Over this period, they were 45-51, 46.9%, with the one playoff trip and only two losing seasons in 6 years. The 3-13 2005 season spelled doom for Haslett and Brooks, as both were given the heave-ho after it ended.

2006-Present: Benson continued to tinker with the uniforms in the same season that he brought in a new head coach and attempted to redefine the Saints image, this time hiring Sean Payton and signing Pro-Bowler Drew Brees in at quarterback. Benson brought back the Louisiana-logo that was a staple of the 1985-1995 Saints’ success, and the Saints went 10-6 after Hurricane Katrina and made it all the way to the NFC Championship game, which they lost to the Chicago Bears. Still, the Saints formed a great young nucleus by taking Reggie Bush in 2006, and have gone 25-23 in these three seasons with a bright future ahead of them. That outline of Louisiana means a lot to those Saints.

NEW YORK GIANTS
The New York Giants were the other half of that famous 1958 NFL Championship Game, and they were also one of the founding franchises of the NFL, playing their first season in 1925. They have a long history, but for the purpose of this piece we’re only looking at them from 1966 on, a terrible 1-12-1 season with Allie Sherman as head coach and Gary Wood as the leading-passer. Things would get better for the Giants.

1966-1974: The Giants started this era off on the wrong foot, traded for Fran Tarkenton in 1967 to try and make things better, but had to trade him back in 1972 after five seasons and no playoff trips. In fact, over the course of this entire time-period, the Giants were 46-78-2, 36.5%, no playoff appearances, and only two winning seasons (1970 and 1972). Not so great.

1975: The Giants thought the “ny” logo could be the source of their bad luck, so they switched to an upper-case “NY” logo. They also did some wild things to their helmets and jerseys: white stripes were added on either side of the red stripe on the helmets; grey facemasks were changed to white; and the home jerseys had red trim around the numerals with new stripes on the socks, all of which was switched for the away jerseys. This look only lasted this one season as the Giants went 5-9 in Bill Arnsbarger’s last full year as head coach and with Cowboys cast-off Craig Morton at quarterback.

1976-1978: Complementing their move to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey – no one should ever WANT to go to New Jersey – the Giants decided to abandon the “NY” logo and change it to blue “GIANTS” script with red trim. This wasn’t quite enough for the Giants, as the finished 3-11 in 1976. Arnsbarger was fired after a 0-7 start, and Morton wasn’t asked to come back at QB. The Giants needed time to adjust to their new surroundings in NJ, something that takes eons for most people, and the hilarity of their jerseys combined to a 14-30 record, 31.8%, with no winning seasons. They topped out at 6 wins during this period.

1979: 1979 was a new dawn for the Giants, as Ray Perkins arrived as head coach and Phil Simms became the starter. They replaced the blue pants for away games with white ones, and they finished 6-10.

1980-1999: The Giants finally dispensed with the clown suits in 1980, realizing that they were going to be good again and didn’t want to have those strange stripes on their socks or helmets anymore. The white stripes were removed from the helmets, the stripes on the sleeves became more conservative, and the socks were changed to solid blue. The Giants resisted the change at first, going 4-12 in 1980, but bounced back in 1981 with a 9-7 record and the first playoff appearance since 1963. These new dreads proved to a boon for the Giants for the first decade, which featured 5 of their 8 playoff appearances during this 20-year run, including Super Bowl wins in XXI over the Broncos and XXV over the Bills. Then, from 1990-1999, the Giants only went to the playoffs three times and 6 non-winning seasons. Of course, Bill Parcells and Simms left the Giants after the 1991 season, so that might have something to do with it. Either way, by 1999, the Giants were ready for something new, and they decided to return to the past.

2000-Present: The Giants decided to usher in the new millennium with a return to their old “ny” logo and updated it by surrounding it with red trim. They also changed the blue to a darker shade of royal blue and moved the numbers from the sleeves to the shoulders. They also switched the away-jersey numbers from blue to red, accented with blue trim. The pants were grey with grey belts and included a red stripe on the side flanked by blue stripes. 2000 was Jim Fassels’ third year as head coach, Kerry Collins’ first year as starter, but the first time that these two were paired with Tiki Barber at running back. Naturally, all this change signaled a new era for the Giants, and they went 12-4 in 2000 and appeared in Super Bowl XXXV opposite the Baltimore Ravens. They lost, but they were on the right track as quickly as a logo-change. They won Super Bowl XLII against the Patroits, who at that point had been 18-0, and have a combined record of 80-64, 55.5%, having survived dramatic changes at head coach and Eli Manning’s growing pains at QB.

NEW YORK JETS
The Jets were a charter member of the AFL in 1960, officially the New York Titans until Andres J. Grosser bought the team in 1963, changed the name, changed the coach (Weeb Ewbank took over from Bulldog Turner), and changed the attitude of the team. The Titans had been 19-23, and Grosser had bigger plans for the Jets than that. “Broadway” Joe Namath was drafted in 1965, and with him and Don Maynard, the Jets were ready to take off.

1966-1977: The Jets started off the Super Bowl Era with Ewbank, Namath, and Maynard, a trio that would take the Jets to Super Bowl III, the infamous game that Namath predicted a victory over Unitas and the heavily-favored Colts, then delivered on his guarantee and brought the Jets their first championship after the 1968 season, in which they went 11-3. They followed this up with a 10-4 performance in 1969, making the playoffs again, but the Jets would falter from 1970-1973, seasons in which Namath was hurt and would played 5 games in 1970, 4 in 1971, and 6 in 1973. Their record suffered, and once Namath came back full-time, he was old and too worried about living the high-life in Manhattan, so 1974-1976 were basically a wash, and he retired after he spent the 1977 season with the Rams and played in only 4 games. No matter what, the Jets never got to the top of the mountain other than during this time period, despite an overall record of 80-93-3, 45.5%, and 6 losing seasons in 12 years, including three 3-win seasons in 1974, 1975, and 1976.

1978-1989: The atrocious seasons led the Jets to change their logo in 1978 to an exciting new script with a futuristic Jet over the top of it. The helmets became green and the pants were changed to white. 1978 was the second season for both head coach Walt Michaels and quarterback Richard Todd – joined by Freeman McNeil in 1981 – and the Jets would experience a slight resurgence. One might say that the Jets were gaining altitude. They finished 10-5-1 in 1981, the first winning season and playoff appearance since 1969, then return to the playoffs in 1982. Overall, the Jets’ record was 81-93-2, 46%, with 4 playoff trips in 12 years.

1990-1997: The Jets experienced a serious descent once they added black trim and switched the facemasks to black in 1990, which occurred in Bruce Coslet’s first year as head coach with Ken O’Brien still under center. The team finished 6-10, which became a trend for the Jets over this span. Not even Boomer Esiason or Wayne Chrebet could thwart the Jets’ plunge, as their combined record fell to 45-83, 35.2%, with one playoff trip in 1991 after an 8-8 season. The black facemasks did enough to intimidate opponents at first, but then the Jets nearly crashed and burned. Good thing that Bill Parcells was hired in 1997, a season in which they Jets went 9-7, their first winning season since 1988 (when they went 8-7-1, so a “winning season” by technicality).

1998-Present: To go along with the arrival of Parcells, the Jets decided to hearken back to their glory days in the 1960s by switching their logo back to the original green oval with white lettering. They also changed the shade of green from Kelly to forest, and changed the facemasks back to green. That year, with the immortal Vinny Testaverde – is that guy a Highlander? – at starting QB, the Jets improved to 12-4 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1991. Since then, the Jets experienced more success than the past few decades, but not quite enough to match the 1960s. The logo and uniform changes captured a little bit of luck, but they might need to do more. Their combined record was 82-78, 51.3% - the best winning percentage for any period of the team – with 8 seasons of 8 more wins and only 3 losing seasons in 11 years.

OAKLAND RAIDERS
Al Davis has refused to change anything about the Raiders. Not the logo, not the colors, not the uniforms, not the motto, and not the ownership. It all seemed to work decades ago, but not anymore. Maybe they need to kick the Crypt-Keeper out or they need to change something up. The old attitude isn’t very threatening anymore, even if your fans are the craziest people out there.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Philadelphia Eagles were formed in 1933, and their fans have been rowdy bastards ever since.

1966-1968: By 1966, Joe Kuharich was head coach, Norm Snead was quarterback, and the Eagles finished 9-5. Their helmets had silver wings on Kelly green helmets, and the logo featured a bald eagle clutching onto a football. Over these three seasons, the Eagles went 17-24-1, 40.5%, with just that one winning season in 1966. Times weren’t great in Philadelphia, as the Eagles hadn’t been to playoffs since 1960, HOFer Chuck Bednarik’s last year as quarterback.

1969: The Eagles decided to switch things up in 1969 by giving the eagle logo a facelift, making it look more futuristic. It kind of looks like somebody did it on acid, but what can you expect out of Philly? They also changed their helmets to green with white wings at home, and white with green wings on the road. This was the first year of Jerry Williams’ brief stint as head coach, and the Eagles finished 4-9-1.

1970-1972: In 1970, the Eagles decided that switching helmets so often wasn’t the cheapest or most efficient way to run a franchise, no matter how cool you think you are. They decided to stick with white helmets and green wings, finish 3-10-1 in 1970. Williams would be fired halfway through the 1971 season, with Ed Khayat taking over afterwards, finishing that season 6-7-1, and going a woeful 2-11-1 in 1972. Needless to say, Khayat didn’t stay head coach of the Eagles. The question is whether or not the fans decided to kill him, too…

1973: Mike McCormack replaced Khayat in 1973, Roman Gabriel arrived as QB from the Los Angeles Rams, and the Eagles responded in their usual tone with a 5-7-1 campaign. The logo changed to a much more realistic eagle, as someone realized that the other one kind of resembled the eagle that Hitler utilized for the Nazi party.

1974-1984: The Eagles changed back to green helmets with silver wings and white trim, and the Eagles responded by bouncing back for a 7-7 campaign. McCormack and Gabriel would only last another year, and then they would be replaced by Dick Vermeil (in 1976) and Ron Jaworski (in 1977). This launched the Eagles onto the first successful span in the franchise since the late-1940s. Within four years of the change, the Eagles were 9-7 and in the playoffs for the first time since 1960. They would reach the playoffs from 1978-1981, lose Super Bowl XV after the 1980 season to the Oakland Raiders (Al Davis and John Madden’s shining moment), and then revert back to their loser ways. Their combined record was 76-86-1, 46.6%, 6 losing seasons in 11 years, 4 playoff trips.

1985-1995: The Eagles made another change in their uniform when they removed the stripes from the sleeves and added the eagle logo to them, which occurred in the same year that Marion Campbell was fired mid-season and the team finished 7-9, an improvement over the 14-26-1 they’d been from 1982-1984, but not much. Jaworski would last one more year, which happened to be the first year that Buddy Ryan was at the helm. Randall Cunningham replaced Jaworski in 1987, and the Eagles would take flight for another brief time. The Eagles were 96-78-1, 54.9%, with 5 playoff appearances in 11 years and an average of 8.72 wins per season.

1996-2002: Despite a 10-6 record in 1995 featuring coach Ray Rhodes and Rodney Peete, the Eagles decided to alter their logo to an angrier, stylized eagle’s head and switch up their color scheme for the first time in the franchise’s history. The Kelly green was changed to a darker “midnight green,” the silver was practically gone, the wings on the helmet changed to white with mostly grey accents and black trim, and the lettering was changed from calligraphic to block letters. The Eagles went 10-6 in 1996 with Ty Detmer as the starter – never a good idea – but would falter in Rhodes’s last two years (6-9-1 in 1997 and 3-13 in 1998). Andy Reid was hired in 1999, which was the same year that the Eagles drafted Donovan McNabb out of Syracuse, which changed the future of the franchise. Despite a 5-11 year in 1999 in which Doug Pederson saw a majority of the action, the Eagles rebounded with 11-5, 11-5, and 12-4 from 2000-2002. They were 58-53-1, 51.8%, 4 playoff trips in 7 seasons.

2003-Present: The Eagles did a minor change to the uniforms in 2003, but it proved to make a big difference: they added black shadows and silver trims around the numerals on both the home and away jerseys, and the Eagles would repeat with another 12-4 record and trip the NFC Championship Game. They would reach the Super Bowl – XXXIX – after the 2004 season, losing to Brady and the New England Patriots. Afterwards, Terrell Owens, the mercurial wide receiver, would throw Donovan McNabb under the bus, and he would be off the team by 2006. The Eagles were great over this span, going 58-37-1, 60.4%, 4 playoff trips in 6 years, and only one losing season – 2005, in which McNabb would miss 7 games. They tied a game in 2008, and made the playoffs on by a fraction of a percentage point.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS
The Pittsburgh Steelers finalized their logo in 1963, before I started my research, and haven’t changed their uniforms in decades. They have had success every decade since, including an NFL-record 6 Super Bowl titles. However, I still hate them, Chandler still hates them, and that’s that. Moving on.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
A charter member of the AFL, the San Diego Chargers were formed in 1960 – originally as the Los Angeles Chargers, they moved to San Diego a year later – and are a rare example of an expansion team having instant success. HOF coach Sid Gillman was head coach, the recently-deceased Jack Kemp was the quarterback, and the Chargers finished 10-4 in their inaugural season. They followed that up in 1961 with a 12-2 record, and then make three straight playoff appearances from 1963-1965. With only six seasons under their belt, the Chargers were 54-26-4, 64.3%. Then, the Super Bowl era hit, and the Chargers fortunes would change.

1966-1973: In 1966, the Chargers switched back to white pants from gold pants. Their helmets were white with the golden bolt and the players’ numbers on them. They also wore the famous powder-blue uniforms that were so popular as throwbacks that the present-day Chargers have included them in their repertoire. Despite a 7-6-1 record, the Chargers couldn’t make the playoffs, a theme that would be repeated throughout the remainder of Gillman’s tenure, which ended in 1969, then he coached again for a brief time in 1971. The Chargers sustained losing seasons from 1970-1973. Their overall record was 49-51-7, 45.8%, no playoff trips.

1974-1984: The Chargers would change their logo in 1974 when they changed the color from powder-blue to royal-blue. The helmets were also changed to blue, the numbers were removed, yet the Chargers kept those awful gold pants. 1974 was also the start of new era as Dan Fouts became the starting QB, and when he was paired with Don Coryell in 1978, the Chargers went 9-7, and followed that in 1979 with a 12-4 season, starting a string of consecutive playoff appearances from 1979-1982. This was a high-point for the Chargers, and it happened when they changed their color scheme.

1985-1987: 1985 was Coryell’s last full season as coach, and they switched from royal blue to navy blue and back to white pants. Plus, they changed their logo to a golden bolt of lightning with the new blue trim. Coryell was fired halfway through the 1986 season, replaced with Al Saunders. Fouts remained at quarterback, growing older and having less success. As ugly as those gold pants were, they were a good-luck charm, and having tossed them aside the Chargers ruined their luck. Their record over this time was 20-27, 42.6%.

1988-1991: They revamped in 1988, switching to an even darker navy blue, changed the bolts to white with blue and gold trim, and had stripes on the pants instead of bolts. It wasn’t a change back to the gold pants, actually removing the gold from their most recognizable feature – the bolt – and the Chargers continued to suffer. Saunders lost his job after going 6-10 in 1988; Dan Henning took over at head coach the next year, then went 6-10, 6-10, and 4-12 from 1989-1991. This was another period of instability at quarterback, with four different leading passers in four years: Mark Malone, Jim McMahon, Billy Joe Tolliver, and John Friesz, in that order. The combined record, as you might expect, wasn’t good: 22-42, 34.3%, all losing seasons.

