Jarome Iginla: So Close, Yet So Far

As if waking up at 7:00 am wasn't terrible in its own right, I awoke to downright confusing news. 

Hours before, Jarome Iginla was headed to Boston in a alleged deal which would fortify the front lines of a team struggling with bouts of inconsistency as the playoffs grow near. Iginla, the most talented player available across league trade blocks, figured to be the defining piece of whichever team he joined. The aging veteran would take Boston by storm, immediately make an impact while awing fans with his offensive skills and a willingness to buy into the team concept employed by Claude Julien. The narrative, and for the moment the deal, were set in place. 

But this morning offered a different tale. Things did not go as planned for Peter Chiarelli, as I had the privilege of finding out in the early hours of a gloomy Thursday morning. And as more of you awoke to the news of Iginla's deal to a rival (hopefully at a later time without an exam to stress over), the general mood stayed consistent. Shock, confusion, anger, jealousy.

Those damn Pittsburgh Penguins. 

For the second time this week, Peter Chiarelli found himself on the losing end of a battle for Eastern Conference supremacy. His opponent on the other end, Ray Shero, General Manager of the Penguins. Shero has turned a combination of draft picks and middling prospects into Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow, and Douglas Morrow, strengthening a team that didn't offer many flaws to begin with. 

To pour salt in the would, as if Bruins fans haven't had enough already, Shero came incredibly close to becoming the lead executive of the Bruins in 2006. Ironically, talks broke down at the last second, and Shero instead fled for Steeltown USA.

Funny how that works. 

Now, the Bruins are left reeling, left to scour a rather slim trade market as injuries mount and pressure from other conference foes increases. After another blown 3rd-period lead to vaunted rival Montreal, Boston must quickly change focus and look for improvements at essentially any position. These past few weeks haven't been kind to either Chiarelli or Julien, as noticeable flaws in defensive consistency and an inability to score timely goals have turned the Bruins from definite cup contender to and erratic bunch filled with question marks.

Would Jarome Iginla have solved every problem? Maybe not.

And to be fair, it's impossible to place blame on Boston. Chiarelli made a competitive offer, as a combination of Alex Kokhlachev and Matt Bartkowski coupled with a first-round draft pick trumped Pittsburgh's deal in the eyes of Calgary GM Jay Feaster.

Unfortunately, much like Brenden Morrow's situation in Dallas, Jarome Iginla did not want to play in Boston. And while that sounds shocking to those who live and die by the black and gold, Iginla's preference to skate with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh makes too much sense. With playmakers all over the ice, Iginla can breathe in Pittsburgh in hopes of rekindling the scoring prowess which made him one of the best in the NHL.

Now, the Bruins are left to pick up the pieces, again. Chiarelli now has two options. Stay content to ride it out with a roster which has won a cup before, or go "all-in," moving prospects to secure notable talent which can compete with Pittsburgh. But will it be enough? 

The season hangs in the balance for the Bruins. Can Peter Chiarelli make another timely trade, a theme Bostonians have become accustomed too at the NHL trade deadline? Or have the Penguins turned this into a NBA-esque arms race?

Time is running out.

What's Going On in New England?

Take a deep breath, Patriots fans.

Despite a relatively minimal presence throughout the first day of free agency, New England rocked the football landscape on day two, naturally creating an uproar throughout the region.

There's a lot to process. 48 hours ago, Wes Welker was strongly leaning towards staying in New England. In fact, barring "something unforseen," Welker would remain a Patriot and it was more of a "dotting the I's and crossing the T's" scenario. Alas, as things often do in the NFL, things changed. In hours, news on Welker picked up like a tidal wave, gaining strength throughout the day until it crashed in a crescendo late Wednesday afternoon amid reports that Welker would sign in Denver.

And just as we thought things were settling down and sports talk radio could fill hours upon hours of endless Welker talk, New England dropped another bombshell. Not only did they let Welker walk for what seems like a minuscule 2 years/$12 million, but they signed his doppelganger Danny Amendola to a monster 5 year/$31 million deal.

What?

Granted, there's a lot to comprehend, so let's dive right into it.

Wes Welker

I, along with many others including prominent Patriots beat writers, presumed Welker would end up with New England. Due to numerous factors including Tom Brady's "pay cut," Welker's success with the team, and reports indicating a deal was close, the news of his departure blindsided many.

Many fans were angered, others confused. Few defended the Patriots, and for good reason.

