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rutgersmcgroarty · 4 years ago

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Since the draft is coming up I present to you the university of michigan 2021 draft trio:

the umich draft trio consists of 3 players that played at the university of michigan this past season and are projected to go in the top 10. You've got the one i think everyone knows, owen power who is projected to go 1st overall, matty beniers who is projected to go 2nd overall and kent johnson who is projected to go 9th. they're my favourite players in the draft and really hope yall grow to like them as much as i do because they're amazing

Kent Johnson, #13:

from port moody, bc

born October 12th 2002

played for the trail smokers eaters in the bchl before coming to umich

led the bchl in scoring with 101 points in 52 games. Was names to the first-team all-bchl. Was named canadian junior hockey league top forward of the year. Had a 46-point season as a rookie in 2018-19 and was named bchl all-rookie and interior division rookie of the year

one of the most entertaining players I've seen play at michigan and he has some amazing hands

by amazing hands, i mean that he does shit that i didnt even know existed

Finished second on the team in scoring with 27 points on 9 goals and 18 assists in 26 games. Ranked second in rookie scoring in the big ten, third in the nation rookie points per game

Started his collegiate career on a four-game point-scoring streak and had a four-assist game in his debut

was on the big ten all-freshman team, was a all-big ten honorable mention, and was nominated for the hobey baker

fun facts:

his brother kyle plays for yale

he can juggle a ball on his stick while standing on one foot

he has beautiful hair

looks scarily like someone from my math class

won the bronze medal at BC provincials he's 2nd year of peewee

a really big breakfast guy (his favourites are pancakes and crapes)

was a canucks fan, his favourite player rn is pettersson (the canucks pick 9th btw so there's a very high chance he goes there)

"at some points you cant coach him anymore" - mel pearson

Matty Beniers, #10:

from hingham, mass

born november 5th 2002

played at the ntdp before coming to umich.

his u18 season he was second on the team in scoring with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 44 games. Scored 23 points in 42 games in his first year with the ntdp in 2018-19. Got called up his u17 year and won bronze at the 2019 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship

he was the youngest player on the us world junior team and world championship team this year

this year he had 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 24 games - 3rd in the league in freshmen scoring and 4th nationally. he scored Michigan's first goal of the season and started his career on a four-game point streak

was on the big ten all-freshman team and was a all-big ten honorable mention. was also on the college hockey news all-rookie team.

like to skate circles around ppl

fun facts:

he’s a really good singer

was supposed to go to harvard but transferred to michigan last minute when the ivy league cancelled it's season

he has a super cute dog named bella

his sister goes to cornell, and his dad played football there

his mom performed on broadway (which is how he learned to sing)

says that "he needs to work on his goal scoring mentality" (matthew you lead the team in scoring i think your goal scoring mentality is fine)

very smiley and bubbly

very very smart (pre-med major)

doesn't chirp very much (not surprised matty is way too nice to do that)

his mom moved to michigan with him when he went to the ntdp

his coach made him sing in front of his whole ntdp team at the beginning their u17 year (he sang the jersey boys)

Owen Power, #22:

from mississauga, ontario

born november 22nd 2002

played for the chicago steel in the ushl before coming to umich

in the 2019-20 season he was the USHL defenseman of the year and he led the league's defensemen in scoring with 40 points. he was named to the ushl first-team all-star, the ushl All-Rookie Team in 2018-19 with 28 points in 58 games.

"kid canada," youngest player to ever play for canada at the world championships

at 6'5, 214 lb he is, as tsn like to say "a big boy"

was a preseason all-big ten honourable mention, was fourth in the big ten in defenseman scoring, seventh in the big ten in freshman scoring, 2nd in the nation in freshman defenseman points per game and had a three-point (2 goals) game in his collegiate debut (as a defenceman).

was on the all-big ten second team, was a unanimous selection on the big ten all-freshman team, was a finalist for big ten freshmen of the year, was nominated for the hobey baker, was college hockey news rookie of the year, and was on the college hockey news all-rookie team

is supposed to go first overall

he has an absolute rocket of a shot, a really good stickhandler, and a really good skater

fun facts:

used to play lacrosse during the summer when he was younger, won a national championship

he likes to play basketball, so here's a video of him and the rest of the umich team playing (he airballed it and it was vv funny)

sports management major but dosent know exactly what it is

celebrity crush is selena gomez

his nickname is the big dog

was supposed to go to the ojhl but chose to go play in the ushl when the steel drafted him

takes his chicken wings with barbecue and nothing else

prefer doing school online

the first thing he wants to do next season is watch a football game at the big house

his favourite player to watch right is victor hedman (he also thinks that hedman is the best defenceman in the world rn)

had a rink in his backyard and that's how he fell in love with hockey

he would pretend to be crosby while on that backyard rink (owen arent you supposed to be a defenceman lmao)

not a big tv/movie guy, he mostly just watch's sports during his downtime (why am i not surprised)

he like to golf but is "not very good" (his handicap is a 10 which is appenrently good so)

if he weren't a hockey player he would be a lacross player

lebron is the athlete he dislikes the most

he doesn't say (chirp) much on the ice (once again i am not surprised lmao)

if matty and him got the chance to play each other at worlds (they didn't cause matty was scratched the first time and injured the 2nd) someone would have gotten whacked in the leg/foot but nobody would have really said anything

basically Michigan could very easily have 2 players picked in the top 5 and 3 players picked in the top 10. and if you haven't realised how special that class is, they also have thomas bordeleau and brendan brisson in it, which means that they're soon gonna have 4 first rounders in one class, and 6 nhl draft picks. (for context a lot of teams don't even have 6 drafted players on the entire roster)

#cat's gifs #kent johnson #matty beniers #owen power #umich hockey #michigan hockey #michigan wolverines #ncaa hockey #college hockey #2021 nhl draft

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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Western Illinois, Year 33, 2039-2040

The Leathernecks attempt to win national title No. 8 in our College Hoops 2K8 simuation.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.

Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 33, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:

We returned four starters from a Sweet 16 team the year before, and began the new campaign ranked No. 10 in the preseason polls. We lost our first two games of the season to Florida and Indiana, and then won out through the conference tournament. We entered the NCAA tournament at 28-2 on the season.

We were given a No. 6 seed to the big dance. We beat George Washington in the first round, Stanford in the round of 32, Baylor in the Sweet 16, and Houston in the Elite Eight. We then faced No. 1 seed Ole Miss in the Final Four and lost, 90-84.

We recruited for four scholarships and landed four players: PG Arvydas Hardy, SF Reece Mascoll, PF Al Reece, C Felipe Hopes. It was ranked as the No. 5 recruiting class in the country.

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 33:

When we won our seventh national championship at the end of Year 28, it capped a run of three natties in four years for our Leathernecks. We haven’t cut down the nets since. Last year’s Final Four run had us so close to our goal. While we did lose three players to graduation, the bulk of the lineup that we started during last season’s tournament run returns.

We begin the season No. 13 in the preseason polls. Let’s meet the starters:

Randolph Pompey, redshirt junior, 87 overall: Pompey flew under the radar as a recruit (No. 134 overall, No. 58 point guard), and came in with the worst potential rating (D grade) in program history. Why did we take him? We loved his size at 6’5 PG out of high school, and he’s grown three inches to 6’8 as he enters his redshirt junior year. Pompey is an excellent finisher, a solid three-point shooter (83 rating), and has great awareness on both ends. He’s only average as a ball handler and passer, and grades out as a C+ in quickness. After an excellent game in our Final Four loss to Ole Miss last season (23 points, 10 assists), we think he can take the next step and become a dominant point guard. We’re not going to complain if his low potential rating means the NBA doesn’t want him early. Native of Mesquite, TX.

Scott Doornekamp, redshirt junior, 91 overall: Doorekamp was another three-star recruit who looks poised to completely outplay his ranking. We moved him into the starting lineup for last season’s tournament run and he gave us a consistent scoring punch as a 6’6 wing who can shoot. Doornekamp is our highest-rated three-point shooter (88 rating), and grades out as an A in finishing, a B in dunking, a B in handling, and an A- in passing. He also has A speed and A- quickness. He should be our focal point this year as Dave French’s replacement in the lineup. Native of Erie, PA and projected first round pick.

Spanky Fanning, redshirt senior, 93 overall: Fanning started for us last season before we replaced him in the lineup with Doornekamp for the tournament run. The 6’6 wing has always been a shaky three-point shooter, but has worked to improve to a 75 rating in that area. He has a lot of great ‘glue guy’ style attributes: he grades out as an A- passer and ball handler, an A in on-ball defense, A- in strength and quickness, and solid awareness on both ends. Will he be able to hit enough shots to take us on a long tournament run? Former No. Former No. 92 overall recruit out of Davis, CA.

PF Ernesto Mack, redshirt junior, 88 overall: Mack is a super strong 6’8 power forward who can defend the rim and score inside. He has a 92 rating in shot blocking and a 90 rating in strength as he enters the starting lineup for the first time as a junior. He’s great on the block on either end of the floor, and is only average as a rebounder, but we find his A- passing and ball handling grades to be intriguing. Former No. 108 overall recruit and No. 8 power forward out of Columbus, Ohio.

Vinnie Harmon, redshirt senior, 93 overall: Harmon averaged 19 points per game last year as a first-time starter, and should be poised to take on an even greater offensive load as a senior. His scoring package is basically unstoppable: he grades out as an A- in finishing and midrange shooting, a B+ in three pointing, and an A+ in offensive rebounding. An explosive vertical athlete, Harmon has an ultra aggressive offensive mentality, kills it on the glass, and projects as about average as a defender. Former No. 122 overall recruit and No. 8 center out of Cincinnati.

Our bench will be made up of four redshirt sophomores: SF D.J. Stapleton (84 overall), C Stevie Strong (85 overall), SG Rob Borchardt (83 overall), and PF Kendric Morales (82 overall). Stapleton is another glue guy-style wing who struggles to shoot, Borchardt looks like a potentially really good 3-and-D wing, Morales is a natural center who can shoot, and Strong looks like a solid all-around big.

We also have four true freshmen from the No. 5 recruiting class in America. Each player will redshirt. They are:

PG Arvydas Hardy, 79 overall, C- potential: 6’3 point guard from Mesa, AZ was rated as the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 6 point guard. He’s our second highest-rated recruit ever, and the fourth highest-rated true freshman we’ve ever had.

SF Reece Mascoll, 80 overall, C potential: 6’8 small forward from Riverside, CA looks great but he’s only rated as a 70 in three-point shooting which is a little disappointing. No. 40 overall recruit, No. 4 at his position. He’s tied for the second-highest rated true freshman we’ve ever had.

PF Al Reece, 75 overall, C- potential: 6’11 power forward from Glendale, AZ was rated No. 138 overall, No. 19 at his position.

C Felipe Hopes, 74 overall, B+ potential: 6’11 center from Federal Way, WA was rated No. 139 overall and No. 8 at his position.

Recruiting

We have two available scholarships and want a high-impact shooting guard to pair with last year’s class. We decide to offer the following players:

6’2 PG Cecil Wilkins, No. 9 overall player and No. 4 at his position, out of Cincinnati

6’6 SG Jerald Elliott, No. 35 overall player and No. 9 at his position, out of Sacramento

Wilkins would be our highest-rated recruit ever if we can land him. Elliott looks like he has an ideal mix of size and shooting for an off-guard. There are some solid backup options if we miss out, but it seems worth it to swing for the fences in this situation.

We have high expectations as the No. 13 in the preseason polls. Let’s do this.

Regular season

Here’s what our non-conference schedule looked like:

@ Michigan, Great Alaskan Shootout, vs. St. John’s, @ Ole Miss, @ Florida, @ Stanford, vs. South Florida, @ San Francisco, Gossner Foods Holiday Class, vs. Illinois State.

Who did we do? Well ....

WE BEAT EVERYONE*

*except

Ole Miss.

Yeah, the team that knocked us out in the Final Four last year beat us again to ruin our perfect start. If we draw them again in the tournament I’m probably going to freak out a little bit.

You will notice that Harmon went ham scoring the ball in the loss to Ole Miss. That was also a theme of the non-con slate. Dude was going off for 30+ points every week. He wasn’t just our most consistent scorer by a mile, he dragged us to victories offensively every night. It felt like that man had 20 points by the time he tied his shoes.

We got up to as high as No. 2 in the polls during our non-conference run, and hovered within the top 10 even after it. Now we had to lock down our tourney bid during conference season.

Can we run the table in Summit League play?

Yes we can. We run the table 18-0 in the regular season and then sweep through the Summit League tournament to lock down the automatic bid.

We’re entering the tournament at 33-1 overall.

In terms of how the conference games went, our win over Southern Utah paints a pretty good picture:

Fifty two damn points. Vinnie Harmon dropped 52. Yes, that’s a program record. No, that wasn’t the only time he broke 40 — he also did it on several other occasions. I can’t remember another player who put up big scoring numbers as consistently as he did.

The end of season stats confirm what I suspected: this is the greatest scoring season in Western Illinois history:

Harmon averaged 27.5 points per game — just amazing. That’s the greatest scoring season I’ve ever seen from a ‘Neck. He finished third in the NCAA in points per game only because of some weird glitch that had two players with overall ratings in the 50s averaging close to 40 per game.

I noticed that Harmon has more than 2,200 points for his career. That’s a program record too, surprising the great Roberto ‘Jorts’ Djordjevic who played for us many years ago. He’s only going to add to that total during our tournament run.

Harmon basically took 3x as many shots as everyone else on the team, but shout-out to Doornekamp for still averaging double-figures and hitting 50 percent of his threes. We’re going to need him as much as Harmon for this tournament run.

We’re 33-1! What kind of seed are we going to get??

2040 NCAA tournament

We’re given a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. I thought we had a case for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, but we’ll take it. That’s our highest seed in many years.

Our opponent in the first round is No. 14 seed Hartford. Hartford is rated as a 77 overall. We’re rated as a 100 overall.

Here’s a look at our roster heading into the tournament:

It’s a roster that’s almost perfect. We have a dominant center in Harmon, a sweet-shooting two guard in Doornekamp, a 6’8 point guard in Pompey. I’m just worried Spanky Fanning, who is tied for our highest-rated player, won’t give us enough three-point shooting to ensure a long run. Having a knockdown shooter at the small forward position has been so critical during some of our earlier runs that I decide to make a change: sophomore Rob Borchardt, who projects as a straight 3-and-D guy, is moving into the starting lineup. Spanky will lead the bench.

Does it feel weird to bench your highest rated player on a team that’s 33-1? Well, yeah. But let’s see how it goes.

Hartford looks completely overmatched in this game. This better be an easy dub:

Win, 100-65. We’re onto the round of 32.

Hartford played valiantly in the first half, and we only led by four points at halftime. Fortunately, we blew the game open coming out of the break and went on to a blowout victory.

The Doornekamp-Harmon inside/outside combo was doing work. Scotty D. went 4-of-7 from three-point range and finished with 25 points. Harmon popped off for 23 points and 14 rebounds on 9-of-20 shooting. Randolph Pompey, our 6’8 point guard, just missed a double-double with eight points and 10 assists. I’m already giving him a Tyrese Haliburton comp.

As for replacing Spanky with Borchardt in the lineup .... we just didn’t look right in the first half. I’m starting to regret that move.

The win sets up a game with No. 6 seed Texas A&M in the round of 32

We draw the Aggies in the second round. They’re significantly better than Hartford, of course, but we’ll still have a noticeable talent advantage against them.

Before the game begins, we’re making a change to the starting lineup: Fanning is back, Borch is going to the bench. I think that was a galaxy brain substitution by coach in his old age. We looked better with Fanning on the floor against Hartford, so we’re hoping that continues.

Sweet 16 on the line. Let’s go!

Win, 96-77! For once, we didn’t have to rely on being a second half team. We crushed them right out of the gates.

This was just a really complete performance from our guys. Everyone contributed. All five starters finished in double-figures, led by another double-double from Vinnie Harmon (19 points, 13 rebounds). Doornekamp was able to hit shots and get to the line, while Pompey (13 points, seven assists, three steals) played another heady two-way game at point guard.

I also thought Fanning played a great all-around game, and really looks like the connective tissue of this team. He finished with 13 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals on 4-of-8 shooting.

Great team win. Let’s keep it rolling.

The win sets up a game vs. No. 2 seed Pepperdine in the Sweet 16

Pepperdine has built a great program in this sim and have been consistently getting top seeds in the tournament. They are basically what Gonzaga is IRL.

This will be our biggest challenge of the tournament so far. Can we punch our ticket to the Elite Eight? Let’s go!

Win, 103-95! It started to get a little scary in the second half, but we held on for the win.

The starters really carried us in this one. Harmon was amazing again in what was probably his best game of the tournament so far: 24 points, 13 rebonds, six assists, and five blocks on 10-of-16 shooting. He’s already the program’s all-time leading scorer and keeps adding to his reputation. If he carries us to a championship, does he have a GOAT case?

Harmon also did this in the game and I can’t stop thinking about it:

twitch_clip

Absolute legend.

I love our backcourt so much, too. Randy P. popped off for 20 points and 13 assists with two steals and two blocks. Felt like one of the best point guard performances we’ve ever had. Doornekamp is just the picture of consistency. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Another great game for Spanky (15 points, four assists), and Ernesto Mack played well too. How about eight points and a couple of threes from D.J. Stapleton off the bench!?! I’m loving the way we’re coming together right now.

The win sets up a game with No. 4 seed West Virginia in the Elite Eight

The Mountaineers are loaded. They enter the game as a 98 overall. We’re a 100 overall.