1992-2006: Bobby Ross became the new head coach in 1992, and the Chargers marked the start of another era by switching back to the bolts on the pants instead of the stripes. The bolts had been better to the Chargers than the stripes, and the return was an instant success: the Chargers went 11-5, the most wins since 1980 and their first playoff appearance since 1982. Stan Humphries started at QB, which he would do over the next 6 seasons, which would include another 11-5 season in 1994 and a trip to Super Bowl XXIX against the 49ers. The Chargers lost 49-26. Ross was replaced with Gilbride in 1997, who lost his job partway through 1998, and there wasn’t another bright spot until Marty Schottenheimer was hired in 2002. Drew Brees started the same year, and Ladainian Tomlinson had a great year in his second season, totaling 1,683 yards. This would lead to playoff appearances in 2004 (12-4) and 2006 (14-2). Overall, it was another mixed-review era for the Chargers, with both the highs and lows, and the biggest highs directly after the uniform switch and attitude change. Their combined record was 117-123, 48.8%, 5 playoff trips and 5 losing seasons in 15 years. One of those losing seasons was 2000’s 1-15 campaign, which was the only year that Ryan Leaf started. That aberration skews the statistics as it was the first and only time the Chargers only won 1 game, but oh well, that’s the power of Ryan Leaf.

2007-Present: Schottenheimer was fired after the 2006 season despite having such a great record in the regular-season. His playoff record wasn’t as stellar, and the fans in San Diego were fed up with it. The Chargers hired Norv Turner to replace him in 2007. To shed the Schottenheimer years, the Chargers changed the font of their script, changed the bolt back to gold with powder-blue and navy trim, returned to the white helmet, and added powder-blue trim to the navy stripe on the white pants. They also moved the bolts from the shoulders to the sleeves. Besides switching back to gold pants, this was a return to the golden era of the Chargers with Dan Fouts, and the Chargers welcomed this era with Phillip Rivers’ second season, an 11-5 record, and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game after defeating Manning’s Colts in their title defense. Turner had a little trouble last year but still won a bunch straight and took the AFC West. Their record is 19-13, 59.4%, and they’re prepared to strike again next season.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The San Francisco 49ers were a charter member of the AAFC, and was the only other team from that league to join up with the NFL in 1950. Only once did they appear in the playoffs with the AAFC (1949 after a 9-3 season) despite the fact that they went 12-2 in 1948. They struggled at first in the NFL, but by 1957 they would make the playoffs with Y.A. Tittle at quarterback. Of course, their dominant years would come decades later.

1966-1993: The 49ers entered the Super Bowl era with Jack Christiansen coaching, John Brodie passing, and Ken Willard running. They went 6-6-2 in 1966, and they followed that with a 7-7 season in 1967. However, the 49ers didn’t take off until Dick Nolan replaced Christiansen in 1968, leading the 49ers to 3 straight playoff appearances from 1970-1972. 1972 was memorable as the “Ol’ Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier was the starting quarterback. The 49ers uniforms never really changed: they paired gold pants with gold helmets, red and white jerseys, and red-white-red tri-stripes on the sides of the pants and helmets. This classic look lasted through the good times and the bad, which was the rest of the 1970s for the 49ers. Bill Walsh arrived in 1979 with Joe Montana, and the team still finished 2-14, mostly because the West Coast offense was brand-new and it took awhile to master. Plus, Steve DeBerg was the starter, and that’s about as good a proposition as having Ty Detmer start the game. Joe Montana wouldn’t become the full-time starter until 1981, a season in which the 49ers went 13-3 and beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI. The 1980s belonged to the 49ers, a time in which they made 8 playoff appearance in 10 years, including 7 straight from 1983-1989, and won 3 more Super Bowls: XIX against the Dolphins, XXIII against the Bengals, and XXIV against the Broncos. Jerry Rice, arguably the greatest player in the history of the NFL, started his record-setting career in 1985, and would start a string of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons in 1986. Walsh retired after the 1988 season. George Siefert took over in 1989, and went on to win 14 games and beat Elway for the Lombardi trophy. Steve Young became the starter in 1990, which was a bitter-sweet season: the 49ers went 10-6 without Montana, but it was the first time they’d missed the playoffs in 8 years. The monkey had firmly attached itself onto Young’s back, and it would take a miracle to finally throw it off.

1994: The 49ers decided to wear their 1955 throwbacks in 1994 as the NFL asked all teams to wear throwbacks to commemorate the league’s 75^th anniversary. The 49ers blasted off to a fast start with Young, Rice, Ricky Watters, and Deion Sanders, and they petitioned the NFL to wear these throwbacks for the entire season. They finished 13-3, advanced to Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers, and defeated them 49-26, becoming the first NFL team to win 5 Super Bowls. Young was the Super Bowl MVP, and he kicked that monkey to the curb.

1995: Then, for whatever reason, the 49ers decided to return to their 1966-1993 uniforms for the 1995 season, and all the luck that had created with the throwbacks in 1994 vanished. The 49ers still managed an 11-5 record and a trip to the playoffs, but at a place that had won 5 Super Bowls in 16 years, that’s just not good enough.

1996-1997: The 49ers realized the error of their ways, and they decided to recapture the glory of the 1994 season by switching their uniforms back to ones like that. They changed from scarlet to a deeper cardinal red, used a more metallic-gold than a beige-gold, added black drop-shadows with gold trim around the numerals, black trim on the sleeves, and added gold trim to the “SF” logo. They wore white pants and the facemasks went from grey to cardinal-red. They went 12-4 in 1996, which also proved to be Seifert’s final season in Frisco. The next year, Steve Mariucci took over, but he had to deal with Jerry Rice’s season-ending injury in Game 1 and the reliance on a young Terrell Owens in the passing game. The 49ers upped their wins to 13, but they were ousted in the playoffs by Brett Favre and the Packers for the second straight year. Their record was 25-7, 78.1%.

1998-2008: The team switched to metallic gold pants instead of white in 1998, and it proved the difference-maker: they went 12-4 and finally beat the Packers in the playoffs on Terrell Owens’ game-winning grab. Just as a reminder, T.O. cried after that game. Not such a hard-ass, are we? Those uniforms lasted until now, and the feeble, and inadequate, attempt to recapture the glory days of the 1980s backfired horribly. Their combined record over this time was 76-100, 43.2%, 3 playoff trips in 11 seasons, with the remaining 8 being losing seasons. They went through four different head coaches and endured the Jeff Garcia-T.O. controversy, which resulted in both players leaving town.

2009: In a further attempt to recapture the glory days, the 49ers are ditching the cardinal-red from the 1990s and returning to a much lighter scarlet-red in 2009. The stripes on the helmet are going back to red-white-red, and the facemasks are going grey again. That’s always the ticket to success, so we’ll see how it plays out. Hopefully Michael Crabtree can channel his inner-Rice, and they’ll be set.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Unlike the Chargers, the Seattle Seahawks did what expansion franchises are supposed to do in their first year: lose. And lose they did. In 1976, the Seahawks finished 2-12 with Jack Patera as head coach, Jim Zorn as the quarterback, Sherman Smith at running back, and HOFer Steve Largent at wide-receiver. From there, the Seahawks would piddle away in the Pacific Northwest, until they made a major change.

1976-1982: Like I said, the Seahawks were awful. They managed 9-7 seasons in 1978 and 1979, but no playoff appearances. Patera even managed to get himself fired during a strike-shortened season in 1982, which has to a feat in and of itself. Zorn, Smith, and Largent were the key offensive contributors, and they compiled a 39-62 record, 38.6%, 5 losing seasons in 7 years.

1983-2001: Chuck Knox took control of the team in 1983, Dave Krieg was the new guy under center, Curt Warner – no relation to Kurt Warner – carried the rock, and Largent continued to man the outside. The Seahawks moved the numbers from the sleeves to the shoulders, slapped the Hawk head onto the stripes of the sleeves, and the team went 9-7 and made the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s history. The next year, 1984, the Seahawks set a franchise-record for wins going 12-4, and wouldn’t have another losing season until 1989. This uniform change brought about a spike in the success of the franchise, but that good feeling would run out by 1992, when Tom Flores took control and went 2-14, starting a string of pitiful seasons in the Emerald City. Dennis Erickson tried his hardest after Flores, then gave way to Holmgren in 1999, who started Jon Kitna and Ricky Watters, went 9-7, and crashed the postseason for the first time in 11 years. That high fizzled out in 2000 as the Seahawks went 6-10. The next year, Holmgren decided to start Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander, and they went 9-7 in 2001. It was clear that the Seahawks would be entering a new chapter in their history after such terrible performances in the past decade, so they thought they needed a little update.

2002-Present: The Seahawks made the jump to elite in 2002 when they switched from the AFC to the NFC and marked the switch with totally new uniforms. They went from royal blue to a “Seahawk blue” – the lighter blue – and “Seahawk navy” – naturally, the darker blue – plus neon green piping. The helmets changed from silver to “Seahawk blue,” and the logo was changed to be more forward-looking, aggressive, and with a new pupil. The change took a year to fully-seep in, as the Seahawks went 7-9 in 2002 and then 10-6 in 2003, starting a string of 5 straight playoff appearances and NFC West division championships from 2004-2007. After a 13-3 season in 2005, the Seahawks appeared opposite the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, which they would sadly lose. Still, a radical change in the team’s uniforms, logo, and attitude resulted in access to the upper-echelon of the NFL, and besides that 4-12 abomination in 2008, the Seahawks have been great in their new uniforms.

ST. LOUIS RAMS
The Rams were founded as the Cleveland Rams in 1936, moving to Los Angeles in 1946, and finally settling in St. Louis in 1995. They were the first professional franchise to paint logos on their helmets, as halfback Fred Gerhke, a commercial artist in the offseason, decided to paint ram’s horns on his helmet for the 1948 season, back in the leatherhead era. The horns have stayed ever since, and every team in the NFL, besides the Cleveland Browns – kind of ironic, huh? – have also added logos to their helmets. The Rams moved to the City of Angels because they were tired of having to compete in the same city with AAFC-dominant Browns, so they took off. In 1964, the Rams switched to a very simple royal blue and white combination, ditching the gold theme that they’d had since their inception, but for the purposes of this analysis, we’ll start with the blue and white.

1966-1972: The Rams entered the Super Bowl era with George Allen as head coach and Roman Gabriel as quarterback, both taking over in 1966. Their first season was a success (8-6), and so were all the seasons after it. They were 11-1-2 in 1967, 10-3-1 in 1968, 11-3 in 1969, and 9-4-1 in 1970. They went to the playoffs in 1967 and 1969. Allen moved on to the Redskins in 1971, with Tommy Prothro taking over for the final two seasons of this time period. The Rams went 8-5-1 and 6-7-1, missing the playoffs both times, which also turned out to be the final two years of Gabriel’s career in LA. Their combined record was 63-29-5, 64.9%, and only one losing season.

1973-1980: Owner Carroll Rosenbloom hated the blue-and-white jerseys, so in 1973 he returned to the old blue and gold of yesteryear. The pants changed from white to yellow-gold, the horns on the helmet became yellow-gold, and stripes were added to the sleeves. Also, the facemasks became grey. The move also occurred in the same season that Chuck Knox took over as head coach, and the Rams magically went 12-2 and returned to the playoffs. This was a special time for the Rams, as every year of this span they made it to the playoffs and never won less than 9 games. Ray Malavasi took over for Knox in 1978, but nothing changed. They won the NFC West 7 straight years, and they lost in Super Bowl XIV to the Steelers after the 1979 season. Their overall record was 86-31-1, 72.9%.

1981-1994: Then, the Rams committed a mistake that almost every team has been guilty of, switching from grey facemasks to blue facemasks in 1981. The move was supposed to coincide with the Rams’ move to Anaheim, though they kept “Los Angeles” as their official name, but it only resulted in a 6-10 season and the first time they’d missed the playoffs since 1972. They ruined Malavasi’s luck, and he would be fired after a 2-7 year during 1982. John Robinson was hired as coach in 1983, and he didn’t seem to mind the blue facemasks as he rode Eric Dickerson to a 9-7 record that year. Dickerson set the single-season rushing record in 1984 at 2,105 yards, and the Rams won 10 games. Jim Everett took over at quarterback in 1986 and finished out their time in Los Angeles, which even featured the return of old coach Chuck Knox from 1992-1994, which was extremely lackluster (a combined 15-33). The blue facemasks produced a few good years, but wore out its welcome by 1989, and the Rams couldn’t recover. Their record over this period was 98-118, 45.4%, 6 playoff appearances in 14 years, 1 division championship (1985), and 8 losing seasons (including 5 straight from 1990-1994). The Rams time in Los Angeles was up.

1995-1999: The Rams moved to St. Louis for the 1995 season, filling the void that the Cardinals created by moving to Arizona in 1988. The Rams changed their logo to reflect the move, adding the infamous Arch. Rich Brooks was welcomed to the team as coach, and the team went 7-9, the most wins they’d had in 6 seasons. Dick Vermeil arrived in 1997, and then Kurt Warner became a star in 1999 after starter Trent Green went down with an injury early in the season, and he led the Rams to a 13-3 record and a victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Their record was 35-35 over this stretch, but they finished on a high-note after suffering from the after-effects of the move.

2000-Present: Then, the Rams did something that hadn’t been done in the history of the NFL: after winning a Super Bowl, they decided to change their uniforms and logo entirely. They claimed that they had closed the book on the losing-1990s and wanted to enter the new millennium with a new look, so they ditched the yellow-gold for “New Century gold” (metallic gold) and the royal blue for “Millenium blue” (navy-blue). The numbers were moved from the sleeves to the shoulders, the new ram’s head logo was added to the sleeves, and the ugly yellow-gold pants were retired. Vermeil left the Rams, Mike Martz took over, and the uniform change doomed the Rams: they went 10-6 in 2000, reached Super Bowl XXXV, then lost to the New England Patriots. If they would’ve just kept their old uniforms, I contend that they would’ve won, and think about that would’ve changed the course of this decade if Brady hadn’t won that first Super Bowl. This move’s effects were felt for years, as their combined record was 70-74, 48.6%, 4 playoff trips in 9 years (including after the 8-8 2004 season) and 4 losing seasons, which included the pathetic 3-13 2007 and 2-14 2008. They changed, and they squandered away all their luck. Hope you’re happy, Rams.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the league the same year that the Seahawks did, 1976, and they actually performed worse than the Seahawks. That’s right, the Buccaneers finished their inaugural season 0-14, which, until these 2008 Lions, was the worst performance by any team in the NFL. It was a perfect storm of failure for the Bucs, as Steve Spurrier was the starting quarterback for that season, John McKay – who had been a very successful coach at USC after compiling a record of 120-40-8 with 4 national championships from 1960-1975 – began the conversation of how successful college coaches shouldn’t go to the NFL (his career NFL record was 44-88), and their uniforms made you want to puke. Their “Florida orange” uniforms were nicknamed the “Creamsicles,” and they had a serial rapist named “Bucco Bruce” as their logo. Cartoonist Lamar Sparkman created the logo, and should have been murdered after he did. However, the Bucs stand as one of my best examples, so let’s look.

1976-1996: The Buccaneers were a perpetually laughing-stock for the first 21 years of their existence. Their uniforms were awful, their logo wanted to sexually-assault you, and they couldn’t win any damn games. They had three playoff appearances in this span, all under McKay, in 1979, 1981, and 1982, all with Doug Williams as the starting quarterback. Of course, even when the Buccaneers had a good thing going, they got into a contract dispute with Williams, and he bolted for the USFL. That’s right, the USFL. The future Super Bowl MVP would rather play in the USFL than in Tampa Bay. That’s saying something. The Buccaneers had losing seasons from 1983-1996, an unbelievable anti-achievement. During that time, they never won more than 7 games in one season, and that only happened once (1995). Steve DeBerg, Steve Young, Vinny Testaverde, Craig Erickson, and Trent Dilfer all had shots at QB, and none of them could do anything to make the Buccaneers any better. Their combined record over these 21 seasons was 100-223-1, 30.9%, and a total of 18 losing seasons. Help arrived in 1996 with the hire of Tony Dungy, but the attitude-change needed to be made official.

