March Madness. One of the best 3 weeks of the year for sports. There is nothing like the opening weekend of the tournament. What is so great about March Madness is that it brings legit sport fans and non fans together because at most jobs or schools there is a bracket pool. The funny thing about them is a lot of the time people who have no idea what they're doing can do better than the most diehard of fans just because March Madness is so unpredictable. Usually every year I make like at least 10 brackets in an attempt to have the perfect bracket. In like 2014 I started out something like 9 for 9 and actually thought I had a chance to pull it off but that dream was shortly destroyed. Historically I'm awful, I haven't pick a national champ correct in my main bracket since the Florida Gators in 2007 and that was only because I was a fan. This year I just haven't been as into college basketball as years past. Probably because URI's season was over before it even began when E.C. Matthews torn his ACL like 8 minutes into the first game. They were expected to finally make the tournament but those aspirations were crushed. But with the tourney officially starting I'm gonna be fully engulfed in March Madness and cannot wait. With my new blog I figured I have to share my picks. As a (semi) retired gambler it kills me to not have real action on these games with the exception of being in two pools. Take the underdogs to cover against Duke, UNC and Kentucky. Without further ado my 2016 NCAA Bracket. I didn't wanna pull an Obama and go completely chalk because that is the most lame thing of all time. I think his final four has never had a seed below a 2. Even won't even make the popular upset picks that the entire nation is picking. If my bracket ends up sucking that is why. If it's ends up being great it's because deep down I actually do know what I'm talking about......... I couldn't find a way to get it to fit better so I'm gonna have to break it down region by region (until it cuts off at the Sweet 16), then Elite 8, Final 4 and championship. South -Maryland could very easily get knocked out in the first round but I like Melo Trimble a lot and think he'll have a big tournament. -Perry Ellis is 69 years old and is too old to be playing in the tourney so I think Kansas loses earlier than expected -Hawaii probably won't win but the Pac-12 is a joke so I'm picking against Cal on principle. -I LOVE Wichita State, Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet are everything that college basketball is supposed to be, it's bullshit they get screwed on seeding every season because this team should be somewhere around a 7 IMO -Nova is a joke in the tourney, even if they get past the round of 32 I don't see them doing any legit damage. Jay Wright will be doing studio work for CBS by next weekend. -Gotta pick Temple because they used to be in the A-10 -In Ron Baker and Van Vleet's senior year they're my big cinderella Final 4 team West -I've never seen Oregon play but they're kind of an underdog even though they're a 1 seed. Doesn't make sense but it does make sense. They better be wearing crazy uniforms. -UNI is always a great upset pick -Love Buddy Hield think he'll shine this tourney -Yale is gonna go on a nice run in their first tourney appearance in like 50 years. Don't think that point guard raped anybody btw. Sucks to be him right now. -Fuck Duke East -This is probably the strongest region in the entire bracket. Think 6 teams have a legit chance to win it. -Dunk city is back, would love to see them knock off UNC but I'm gonna be realistic -Hate PC but I think they'll be able to win a game -Hate Kentucky too, Cal is a scumbag -Picking Steven F. Austin purely because they have a ton of swag and I think Press Virginia is overrated AF -Love Wisco (S/O Big Cat) -Xavier is one of the best teams in the country and are always dangerous in the tourney but haven't made the final 4. I think this year that changes. Midwest -Love Gonzaga think they'll surprise some people. May even make some noise. -Picked a lot of upsets just because I think Iowa St and Purdue are frauds -UVA is always a team that underachieves in March -After former Butler player Andrew Smith passed away from cancer this season I'd just personally like to see Butler go on a little run -Syracuse shouldn't even be in the tournament. Total joke. Should have been Monmouth or St. Bonnies -Can't bet against Izzo in March Elite 8, Final 4, National Championship -Over than Wichita in the Final 4 my elite 8 is kind of chalk which I don't like but this year is so weird for college basketball it's just what I'm going with. I'd say I have a lot of upset picks throughout the bracket.
-WSU is probably my favorite team other than URI, just something about Ron Baker that I really like he's worked his ass off to become a good college player. I had them beating Kansas correctly last year btw. NBD. I think WSU has gotten screwed 3 years in a row with seeding and they are way better than 11 seed IMO. Hope I'm right about them in the Final 4. -I think MSU beats Oklahoma in a battle of two senior stars in Denzel Valentine and Buddy Heild. Whatever happens I probably won't care about my bracket anymore by Monday. Let's all hope it is a great tournament and that Duke doesn't go back to back.
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In breaking news the Patriots just traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals. Literally just happened so I'm still digesting the move. At first glance it hurts, but frankly I love the move.