West Virginia has a pretty sick roster. They are led by a pair of senior guards rated in the 90s, but it’s their front court that has us shook. WVU has a 7-foot power forward, a 7’1 center, and another 6’11 big man off the bench. Typically we have a huge size advantage in the front court, but that won’t be the case in this one.

I’m nervous. Final Four on the line. One time, ‘Neck Nation. One time. Let’s go!

***

Win, 126-79! Holy hell, we dominated that game. It was such a blow out that we decided to sim to end in the second half.

Just look at our shooting numbers as a team: We hit 44-of-70 shots from the field (63 percent) and 17-of-23 shots from three-point range (74 percent). Did I mention we went 21-of-22 from the line, as well? We really couldn’t miss.

Everyone was so good that it feels foolish to call out individual performances, but let’s do a few shout-outs. RANDY. Our 6’8 lead guard went off for his second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. He’s so good. Scotty D. hung 22 points on an absolutely effortless 5-of-6 shooting from three.

The two hooked up for this alley-oop early in the game:

twitch_clip

Harmon couldn’t make a layup, but did go 11-for-11 from the foul line. All four members of our bench kicked ass too, with each of them finishing in double-figures in scoring.

That was such a killer performance. We’re onto the Final Four!

The win sets up a game with Baylor in the Final Four

Baylor enters as a 98 overall. We’re a 100 overall.

We lost in the Final Four last year and we can’t fathom getting so close only to fall short yet again. Baylor was a team we beat in the Sweet 16 last year, so I’m sure they have revenge on their mind.

We are so close to getting national title No. 8. Don’t stop now, boys. Let’s go!

***

****

Win, 82-71! WE’RE IN THE NATIONAL TITLE GAME.

It wasn’t super pretty, but we got the job done. Scotty did it again. Doornekamp went off for 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting to carry us again offensively. We needed him in this one because Harmon had his first weak game of the tournament, finishing with only seven points but still adding 13 rebounds and three blocks.

Pompey and Fanning were great too. Randy went off for 15 points and six assists, while Spanky had 14 points and five assists on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. Spanky is the king of the pump fake, apparently:

twitch_clip

We could keep going, but why? We’re about to play for a national title. Let’s get it.

The win sets up a game with Louisville in the national championship

It’s been five years since we last won a national title. That’s a long time for this program.

If we want to catch John Wooden’s 10 national championships before the series ends after Year 40, we need to win this game to get No. 8 for us. We’re playing for all the ‘Necks who fell just short before us.

Only Louisville is standing between us and a title. Let’s go!

***

Win, 82-73! Western Illinois are national champs!

Say it with me: second half team! Louisville looked great in the first half, rattling our guards with a full court press to take a four-point lead going into halftime. I was nervous, but I should have known our guys are always better in the final 20 minutes.

Scott Doornekamp put a bow on an amazing tournament run by dropping 21 points even when he was cold from three-point range (1-of-6). Pompey had his third double-double of the tournament run with 16 points and 11 assists. He also had four steals and a block. Gosh, I love having a 6’8 point guard.

Louisville made a run late to make it interesting in the final minutes. It was a connection from Randy P. to Scotty D. that sealed the win for us.

twitch_clip

We haven’t even talked about Harmon yet. Another monster stat line of 18 points, 22 rebounds, but he needed 24 field goal attempts to get there. While this wasn’t his best game, Harmon was obviously incredible throughout this run. He was already the program’s all-time leading scorer. Now he has a national championship for his GOAT argument, too.

Did I mention he was named tournament Most Outstanding Player? If the Macomb Daily says it, it must be true.

Harmon ends his career with 2,452 total points. I’d like to imagine a 40-something Roberto Djordjevic was in the stands to see the torch get passed.

National title No. 8! We’ll have seven seasons left before the series ends after Year 40. We need two more national titles to tie John Wooden, and three to surpass him. Harmon and Fanning are graduating, but everyone else could be back. Scotty is projected as a first rounder, so we’ll see what does. If he returns, we’ll be thinking about going back-to-back next year.

Holy cow, we just had a 39-1 season. Maybe our best ever??? Let’s raise the banner!

Please clap for my photo editing skills.

Now it’s time to move onto the offseason.

Offseason

National champions for the eighth time under Coach Rick: Western Illinois University. Feels good to write that again.

Harmon and Fanning both get drafted. Again: 2,452 career points for Harmon, a program record. Harmon somehow doesn’t get named an All-American. We’re never getting that coaching point. I’ve lost all respect sorry this is absolutely rigged for money ... Or ratings in not sure which. I won’t be silent .

DOORNEKAMP IS COMING BACK. One more year with Randy and Scotty. We are blessed.

I decline all job offers, replacement an assist, and we’re ready to roll into recruiting.

Recruiting

We have been recruiting for two scholarships all year. While we didn’t land anyone at the early signing period, we do have a player ready to commit on the first day of the spring signing period. Jerald Elliot, a 6’6 shooting guard out of Sacramento, is a ‘Neck.

I’m super excited about this one. Elliott is ranked as the No. 35 overall player in the class and the No. 9 player at his position. He averaged 14 points per game and hit 40.9 percent of his threes on the AAU circuit while also posting nice defensive stats. We needed a two-guard to go along with last year’s four-man class and we think Elliott is perfect for the job.

We lost out on Cecil Wilkins, the top-10 overall point guard prospect we offered, early in the season. We offered his scholarship to another shooting guard, Augustine Bruthelieus, as insurance in case we didn’t get Elliott. While we considered ditching our offer to Bruthelieus to search for a big man, he’s ready to commit and is the highest-rated player available.

Bruthelieus commits to Western Illinois a couple weeks later.

Bruthelieus is rated as the No. 42 overall player and No. 10 shooting guard. The San Diego native looks like he has some intriguing playmaking skills and may eventually end up getting moved to point guard.

I’m feeling good about this class! Now it’s time to make our schedule for next year:

Cyclone Challenge, @ Washington State, vs. Indiana, @ UConn, vs. Illinois, @ Michigan State, @ Colorado State, @ Purdue, vs. Ohio State, @ Arizona

Year 34

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 34:

We start the year No. 4 in the polls.

Bruthelieus is rated as a 79 overall with C+ potential. Hell yeah. Elliott is a 76 overall with B- potential. Also very good. Both players will redshirt. We also have our sick freshman class from last year joining the rotation after redshirting. I’m super excited for them.

The next stream is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, March 8 at 8:30 p.m. on Twitch. Follow my channel for updates. Go ‘Necks.

For email updates on this series, subscribe here.

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moatmagic4-blog · 6 years ago

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NFL Power Rankings: Rams are in a funk, and the great Sean McVay has to fix them

We’re far beyond asking if Sean McVay is a great coach. He is. We all know that.

But this is a new challenge. Amazingly enough, this is the first time McVay has ever lost back-to-back regular-season games. It took almost two full seasons.

In the late afternoon of Dec. 9, before the Rams and Bears kicked off in Chicago, the Rams were the best team in football. It wasn’t much of a debate. They were 11-1, and a 15-1 season seemed possible. That changed fast.

It’s not just that the Rams have lost two straight, likely giving up a shot at the NFC’s No. 1 seed. It’s that they were dominated each time. The Bears blasted the Rams. That was excusable; the Bears are a very good team and it was in Chicago. But losing at home to an Eagles team that was 6-7 and turning to backup quarterback Nick Foles? Don’t let the Rams’ late rally fool you. The Eagles were clearly the better team on Sunday night, although they tried to blow it at the end.

Back to McVay. He has to figure out why his fantastic Rams team, especially on offense, suddenly looks average. If he’s as great as we all think, he’ll make the adjustments.

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky theorized that the Lions actually exposed some things in the Rams offense a few weeks ago. Orlovsky tweeted that the Lions didn’t sell out to stop the run, and therefore didn’t open up lanes for the Rams to gash them with play-action passes. Then the Bears and Eagles did the same, effectively taking away the Rams’ strong play-action game. Bucky Brooks of NFL Media noted that the Rams are using play-action passes far less frequently the past two weeks. For most of Sunday night’s game the Eagles were intent on taking away deep passes, forcing the Rams to settle for underneath throws.

The entire offense has gone in a funk, which happens when opponents take away one of your biggest strengths. Goff’s numbers tell the whole story. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL through 11 games. Over the past three he has been one of the league’s worst: 726 yards (a lot of which came late against the Eagles after the Rams dug a big hole), one touchdown and seven interceptions. He has a miserable 51.3 rating.

The Rams’ season is far from over. Even if they don’t catch the Saints for the top seed in the NFC, they are capable of winning in New Orleans. Back there in Week 9, they trailed 38-35 with about four minutes left and had the Saints in a third-and-7, then Drew Brees hit Michael Thomas for a 72-yard score. The Rams were right there, rallying after a bad start in that game. And there’s a long list of teams that have stumbled late in the regular season and still won a Super Bowl. It’s not like the Rams don’t have the talent to join that group.

McVay is the reason they should believe this two-week stretch is an aberration. We’ve spent a year or more praising McVay, talking in grandiose ways about how amazing he is and how he is changing the game. Now, saddled with fixing a losing streak for the first time, we should see McVay’s true value.

The Green Bay win seems like a distant memory after two horrid performances. Is head coach Steve Wilks’ job safe? The Arizona Republic’s Kent Somers believes it is a “foregone conclusion” that Wilks will be fired. Anytime a coach goes one-and-done, it’s an organizational failure. It would be justifiable though, given how awful the Cardinals have looked this season. What a mess in Arizona.

Did you know Derek Carr hasn’t thrown an interception since Oct. 7? Over Carr’s past nine games: 194-of-293, 2,056 yards, 12 touchdowns, no interceptions, 100.1 rating. Nobody is claiming he’s having a great season, but considering his supporting cast (especially after the Raiders traded Amari Cooper), it’s not bad. At very least, it shouldn’t be a priority anymore for the Raiders to dump Carr, as was being said two months ago.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10, LW: 29)

Doug Marrone’s disappointment tour continued with a home loss to the Redskins, who were starting a quarterback (Josh Johnson) that was signed on Dec. 5 and before that hadn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2011. I’ve said a few times Marrone is the second-worst NFL coach of this season behind Hue Jackson. On Sunday, Marrone probably passed Jackson as the worst coach of this season.

29. San Francisco 49ers (4-10, LW: 30)

Nick Mullens had some bumpy games, but he has played well overall. He had 275 yards and a touchdown against a Seahawks defense that almost shut out the Vikings last week. He’s been good enough that the 49ers should feel OK if Jimmy Garoppolo’s ACL recovery goes slow and Mullens has to start a game or two next season, or perhaps San Francisco can find a trade partner.

28. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8, LW: 28)

Joe Mixon had 129 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that has no other weapon to worry about. Part of that is the Raiders defense stinks, but Mixon has been fantastic this season. He is fourth in the NFL with 995 rushing yards. Everyone knew what kind of a prospect he was in last year’s draft (we all know by now why he slipped) and that’s coming to fruition.

27. New York Jets (4-10, LW: 24)

When you examine Sam Darnold’s rookie year, it’s fair to look at his best moments and be excited about the future. His best games have been quite promising. He looked good on Saturday against a tough Texans defense, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns. There’s still work to do, but the Jets should feel good they made the right pick.

26. New York Giants (5-9, LW: 22)

On Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Eli Manning was “playing his way onto the roster in 2019.” Then the Giants got shut out at home by the Titans. But what else are the Giants going to do? They put themselves in this corner by passing on a quarterback with the second overall pick.

25. Detroit Lions (5-9, LW: 23)

How much of this miserable season is on Matthew Stafford? He doesn’t have a ton to throw to after the Lions traded Golden Tate, cut Eric Ebron and lost Marvin Jones to a season-ending injury. And the coaching staff appears in over its head (though they also deserve credit for the Rams strategical tidbit mentioned above). But Stafford has zero 300-yard games since October. His passer rating is his worst mark since 2014. His yards per attempt hasn’t been this bad since 2012. Over a full season he has never thrown for less than 266.1 yards per game; he’s at 242.5 this year. His touchdowns are down and his interceptions are up. Put blame on the coaches and Stafford’s bad supporting cast, but he has to be better than this.

24. Atlanta Falcons (5-9, LW: 27)

I’ve said this in this space before but it needs to be repeated: It’s almost impossible to have a quarterback as productive as Matt Ryan this season and still have a terrible record. Ryan is on pace for 4,922 yards, 34 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 107.6 passer rating. No quarterback in NFL history, with a minimum of four starts, has ever posted a 105 rating on a losing team.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9, LW: 21)

Jameis Winston’s past two games have been brutal: 31-of-63, 370 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 64.9 passer rating. Good luck if you’re the Buccaneers trying to figure out what to do about his future.

22. Green Bay Packers (5-8-1, LW: 20)

Longtime Packers reporter Tom Silverstein of PackersNews.com laid out a harsh but fair assessment of Aaron Rodgers‘ season. He went through many of the missed throws Rodgers has had, including a few more against the Bears. Silverstein wrote: “The degree to which Rodgers’ invincibility has shrunk this season has to make any coaching candidate cringe when thinking about taking this job.” No matter how much blame you want to put on Rodgers for this lost Packers season, it’s a worthwhile read from someone who has covered all of Rodgers’ career.

21. Denver Broncos (6-8, LW: 19)

The report that John Elway wanted to bring back Mike Shanahan to coach the Broncos a year ago, only for that to be nixed by CEO Joe Ellis … first, that story is bonkers. Second, does Elway really think hiring 66-year-old Shanahan, who has won one playoff game since the 1998 season, is really the answer? It’s amazing how quickly Elway’s reputation as a GM has slipped, and in such a short time.

20. Washington Redskins (7-7, LW: 26)

Let’s take a second and acknowledge how awesome the Josh Johnson story is. He was drafted in 2008, is 32 years old and was a free agent until being signed on Dec. 5. He had never been a starting quarterback for an NFL win before Sunday. “I know every opportunity I get could be my last one, that’s just the reality of my situation,” Johnson said, according to NBC Sports Washington. “I just want to leave it all out on the field. I owe this game that much because I love it that much.”

19. Buffalo Bills (5-9, LW: 25)

How many of the Bills who had an offensive touch on Sunday have you heard of? We’ll spot you Josh Allen, and here are the others: Keith Ford, Marcus Murphy, Patrick DiMarco, Ray-Ray McCloud, Isaiah McKenzie, Robert Foster, Jason Croom, Zay Jones. And that team beat Detroit. That probably says a ton about Matt Patricia’s Lions right now, but again, the Bills deserve credit for how they’ve battled all season.

18. Carolina Panthers (6-8, LW: 18)

The Panthers need to shut Cam Newton down for the season. His shoulder doesn’t look anywhere near right. He’s tried to fight through it, and credit to him for that, but the Panthers’ season is over and Newton’s should be too.

17. Miami Dolphins (7-7, LW: 14)

Kenyan Drake had one carry in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. Last year, when head coach Adam Gase was forced to use Drake as a lead back, Drake had 444 rushing yards on a 4.9-yard average, with 150 more receiving yards, in five games. When asked why Drake got one carry, Gase said, “there were some times we tried to dial stuff up to Kenyan but allowed a sack or pressure and couldn’t get the ball to him.” You’ve read complaints about Drake’s usage all season in this space, but it’s still as stupefying as ever.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7, LW: 17)

That was a monster win for the Eagles on Sunday night. I’m not sure Nick Foles is ready to lead the Eagles to the playoffs, but it’s not impossible. All of a sudden the Eagles’ home game against the Texans next Sunday is really interesting.

15. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1, LW: 15)

Let’s just fast forward to the Dec. 31 news conference when GM John Dorsey is explaining how the Browns responded to Gregg Williams and that’s why he’s getting the full-time job, even though for the first time in forever the Browns will be the most attractive head-coaching opening in the league.

14. Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1, LW: 16)

We’ll see if the Vikings keep playing this well on offense after firing coordinator John DeFilippo or if Sunday was one of those one-game bounces. But if the Vikings play a few more games on offense like Sunday, that has to reflect poorly on DeFilippo. Everyone seems to love him but he has no track record of success as a coordinator. If the shine is off of him, that makes a fairly thin group of head-coaching candidates even thinner (and there are going to be a lot of openings).

13. Indianapolis Colts (8-6, LW: 13)

It’s funny, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was a Josh McDaniels hire. He stayed on when McDaniels double-crossed the Colts. That was a gift. Eberflus has done an outstanding job, including Sunday’s shutout of the Cowboys. Some players have emerged for the Colts and that has helped, but it’s still a unit playing way above its talent level. Give Eberflus credit for that.

12. Tennessee Titans (8-6, LW: 12)

The most interesting race left, aside from the AFC West, might be for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. The Titans, Colts and Ravens are tied at 8-6. The Titans and Colts play Week 17, and the Ravens aren’t out of the AFC North race either. The Ravens have tiebreaker edges, because they beat the Titans and have a better conference record than the Colts. A few teams are going to be rooting for the Chargers to beat the Ravens next Saturday night.

11. Seattle Seahawks (8-6, LW: 10)

A loss to the 49ers really doesn’t hurt the Seahawks that much, even though they face the Chiefs this week. Seattle finishes against the Cardinals and if they lose that game, they don’t deserve to make the playoffs anyway. It was just one of those bad games for Seattle.

10. Baltimore Ravens (8-6, LW: 11)

The implications of the Ravens-Chargers game on Saturday seem clear for the Ravens. With a win, the Ravens are in incredible shape to make the playoffs (though a finale against the Browns is looking tougher each week). With a loss to the Chargers, Baltimore is going to need a ton of help. Considering the Chargers are still in the mix for the AFC West, and the difference between first and second place in that division is a No. 1 seed vs. a No. 5 seed, Saturday night should seem like a playoff game.