1997-Present: The Buccaneers decided to shed their god-awful past in 1997 by changed their entire color scheme and switched their logo away from Bucco Bruce the Ripper. They wanted to make their uniforms look more intimidating, so they changed their colors to red, pewter, black, and a dark orange, and started to use a modified “Jolly Roger” flag with a skull and crossed sabers as their logo. The effect was immediately, as the Buccaneers went 10-6 in 1997 and went to the playoffs. Just for a little perspective, this was the first winning season since the 5-4 campaign in 1982, and tied for the most wins in a season in the franchise’s history. All of this the EXACT same season they decide to switch things up. They would average 9 wins per season under Dungy, who would leave for the Colts in 2002. Jon Gruden took over, and picked up right where Dungy left off, going 12-4 that season and winning Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders, spurning Al Davis and sending him into a tail-spin he’s never recovered from. They won 4 division championships during this time, 3 more than they did in the last period. Their combined record over this period is 105-87, 54.7%, with twice as many playoff appearances in half the time and only three losing seasons in 11 years. This has been a great time in Tampa, so much so that Buccaneers fans are angry when their team finishes 9-7 and still makes the playoffs. How quickly they do forget…

TENNESSEE TITANS
The Tennessee Titans are another special case, as they switched cities from Houston to Nashville in 1997 and changed their entire mascot in 1999. The Houston Oilers were an original AFL team, founded in 1960, but for the purposes of this discussion I’m treating them like the Baltimore Ravens and only looking at their history while they’ve been in Memphis and Nashville. I only wanted to look at this team from when they became the Titans in 1999, as this represented an entire new incarnation of the franchise, but I feel that looking at the 1997 and 1998 seasons will provide some perspective for the team.

1997-1998: Jeff Fisher, Steve McNair, Eddie George, and Frank Wycheck made the move from Houston to Tennessee, and they managed two straight 8-8 seasons in their new city. The Oilers peak was from 1987-1993 with Warren Moon as the quarterback and Jerry Glanville/Jack Pardee as head coaches, but all of that success washed up by the time the Oilers moved.

1999-Present: Then, something amazing happened. In 1999, they changed their mascot from the Oilers to the Titans, changed their logo from an oil derrick to the infamous “flaming thumbtack,” and changed their colors from light blue, red, and white to “Titans blue” (the lighter blue), navy blue, scarlet, and white. That year, the Titans improved miraculously to 13-3 and appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV opposite the St. Louis Rams, which they lost 23-16 after Kevin Dyson’s diving stretch for the end-zone in the final seconds came up short. The transformation was miraculous, resulting in the franchise’s only Super Bowl appearance and several prosperous years under Jeff Fisher, despite the rotating cast around him. Their combined record over this period is 96-64, 58.8%, 6 playoff trips in 10 years and only three losing seasons. Not too shabby. And if Vince Young could realize even half the potential he had coming out of Texas, then the Titans should be contenders for years to come.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS
The Redskins broke into the NFL in 1932 as the Boston Braves, switching to the Boston Redskins in 1933, and moving to Washington in 1937. The Redskins are only one of two teams to have an official team marching band – the Ravens being the other one – and were one of the first teams to have their own fight song, called “Hail to the Redskins.” Their uniforms have changed only minutely over the decades. Their colors have not, but the combination of colors with pants and jerseys, as well as frequent logo changes, prompts discussion of the franchise.

1966-1969: The Redskins started their time in the Super Bowl era wearing gold pants and burgundy and white jerseys. 1966 was the first year that Otto Graham, the legendary Browns quarterback, was the head coach of the Redskins, going 7-7 followed by two losing seasons. He was replaced in 1969 by Vince Lombardi, who would raise the Redskins’ record up to 7-5-2, but he didn’t return and passed away early on in the 1970 season. Their record over this span was 24-27-5, 42.9%, no playoff appearances.

1970-1971: Bill Austin filled in at head coach for 1970, going 6-8. This was also the last year that HOFer Sonny Jurgenson started at QB. Plus, it just so happened to be the year that the Redskins changed their primary logo from a spear to a burgundy “R” with feathers. George Allen, the HOF coach, took over in 1981 and brought the Redskins up to 9-4-1, and went to the playoffs, with Billy Kilmer starting at QB for the first time. Their record was 15-12-1, 53.6%.

1972-1977: The Redskins ditched the “R” logo and replaced it with a chief’s head inside the same circle with feathers coming off of it. George Allen continued dominating the NFL: all of these seasons were winning seasons, they went to the playoffs 4 times in 6 years, and appeared in Super Bowl VII against the undefeated Miami Dolphins after the 1972 season. Logo change = Super Bowl appearance in the same season. Not bad. Their record was 58-26, 69.0%.

1978-1981: In 1978, the Redskins decided to tweak the facemasks, switching them from grey to gold. This has proved to altogether be a terrible decision, but nobody told the Redskins. Jack Pardee took over for Allen in the same season, Joe Theismann became the starter, and John Riggins became the team’s leading rusher all in 1978, too. Their record fell to 8-8, and the curse of the non-grey facemasks continued. Despite having two winning seasons and averaging 8 wins a season, the Redskins didn’t go back to the playoffs. Their record was 32-32, 50%. Joe Gibbs sauntered into town in 1981 and took the reins.

1982: Gibbs decided it was time to start changing things, so in 1982, a year after he took over, he switched the logo to face left instead of right, and made the feathers curve around the circle. He also decided that the Redskins should wear white jerseys over burgundy pants for home games, which defied the typical NFL convention of colored jerseys at home. The season went swimmingly, as the Redskins raced out to an 8-1 record in the strike-shortened season and won Super Bowl XVII against the Miami Dolphins. Still, the logo wasn’t a fan favorite, and the strike must’ve been bad news, because the logo didn’t stay too long.

1983-2000: Gibbs switched the logo back to the 1972-1982 logo, and they shouldn’t have done that. In 1983, the Redskins finished 14-2, but instead of winning the Super Bowl like they did the year before, they lost in XVIII to the Oakland Raiders. Spoiled the luck from the last logo. The Redskins wouldn’t return and win another Super Bowl until 1987, a full 5 years to adjust to the old logo. They beat the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII and then the Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Then Gibbs retired after the 1992 season, replaced by Richie Petitbon and Norv Turner, neither of which had much success. This logo had run its course, and it was time for the Redskins to try something else. Their record here was 162-124-1, 56.4%, 8 playoff trips in 18 years, and 5 losing seasons, 4 of which occurred from 1993-1998.

2001-2003: Marty Schottenheimer replaced Turner in2001, and he decided that he wanted to wear burgundy jerseys and white pants at home, defying Gibbs’ tradition, and the Redskins would suffer. They stalled at 8-8 in 2001. Steve Spurrier took over in 2002, continued to adhere to Schottenheimer’s rule, and went 7-9 and 5-11 over the next two seasons. What made it worse was that he thought he had a legitimate starter in Patrick Ramsey, which proved to be one hell of a sham. The combined record was 20-28, 41.7%.

2004-Present: Joe Gibbs was rehired by owner Dan Snyder in 2004, and he reasserted his authority by reinstating the white-shirts/burgundy-pants for home games strategy, and they became a better team than before but not quite as great as they first were under Gibbs. They returned to the playoffs in 2005 (10-6) and 2007 (9-7), and then Jim Zorn replaced Gibbs as he decided he’d rather stick to owning a NASCAR team than run an NFL team anymore. Zorn started hot in Washington, but finished a weak 8-8. There’s still time for the Redskins if Jason Campbell can keep developing at QB, and if they can keep the magic of Gibbs’ uniforms.

And lastly, let’s inspect the history of Detroit Lions uniform and logo changes:

DETROIT LIONS
The Lions started off as the Portsmouth Spartans, joining the NFL in 1930. They moved to Detroit and became the Lions in 1934. In 1948, new head coach Bo McMillin, who was previously the coach of Indiana University, added maroon as an official team color, but the team went 2-10 and the maroon never came back. Before and since, the official Lions’ colors have been “Honolulu blue” and silver. Most important to remember, though, is that Bobby Layne, the quarterback for the Lions that led them to three NFL championships throughout the 1950s, was traded in 1958 and cursed the Lions, saying that they would not win for 50 years. He’s been right so far, and that curse is supposed to be lifted this season. But could it also have to do with the logo change?

1966-1969: The Lions started the Super Bowl era with Harry Gilmer as head coach, Karl Sweetan as the leading-passer, and some guy named Tom Nowatzke as the leading rusher. In 1966, they finished 4-9-1, and the rest of the 1960s was similarly unkind to the Lions. Joe Schmidt took over the team in 1967 and managed a 9-4-1 record in 1969, but the team still couldn’t make the playoffs, and someplace Bobby Layne was laughing. Their record over this stretch was 22-28-6, 34.4%.

1970-1998: The Lions then changed their primary logo away from the medieval Lion and replaced it with the more recognizable blue lion outline. They also added white as an official color for the team and used it for trim on the logo and jerseys. The change was enough to spark a 10-4 season coupled with a playoff appearance with Greg Landry as the starting QB, but that effect faded quickly and the Lions returned to obscurity. They wouldn’t go to the playoffs for the rest of the 1970s, made it twice in the 1980s (1982 and 1983), and then paired Barry Sanders with Wayne Fontes in 1989 for their first full season together, and the fortunes of the Lions shifted, but not by much. Sanders carried the team quite literally: he went to the playoffs five times in the 1990s with four different quarterbacks (Erik Kramer in 1991, Rodney Peete in 1993, Dave Krieg in 1994, Scott Mitchell in 1995 and 1997). Then, just shy of Walter Payton’s all-time rushing yardage record, Sanders retired after the 5-11 1998 season. Bobby Ross replaced Fontes in 1997, going to the playoffs in his first year and then causing the best player in the history of the Lions to retire the very next season. Their combined record was 198-238-4, 45.0%, 8 playoff trips and 16 losing seasons in 29 years.

1999-2002: The Lions altered their uniforms slightly in 1999, trying desperately to make their fans forget about Sanders and think more about the Lions that were left. They moved the numbers from the sleeves to the shoulders, and, somehow, the Lions managed to return to the playoffs in 1999 – at 8-8 – with Gus Frerotte as the leading passer and Greg Hill as the leading rusher (topping out at 542 yards). The millennium turn didn’t work well for the Lions: 22-42, 34.4%, including Marty Mornhinweg’s atrocious seasons of 2-14 in 2001 and 3-13 in 2002. 2002 was also the first year that Joey Harrington was tapped as the full-time starter, which didn’t prove to work too much.

2003-2008: Matt Millen, the now notorious Lions executive who was hired in 2000, decided to make the team tougher by adding black trim to the logo and introducing black as an official color. He created black jerseys that became the Lions’ alternates, and the feeble move proved fruitless: Steve Mariucci sucked in three seasons, Dick Jauron did poorly as his replacement halfway through 2005, and Rod Marinelli oversaw the worst single season in the history of the NFL, going 0-16 in 2008. Millen blew multiple drafts by taking wide receivers in the top-10 that didn’t pan out – Charles Rogers in 2003, Roy Williams in 2004, Mike Williams in 2005, and Calvin Johnson in 2007, who’s arguably the only one that was a success for the Lions – and ran the team into the ground. Their record during this period proves it: 26-70, 27.1%, all losing seasons.

2009: The team has altered their logo and script, they’ve drafted a new franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, Jim Schwartz was hired on as the new head coach, and the supposed “Curse of Bobby Layne” has run its course. While little logo changes have been known to push a team over the hump, this logo change doesn’t come at an opportune time for the Lions. Obviously the only direction they could go from here is up, and the abandonment of the black to return to the better times is a good sign, I still don’t think that the Lions will achieve anything substantial this season. This is clearly a new era for the team, and we’ll see how it plays out.

CONCLUSIONS: Sports in general are very superstitious, and teams will do whatever they can to manufacture their own luck, shedding old, failing looks in favor of exciting new ones in order to present a more hopeful outlook for the team. These uniform and logo changes typically lead to at least short-term success, but the major shifts in color schemes (Tampa Bay as the prime example) could lead to sustained success. Teams that try to change their looks after having been high-achievers (St. Louis Rams in 2000) ruin the luck they were having with their past get-ups, and cannot repeat the winning ways that they had previously. The changes that yield the best results also coincide with the arrival of new head coaches and a star quarterback, seemingly rounding out a complete shift into another period in a team’s history. The Lions have done exactly that, but it isn’t drastic enough to predict long-term success. The best examples for uniform and logo changes altering the history of franchises is when you can detect a clean break with the past, like the Seahawks changing their color-scheme and logo, or the Titans changing everything about them, or the Denver Broncos updating their look, no matter how much their fans hated it at first. I think the Lions would be best served by letting Stafford sit for a year, but I think you’re too keen on an instant turnaround to wait, and it’ll hurt. Expect the Lions to improve, but don’t expect a trip to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl in 2009.

Within 5 years of the change, though, it’s anybody’s game.

- Beck

Post Draft Thoughts (Chandler)

2009-04-28T16:04:00.004-04:00

Following a very interesting draft, far better than last years draft I thought, its time for some reflection. I'm not going to go through an rate teams as I see this as pointless unless you are talking about the Oakland Raiders. The crypt keeper himself made many foolish decisions in this years draft. Lets say for the sake of argument that Darius Heywood Bey turns out to be a decent player and contributes and turns into a decent WR in the NFL. Al Davis should have traded down and picked him in the late 20s where he still would have been available and got him for much cheaper than paying him number 7 pick money.
Hey Al, yes you can not teach speed, hey if you covenant speed, fine. But get it a value, trade back and still get your guy. There were just better options there to spend your money. Its like paying 20 grand for a beat up used honda civic. Also, HAHA at the safety from OU, he was a 6th rd pick at best. This really hurts to write and watch on draft day because outside of the Browns I grew up loving the raiders with their ridiculous fan base, some of the best fans in the league no doubt. They deserve better than this.

The Cleveland Browns had a fairly good draft I thought. Any time you come away with at least 4 starters from the draft I think you can call it successful. I am talking about Robo, Mack, and two players we got from the Jets. I do question the 2 wr taken, I like him as a prospect, I think he will make it in the NFL, I just thought we had more pressing needs at that spot especially on defense. Overall solid effort sticking to their core values plan getting smart hard nose football players.

SF 9ers, got a great value with the best WR in the draft, and a solid number 1, something they have lacked since TO left town.

Texas Tech - Hey Michael Leach shut up! No one wants to hear you whine and cry about Crabbtree falling because you say the Browns led a smear campaign to knock him down. Not true, in fact I have reports that he acted like an ass while here even pulling the ol high five, psyche routine on Braylon Edwards. Yeah really funny Crabbs, way to go. He dropped because he played in a ridiculous offense that would never work in the NFL and thus his stats are extremely inflated, much like your QB's are. You want you kids to get drafted, play a real offense. IF you don't want his image to be tarnished them him to stop acting this way:
Yeah, thats not a diva at all. Its the Browns fault he fell to the 49ers not Al Davis, not his offense system, not his foot injury, it is Eric Mangini's fault. Shut up leach. Next comming of Prime Time perhaps?

Also, Eric Dampier needs to shut up as well. OHHH BIG BILLY BADASS running his mouth about knocking Tony Parker on his ass. Way to deliver tough guy, yeah you won the game but failed to deliver on your promise. To me it seemed like a middle school bully who acts tough and gets in fights at school, only because he knows it will get broken up and thus no damage to themselves. Right, He couldn't knock him down because he ran his mouth and if he did he would be suspended and fined. Well hey genius, don't run your mouth and lead by example and do it before talking about it and you are much more effective and intimidating that way. Then you can be tough without having to run your mouth to try and achieve that image. Way to go powderpuff!