Chandler Jones had arguably his best year with the Patriots in 2015.. Pro Bowler, 12.5 sacks. He was also a key contributor to 4 teams that went to the AFC championship game, and had a sack in the Patriots Super Bowl XLIX victory. He's one of the better defensive ends in the NFL. He's also in the last year of his deal and from what we've seen so far this offseason it is clear that pass rushers have been getting PAID. If you know anything about the Patriots you know they aren't going to pay with the NFL thinks Chandler Jones is worth and frankly I don't blame them. He's a nice player and had a huge year but he's not worth upwards of 100 million dollars which is what he'll probably get in free agency. Especially after the whole synethenic weed situation where he ended up half naked at the police station it is clear the Patriots didn't want to invest in Jones long term. With Jones and LBs Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower all being upcoming free agents after 2016 it was clear the Patriots most likely wouldn't be able to keep all three. Most Patriot fans I know and have talked to have agreed if you can only keep two Collins and Hightower are the two you keep. Clearly the Pats feel the same way. Hopefully this move will allow the Patriots to lock up Jamie and Dont'a to long term deals. As good as Jones is, they can afford to lose him. The defensive line is a position of strength on this team with a lot of depth he was clearly their best pass rusher but the other options the team has aren't too shabby. What the Patriots are getting in return is offensive linemen Jonathon Cooper and a 2nd round pick. Personally I think that is a great return for Jones who is in the last year of his deal. Patriots weren't going to resign him and decided they'd rather get something for him now than just lose him next offseason. Plus the Pats addressed two huge areas of need: Offensive line and draft capital. All Patriot fans and people with eyes can probably agree that this teams biggest issue was the offensive line. They couldn't protect Brady in the AFC championship game. Despite how bad the line played they were still a two point conversion away from forcing overtime where IMO they most likely would have won based on how Denver's offense played after halftime. Now with Jonathon Cooper, a former first round pick they have another linemen which they desperately needed. The Patriots also are getting the Cardinal's 2nd round pick which is the 61st in the draft. After the whole deflate gate saga where despite no concrete evidence the Patriots lost their 1st round pick in this years draft. Now the Patriots have two 2nd round picks to help make up for that loss. Chandler Jones was a fan favorite and also is Rob Gronkowski's best friend on the team so there is no doubt this move hurts in the short term, however I do think this is a great move for the Patriots. They moved a guy who is not in their long term plans and got a decent return for him. I hope this doesn't upset Gronk too much after he recently tweeted something that made it appear there is trouble in Paradise.
Regardless.....Chandler Jones is gone, that sucks he was great, but the return was very fair and should help the Patriots compete for their 5th Super Bowl championship in the 2016 season. I wish Chandler Jones the best of luck, he helped a lot when he was here, was a key part of a Super Bowl team, this is just the business of the NFL.
Well that was fast as yesterday I brought up how the Broncos needed to address their quarterback situation and if you haven't read it heres the link http://www.dozonlife.com/sports/what-do-the-broncos-do-at-quarterback.
Basically I got them thinking, you know this kid is right, we do need to acquire a quarterback.
It's pretty fitting however that the guy they added, Mark Sanchez wasn't even included on my blog because I honestly forgot Mark Sanchez was alive. I don't think I'm alone when I say this move was rather shocking.
After being a starter with the Jets from 2009-2012 Sanchez has been the Eagles backup the last two seasons. Starting 10 games over that period. Sure the Sanchize was a thorn in my side back in 2010 and to his credit came into Foxboro and beat the Patriots in the playoffs but for the most part he's been a bum. His career stat line is 86 touchdown passes and 84 interceptions. Now he is apparently the Broncos solution to their quarterback issue. I'd assume he's going to start just because he's the only QB on their roster (I think) but I'm shocked John Elway would have Sanchez as "his guy" to defend the Broncos Super Bowl title. Apparently he is very happy about the move.
Talk about a ringing endoresment.
Personally I am excited because I am not worried about Mark Sanchez the quarterback being a threat to the Patriots. The idea of Kaepernick or RG3 to Denver actually worried me because those guys have the potential to turn around their careers but Mark Sanchez is who he will always be. An average to below average QB. One great thing about this signing (to me at least) is that now maybe the Broncos can make my number one wish in life come true and bring back Tebow to Denver. ......He has followed Sanchez twice already.
Maybe third time really is the charm???
But right now on March 11th I'm gonna go out on a limb and have a really hot take......Mark Sanchez will not lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl. I'm will to put my entire reputation as a blogger on it. P.S. I'm pretty sure you're legally required to include this whenever talking about Mark Sanchez. Just gonna preface this by saying I despise the Denver Broncos organization and everything that they do. John Elway is a fuckboy and if I was 10 years older, I'm sure I would have hated him in his playing days. Dude fits the Broncos perfectly with his horse mouth. The man was born to be a Denver Bronco. HOWEVER just to show my great range and that I can be impartial I am going to show IMO how this team can address it's QB situation and defend it's Super Bowl championship. Let's get started. As you may be well aware former Broncos QB Peyton Manning announced his retirement earlier this week and obviously will not be back in the mile high city next season. I'd also like to note that yes, he may of retired but lets not act like Peyton had a choice, nobody wanted his noodle arm for this upcoming season. That's why he didn't retire on the spot after miraculously winning Super Bowl 50. If someone wanted him he would have played in 2016 so lets not act like Peyton Manning still has anything left in his tank. Lets not act like he's stepping away at the top of his game. Well yesterday Denver's backup QB Brock Osweiler signed a 4 year deal with the Houston Texans so now both QBs who started for significant parts of the 2015 season are gone and the Super Bowl champs are left without a man to play QB....so what should they do? Well stick around and I'll tell you. Now as much as I hate the Broncos even I can admit this is hands down the best landing spot for a QB. Fantastic defense that single handedly won this team a Super Bowl, two top level WR's and a decent coaching staff. If this team won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at QB who without a doubt was the worst QB in the entire NFL last year then any of the QBs I'm about to suggest could be able to be successful in Denver. Option 1: Draft a QB Currently the Broncos hold the 31st spot in the NFL Draft, it should be 32nd but the NFL is a joke and has an axe to grind against the Patriots but I'm not going to get into that. The Broncos could