Assessing the Celtics at the Trade Deadline

As the armchair general managers and rabid sports radio callers amp up their intensity this week, Danny Ainge will remain very much in the background. Many will demand ludicrous trades while others will defend the current Celtics roster. National writers figure to focus prominently on the Celtics due to the team's unique position at the trade deadline.

But Ainge, in his truest fashion, will spend the next week frantically denying trade rumors while concocting all types of trade proposals behind the scenes.

It's become a recent tradition in Boston. The trade deadline rolls around, fans clamor for moves, and Ainge is faced with the impossible task of improving a team which often lacks sufficient assets while maintaining a dangerous playoff contender. Two seasons ago, Ainge shocked Boston by trading away defensive stalwart Kendrick Perkins. Last year's shortened season saw Ainge do nothing at the deadline, despite a poor start.

So what should Celtics fans expect this year?

It's imperative that Celtics fans do what they must to fight off fantasy trades and wild, elaborate schemes. What's often lost as the deadline looms closer is a sense of realism. Often, fans confuse wants and needs, necessities and luxuries.

This year is no different. The popular name as of tonight is Josh Smith. A week ago, Dwight Howard dominated trade rumors (shocking, I know). All the while, the threat of a Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce departure remains.

Realistically, you shouldn't hold your breath over Josh Smith. It feels as if this is the third year running Josh Smith's been linked to Boston, yet the outcome will most likely stay the same. Smith isn't a natural fit in Boston. His combination of ill-advised shots and unfortunate brain cramps don't fly with Doc Rivers selfless system. Couple that with Smith's imminent free agency, and the Celtics simply don't have the means to acquire or afford Smith.

The same goes for Dwight Howard. On the verge of a max contract, Howard likely wouldn't stick around in Boston. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about this rumor, due to Rajon Rondo's season-ending ACL tear.

So what do the Celtics have to offer?

Of the healthy, useful assets (sorry Fab Melo) the Celtics have limited options. There is the potential of trading Kevin Garnett, but that would hinge on Garnett being persuaded to waive his no-trade clause. A deal of Garnett for Eric Bledsoe and Deandre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers is a realistic, potentially franchise altering trade.

Unless Ainge decides to go all-in on Josh Smith, Paul Pierce won't be leaving Boston. Neither is Avery Bradley. That leaves Jeff Green, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Bass as useful talent. If Ainge can find some way to spin what's left of his bench into a prominent scorer, more power to him. But as of now, the trade deadline looks bleak.

There are certainly options out there. J.J Redick is an intriguing name. Redick is due for a multi-year contract in the off-season, and could help a contender instead of toiling away on a horrendous Orlando Magic squad. Perhaps Ainge looks for a rental in the form of Monta Ellis or Paul Millsap, although both would command reasonably talented players in return. The Celtics could also go the buyout route too, much like they did with Troy Murphy.

Ainge has a penchant for making the blockbuster move. Knowing this, Celtics fans will be forced to go through this week on red alert. But with the options in place now, it's likely the Celtics will sit tight through the trade deadline, content to ride out the season with what they have.

Thank You, Big O

With news of WEEI and Glenn Ordway effectively parting ways at the end of the week, fans of Boston sports collectively felt some level of shock and surprise. For me, despite reading various reports in the past few weeks hinting at major shakeups at WEEI, the news was blindsiding.

Ordway's imprint on the Boston sports media scene ranges far and wide. As the various articles and stories come out in the next few days, it will become easier and easier to learn of the far-reaching influence Ordway had on many of the figures who dominate the media-scene today.

As an 18 year old kid, I missed the height of Ordway's career. A pioneer of sports talk radio, Ordway took what was a fledgling, almost niche community in the 90's, and transformed sports talk into a 24 hour, 365 day a year superpower. Combining his talents as the play-by-play voice of the Boston Celtics and a natural voice for hosting radio, Ordway replaced Michael Andelman in WEEI's drive-time slot en route to creating a record breaking afternoon radio show, The Big Show.