- Neon Chandler Time

NFL Mock Draft '09 (Paull)

2009-04-21T14:11:00.010-04:00

1. Detriot Lions, M. Stafford (QB, Georgia): As previously noted, I don't agree with this, but that doesn't mean it won't happen
2. St. Louis Rams, J. Smith (OT, Baylor): They lost Orlando Pace and need to protect their investments in Bulger and Jackson
3. Kansas City Chiefs, A. Curry (LB, Wake Forrest): A versatile leader for a defense in need of both
4. Seattle Seahawks, E. Monroe (OT, Virginia): The Houshmanzada signing means the team still thinks it can win now-- sorry Sanchez
5. Cleveland Browns, M. Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech): Braylon's on the block and Stallworth is on his way to the cell-block; Browns take top WR
6. Cincinnati Bengals, A. Smith (OT, Alabama): Carson demands it (Yes, that's a Zardoz reference)
7. Oakland Raiders, B. Raji (DT, Boston College): Al Davis can't be so whacked out as to believe he can win with Terdell Sands/ Gerrard Warren
8. Jacksonville Jaguars, M. Sanchez (QB, USC): Word on the street is Jax wants out of this spot. I expect the Jets to move up.
9. Green Bay Packers, B. Orakopo (OLB/DE, Texas): Some pass-rush help as the team moves into its new 3-4 scheme
10. San Francisco 49ers, A. Maybin (OLB/DE, Penn St.): Some pass-rush help as the team tries to make its current 3-4 scheme work
11. Buffalo Bills, M. Oher (OT, Ole Miss): With Peters in Philly and 3 OL gone in the top 10, the Bills can't afford to wait around
12. Denver Broncos, T. Jackson (DL, LSU): Another 3-4 convert in desperate need of personnel who fit
13. Washington Redskins, R. Ayers (DE, Tennessee): Following with the theme of teams who need help in the pass-rush department
14. New Orleans Saints, B. Cushing (OLB, USC): The Scott's (Shanle and Fujita), have been the starting OLB's the past two years
15. Houston Texans, M. Jenkins (DB, Ohio St.): Might be a corner, might be a safety; The Texans could use both
16. San Diego Chargers, R. Malauga (LB, USC): No OT of 3-4 DE worth the pick, so the Bolts get an upgrade over Matt Wilhelm at ILB
17. New York Jets, J. Maclin (WR, Missouri): I suspect Jax gets this pick and take a player they would've considered at #8
18. Denver Broncos, E. Brown (OLB/DE, Florida St.): Brown takes a bit of a slide and Denver gets to add another piece to its 3-4 puzzle
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, P. Jerry (DT, Ole Miss): A great fit for Tampa's 1-gap system after losing Jovan Haye to FA
20. Detroit Lions, E. Britton (OT, Arizona): Last year ATL used pick 21 on Sam Baker to protect Matt Ryan; It's a copycat league
21. Philadelphia Eagles, C. Wells (RB, Ohio St.): Eagles would be thrilled if Beanie were to fall to them; Prolongs Westbrook's career
22. Minnesota Vikings, A. Mack (OL, Cal): Lost Matt Birk this off-season and don't want Peterson to feel the consequences
23. New England Patriots, K. Moreno (RB, Georgia): Great value at this spot—can address other needs with multiple 2nd round picks
24. Atlanta Falcons, B. Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma St.): A reliable target for Ryan and blocking help for Michael Turner
25. Miami Dolphins, H. Nicks (WR, UNC): Ready to contribute now; Chance to be a legit #1 (More than Ginn or Camarillo can say)
26. Baltimore Ravens, C. Matthews (LB, USC): Another value pick...Would compete for Bart Scott's old spot in the lineup
27. Indianapolis Colts, J. Freeman (QB, Kansas St.): I think this pick will be traded with a team that picks early in round 2 (STL or SEA)
28. Buffalo Bills, C. Barwin (DE/OLB/TE), Cincinnati): Help at either DE or TE, plus they keep him away from the Pats at #34
29. New York Giants, D. Heyward-Bay (WR, Maryland): A downfield threat to replace Plex; Team might prefer Kenny Britt
30. Tennessee Titans, V. Davis (CB, Illinois): An athletic prospect that should push Nick Harper for time
31. Arizona Cardinals, D. Brown (RB, UConn): Versatile back that would compliment Tim Hightower well
32 Pittsburgh Steelers, J.Gilbert (DL, San Jose St.): Steelers have confidence in their OL; Has time to develop and more upside than Jackson

What Went Wrong? (Beck)

2009-04-16T05:02:00.002-04:00

So the March Madness burn-out has subsided, and it’s time for the people’s champ to return. With the NBA playoffs starting up this weekend, I think it’s time we turn our attention to the 14 teams that won’t be featured before we forget about them until the lottery. We all know that the Cavaliers, Celtics, Lakers, and Magic are in, and we know the reasons why, but let’s try to figure out where the teams that missed the cut went wrong:

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

The league’s perennial laughingstock and doormat, the Clippers did nothing to change that reputation in 2008-2009. Their summer featured the anticipated arrival of Baron Davis from the Golden State Warriors, who was returning back to his roots in LA. That high was short-lived as the cornerstone of the Clippers, Elton Brand, jetted for the Philadelphia 76ers. And it all unraveled from there: Baron couldn’t fit in with Mike Dunleavey’s incredibly-slow, half-court offense – having thrived in Don Nelson’s run-and-gun in Oakland – and Dunleavey continued to make terrible decisions as GM: he brought in (and overpaid) the aged Marcus Camby, the DUI-machine Zach Randolph, and “never-seen-a-jumpshot-I-didn’t-like” Ricky Davis. Pair that with keeping your most explosive scorer – Eric Gordon, the ROOKIE – on the bench for most of the season, and having Chris “Caveman” Kaman sidelined with an injury all season, and you can see where this is going: 19-63.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Speaking of teams that the Baron Davis fiasco ruined, how ‘bout them Warriors? They sent away their best player the past three years, a big point guard who ran Don Nelson’s system, and, almost inexplicably, wasn’t prone to temper-tantrums with the Ol’ Drunkard like with the Hornets. A more subdued Baron led the Warriors to the thrilling 8-over-1 upset of the Dallas Mavericks in 2007, but those days are long gone. They effectively swapped for Corey Maggette, who opted out of his contract in LA and moved to the Bay Area. Maggette’s downfall is that he will shoot the ball until his arm falls off, no matter how many he actually makes. Plus, he’s a Duke player in the NBA, which should raise immediate red flags (see: Elton Brand). Then, Point Guard of the Future Monta Ellis, who made Baron Davis somewhat expendable due to his outstanding play, injured himself before the season supposedly in a “pick-up basketball game.” And by “pick-up game,” he meant “moped crash.” That’s two strikes, Monta: not only did you lie, but you got hurt riding a moped? Are you in third grade? At least when Kellen Winslow, Jr., trashed his body it was on a big-kid’s bike. Of course, the Warriors also dealt away Al Harrington to the Knicks for Jamal Crawford, which has proved to be moderately successful, but it was always too little, too late in Oaktown: 29-53.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Keeping the Cali flavor going, that team in the Golden State’s capitol is pretty horrible, isn’t it? They’ve clinched the dubious distinction of worst record in the NBA, and they’ve earned every bit of it. Their problems started last year when they traded away Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks, who made the playoffs as an 8-seed in 2008 and took the Boston Celtics to seven games, then clinched the 4-seed in the East this season. That left them with Kevin Martin as their star player, who most people wouldn’t even recognize if they passed him on the street. No one on the team made the All-Star game. They traded away their second-leading scorer, John Salmons, to the Bulls at the deadline in exchange for Andres Nocioni (can we say overrated?) and also obtained Rashad McCants, better known as Mr. Candace Parker, from the Timberwolves. The Maloof Brothers should be ashamed of themselves, or else they’re great con-artists who tanked an entire season from the get-go just for the best chance at landing the Sooner’s All-World player, Blake Griffin. If that doesn’t work, maybe they should look in their backyard and sign Sacramento’s mayor, former-NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, to play point guard, and improve that record: 17-65.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Moving from the worst record in the NBA to the worst record in the East, we land in the nation’s capitol and the Wizards. The answer to this conundrum is quite simple: Agent Zero is a zero. Gilbert Arenas played 8 games in 2007-2008, then signed a six-year contract worth $111 million to stay with the Wizards. He proceeded to injure himself again and play in 2 games this season. A lot of times it’s hard to really pin one team’s success or failure on a single person, but that hat fits all too well on Arenas’ ego-inflated head. He thinks he belongs in the upper-echelon of NBA players with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, or Kevin Garnett, but you need to play more than 10 games combined in two seasons, and you actually need to win a playoff series. The Wizards had quite the triumvirate with Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison all healthy, but Arenas did more than his part to spoil that. Between that and having a paper-thin bench, featuring such household names as Oleksiy Pecherov and JaVale McGee, added to the constant trade rumors surrounding Jamison, and you’ve got the perfect formula to have the President of the United States sit courtside at your game and root for the other team. Way to go, Wiz: 19-63.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Hopping back West to a team also devastated by injuries, we arrive in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and lament the loss of Al Jefferson. Big Al was having an All-Star caliber season through the first 50 games, averaging 23.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. The ‘Wolves were a not-totally-hopeless 17-33, and even caught fire for a few games right before Al’s ACL snapped and he was shut down for the rest of the season. Rookie Kevin Love has been a consistent contributor (averaging 9 rebounds per game) and guard Randy Foye finally lived up to his potential and averaged 16.1 points per game. Outside of Mike Miller and Ryan Gomes, the Timberwolves didn’t offer much in the way of support, resulting in a 7-21 record post-Al: 24-58.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Speaking of young players still adapting to the NBA, and struggling mightily in the mean-time, let’s take a look at those Grizz. The three-man core of this team averages 21.3 years old: SF Rudy Gay, SG O.J. Mayo, and PG Mike Conley. 24-year old Marc Gasol starts at the 5, and elder statesman Hakim Warrick (26 years old) starts at PF. There aren’t nearly enough balls to go around to handle both Gay and Mayo, but each have been averaging 18-19 ppg all season. Both would like to score 25-30 per game, but they’re going to need a coach who can balance that out and develop the talent into complete basketball players and cohesive unit rather than a bunch of offensive-minded players who refuse to play D. A typical theme courses through the Grizzlies, too: thin bench. Combine that with the in-season firing of head coach Marc Iavaroni, and it’s no surprise that Memphis underwhelmed again this year. They could have a solid nucleus for years to come, or they could be continue to repeat this year’s performance: 24-58.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Youth? You wanna talk about youth? Well, you found it in the middle-of-nowhere Great Plains city best known for being the target of domestic terrorism: Oklahoma City. Why the NBA ever allowed a team to locate there is beyond me, and I feel for you, Seattle. Clay Bennett should be burned at the stake for stealing the franchise that gave us those glory years with the “Glove” Gary Payton and the most prolific illegitimate-child-creator in the world: Shawn Kemp. Besides, the “Thunder” is the lamest name in the history of sports; team names have an “s” on the end of them, or, in the case of the Red Sox and the White Sox, an “x” that sounds a lot like an “s,” or in the case of the Jazz, a “z” that kind of sounds like an “s.” The Heat are beyond critique because they have D-Wade. For me, the naming of the team was the downfall of this season. Then, they surprised everybody and drafted Russell Westbrook so high in the draft, though he has proved them right. They surely have a great young nucleus that, if healthy, can be an impact for years to come. They could end up like the Portland Trail Blazers, who struggled for a playoff spot for a few years but now look to crash the party every year. If the Thunder are going to replicate that formula, they’ll need significantly more wins: 23-59.

NEW YORK KNICKS

They weren’t battered by injuries, they do have some big-name players, but they don’t have a nice young nucleus. The Knicks were just bad this year. To be fair, they started the season on a high-note, then proceeded to embroil themselves in the Stephon Marbury controversy and struggled to get out of his discount-shoe shadow. They brought in Mike D’Antoni to cover for Isiah Thomas and his monumental failures in the Big Apple, but they didn’t have anyone to play the point like D’Antoni had in Phoenix. Marbury was a cancer; the Knicks told him to not come to games or suit up or even sit on the bench. What did he do? He bought tickets to a Knicks-Lakers game and watched the damn thing from courtside. You know the best part? He was still getting paid! And what’s even better? They gave him to the Celtics, where he has an outside shot of winning a championship this year. What kind of message does that send? I suppose it sends the same message that the Knicks are not a good team and do not have the personnel necessary to run the 7-seconds-or-less offense. Nate Robinson is 5’9” and likes to shoot. That won’t work. They traded away their best scorer, Jamal Crawford. That won’t work. They traded for Larry Hughes. That won’t work. I don’t know how to say this, but the Knicks overachieved this season, but they’ve hit the very top of that ceiling. I still think they’re tanking and getting these huge contracts off the books for the Summer of 2010, but only time will tell. Either way, they’re out of the playoffs: 32-50.

NEW JERSEY NETS

While it’s easy to see why the Knicks failed this year, it’s not really so easy to tell what happened to their close neighbors. The Nets have, arguably, the Most Improved Player in PG Devin Harris, potential (though long-shot) Rookie of the Year in Brook Lopez, and a former All-Star who can take over games if he tries, Vince Carter. The problem was probably that Lopez didn’t really catch on until half-way through the season, and the Nets were always one player away from being a dominate team, or at least making the playoffs in the East (which it seems like people actively try to avoid). That one player could have been Richard Jefferson, but they traded him away for Yi Jianlian, by no means an improvement. They have a bunch of washed-up players on the bench – Jarvis Hayes, Eduardo Najera, Keyon Dooling – but they also have Chris Douglas-Roberts and Josh Boone for the future. Of course, the X-factor with this team is always Vince Carter and what effort he’s willing to expend in any given game, and I just don’t think that they’re good enough for him to care yet. The Kidd trade doesn’t seem to have benefited either team to much thus far. Is there any way to go back in time and take it back? Then again, this also could be part of Jay-Z’s plot to clear the books for 2010 to try and land LeBron, his good buddy, especially if he can take the Nets to Brooklyn. For now, they’re irrelevant until draft-time: 34-48.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Speaking of another inexplicably bad team, eh? The Raptors still have Chris Bosh, who I would argue is one of the top-five PFs in the NBA. Anthony Parker is efficient; Jose Calderon knows how to distribute; and Andrea Bargnani grew by leaps and bounds this year. There weren’t any catastrophic injuries, but there was a glaring mistake on the resume of Bryan Colangelo: the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers in the off-season. O’Neal never meshed with the team, had glass feet just like in Indiana, and was traded away at the deadline for Shawn Marion. Too bad head coach Sam Mitchell wasn’t around long enough to see that: he was fired on December 3, 2008, after an 8-9 start. Not exactly a horrific start, especially not from the same guy who was named Coach of the Year in 2007. The Raptors were trigger-happy and let him go, and they’ve never been on pace or seemingly in unison for the rest of the season. Not even Jason Kapono’s dead-eye shooting could save this team. The Raptors need to think about upgrading their roster with actual talent if they want to keep Bosh in America’s Hat after 2010: 33-49.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

This was a team primed for success before the season started. They brought in Scott Skiles as coach from the Chicago Bulls in April 2008, a coach with questionable strategies but at least strategies that resulted in wins; they traded Yi Jianlian, who pulled a Willis McGahee and criticized the banality of living in a crappy Midwestern town, for Richard Jefferson, a bona-fide scorer from the wing who hasn’t quite hit his decline yet; and they drafted Joe Alexander from West Virginia, the kind of blue-collar player that those same crappy Midwestern towns flock to. And all these pieces were going to join C Andrew Bogut, PF Charlie Villanueva, and PG Luke Ridnour – who was replaced by Ramon Sessions later in the season – and franchise-star Michael Redd. They looked poised to return to the playoffs in a top-heavy East, but one little game on January 25 derailed the entire season when Redd tore both his ACL and MCL in his left knee and was done for the season. Already thin on the front-line, Bogut’s injury later in the season didn’t help anything, and the Bucks officially had the wheels fall off. On the plus-side, they’ve discovered Ramon Sessions as capable of taking over the point after Mo Williams’ defection to Cleveland, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has shown himself to be a decent player off the bench. There’s always next year, Milwaukee: 34-48.