9. Dallas Cowboys (8-6, LW: 8)

The Cowboys are in a really weird spot. They still are in control of the NFC East. They hold tiebreakers over the Eagles and Redskins, with a one-game lead over both. They also have no shot at a first-round bye. Realistically, after beating the Eagles in Week 14, they had three weeks of practically meaningless football. It’s not a shock they were flat against the Colts. There’s no need for alarm.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1, LW: 9)

It’s hard to say Sunday was a season-saving win over the Patriots, though that might be accurate. The Steelers’ playoff hopes at 7-6-1 heading into a game at New Orleans would have been bleak. At 8-5-1, a win over the Saints would be nice but there are still many ways into the playoffs if they lose.

7. New England Patriots (9-5, LW: 6)

The Patriots are a miserable 3-5 on the road this season. And after losing a grip on the No. 2 seed, they’re looking at possibly having to win at Houston and at Kansas City (or the L.A. Chargers) to make another Super Bowl. We’ve seen the Patriots turn things around before, but the road is a lot tougher this season.

6. Houston Texans (10-4, LW: 7)

The Patriots’ loss is a big one for the Texans. They play at the Eagles on Sunday. If they win that, all that stands between them and a first-round playoff bye is a home game against the Jaguars, one of the worst teams in the NFL.

5. Chicago Bears (10-4, LW: 5)

The Bears might run the NFC North for a while. There’s no reason to believe the Packers or Vikings will be better than them next season (we don’t even need to mention the Lions). One highlight from Sunday’s game: That touchdown pass Mitchell Trubisky made to Trey Burton was a big-time throw.

4. Los Angeles Rams (11-3, LW: 2)

I’m not going to dump the Rams way down the list, but the last two weeks don’t look very good. And obviously, if Todd Gurley’s knee injury is worse than it appears, this becomes a different team.

3. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3, LW: 4)

The Chargers went on the road without Melvin Gordon and mostly without Keenan Allen and beat the team with the best record in the AFC. I believe right now this is the best team in the AFC. However …

2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3, LW: 3)

I’m still giving the Chiefs the top AFC spot, and here’s why: They still have the inside track to the No. 1 seed. I think they’ll win at Seattle next week and destroy the Raiders in Week 17. They’d be the top seed if they win out, the Chargers would be the fifth seed and possibly have to beat the Steelers and Texans on the road to even get an AFC championship game at the Chiefs. The Chargers are in that spot because they lost to the Broncos at home, a loss that isn’t aging well and cost them the tiebreaker against Kansas City. And don’t forget that the Chiefs won at the Chargers too.

1. New Orleans Saints (12-2, LW: 1)

I’m not quite sure what has happened to the Saints offense, but all that really mattered on Monday night was getting the win. Now they have two home games, and need to win just one, for the all-important No. 1 seed in the NFC.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-rams-funk-great-sean-mcvay-fix-041813823.html?src=rss

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dashfire2-blog · 6 years ago

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Bulls unable to stop Pacers in the 4th, 105-96

There are many things you are not accustomed to saying. Like asking if you can get a good price on a Commodore 64 at Radio Shack, how your Beanie Babies' value has got to keep rising, wishing the best for Brad and Jen, excusing yourself to spend some time on Friendster and why the Bulls are utilizing Robin Lopez more on offense because he is so unstoppable.

It actually did seem like it for much of the Bulls 105-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday.

Because after the Bulls came all the way back from a 16-point deficit to take an 86-85 lead with 7:08 left in the game, the Pacers hit the Bulls with a 10-0 run, the Bulls forgot about their offensive powerhouse Lopez, and the Pacers escaped to a 42-23 record and season sweep of the Bulls. The Bulls dropped to 18-47 and host Jimmy Butler and the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday.

Bulls Pacers game recap

The Bulls did have one brief moment left, getting within 97-92 on a Lopez—who else!—layup and a pair of free throws from Zach LaVine among his 13 fourth quarter points. But Indiana came back with swift ball movement to find Bojan Bogdanovic open yet again for a corner three and 108-92 lead with 93 seconds left. The way the Bulls were playing, shooting four of 25 on threes, they'd have needed a few of those overtimes to get to 100.

"I thought we had good looks; they didn't go down," said Bulls coach Jim Boylen. "But that's not why we lost. We lost because they were tougher than us in the fourth quarter. That's where we've got to grow. For the most part on the road, we've been pretty tough in the fourth. Tonight I thought there were some 50-50 balls and some plays that we could have been more physical with."

Perhaps, though coaches say that toughness stuff a lot after losses. It seemed more likely it was a failure to recognize and repeat the mismatches Lopez continually had inside against a smaller Pacers team with Lopez scoring 20 points, the third time in the last eight scoring at least 20. LaVine had 27 points after a slow start, but it was the poorest overall game for the new big three (they don't get capitals this time) with Lauri Markkanen getting 14 points and 13 rebounds with one of seven on threes and Otto Porter seven points on one of five shooting and mostly being burned for Bogdonovic's 27 points.

We're aware of our mistakes that we made and we're going to continue to push each other. We have another tough one tomorrow and we know we can go get that one. - Robin Lopez

"We've got to make a big shot, somebody's got to make one," pleaded Boylen. "We didn't do that and they did."

The shooting deficiency, especially from three-point range, is a flaw the Bulls know they have to address. The Bulls routinely are outscored by double digits on threes, and again by 21 points as the Pacers were 11 of 25. The Bulls were four of 25 on threes with a "hot" second half to boost the percentage. They were one of 10 on threes in the first half.

"If you look at the stats throughout the second half, I think it was pretty even both ways, maybe for the exception of the three pointers made," observed the sagacious Lopez. "But I think they had some very big offensive rebounds, some very big 50-50 balls that they secured, that kind of turned the tide of the game. I definitely think there are a lot of positives. Obviously, you always want to win. We wanted to win tonight. We're aware of our mistakes that we made and we're going to continue to push each other. We have another tough one tomorrow and we know we can go get that one."

Actually, the Bulls matched Indiana in rebounding in a relatively even second half, had more steals in the half and got to the free throw line just as frequently. It's just that the Bulls didn't seem to go far enough with their 58-38 edge in points in the paint toward remedying the disparity of the three-point line. It's where this Robin Lopez story begins to become surreal.

Last year this time, Lopez was in and out of the rotation in the youth auditions going on at the time. Then to start this season, Lopez was out of the rotation, ostensively for defensive purposes, and then the assumption was he would be traded or released to join a playoff contender.

But it's March and not only is Lopez still with the team, but he continues to personify the proverb by coming in like the lion he has been the last several weeks, roaring on the offensive end.

In the last 12 games back to early February, the 30-year-old hirsuite Lopez is averaging 16.3 points on 63 percent shooting, his scoring almost double his career average. The bigger, more physical centers can hold off Lopez since he isn't an explosive player. And he's not particularly adept rebounding because his movements are, well, let's say precise.

But when Lopez has a size and strength edge, as he did Tuesday, and with his unique new floor game and ballerina-like lightness of step, he can prove unyielding at the basket. As he was in a memorable stretch early in the third quarter when after LaVine autographed a poster dunk for Turner, in consecutive possessions Lopez spun into the paint for a hook over Myles Turner and playing the high pick and roll with LaVine as they did much of the game, Lopez faked a hand off, drove and dunked. Turner once again feigned a fall, trying to draw a charge as he'd seemingly given up trying to defend Lopez' elusive moves.

Robin Lopez's finesse at the basket

Yes, I hear myself.

With his new drop step and spin moves to work himself toward the basket, Lopez surprisingly has become something of, dare we say, an offensive force given his substantial heft at about seven-foot and 280 pounds. Lopez has the Pacers' springy center, Turner, by a few inches and at least 30 pounds. And while Turner was blocking seven shots, Lopez was ruthlessly bumping him aside—hey, did someone hit me with a feather?— and running him over, especially with a dozen third quarter points.

You have to give the credit to [the Pacers]. They play well together. We matched up better today than we have and we were right there. But, we just have to make a couple more plays. - Lauri Markkanen

It's not unusual to go back to your best down the stretch, and Boylen surely would have been second guessed if he hadn't. It just wasn't the night for Markkanan and Porter, who were a combined zero for five shooting for two points in a combined almost 19 fourth quarter minutes.

"We made some simple mistakes we normally don't do," said Markkanen. "There were a couple of rebounds when there was no one there. Then other times, we had the (rebounds), but we fumbled it out. You start thinking, ‘Was it us that actually cost us the game?' or 'Did they win it?' You have to give the credit to them. They play well together. We matched up better today than we have and we were right there. But, we just have to make a couple more plays."

The Pacers were without All-Star Victor Oladipo for the rest of the season, and reserve Domantos Sabonis was out. The Bulls, of course, have their share of rookies and Denzel out. Indiana has been one of the surprise teams this season, especially with the loss of Oladipo. They're hanging onto third in the Eastern Conference, barely ahead of the 76ers. But for all their grit and obstinance not to accept the conventional wisdom of their flaws, there seems no way with this roster they could win a first round series, especially if they cannot hold onto the third spot.

Of course, that's probably why many, including Boylen Tuesday, mention Pacers coach Nate McMillan as a Coach of the Year candidate.

The Pacers play a more deliberate style, which led to the Bulls failing to score 100 points for just the second time in 26 games (the other time they scored 99). Indiana is especially adept at reacting quickly to help on defense and they have Turner to guard the rim. It often flummoxed the Bulls.

That combination left the Bulls stymied to start, trailing 16-5 to open and 27-17 after the first quarter. Porter couldn't get anything going after sitting out for rest Sunday, and Kris Dunn had foul and accuracy problems, shooting two of nine overall. The Pacers also move the ball well on offensive swings and had the Bulls heads spinning and going under screens as Indiana repeatedly found the hot shooting Bogdanovich.

Indiana made it 33-17 early in the second quarter. But it was the Bulls who hustled their way back into the game, scored on offensive rebounds four times in five possessions late in the half to get within 49-42. Boylen went with small lineups with a guard like Wayne Selden Jr. at power forward in that stretch, and again with a similar group to close the Lopez-inspired third quarter with reasonable results. Though that arrangement would be exploited later. The Bulls went into the fourth quarter trailing just 77-75

It was beginning to look like the Bulls might steal one after three straight LaVine scores, finishing with a pullup three and an Indy car power slam down the straightaway for the 86-85 lead. Indiana called a timeout within a minute of a previous one and still could not corral the new buzz cut Zach.

Zach LaVine slams the ball

With a chance to lead by three, the Pacers increased their pressure and forced a 24-second violation as Lopez and LaVine got into their dance late. LaVine's jumper swished a fraction after the buzzer. The Pacers threw the ball away, but the Bus couldn't get anything going on the next possession, either, with the starters back. LaVine threw the ball away running into a double team.

Indiana got the lead back and then Dunn missed on a curiously angled floater, LaVine and Porter missed and Bogdanovich and Darren Collison were making threes. Suddenly, it was 95-86 Indiana with under four minutes and the Bulls four-game road winning streak was soon to be over.

Because they didn't rely more on the offensive prowess of Robin Lopez? Never even thought that before. It has been that kind of season.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/bulls-unable-stop-pacers-4th-105-96

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laughtrout72-blog · 6 years ago

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NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs and Rams put on a show, but the Saints take the top spot

The top three teams in the NFL this past week scored a combined 153 points. Welcome to the NFL in 2018.

Yet, when we talk about the game that shaped the hierarchy of the NFL this season, the stunner in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon might matter more.

The Chiefs deserved the top spot in the power rankings before Week 11. Their resume over the first 10 weeks was slightly better. Their only loss came on the final play at New England. The Saints lost at home to a Buccaneers team that is now 3-7. The Saints have been the best team since the start of October, but September counts too.

While the Chiefs and Rams were also each giving up 50 points, the Saints allowed just seven to the Eagles. They allowed less than 200 yards, too. They have allowed 21 points the past two weeks in blowout wins over the Bengals and Eagles. That doesn’t mean the Saints’ defense is elite, but it’s good enough to help out a fantastic offense.

The Eagles aren’t what they were last season, but it’s still a talented team with a good coach. And they were dealt the biggest loss ever for a defending Super Bowl champion. It said something about the quicksand the Eagles find themselves in, but it also said a ton about the Saints. They’re a machine right now, a team that looked like it could have won a Super Bowl last season before the “Minneapolis Miracle” and wants to close the deal this time around.

The Rams and Chiefs gave us a show for the ages. It’s not like the gap between the top three teams is wide; the Rams and Chiefs might end up running it back in the Super Bowl. But the Saints made history too. They have been absolutely dominant lately, and they’re looking like the best bet to make this season’s Super Bowl.

Losing like that stinks but the loss to the Raiders might end up landing Arizona the first pick of the draft. That eases some of the pain.

It’s important over the rest of this season to find some young talent, and receiver Marcell Ateman might be a good one. The seventh-round pick had four catches for 50 yards in his debut, including the key 32-yard grab on Oakland’s game-winning drive. Veteran Brandon LaFell is done for the season with an Achilles injury, so Oakland can get a long look at the big-bodied Ateman the rest of the year.

Sam Darnold still wasn’t practicing Monday due to a foot injury. Some time off won’t be bad for him, and the Jets should be very conservative with his return.

Could San Francisco steal the first pick of the draft? The Raiders’ recent win helps. The tiebreaker is strength of schedule, and the 49ers currently have the worst SOS among the three two-loss teams, according to SB Nation. That can still change, but it would be something for the 49ers to get the No. 1 pick and bring Jimmy Garoppolo back in 2019.

Josh Allen is on track to return as the Bills’ starting quarterback this week. That’s good news for the Bills, and good news for Matt Barkley too. He’s on a one-year deal, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing for him to have one very good game against the Jets, then hit free agency again.

Jameis > Fitzpatrick > Jameis > Fitzpatrick > Jameis. Is the latest switch back to Jameis Winston the end of it or do we have another change coming? The risk with playing Winston again is that his $20.9 million option for next season is guaranteed due to injury. Keep that in mind as Winston gets his last (?) chance to impress before the offseason.

26. New York Giants (3-7, LW: 27)

Have to love the NFL. A 1-7 team wins two straight close games and all of a sudden we’re talking about playoff possibilities. Guess that’s better than talking about benching the quarterback.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, LW: 22)

I still can’t believe how tight the Jaguars got in the fourth quarter against the Steelers. Last season they lost the AFC championship game because they tried to sit on a second-half lead. On Sunday, they barely played offense in the fourth quarter, then ran the ball up the middle on a late third-and-5. The Jaguars coaches might be the only people who didn’t know exactly what would happen next.

24. Cleveland Browns (3-6-1, LW: 24)

If the Browns-Condoleezza Rice story came from somewhere within the organization, Cleveland probably assumed it’d get universal praise for thinking creatively about its next coach (there was never a chance of Rice coaching the Browns, so there had to be some reason to leak that story). As we know, universal praise did not happen.

23. Denver Broncos (4-6, LW: 26)

I’m not sure how we got here but the Broncos aren’t out of the playoff race. They’re just a game behind a glut of teams that are 5-5 for the final wild-card spot. The wild-card races might be really crazy this season.

22. Miami Dolphins (5-5, LW: 21)

Four of the Dolphins’ final six games come against teams who sit at .500 or less. Two of those games are against the Bills. If the Dolphins can win those games and get to 9-7 … just saying. It seems like some 9-7 team will make the AFC playoffs.

21. Detroit Lions (4-6, LW: 23)

Teams like the Broncos and Lions dealt away key players before the trading deadline, but they’ll go into Thanksgiving still in the playoff race. The Lions aren’t in great shape but not out of it sitting a game-and-a-half behind the current No. 6 seed Vikings. They could probably use someone like Golden Tate for a playoff push.

20. Atlanta Falcons (4-6, LW: 20)

The Falcons have had four games decided in the final seconds this season and are 0-4 in them. I mostly believe an NFL team’s record in very close games is mostly luck-driven. But there’s something to be said about having a fatal flaw that prevents teams from closing games, and maybe that’s the Falcons’ issue this season.

19. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5, LW: 19)

Bengals running backs had 19 yards on 14 attempts against the Ravens. A.J. Green’s absence doesn’t just affect the passing game. Without much to worry about in the pass game, opponents can focus on turning Joe Mixon into a non-factor.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (4-6, LW: 15)

It can’t be possible that losing Frank Reich, last season’s offensive coordinator who left to coach the Colts, was that big of a factor. The Super Bowl hangover is real, and that has affected Philadelphia. Some injuries have been an issue, but a lot of teams deal with injuries. Even if you could see the potential of a dip after an amazing Super Bowl season, the Eagles’ struggles are startling. And hard to explain.

17. Green Bay Packers (4-5-1, LW: 11)

We can talk about Mike McCarthy’s decision to punt on fourth-and-2 last Thursday, or not challenge a big pass to Tyler Lockett that he appeared to drop after Green Bay had already wasted two second-half timeouts. It’s more than mismanagement in one game. This team hasn’t been that good all season, and there’s too much talent on the roster for that to be the case.

16. Tennessee Titans (5-5, LW: 13)

It wasn’t too crazy to think the Titans might lose on the road to the Colts. But like that? Can the Titans pick a lane and go with it? They’re not just .500, they have switched between looking great and absolutely awful multiple times already this season. Marcus Mariota’s latest injury might not help calm that down either.

15. Indianapolis Colts (5-5, LW: 18)

It seems clear already that Frank Reich is a very good coach. Still, his most notable decision this season might haunt the Colts. Remember that he went for it on fourth down in his own territory late in overtime of a game against the Texans. They didn’t get it and the Texans won after a short drive. Reich could have punted and taken the tie. The Colts are two games behind the Texans, but they’d be just one back if Reich punted and took the half-win.