The ultimate narrative is that Welker felt spurned by the Patriots low-ball contract offer, and ultimately took his talents to a team which could immediately impact New England's chances at another elusive Super Bowl title. While that makes sense and very well could be the case, I don't believe the Patriots ultimately envisioned ever re-signing Welker.

Bill Belichick and co. had their opportunities to sign Welker and never took them. After a productive career in New England reports indicated that Welker intended to pursue a contract offer which reflected his value as the league's best slot receiver. The Patriots reportedly offered $10.5 million over 2 years.

As Mike Wallace received a 5 year, $60 million dollar deal and the free agency market boomed, would you be insulted? Heck, I was insulted, and no one plans on paying me to play receiver in the NFL anytime soon.

But to think the Patriots truly believed Welker would accept that offer is naive. At age 32, New England believed Welker would be phased out of their offensive focus and would not provide value comparable to what they would need to pay. Instead, armed with an unacceptable contract offer, Bill Belichick let Welker go, ushering him out the door like a matador baiting a bull.

And perhaps that speaks to the arrogance of the New England Patriots. For years, it's been the "Bill Belichick" way. He set a number for prospective free agents and they better like it, or they could go elsewhere. Stars could chase the glory of a large contract elsewhere for all Belichick cares because in his mind, every player is replaceable. But Belichick has never cut ties with a player of such importance to the success of an offense, nor has he jettisoned someone so popular with the fans.

Do I agree with it? Not at all. For $10 million guaranteed and 2 years, I'd much rather the dependability of Wes Welker over the potential of Danny Amendola, who we will get to in a minute. But do you blame Welker for leaving? He didn't get the length or value contract he hoped, so he got the next best thing.

In the end, the negotiations turned from business to personal, and history proves those rarely work out in successful matrimony. The Patriots, for whatever reason, decided it'd be best to insult Welker with an embarrassingly low contract offer. In return, undoubtedly upset, Welker turned to Denver to line up in the slot for Tom Brady's most notable rival Peyton Manning, in what is primed to be the most potent offense in the AFC.

But hey, In Bill We Trust, right?

Danny Amendola

Just when you found your football thirst quenched by the results of another crazy day in NFL free agency, the Patriots trudged on.

Armed with cap space and a gaping hole at slot-receiver, the Patriots fulfilled what was previously considered plan B by many in signing Danny Amendola. To compound the confusion and frustration, the previously stingy front office extended a rather gracious offer to Amendola at 5 years/$31 million.

Roughly two hours after the Welker news went final, the swift reversal of course by the Patriots was staggering. After being led to believe the Patriots wouldn't pay Welker, the team over-extended to Amendola, locking up the injury-prone receiver to a 5 year deal?

First, let's pump the brakes on the contract. While it seems large, and technically it can be, Amendola will never see all $31 million. In fact, both Welker and Amendola received $10 million in guaranteed money, essentially setting the market for slot receivers. Ironically, the contract bares many similarities to the deal New England offered to Welker five seasons ago, when he was 27 years old.

There's no denying the talent of Amendola or the natural comparisons to Welker. Both are caucasian, both are perfecting their craft in the slot, both graduated Texas Tech. Unfortunately for Amendola, he must now face the impossible tasks of filling Welker's shoes in both the offense and the hearts of Patriot nation.

In theory, Amendola can provide much of what Welker was able to do in New England. But it will take time to develop the rapport Welker and Tom Brady shared. The other problem is Amendola's inability to stay on the field.

It would be ignorant to say Amendola is not tough. Amendola is very tough, and we'll see him absorb many of the same hits Welker took. Durability is the issue. Amendola has missed 20 games over the past four seasons with various injuries including a dislocated elbow and broken collarbone. An optimist would say he's suffered numerous freak injuries, but it isn't a chronic situation. A realist would doubt his ability to stay on the field for 16 games, plus a probable playoff run.

The most concerning aspect is Bill Belichick's trust in Josh McDaniels, who is quietly turning the Patriots into a collaboration of his favorite players from his previous two stops in Denver and St. Louis.  Brandon Lloyd, Daniel Fells, Michael Hoomanawanui, and now Danny Amendola. The Patriots currently do not have a receiver on the roster who caught a pass for them last season, and are putting their trust in a coach who's ability to identify talent is highly questionable.

In 2011, the Rams offense, to put it nicely, was horrendous. They averaged 12.1 points-per-game, good for 11th worst all time. McDaniels also drafted twice as a head coach, picking notable standouts such as Tim Tebow, Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, and Alphonso Smith

Nervous yet?