INDIANA PACERS

Staying in the Midwest, the Pacers quietly won 36 games and finished only 3 games behind Detroit for the final spot in the playoffs. Their season was highlighted by more drama from Jamaal Tinsley, who doesn’t seem capable of staying out of trouble. As such, he was turned away from the Pacers’ complex and not permitted to attend any practices or games until the Pacers could find a suitable trading partner. Remind anyone of Marbury in New York? Except this situation hasn’t run its course yet, but we’re waiting for it. The Pacers seemed ready to move on from the Brawl at the Palace by letting go of injury-prone Jermaine O’Neal – who landed one helluva punch during that scuffle, I must say – and bringing in TJ Ford from the Raptors. Danny Granger has also made a case for Most Improved Player, scoring 25.8 ppg this season and making his first All-Star Game. The team is salvageable, with Troy Murphy – a PF who averaged a double-double and shot 45% from 3 – and Marquis Daniels and Mike Dunleavey, but they have a ways to go. Maybe once the drama dies down they can focus on being a team that will no longer have any connection to the melee a couple years back, and they can finally open a new chapter in their book with Danny Granger as the star. Personally, I’m afraid Granger had a one-hit wonder season, and he’ll never score more than 20 ppg in any season the rest of his career: 36-46.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

This team, at least on paper, should be a playoff team. Emeka Okafor locks down the lane and averages a double-double; Gerald Wallace can explode for huge points on any night; D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton are both capable point guards whose competition for the starting position should only improve both of their play; and they brought in Raja Bell and Boris Diaw for depth. Now the problems: Okafor can’t score more than 20 points; Wallace will score 30 one game and then 3 the next; Larry Brown still hasn’t figured out how to use Augustin and Felton properly; and Bell and Diaw were totally underwhelming in their new environs. We could trace a lot of this back to the hire of Larry Brown as head coach, but I’d like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt after having taken AI and the 76ers to the Finals and then won it all with the Pistons in 2004. He has to have some talent as a coach, and it seemed like the perfect homecoming as he returned to North Carolina, the Tar Heel state, his alma mater. In that case, I think the root of the problem lies with the best player in the history of basketball, but also the worst exec in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan. That’s extremely hard for me to say since I have a tremendous man-crush on him from his playing days, but the guy is a terrible judge of talent and sets teams back. Remember that drafting of Kwame Brown with the #1-overall pick while with the Wizards? That didn’t work out well. And remember when he drafted BOTH Raymond Felton and Sean May from UNC after they won the national championship in 2005? Felton’s a maybe, but May was always a tweener that never produced and never will in the NBA. Go back to playing college. And, more importantly, do you remember that cry-baby mop-head from Gonzaga he drafted in 2007? He also didn’t work out because he couldn’t rebound and he wasn’t even a great scorer, plus he was a huge liability on defense, which means he should’ve been on his way to the D-League. Unfortunately, and this is the funny thing about the NBA, Adam Morrison was traded to the Lakers for Vladimir Radmanovic – who could prove to be a good player with Charlotte – and Morrison, like Marbury, also has a chance to win a championship this season. Maybe the best strategy to win a ring is to play terribly and be traded onto a good team? Then again, why are these good teams picking up these atrocious players? I guess we’ll never know. Let’s hope MJ doesn’t screw up the draft again this year: 35-47.

PHOENIX SUNS

Now this is just inexplicable: the Suns finished with 46 wins, better than 50% of Eastern Conference PLAYOFF TEAMS, but will have a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. For God’s sake, the Pistons finished below .500 and made the playoffs, but the Suns were excluded with their .561 winning percentage. There’s always talk of inequity between the conferences, but this just baffles the mind. No matter what, it seems like the Suns have done everything they can to lose games this season. It started last year when GM Steve Kerr ended the 7-seconds-or-less era by trading away Shawn Marion for Shaquille O’Neal, and the movement was completed when Mike D’Antoni, the genius behind the offense, was given his walking papers. Terry Porter was brought in to continue the offensive philosophy while also placing an emphasis on defense – defense? Are you talking about defense? Defense? – which seemed like noble goals. Too bad it never materialized, and Porter was fired mid-season. Somehow, interim coach Alvin Gentry managed to open up their offense like Porter could only dream and the Suns streaked late to make a push for the 8^th spot in the West with his new 7-seconds-or-Shaq approach. Shaq has enjoyed a resurgent year, Amare has stayed healthy and productive, and though Nash did battle his usual back issues, he wasn’t bleeding from a broken nose at any point this season. Another key addition was Jason Richardson from the Bobcats, whom they received in exchange for Bell and Diaw. It looks like Kerr is dismantling the nucleus that excelled under D’Antoni and putting his finger-print all over this new incarnation of the Suns, and come next season he could be vindicated, especially since the Suns will be picking ahead of the Pistons, the 76ers, the Bulls, and the Heat in the NBA Draft. Enjoy the distinction of being the only team above .500 to not make the playoffs: 46-36.

And there you have it. 14 teams watching the playoffs from home just like you and me, except their homes have a lot bigger TVs and not as many roaches – at least I hope.

Let the playoffs begin!

- Beck

Chandler's Believe It or Not (Chandler)

2009-04-15T15:10:00.006-04:00

After watching some NBA action over the past few days, and reviewing draft prospects, I began to notice something that I found very interesting. There are some weird ass looking people in sports. I honestly couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing when having to look at some of these "people". Couple hundred years ago and some of these freaks would only belong in a traveling circus, if you catch my drift. Lets cut right to it and show some examples of what I mean.

OK folks, exhibit number 1:
Charlie Villanueva
Hey I know he has alopecia areata a rare disease. All I'm saying is that 150 years ago, he wouldn't be a millionaire ball player. Maybe burned at the stake or something I dont know I'm not a doctor.

Emeka Okafor:
Jesus does this guy have a huge forehead, no wait scratch that, fivehead! His noggin is so big that he is renting the space to billboards to advertise during games. Here is his latest sponsership.
As you can see, burger king jumped at the opportunity to showcase there newest small hamburger thing on the space.

Exhibit C:
Jeff Faine

This was a preshave shot before his wonderful drafting by the Browns...How in the world a 270lb VEGETARIAN center was drafted in the first round is beyond me. God it makes me so angry. Anyway some have specualated that he is part gorilla due to the uncanny resemblence, I tend to agree however I am not a biologist so I cant confere completely. Here judge for youself as I have a post shave picture ready as well.
Decide for yourselves.

Steve Heiden:
His story is truly remarkable, a touching one for all to hear. Quite amazing how he has surpised the teasing as a kid, and the constant lashings of Cyclopes' cant play football! Well he proved them all wrong and made it as a solid TE in the NFL. Steve Allen Heiden is a true hero.
So there you have, the first trip into the Chandler's believe or not vault. In the future you can expect more excursions into the freak shows that's are professional athletes. I hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps opened you eyes to these freak shows I mean athletes.

-The Chandler Thing

Regarding the Draft's Best Quarterback, or Matthew Stafford Is A Loser (Paull)

2009-04-13T19:53:00.001-04:00

Soon I will be releasing my official 2009 Mock Draft. As of right now, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford is expected to go #1 to Detroit. About that...

You know the feeling you get in your stomach when you see a car accident about to happen. Tension builds in your gut as you witness the naivite of each party, billowing at full speed towards their perilous destiny. You just want to yell, shout, alert them of the oncoming danger. This is my cry: “Don't do it Detroit! Don't draft Matthew Stafford! Take a lineman, trade back and get Sanchez, forfeit the pick, anything, but don't waste millions of dollars and years of frustration on inevitable failure!”

Yes, I've heard about his cannon arm. I know he can make “all the NFL throws.” I know he's “ a real gun-slinger in the mold of Brett Favre.” But all cliches and metaphors aside, he's not going to be a very good NFL quarterback, especially not with Detroit.

Quick, what does an 0-16 team at the most important position on the field? A laser-rocket arm? Pocket presence? Nimble footedness? First and foremost, I'll take a leader; Someone who will put a team on his back and commit himself fully to winning; Someone who, when challenged, is eager to respond and showcase his fortitude; Someone who will not accept failure.

Matt Stafford doesn't fit the bill. On September 27, when Bulldog fans marched “between the hedges” into Sanford Stadium, eager to see how the preseason #1 team would fair in its first real test against Alabama, do you know what they got? A drubbing. A 41-30 beatdown in which the score fails to properly measure just how hard they got bitch smacked. Now maybe it's an unfair comparison, but when Tim Tebow gets beat, it's the worst day of his life. He'll do anything and everything to make sure it never happens again. Stafford doesn't give a shit. No memorable speeches, no rallying cry, no picking up his fallen comrades. No, when Matthew Stafford hits the canvas, he stays down.

We got to see just how unfair of a comparison the Stafford/Tebow matchup was on November 1. That was the day Florida came into Athens and dismantled the Bulldogs 49-10. Matthew threw three interceptions, while Tim scored five touchdowns. Or there was Stafford's final home game, where his team blew a 16 point halftime lead to Georgia Tech. Did Matthew apologize to the fans or promise to avenge this loss in his team's bowl game? No, he said he “might consider entering the NFL draft.” Matthew Stafford is concerned with Matthew Stafford, and Matthew Stafford alone. Maybe some players on some teams can get away with that-- but not franchise quarterbacks on a team that failed to win a game in the previous season.

Yes, I know the Lions' incoming regime would like a new face for the organization. I know Dante Culpepper and Drew Stanton aren't long-term solutions at quarterback. I know Stafford's physical abilities are impressive, but his accuracy is questionable, his performance in big games-suspect, and most of all his lack of leadership- downright disturbing. Unaccountable quarterbacks don't turn teams around-- they wreck them. Pull the e-brake, Detroit.

The Doug Flutie Index (Chandler)

2009-04-07T23:45:00.004-04:00

Since our man on the ground draft correspondent ZP3 has gone MIA, what the hell are we paying you for anyways?, I have decided to break shower you with my giant intellect, spit some knowledge and show what to look for when drafting QBs and other players in for the NFL.

Rule #1:
Throw the stats out the window, I dont care, stats are for nerds. Besides any QB that is going to be drafted for the NFL will have had excellent stats in college anyways. Look at the NCAA leaders for TDs and yards: Colt Brennan, Timmy Chang, BJ Symmons (YIKES), and Ty Detmer. YEAH! WOW look at those HOF type players for the NFL. Run away from College stat studs. AKA success in college does not translate into success in the NFL.

Rule #2:
Size matters. Of course I am talking about hand size. Small hands = Alex Smith. Big Hands = Brett Favre. Just like arm length mean everything for the OT position see Robert Gallery (Allagator Arm himself) VS Joe Thomas (A regular stretch armstrong). You need big hands to grip the big football, plain and simple. Small hands means the ball squirts out too easily and have a harder time getting the torque needed to rifle the ball in there. Where did I come up with the delightful attribute you may ask? I once heard that shaking Brett Farve's hand was like shaking two hands at once. Which is still not as big as me, Mine are like shaking three.

Rule #3
Ok folks, I can not stress this rule enough, this is THE MOST important rule of all when drafting for QBs. If the prospect doesnt pass this criteria but has eveything else on the list, RUN AWAY! DO NOT DRAFT BALD QBS! PERIOD! NEVER EVER break this GOLDEN rule. Oh whats that you ask? Why does this matter. Hmm well I'll tell you why it is critical, I mean CRIT-I-CAL! Name one good blad qb, I dare ya. Try. They are too worried about their baldness and too subconscience about their second class citizenship to play qb effectivly in the NFL. Lets run through a few examples here for illustrated example:

Trent FUCKING Dilfer, My nemesis.
Oh yea, he's bald, and TERRIBLE! I had to suffer through watching a bald QB ruin my beloved Browns with an avg of 2.5 turnovers a game BYHIMSELF for an entire season. God he sucked.

Oh still want more huh?
OK Case in point:
Jeff Garcia:

Oh yea that D-bag is bald for sure. So what if he had a probowl season one time in his career. He was throwing to TO in his prime and played behind a great defense. He also has a big huge gay voice, another red flag right there. His wife is a cover up and was way hotter before her breast implants. Jeff Garcia also ruined the Browns seasons. Two disasterous seasons, two bald QBs...mmmm....

Still not convinced huh? Ok one more.
JEFF GEORGE! Doesnt matter that he wasnt bald when he was drafted and sported a mullet. This is where GMs doing their research is critical. They have to do some family history and see if male pattern baldness effects their family. Some say it keeps a generation or follows the mother's side yadda yadda dont care. If his 3rd distant step cousin owns a balding beagle, thats too much of a close call for me. Thank god I am so manly and full of hair that I have to cut my hair daily like most people have to shave just to keep it out of my eyes while bringing this public service anouncement to the NFL GMs.

Rule # 4
Say away from players older than 23 by the mid point of the NFL season. When drafting a player you want a stud who was a stud from the get go. Not some player who had to sit back and be redshirted or played in a junior college. Not good enough to start for your college team? Not good enough to hold the clip board on my team. The example here would be Jason White, yea he won the heisman so what, didnt do jack in the NFL. Too Old, pathetic that he tried to play 7 seasons in college. Medical redshirt my ass.

And now for the final rule, probably the second mot important rule, more or a 1a though.

Rule #5
No chin, no wins!. Do not draft chinless freaks like a Jay Cutler. Whos career record is 17-20.
Where is the chin? I dont know its just not there. I think they have to make a special chin strap that sticks to his neck so it looks like it stays there. Theres an ancient proverb that states he who is without a chin is a bitch or something like that. For comparision who would you rather have as your qb?

Dear God, look at that chin...And it won him 3 superbowls.

Ok so here is a fun activity to test how well you listen. According to my fail proof plan based upon these stats: Big hands, almost as big as mine, three yr starter at Boston College (decent, no OSU but a good school), 22 his rookie year, and heres a picture for the clincher:
So good QB?

The Answer:
If you said yes because he also had a strong jaw line you would be an IDIOT! He violates the most important rule of all time! He is infact a baldy and constantly hurt.

Thank God I am here to set the GMs straight on the QB debate.

-The Chandler Team

Like a Boss (Beck)

2009-04-05T18:14:00.004-04:00

What can I say? Michigan State is on a roll. The Spartans are a bunch of Davids slaying Goliaths: they beat the defending-champs Kansas Jayhawks, they beat the #1-overall seed Louisville Cardinals, and they thwarted #1-seed UConn in the Final Four. Throughout it all, they've won keeping the games in the 60s and playing great defense. They're not exciting to watch, they don't have a single stand-out player, and they're one win away from winning the national championship thirty years after Magic led the Spartans to victory over the Hick from French Lick, Larry Bird.

While Michigan State is grinding out games, the North Carolina Tar Heels are smashing their opponents like a boss. They cruised to an opening-round win over Radford, they knocked off LSU by 12, throttled Gonzaga, stifled Oklahoma, and now they dispatched with Villanova like a red-headed step-child. Their performance was the complete opposite from last year's Final Four loss to Kansas, where they started slowly and found themselves in a 40-12 hole they couldn't crawl out of no matter how hard they tried. Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, and Co. are playing with confidence, they're running when they get the opportunities and locking down on defense. Lawson is the perfect point guard, Hansbrough can score but he's also scrappy and plays hard (annoyingly so), and Ellington will shoot the lights out.

Which means something has to give on Monday night. Michigan State either continues to knock off higher-seeded teams or UNC proceeds to pummel another opponent on their way to a fifth national championship, their second this decade. To be honest, Michigan State's lack of a true star player is to their benefit, because the Tar Heels can't focus on one player like they did with Blake Griffin. The Spartans have someone big step up every game, but they could also be at the end of that rope: Suton led them to a win over Kansas, Raymar Morgan lifted them to victory with 18 points over UConn after hitting one field goal in the last three rounds. To be honest, the Tar Heels play great team defense, and if you go down the line-ups and compare you'll see that UNC has the edge:

POINT-GUARD: Michigan State's Kalin Lucas v. UNC's Ty Lawson. Lawson is the ACC Player of the Year, averaged 16.5 points per game, 6.6 assists per game, and is the heart and soul of his team. As Lawson goes, so do the Tar Heels. Fortunately for them, he's been going all season, and his toe injury hasn't slowed him much. Lucas averages 14.7 points per game and 4.6 assists, which is definitely solid. Lucas is also the leader of the team, but he's just not on the same level as Lawson.

ADVANTAGE: UNC

SHOOTING GUARD: Michigan State's Travis Walton v. UNC's Wayne Ellington. Ellington is a dead-eye shooter, scoring 15.8 per game during the season and upping that average to 19.2 during the tournament. He's shooting 54% from the field and, more importantly, 48% from three-point range, including 5/7 against Nova. He's on a tear, and he doesn't play terrible defense. Overall, he reminds me a lot of Rashad McCants, a member of the Tar Heel's 2005 championship team who also loved to throw it up from downtown and could make jump-shots all over the court. With Lawson driving and kicking to Ellington, it's almost unstoppable. On the flip-side, Walton averaged 5.2 points per game during the season, and he hasn't done much better during the tournament, where he's averaging 6 points flat, including a scoreless game in the opening round against Robert Morris. Plus, of the 30 points he's scored in the tourney, 18 of them came in the second-round win over USC, when he shot 8-13. This is a clear example of a Spartan stepping up big in one game and ceding that label to another player in the next game, and Walton has vanished back into the wood-work on offense since. His plus is that he has played defense like a glove on the best scorers from the opposing team. Still, he can't shoot threes -- attempting 5 threes all season -- and Ellington has two inches on him, so I don't think this is much of a contest.