very well draft a QB with their first round pick or even later in the draft, after all the NFL's all time greatest QB, Tom Brady, was drafted in the 6th round. However because the Patriots still have not been given their draft pick back I am boycotting all things NFL Draft unless the Pats get their picks back, so I will not address the NFL Draft for this blog and that option is done. Broncos won't draft a QB. Mainly because I said so, also there are not great prospects this year, not that I am aware of that.....because of my boycott. Option 2: Trade for a QB Unlike the other 3 major sport leagues (NBA, MLB, NHL) player trades in the NFL aren't commonplace. Obviously they happen sometimes and aren't impossible but with the landscape of today's NFL teams aren't trading superstar QBs. This offseason however there are multiple QBs who have fallen from grace from their respective franchises who could be potentially traded. These QBs also could just be cut but most of them were high draft picks so these franchises would like to at least get something in exchange for them. Trade Option #1: Colin Kaepernick I've read online that Kaepernick is the Broncos main target to take over at QB. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere. Where do I begin with this guy? Ahhhh, Colin Kaepernick. It doesn't feel that long ago where he was supposed to be the next big thing in the NFL. ESPN's Ron Jaworski claimed he could be the best QB of all time based on his skill set. In 2012 he took over for an injured Alex Smith and took the NFL by storm. The mobile Kaepernick ran for a QB record 181 yards in a playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. He led the 49ers all the way to Super Bowl XLVII (47) and was like 4 yards away from winning the Super Bowl. In 2013 he followed it up with another solid season and brought the 49ers to the NFC Championship game where his interception late in the game lost the game for San Francisco and truly introduced Richard Sherman to the entire world. Now when I say hate I feel like it is not strong enough to explain how I feel, but I HATE Richard Sherman and if Kaepernick doesn't test him late in the NFC Championship game maybe all of sports history is different. So in a way Kap is to blame about Sherman becoming a household name. After that game the 49ers and Kap were never the same. In 2014 the 9ers went 8-8, then coach Jim Harbaugh left to coach The University of Michigan, about 70% of their roster retired and their championship window slammed shut. This last season Kap battled injuries/was benched for a man who couldn't make it with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert. You know, they guy that the Jags drafted ahead of JJ Watt. Good call. The 49ers want to move with Gabbert going forward and are trying to move Kaepernick. Now Kap had a season and a half of great football in San Fran but has struggled the last two years. However I still he has a lot of physical talent and worth a shot. A team like the Broncos with a fantastic defensive and playmakers on offense begging for a real quarterback could be a great spot for Kaepernick. Right now I feel like he is the most logical and most likely option for Denver at QB. Trade Option #2: Johnny Manziel Much like the Kap and RG3 (who I'll get into shortly), in 2012 Johnny Manziel aka Johnny Football took the football world by storm with his flashy running and improvisational play on the football field. However unlike those two he was doing it in college. In his redshirt freshmen year at Texas A&M after an upset victory against Alabama in Tuscaloosa became a household name and was catapulted by his performance against Bama to become the first freshmen to win the Heisman Trophy. While this is the most unlikely of trade scenarios, there have been whispers of Manziel to Denver. Von Miller, who like Johnny Football went to Texas A&M has been trying to help the former Heisman winner get back on track and suggests bringing him to Denver may do that. Now we all know JFB has a lot of personal issues he needs to deal with and going to a team in a state where weed is legal may not be the best move for him. One thing however is clear, Cleveland is the worst place to be in the NFL, nobody succeeds there and while Johnny simply may not have the skills to cut it in the NFL, he definitely was not given the best chance to succeed in Cleveland. I don't expect a team like the Broncos who just won the Super Bowl to take a chance on Manziel but if they did I feel like it is a situation where he could perhaps turn around his career which to this point has to be labeled as a bust. I'm sure there are other trade options but this blog although fantastic, is getting pretty long. Thats it for trades. Option 3: Sign a Free Agent QB In the NFL teams are more likely to add pieces to their roster through free agency than trades. In this situation who knows what will happen but there are many free agent QB's available so I'll try to go over them quickly. Free Agent Option #1: Robert Griffin III Much like Colin Kaepernick, in 2012 RG3 took the NFL by storm with his wild running ability from the QB spot. The read-option was taking over the NFL during this time and RG3 was the poster child for that change. Griffin who was the 2nd overall pick in 2012 would go on to win Rookie of The Year. He also brought an awful Redskins team who was at one point 3-6 to 10-6 and an NFC East Championship. In the playoffs he came out hot leading the Redskins to quick 14-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks. However that did not last long as Seattle adjusted and scored 24 straight to win 24-14. It was clear RG3 was hurt, but was not taken out of the game. Eventually late in the game his knee just gave up and RG3 tore his ACL ending his season. The poor field conditions of FedEx Field brought up controversy at the time about his injury. Since then RG3 has never been the same, fallen from the mountain top in DC. Been more active on social media posting cliche inspirational quotes than he has been on the football field. He eventually lost his job to QB Kirk Cousins (who the Redskins also drafted in 2012). RG3's low point came during the 2015 season where the Redskins only had him on the active game day roster once. Now the Redskins have made it clear they are done with Griffin by cutting him. The Denver Broncos seem like they could be a fit for Griffin. Fact Fun (more so I just read wikipedia waaaayyyyy too much) despite growing up in Texas, RG3 grew up a fan of the Denver Broncos. The similarities between Kaepernick and RG3 are easy to make, they both were once stars of their former teams who were great threats to also run the ball. They both battled injuries and have been questioned about whether or not they still have what it takes to be successful NFL quarterbacks. Personally I think RG3 deserves a shot, although it was for a short period, there was a time where it looked like RG3 would be a star in the league for the next decade. He was more polished than most running QBs and had great leadership qualities on the football field. His days are over in the nation's capital but a team like the Denver Broncos could be the perfect opportunity for him to resurrect his career. It really is shitty that RG3 battled injuries so much because when he was healthy in 2012 he was one of the most fun players to watch in the NFL. Regardless where he may land up (unless its the Jets) I really hope he is able to recapture some of the success he had in 2012. Free Agent Option #2: Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Fitzpatrick