Now of course, I can't rehash on the beginning as well as those who were around. Born in 1994, I like to think I grew up with WEEI on in the background, a sports-talk radio baby before I could even comprehend what it was.

However, what I can do, is pay homage to all that Ordway has done for me, despite never actually meeting "The Big O."

For the few that read my blogs, some may have never heard of Glenn Ordway. But most of you do know me, and know my passion for sports as well as sports media. Most of this can be attributed to Ordway, and WEEI as a whole.

Growing up, I loved going to Fenway Park. Not that I don't enjoy going to Red Sox games now, but the spectacle of driving into Boston on a lazy summer afternoon with my Dad will always be one of my most cherished memories. So perhaps in addition to saying thank you to Glenn Ordway, I should call up my pops and say thanks to him too.

The drive in had two constants. 1, we always took the same route, navigating through back roads and cruising up into Boston through Jamaica Plain, always "avoiding the traffic." 2, The Big Show always dominated the radio dial. Glenn Ordway at the helm, the rotating cast of characters always created fascinating radio. I loved listening. I loved the idea of debating over sports, I loved the banter back and forth, I loved the contrasting opinions and characters on the air. I like to think these commuting trips into Boston with my father spawned an ever-developing interest in sports radio, the foundation for what may become something more than a hobby one day.

Ordway was the only voice on the radio at the time, so naturally I became accustomed to his persona. And while we always didn't agree, and the show wasn't always the easiest to listen to, I respected and admired the production of mesmerizing radio.

But Ordway's "invisible hand" has indirectly influenced me as well. WEEI always maintains relationships with intriguing guests, some of which were columnists in the Boston area. WEEI also airs the Celtics and Red Sox games on the radio. And because of WEEI, 98.5 The Sports Hub recently came to fruition.

Michael Felger, current host of the highest rated afternoon drive show Felger and Mazz, a show which effectively forced WEEI's hand in parting ways with Ordway, got his start on The Big Show. Sean Grande, play-by-play voice of the Celtics, owes his job to Ordway. Mike Mutnansky, current midday host at WEEI, interned with The Big Show years ago.

Hopefully, one day, whether through writing or radio, I too will hold a place in the hierarchy of Boston media personalities. In fact, my first "real world" experience came at WEEI, as I interned for Entercom over the winter break. On my final day, I managed to sit-in with the producers of The Big Show, Ben Kichen and Andy Massaua, and observe what it's like on the other side of the glass.

Imagine that, some punk 18-year old who grew up on The Big Show, was one plexi-glass window away from Glenn Ordway and Michael Holley. And while I never met Glenn, I had the pleasure of screening a few calls, until I managed to screw up the hold-call button (it's an unbelievably easy system, not my best moment) and realized it was almost 6:00.

So while I've never met Glenn Ordway, I feel I owe a great deal of appreciation to all he's done for WEEI, and sports radio as whole. WEEI became the first station in the country to achieve such staggering ratings in the sports demographic. Growing up on sports talk radio influenced my own involvement in starting a high-school show, and becoming more involved in both radio and writing.

So thank you, Mr. Ordway. And while it's sad to see him go, it won't be the end. Heck, maybe one day our paths will cross again, hopefully on the right side of that plexi-glass window.

What Defines an Elite NFL Quarterback?

As seen on dailycollegian.com

Hello everyone. I'd first like to apologize for the recent disappearance. With an internship over winter break, a transfer of schools, and the start of a new semester, I've had my hands full getting acclimated to multiple new surroundings. Now onto the good stuff..

With the Super Bowl coming and going, one of the most popular running narratives resides on the shoulders of the lightning rod that is Joe Flacco. After all, America loves focusing on the quarterback, and the drama and controversy that comes with some of the most influential athletes in sports.

With the spotlight, stardom, and face-time comes criticism and debate, especially when fans and pundits alike attempt to determine the "elite" quarterbacks in the NFL. This is no different for Joe Flacco, who's gone from butt of many jokes during the regular season to a potentially top-5 quarterback in the NFL, as deemed by many around the league.