Essentially, the Patriots offense has become Josh McDaniels brainchild. While schematically talented, his faults as a talent evaluator don't exactly help me sleep at night. Is Tom Brady the difference between success and failure for McDaniels? That seems to be asking a lot from a 35 year old QB who's struggled with pressure the past 8 seasons, and just recently had his binky snatched away from him.

Obviously, the season isn't won in March. Free Agency is still alive and well, and if the Patriots make reasonable additions to the team, I'm sure they'll look fine heading into 2013.

But it's become a theme in New England. Gone are the reliable mainstays such as a hard nose defense and playoff tenacity. Now, the Patriots continue to roll the dice, more often than not ending up painfully short of another Super Bowl.

Mark's Musings

 I started today with the intent of writing a post about Wes Welker and the ever-constant headache that is the NFL rumor mill. But after a conversation with a close friend (AP, if you're reading, thanks) about the current state of the Celtics as the playoffs loomed, I had second thoughts.

So you know what? I'm going to combine it all. Surprisingly, there's a lot of sports views running amok throughout my otherwise fairly barren mind, and this is an outlet of release. So without further adieu, let's tackle all that is relevant in the world of sports.

Despite the odds, the Boston Celtics keep Winning 

It's safe to say the boys in green have our attention. A stunning, come from behind victory over Eastern Conference favorite Indiana leaves the Celtics (and their fans) riding high. There's a multitude of impressive feats about this victory, so it's tough to really judge where to start.

Going into this game, the Celtics were 11-18 on the road. The 2nd night of a road back to back against a tall, athletic, well rested Pacers team spelled trouble for a depleted Celtics roster. For the most part it did look to be trouble. The Pacers led by as much as 13, but per usual, the Celtics fought their way back. Doc Rivers drew up a fantastic play to get the last shot and the rest is history.

What's potentially most frustrating, outside of the fact this is all getting done without a top-5 point guard, are the cliches. This year promotes inexplicable moments, and in order to describe what simply does not make sense to the common basketball mind, we fill empty space with cliches. This is a "winning team." They have characteristics such as heart, grit, determination. We want to make it the classic underdog story. And as much as I search for tangible, statistical reasons to prove why the Celtics are sustaining such effective play, it's increasingly easier to simply attribute it to something intangible, something we can't prove.

And honestly, I think I'm alright with that. Some things are better left unexplained, and I'd be more than happy to immerse myself with every positive, David vs. Goliath story line.

But the real loser in this situation? Rajon Rondo. He's worked so hard to become a better leader and a better player, but as soon as he goes down the Celtics seemingly flip the switch. Not only is this demoralizing, but it also may begin to diminish his value. Rondo's contract status continues to be a focus of discussion, and if the Celtics continue to improve and win without him, what is his true worth to the franchise? Is he a centerpiece (another cliche, I know), or simply a talented facilitator?

PS. Don't look now, but the Celtics are quickly going from potentially entering the playoffs as the 7 or 8 seed to sneaking in to the 4th seed. Just 1.5 games back of Brooklyn.

What in the world is Happening with Wes Welker?

You know what the problem is with the Wes Welker free agency drama? It's like an antagonizingly slow movie that doesn't end. It's the film with proven actors, a solid base, but slows considerably in the middle, and drops multiple faux-endings. Each time we hope for the sake of viewership that it's over, the show trudges on.

Patriots fans know what Wes Welker can contribute to this team. Excluding 2010, Welker's gone over 1,000 yards each year and remains Tom Brady's most reliable target. Gimmick offense or not, the effectiveness of Welker within this offense cannot be matched elsewhere.

He's also 31 (32 when the season starts) coming off a season where he led the league in drops with 15. He was also targeted a league-high 174 times, and took an absolute beating for long stretches of the year, so take that for what it's worth.

There's also been reports that Welker had "mild disdain" for the Patriots after the early-season controversy surrounding his playing time, a report from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports. Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe confirmed this report, going as far to say there was more than mild disdain at one point, but it's been cleared up for the most part.

 I have no clue what goes on in that locker room, nor do I pretend to comprehend what goes on between the ears of Bill Belichick. All I can judge is what I see, and what my eyes see and what my heart says are two different things. So many fans base their opinions off their emotional endearment to Welker. Surely he can't leave, we love Wes! Right? Right?