ADVANTAGE: UNC

SMALL FORWARD: Michigan State's Raymar Morgan v. UNC's Danny Green. Green is a senior averaging 13.2 points and 5 rebounds per game in the tournament, and he's made some clutch shots in games, though many haven't been close enough to warrant the adjective "clutch." Still, he's solid, nothing flashy about him, but he has gotten himself into foul trouble recently: he had 4 fouls against Gonzaga and Villanova. UNC will need him on the court to match-up against Morgan, and since he has the ability to hit mid-range jumpers he can help spread the floor and create driving lanes for Lawson. That said, he has to be hitting for it work, and he's only averaging 43% FG in the tournament. Meanwhile, Raymar Morgan was the latest Spartan to step up and actually play "clutch" in the fullest sense of the word. He had 16 points in the opening round win against Robert Morris, then hit one field goal and averaged 2.3 points per game against USC, Kansas, and Louisville. He showed up against UConn and had 18 points on 7/13 FG to go along with 9 rebounds and five steals. He played monster, even with the mask to protect his face after breaking his nose in the last round. The question is whether this performance is just a flash in the pan or if it's an indication of renewed confidence and success for Morgan. He's had bad luck all season, battling mono and walking pneumonia and now the broken nose, but he's never quit playing. And since I saw him play in high school at Canton McKinley, and since he has two inches on Danny Green, I have to give him props.

ADVANTAGE: Michigan State

POWER FORWARD: Michigan State's Delvon Roe v. UNC's Deon Thompson. This was a toss-up between Thompson and Hansbrough as neither truly plays the PF position or the C, but since Hansbrough is an inch taller than Thompson, and since he'll be guarding the Spartans' center Goran Suton, I decided to compare Roe with Thompson. Thompson averaged 10 points per game in the season but only 6.6 in the tournament, and his rebounds have also fallen from 5.8 in the season to 2.25 in the tournament. It's hard to figure out what exactly is going on with Thompson, and he plays a straight post game, but you can't really even say that he has all the intangibles necessary to make him a great player. He's efficient, let's just say that. Thompson does have experience, though, 3 years worth. Meanwhile, Roe averaged 5.3 points per game in the season and only 4.0 in the tournament. His rebounds similarly fell from 5.1 in the season to 3.2 in the tourney. He's a freshman, and he did have some outstanding defensive plays against UConn that warranted applause. This seems to be the weakest position on both teams, and it's a toss-up for which player is better. Roe hasn't had his break-out game yet, and this could be his chance to erupt for a huge game, but I doubt it since he doesn't shoot great, which will force him into the post against Thompson, who has 20 pounds on him. This one's hard but, I'll have to say . . .

ADVANTAGE: UNC

CENTER: Michigan State's Goran Suton v. UNC's Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough was the Naismith Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year in 2008, and he broke the ACC scoring record this season. He averaged 20.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds in the season, with 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in the tourney. As much of a douche-bag as he can be, he plays hard and works for rebounds and loose balls, the kind of motor that you can't teach and can tip the scales in any game. He's also a senior who's only gap on his impressive resume is a national championship, and he's definitely playing his balls off in order to add that hardware to his mantle. Suton has lit up the tournament, raising his 9.9 points per game in the season to 12.2 in the tournament, including games of 20 and 19 points in huge efforts against Kansas and Louisville, respectively. He also raised his rebounds from 8.1 to 10.6, including three double-doubles in his last five games. Like all of the Spartans, he plays great defense, but it got him into foul trouble against UConn, when his 4 fouls limited his productivity and held him to only 4 points. He's the Bosnian Bombardier, and also a senior looking to end his career on a high note, but I can't really pick someone who's been great in the last few games over a guy who's done it for four straight years.

ADVANTAGE: UNC

BENCH: This is a difficult thing to really gauge. UNC's starters are just so good and have played huge minutes all tournament that the bench players haven't gotten into many games or logged many significant minutes. Against Nova, one player scored off the UNC bench: forward Ed Davis with his monster 5 points. Guard Bobby Frasor spells Lawson, but he's nowhere near on Lawson's level. The Tar Heels have a very talented team and can go deep, they just haven't, which could be a bad thing when these rusty players need in the game and can't perform. In total contrast, Izzo makes use of his bench to keep his players fresh. Michigan State's bench outscored UConn's 33-7, a tremendous margin. The Spartans share the load, which could work in their favor. While I would assume that the UNC bench is just as talented at Michigan State's, the fact that they contribute so little in games makes this decision easy.

ADVANTAGE: Michigan State

And there you have it, a 4-2 edge in favor of the UNC Tar Heels. UNC loses the Battle of the Benches, but that won't matter when three of their starters score 20 points and they jump all over the Spartans from the very start of the game, as they have done in their last three blow-out wins. One could argue that Michigan State has the edge when it comes to the fan-base, since Ford Field is only 90 miles from the Spartans' campus in East Lansing. While it may be easier for Michigan State to drive to the Final Four, from what I saw last night the Tar Heels had a pretty good showing in the stands. Not that it would matter anyway, because the Tar Heels are used to playing in tough environments on the road: nothing can possibly be worse than facing the Cameron Crazies in Durham, and the Tar Heels smashed the Dukies 101-87 in February.

And lots of people wonder if this will be a repeat of the game in December when UNC bitch-slapped Michigan State 98-63 on Ford Field. At that time, Michigan State came off a long road-trip and dropped this game, the fourth of that week. UNC looked strong, but the Spartans were also missing Suton, who was out with arthroscopic surgery at the time. The Spartans are back, and it's hard to say that they're 35 points worse than UNC.

Still, even with Suton and the "home-court advantage" and a day's rest, they're 30 points worse than the Tar Heels.

Look for UNC to topple Michigan State and run away with it. I'm tired of these damn Spartans hanging around, and there's nothing I'll enjoy more than the Tar Heels burying them. Plus, I'll win my bracket pool and take home $60. Dolla-dolla bill, y'all.

Michigan State, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. UNC is coming to town.

Like a boss.

- Beck

That Wasn't Even That Fun (Beck)

2009-03-29T19:16:00.002-04:00

Talk about two anticlimactic Elite Eight games after two of the most exciting games yesterday that I've ever seen in my life.

While it was almost a chore to watch, it was still a surprise to see Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans upset Rick Pitino's #1-seed Louisville Cardinals. After the Cards laid the smack down on Arizona in their last game, it looked like they had hit their stride and put those two shaky games against Morehead State and Siena behind them. Truth be told, the Cardinals looked utterly inept against the Spartans, and the same team from the first two rounds showed up against better competition. If anything, the Cardinals might be able to blame Arizona: the Wildcats played so poorly and were so easily out-matched that the Cardinals probably had a bloated ego and thought all their games would be that easy. They came out strong and built an early lead, but the Spartans clawed their back behind Goran Suton, the Bosnian Bombardier, and his 17 points in the first half. At the end of the opening stanza, the Spartans actually led 30-27. However, the second-half was a different story: the Spartans' defense smothered the Cardinals and they kept them at arm's-length the rest of the way, taking it 64-52. The Cardinals should be ashamed of themselves for packing it in like they did: they were down 10 points with 10 minutes to play, and after that they didn't even look they wanted to be out there. No heart, no effort, and no W. Terrence Williams, the leading-scorer for the Cardinals, only had 5 points on 1-7 FG, and their #2 leading-scorer, Samardo Samuels, scored a goose-egg on 0-7 FG. The #1-overall-seed in the NCAA tournament will watch the Final Four from home. Meanwhile, the Spartans will head to Detroit. To this day, no player whose stayed for four years under Tom Izzo HASN'T made the Final four. That's amazing.

In the other game, the North Carolina Tar Heels went up 7-0 early over the Oklahoma Sooners and never looked back. They were up 32-23 at the half, built their lead up to 20 at one point in the second half, and the closest the Sooners got was within 9 points. In the end, UNC took it 72-60.

The game that was supposed to feature last year's Naismith Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough versus this year's Naismith Blake Griffin was a dud. Blake Griffin had lots of the rebounds in the first half but couldn't score, and Hansbrough suffered from early foul trouble and scored a grand total of 4 points in the first half. Griffin took over the second half and finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, but the rest of his team looked terrible. The Sooners never had a deep bench, and it was exposed today. Plus, the Sooners finished the game shooting 2-19 from 3-point range, starting off 0-15 until a few minutes left in the second half. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels were balanced as always: Danny Green scored 14 of his 18 in the first half, and then Ty Lawson scored 15 of his 19 in the second half. Deon Thompson added 10 and Wayne Ellington had 9. It wasn't very interesting to watch, unless you were like me and had UNC picked in their brackets and loved to see them win it easily.

So the Final Four is set after two #1-seeds fall. On Saturday, Michigan State will face UConn and Villanova will take on UNC. The Big East is still impressive with two of their teams in their Final Four, even though their regular-season and tournament champion Louisville Cardinals won't be joining them. Villanova takes the cake for most exciting game of the tournament, but I don't think they can match up with UNC. This is the third time in 6 years that UNC head coach Roy Williams has made it to the Final Four, and the Tar Heels have won their NCAA-tournament-record 100th game. Hansbrough, as much as I think he's a tool, has unfinished business and wants to win the title, and I think that from here on out he can match up against any teams' big man and Ty Lawson is easily the most-talented guard remaining. I love Scottie Reynolds, but Ty Lawson plays the point better than Reynolds and will get his team moving better than Reynolds will.

In the other game, Michigan State will play the Final Four a mere 90 miles away from their campus in East Lansing against UConn. There is some precedent here: when UConn won both of their national championships they came out of the Western region in the bracket, as they have done this year. Michigan State fulfilled the Izzo-Promise as I mentioned earlier, and they will indubitably have the most fans in attendance for any of their games in Detroit. Suton will face Thabeet down low and Kalin Lucas will face AJ Price at the point, and Calhoun will square off against Izzo. I like UConn in this game, but if I've learned anything, it's that casting aside Michigan State bites me in the ass. That being said, the Huskies chomp the Spartans, and will face the Tar Heels in the final.

From there, it will be anybody's game.

- Beck

Cats and Dogs (Beck)

2009-03-28T21:45:00.003-04:00

I've ended my hiatus, and in the meantime we had a couple blow-outs yesterday and two barnburners today. Let's get dirty.

Recapping Thursday, #3-seeds laid down the hammer: Villanova trounced Duke 77-54 and Missouri bushwhacked Memphis 102-91. Both #1-seeds won: UConn's was easy over Purdue, but Pittsburgh survived Xavier 60-55.

On Friday, Louisville took a dump on Arizona's chest, winning 103-64; Oklahoma dispatched of Syracuse 84-71 with little effort; and the Tar Heels slapped the taste out of Gonzaga's mouth, taking it 98-77. The closest game of the day was #3-seed Kansas versus #2-seed Michigan State, but the Spartans played tight defense late and made their free-throws, winning it 67-62.

And my, oh my, what we saw today. #3-seed Missouri Tigers -- after a surprise upset over Memphis, whom many had going to the Final Four in their brackets, if not winning the title -- squared off against the #1-seed UConn Huskies in the desert of Glendale, Arizona. Missouri hung tough throughout, down 6 points at the half, but having led at points in the half. They were only down three with under two minutes to play, but the Huskies were led by 6'1" freshman Kemba Walker's circus shot and then A.J. Price's clutch shot at the end to extend the lead, one that the Tigers couldn't overcome. Walker was the king of the day, scoring 23 points in 25 minutes off the bench, and Jim Calhoun is in the Final Four for the third time is in career. The last two times the Huskies went to the Final Four, they won national championships.

But the thrilling game of the day was definitely the one in Boston, Massachusetts, pitting #3-seed Villanova against #1-seed Pittsburgh, a re-match of two Big East powerhouses. The Wildcats played the Panthers earlier in the season, a game in which DeJuan Blair only played 23 minutes with foul trouble and Villanova won by 10 points. This game would be much closer, although it didn't start out like that: Villanova was up big at the beginning, but the Panthers scratched and clawed their way back and were up 2 at the break. The game was played like anticipated: very physical. The Cats racked up 24 fouls: three players with four (Reggie Redding, Shane Clark, and Dante Cunningham) and three players with three (Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Dwayne Anderson). Guard Brad Wanamaker for Pitt was the only player to foul out. That being said, this game was tight throughout, and the two stars for Pitt showed: DeJuan Blair had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Sam Young had 28 points and 7 rebounds. That being said, the Panthers didn't get too much help from their other star -- Levance Fields, 10 points on 2-9 FG -- or any of their role players. Villanova was led in scoring by Dwayne Anderson with 17, but the star of the day was my man Scottie Reynolds and his 15 points. I told you to watch him, because what did he do with the game tied at 76 and 5.5 seconds left to play? He took the ball coast-to-coast, drove into the lane, arguably drew a foul, and made a clutch lay-up with 0.5 seconds left to play. The Cats took it home and made the Final Four for the first time since 1985, when they went on to upset Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas for a national championship as a #8-seed.

The fact is, Pittsburgh won close games in the three rounds before this against lesser teams than Villanova. On the other hand, Villanova had trouble in the first round against American and then cruised to huge wins over UCLA and Duke. Pitt won games ugly, but you had to know it was going to catch up to them at some point. You wear your own team down with such highly-contested games because your star players have to play huge minutes and must be on top of their games throughout. This far into the tournament, your team's fatigue will show and all that luck in the previous three games will run out. That all caught up with Pittsburgh, and they are the first #1-seed to fall in the 2009 Tournament.

I have to talk my shit again as I reiterate my pick of Villanova over Pittsburgh to go into the Final Four. Call me Nostradamus.

And tomorrow, we've got the Battle of the Paisans, pairing Tom Izzo and #2-seed Michigan State against Rick Pitino and his #1-seed Louisville Cardinals. Look for Louisville to take this one and keep the Spartans from reaching Detroit. In the other game, as I also predicted, Tyler Hansbrough and UNC will take on Blake Griffin and Oklahoma. Ty Lawson is definitely back, and while his injury is probably turf-toe and will take months to fully heal, he'll play on it and have the same amount of success that he's had in the last two rounds against LSU and Gonzaga. The Tar Heels will take it, as long as Sooners' head coach Capel doesn't send a thug into the game with the sole purpose of stepping on Lawson's toe.

This will set up match-ups between Louisville-UConn and UNC-Villanova in Detroit. It's amazing how good the Big East is this year, already sending two teams to the Final Four and probably three after tomorrow, but I still have my money on UNC bringing home the championship, which, in my mind, nullifies anything the Big East may have accomplished so far.

Hook 'em, Tar Heels.

- Beck

The King vs The Big O (Chandler)

2009-03-26T21:37:00.004-04:00

So with the rest of the nation turning into college basketball fans, (after OSU lost, I lost interest) I have turned my attention back to real basketball the NBA. Myself being an unapologetic LBJ fanatic I have been paying keen attention to the King's MVP tour.

As you undoubtedly know I think LeBron is this years MVP and its not even close. After watching last nights game against the Nets (the score does not even begin to tell the game. It was not close at all the whole game. The Cavs were obviously not even trying until the 4th quarter where they turned it on for about 5 min and put them away.), the announcers were comparing the King to Oscar Robertson and his amazing '62 season where he avged a trip dub for a season and debated whether or not James could do so as well in his career.

So the '62 season was an amazing year of basketball in the NBA, it contained Oscar's triple double season avg, and Wilt Chamberlain avged 54 pts a game and even scored 100 pts in a game. In a year of such gaudy stats I began to wonder why players are still not doing this. Seems to me that athletes are becoming bigger and badder than ever and thus stats should only increase not decrease.

Well the answer is fairly simple folks, the pace of the game has significantly decreased over time as the emphasis on defense winning championships has taken hold. The Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and the New York Knicks would be like the '85 bears of basketball in 1962. I also find it funny that the 3 worst defenses in the NBA do not have a "D" in any of their names, coincidence? I think not.