After all, the QB position is defined by winning. The more weighted silver flashing from your fingers, the higher up in the echelon you are of the greatest quarterbacks.

The term which has been pile-driven into the ground to excessive amounts throughout the last few seasons is "elite." Player X is an elite quarterback because of such, and player Y is not yet elite because he lacks in a certain department. What the term elite now represents is a cop-out, an easy, vague, "for lack of a better word" description of a quarterback who in more cases than not, is just pretty good.

What acts as a safety blanket for the term "elite" is the lack of a tangible way to define an "elite quarterback." By definition, Elite means "A group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth."

By rule of thumb, most football fans will rattle off Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady as three mainstays at the top of the quarterback food chain. All three have at least one Super Bowl ring, and are perennial statistical leaders each year. Generally, Drew Brees is added in with these players, despite a regression in 2012 and a smaller body of work for his age. 

After these four, there's a host of second-level signal callers who sometimes creep into the discussion of "elite." This year, it's Joe Flacco. Before Flacco was Eli Manning, and before Eli Manning was Ben Roethlisberger. Soon, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, and perhaps even Matt Ryan will attempt to enter this conversation. 

So how do we determine whether these guys are strong enough players to enter the illustrious group of elite quarterbacks?

It's surely some combination of Super Bowl wins, regular season performance, and length of dominance. At the same time, how many QB's is too many when it comes to elite? Can we, in theory, have 7-8 elite quarterbacks in the NFL? That's 25% of the league. If almost 1 in every four QB's is elite, it lessens the value of the highest-level quarterbacks. 

Joe Flacco is the newest addition to the crew. Flacco himself thinks he's elite. Joe Linta, his straight-shooting agent, also thinks he's elite. Conveniently, Flacco is due for a new contract in the coming weeks. He's also the beneficiary of a magnificent playoff run, fresh off the grandest victory in all of sports. Flacco was lights out in the playoffs, creating big plays and taking advantage of his opportunities.

With momentum on his side, let's play a little game. We'll call it the "Anonymous Evaluation" between three players, and take a look at their 2012 season.  

Player A: completed 59.5% of his passes on 551 attempts, threw for 3,702 yards, 21TD's, 13 INT's, and was sacked 35 times. 
Player B: completed 67.2% of his passes on 552 attempts, for 4,295 yards, 39 TD's, 8 INT's, and was sacked 51 times.
Player C: completed 59.7% of his passes on 531 attempts, for 3,817 yards, 22 TD's, 10 INT's, and was sacked 35 times.

Clearly, Player A and Player C are fairly comparable players, and would be considered decent to good starting NFL quarterbacks. Those numbers don't quite compare to Player B, who had a much better completion percentage on roughly the same number of attempts, threw for more yards, and had an abundance of TD's.

With Flacco riding 2012's momentum, some may assume he's Player B. Actually, Player B is Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, considered an elite NFL quarterback, did indeed put up elite numbers. Player C was of course, Joe Flacco, who was solid in the regular season but not awe-inspiring. In fact, Flacco compared most closely to Player A, Sam Bradford.

Wait, Sam Bradford?

Joe Flacco, elite quarterback, played to a 2012 level close to Sam Bradford? That doesn't make sense. But it's true. Flacco's 2012 season compared most to Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers,Matt Schaub, and Sam Bradford. 

Let's play again. 

Player A: completed 63.3% of his passes on 443 attempts, for 3,265 yards, 26 TD's 8 INT's, and was sacked 30 times.
Player B: completed 59.9% of his passes on 536 attempts, for 3,948 yards, 26TD's, 15 INT's, and just 19 sacks. 
Player C: completed 68.6% of his passes on 583 attempts, for 4,659 yards, 37 TD's, and 11 INT's, with 21 sacks. 

Player C, clearly the best of the three, is Peyton Manning. Coming off four neck surgeries, Manning still excelled this season and clearly demonstrated "elite" performance. Player A and Player B are fairly similar players, despite not being on Manning's level. Player A battled injuries this year, but still managed to match Player B's TD total while throwing less INT's and completing a better percentage of passes. 