14. Baltimore Ravens (5-5, LW: 17)

I’m fascinated by what the Ravens did with Lamar Jackson on Sunday and its sustainability. Mostly I think it’s not. A quarterback can’t hold up running 27 times, like Jackson did against the Bengals on Sunday. And in the NFL, you need to pass. Still, did it look like the Bengals could stop Jackson on the read option? Maybe a better defense can. The ideal situation is Jackson continues to improve as a passer and that makes the Ravens offense dynamic. It would be great if the Ravens stuck with Jackson, regardless of Joe Flacco’s health, because it would be interesting to watch this experiment play out the rest of the season.

13. Seattle Seahawks (5-5, LW: 16)

The Seahawks still play at Carolina, host the Vikings and the Chiefs. At very least the Seahawks are probably going to have to beat the Vikings to make the playoffs. They might need to win at least one other game there, and not blow any of the other three winnable games. Their schedule has been really tough.

12. Washington Redskins (6-4, LW: 12)

We’ll see if Colt McCoy can fill in adequately for Alex Smith. What might be more of a mystery is what happens after this season. Joe Theismann suffered a similarly awful injury at age 36 and he never played again. Smith is 34 and in great shape so maybe be bounces back and is fine next season. What makes it tricky is Washington gave Smith $71 million guaranteed and he’s on the cap for $20.4 million next season no matter what.

11. Dallas Cowboys (5-5, LW: 14)

Not to be negative, but now that the Cowboys look like favorites in the NFC East and have gotten everyone’s hopes back up, if Dallas ends up not making the playoffs now it’s going to look even worse on Jason Garrett.

10. Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1, LW: 7)

You can’t lay all of the Vikings’ issues at Kirk Cousins‘ feet. Though, they paid him all that money to play better in games like Sunday night. Whoever you want to blame, the Vikings were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders and they’re barely .500, probably resigned to chasing a wild-card spot and having to beat the Rams and Saints on the road in back-to-back weeks to make a Super Bowl. Not good.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-4, LW: 9)

The Panthers lost, and their decision to go for two and the win at the end was questionable, but rookie D.J. Moore’s seven-catch, 157-yard day was a nice development. It seems like the Panthers might have finally found a real No. 1 to grow with Cam Newton.

8. Houston Texans (7-3, LW: 10)

Demaryius Thomas had one target and no catches on Sunday. Thomas still might end up being a huge part of the Texans offense, but Sunday’s quiet day was a reminder that it’s hard for any player to join a team midseason and contribute right away. Keep that in mind next year when you’re hoping your team adds that player who is on the trading block.

7. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3, LW: 4)

Now that the Chargers have lost at home to the Broncos, you look back at their wins in a different light. They haven’t beaten a team with a winning record all season. Their best wins are the Titans and Seahawks. Maybe they’re not as good as it looked during that winning streak.

6. Chicago Bears (7-3, LW: 8)

It’s concerning that the Bears said Mitchell Trubisky wouldn’t have been able to practice on Monday due to a right shoulder injury. It’s a short week for them. We’ll assume Trubisky should be fine since he finished Sunday’s game, but it’s worth watching.

5. New England Patriots (7-3, LW: 6)

There aren’t many more important injury-related questions in the NFL than how Rob Gronkowski comes out of the bye week. He’ll have three full weeks off, after missing two with his injuries, and if he doesn’t look right this week then it probably isn’t happening this season. And that’s a big issue for the Patriots.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1, LW: 5)

The Steelers looked bad for almost three quarters on Sunday, but a win is a win. They’ll need every one as they chase that second AFC bye (and they’re not that far from grabbing the No. 1 seed either).

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2, LW: 1)

A leftover thought from the Monday night thriller: I wonder if Patrick Mahomes loses ground in the MVP race despite 478 yards and six touchdowns. That sounds crazy, but he did turn it over five times. The argument for Drew Brees for MVP has been his insane efficiency. Brees has turned it over one time all season. It depends if voters see the crazy production or dwell on the mistakes.

2. Los Angeles Rams (10-1, LW: 3)

I know, the offenses were great. And I know defensive players are practically ineligible to win MVP. But Aaron Donald should be considered a legitimate candidate for the award. Without his two enormous strip-sacks on Monday night, the Rams don’t win that game. He’s still got a shot at 20 sacks from the defensive tackle position, which would be every bit as impressive as any number Drew Brees or Patrick Mahomes will post.

1. New Orleans Saints (9-1, LW: 2)

Here was the offensive yardage from each of the Eagles’ drives on Sunday, and remember this is still a Philadelphia offense with a lot of talent: 9, 6, 0, 75, 19, 0, 16, 17, 9, 14, 31. And that last drive was meaningless (it was insane that Doug Pederson still had Carson Wentz dropping back to pass). So over the Eagles’ first 10 possessions, they had one drive with more than 19 offensive yards. If the Saints defense is going to play like that the rest of the season? Game over.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-chiefs-rams-put-show-saints-take-top-spot-065116328.html?src=rss

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oysterdead2-blog · 6 years ago

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NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs and Rams put on a show, but the Saints take the top spot

The top three teams in the NFL this past week scored a combined 153 points. Welcome to the NFL in 2018.

Yet, when we talk about the game that shaped the hierarchy of the NFL this season, the stunner in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon might matter more.

Losing like that stinks but the loss to the Raiders might end up landing Arizona the first pick of the draft. That eases some of the pain.

Sam Darnold still wasn’t practicing Monday due to a foot injury. Some time off won’t be bad for him, and the Jets should be very conservative with his return.

26. New York Giants (3-7, LW: 27)

Have to love the NFL. A 1-7 team wins two straight close games and all of a sudden we’re talking about playoff possibilities. Guess that’s better than talking about benching the quarterback.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, LW: 22)

24. Cleveland Browns (3-6-1, LW: 24)

23. Denver Broncos (4-6, LW: 26)

22. Miami Dolphins (5-5, LW: 21)

21. Detroit Lions (4-6, LW: 23)

20. Atlanta Falcons (4-6, LW: 20)

19. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5, LW: 19)

18. Philadelphia Eagles (4-6, LW: 15)

17. Green Bay Packers (4-5-1, LW: 11)

16. Tennessee Titans (5-5, LW: 13)

15. Indianapolis Colts (5-5, LW: 18)

14. Baltimore Ravens (5-5, LW: 17)

13. Seattle Seahawks (5-5, LW: 16)

12. Washington Redskins (6-4, LW: 12)

11. Dallas Cowboys (5-5, LW: 14)

10. Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1, LW: 7)

9. Carolina Panthers (6-4, LW: 9)

8. Houston Texans (7-3, LW: 10)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3, LW: 4)

6. Chicago Bears (7-3, LW: 8)

5. New England Patriots (7-3, LW: 6)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1, LW: 5)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2, LW: 1)

2. Los Angeles Rams (10-1, LW: 3)

1. New Orleans Saints (9-1, LW: 2)

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-chiefs-rams-put-show-saints-take-top-spot-065116328.html?src=rss

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spicynbachili1 · 6 years ago

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Is Evan Fournier doing what’s needed early on?

The Orlando Magic knew they’d want an enormous season out of Evan Fournier so they may enhance in 2018-19. Early on, how is he doing?

Though a lot of the offseason was concerning the Orlando Magic persevering with to implement their youth motion, the advance of a few of the gamers already on the group was meant to assist as nicely.

Gamers reminiscent of Jonathon Simmons and Nikola Vucevic have been appeared upon as veteran presences who may supply rather a lot on the court docket. Whereas they’ve yielded combined outcomes up to now, the identical can be true of Evan Fournier.

An offensive-minded 2-guard, his means to attain the basketball was one thing the Magic have been going to should lean on as new head coach Steve Clifford discovered his method on that finish of the court docket based mostly on the gamers at his disposal.

For that cause, and extra on high of that, there was an inexpensive quantity of strain on Fournier to start the marketing campaign. It’s far too early to speak about how a lot of an element he may find yourself being for Orlando, however with 4 video games within the books it’s value looking at what we’ve seen up to now.

Nonetheless solely 26 and in his seventh 12 months, Fournier has begun the season averaging 17.5 factors per sport, a shade under his profession excessive (17.eight) and a way above his profession common of 13.2 factors per sport. This may increasingly not final, however there’s cause to assume that that quantity may stay comparatively constant.

(Picture by Brian Babineau/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs)

It is because Fournier additionally presently averages the second-most factors per sport on the roster, behind solely middle Nikola Vucevic, who has had a blistering begin to the marketing campaign at 18.eight factors per sport. So as to add to that, Fournier additionally poured in 31 factors in that robust one-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

This was the fourth 30-point sport of Fournier’s profession, and an early indication that he was able to assume much more management offensively. With gamers like Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba serving to defensively, Fournier is freer to be the attacking participant we all know he’s.

That scoring contact has additionally seen Fournier publish the second highest plus/minus on the group for the final two video games, posting a +19 towards the 76ers and a +10 towards the Boston Celtics. Fournier can level to his contributions as a cause the group is 2-2 up to now.

That is even higher when you think about the Sixers and Celtics are purported to be two of the highest three groups within the East this season. That being stated, the much less stated concerning the 32-point beatdown at residence to the Charlotte Hornets earlier than that, the higher.

I am unable to determine this Magic group out, get completely blown out by the Hornets, and tonight they beat Boston on the TD Backyard with four gamers having a double double its insane

— Kyrie Irving stan #freerondo (@therockparmar2) October 23, 2018

Fournier had a deplorable plus/minus of -33 on the evening, by far the worst mark of any Magic participant who took to the court docket (the following worst was a -24 for each Vucevic and D.J. Augustin). Fournier scored 12 factors.

Again to the positives although. Fournier presently has a Participant Effectivity Score of 16.2, with the league common being 15.zero. In the meanwhile, Fournier has the fourth-highest PER on the group, however it’s presently a profession excessive too.

The place it will get patchier, although, is whenever you look past the essential numbers and Orlando’s respectable begin to the season. Regardless of Fournier placing up strong scoring numbers, the Magic have an offensive ranking of 99.eight (28th within the league).

When Fournier is on the court docket, that quantity jumps as much as 102.four — proof that he’s serving to on the offensive finish the place he’s purported to. But if that quantity have been utilized to the Magic as an entire, they’d nonetheless rank 28th on this class (the Memphis Grizzlies sit 27th with a ranking of 103).

It’s unfair to say that Fournier’s stats have been of the empty form, however there’s a case to be made that that is true. His efficient discipline objective share of 48.5 % is by far a profession low. So too is his Three-point taking pictures share (34.5 %).

Fournier can be averaging extra Three-point makes an attempt per sport (7.Three) than ever earlier than as nicely. This factors to a participant being much less environment friendly than in years passed by, although it’s solely been 4 video games. Regardless of placing up some equivalent scoring numbers, it’s taking Fournier extra photographs to get there.

That is additionally mirrored in his utilization charge (26.eight), which once more is by far a profession excessive. In his protection, Fournier can be averaging a profession excessive in assists up to now (four.eight per sport, third on the group) exhibiting that he isn’t at all times making the unsuitable resolution.

At this stage although, the actual knock on his sport has been on the defensive finish. It will not be the place Fournier is supposed to excel, however there may be additionally no query the Magic generally is a top-10 outfit on this class whenever you mix Clifford with the defensive-minded gamers right here.

Fournier doesn’t fall into that class, however it’s on everyone to do their half on that finish of the court docket. If something, the flexibility of fellows like Simmons, Bamba and Isaac to change and rotate is a luxurious for Fournier, who can cover on weaker offensive opponents.

These gamers additionally sweep up the errors and missed rotations by Fournier. Sadly, when he’s on the court docket, the Magic have a defensive ranking of 110.1. When he’s off the court docket, the Magic protection drastically improves to a defensive ranking of 98.7.

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That is the worst mark of Fournier’s profession. Orlando presently ranks 11th in defensive ranking total (106.eight). That quantity figures to enhance regardless, however think about how good the Magic could possibly be as a unit if Fournier improved even a bit bit. As a substitute, he’s going within the different course.

All of which is to say that to begin the season, Evan Fournier has been fairly good for the Orlando Magic, with a couple of obvious flaws. He’s doing what he’s purported to: rating the basketball and carry a lot of the load offensively.

Digging deeper although, it’s clear there is a component of inefficiency to his sport for the time being. Defensively he’s a minus, and the profession lows in a few of his taking pictures columns are trigger for concern too.

Subsequent: Week 2 NBA Energy Rankings

A 2-2 begin and a few aggressive basketball out of the Magic as an entire might masks a few of the areas Fournier will not be pulling his weight, however that should change quickly earlier than he’s uncovered. Proper now it’s a case of labor achieved, however far more to be achieved shifting ahead.

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from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/is-evan-fournier-doing-whats-needed-early-on/

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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We took the worst college basketball program ever to the NCAA tournament in a simulated video game

Western Illinois’ quest for a college basketball national championship in ‘College Hoops 2K8’ turns up in Year 4 and Year 5.

Welcome back to Western Illinois’ chase for a national championship in College Hoops 2K8. We introduced the idea and simmed through the first season in the opening installment of this series, then played through Year 2 and Year 3 in the second chapter. Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the last post.

Year 2 was a disaster on the court — 10-18 overall and a dead-last finish in the Summit League. The saving grace was a terrific four-man recruiting class headlined by three-star shooting guards Wilbur Messy and Tracy Hehn.

Year 3 was incredible. Western Illinois finished 23-9 overall, won an absolute thriller in the Summit League tournament championship game, and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

Took a No. 13 seed into the big dance against Florida, got blown out.

Signed two promising recruits when the season ended, 6’4 point guard Giovanni Nelke and center Deke Van, both coveted three-stars.

Let’s look at the roster again heading into Year 4:

This is the first incoming recruiting class I’ll have the luxury of redshirting because I finally have enough depth throughout the roster. Both Nelke (who has already grown an inch to 6’5) and Van are sitting the year, and look really promising long-term with C+ potential.

We’re going with a tight eight-man rotation this year (we had been playing nine before this season) and finally have a rotation with only players I recruited. Apologies to long-time holdover SG No. 23, who will be relegated to garbage time this season.

Western Illinois is ranked 83 overall. Next best team in the Summit League is Oral Roberts at 78. This season is conference-tournament-title-or-bust all the way.

I have two scholarships available heading into the season. Going to try to something new this year and recruit junior college players. This serves two purposes:

Getting players on the same timeline as Nelke and Van

Two of the goals I have to hit to get a coaching attribute point are “sign a four-star recruit” and “sign a five-star recruit.” It’s going to be easier to get guys rated that highly at the JUCO level.

I offer two five-star JUCOs on the first week. Point guard Damon Hendriks from Simi Valley, California, and power forward Dawud Byfield out of Los Angeles.

Hendricks’ top priority is reveals itself to be “playing at a big program,” which doesn’t bode well for Western Illinois. I’m still sticking with him. Byfield loves Stanford, but they haven’t offered yet.

I actually have a real non-conference schedule this year. My first game is against Colorado.

Big win, 73-69.

Sophomore shooting guard Tracy Hehn pops off for 18 points, while the starting front court of Bud Richards and Ferdinand Thompson each drop 16 points in the win. Great omen for the rest of this season. Let the rest of America know: the Leathernecks are ready.

Well, shit, maybe not: we lose to Sacramento State in the next game. My team shoots only 1-for-14 from three. Next up is a game with Washington — rated as a 93 overall. We take a 73-67 loss. Another terrible shooting night, 24-of-63 from the field and 5-of-23 from three.

Here’s a rundown of the next month or so:

Blow out a solid Troy team (82 overall), 84-57, with six players in double-figures. Next up: 16-point win over McNeese State.

Beat Montana State, 88-50. Bud Richards goes off for 26 points and six blocks on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from three. Then crush North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Lose a heartbreaker to Creighton, 64-63, then get a win against Wichita State, 86-74. Richards hangs 21 points and three blocks on the Shockers. We lose by one to UW-Milwaukee the next game (Richards: 19 points, six rebounds, and five stocks), then beat UT-San Antonio by six (Richards: 24 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks). My guy is having the breakout junior season we’ve been waiting for.

Next up is my first game vs. a ranked team: No. 24 Iowa State, a 92 overall. BUT THE CYCLONES ARE GOING DOWN.

That’s a big win. Ugly game offensively (28-of-63 from field, 5-of-19 from three, 8-of-18 from the foul line) but we gut it out. We lose to Oral Roberts in a conference game next, 79-76, to fall to 11-5 overall.

Next five games: four wins followed by a loss to IUPUI. Rematch against Oral Roberts is next: I get blown out, 101-76. Holy shit. That’s the low point of the season. They score 56 on us in the second half, which just isn’t going to cut it. We go 5-1 over the final six games, with our only loss is to Southern Utah.

At 21-8 overall and 14-4 in conference, we win the regular-season Summit League title and head into the conference tournament as the top seed. The in-season recruiting period is also over, with Hendriks looking like a safe bet to sign, and Byfield likely coming if his leading school — Stanford — is caught without an open roster spot in the spring. I’ve been recruiting a three-star small forward as a backup if I lose out on Byfield.

Before advancing to the conference tournament, I look at the roster again. I suddenly have three players (Richards, Hehn, and Messy) rated in the 80s now. That teaching boost is starting to pay off.

Summit League tournament

We’re opening the tournament with South Dakota State, the same team I needed an overtime thriller to beat in the title game last year. Things are easier this time: Leathernecks win, 83-56. Richards: 21 points. Wiedemann: 19 points.

Next up is Oral Roberts, who has already beaten me twice this year and smoked me by 25 last time I played them.

I really shouldn’t be so worried for this, but ....