went to college to a little school outside of Boston. Harvard, ever heard of it? Fitzy (and his beard) is hands down the most well known Ivy-League alum in the NFL. The journeyman has bounced around from team to team most of his career that started 2005. He made his name with the Bills but Fitzy has played for 6 teams in his career, most recently the New York Jets where he had statistically his best season. The Jets, a team who have not had a franchise quarterback since Broadway Joe and Fitzpatrick are far apart where it comes to a new deal so his days in the big apple are probably numbered. I think this would be an awful fit for the Broncos. Despite being a serviceable QB who threw for 31 touchdowns in 2015, Fitzy has NEVER won a big game in his career. This year after upsetting the Patriots in week 16 all he had to do was beat the lowly Bills in week 17 and the Jets would have been in the playoffs. Fitzpatrick threw 3 interceptions, 2 in the 4th quarter and the Jets lost 22-17 and were eliminated from postseason contention. In fact Ryan Fitzpatrick has NEVER led a team to the postseason and boasts a career win-loss record of 43-61-1. While I have said a ton in this blog the Broncos have a team that is still build to win, if I was them I would not want Fitzy, time and time again he has peed his pants in the moments when his team needed him most. He's a decent QB but is never going to be a true difference maker. Free Agent Option #3: Brandon Weeden Just kidding Brandon Weeden is AWFUL and will never be signed by the Broncos. Also the fact that he is 32 (just one year younger than Fitzpatrick) is amazing. Now if you've read this far, I applaud you. Sure there are plenty of errors and mistakes that make this post tough to read and they are also kind of long but that's okay, you made it this far. You may be thinking to yourself... man Doz, I don't like any of these options you listed out, and frankly neither do I and that is why i give you the best and most logical answer for the Broncos to solve their Quarterback issue. Drumroll please. Option 4: Bring Back Tim Tebow Let me take you back to 2011, we were Rolling In the Deep with Adele. We got to enjoy not 1 but 2 movies about falling in love with your fuck buddy in No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits and Tebow-mania was taking the greatest country in the world by storm. After starting the 2011 NFL season 1-4 the Denver Broncos finally benched QB Kyle Orton for the 2007 Heisman winner, Quarterback Timothy Richard Tebow, out of the University of Florida. What happened next could only be written in a movie, yet some how happened in real life. Despite "poor mechanics", "no accuracy" and a "lack of skill" Tim Tebow won 7 of 8 games including a 6 game winning streak to bring the Broncos back to life. Despite all of this it was clear team President John Elway did not like Tebow. Week after week the Broncos who had looked AWFUL throughout the first three quarters of games were finding ways to win mainly in part to the clutch play of quarterback Tim Tebow (and kicker Matt Prater) the height of Tebow-mania in the regular season led to the fad of "Tebowing" where people would post pictures on social media of themselves kneeling. Much like Tebow would do during games when praying. After getting to 8-5 the Broncos began to stumble falling to 8-8 to end the regular season and had a great chance of missing the playoffs. With some help they were able to clinch the AFC West on a tiebreaker and because they won their division were able to host a playoff game against the 12-4, defending AFC champion, Pittsburgh Steelers. Going into the game many gave Denver no chance, they were a 7.5 point underdog at home. After a season where Tebow and the Broncos had struggled to score early in games the Broncos were able to score 20 points in the second quarter to take a large lead on the Steelers. In one of the NFL's most classic playoff games the Steelers were able tie the game at 23-23 to force overtime. The NFL recently changed it's overtime rules where a team could not just kick a field goal on it's opening possession to win. For the first time a team could be allowed a chance to score as long as they did not allow a touchdown on the opening possession which would end a game. It was kind of confusing but basically you had to score TD to automatically win the game. Denver won the toss and elected to receive and what happened on the first play of overtime would go down in NFL lore. The next week the Broncos season ended in a 45-10 loss against the New England Patriots. Theres no doubt their season ended ugly and Tebow frankly did not play well against the Pats, but the Patriots were 13-3 and the Broncos were 9-8. Without Tebow, the Broncos don't even make it to the playoffs, forget the divisional round. Shortly after the season ended the Broncos signed QB Peyton Manning and traded Tim Tebow to the Jets. Tebow was never giving a chance to play quarterback in New York and was cut following the 2012 NFL season. Despite going to training camp with the Patriots in 2013 and Eagles in 2015, Tebow has not played in an NFL regular season game since 2012. Tebow definitely has is flaws and limitations but I personally believe he has been black balled by the NFL for his outspoken Christian views and media frenzy he brings wherever he goes. You can mock him all you want, but when he was starting in the NFL he won and while it was not pretty, he did get results. He never got a chance to start at QB again and I personally believe he should have at least gotten a chance to fail before being out of the league. That is what lets me to my main point of this entire blog: The Broncos should bring back Tim Tebow. I don't think you could write a better story than the Broncos bringing back Tim Tebow. America LOVES second chances. We love stories of redemption and perseverance; what would be better than Tim Tebow leading the Denver Broncos again in 2016. What better chance for Tebow could there be than Denver? To go back to where it all began. I say this kind of tongue-in-cheek but at the same time I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life. Lets not forget that before Tebow the Broncos had not made the playoffs since 2005. His magical run of 2011 is really what put the Broncos back on the map. Since then, along with the New England Patriots they've been the class of the AFC. You could argue without the success of the Tebow led Broncos that Peyton Manning never goes to Denver and that the Broncos don't win Super Bowl 50. If the Broncos don't play Tebow and finish somewhere around 3-13 then we probably don't get to see how many great players they had on their roster because they probably aren't getting a ton of media attention that was created in large part by the Tebow-factor. Without the 2011 run, I don't think Manning ends up in Denver. The Broncos owe it to Tebow to at least give him a chance. That goes for anybody in life. Give people who deserve it second chances. Guys like Tim Tebow...or me deserve them. I've said it throughout the blog that Broncos have a great defense and offensive playmakers that make it you don't need a great QB. We saw it this season where they won a Super Bowl with a skelton taking snaps at QB. I believe that if the Broncos brought back Tim Tebow not only would they be successful but they could have the chance to become a dynasty. Maybe not, but it sure would be awesome to see. #MakeTebowTheBroncosQuarterbackAgain
To the casual football fan, the name Matt Flynn might not mean a whole lot.