Player A is Ben Roethlisberger, and player B is Peyton's little brother, Eli Manning. 

So let's recap here, statistically in 2012, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers clearly trump the competitors. Ben Roethlisberger was slightly better than Eli Manning, who was comparable to Joe Flacco and Sam Bradford. 

But, because of Super Bowl success, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Ben Roethlisberger are considered on equal footing as the original four, despite clearly lacking the statistical prowess to go toe-to-toe?

I understand that Super Bowl's are heavily weighted for quarterbacks. But if we based historical rank solely off Super Bowl success, we would mention Terry Bradshaw in the same breath as Joe Montana. Clearly, that's not the case. But what's lost on fans today is that it's perfectly alright to distinguish between the truly "elite" quarterbacks, and the good regular season quarterbacks who play well in big spots. 

The emphasis on winning still needs to be there. Which is why Roethlisberger and Eli Manning, during the playoffs, are fantastic choices to lead their teams. But Eli Manning is not an elite quarterback, as his entire body of work does not currently match up with the top of the class. In fact, I'd be willing to say Roethlisberger is equal to, if not slightly closer to elite, than Eli Manning.

As of now, there are four elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Manning, Rodgers, Brees, and Brady, most likely in that order. 

So Joe Flacco, while I admire your self-belief, and envy the way you guided the Ravens through the playoffs this year, you are not an elite quarterback. At 28 years old, it's not out of the question that Flacco steadily improves statistically now that the monkey is off his back. But with what is likely going to be a top-dollar contract on the way, he's not worth it just yet. 

Looking at the Pats Playoff Chances

The world is ending for the Patriots, right? Back-to-back weeks of poor performances, one more week before the playoffs, and a chance at a first round bye seriously in doubt. With tomorrow's match-up against the Dolphins being a potential precursor to their playoff success, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at this team heading into the playoffs.

For starters, I don't believe last week against the Jaguars is any representation of the team heading into the playoffs. Many underestimated the effectiveness of Brandon Spikes, Alfonzo Dennard, and Aqib Talib. Of course, two of those names were not considered at the beginning of the season, which highlights how flimsy the defense is.

What's concerning is the Patriots simply have not shown they have overcome many of the problems which plague them each year in the playoffs, even during Super Bowl runs.

Tom Brady is the catalyst to this team. Say what you want about the improved running game, but against high level defenses, Stevan Ridley is not a reliable option. Ridley struggles against physical fronts with aggressive linebackers, essentially rendering him a non factor against the Bengals, Texans, and Ravens in the playoffs. Despite the improved running game, the success will lie in Danny Woodhead's ability to complement Brady out of the backfield.

Now this may sound crazy, and it may not even get a chance on the field, but I believe Danny Woodhead is the "giant killer" of the three running backs. And by that, I mean you can use Danny Woodhead against teams who pride themselves against stopping the run. Woodhead picked up 15 carries against the Ravens, 47 yards against the Broncos, and 61 yards with two scores against the 49ers. He's not a 25 carry player, but he's someone who get's lost behind his lineman and has the ability to get 3-4 yards a carry to jump start a sputtering offense.

What's worrisome is that the offense still shows general flaws which continue to haunt them against strong teams, and in the playoffs. For whatever reason, Patriots teams in big games still find a way to give up pressure to Tom Brady. In his last 3 games, Brady has been hit more than he had been previously all season. And the one thing Brady cannot handle is pressure in his face. I constantly hear that Brady is "great against 5 man pressures" which is accurate, but most pundits conveniently like to forget that Brady does not like pressure up the middle.

Teams who can generate pressure with 4 men will consistently be Brady's kryptonite, especially those who can do it with defensive tackles. Again, the Bengals are a team to watch in the playoffs. They have one of the best defensive lineman in the game with Geno Atkins, two 10+ sack guys, and are winners of 6 of their last 7. They play physical coverage, and have big wide receivers who will give Patriots CB's problems.