Ok so lets break it down and get to the point shall we. In '62, the average team took 107.7 shots per game. By comparison, this year the average team takes 80.2 FGA/G. Crunching the numbers after a long day at the office makes the NBA pace factor for 1962 was 125.5 possessions/48 minutes. This season it is currently 91.7 possessions/48 minutes. The 2009 Cavs are averaging a mere 89.2 poss/48. This equates to a much faster paced game of yester year than today giving them more opportunities to produce the ridiculous stats.

So lets say that Lebron was able to switch paces with Oscar from 2009 season to the 1962 season and play in the uptempo game. By multiplying Oscar's numbers from the '62 season by .715 you get a more down to earth avg of 22.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, & 8.1 APG, which is still VERY solid. By contrast the King's stats in the mega paced NBA, multiplying his stats by a factor of 1.4 you get the staggering 40.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, & 10.0 APG! As you can see the extra 35 possessions a game make a big difference.

Now for Jared's sake I also took the liberty of multiplying D.Wades stats by the same factor. In doing so my calculator produced this result: Season Ending Injury. Sorry Jared, even in the break neck speed, D.Wade can't win the MVP this year.

So what does this all mean you ask? It means that LBJ is actually avging a triple double this season and Dwade is a bitch. LBJ4MVP!!!!

-Chandler Bomb

Reference:
http://www.basketball-reference.com

Instant Tourney Reaction, Day 4 (Beck)

2009-03-22T19:51:00.005-04:00

As the first weekend of March Madness closes and the Sweet Sixteen locks, I find myself burnt out from the close finishes and the abysmal performance of my bracket. Still, Sunday's round of games provided plenty of excitement, but I lack the energy to do it justice.

#3-seed Syracuse downed #6-seed Arizona State, #4-seed Xavier ran away with it against #12-seed Wisconsin, #3-seed Kansas was never threatened by #11-seed Dayton, and #12-seed Arizona silenced all critics with a solid victory over #13-seed Cleveland State. Those games had their moments, but they weren't really on the same level as the final four games were.

#1-seed Pittsburgh barely escaped another opponent, this time it was #8-seed Oklahoma State. The Panthers easily appear to be the most vulnerable #1-seed in the tournament, having barely eeked out a win against East Tennessee State and today trailing late into the game against the Cowboys. Panthers fans will, of course, point to the fact that they win games ugly but at least they win those games. Pittsburgh, just like its leading-man, DeJaun Blair, likes to play physical and grind it out, which is typically a good tactic in the tournament, but when they face Villanova -- or even Duke -- in the next round (assuming they dispatch of the "I'm-not-a-mid-major" Xavier), it probably won't be enough.

#2-seed Michigan State survived a tight game against #10-seed USC, 74-69. No team went up big at any point in the game, and the Spartans slugged it out. Michigan State, and the Big 10 for that matter, play a lot like Pittsburgh, with a philosophy centered around low-scoring, defensive games. USC exceeded expectations after beating #7-seed Boston College in the first round and pushing Michigan State to the limit, and the Trojans should be proud. The difference in the game was that forward Taj Gibson, who shot a perfect 10-10 FG against the Eagles, fouled out with lots of time left against the Spartans and only 3 points to his name.

#3-seed Missouri outlasted #6-seed Marquette and Jerel McNeal's career-high 30 points, as the Tigers squandered a 46-35 lead at the half but ended the game up 83-79. In the final seconds, game tied 79-79, J.T. Tiller drew a foul but was injured on the play, and freshman Kevin English had to take his place at the free-throw line. The kid hit two clutch free throws, and the game was essentially sealed. While Marquette head coach Buzz Williams was inconsolable after several no-calls leading up to that point, he was equally angry with the call that sent English into the game. Golden Eagle fans were similarly livid, but the fact is that English shoots 65% from the line and Tiller shoots 76% from the line. Either way, the kid hit the shots, and Missouri went up. With 5.5 seconds left, the in-bounder for Marquette stepped over the line and the ball went back to Mizzou, who hit two more free throws and sealed the game.

Lastly, #1-seed Louisville barely passed #9-seed Siena in Dayton, winning 79-72. The Cardinals were actually down 63-59 with 7:45 to play, but they kept Siena at bay, hit some big shots, and brought it home. The Cardinals seem to be the second-most vulnerable #1-seed, having had trouble in the first round (granted it was only the first half that they played poorly) and then trouble again in this round. The thing is, though, that when Louisville is on its game, it's unstoppable, as showcased by its Big East regular-season championship and tournament title. Louisville had been cold for long stretches in both games and heated up at just the right time, but if they hope to make it to the national championship game, they won't be able to stay cold for so long.

When I look at the line-up of the Sweet Sixteen, I'm depressed that the only real Cinderella story is #12-seed Arizona, who plays in a major conference yet had a marginal season, which resulted in the low seed. All the 1-3 seeds advanced, and the only #4-seeds to fall were Washington and Wake Forest. That being said, three of the Sweet Sixteen don't play in major conferences -- Gonzaga, Xavier, and Memphis -- but are head and shoulders above the competition in their conferences and had sustained success in the NCAA Tournament for years. It's boring that we're not celebrating an underdog Cleveland State or Dayton Flyers in the Sweet 16, or even a NDSU or Portland State win in the first round. I'm sure the Tournament officials like to see everything go according to plan -- and by that I mean higher seeds winning every game -- but I'm sure they also enjoy the increased coverage they would receive should one of the double-digit seeds make it this far. Think George Mason from a couple years ago.

The silver lining is that the best teams have moved on, which makes for dream match-ups from here on out. Kansas-Michigan State? Never see that happen outside of the tournament. Villanova-Duke? Syracuse-Oklahoma? None of these would happen unless the teams played in an early-season tournament, but those occur before we even really know how good the teams will be. Now, at the end of the season, we know these teams are special, they're on top of their game, and they're playing to survive.

The only thing that angers me is that people who took no chances on their brackets and didn't pick any big upsets are the ones that succeeded most, but, as I said yesterday, c'est la vie.

I'm taking a break now, but I'll be back for some predictions and more analysis later this week.

- Beck

Instant Tourney Reaction, Day 3 (Beck)

2009-03-21T23:54:00.005-04:00

Day 3 worked in two equal and opposite phases: the first three games were all blow-outs, and the final five provided enough heart-stopping -- and in my case, heart-breaking -- moments that more than a dozen times I thought I was suffering from cardiac arrest.

The first game of the day, pitting #3-seed Villanova against #6-seed UCLA, went precisely according to my prediction: Nova rolled to an 89-69 victory and advanced into the Sweet Sixteen. The Cats were up 13 at half-time, but didn't get complacent and kept their foot on the gas, and the Bruins' throats, for the second half. Villanova played up and down, inside and outside, and 6 players scored in double-figures. Dante Cunningham was the crux of the offense, dropping in 18 and snagging 10 boards, while first-round hero Dwayne Anderson helped with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Scottie Reynolds didn't have the break-out game I had anticipated, finishing with a mediocre 11 points, but give all the credit for that performance to the outstanding D played by UCLA's Darren Collison on him. This is the fourth time in five years that Villanova has made it to the Round of 16, and this is the first time in 4 years that UCLA hasn't made it to the Final Four. No matter what, Villanova looks like a tough team to beat at this point.

In the next game, #2-seed Memphis jumped all over #10-seed Maryland from the get-go and ended the first half up 20 points, 53-33. Roburt Sallie, the hero of the first round for the Tigers, remained hot from three-point range, hitting 3-4, but only finished with 13 points, 22 less than he did against Northridge. Picking up that scoring slack was freshman-sensation Tyreke Evans, who led Memphis with 19 points. Maryland just couldn't get anything started, and despite Grievis Vasquez's 18 points, and the fact that Maryland actually won the second-half 37-36, the Terrapins couldn't overcome the deficit and fell 89-70.

Lastly, there isn't much to say about #1-seed UConn's trouncing of #9-seed Texas A&M other than the final score: 92-66. Ouch.

After those three games, someone high up at the Tournament offices thought they needed some closer games to satisfy the audiences, and the next five were all tight match-ups. #5-seed Purdue knocked off #4-seed Washington in the final seconds, taking it 76-74. Purdue was playing great defense against the Huskies in the first half, but in the second half Huskies' point guard Isaiah Thomas and his game-high 24 points almost tied it up. Too bad the Boilermakers had their block-machina JaJuan Johnson waiting for him in the lane, and he blocked two huge shots to preserve Purdue's lead. I had Huskies West beating Huskies East in the next round, which doesn't look like a good pick anyway now that UConn is just tearing people apart, but scratch off one of my Elite Eight teams.

Then, #1-seed UNC had to survive #8-seed LSU in the second half, mostly on the back of point guard Ty Lawson's inspired play. Lawson, who missed the Tar Heels' first-round game against Radford, started this game, but went out early in the first-half when it looked like he reaggravated his toe injury. The Tar Heels were up 38-29 at half-time, but the Bayou Bengals stormed back, actually taking a 44-41 lead with 16 minutes left in the second-half. They stayed within a few points for the next ten minutes, and then Lawson took over. He scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, proving that when he's on his game he's dangerous, and the Tar Heels are unbeatable. Wayne Ellington poured in 23 more points for UNC, and Tyler Hansbrough had 15. UNC ran out the rest of the game and finished it with a W, 84-70.

And then, #2-seed Oklahoma survived their own scare against #10-seed Michigan, who had a penchant for knocking off better teams all season. The Sooners battled the first half and had a one-point lead, and Player-of-the-Year-candidate Blake Griffin was knocked down and Michigan drew blood. Despite foul trouble with their leading-scorer Manny Harris, the Wolverines were only down three with six minutes to play, but Griffin was just too much and the Sooners won it 73-63. Griffin ended with 33 points and 17 rebounds, a typical stat-line for him all season. Oklahoma will be tough, and I look forward to them facing UNC in the Elite Eight, pitting Griffin against Hansbrough down low.

In the last two games of the night, #4-seed Gonzaga scored with 0.9 seconds left to go up on #12-seed Western Kentucky, and #7-seed Texas had a chance to tie #2-seed Duke in the final minutes but blew their opportunity. The Zags and the Hilltoppers was a close game throughout, with WKU actually up 37-35 at the half. In the final minutes, with WKU down by four, Steffphon Pettigrew gathered a loose-ball stolen from Gonzaga and put it down for a score, then added a tip with 7.2 seconds left to tie the game. However, the Hilltoppers lost back-up point guard Demetri Gordon in the chaos after the shot, and Gordon took the ball the length of the court for the game-winning lay-up. Big play from the freshman, and Gonzaga will face UNC in the next round.

Duke ended up winning the game, but there were moments where Texas looked liked they were really ready to break it open and take the lead. Duke had several players in foul trouble, and two foul out -- including starter Kyle Singler -- but Jon Scheyer played great D on Longhorns marks-man AJ Abrams, holding him to only 17 points and shooting 2-6 from 3. Abrams made 8 3's in the first round against Minnesota. Still, the Longhorns benefited from Varez Ward's 16 points off the bench, a player who only averaged 3.8 ppg on the season. The Longhorns had it tied at 67-67 in the closing minutes, and then had a chance at a rebound only down 69-72 with 11.5 seconds remaining, but Duke fell on it and the Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in three years.

My bracket died a little today, as I went a respectable 6/8 on my picks, but like I said before, I picked Washington to upset UConn in the next round, and that's impossible now that Washington is heading back to Seattle losers. It didn't help any that that game was such a nail-biter, and I tore the stuffing out of my stress-ball before the conclusion. I wished I had any left at the end of the Duke game, as I had picked Texas to upset the Dukies in that one. It's always infuriating whenever you pick an upset like that and your team gets this close, but then it doesn't happen.

C'est la vie.

Close games today, and we'll be looking for equally close games tomorrow. As usual, this batch of games went just like the first day as all the higher seeds won their games, but tomorrow will resemble the chaos of Friday, I'm sure. Day 4 pits #13-seed Cleveland State against #12-seed Arizona, and #11-seed Dayton against #3-seed Kansas. Cleveland State beat up on Wake Forest, but I think Arizona has been counted out too much all season to sleep on them, and I like that Arizona's leading-scorers are tall and long, something that Cleveland State does not have. The Vikings are quick, but I like the Wildcats in that match-up (not that I had it picked before the tournament). In the other game, I think Dayton could surprise some people, and after having called NDSU's upset over Kansas, I'll stay on that band-wagon and wish ill will on the Jayhawks as the Flyers roll.

Other than that, Pittsburgh should roll of Oklahoma State and Louisville over Siena, and Missouri-Marquette could be a interesting game to watch, but I've got the Tigers in that one. Arizona State proved its worth against Temple, but Johnny Flynn and the Syracuse Orange will move on to face Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen next weekend. Plus, Xavier will knock off the over-achieving Wisconsin Badgers, but it will be too late for my bracket as I had Florida State make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

March Madness is one crazy roller-coaster, and I'm not getting off yet (that's what she said).

Over and out . . . for now.

- Beck

Instant Tourney Reaction, Day 2 (Beck)

2009-03-21T00:20:00.004-04:00

Naturally, today is the day that the upsets abound. Yesterday went essentially according to plan, but today was full of close games (two in overtime) and shocking upheavals. Plus, my bracket suffered heavily.

First, #6-seed Marquette willed themselves to a win over #11-seed Utah State by hitting clutch free throws in the final seconds of the game. Dionte Christmas scored 29 for the #11-seed Temple Owls, but they couldn't hold on for a win against #6-seed Arizona State, who had Jeff Pendergraph and Derek Glasser (who shot 4-5 from 3) both score 22 points. Lastly, my big call of #14-seed North Dakota State over #3-seed Kansas almost came to fruition, with Ben Woodside dropping in 37 points for the Bison, but the Jayhawks were just too much and they won by 10. All of these upsets I thought were locks crashed and burned.

And, on top of that, #11-seed Dayton Flyers took care of #6-seed West Virginia, ruining my Sweet Sixteen. I picked two 11-seeds to beat 6-seeds, but sadly I chose incorrectly. Dayton led big the whole game behind Chris Wright, who scored 27 points and had 10 rebounds. #12-seed Wisconsin dispensed of #5-seed Florida State in the first overtime, despite Toney Douglas's 26 points and 6 rebounds. And finally, the most shocking of all, #13-seed Cleveland State took down #4-seed Wake Forest in a rout. The Vikings led by double-digits most of the game, and finished it winning 84-69. Strike out three of my Sweet-Sixteen teams.

However, #9-seed Siena won over #8-seed Ohio State, though they needed two overtimes to pull out the win. For the second year in a row, Siena has moved on to the second round of the tournament. #10-seed USC took down #7-seed Boston College behind a perfect shooting effort (10-10 FG) from Trojan forward Taj Gibson, 20 points from Dwight Lewis and another 18 points from freshman-sensation Demar DeRozan. Thankfully, I at least called those upsets.

Another trend that ran through Day 2 were #1-seeds struggling against the #16-seeds: Pittsburgh beat East Tennessee State by 10 points, but they were only up 3 points at half-time and, with 4:27 left to play in the second half, Courtney Pigram hit a 3 for ETSU to bring them within two points of the Panthers, 57-59. Pittsburgh dug in and finished the game out, taking it 72-62, but UConn and UNC rolled by at least forty points over their two opponents. Likewise, #1-seed Louisville was only up two points, 35-33, over Morehead State at the half, though they won the second-half 39-21 and won the game 74-54. What's up, guys?

So, the upsets finally checked in to the tournament, and after a perfect 16/16 on picks on Day 1, I went a pitiful 9/16 on Day 2. I'll admit NDSU was a little stupid, but every year some sub-12-seed wins a game, I just didn't know it was going to be Cleveland State, and I doubt anyone else outside of the Northeast Ohio area knew the Vikings would win either.

Oh, and the Tennessee Volunteers should be ashamed of themselves. Whenever they lose games, it's always like this: they look lackadaisical, they take bad shots, they can't dribble, and they generally don't look like they care that much. Granted they only lost to Oklahoma State 77-75 in the final seconds, but if they would've had their heads on straight they could've won handily. Too bad the Cowboys will be beat by Pittsburgh, who rebounds from their pitiful loss and take their anger out on the kids from Stillwater.