For those who don't know in career Matt Flynn is an NFL QB who up to this point has thrown 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his career. He was well known for being Aaron Rodger's longtime back up in Green Bay. Matt Flynn is also probably one of the luckiest athletes in the history of sports who has made millions of dollars for one great game. In week 17 of the 2011 season the Packers who were the defending Super Bowl champs and 14-1 going into the final game of the year decided to rest many key starters. With homefield advantage already locked up the Packers rested star QB Aaron Rodgers (who would win MVP in 2011) and started Matt Flynn. Flynn proceeded to break the Packers single game yardage and passing TD record by throwing for 480 yards and 6 TDs against the Lions in a meaningless game for Green Bay. Yes those Packers...the same team who has had legendary quarterbacks like Bart Starr, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. A couple weeks later Packers were upset by the Giants in the divisional round and their year was over. Matt Flynn then became a free agent and cashed in by signing a 3 year 20.5 million dollar deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Then the Seahawks drafted a guy name Russell Wilson in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson ended up winning the starting QB job in training camp and never gave it back, making Matt Flynn a backup yet again, this time for 20.5 million dollars. After the 2012 season was traded to the Raiders where he was expected to become their starting QB only to lose out on that chance as well. Flynn has bounced around for the last few years even ending up back with the Packers for a season in a half. Most recently he served as a backup for the Saints in 2015. He has never been an NFL team's full-time starting QB. So why am I writing this blog? Well today is the official first day of the 2016 NFL league year meaning Free Agency has officially started. Former Bronco QB Brock Osweiler who has only 7 career starts signed a 72 million dollar contract to become the new Houston Texans QB. 18 mill a season for a "decent" 7 game stretch. Well old friend Matt Flynn took to twitter to share his thoughts on recent free agent contracts.
I love this because most of the time athletes take themselves waayyyyy too seriously. I'm looking at you JJ Watt and Lebron.
Matt Flynn however can joke about the fact he fleeced the Seahawks for 20 mil. It is a pretty well known story throughout the NFL and it's fans that Flynn basically stole upwards of 20 million dollars for one great performance in a meaningless week 17 game. Despite never having another game even close to his 2011 week 17 performance multiple teams have given Flynn a shot just because of the potential from game on New Years Day 2012. I'm sure he wishes he was more gifted and could be an NFL starter but for a 7th round pick from LSU he has had a pretty nice career. Been floating around the NFL since 2008, has a Super Bowl ring from his time with the Packers, has made over 20 million dollars and holds two Green Bay Packers records (may have been broken since, I'm up against the clock and need to finish and go to work so I'm gonna guess he still has them) Looks like now too he has a decent sense of humor. So last Sunday night at around 8 pm I got a text from one of my friends from college** asking me if I could play in his flag football game that night since they were down a guy. Being the ultimate team player that I am (even if I am not even technically on the team) I happily accepted and brought my talents to North Kingstown for the game at 11 pm that night. For most normal people that would be too short of notice or too late to play football but I'm basically nocturnal since graduating college, 11pm to me is like 6pm to a normal productive human being.