I believe the offensive will falter in the playoffs, it's all a matter of when. It may not be week 1 depending on the matchup, but an "offensive juggernaut" will not be able to function at a high level for an entire playoff.

Because of this, the onus will fall on the defense. A scary thought for many. This is where I believe the Patriots will crash and burn, because I feel the false-confidence in the defense will be short lived against talented offenses. This team still struggles in coverage, does not generate pressure well when asked to just bring 4 men, and recently proven to be surprisingly inconsistent against the run game.

That spells a recipe for disaster.

The only reason the Patriots defense has "won games" this year is because they've won the turnover differential by a wide margin. They are opportunistic, and if you make horrific mistakes, they will make you pay. However, against talented teams, mistakes will be few and far between. Do you believe Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos will be careless with the ball? I don't, and the idea of Manning flinging the pigskin around against the Patriots all Sunday afternoon is downright scary.

I don't think the Patriots will make it to the Super Bowl. In fact, I think they're hoping they don't have to play the Cincinnati Bengals in round 1, which could provide for a similar letdown like the Baltimore Ravens debacle of 2010. New England is on a crash course with the Broncos, which will make for compelling TV. But I don't believe New England is playing efficient, consistent football right now.

Unfortunately, 2012 will end as another year just a bit too short, which neither Tom Brady or Bill Belichick can afford as their careers wind to a close.

Why the Celtics are in Trouble

All Celtics fan know what's going on. They are fully aware of a talented, championship driven team which is severely underachieving. We see three losses to the Bucks, badly blown leads, and an underlying sense of worry grows.

But Celtics fans, for the most part, are doing a fantastic job acting as if they don't care. Outside of the true NBA fanatics, it seems as if Boston's slow start has gone somewhat under the radar. Sure, there are problems, but many fans and pundits seem to take the "relax, it will be fine" approach.

After all, it happened last year. An aging Celtics squad in a lockout shortened season plodded through the first half of the year, only to ignite in the second half and captivate Boston, ending in a wild playoff run. Surely, this team will do it again, right? After all, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Hopefully, everyone relying on past success will be right, and the Celtics are going through the motions.

But this isn't the same situation.

This year's team, as many know, have new pieces still trying to find their way in this offense. The Celtics, schematically speaking, are not an easy team to join. It takes time offensively and defensively. But through 26 games, the Celtics define mediocrity. They are 13-13, and even worse, show little signs that some of the new pieces, who figure to be crucial role players, are "getting it."

The regular season for Boston is a touchy, somewhat inexact science. As a coach, Doc Rivers' largest responsibility is keeping Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce fresh, limiting their minutes. This puts more of an onus on the role players as well as Rajon Rondo. What's concerning is that players such as Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Jeff Green are playing significantly below their ability.

Let's Do Some Math

Jeff Green, in 26 games, plays 22.6 minutes a night off the bench. He's averaging 9.6 points per game, shooting just 42%, and has a Player Efficiency Rating of just 11.92. Even worse, Green fails to execute simple defensive rotations, and generally is a non-factor on the boards.

Jason Terry is playing almost 30 minutes a night. But he's averaging only 9 shots a game, significantly lower than his 13 last year. As a result, Terry is averaging only 11 PPG, and some may say is being used incorrectly in Boston's system.

And Courtney Lee? Lee plays 24 minutes a night, averages just 6.7 points a game, and is shooting just 28% from 3. He is a career 38% shooter. His defensive skills are obvious, but he maddeningly makes mistakes from time to time and doesn't seem to be comfortable in his role in Boston.

What's even more frustrating is that many fans believe the team is having the same problems as last year. The defense will come in due time, and the team will be fine. But the Celtics, at no point last year, were ever this bad defensively or on the glass.

Through 26 games last season, opposing teams were averaging 86 points per game against Boston. Teams shot 41.8%, turned the ball over 13.8 times per game, and were averaging 41 rebounds per game.