My biggest gripe is that I should've followed my own advice and known that the Pac-10 is not a bad league, as 5 out of 6 of their teams (USC, UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, and Arizona) moved on to the second round, with California's loss to Maryland the only exception. Just like during bowl season, people count out the Pac-10 and then they shine bright in the post-season. Oh well.

Looking forward to Day 3, Memphis regains its stride against Maryland; Villanova does the same against UCLA; Gonzaga beats up on Western Kentucky; the 1-seeds (UConn and UNC) continue to roll; and my big upset of this round will be the #7-seed Texas Longhorns over the #2-seed Duke Blue Devils. Duke has choked in every tournament for the last few years, and this team will do the same. AJ Abrams is a one-man wrecking-crew, and he's ready to drop 40 on Coach K's boys for the win. Lastly, Washington better roll over Purdue.

25/32 ain't bad, but the best I can be is 13/16 for the Sweet Sixteen. That's not great.

Despite the set-back and the bracket-busting, throw up your glass to another round of games tomorrow!

- Beck

Instant Tourney Reaction (Beck)

2009-03-20T00:00:00.003-04:00

A familiar theme ran through the first round of action in March Madness: double-digit seeds led by double-digits against power-house teams only to see those leads vanish. #2-seed Memphis had tons of trouble with #15-seed California State-Northridge, but led by Roburt Sallie and his 35 points the Tigers extended their 26-game win streak, the longest in the nation. Nevermind that they trailed for most of both halves. The Matadors lost control, and they had to check their bags for a return-trip to SoCal, where Northridge's head coach will have to deal with his son legal's troubles.

Likewise, #14-seed American, led by the diminutive Garrison Carr and Derrick Mercer, had a 14-point lead over #3-seed Villanova in the second half. What's worse than that, Villanova was playing in Philadelphia, essentially a home-game for the Cats. Thankfully for my bracket, since I have Villanova going to the Final Four, Dante Cunningham, Corey Fisher, and Co., ran out the rest of the game and took down the Eagles.

Lastly, #13-seed Akron fought valiantly against #4-seed Gonzaga, holding a lead for a large portion of the game, but once the 2nd-half hit the 10-minute mark the Zips didn't have any more zip and the Bulldogs took care of them easily.

It's not difficult to see why these things happen: the higher-seeds are better teams with deeper benches, and the lower-seed teams are used to playing worse competition with primarily their starters alone. Come tournament time, those benches make a difference, and sooner or later the bigger, badder teams refuse to lose and they kick it up a notch.

The only big upset involved #12-seed Western Kentucky over #5 Illinois, a prediction I made in the last post. However, it's not really fair because the Hilltoppers made a great run into the Sweet Sixteen last year and returned most of the same team, giving a mid-major something not typically afforded to them: tournament experience. The Illini were missing their starting point guard, and they've been extremely inconsistent all year. Plus, the Hilltoppers had a 17-point lead at one point over the Illini, but only won the game by 4 points. Clearly, this was a mid-major who didn't have a long bench and wore down over the course of the game, but had a big enough lead and could hold it long enough to eek out the win. Their experience in the tournament before helped them win this game, and that's a lesson that other mid-majors could learn in the future.

Other than that, just a couple #10-seeds (Maryland and Michigan) over #7-seeds (California and Clemson, respectively). Big whoop.

And while #11-seed VCU made things very interesting for #6-seed UCLA, the Bruins continued to roll. A lot of people picked VCU in the upset because they returned the center-piece from their win over Duke two years ago, the dynamic and clutch Eric Maynor. That being said, 2007 is 2007, and 2009 is 2009. If we were going with what VCU was like in 2007, then we should compare UCLA to their 2007 Final Four team. And like I tried to tell people all year, the Pac-10 is not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. UCLA is still a great tournament team because they play solid defense and have a great point guard in Darren Collison who can work long possessions that result in points. While I think they're good, I don't think they can perform with Villanova in Round 2, who will rebound from the pitiful performance against American. Every time Villanova has a bad game, or Scottie Reynolds, they return stronger the next. We'll find out on Saturday.

In the rest of the bracket, the Tar Heels didn't have a problem without Ty Lawson, and UConn didn't have a problem without Jim Calhoun. The Washington Huskies rolled, as did the Boilermakers. LSU played tight against Butler, which means they'll get slaughtered by UNC. Texas A&M torched BYU, but UConn will have their number.

So far, my bracket is perfect, but I'm knocking on wood.

Tomorrow, remember to look for #11-seed Utah State over #6-seed Marquette; #12-seed Arizona over #5-seed Utah; #11-seed Temple over #6-seed Arizona State; and my pick of the tournament, #14-seed North Dakota State led by Ben Woodside over #3-seed Kansas. Even if it doesn't happen, I don't care, because like I said before, West Virginia will beat the game's winner and go into the Round of 16.

You heard it here first, y'all.

- Beck

March Madness and . . . Michael Vick? (Beck)

2009-03-19T03:37:00.015-04:00

Alright, so it’s that blessed time of the year again, when casual fans enter into office pools and the stupidest person, typically a female, when it comes to sports ends up with the best bracket because they liked the teams’ names/mascots/colors. That’s right, it’s finally March Madness! The past few weeks, so slow with sports news after the Super Bowl that ESPN picked up A-Rod and steroids yet once the calendar turned to March there’s been little word on the A-Roid front thanks to the World Baseball Classic and, now, college basketball.

Need I remind you that college basketball determines their champion in the most suitable way possible: A PLAYOFF! College football could learn a thing or two, but that’s for another blog ...

Still, I’m next to positive that Chandler and I will be posting frequently over the next couple weekends and almost all of our posts will assuredly have to do with March Madness, so in that spirit I’ll start mine off with that topic and then segue into something that is developing and equally intriguing.

As for the Tourney, I just finished my official bracket, and it is, dare I say, “en fuego.” You want upsets? I’ll give you upsets, starting with the trendiest upset in the whole bracket, #12 Arizona over #5 Utah. Arizona has three dominant scorers in Jordan Hill (18.5 ppg), Chase Budinger (17.9 ppg), and Nic Wise (15.1 ppg), though they’re fourth scorer only averages 6.8 ppg. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Arizona this season in the Pac-10, where they’ve been shaky at best, but I think these three monsters will be too much for Utah. Arizona squeaked in, and they’ll make the most of it.

Too bad Teague and Wake Forest will mop the floor with them in the 2^nd round.

I’d love to pick #12 Northern Iowa over #5 Purdue, but Purdue finished the season strong and won the Big 10 tournament. Northern Iowa over-achieved on their way to the MVC crown, and the real Northern Iowa will stand up and lose in the first round. Washington is a tough team, I don’t care who the fuck you are, and I’ve got Isaiah Thomas (no relation to the beleaguered, former-Knicks coach/exec), Justin Dentmon, Jon Brockman, and – the best name in the tournament this year – Quincy Pondexter taking out UConn to make the Elite Eight, but lose to Memphis.

#11 Utah State will take care of the injury-plagued #6 Marquette Golden Eagles, who will not be able to overcome the loss of point guard Dominic James. Toney Douglas will strap #5 Florida State, the most under-rated team in the ACC all year, on his back into the Sweet Sixteen. In the same region, the combination of Scottie Reynolds, Dante Cunningham, and Corey Fisher will lead Villanova to upset wins over Duke and Pittsburgh to the Final Four. Lastly, in the South Region, #12 Western Kentucky proves they are a good team against another injury-riddled team, #5 Illinois, then lose to #4 Gonzaga, who knock the stuffing out of #13 Akron. #11 Temple, who took the A-10 tourney by storm led by Dionte Christmas, knocks off #6 Arizona State and James Harden – a Pac-10 team not worth the hype – and Michigan shows they really can beat good teams as they knock off Clemson. Oklahoma cruises to the Elite Eight against UNC, pitting Blake Griffin against Tyler Hansbrough, but UNC rolls all the way to the ‘ship.

And since it’s so early on the East Coast when I post this, I’m saving my biggest upset for last so no one takes my brilliant idea: #14 North Dakota State over #3 Kansas in the first round.

You bet your butt-cheeks, mister. You heard that right. North Dakota State, in their first year of eligibility for the NCAA Tournament, took over the Summit League on their way to a 26-6 record. Kansas lost too many players after last-year’s championship, returning only Sherron Collins as a key contributor from the 2008 Champs, and they won’t be able to corral the Bisons’ leading-scorer, 5’11” guard Ben Woodside, who averaged 22.8 ppg, 6.3 assists per game, and shot 42.7% from 3-point range.

The guy is a stud and the next incarnation of Stephen Curry, though I hate how much every college basketball analyst is looking for the next Curry in this year’s tournament. If Davidson could’ve taken care of its business during the regular-season and their tournament, Curry would still be this year’s Curry and Davidson wouldn’t be playing in the NIT. Either way, NDSU comes out of the gate firing, they play with abandon, and Woodside lights it up. Remember, the pressure is on Kansas because they are SUPPOSED to win this game, and NDSU can play like they have nothing to lose. And if there’s one thing I ever learned, you NEVER trust someone who has nothing to lose. And even if Kansas does what they’re supposed to do, I’ve got Da’Sean Butler and West Virginia tearing them apart.

Enough with all that shit. Now, on to the latest attempt at forming a professional football league that will rival the NFL! Bring out the UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE!

I’m sure if you heard anything about this league, then you’ve heard that Mark Cuban was involved in the formation of the league. While that may have been the case, it’s not now. The UFL was formed by William Hambrecht, a Wall-Street investor (uh-oh) and former minority owner of the USFL’s Oakland Invaders, and Tim Armstrong, a former exec at Google who is now the CEO of AOL. While Hambrecht’s experience as an investor on tanking Wall Street and involvement with another football league that became defunct in its battle against the NFL, the UFL just might work. Many forget that the USFL won an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL decades ago, but they’re compensation was a measly $1 and the league folded. Thank God for the rest of us, because Jim Kelly and Steve Young moved on the NFL and had some great seasons.

The UFL is slotted to start their inaugural season in the fall of this year, before two other football leagues in the works have a chance to open for America: the new United States Football League and the All-American Football League. The UFL will play games on Thursday and Friday nights to avoid scheduling the same time as the NFL and the NCAA, but still clashing with high-school football on Fridays. While I would never be footballed out, having football on five nights out of the week might be too much for other people, and I’m sure they’ll cut out this UFL nonsense before they cut out their beloved Browns or Buckeyes. Either way, the UFL has already done a decent job at establishing itself.

Four teams are slotted for the 2009 season: one in Las Vegas, one in Orlando, one in New York, and one in San Francisco. Las Vegas will be a great venue for a professional team, as the Las Vegas Outlaws of the defunct XFL were the most profitable franchise of that disastrous league. Orlando is a tough call, as three NFL teams already occupy the Sunshine State – Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars – as well as the beloved college football Gators, Seminoles, and Hurricanes. Still, Florida is a football-crazy state, and Orlando could succeed. New York might be the worst decision in the way of creating a fan base with two NFL teams in the metropolis, but unlike the Giants and Jets who play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the UFL wants their NY franchise to play in the city-proper, occupying Citi Field in Queens, where the New York Mets will begin playing starting this spring. Lastly, the franchise in San Francisco might have a greater following if the York family can’t score a deal with the San Francisco city council to build the 49ers a new stadium and the team bolts for Los Angeles. Or, the UFL team could be better than the 49ers, but it’s going to be hard for anyone to top the theatrics of 49ers head coach Mike Singletary.

However, when one checks the UFL web-site (http://www.ufl-football.com), one learns that the Las Vegas team will share time in LA in the “premiere season,” while NY will be in Hartford for a few, and the SF team might journey inland to Sacramento. Hey, it’s a young league, maybe they need a break. Plus, the league is looking to expand to Salt Lake City and bank on Utah’s recent success in the BCS as the impetus of expanded football interest in the state, as well as Monterrey, Mexico, becoming the first professional league to have a team stationed in the land of tacos and drug-wars.

The UFL is working on fan-interaction, which is why these four franchises have yet to be named. The league allows fans in each location to nominate names for the teams. So if you got something, say something.

Even better than all that, the UFL has managed to lure washed-up NFL head-coaches to their league: New Orleans Saints under-achiever Jim Haslett will lead in Orlando; former-offensive coordinator Ted Cottrell will lead in New York; former-Giants choke-artist and bad-attitude Jim Fassel will coach in Vegas; and the rant-machine himself, “they are who we thought they were” Dennis Green will have the pleasure of ranting some more in San Francisco. Coincidence that they placed this volatile head coach in the same city as another volatile head coach? Looks like the UFL is just looking to grab headlines. Think Singletary’s bat-shit crazy? Just wait for Denny Green’s press conference.

However, I hope you’ve read this far into the post wondering where Michael Vick will factor into all this, and I won’t you leave your sports-knowledge orgasm hanging: if the NFL refuses to reinstate Vick in time for the 2009 season, there are strong rumors that Vick will sign with the UFL. How ‘bout them apples? An infant league with cartoons for head coaches will now have a felon as their most recognizable face. Couldn’t possibly be any better, right? If they can’t get headlines because of their games, they’ll surely grab headlines every time PETA pickets outside Vick’s game. Any press is good press, right?

While there don’t seem to be any major rules changes from the NFL, which ultimately ruined the XFL though they branded the league as being “X-treme,” and player signings beginning in July 2009, the UFL has a snowball’s chance in hell of actually providing stiff competition against the NFL. The season is slated to begin in October and end by November 12, with the UFL championship being played around Thanksgiving. Sounds like it will be a blip in the middle of the NFL season and right at the same time that high-school football playoffs heat up. That being said, this will be wonderful entertainment to watch the ship sink, and I’ll be catching it all this coming fall on the Versus network. Who’s with me?

- Beck

If you wanna Crown their asses, than Crown 'em! (Chandler)

2009-03-16T20:12:00.004-04:00

A "Flash of Brilliance" as it was so cleverly titled, writes my point for me. That is what Dwayne Wade has been. Lebron James has been doing it all season, not since the all-star break. Analyst have been saying since early on in the season that the MVP was LBJ, Kobe Bryant (the league's reigning MVP) has said publicly that this year's MVP was none other than the King LBJ himself.

It would be unfair to divulge into Beck's post rebutting every point as I would have the unfair advantage or going second and seeing what the opposition has in store. However that is exactly what I am going to do.

OK, so Dwade has all the right stats to light up the stat sheet. However that is exactly what LBJ has been doing the past three seasons. Last season he avged 30, 8 boards and 7 ast a game bringing his team into the 4th seed in the East, he got fourth place behind Kobe, CP3 (who was a second half wonder), and KG all of who had lesser stats then him overall. 05-06 season he avg 32 pts for the scoring title, 7 and 7 and got second behind Nash's second underserving MVP award.
-Morale of the Story?
STATS dont win you the MVP award!

What does in the MVP is stats and WINNING! Over the past 20 years, I got bored and stopped looking past that, Every MVP winner's team was at minimum the 3rd seed in their conference, majority of the time at best in their conference and most of the time best record in the league. The Cavs are fitting that bill right now. 5th seed in the East is nothing to brag about, and not worthy of an MVP candidate. It wasn't even until he tried to launch himself in the MVP race that he was even mentioned, honestly he has had a few big games and all of a sudden he is supposed to the league MVP? Sorry it takes more than a few games for me to crown someone.

The MVP should be leading their team to greatness not mediocrity, sorry heat fans but your not there yet. But their is hope as your team is young, and looks promising to the future, but its a price you pay for selling your soul to the devil for a championship.

Anyways I grow tired of this debate, LBJ4MVP!

-On to something that is pissing me off, what is it with teams falling over themselves to help out the patriots? Who did they blow to get Peppers for a second rounder? I'm sorry are you telling me no one else *Cough!* Browns *COUGH* could offer Derek Anderson and a draft pick for Peppers? Honestly it makes so much sense it hurts, DA has a strong arm, and is young, everything Jake Delhomme isn't.

Also I would like to debunk this whole Cutler myth surrounding the browns and Brady Quinn, let me first off say NO WAY to Cutler, we already have one cry baby on our team, with no room for another. Also Brady Quinn has a chin, and Jay doesn't, which in my mind makes him a better qb in my book. Much like having hair makes you a better qb in my book unlike that LOSER Trent Fucking Dilfer. He sucked. When our teams going to learn...

-The Chandler Force