Jesus. 89-77 loss. I really just allowed Oral Roberts to score 54 second half points in an elimination game.

We’re 22-9 overall, but it’s a disappointing season without a tournament berth. But just when I think the season is over .... Western Illinois gets chosen for the NIT, with a first-round matchup against Clemson.

NIT

Clemson is 19-12 overall, but they’re damn good: rated as a 93 overall. I don’t have a great feeling about this.

Lose, 86-81. Season over. We end the year 22-10. Maryland wins the title.

OH YEAH: Richards wins Summit League Player of the Year. That gets me a coaching attribute point.

I have three points to improve my coach. I give one each in offense, defense, and teaching. I get offered the Idaho job and turn it down. I also overhaul my assistant coaches and find a gem in Danny O’Sullivan, who is A- at teaching and C+ at scouting. He’s a C- in offense, but we’ll live with it.

Now, it’s time to lock up my recruits. Hendriks — a 6-foot point guard — signs after the second week, giving the program its first-ever five-star recruit as a JUCO player. When Stanford drops out for Byfield the next week, I land both of my targets.

With my first recruiting class set to be seniors in the upcoming season, I’m loading up the non-con schedule for Year 5. I’m opening the year with Illinois, and also schedule DePaul.

This is the last ride for Bud Richards, Marvin Cisse, Ferdinand Thompson, and Andre Wiedemann. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it.

Year 5

Here’s a first look at the roster.

Wow, new arrival Hendriks is a 77 overall. He’s my fifth-best player immediately, but I still decide to redshirt him given my depth at guard. He’s going to be ridiculously good after four years. Byfield also looks solid as a 72 overall with B- potential. I redshirt him, too.

Nelke has grown to 6’6 now. I’m changing him to shooting guard, where he goes up three points to 77 overall as a redshirt freshman. We’ll be going with a 10-man rotation this year, with Waller and Ward rounding out the bench.

Also, I just noticed I have five California guys on this roster, and still no local kids. Chicago Public League coaches are sarcastically calling me “Ricky California.”

We’re rated 87 overall heading into the year and are clearly the favorites in the Summit — Southern Utah is the next best team at 74. No excuses this year.

This is going to be a huge season for recruiting, too

In addition to this being the best team I’ve had yet at Western Illinois, I also have five scholarships to fill. My first thought for recruiting: I need to fill out my starting lineup of the immediate future with a JUCO forward. I already have two guards (Nelke, Hendricks) and two bigs (Byfield, Van) who will all be redshirt sophomores next year, just need one more guy on their timeline to finish out that starting five. The ideal haul for this season would be one five-star JUCO wing paired with four top-150-rated high school seniors.

This five-man class is going to seriously shape the future of the program, but it also won’t be easy given how few recruiting points I have at a school as small as WIU (I covered this in the introduction). Here are my offers on the first day you can do it:

Dane Janiszewski, small forward, five-star JUCO freshman

Burton Ballinger, center, No. 214 (No. 15 C)

Alberto Tangara, small forward, No. 165 (No. 35 SF)

Hugh Spong, point guard, No. 181 (No. 56 PG)

Darell Hicks, power forward, No. 136 (No. 26)

The stakes are at an all-time high in every possible way this year. I think that calls for a press conference.

Coach Rick press conference

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Alright, it’s time to start this shit.

First game: @ Illinois.

There would be no better way to open the biggest season in program history than by beating the Illini in Champaign. We want to show the rest of the state that the Leathernecks are the new premier basketball program in Illinois.

Unfortunately that does not happen.

The offense just totally dried up, and we could not defend the perimeter. They had one guy hit 10 threes! I actually watched this game, but there are in-game highlights coming later in the season (spoiler alert), so I will spare Leatherneck Nation the pain of watching the Illini smoke me.

We play in a tournament the next week and go 2-1, but lose to Northern Illinois. Turns out we might not even be the premier directional basketball program in Illinois.

Then comes the recruiting bloodbath. Janiszewski is offered by FIU, Hicks is offered by Green Bay-Wisconsin, Tangara is offered by North Florida, Sprong gets a Robert Morris offer. I drop all over them and completely redo my board.

I do have a big lead for Ballinger, and convince him to sign at the end of the in-season recruiting period. This is the first fall recruit I’ve had Western Illinois — great grab as a top-15 center who averages a double-double and makes a serious impact defensively.

We beat Dayton the next game, 87-81, behind big games from Richards and Thompson. Here’s where I’m at with recruiting:

I have an offer out to Earnest Robertson, a four-star point guard from Los Angeles ranked No. 51 overall and No. 21 at his position. Obviously, this would be the biggest recruit in program history. UCLA and Oregon lead for Robertson, but his recruitment has a long way to go and I’m still his only offer.

I extend an offer to five-star shooting guard Arvydas Kavaliauskas out of Lithuania. I also offer Josiah Taybron, a 6’8 small forward ranked No. 109 overall (No. 21 at his position).

My final offer goes to Ira Willis, 6’7 power forward out of Queens, ranked No. 82 overall and No. 17 at his position.

I’m still chasing high upside guys over lower ranked prospects who I might have a better chance with. I’m hoping I can land one or two of these highly-ranked guys and still have some decent players left to choose from in the spring to fill out my class.

DePaul game is next. They’re an 89 overall, I’m an 88. This would be a huge win — and I get it, 63-47.

Like everyone says: Coach Rick, defensive mastermind. We beat UMBC, 87-54, with all five starters in double-figures the next game, then pound Saint Louis (Richards: 24 points and seven rebounds; Hehn: 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three).

My Leathernecks are 7-2 overall as the schedule full turns over to conference play. Is my team good enough to run the table in the Summit?

I win the first eight games by an average margin of about 15 points. We’re currently 15-2 overall and undefeated in conference on Jan. 23 when we drop 123 points on Oakland in a blowout win where Nelke — possibly my star of the future — scores 19 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range. This is a demolition.

At the same time, It’s not going as well on the recruiting front. Each one of the four players I’ve offered is slow playing it. The good news is they’re slow playing it for everyone, not just me. It doesn’t make this any less nerve-wracking though considering I have so many scholarships to fill. Here’s what the board looks like right now — none of these guys are even close to committing.

I sim through the regular season and win out. Richards drops a career-high 35 points against UMKC in my last game. We end the regular season at 25-2 overall and 18-0 in conference.

No heartbreak in the Summit tournament this year, please.

Summit League tournament

Despite my sparkling record, I have no confidence I’ll get an at-large bid should we be upset in the conference tournament. First game is against Fort Wayne. I take home a 78-62 win with Richards leading the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Next up is South Dakota State in the semifinals. I win, 93-67, with Hehn dropping 26 points and Thompson finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Now I have Southern Utah in the title game. Let’s go!

Oh, my God. My first conference loss of the year, and it happens in the title game, 84-80. I think I just felt my stomach fall out of my body. If this is Richards’ last game, at least he goes out with a new career-high of 37 points.

But wait! We get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament

I can’t believe it. Is this the first at-large bid in Summit League history?

The Leathernecks are a No. 11 seed against Miami (Florida) in the first round. My team’s overall rating is up to a 90 now, with Richards at 87 overall as a senior, and Hehn and Messy at 84 and 83 overall, respectively, as true juniors. The Hurricanes are rated as a 94 overall.

No. 6 Miami (Florida) vs. No. 11 Western Illinois, NCAA tournament opening round

You know I watched the full game and cut up highlights — as a reminder, I’m not actually playing any of the games throughout this series, just watching the computer play it out.

Leatherneck Nation, let’s do this.

The soundtrack for this game is “The Better Parts of Space” from my bud Patrick Cosmos’ 2017 album Tonal Rotors. Support his music here.

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***

HELL YEAH.

What a win! Down eight with just over six minutes left, and we battle back. Messy was knocking down everything in the second half, and Wiedemann controlled the game from the opening tip. Love to see it. Also shouts to my center of the future, Deke Van, with the big 8-8-2 game without missing a shot.

WESTERN ILLINOIS IS STILL DANCING.

Next up: No. 3 seed Florida State in the Round of 32.

No. 11 Western Illinois vs. No. 3 Florida State, NCAA tournament Round of 32

This game features commentary from my bud, Zach (@ZM_Baseball), and I. It was incredibly intense from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Please enjoy more than seven minutes of Leathernecks basketball:

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***

One. Stop. Away. From the Sweet 16. And the refs bail out FSU with a whistle. UGH.

Incredible game, incredible season. Western Illinois will be back.

UCLA wins the national championship. My seniors — my first full recruiting class — have graduated:

Richards exits school with 1,614 points for his career — he somehow didn’t win back-to-back Summit League Player of the Year awards, which is a crime. Wiedemann, Cisse, Thompson ... all of them had great careers. And now the program moves forward.

Western Kentucky and UIC offer me a job. No thank you. Instead, I use my new coaching attribute points to boost my offensive and defensive ratings up to a B- and my teaching up to a B+.

Fall recruiting

I still have a ton of work to do in recruiting and I’m not optimistic.

Robertson — my four-star point guard ranked No. 51 overall — signs with UCLA after the second week. Damn.

One by one, everyone else also signs with another school, with one exception: power forward Ira Wells, who commits to WIU on the last week and becomes the first top-100 prospect in program history at No. 82 overall.

I just went 2-for-5 on open scholarships because I don’t have enough recruiting points at Western Illinois to make up ground late in the spring. This isn’t a death sentence for the program, but definitely a set back. I’m going to have to do major work on the recruiting front next year.

After setting my schedule, I sim forward to my sixth year.

Year 6

Here’s the first look at the roster:

To be continued.

If you want email updates on this series, fill out this form and get future articles sent straight to your inbox.

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winterolympicssports2018-blog · 7 years ago

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(Olympics) Sporting rivals on collision course for 1st win in women's hockey

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/olympics-sporting-rivals-on-collision-course-for-1st-win-in-womens-hockey/

(Olympics) Sporting rivals on collision course for 1st win in women's hockey

By Yoo Jee-ho

GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Feb. 13 (Yonhap) — The long and storied sporting rivalry between Korea and Japan will add a new chapter this week when their women’s hockey teams collide at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, with each seeking its first victory.

The joint Korean team and Japan have both lost their first two games and have been eliminated from medal contention in Group B. Only the top two teams from that group advance to the quarterfinals, and Sweden and Switzerland, with two victories apiece, will make it to that stage.

Korea and Japan have been relegated to the classification round, and the best they can do is finish fifth in the eight-team tournament.

But first things first: each team will look to get its first Olympic win ever at the expense of the other, starting at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday at Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung.

Players on the joint Korean women’s hockey team leave the ice at Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, after an 8-0 loss to Sweden in a Group B game of the women’s tournament at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

On paper, this should be a breezy one for the team affectionately called “Smile Japan.” Ranked ninth in the world, Japan has given both fifth-ranked Sweden and No. 6 Switzerland all they could handle in its first two games.

Japan outshot Sweden 31-26 but lost 2-1, a game that it probably should have won. The margin of shots was even larger against Switzerland: Japan peppered goalie Florence Schelling with 38 shots but managed to score just one, while Switzerland scored three times on 18 shots. Japan is now winless in its eight Olympic games all-time.

South Korea is ranked 22nd and North Korea is 25th. South Korea has never beaten Japan in seven tries. With 23 South Koreans and 12 North Koreans on the roster, head coach Sarah Murray has been scrambling to find the right combination of 22 players — 20 skaters and two goalies — for game lineups while putting in the minimum of three North Korean players required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Murray used two different lineups for her first two games but neither worked. Korea lost the opener to Switzerland 8-0 last Saturday while getting outshot 52-8. It fell to Sweden by the same score on Monday, and the shots were 50-19 in favor of Sweden.

If one were to find a silver lining from the Sweden game, it’s that Korea did have a couple of near misses on a power play in the second period, both on redirection attempts by forward Choi Ji-yeon.

On both occasions, defenseman Eom Su-yeon sent a soft wrist shot from the point and Choi got her stick on the shot to deflect the puck, forcing goalie Sara Grahn to make her two toughest saves of the game.

Choi said she was “very disappointed” that she missed those opportunities and vowed that it won’t happen against Japan.

“I believe we can score our first goal against Japan,” Choi said. “The Japanese players have a similar build as us, and I think we can beat them if we can convert our scoring chances. If we can beat Japan, I think we can make our fans happy.”

In this AFP photo, Shiori Koike of Japan (R) controls the puck as Christine Meier of Switzerland (L) watches during the teams’ Group B match of the women’s tournament at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

South Korea and Japan last met at the Sapporo Asian Winter Games last February, and Japan prevailed 3-0. But both Choi and Murray believe they can do much better this time.

Choi recalled that South Korea battled hard for two periods before running out of gas in the third. Indeed, the first Japanese goal came on a sloppy play by South Korean goalie Shin So-jung early in the first period after a Japanese dump-in.

Instead of stopping the puck behind the net for her defenseman, Shin inadvertently kicked the puck toward the crease as she made her way back to her position, allowing Hanae Kubo to score a tap-in goal. South Korean kept Japan off the board in the second period, only to give up two decisive goals in the third.

Murray was also quick to point out on Monday that the Asian Games roster didn’t feature some of South Korea’s best players today, including first line center Grace Lee, who only joined the national team in July.

“They’re a very strong team. But when we played them in the Asian Games, we didn’t have some of our top players,” Murray said. “We’re thinking our chances are a lot better.”

The coach also said she doesn’t have to remind her players of the magnitude of this showdown.

Korean forward Park Jong-ah (L) tries to take the puck past Sabina Kuller of Sweden during the teams’ Group B match of the women’s tournament at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

“I think they’re really motivated to play Japan,” she said. “More than just the history of the two teams and two countries, it’s just that we want to be the best in Asia. I don’t know if we’re feeling extra pressure to play. Our players are excited.”

Murray said her only concern was that her players might be too down on themselves after suffering two straight 8-0 losses. She canceled her scheduled practice for Tuesday to allow her team to regroup, but in the aftermath of Monday’s loss, some players were already looking ahead to facing Japan.

“We’ve just got to win that game,” forward Kim Hee-won said. “Obviously, Japan is a good team. But whenever Korean athletes face the Japanese, we’re extra motivated. I think we can play much better against them than we did tonight.”

Shin So-jung, the usually reliable goalie who has let in some goals she would like to have back, said she’s ready for a bounce back.

“I know fans will take a lot of interest in this Korea-Japan match,” she said. “We have done poorly in our first two matches. Hopefully, we’ll play a much better game.”

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richmacleod · 8 years ago

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After a lost year, Vic Black is fighting his way to get back to the big leagues

The story of 27-year-old, right-handed relief pitcher Vic Black is one that has it's fair share of peaks and valleys. Spending time in both the Pirates and Mets organizations from 2009-2015, Black has shown the potential he's capable of. Recently, however, his story has become one of shoulder troubles, minor league stints and uncertainty.

Born in Amarillo, Texas on May 23, 1988, Vic Black isn't one of your typical stories about a professional baseball player who was born with the immediate love of the game. In fact, it was quite the contrary for him.

As many people likely know, football is a dominant force in Texas and as a kid, it's what Black watched the most. As far as other sports, the only other thing he ever really watched was volleyball, and that's thanks to growing up with his three sisters.

It wasn't until he was a 10-year-old that Black first made the decision to play baseball. And still, it wasn't because he had the burning passion to do so.

"I think I got in the last year you could be in coach pitch, and it was because my buddies were playing," Black told About.com. "I don't think it was a desire like 'man, that looks like so much fun,' I just couldn't hang out with my friends because they had to go play baseball, so I said 'that's a bum deal, I'll just go play.'"

Seven years later, Black was fully immersed in the game of baseball, playing for the Golden Sandstorm of Amarillo High School... As a catcher.

"The longer you're in the field, the more you understand the game around you," Black explained.

While he has dealt with neck and shoulder problems throughout his career, Vic has never had any elbow issues and believes that both the health of his elbow and a better understanding of the way the game is played are thanks to playing in the field throughout his four years at Amarillo High.

It wasn't until the end of his high school days that Black began to see what he could do on the mound. "I loved throwing from the outfield, I loved playing long toss," Black went on to say. "You start getting that feeling like 'it's getting there kinda fast.' I'm looking at the other guys throw it, but then I throw it and I think, 'there's something different.'"

Black claims that for the most part he didn't know much of what he was doing on the mound those days, but his velocity became an impressive trait as he was able to dial his fastball up to 96 MPH in the final game of his senior year.

"Being able to throw hard, it's something you get excited about," Black explained about his velocity. "This is fun, I wanna go do this as much as possible."

While he was still a work in progress as a pitcher, Black's velocity was dynamic enough to get him drafted out of high school as a pitcher in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft. As chance so happens, Black was selected in the 41st round by a team he would wind up on years later: The New York Mets.

"I knew I had the kind of arm to attract them," he recalled, "but to go do it at that time would've been unwise due to, honestly, no development whatsoever. That young, there's so much to be learned in college and you're given the opportunity without the expectation that somebody's going to take your job if you don't do well."

Considering this, Black ultimately decided not to sign with the Mets and headed to Dallas Baptist University instead.

Soon after arriving to college, Black made the full transition from catcher to pitcher. "You receive the ball well, but the whole picking it and not really being able to hit thing isn't gonna quite play out," manager Eric Newman joked with him. From that moment on, it was all about pitching for Black.

In three college seasons, Black appeared in 48 games (42 as a starting pitcher). While his 4.64 ERA wasn't enough to impress teams on it's own, he was able to draw plenty of interest after amassing 246 strikeouts in 246.1 innings pitched. That equates to a career 9.00 strikeouts per 9 innings rate.