Through 26 games this year, the Celtics are allowing 97.9 PPG through the same number of possessions, 94. Teams are shooting 45% and are pulling in 43 rebounds per game. Not a terrible rebounding increase, until you realize the Celtics are the 27th best rebounding team in the league.

And fans can't ask for the offense to carry this team, mainly because the offense has already made improvements over last years team. The Celtics are currently shooting almost 47% from the field, are averaging 7 more points a game than last year, and have an eFG% of .502, which is better than last year's team which FINISHED with a .492. Heck, Paul Pierce is averaging his highest point total since 2006, with 21 a game.

Moving Forward

Now you could crunch numbers for days, but what does it really tell you? From an outsider's point of view, I see a team that simply cannot play championship-level basketball in the areas that count. This is not a strong defensive team. Despite Kevin Garnett's presence, the Celtics still struggle with rotations and allow too many easy baskets. Rebounding wise, the Celtics need to get better, but how?

Right now, the Celtics are predicated on their role players, and the role players are not performing. Brandon Bass, owner of a shiny 43.6% field goal %, is playing so far below his 2011 level it's sickening. If he's not going to score, and he's not a tremendous rebounder, what is his purpose? If Jeff Green can't play better defense, and continues to look timid offensively, why should he continue to get minutes?

The team needs a wake up. Whether that's cutting playing time for unde-rperformers, or finally trading for a center so Garnett can return to his customary power forward position, remains to be seen. Personally? I'm trading Courtney Lee and potentially Brandon Bass as soon as Avery Bradley comes back, in return acquiring a viable center. This paves the way for Jared Sullinger to get more playing time, who sneakily has a decent jumper and can provide more rebounding off the bench.

But let's not act like Avery Bradley is the savior to the defensive woes. His offense is limited, and would surprise me if he can play 30 minutes a night. But the Celtics need tenacity, they need rebounding, and they need someone willing to get into the paint and make things happen. And if that guy isn't Rajon Rondo, then they may need to go out and find someone.

Through 26 games, don't let last year's record fool you. This Celtics team isn't where they need to be. And if they don't turn up the intensity in the next few weeks, Danny Ainge may turn up the heat in the locker room.

Incompetency Reigns Supreme in New York

There are plenty of ways to describe the 2012 for the New York Jets. Disappointing, discombobulated, spotlight-studded, embarrassing, butt-fumble, etc. But the overarching description of the entire franchise from top to bottom throughout the last 2 seasons? Utter incompetence.

The Jets do a lot of things well. They also do a lot of things incredibly poorly, and often use the national spotlight to showcase their most egregious flaws. The focus of this post is to shed light on all the mistakes made this season and last, ranging from their general manager to the lowest player on the depth chart.

However, in order to move forward, we must first move backwards. We must travel back to a time when all was well in the Canyon of Heroes, where the Jets were the kings of the Concrete Jungle, where a brash, arrogant Rex Ryan commandeered a 9-7 bunch to the AFC Championship Game.

The group of players under Rex Ryan were skilled and they were tough. This was the scariest defense in football, ranging from Bart Scott (owner of a 6 year, $48 million contract), 30 year old Kris Jenkins, to rookie Darrelle Revis and newly signed (to a 4 year, $27 million contract) Lito Sheppard. Offensively, the Jets essentially traded their draft for rookie QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, only a starter for one season at USC, completed 65% of his passes his final year in college, throwing for 34 TD's and 10INT's. The Jets surrounded him with explosive, yet controversial Braylon Edwards, put Thomas Jones in the backfield, and placed a nasty, physical offensive line in front of him.

The blueprint, at least at first, looked destined for success. The Jets reached the AFC Championship game two years in a row. Granted, they could never get over that final hump, but the team in place was successful. Mike Tannenbaum looked like a hero, drafting a young QB who could "manage games", turning back the clock on football with a run first, defensive team.

Now have you picked up on my subtle hints?

Because the first signs of incompetence started during the two-year peak of success in New York. Convinced they had a team ready for greatness, despite never reaching the Super Bowl and never finishing with more than 11 wins.