Well, maybe not. If Welker's main motive is to be valued as a top-tier wide receiver, feel free to chase the money elsewhere. Belichick's been known to say that an increasing drop total for a receiver indicates their legs are showing signs of slowing down due to high mileage. At 32 years old, it's fair to assume Welker will begin to slip athletically, even if ever-so-slightly. At this rate, a three-year deal would be risky business.

Conversely, Welker also begins to have the "Kevin Garnett" effect. His value to the Patriots is superior to anyone else, and his ability to withstand cringe-worthy physical abuse captivates the hearts of Patriots nation. Justifiably, the Patriots need Welker's production, but Welker also needs Tom Brady and this quick-timing offense as well. Does he risk leaving to chase the dollars, where his best chance to produce and win a championship is most likely in New England?

I think Welker will be back. But I also think the debate over his worth is a precursor to a slight drop off in his production moving forward. That doesn't necessarily reflect on Welker as much as it does a philosophical shift. Having Welker has a safety blanket and a 3rd-down conversion machine is fantastic, but moving forward, I question whether he should be the primary target of the offense.

Tough Times in New York

Alright Yankees fans, I'm going to let you in on a little secret I've learned over the past two seasons of watching Red Sox baseball.

Injuries suck.

Unfortunately, the injury bug does not operate independently. It attacks like a tidal wave, infiltrating your locker room and claiming multiple casualties. This seems to be no different in New York, where an already thin roster now faces it's limits already in early March.

As of now, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson will both put their season debuts on hold until at least late May, most likely early June. Alex Rodriguez already hit the rehab trail, attempting to return from a serious hip injury which will sideline him until mid-summer. Yankees fans have yet to see Derek Jeter, who hopes to make his spring debut soon as he continues to rehab from a fractured ankle at the age of 38. Oh, and their 43 year old closer Mariano Rivera returns from an ACL tear, C.C Sabathia is attempting to return from injury, and there's unconfirmed rumors of potential steroid controversy looming around New York.

Are you having fun yet, New York?

Somehow, in a crazy twist of narrative and irony, the Yankees $12 million man Kevin Youkilis will suddenly be asked to anchor the middle of a lineup for at least the first two months of the season. Travis Hafner, the newest injury-prone, aging slugger to fill the Yankees DH role, goes from "added production is a bonus" to "we're relying on you." The other members of the lineup forced to carry Robinson Cano and Jeter? Brett Gardner, Ichiro, Eduardo Nunez, Dan Johnson, and Francisco Cervelli.

Times are changing in the A.L East.

What's in the Water in Chicago?

Dear Blackhawks,

You do understand it's alright to lose, right? In fact, we'd suggest it, as you're making us look bad.

Sincerely,
The Rest of the NHL

A clutch goal by Daniel Carcillo and multiple big games from Patrick Kane extend the NHL's most improbable streak. Hockey fans who happen to watch ESPN can thank the Blackhawks, who's dabble into history has left ESPN executives no choice but to cover at least a pinch of NHL. It's practically pulling teeth to get any kind of ice to show up on Sportscenter, unless it's an ice sculpture of Tim Tebow.

On an unrelated note, how creepy are the Allstate commercials where Dennis Haysburt voices over  other characters talking? I can do without seeing 9 year old girls and middle-aged women with Haysburt-esque vocal chords, Allstate. Thanks.

Good Luck, Ryan

Bittersweet news from Fort Myers yesterday, as former Red Sox top-prospect Ryan Westmoreland announced his retirement at the age of 22.

Westmoreland's faced the daunting challenge of recovering from two brain surgeries, the second of which resulted in a complication while rehabbing from his first surgery. Following Westmoreland from afar, his progress made has been an inspiration from everyone. At one point, he was unable to walk and normal day-to-day life seemed like a distant dream.

But Westmoreland battled back, progressing so much he eventually returned to baseball activities before a setback resulted in a second surgery.

It's sad to see such a promising career derailed, but what's more important is Ryan's overall health. He's been dealt multiple tough hands so far in his young life, and has looked adversity in the eyes and overcome it. Well wishes to him, as he returns to schoo to get his degree and hopefully return to baseball in another capacity.

Got a question you want to talk about? Comments, criticism, concerns? I enjoyed doing this, and this may become a periodic type of "installment" for me, and I'd love to answer any questions or share an outside opinion when talking about what's relevant in the world of sports.

Feel free to drop a comment, or find me on social media @Mark_Chiarelli or Mark Chiarelli on Facebook.