**only friend I made in college Obviously I'm excited to play, I love football, I played in high school, and it's easily my favorite sport. However unlike any other sport you may have played in high school with football unless you somehow play in college or make it to the NFL after high school ball you're never going to get to play real football again. Basically flag or two hand touch are the only options. In Some leagues a lot of contact is allowed, usually full contact in the trenches (offensive and defensive line) and in others theres absolutely no blocking allowed (URI intramural league, least fun ever, Chad sucks!) I've played flag football before, but I'm not gonna lie to you, it's been a few years, I was worried I may have lost a step or two. Last time I was on the field one of my buddy's basically broke his elbow so that was still in the back of my mind. As a former linemen I prefer live blocking, but no flag football can ever replicate what it is like to be in a helmet and pads. Call me a pussy or whatever but when you're not wearing a helmet and shoulder pads IMO it's a little more scary to hit someone, you don't want to get banged in the face or anything. I'm not trying to lose a tooth in a rec league. I'm never gonna go 100% it's simply not worth the risk of injury at this stage in life. Maybe if there was a scout in the house but I didn't see any. So anyways I show up to indoor field around 10:00 to meet my buddy and get introduced to the rest of his team, we warm up a little and then it's game-time. I joked around about how I'm gonna play so well that they're gonna wanna keep me........I say joking but I was 100% serious. I mean after all, I was a "key returner" going into my senior year of HS and "key loss" the year after I graduated in the local newspaper NBD. Yeah we went 3-8 my senior year and I sucked, but some loser who has to cover Rhode Island Division 3 High School Football wrote it so I'm gonna bring it up. I don't write the headlines, I just get put in them. So yeah I took this game very, very seriously. One of my biggest flaws (other than my psychical appearance and personality) has to be my over competitiveness in sports. The less they actually matter, the more I care. I cared more about intramural basketball in college than I did about my grades. I can't remember much of that "book learnin" I did in school but I'll always remember winning an intramural championship my junior year. That memory alone was worth the 30K in debt. Everybody dies, but champions live forever. So in this league it is 5 on 5.... QB, 3 WR and a Center who is eligible to go out for passes. I played center (obviously) and it was a lot of fun. I only knew one guy on my team, but I was ready to go to war. Plus when I saw how much I hated the other team it made it easy for ole dozo to get juiced up....If you are someone I don't know I start off hating you and you have to earn your keep. Thats just in my DNA. Not gonna fight who I am. The game starts and since I was the 6th guy and it was not my team (yet) I offered to start on the bench. I may be a crass at times, but deep down I am a good guy, who is very sensitive and caring about many things that you would not expect just by looking at me. One thing I am definitely not is a monster, I'm not gonna just show up and try to start on a team that isn't mine. BUT the 2nd play of the game comes and I try to hint I'm ready to go in. Enough is a enough, I'm a star damnit, how are you gonna let a man who was considered a "key loss" for a 2nd to last place D3 football team rot away on the bench? Finally I get into the game and am ready to run through a brickwall. After about 3 minutes I am ready to take a nap. Despite recently dropping over 30 pounds I am still in awful shape so I was pretty winded. Plus I was blocking some loser with a wicked aggressive hipster haircut and full sleeve who was pretty quick. You know a guy like that is little off and probably lives for this, like the only thing that gets him through the week is the one hour of flag football he gets Sunday night. Pretty sure he didn't have to go work his 9-5 job the next day either. So I quickly realized this guy is much faster than I am and I decided to go back to some of my older ways and hit him with a cheap shot. I needed to gain an edge. My friend who asked me to play is the QB and I'm not gonna let some loser touch him. Plus at this point I'm focused in the game and not looking at the crowd, who knows a scout may have shown up late and I need to show I can still play at the old age of 24. What I love about sports is they are a way where you sometimes can get away with hitting a person and not have to pay for the consequences. I am a big hard foul guy in pickup basketball as well. No easy layups especially when it's game point. I may suck at basketball but am gonna make you earn it. One strategy I love to use is to quickly apologize and act like whatever I did was an accident. Make it seem like I am a genuine human who is sorry. When in reality that elbow to the face when blocking you was planned and I'm going to do it again next series. Could you argue this is a sociopathic move?...perhaps, but using your brain to get a mental edge is half the battle in sport. The game is going on, pretty fast moving, getting really intense and high scoring. We got down early and were down like 20-6 going in the half. Second half starts and we drive the length of the field to get within one score and guess who scored the touchdown to bridge the gap? I'll give you a hint.... Me. I cannot lie it was one of the best feelings I've had in years. I've gone through a lot personally and scoring a TD in my flag football debut made it all go away for a second. I wanted to Gronk spike the ball really bad, but we were still losing and I'm not big into celebrating when trailing. Looking back maybe I should have, it could have gave us an even bigger spark the rest of the game. Despite being a spark plug by being the largest man to score a TD in a football game since The Fridge in 1985 we were unable to ever retake the lead. I for one will be a man and take the blame. Scoring a touchdown was awesome but I also "dropped" two separate 1 pt conversions (no extra points or kicking at all in flag) in the 2nd half. I put it in quotations because one was under-thrown and the other was slapped out of my hands as I was extending over the goal-line. If this place was worth it's weight at all and had video reviews you could have clearly seen that I broke the plain AND made a football move. Catch should have counted and will haunt me forever. It's always the mistakes that stick with you longer than the triumphs. Overall I had a lot of fun and hope my buddies team ends up signing me for the rest of the season. I liked the guys I played with and think the team has a lot of potential. I'm fine taking a team friendly deal to stay close to home hopefully my agent will be able to get something figured out by next Sunday night. Whatever comes up I'll be ready, because just like that text I got Sunday night, you never know when your number is going to be called.
Tomorrow at 1:00 PM Peyton Manning will announce he is retiring from the NFL after 18 seasons.
Even if you hate football, you probably know who Peyton Manning is. During his Hall of Fame career it feels like Peyton had been in more commercials than football games. He had a name for himself as spokesman just as much as quarterback. So you can look at this a couple ways: QB Peyton Manning is retiring from the NFL/The Nationwide chicken parm guy is quitting his other job to sell more stuff. Despite having the worst statistical season of his career Peyton was able to ride his defense to his 2nd Super Bowl victory in what ended up being his final career game. Which I find very ironic due to all the great statistical years he had both in Indy and Denver that ended in "one and dones" the year he is benched and throws 17 interceptions is the year he wins the Super Bowl. It should also be noted that this season Peyton Manning had allegations of steroid use and sexual assault. Yet those stories have been barely addressed by media outlets such as ESPN and the NFL Network. But according to them if you maybe take a little air out of the ball you should burnt alive.......interesting. Idk what to believe ,but it has to be at the very least discussed and investigated fully. There is a good chance that Peyton is a fraud when it comes to the "aw shucks" persona he has led on to a nation for two decades. As a Patriots fan when I was younger I hated Peyton Manning as an athlete and a person. The older I got the hate turned into respect I guess, you can't take away from all the stats Peyton was able to put up. Sure he has 9 "one and dones" in the playoffs but Peyton Manning had an amazing career when all said and done. I still think Tom Brady is a better quarterback but that is for another day. This is about Peyton. Manning will retire with a laundry list of records and achievements. He also is the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. (Colts & Broncos)
Yet for the majority of his career he was a choker when it became playoff time. Peyton would have amazing stats yet always fall apart in the playoffs.