See, Mike Tannenbaum made poor financial decisions and became complacent as a general manager. As his defense aged, Tannenbaum never made the requisite moves to inject youth into his squad. There was never an attempt to balance young, uptempo players with the wise veterans. Kris Jenkins faded away due to injury, his defensive line aged without much help. Instead, Tannenbaum elected to saddle his team with immovable contracts and cap problems, making a quick rebuild downright impossible.

This is where we find the Jets in 2012. For the most part, the defense is a decently talented bunch that lacks the essential star power to thoroughly carry a team, especially with Darrelle Revis sidelined for most of the year. Offensively, the team is a mess. The Jets haven't added a worthwhile playmaker, instead piecing together a puzzle centered around the ever-regressing Mark Sanchez, who has no business making another start in the National Football League.

This is where the incompetence lies.

How can a team who once had a talented Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery replace that void with the likes of Clyde Gates and Jeremy Kurley, all while pampering the troublesome Santonio Holmes?

How can a team let the likes of Alan Faneca and Damien Woody walk out that door without finding decent replacements?

How can a general manager be so horrendously bad at drafting? Mike Tannenbaum has laid claim to the likes of Vernon Gholston, Vladimir Ducasse, and obviously Mark Sanchez. He's used other high level picks to draft Kyle Wilson, Kenrick Ellis, and potential busts Quinton Coples and Stephen Hill. Hopefully, for Jets fans, the latter two will improve in their second seasons. Heck, the Jets only made 3 total draft picks in 2009! Not mention cutting veteran locker room presence Tony Richardson in favor of John Conner, simply because the head coach liked his nickname.

The incompetence lies within the general manager.

Now lets look at Rex Ryan. Ryan is a great defensive coach, perhaps even the best in the league. But Rex Ryan cannot manage a 53-man roster, cannot help talent grow, and does not know how to manage his quarterback situation.

Handed Tim Tebow in the offseason in a move which flummoxed the entire coaching staff, Rex Ryan has wasted a talented player on his bench on a team in desperate need for talented play makers. Rex Ryan simply refuses to play Tebow, instead, up until this week, loyally hitching his carriage to Mark Sanchez's horses, as his future potentially goes up in flames because of this.

I'm not saying Tim Tebow could start on that team. But to get him 70 offensive snaps over 15 games, on a team with a horrendous quarterback, invisible passing game, and generally flat offense, is downright pathetic. How can a "ground and pound" team, a team built for the run, not find a way to use Tim Tebow's explosive playmaking ability with his legs to their advantage? Is Sexy Rexy so enamored with Mark Sanchez's ability to stare down receivers and throw interceptions in triple coverages that he won't even give Tebow a chance? No, we are left to believe that a 7th round draft pick out of Alabama, Greg McElroy, will somehow save this team and potentially be the answer at quarterback. The same Greg McElroy who Ryan wouldn't even ACTIVATE for the better part of the season.

Ryan has lost control of the locker room and obviously is not on the same page with his front office. This much is evident by the daily "unnamed" source leaking information from both the locker room and the offices of the Jets. Heck, this team has more underlying turmoil than the Boston Red Sox, a task that didn't seem possible just 6 months ago.

To a degree, the incompetence lies with Rex Ryan.

And last, but certainly not least, is the players. I don't think we need to go into much detail about how badly Mark Sanchez has let his organization down. How the defense has gone from the best in the league, to one of the better defenses, and struggles to stop the run. How Bart Scott has declined so quickly, and how Mohammed Wilkerson has been asked to carry the entire defense.

If the Jets truly do want to succeed, they have to put themselves in a position to win. Mark Sanchez is no longer the franchise quarterback, that much is evident. Rex Ryan needs to either learn how to get the most out of his young players, or hire coordinators who can have a bigger role in the coaching staff to do his job for him. They need to fire Mike Tannenbaum, who has been forced to replace talent with scrap heaps because the Jets do not have the money to spend on strong role players. Ironically, they do not have money because of Tannenbaum's ludicrous decision making with previous contracts.