After being taken in the 41st round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Black found himself ascend to the 49th overall pick in the supplementary first round, taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates just three years later. To this day, Black is the highest draft pick in Dallas Baptist University history—a school that was once home to current and former major leaguers such as Freddy Sanchez, Ben Zobrist and Ryan Goins.

While it would still take three seasons to reach the big leagues, Black feels the lessons learned in the minors were not time wasted.

"The biggest thing that I had to learn was that it doesn't happen right then," he said. "Especially when you get drafted high, you're thinking this means that I'm ready. Stephen Strasburg was our No. 1 pick that year and everyone was saying 'oh, he's ready' and as someone who was 48 picks behind him I was thinking 'yeah, I think I might be, too.' You get that mindset, but then you get there and you start facing challenges."

Entering 2010, Black was the 12th ranked prospect in the Pirates farm system, however due to shoulder and bicep injuries, he appeared in just 29 games over the course of his first two years. It wasn't until the 2012 season that he had his first full minor league season, where he really began to make his name.

Now a full-time reliever, Black dominated Double-A during 2012 as he recorded a 1.65 ERA while racking up 13 saves and a whopping 85 strikeouts in just 60 innings pitched.

After posting a 2.51 ERA in Triple-A Indianapolis up through the All-Star break the following season, Black finally got his first shot at the big leagues as Pirates closer Jason Grilli went down with a strained right flexor tendon.

"My roommate at the time Duke Welker starts banging on the door, yelling 'Vic, your phone's going off!'" Black recalled. "I finish up showering, I'm in my pajamas and Duke is refusing to answer my phone, so I take it out, call my manager back and the first thing he says to me is 'pack your bags, you have to be at the airport in an hour.' At first, I wasn't even sure if it was joke or not."

It wasn't.

Black hopped on a plane to meet the Pirates in Washington, D.C. for their series against the Nationals. Finally, he was a big leaguer.

"It was blazing hot, I was sweating through my suit but it was the greatest thing in the world," he said about his trip to the ballpark that day.

Just one month after making his major league debut, Black's world changed as the Pirates traded him to the Mets—the team that originally drafted him out of high school—along with Dilson Herrera in exchange for Marlon Byrd and John Buck.

Despite Pittsburgh being on the cusp of breaking a 21-year postseason drought and leaving the only organization he had ever known, the new opportunity that presented itself was something that was exciting.

"I got called up, debuted in D.C., got traded a month later and then met the Mets for the first time... in D.C.," Black said, chuckling at the odds of such a thing happening. "It was cool, I was in a spot where I could get an opportunity to pitch the way and in a role I'd like to, but it was really what my agent said that was exciting. He told me 'Vic, there's L.A., there's Chicago, but then there's New York. They don't even compare.'"

Black finished out the 2013 campaign by pitching in 15 games for the Mets out of the bullpen, going 3-0 with a 3.46 ERA, 12 strikeouts and four walks in 13 innings pitched, but it was the following year that saw him really take a step forward.

While he did begin the 2014 season at Triple-A Las Vegas, it wasn't long before Black found his way back to the major leagues with the Mets and, once again, he showed his potential. In 41 games with the team that season, Black recorded a 2.60 ERA with 32 strikeouts (albeit with 19 walks) in 34.2 innings pitched.

Yet again, though, the injury bug bit the 26-year-old reliever as he sustained a pinched nerve and herniated disc in his neck, along with a shoulder strain that caused him to be shut down for the remainder of the season.

Even with the injuries, Black seemed as though he was set up to be a part of the Mets bullpen for years as he had been nothing but productive for the team at the major league level in each and every big league stint.

Then came 2015.

In the beginning of the season, Black found himself working his way back from the shoulder injury which curtailed his 2014, hoping to make his way back to the majors. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.

"It was a struggle," Black admitted. "There were some days where my arm didn't feel good, there were other days where it felt great but I just couldn't seem to figure out why. It didn't make any sense, we had seen several doctors who didn't really have a grasp on what could've been going on, it became more of a 'we think' situation, so we let it play out."

By the midway point of the season, Black continued to struggle mightily in the minor leagues as he posted a 25.86 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 14 walks in 18.1 innings pitched over 20 appearances between Single-A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas. The right-hander also had to deal with a groin issue that sidelined him for over a week in the first half of the season. After that stretch, however, things seemed to be headed in the right direction as the right-hander had a stretch of allowing just one run in 11.1 innings pitched over 12 appearances.

"I felt like I was kind of getting some rhythm back," Black explained. "My agent had some conversations with the front office who told him to keep me focused and that when rosters expand in September, there's a good chance I could be called back up."

With not much time left before the rosters expanded, things seemed to be on course for Black, who entered a game looking to keep the tying run at third from scoring with two outs. Much to everyone's surprise, the batter at the plate laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to tie the game. The following night, things continued to fall off the rails as Black was hit hard, allowing three runs in less than a full inning and blowing the save in the process.

"This is not happening right now," Black thought at the time. "In the past I don't get hit. If I give up runs it's because I walked a couple guys and then missed a pitch. I just didn't know what was happening."

On August 30th, just two days before the major league rosters expanded, the Mets acquired reliever Addison Reed in a waiver deal with the Diamondbacks and the team informed Black ahead of time that he was being outrighted, leading to the end of his career in New York.

"I wasn't showing what I did the year before so with that and the move they made, they couldn't afford to keep me on the 40-man roster at that point," Black said of the team's reasoning.

What began as a promising Mets career ended with injuries and frustration for Black, who admits that the end of the 2015 season did get to him at times. With all of the injury problems he's experienced over the years and the recent news of his former teammate Jenrry Mejia receiving a lifetime ban from baseball due to three PED violations, I asked Black if he's ever felt the temptation of steroids to keep him on the field and help him make his way back to the majors.

"I had a conversation with my dad back in 2011 when I had just come off of a year and a half of injuries and throwing 86-87 MPH. At the time a few guys in the big leagues had been suspected of using and my dad just looked at me and said 'don't you ever do that,'" Black explained. "My response to him was that with everybody there will come a point where we just can't play well enough to compete at this level anymore and when that day comes and I can't naturally do this anymore, I'm fine with walking away."

Today as pitchers and catchers begin their first workouts of the 2016 season, Black has yet to find a new team. And while he would love to return to New York, a place he describes as home now, he realizes his time with the Mets has come and gone. As such, Black posted a public goodbye to Mets fans on Twitter earlier in February, as he felt they deserved to be acknowledged after all of the support they'd given him over the years.

Soon to be 28-years-old, Black continues to remain optimistic at his chances to return to the major leagues. "For me to be able to play 15 more years past this, I think that would be a testament to staying true in battling the situations as they continue to come," Black said of his remaining goal. "I still believe I can do it, there's no doubt in that."

Still unsigned, Black aims to be ready to pitch again later this summer, whether it comes on a major or minor league contract. All he asks for at this point is another shot. And for someone with the ability to reach 97 MPH consistently on their fastball and break off a curveball like he's shown he can do, he probably deserves one.

Today, Vic Black cherishes his time with the Mets and even though it's come to an end for now, he remains hopeful of a reunion down the road one day. "I got to be a part of the city, and not just a player," Black said of New York. "And that was the best part of all."

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laughtrout72-blog · 6 years ago

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NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs and Rams put on a show, but the Saints take the top spot

The top three teams in the NFL this past week scored a combined 153 points. Welcome to the NFL in 2018.

Yet, when we talk about the game that shaped the hierarchy of the NFL this season, the stunner in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon might matter more.

Losing like that stinks but the loss to the Raiders might end up landing Arizona the first pick of the draft. That eases some of the pain.

Sam Darnold still wasn’t practicing Monday due to a foot injury. Some time off won’t be bad for him, and the Jets should be very conservative with his return.

26. New York Giants (3-7, LW: 27)

Have to love the NFL. A 1-7 team wins two straight close games and all of a sudden we’re talking about playoff possibilities. Guess that’s better than talking about benching the quarterback.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, LW: 22)

24. Cleveland Browns (3-6-1, LW: 24)

23. Denver Broncos (4-6, LW: 26)

22. Miami Dolphins (5-5, LW: 21)

21. Detroit Lions (4-6, LW: 23)

20. Atlanta Falcons (4-6, LW: 20)

19. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5, LW: 19)

18. Philadelphia Eagles (4-6, LW: 15)

17. Green Bay Packers (4-5-1, LW: 11)

16. Tennessee Titans (5-5, LW: 13)

15. Indianapolis Colts (5-5, LW: 18)

14. Baltimore Ravens (5-5, LW: 17)

13. Seattle Seahawks (5-5, LW: 16)

12. Washington Redskins (6-4, LW: 12)

11. Dallas Cowboys (5-5, LW: 14)

10. Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1, LW: 7)

9. Carolina Panthers (6-4, LW: 9)

8. Houston Texans (7-3, LW: 10)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3, LW: 4)

6. Chicago Bears (7-3, LW: 8)

5. New England Patriots (7-3, LW: 6)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1, LW: 5)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2, LW: 1)

2. Los Angeles Rams (10-1, LW: 3)

1. New Orleans Saints (9-1, LW: 2)

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

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Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-chiefs-rams-put-show-saints-take-top-spot-065116328.html?src=rss

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paradoxicalca · 5 years ago

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r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Feeling Blue Edition

/r/Hockey NHL Power Rankings Week Oct 14, 2019 - Oct 20, 2019Thank YouThank you to all of the volunteers doing the power rankings. Each ranker has their own system and have their own reasonings and analyis. It truly is a lot of work.RankersSpoilerOrganizersSpoilerVisualizationThe visualization contains historical data, so you can see how your team has done over time. Hopefully, we can run this for many years in hopes that we can see the rise and fall of teams by /r/hockey opinion.It automatically updates so feel free to bookmark. You can find it hereProcessHow does this work? Throughout the course of the week rankers are able to access an app that will allow them to rank teams. At the end of the period we calculate the average ranking for every team and collate all of the analysis provided by rankers.The app then generates a post that is first proofread and then posted to /r/hockey!Rankings (28/31 Rankers Reporting)Ranking (avg)TeamDeltaOverall RecordRecord This WeekComments1 (1.52)Colorado Avalanche-7-0-13-0-1Avs are strange they are winning, but at the same time they are very sloppy with many issues. The giveaways are sometimes out of control and the defense is often scattered. The Power Play is bad right now very stationary missing Barrie hurts. The first line looks normal which is unusual for a line that is typically so dominant. On the positive this team is a collective unit and its depth is showing up. The stars are flashing at different times and different lines are breaking through each night. Whether Kadri, Burakovsky, or Jost players are replacing the top lines dominance. The top line is still a sleeping giant and I worry for the rest of the league when it wakes up. Calder update: not a great week for Makar which is saying something still multiple assists on the week and 7 points in 8 games so far.2 (3.86)Edmonton Oilers37-1-12-1-13 (4.07)Buffalo Sabres27-1-13-1-0Its obvious that the west coast style of hockey was a shock to us, but we still managed to pull off 4/6 points for the trip. Victor Olofsson has cooled off a bit along with the powerplay, but our 5 on 5 play has been exceptional to compensate. Rasmus Dahlin is now second on the team in scoring to Eichel and second in PIMs to Kyle Okposo, who along with the Roaring 20's line has looked fantastic. We can't continue this pace forever, but I can dream right?4 (5.07)Boston Bruins-25-1-21-0-2The Bruins started off strong this week with a big win against the Ducks and Pasta scoring 4 goals! The rest of week had middling results with a shootout loss to the Bolts and an OTL to the Leafs. The Bruins still struggle to score 5v5 against the Bolts with all 3 goals coming on the PP. More secondary scoring is starting to show up on the scoresheet which helps but not at the level the team would like. The Bruins need more than the first line putting up points.5 (6.41)Carolina Hurricanes-36-3-01-2-06 (6.69)Vegas Golden Knights-6-3-02-1-0The Golden Knights are boasting one of the league's best special teams. Cody Glass's addition on the top unit has added an extra dimension to it allowing them to score on 30% of their power play chances. The penalty kill has only allowed two goals while scoring 4 short handed. Marc-Andre Fleury has been lights out lately playing like a Vezina candidate. But you have to ask the question if the Golden Knights are playing Fleury too much having him play all but one period in the season.7 (7.79)Anaheim Ducks36-3-02-2-0Ducks are living on the edge. Finishing problems have not been solved but Rakell looks night and day better than last season. Current team mood(not including Calgary): https://ift.tt/33urMd4 With wins over Buffalo and Carolina, the ducks look to shock teams thinking they can pull 4 points from a socal swing. Also does anyone have a power play goal for sale?8 (7.83)Washington Capitals-6-2-23-1-0Holtby has been much improved these last couple of games. Which is great news for Caps fans and bad news for everyone else. I think he may have realized his payday is coming up and he needs to get his numbers back to 2016-17 year. Although I would be okay with him repeating his playoff numbers from 17-18.9 (8.66)Pittsburgh Penguins56-3-02-1-0Despite having the most extensive injury list to start the season the boys are still playing at an elite level and winning games against tough opponents. Even in a loss against Vegas that game was kept close until very late but the Flower is going to do what he does best.10 (9.03)Toronto Maple Leafs-15-3-12-1-011 (12.21)Tampa Bay Lightning-4-3-12-1-0I really don't know what to make of this team yet. D has looked solid, and the PK hasn't been terrible (just need to win more faceoffs). The offense seemed to pick it up a little more, generating 46 shots against Colorado. The powerplay however, has looked awful, dropping from 28% last season to 16% this season.12 (13.86)Nashville Predators-4-3-11-1-1Well, the good news is the Preds found their missing PP. The bad news is now we need to start putting up flyers for their PK.13 (15.03)New York Islanders75-3-03-0-0Isles look to be getting into a groove now. Goaltending is solid and Mat Barzal is showing off his scoring while Nelson follows his regular Brocktober schedule. Wahlstrom being called up is very exciting with him showing some great skills, despite not getting his first goal yet. Next week's roster moves will be interesting, with Eberle hopefully returning to health and Dobson riding watching from upstairs lats couple of games.14 (15.03)Montreal Canadiens44-3-22-2-015 (15.21)St. Louis Blues-83-2-30-1-2This team is still hungover. Good play from some players but not really cohesive yet. Still early in the season though.16 (15.59)Calgary Flames-5-4-13-1-0A 3-1 week was the bounce back that the Flames needed, however an abysmal effort leading to a 4-1 loss against LA leaves fans wondering what kind of team the Flames are this year.17 (15.83)Arizona Coyotes54-2-13-0-0While the Coyotes have had one of the top D-groups in the league since last season, offense has finally started clicking for the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes have taken 9 of the last 10 available points, scoring 4.6 gpg over the previous week, and only allowing 2 gpg. The PP has heated up to over 30% in this time frame, and Darcy Kuemper set a franchise record for most consecutive games allowing 2 of fewer goals. Kuemper has not allowed more than 2 goals against now since March.18 (16.1)Vancouver Canucks55-3-03-1-0I suppose I should say something I'm thankful for this year, but as a true Canucks fan I'd rather just be an entitled little egg eater and not give thanks for anything. This team is pretty good, but what I really deserve this year is a Stanley Cup win, or maybe the first overall draft pick if we miss the playoffs. Ideally, the Canucks will win both, otherwise it's time to #firebenning. Anyway, The Canucks turned around their early season slide with a very convincing win at home vs. the Kings and a less-convincing shootout win vs. the Flyers. The top line continues to be somewhat stifled, but that's okay because there are now various interesting players to watch on this team. Miller and Hughes have both come exactly as-advertised, Markstorm is tight, and Pearson appears intent on revitalizing his career. Myers is big, and while I don't know how his play will end up on statlines, he is very fun to watch.19 (17)Winnipeg Jets-65-5-01-2-0Tough, week was tough. Last week saw us win 3 in a row, this week saw us lose 3 in a row. The truth is we're probably somewhere in the middle of that. No one is doubting this teams offensive depth or skill level, The defense continues to leave much to be desired. Rumblings of Buff's return continue to give us this false sense of hope about the season. The tenders have been decent, through this tough stretch. Not alot to say at this point. The forward core is good enough to score on anyone, but if they run into a hot goalie, like they did vs the Isles they are going to lose. Frustration isn't the correct word, I'd say it's more of a malais. Also, they failed to sell out a game for the first time in 2.0 history, I understand it was vs the Gila River Coyotes on a Tuesday while there was snow on the ground on October 15th, but still, not a great sign.20 (20.34)Florida Panthers13-2-32-0-1Can the Panthers end a game in regulation? Can the Panthers hold on to a lead? No and no. But they managed to win against Nashville without Barkov, pretty good.21 (21.79)Columbus Blue Jackets33-3-21-0-2Three solid performances this week, but both overtime losses were games that were very winnable. Poor power play performance continues to plague the Jackets and this year the penalty kill seems to be having issues too. Cam Atkinson is on the right wing side on the PP and it doesn't seem to be working. Outside of special teams, though, the young Jackets team has looked pretty good at driving the game though puck possession. There were multiple shifts vs Chicago that were a minute plus of sustained pressure and chances in 5 on 5 situations. Only issue here is burying chances which should eventually happen if this play keeps up. Two tough opponents this week should be a good test. Expect to see Elvis get his first win soon!22 (22.86)Philadelphia Flyers-52-3-10-3-0Thanks to the backup ranker, I'm a student who is working as well so sometimes time escapes me. Thanks again for covering last week. That being said, the flyers made me sad and I want them to not suck. Oilers hurt our Goodboye(tm) Hart, we lost to the flames who I feel we should have at least been able to take to overtime, and I dont want to talk about the stars game. Lets just hope that we do that hockey thing better this week.23 (23.48)New York Rangers-82-4-00-3-0This team's starting to look a little more as I expected. Actually a little worse than I figured. It may have been due to the schedule, but holy shit was this a painful week. There were only about 20 minutes of hockey that I was hyped about this week and that was the third period against the Canucks. Defense needs to be addressed and the forward lines need to be sorted out. Andersson still deserves more minutes and Kakko should get time with the first line and possibly even the first power play unit. Hopefully this upcoming week gets better.24 (23.52)San Jose Sharks33-5-01-1-0Much better week for the Sharks. The rookies are starting to look more comfortable, and everything is starting to fall into place. The team is starting to regain confidence and everyone's playing much better than the first week.25 (23.62)Chicago Blackhawks32-3-12-1-0Kirby Dach made his NHL debut last night. The 3rd line of Saad-Kampf-Kubalik has been the most consistent, and arguably our best line so far. They have a 60.75 CF% and 67.90 FF% at even strength, and the team has a 46.54 CF% and 42.91 FF% when none of them are on the ice. The Hawks are a much more physical team, averaging 31.3 hits/game, up from 16.5 last season. But are hurt by poor special teams: they are 3 for 18 on the PP (16.7%) and 12 for 18 on the PK (66.7%).26 (23.79)Los Angeles Kings-13-5-01-2-0no bueno for the kings this week, Drew Doughty may have exerted dominance in his love-hate relationship with Matthew Tchakuk. along with a flying Mark Giordano superman appearance. The Kings look poised for mediocrity or worse again.27 (23.86)Detroit Red Wings-83-5-00-3-0We expected regression to hit at some point, things took a turn for the worse as they went 0-3 getting killed by VAN/CGY. The “veterans” seem to be hindering development. Dropping Bertuzzi from the top line to create “balanced” scoring was unnecessary by Blashill as no increased production came from Athanasiou along with decreases in Larkin/Mantha hot start. Most teams in the league load up a top line(COL/BOS) or have players to spread out(VGK/STL). Detroit is definitely not the latter and having Darren Helm on the top line kill many opportunities for Larkin/Mantha. Defense is still lackluster outside of Hronek and the Goaltending is still hard to evaluate since the defense is playing so poor. However I still maintain that Howard and Bernier do well enough to keep the WIngs in games. Their loss against EDM was a good step forward as Bertuzzi rejoined the top line near the end of the game and they were able to keep the EDM studs from running up the score.28 (27.59)New Jersey Devils22-4-22-1-0WE DID THE THING! It may have taken us longer than everyone else but we did it and against the Rags, making it all the sweeter. Predictably, the rampant calling for Hynes' head in the sub and GDTs have largely subsided, though he is still very much on the hot seat. Hughes got his first goal of hopefully many against his brother's team, and it ended up being the GW and only goal. The team as a whole seems much more cohesive and the pieces are starting to fall into place. And in possibly the best news of the week, we signed Nico long term, 7 years 7.25 AAV with a MNTC. Having Nico signed until 2027 is a relief knowing exactly how much a high talent player will be making before the offseason hits.29 (28.24)Dallas Stars-32-7-11-3-0If you're panicking this week, I don't blame you. I am, too. Things went almost as bad as they could have. The negatives are many. We're all aware of them, so let's try to be optimistic. What went right this week? Hintz and Heiskanen continue to deliver. Bishop showed he can still stand on his head for a win. Perry and Gurianov look promising. Can we take our successes against Philly and triumph against the Senators tonight? Can we use this win to build momentum and get key players back to playing elite hockey? Lets hope... otherwise, it's going to get messy, and you'd have to imagine that drastic changes are on the table.30 (29.97)Ottawa Senators-11-5-10-2-1An incredibly boring loss against the Minnesota Mild this week pointed the Sens' tank back in the right direction this week. Despite an incredible performance from Nilsson in Las Vegas and finally recording a goal on the powerplay, the team managed no wins and only a single point over the course of this week - exactly the kind of performance they want to continue if they wish to remain at 31st in the standings for the best possible shot at 1st overall pick in the 2020 draft. The only concerning part about this week is in Chabot, Tkachuk, White, and Zaitsev all clearly looking frustrated by the team's struggles; It will be a test of new coach DJ Smith and the "veteran presence" guys that Dorion brought in to keep locker room morale up in this tough rebuild year.31 (30.14)Minnesota Wild-2-6-02-2-0This blurb requires more effort than the Minnesota Wild have shown so far this season. Were it not for a dumpster fire of a matinee game against Ottawa, Minny would still be looking for their first win of the season going into Sunday's tilt against Montreal. 8 games in and Brad Hunt is the leading the team in points. Seems pretty fitting as the rest of the team is playing like total Hunts (unfortunate that one important key on my keyboard is broken). r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Feeling Blue Edition Source