In the 2003 and 2004 seasons when Peyton was league MVP he lost in laughers to the New England Patriots in the playoffs both seasons. Finally in 2006 Manning was able to beat the Patriots (in a game the Colts were favored and playing at home) to advance to the Super Bowl where his Colts beat the Chicago Bears (who were led by quarterback Rex Grossman) in Super Bowl XLI 29-17. It would be the only Super Bowl won by the Peyton Manning led Indianapolis Colts. Now that Peyton is retiring the only question that remains is: What will happen with the Al Jazeera story and sexual assault that may or may not have happened? Just because Peyton is retiring we can't just let these go unresolved, however that is what will most likely happen. Personally if he took HGH I don't really care I think all athletes should be allowed to take steroids, who cares it is a game and if everybody is juicing then in a way nobody is cheating. However it is against the rules and just for transparency mainly after the deflategate witch-hunt it is only fair to find out the truth. So congrats on a great career 18. You are the greatest regular season quarterback of all time with 5 MVP awards. But let's not forget Peyton's career playoff record is 14-13. Now go off into the sunset with Papa John and a Bud heavy. P.S. To me this will always be Peyton's greatest moment. As much as I've disliked him over the years. When he hosted SNL it was great. This is probably the best sketch by an athlete in the show's history.
The 2015 New England Patriots began their Super Bowl defending campaign by opening the season 10-0. Down the stretch, due to key injuries and ineffective play the team imploded to end the regular season finishing with a record of 12-4. (the worst record in NFL history by a team to begin at least 10-0 since the schedule expanded to 16 games in 1978)
The 2-4 end to the season was the worst ever by a Belichick-Brady team. It cost them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, which directly lead to a premature end to a season full of promise in a loss to an offensively anemic Denver Broncos. The first big move of the 2016 off-season was the releasing of WR Brandon LaFell and TE Scott Chandler, in doing so the Pats will save about 4 million in cap space, which they desperately need.
In a season with the highest of expectations, (despite losing Revis, Browner, and Wilfork in the off-season on defense) the Patriots were bringing back almost the entire offense of the 2014 Super Bowl Champion team.
One of the biggest free-agent signing for the team in fact was TE Scott Chandler who in his time with Buffalo had a tendency to always be a thorn in the side of the Pats. I personally was excited about the signing when it happened and still was for the first few weeks of the season. We all know how deadly the combination of Gronk and Hernandez was for the short period they were together and healthy at the same time. While Chandler was never the talent of the Bristol Pistol (nickname I just made up on the spot NBD) he was on paper the best TE the Pats have had to compliment Gronk since Hernandez "left". It just didn't work out, for tight ends blocking and pass catching are pretty much the biggest responsibility and Chandler really didn't do much of either. Most notably his performance against Denver in the regular season where despite having one of his best statistical games of the year, he did only have 5 receptions on 11 targets, highlighted by many key drops. After the week 13 loss to Philly, he basically never played again, (one target for the rest of the season including the playoffs) and today he was released, a move that did not surprise many. See ya Scott, we barely knew ya. The best thing Chandler contributed all season IMO was the inspiration for a tweet I had about Chandler Jones' acrobatic INT v. Denver in week 12.
Which leads me to the real story, the Patriots moving on from Brandon "JoJo" Lafell, another move that didn't really surprise me. He battled injuries, but for the most part, Patriot fans were disappointed in Lafell's production in 2015. The nickname "LaDrop" quickly began to stick after a dreadful performance against the Jets in week 7 after returning for PUP.
Lafell did not score a single TD that counted for the Pats during the 2015 season. (I hate the Cauldron but couldn't find other footage of the dance vs. Houston for his one TD that didn't count this season)
Much like Chandler, Brady began to lose trust in Lafell, which is all but a death-sentence for a Patriot pass catcher. (however Danny Amendola was able to resurrect his relationship with Brady) JoJo was essentially not a part of the team's offense in the playoffs.
While Lafell frankly sucked in 2015, I really want to focus on how big a part of the Patriots success he was in 2014. To put it in very simple terms, the Patriots do not win Super Bowl XLIX without the production of the one they call JoJo. The LSU product was a huge part of the Pats offense, racking up nearly 1,000 receiving yards (953) and 7 TDs in the regular season. He was also a key contributor to their success in the postseason, bringing in 13 receptions for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lafell's biggest highlight and most memorable moment in his short time with the Pats IMO is his game-winning TD reception against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2014 Divisional Playoffs. It may also be the best pass of Brady's career which is saying something.
JoJo also scored the opening touchdown of the Patriots' 28-24 Super Bowl XLIX victory against the Seattle Seahawks.
While his career with the Pats did not end well, you cannot take away from what Brandon Lafell did in 2014. I compare it to Shane Victorino for the Sox in 2013, yeah he sucked in 2014 & 15 but without him the Red Sox don't win the World Series in 2013 so to me his time with the Red Sox was a success.
Lafell was a vital part of the 2014 Patriots in which they ended their 10 year title drought. While the end was ugly, in my eyes the Lafell signing was well worth it. I will always appreciate what he did for New England and have no malice against him (despite a huge drop in production this year that may have lead to the Patriots not winning the Super Bowl this year) unlike many former Patriots.....cough, cough.....Revis I wish nothing but the best for you Brandon "JoJo" Lafell. Thank you for all you did for the Patriots. Good Luck, just don't sign with the Jets, Broncos, Ravens, Giants, or Dolphins and you'll always be in the good graces of Patriot fans.