This team has zero direction. The general manager doesn't know how to rebuild, and hasn't put together a team talented enough to win. The coach loves to talk, but hasn't been able to coach his team up these past two years. They still make timely mistakes, and still underperform. It's time for a total overhaul in New York, starting from the top and ending at the very bottom.

Evaluating the Ryan Dempster Signing

Hello all,

I know it's finals week for some which is a stressful time of year. Students spend too much time studying, not enough time sleeping, and generally fit the description of "stressed." Hopefully, you can use this as a reprieve, even if its only 10 minutes.

Somewhat constricted today in the MLB world due to the Josh Hamilton signing was news of Ryan Dempster landing a 2-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. He's scheduled to make $26.5 million over this time, and figures to fit in to the middle of the Red Sox rotation.

Now, I'm an armchair quarterback thick and thin. But even I can sense a bad thing coming a mile away. You ever get that pit in your stomach when the Red Sox make a free agent signing? Usually fans are at least incredibly optimistic until about the second week of April, when they realize that maybe player X isn't all that they cracked him up to be.

Well with Dempster, I don't even have that three-month period of elation. It was just immediate gloom and doom, something I like to call the "John Lackey" experience. Remember when Lackey was signed? Everyone looked around at each other with that "did this really just happen" look on their faces. No one was overly excited, and only the biggest homers could even attempt to convey any kind of excitement over giving Mr. Lackey a 5 year deal.

Unfortunately, things weren't always like this in Boston. There was a time where Theo Epstein was allowed pretty much free reign to sign who he felt was best. Obviously, when you're winning championships, the fan base will give you somewhat of leeway. Now? The Red Sox have taken a liking to dishing out large contracts to underachieving free agents. A trend which I feel will not end with Ryan Dempster.

Luckily, Dempster only received a two year deal. But at 13 million dollars a year, the price tag is high for a starter who at-best will provide #3 type stuff while eating innings. But you know what? In theory, I'm not even upset about the contract. What people don't understand is that the Red Sox have acres of space for cap room, and a two year deal at $13 million will not break the bank.

What bothers me is that the Red Sox chose to allocate this money to Ryan Dempster. Dempster is 36 years old and will enter his 17th season as a big league pitcher. Before the second half of last season, Dempster had never pitched in the American League.

After a brief period in his career between 2005-2007, where Dempster struggled to stay health, he generally has returned to form as a reliable 200+ inning pitcher. He throws a lot of strikes, gets his fair share of strikeouts, and has maintained the description of a "reliable pitcher."

Here's what concerns me. Dempster saw his velocity dip below 90 MPH for the first time last season, averaging 89.7 on his fastball. As a pitcher who pounds the strike zone, he relies almost exclusively on his slider to generate outs as his secondary pitch, throwing it 30% of the time. Now I'm no doctor, but a 36 year old pitcher who has survived on throwing strikes is now moving to the American League East, home of smaller ballparks and tough lineups, and relies on a slider to get outs. The slider, generally known as the most dangerous off speed pitch for elbows, is what allows Dempster to perform at a high level.

I find it difficult to expect Dempster to show up in Boston and maintain an ERA below 4.00 like he has since 2007, especially seeing as upon arrival in the AL West last season, Dempster pitched to the tune of a 5.09 ERA.

Statistically speaking, Dempster looks like a sure-bet to provide stability to the rotation. He throws strikes, he stays healthy, and has statistically shown to be a front of the rotation starter during his time with the Cubs. However, the move to the American League will hurt Dempster, leaving the Red Sox with another aging pitcher who will log somewhat ineffective innings. With both Lackey and Dempster now entrenched in the rotation in Boston, the Red Sox are finally finding their continuity.

Unfortunately, this continuity will not bring success to the 2013 Boston Red Sox.

Oh, yeah, and he's a career 0-4 in 5 games against the Yankees, with a 7.62 ERA.