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Butch Davis’ FIU is coming together exactly as we expected

Davis’ experienced Panthers have overachieved a bit in his first two years, and now recent stellar recruiting could kick in.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

Just imagine what FIU might become when it has its act together! Just think of what might happen when recruiting kicks in!

That’s what I kept reminding myself as I was putting together info for the Panthers’ 2019 preview.

In two years under Butch Davis, FIU has overachieved quite a bit, perhaps in an unsustainable way. In terms of post-game win expectancies (in which I take a team’s performance in a given game and say, “With these key stats, you could have expected to win this game X percent of the time”), the Panthers should have won 13.8 games in 2017-18 (6.4 in 2017, 7.4 in 2018). Instead, they won 17.

In 2018, FIU went 9-4, winning statistical tossups against Old Dominion and Toledo and stealing a game they had no business stealing against MTSU — a 24-21 victory in which they had a vastly inferior success rate (42 percent to 31 percent) and got badly beaten in the field position battle. They still fell a game short of MTSU in the C-USA East race but bolstered the turnaround that had begun the moment Davis set foot on FIU’s campus, back in the Miami area where he had previously experienced professional highs.

Davis’ career has been one at which to marvel. A former Arkansas defensive end, he spent most of the 1970s coaching high school ball in Arkansas and Oklahoma but ended up on Jimmy Johnson’s staff at Oklahoma State (1979-83), then Miami (1984-88). He followed Johnson to the Dallas Cowboys (defensive line coach for four years, defensive coordinator for two) before taking on the job of rebuilding a sanctions-laden Miami program in 1995.

An Oklahoma boy by birth, Davis has been most at home in South Florida. He went just 22-12 in his first three years at The U but broke through with 18 wins in 1998-99, then went 11-1 in 2000, barely missing out on the BCS title game. He left to become the Cleveland Browns’ head coach, and his successor, Larry Coker, won a national title in 2001 and nearly won another in 2002.

Davis’ Miami connections are legion. He went just 24-35 with the Browns and went just 28-23 in four seasons at UNC (technically 12-23 after vacated wins), but when the FIU job came open after the 2016 season, his name made tons of sense. And in three recruiting cycles since taking the job, he’s signed 47 three- or four-star prospects, most of whom have been based in or around the Miami area.

After two seasons of statistical overachievement, I would typically be warning you to sell your FIU stock at this point. The randomness and luck will regress to the mean. But as they do so, talent could take over. FIU not only returns a vast majority of last year’s two-deep (sixth in returning production) but also boasts a burgeoning set of recent star recruits hoping to break onto the depth chart.

At the moment, the Panthers’ roster features four three-star quarterbacks, seven three-star running backs, 15 three-star receivers, seven three-star offensive linemen, 10 three and four-star defensive linemen, six three-star linebackers, and six three-star defensive backs. No one else in Conference USA can match that level of potential.

It would take quite a bit of regression to the mean in the luck department to prevent this program from exploding. It has long appeared that returning to South Florida and building a mid-major power would be the perfect final verse of the 67-year old Davis’ career, and things are coming to fruition. Even if the Panthers had indeed only won six games in 2017 and seven in 2018, I’d be trying to talk you into a 2019 breakthrough. The inflated recent win total simply means you’ll be more easily convinced.

Offense

Rich Skrosky’s last two gigs before becoming Davis’ offensive coordinator, as I put it two years ago when he was hired, left different impressions. From 2011-13, he was Pete Lembo’s efficiency-heavy Ball State offensive coordinator, relying on quick, short passing to overcome a lack of explosiveness. As Elon’s head coach from 2014-16, well, we don’t really know what the intention was because the Phoenix were too bad to execute it.

FIU was certainly Ball State-like in one area. Whereas former BSU quarterback completed 64 percent of his passes under Skrosky, Bowling Green transfer James Morgan, FIU’s 2018 starter, completed 65 percent while getting the ball out of his hands quickly enough to avoid sacks (FIU ranked second in the country in sack rate).

Morgan’s top three receivers (two of whom return in 2019) all enjoyed success rates of 52 percent or higher, and FIU ranked an excellent 27th in passing marginal efficiency and 36th in marginal explosiveness.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

James Morgan

Unfortunately, Skrosky loves a nice, balanced offense, and despite being slightly run-first overall, FIU couldn’t run the ball. Sure, the foursome of Napoleon Maxwell, Shawnderrius Phillips, D’Vonte Price, and Anthony Jones put up lovely cumulative stats — 379 carries, 1,974 yards, 22 touchdowns — but they were dramatically boom-and-bust. FIU ranked an untenable 117th in rushing marginal efficiency but a thrilling ninth in rushing marginal explosiveness.

Now, complementing an all-or-nothing run game with quick passing allowed FIU to catch up to the chains pretty well; despite facing a lot of second-and-9s, the Panthers were great at avoiding third-and-longs — only 39 percent of their third downs required seven or more yards, fifth-best in FBS.

Still, in terms of doing the most of what you’re best at, FIU’s offense wasn’t exactly optimal last year, and it made FIU inconsistent overall. As you see from the Panthers’ stat profile, their offensive percentile performance was 77th percentile or higher four times and 36th percentile or lower four times.

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Napoleon Maxwell

Experience tends to aid consistency, though, and FIU will have tons of experience this fall. Morgan’s back, as are two of his top three targets — Maurice Alexander (the most reliable weapon with a 68 percent catch rate) and Austin Maloney (the most explosive, at 19 yards per catch) — and basically every target thereafter.

There are quite a few juniors and seniors atop the two-deep here, but all those recent recruits are banging on the door, from mid-three-star sophomore Cadarius Gaskin (only three catches last year, but one was a 75-yard touchdown) to redshirt freshmen Maurquel Dillard and Jordan Underwood, to five incoming three-star freshmen. Morgan might have to throw more just out of accommodation.

Of course, it appears he’s going to have all four of his RBs back, too. Maxwell appears to have been granted an extra year of eligibility after missing two full seasons with injury, and as far as I can tell, Phillips is back with the team after missing the bowl with legal issues. Price and Jones are scheduled to return, too, meaning that once again, the youngsters — redshirt freshmen Shaun Peterson Jr. and Demarcus Townsend, incoming freshman Lexington “Flex” Joseph* — will have to bide their time.

Jones was the No. 4 rusher in this group, but his story is probably the one you’re most familiar with. He rushed for 92 yards and three scores (including the game-winner) in the Bahamas Bowl against Toledo, which was noteworthy enough; he did so, however, about three months after getting shot. That’s, uh, impressive degree of difficulty there.

The line does face a bit of a retooling. All-conference guard Jordan Budwig is gone, as are three others who combined for 17 starts in 2018. Three players with starting experience — including two-year starting center Dallas Connell — are back, but the Panthers will have at least two new starters up front, and Davis doesn’t have as many former star recruits here as elsewhere. (Mountainous JUCO transfer Logan Gunderson could certainly alleviate any concerns by hitting the ground running.)

* If you’re still on the fence about FIU’s potential, let the fact that Davis just signed a back named Flex from Miami Central push you over the top.

Defense

Dan Morgan ... Ed Reed ... Sean Taylor ... Davis’ Miami defenses were defined by the ability to both push you around and then swoop in to collect your mistakes when you got desperate. FIU was able to do at least the latter half of that last year.

The run defense was quite bad. Despite sporadic contributions from two four-star JUCO tackles (Teair Tart and Tayland Humphrey), the Panthers ranked 111th in Rushing S&P+, 114th in opportunity rate (percentage of non-sack carries gaining at least four yards), and 116th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line). If you were patient, you could find room to run.

If you had to pass, however, things probably weren’t going to work out well for you. FIU ranked just 91st in standard downs marginal efficiency but 18th on passing downs. There wasn’t much of a pass rush, but the secondary was dynamite. Three DBs (plus linebacker Sage Lewis) defensed at least seven passes, and safeties Richard Dames and Dorian Hall — a sophomore and freshman, respectively, last year — picked off three each.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Richard Dames

And now almost literally everyone returns. Dames, Hall, and fellow safeties Olin Cushion III and Tyree Johnson all return, and while corner Emmanuel Lubin departs, seniors Stantley Thomas-Oliver III and Isaiah Brown and junior Rishard Dames are all back to man the corner position. (The Panthers also might have Iowa transfer Josh Turner in the rotation if the NCAA’s Random Wheel of Destiny deems him immediately eligible.)

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Sage Lewis (3)

This should be one of the best Group of Five pass defenses in the country, one around which you can build a fun identity. But it will only be so effective if FIU still can’t defend the run.

Tart and Humphrey could be the keys. Tart was all-or-nothing (seven of his 16.5 tackles were for a loss), and Humphrey didn’t appear capable of playing many snaps (he’s listed at 6’5, 350), but they’ll be asked to make more of a contribution following the loss of tackles Anthony Johnson and Jermaine Sheriff. The ends (junior Noah Curtis, sophomore Jason Mercier, etc.) were both young and unproductive in 2018, and the hope has to be that solving the former will solve the latter.

Special Teams

FIU is 8-2 in one-possession games under Davis, and while that might be unsustainable in the long-term, having nice, balanced special teams units can be a secret close-game weapon, and the Panthers have been top-50 in Special Teams S&P+ each year.

FIU will miss Stone Wilson’s booming punts (44-yard average, though he did outkick coverage sometimes), but Sean Young’s kickoffs were automatic touchbacks, and in Jose Borregales the Panthers have one of the more strong-legged kickers in the league. And Maurice Alexander is scary in punt returns. This should again be a strong unit.

2019 outlook

2019 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 29-Aug at Tulane 98 1.3 53% 7-Sep Western Kentucky 101 7.8 67% 14-Sep New Hampshire NR 18.8 86% 12-Sep at Louisiana Tech 86 -3.4 42% 5-Oct Massachusetts 125 19.1 87% 12-Oct Charlotte 120 17.0 84% 19-Oct UTEP 130 27.7 95% 26-Oct at Middle Tennessee 104 3.5 58% 2-Nov Old Dominion 119 16.7 83% 9-Nov at Florida Atlantic 79 -4.5 40% 23-Nov vs. Miami 19 -17.3 16% 30-Nov at Marshall 77 -4.6 39%

Projected S&P+ Rk 88 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 67 / 97 Projected wins 7.5 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -13.9 (115) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 78 2018 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 9 / -0.9 2018 TO Luck/Game +3.8 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 80% (85%, 76%) 2018 Second-order wins (difference) 7.4 (1.6)

It’s hard not to be excited about this team, isn’t it? Even if S&P+ isn’t? Because of the run inefficiency on both sides of the ball, and because of the a-little-too-good close-game fortune, FIU ranked only 96th last year and is projected to improve to only 88th. That’s a reminder that we might not see all the pieces fall into place just yet ... but it’s not inconceivable that we see a decent-sized leap.

Even at just 88th, S&P+ still gives FIU an excellent shot at six or more wins thanks to a schedule that is cakey even by C-USA standards. Only one opponent is projected higher than 77th, and eight are projected 98th or worse. So just as the good fortune wears off, easy scheduling and massive recruiting kick in. That’ll do.

Even if FIU’s record is a bit inflated, this is working out exactly as we might have envisioned for Davis. I’m excited to see how far he can take this program, and it’s perhaps just a few answers in the trenches away from a C-USA title run.

Team preview stats

All 2019 preview data to date.

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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MARTIN SAMUEL: Portrush was a hit, so now let’s take The Open to Wales

All reasons not to take the Open to Royal Portrush are now just as advanced to keep it away from Royal Porthcawl.

The roads are too small, the infrastructure is insufficient, there is not enough room for the crowds, there is not enough room for the hospitality.

And yet when the success of Irish golfers – especially those from the north – made the screams to return to irresistible portrush, a way was found to make it work.

Irish Shane Lowry won The Open at Royal Portrush on Sunday evening

host in Northern Ireland a great Open, it took place for 237,750 spectators – most of them attending outside of St. Andrews.

For the first time in history, every ticket was broken in advance. The Irish public responded magnificently to this opportunity and The Open will definitely be back – and soon.

The promise was that if this worked, Portrush would get two Opens in the next 30 years. Now there is talk of bringing it back as early as 2024.

Royal St George's in Sandwich will host next year, the 150th Open will be held in St Andrews, of course, in 2021, with Royal Liverpool already named after 2022.

Muirfield & # 39; s reward for finally recognizing that half of the planet exists, is likely to open in 2023, leaving Portrush as a favorite for 2024, with Royal Lytham out of favor .

So what about Wales? Not in 2024, but soon. How is it possible that one of the four countries in the UK has never held The Open – with the last R&A statement made in 2015 after Porthcawl successfully organized a Senior Open announcing it & # 39 ; not the intention & # 39; was a Welsh addition to consider going to the roster.

For the first time in history, each major card was picked up in advance

Those who know Porthcawl – 30 miles west of Cardiff, 20 miles east of Swansea – say it is the same as all connections in Britain. It was Tom Watson's enthusiasm for the place that forced the R&A to reject it.

& # 39; There is no weak hole & # 39 ;, he said. & # 39; It would be a great Open Championship course. I fell in love the moment I saw it. It's just a great hole after the other, everything you want on a golf course. & # 39;

Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer have confirmed this approval.