P.S. Nothing personal, just has to be done, our time together is over. Avery Bradley after hitting a game winning buzzer-beating 3 pointer against the Cavaliers on February 5th. Unlike the other three major professional sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada, the NBA is the one where the most talented team ends up winning the championship. In 2012 the 8th seeded LA Kings got hot and rode goalie Jonathon Quick all the way to a Stanley Cup championship. That same year the 10-6 Baltimore Ravens were led by an average QB, Joe Flacco who got hot in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl Victory. The season before that the 9-7 New York Giants won the Super Bowl, still the worse record by a Super Bowl champion. In 2014 the 5th seeded San Fransisco Giants, who wouldn't have even qualified for the postseason pre-2012 under old wild card rules, won the World Series thanks to a historical playoff run by Madison Bumgarner. One sport where you essentially never see a surprise championship run is the NBA. Major upsets or comebacks for series deficits in the NBA playoffs can happen but are hands down the most rare of all the leagues. Even minor upsets have been rare recently, every championship team since 2007-08 has been either a 1 or 2 seed, with the exception of the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks who were.... a 3 seed. The last The biggest "Cinderella" run of any conference champion in the NBA during that timeframe was the 2009-10 Boston Celtics who were seeded 4th, went 50-32, upset the heavily favored Cleveland Cavilers (coincidentally that Celtics team was the last Eastern Conference champion team that did not have Lebron in it's roster) in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and ended up going all the way to game 7 of the NBA Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. You could argue that wasn't even a real upset run as that Celtics team in the previous two seasons had won a championship, and posted a 60+ win season that ended prematurely due to an injury to star PF Kevin Garnett. Today on March 1st, 2016 I can guarantee you with almost exact certainty that the NBA Champion will be the Warriors or the Spurs. You could perhaps make an argument for the Cavs or Thunder but after that there are no other teams out of the 16 who qualify for the playoffs that have a chance in Hell of hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in late June. This is because in the grind that is the NBA playoffs, with 7 game series and longer breaks between games than the NHL and MLB, talent is going to triumph 9 out of 10 times. You can ride a hot player for maybe a series, but the better team on paper is going to win a vast majority of the time. Coaching obviously is important (look at the Spurs) and can be the deciding factor between talented teams, but without a superstar you don't have a chance and honestly you need more than one superstar to seriously compete for a championship. That is what is so odd about this year's Boston Celtics and brings me to write this blog. Now I'm going to preface this by saying this team will not win the NBA Championship, and has next to no chance to do so. However in the weak Eastern Conference they do have a chance to appear in the Finals IMO. Despite everything I just said about talent being the be all end all in the NBA unlike any other sport. This Celtics team plays a college-like style under coach Brad Stevens without a true superstar, winning with unselfish play and good defense to grind out wins. The success of this Celtics team is interesting because on paper they are a group of cast aways and throw ins from trades. Players like Isaiah Thomas and Jaw Crowder who were great in college, were 2nd round picks, and in the NBA they have about the same success rate as 7th rounders in the NFL, have found their niche in Boston. And unlike most teams, have a good coach and system that everybody has bought into putting ego aside for the team. Their level of success has been a pleasant surprise for Boston fans, and the effort and heart the team plays with despite it's shortcomings talent wise make it easy for Boston sports fans to love this team. What is more surprising is in an era of success in Boston sports where anything less than a championship is considered a failure, with this team I do not get that vibe. Fans aren't going to be devastated in this team loses in the 2nd round. After sneaking into the playoffs at 40-42 last season before being swept by the Cavs in an uncompetitive series, expectations for this year's Celtics were not exactly high. Going into the season, fans were hopeful for maybe a 5 seed and perhaps a playoff series win, at the very least, not to be swept again. After a very good few months, highlighted by the longest home winning streak since the Pierce and KG days, Celtics fans have began to wonder, just how far can this Brad Stevens coached bunch go? The biggest challenge in the Eastern Conference for this team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors are a nice team as well, l but the Cavs are the top dog and defending conference champion. The Cavs talent-wise have a far substantial roster, thats not even a debate with the best or 2nd best player in the league, Lebron James. A star point guard, Kyrie Irving, and a perennial all star in PF Kevin Love. However, despite holding the best record in the East they fired their coach and have had other internal issues as well. That is what gives me hope about this Celtics team, that the Cavs internal struggles will lead to their demise. Now IMO this what I believe you can expect from the Celtics come playoff time. -They should win their first round matchup. IMO if they don't that will be a disappointment. -After that they most likely will face off against the Raptors, who I briefly mentioned are among the best in the East with the Cavs. That would be a hard fought series that I could see going either way. A loss their would be tough, but understandable. -Should they move on there is a 98% chance they'd be taking on the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. I'd expect the Cavs to be a heavy favorite, and in the NBA that means they'll probably win, but I think you cannot count out of the Celtics entirely. If i was going to bet I'd say Cavs in 6 but as we've all seen in sports, you never know what is going to happen. As for the Boston Celtics playoff expectations, again I'd say they should definitely get out of the 1st round, I'd say their realistic ceiling is an appearance in the ECF with the absolute best case scenarios being an NBA Finals appearance where they either get swept or somehow steal 1 game at home against the Warriors or Spurs. Regardless what happens it is very exciting to have the prospect of meaningful playoff basketball in Boston coming up in the next couple months. |
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