Yet Wales has never produced an Open champion – Ian Woosnam & # 39; s 1991 The victory of the American Masters is the only major victory of a Welshman – meaning that the R&A is not under pressure to protect the region. rewarding because it was Northern Ireland when Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke came to the fore.

Does Wales have to wait for three Woosnams before it is recognized?

And is the reason that Wales, in comparison, has not achieved enough in golf that the R&A treats the region as unimportant?

It is very unfortunate. The Welsh audience proved effective for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in 2010 and events at Portrush showed what can be achieved with a little bit of will, and how new territory can be captured and captivated by an opportunity.

Porthcawl has more to it than just geography. It would be a unique Open location – one where the sea can be seen on all 18 holes – and free of complications that affect many of the traditional courses.

Muirfield gets a knock on the head to change his position, but the ladies' section in Porthcawl is so important that the rooms enjoy the prime location in the clubhouse.

Porthcawl has more to it than just geography – it would being a unique open location

Tiger Woods played it and lost to Gary Wolstenholme in the 1995 Walker Cup at the age of 19. And at 7,200 meters, it has moved with the times.

It was only the circumstance that deprived Porthcawl of his place on the roster anyway. The R&A championship committee wanted to add it to their list earlier and to facilitate this the changes in the course started in 1933.

After the second world war the redesign was embedded when the Second World War broke out and by the then it was over, Porthcawl's chance had disappeared.

Yet the most arresting argument was to revisit its potential as a future open location – to make it a priority – cam when this year's champion, Shane Lowry, was considering what it meant to have an Irish winner of an Open in Ireland.

& # 39; I think people have watched golf today who have never watched golf before, & # 39; he said.

Every sports manager talks about growing the game. So how can the R&A continue this exclusion? If Porthcawl still needs a Woosnam, where will inspiration come from if visitors are just amateurs and old men?

Murray's lack of self-pity is a great lesson for unfortunate Duval

David Duval was a great golfer. At the Masters in 2001, he shot a score that the tournament would have won size four every year. He became second. Tiger Woods has won. He won many tournaments when Duval was at its peak.

We will never know the extent to which this frustration and disappointment have contributed to a sudden decline. Injuries certainly also played a role – but it couldn't have helped.

On Thursday during the Open, Duval took so many on the seventh that he lost count. By Friday evening he was 13 shots off the field.

Some say he should not have accepted the invitation – which he will receive every year until he is 60, because he won at Royal Lytham in 2001.

Yet Duval struggles strongly with the career from another great person whose timing was a little different: Andy Murray. Just like Duval, he came in a time of fierce competition.

The fight of the American golfer David Duval contrasts sharply with the career of Andy Murray

Just as Duval was overshadowed by Woods, anyone playing tennis in the same era as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic can be considered the short drop too have drawn.

Murray never sees it that way. Never complains, never complains about his fate. He thinks that taking this trio has improved him, inspired him to achieve standards that he would never have achieved otherwise.

The absolute absence of self-pity is one of the most impressive aspects of his character.

Who knows where Duval's game could be now, would have been more philosophical and even more thankful for his battles with Woods? Not 27 past par, maybe.

Koepka's ticking time bomb for the US

For those who still wonder why the United States can have more than half of the world's top 10 golfers and the Ryder Cup record that, frankly, it sucks, it was all there in portrush.

Brooks Koepka could be seen looking at rule officials and tapping an imaginary watch while waiting for his compatriot, JB Holmes, to play the 12th.

Later he moaned about the slowness of Holmes's play. & # 39; What I don't understand is when it's your turn to hit and your glove isn't on, & # 39; said Koepka. "He does nothing until his turn."

And he's right. Holmes was an age and is known for it.

Yet one can hardly imagine that potential teammates of the European team cause problems for each other in this way. Not least because Koepka would have been very aware that Sunday was probably the worst day of Holmes' professional life.

He started his last lap in third place, 10 under par and after a round of 87 – 16 above par – he concluded that it was 67th.

Brooks Koepka (C) tapped an imaginary watch while waiting for JB Holmes (R) to play the 12th

You could imagine even in a single game such as golf, there could be sympathy between players who are one day on the same team, a comforting word, at least a bit of understanding.

Holmes can also be considered as mitigating circumstances. He needed brain surgery in 2011 to tackle a condition that caused dizziness. He still has an assistance dog, Ace, who helps him calm down when the situation strikes.

So it is an important achievement that he is competing at all and not entirely unreasonable to think that Koepka, however frustrated, would not wish to make a bad situation worse.

Perhaps he feels like world number 1 that with 23 Americans separating him and Holmes – ranked 57th – keeping companionship is not a priority.

Yet Holmes created the United States Ryder Cup team on two previous occasions – coincidentally in 2008 and 2016 the only two times that the US won this century.

Meanwhile, the mystery of American underperformance continues.

What game does Poch play now about his traces of the future?

Last season ended with speculation about whether Mauricio Pochettino would leave Tottenham, and this season begins with the manager discussing the same topic. Even though he has decided to stay.

So why would you bring it up? Why announce that he would have left if Tottenham had won the Champions League.

If Pochettino would have stopped if Tottenham had defeated Liverpool, in what other circumstances could his head be turned around?

If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes a bad show of his first full season in Manchester United? It is all so unnecessary. Pochettino remains. End of story. Why would you comment on what was possible?

The champions of Pochettino say that uncertainty about his future last season was an exercise in brinkmanship to convince Daniel Levy to invest in players.

Yet Tottenham has already spent £ 54 million on Tanguy Ndombele, with another £ 80 million due this week on Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon. If it was brinkmanship, it worked.

So what game is being played now?

] Last season ended with speculation about whether Mauricio Pochettino would leave Tottenham

It is money that speaks to the city in China, does not make friends

Manchester City left with a stabbing reprimand from the state Run news agency, Xinhua. The club was accused of arrogance and an attempt to win & # 39; wallets, not hearts & spirits & # 39 ;.

The fact that criticism of the English-language website of Xinhua was included means that it was also meant to be read here.

& # 39; Their performance in China was nothing more than a commercial obligation, and their lack of enthusiasm and indifferent treatment of their hosts contrasts sharply with representatives of other clubs, "Xinhua noted.

"Wolves could no longer do to deal with fans and treated China with the utmost dignity. Today those clubs leave with new respect and new fans; Manchester City leaves with neither. & # 39;

Given that City was preparing a pitch during a visit to 2016 that was so bad that the game with Manchester United could not be played, it could be considered a two-way street.

What this episode does reveal, however, is a rather surprising naivety about traveling to the Premier League to the east. There are hearts and minds all over the world.

Manchester City was accused of arrogance and an attempt to win & # 39; portfolios & # 39; & # 39; by Xinhua

Yet Premier League clubs do not just go somewhere. What interests football are markets.

None of the clubs are in China for a cultural experience, for making friends, or for a well-conceived altruistic reason.

Every smile, every courtesy, every charity visit is billed in one way or another. Perhaps Manchester City behaved unpleasantly during their journey. Maybe elite success comes with elite successes.

But anyone who thinks the Premier League Asia Cup – or the International Champions Cup, or one of the pre-season jamborees taking place on continents – is anything but the purses of an almost touching innocence.

Perhaps the Chinese believe that gambling company claims that it also wants to make sure that football shirts are not allowed to advertise.

What are you going to say about Gareth Bale when he is 30 years old, he makes a move to China because they have the only clubs that can match his wages at Real Madrid?

So far, the aversion of Zinedine Zidane to Bale & # 39; s talents is enigmatic. Even if he is not a starter under the new coach, his value as a replacement impact has been demonstrated.

For Zidane to use 22 players – 11 in each half – in a friendly relationship with Bayern Munich on the weekend, and leaving Bale on the standard seems counterproductive.

But if Bale rejects chances to play in a leading European league for financial reasons and good recordings of top-class club football – and perhaps international football, given the standard of competition in China – then Zidane & # 39; s judgment will be justified.

If Bale makes money, he loses. Only by playing at a level that matches his ability can he continue to win.

So far, Zinedine Zidane (right) aversion of Gareth Bale (left) talents is a mystery

There have not been a single day in the series this summer in which the cricketers of England were not played out by Australia .

So it is ridiculous that a kind of moral victory is supposed over Australia's refusal to set a goal for England to pursue Sunday.

England, trailing 6-0 in the series, stated 145 is short for the total of the first innings in Australia in an attempt to make the visitors run stupid.

This is praised in some circles as a sort of success for England – presumably to avoid questions of a somewhat more searching nature.

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#MARTIN SAMUEL: Portrush was a hit #so now let’s take The Open to Wales"

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: Carolina Updates; McLellan in Los Angeles; Pominville; Devon Toews – April 18

In a surprise to no one, both Andrei Svechnikov and Micheal Ferland were not practicing with the ‘Canes on Wednesday. The former following his fight against Alex Ovechkin, the latter an upper-body injury. On the bright side, Calvin de Haan was practicing with the team. He was on as an extra meaning he may not be ready for Game 4 but he is cleared, so it’s a comfort level thing for de Haan now.

With Svechnikov and Ferland out of the lineup, the coaching staff loaded the top line with Teravainen, Aho, and Niederreiter. Staal and Williams were flanked by Warren Foegele.

The Los Angeles Kings held a press conference introducing Todd McLellan as their next head coach. You can read my take on the hiring here.

Something that caught my eye in Cam Metz’s article a couple days ago in his Eastern Edge column. He wrote about production against expected production from right wingers in the Atlantic division. One guy whose name stood out: Jason Pominville.

In 837 minutes of five-on-five ice time, Pominville posted 2.01 points per 60 minutes. Among the 252 forwards with at least 800 minutes, only 86 forwards managed at least two points per 60 minutes at 5v5. Pominville’s rate was the same as Brayden Schenn and Joe Pavelski. Pominville accomplished this despite playing only about a third of his ice time with Jack Eichel.

Going back three seasons, Pominville’s aggregate points/60 minutes at 5v5 (1.93) is the same as Gustav Nyquist, and higher than other wingers like Pavelski, Alex Radulov, Evander Kane, and Justin Williams.

Now, there is a lot more to hockey than just simply a points rate at five-on-five, but it’s clear that Pominville can still be productive in the NHL in a lesser role, and can do so even in a low-scoring environment. However, he turns 37 in November and it’s a wonder how much he does have left.

I’ll be interested to see where he lands this summer.

The Selke Trophy finalists were announced Wednesday night:

2019 Selke Finalists: Bergeron (BOS), O’Reilly (STL) & Stone (LV)

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 17, 2019

I don't have a particular problem with any of the choices. Maybe guys like Crosby, Couturier, and Barkov deserved some recognition but it's not like there's an egregious nomination in there. People may quibble with Bergeron's games played or something. I won't.

A couple late goals brought the Leafs within one, but Boston skated out of Toronto with a 6-4 win, evening the series at two games each. David Pastrnak scored two goals less than two minutes apart in the second period, while Auston Matthews would reply with two of his own. Matthews had seven shots on goal and over 21 minutes of ice time in what was probably his best game of the series.

Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists, his second multi-point game of the series. He’s now up to six points in four games.

Charlie McAvoy had a power-play goal and an assist less than seven minutes into the game, his first points of the series.

Here’s a thought I’m starting to come around on: McAvoy should be a guy fantasy owners target this offseason. I suppose a strong playoff performance could change the conversation, but it seems like when discussion about the top young defencemen in the game occurs, McAvoy is often left out. It’s often Dahlin, or Chabot, or Heiskanen, or even Hughes, though he’s less frequent. Cale Makar has now exploded on the scene. It almost seems like McAvoy has been in that conversation so long, going back to the 2017 playoffs when he played 26 minutes a night as a 19-year old, he’s graduated beyond the expectations of a young defenceman. The fact that he’s missed some time also works in favour of muting expectations, even though he’s played over a 40-point/82-game pace for his regular season career. Torey Krug very well may not be around in a year because of an impending cap crunch. The price may be high, as it should be, but maybe not high enough.

Nashville never got off the ground against Dallas as the Stars took a 4-0 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first, cruising to a 5-1 win to also even their series at two games apiece. Roope Hintz scored his first two goals of the series, his second multi-goal game of the season, while John Klingberg had three assists to give him five helpers in four games this series.

Pekka Rinne was pulled after the fourth goal.

Not too much to glean from a game that was over with over 45 minutes of game time left.

Update on the late game in the morning.

The wounds are still fresh in Tampa Bay but there has been a lot said and a lot more will be said about their sweep. They’ll cover everything from the Lightning choking, to injury issues on the blue line, to guys like Kucherov and Point being pushed off their game. And there are a lot of legitimate reasons why Columbus took the series over the Bolts.

Let’s not lose the sight of two things:

Even the most pessimistic models would have had Columbus winning that series roughly once every five chances.

Teams usually don’t win a playoff series when they get .856 goaltending.

I think that last point is kind of going overlooked here in the immediate aftermath of Tampa Bay being bounced from the postseason. We can talk about the Columbus forecheck, the lack of scoring from Tampa’s top players, the injuries to either side, whatever. The fact of the matter is that your goaltender saving 86 percent of the shots he faces is unlikely to lead to success.

And bad goaltending happens all the time. Andrei Vasilevskiy is going to be in the mix for the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender of the regular season and he had a couple poor four-game stretches in the regular season. For example, from March 23 – April 1, he posted an .843 in four games. There was a run of four games from December 18 – 29 where he posted an .891. Stretches like this happen, it just happened to be at the worst time possible. If you want to know how important having, at the least, solid goaltending is in the playoffs, just look at the San Jose-Vegas series.

Hopefully there isn’t a knee-jerk reaction from Tampa. This is a very good roster from top to bottom and most of their core is locked up. Hockey is random, teams just need to give themselves as many kicks at the can as they can possibly manage.

On the flipside, I was very pessimistic for the Jackets even after the trade deadline, but their play since has proven themselves true contenders. It’s nice to see a general manager be rewarded for taking a tremendous risk even if I thought the risk was foolish at the time. I’ll take the ‘L’ here and say congrats to the Jackets and their fans. They’re going to be a handful for any team to try to expel from the postseason.

Speaking of the Columbus deadline acquisitions, Matt Duchene had a fantastic series with seven points in four games. Aside from the seven points, he led the team in adjusted shot share at five-on-five and Columbus outscored Tampa Bay 4-1 when he was on the ice at five-on-five. He didn’t do a whole lot in the regular season post-deadline but his play in the first round made his acquisition completely worth it. What a marvelous series.

I don’t understand the slander the Penguins are catching. We knew the Islanders were a very good defensive team that had arguably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL this year. Pittsburgh hasn’t missed the playoffs in 13 seasons and have three Stanley Cups in the last decade. They can’t win every year, you know? Maybe the fact that it’s a sweep caught some of us by surprise, but does it really matter if your team gets bounced in the first round in six games rather than four?

On the topic of Matt Duchene pulling through, how about Max Pacioretty and Jordan Eberle? Remember when those two were players a franchise couldn’t rely upon for big performances? Pacioretty has 10 points in four games with the Sharks on the verge of elimination while Eberle had four goals and six points in the four-game sweep of the Penguins.

Their respective performances are just a reminder to casual hockey fans that they’re very good players.

On the topic of the Islanders: is there anyone on that team more unheralded than Devon Toews? He may be playing on the bottom pair but he’s been very good on that bottom pair in the playoffs, sporting a shot share 7.7 percent above the team average, the Islanders outscored the Penguins 3-1 with him on the ice, and he even registered two power play points in the series.

Looking ahead to next season, it’s hard to see a big jump fantasy-wise. They may lose Eberle to free agency and there’s no guarantee that the young prospects like Oliver Wahlstrom or Kieffer Bellows are going to be reliable scorers in 2019-20. Expecting the Islanders to be higher scoring next year than this past season may not be reasonable. At least, not yet. We’ll see what happens to the roster in the summer.

It’s an interesting situation because Toews has seen some time over the last month or so running the top PP unit. Ultimately, I think that spot belongs to Ryan Pulock in 2019-20 but at the least, the coaching staff sees Toews as a challenger to that spot. Maybe we see a Will Butcher-type season where Toews only plays 18 minutes a night or whatever, but because of the heavy top PP exposure, he can push 40 points.

All the same, it was an impressive rookie season, albeit shortened to fewer than 50 games, and he’s looked as impressive in the playoffs. Having him develop into a top-4 defenceman – and he may be one already – would be a huge boost to this franchise and a winning lottery ticket for dynasty fantasy owners.

In the fallout of the Tampa series, one player I’m very interested in fantasy-wise, outside of their top stars obviously, is Anthony Cirelli.

It was a stellar season for Cirelli with 19 goals and 39 points, with only one power play point mixed in. I think that’s important to point out: 39 points might not seem like a great total, but he also had just 24 minutes of PP time over the course of the regular season. When looking at his primary points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, he fared better than some players who were often in the top-6 like J.T. Miller and Ondrej Palat.

This Tampa team will look a bit different next season. There is a cap crunch coming with Kucherov’s extension kicking in and Brayden Point due to be re-signed. With all the no-trade clauses on the team, by process of elimination, it seems likely that Miller is traded. Cirelli also centred Steven Stamkos in Game 4. The coaching staff clearly thinks a lot of Cirelli.

I’m still skeptical, of course. Some of the micro-stats like zone entries and exits weren’t great, but his defensive numbers were excellent. In an ideal world, I think Tampa wants to run Point-Stamkos-Cirelli down the middle but this isn’t always an ideal world. I’ll be fascinated to see where Cirelli slots when the exhibition season rolls around.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-carolina-updates-mclellan-in-los-angeles-pominville-devon-toews-april-18/

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