The Fun is Over

As much as a Boston sports optimist I try to be, I have to honestly admit I thought the Patriots would lose.  Eventually I figured the injuries would catch up to them and they'd face a team like the Broncos who had the upper hand in talent at nearly all, if not every skill position.  Despite that I thought the Patriots would play a lot better than how they did.

First off, last week against the Colts was the LeGarrete Blount show, and although the Broncos were able to prevent him from making any big plays early, I thought the Pats abandoned the run early.  Also offensively there were two plays in particular that really irked me.  First was the third down long pass to special team specialist Matthew Slater.  Same Matthew Slater who in his 6 years in the NFL has 1 reception.  So of course in the Conference Title Game it makes perfect sense to throw to him again.  The other play that bothered me was when  TB12  overthrew Julian Edelman downfield.  If Brady had connected with Edelman the play could very well have resulted in a touchdown, if not Pats would most likely at least have gotten 3 points on that possession.  Would that have made a difference in the game? Most likely not, but it was still early and the way the game was played out very well may have changed.

As much as the offense was a disappointment, I put majority of the blame on the loss on the defense.  I know people will say "Well Talib got hurt", but my response to that is while losing Talib was a big loss, any knowledgeable football fan who watched that game could see regardless if Talib played, the Broncos were clearly the superior team on Sunday. Peyton Manning was nearly perfect as he was 32-43 for 400 yards, 2 touchdowns and most importantly ZERO interceptions. The offense can't do much with the ball if they don't have the ball.  For instance in the 3rd quarter alone, the Patriots only had the ball once.  The inability by the defense to make good two good plays in a row or ANY stop on a 3rd down was staggering.  There were two instances where the Broncos had a 2nd and 20 and a 2nd and 16 and both times on one play the Broncos were able to convert a first down with relative ease, which is completely inexcusable by the defense.  Also, the defense only had two instances where a Broncos offensive possession didn't end in points; the first possession and the last one and the last possession the Broncos could have scored points but decided to go in the victory formation and take a knee instead.

With all that negativity I just ranted about being said, I can't complain too much about the Patriots season.  They were a young team who suffered injuries to some of their best players and leaders and yet were still one game away from going to another Super Bowl.  As the off season begins, it is clear TB12 needs another target, preferably one who can spread the field vertically, and the defense needs strong corner back.  While this year's Patriots squad was so fun and at the same time so frustrating to watch,  hopefully the youthful team will be able to learn from all their mistakes and be improved come next year, and hopefully Gronk, Mayo and Wilfork (if he comes back) will all be healthy and be able to perform up to their capabilities.

As for the NFC Title Game between the Seahawks and 49ers, it played out exactly how I thought it would. Although I picked the 49ers to win in my previous rant, I can say that this game unlike the AFC Title Game lived up to the hype.  Both these teams have hard hitting defenses and young athletic quarterbacks and all these players showed up to play. While Russell Wilson wasn't amazing, he did have two BIG  plays in particular where he was able to complete a long pass to Doug Balwdin after an impressive scramble which led to a field goal and late the touchdown pass on a delayed offsides call to Jermaine Kearse, which turned out to be the game winner.  "Beast Mode" Marshawn Lynch also showed up by scampering for 109 yards and was able to reward himself with some Skittles after his long 40 yard touchdown run.

The difference in the game however was clear and that was Kaepernick's 3 turnovers in the 4th.  While I thought as a whole he played a good game, as he was able to break off a few big runs and  had a jump touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin that was a thing of beauty, Kaepernick's inability to secure the ball down the stretch and have Vernon Davis be a bigger part of the offense proved to be the difference makers in the whether the 49ers would play next week in New York or not.  Also, I found it ironic that two of Jim Harbaugh's players from Stanford in Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin played a large role in the 49ers losing and the Seahawks winning.

As for the Richard Sherman rant (I loved the WWF paradoy which you can see here ), I really had no issues with it.  Was it smart? probably not, but like I said last week the reasons why I enjoy watching the 49ers and Seahawks is because they are trash talkers but their play backs up the talk.  Richard Sherman sealed the victory with his deflection that led to an interception and he had a right to be pumped up.  Also as more news leaked out  about how him and Crabtree had an incident at an event during the off-season, it is clear they don't like each other at all.  It was 15 seconds of live television and the amount of coverage and banter that it has received all week I find staggering.  Unfortunately I got a hunch that the talk will continue all the way through Media Day next week.

While I would have loved to see the Pats go for the franchises' fourth Super Bowl victory, I think it's clear the two best teams in the NFL will be competing to raise The Lombardi Trophy and I look forward to watching the game next Sunday.

Old School vs New School NFL Conference Championship Weekend

I know I am a Patriots fan, so I am probably slightly biased, but as an overall football and NFL fan, I can't think of a conference championship weekend with two awesome match ups like this Sunday will have to offer.  Somewhere in New York Roger Goodell has to be just salivating over what the ratings for this weekend will be.

What makes this weekend so appealing to many is that it has the classic match up of Brady vs. Manning, which has been one of , if not the biggest story lines in the NFL over the last decade, and a battle of two of the best new school quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick.

I don't want to talk about "who is better" between Manning and Brady because if you turned on the TV or listened to sports radio at all this week, you can't go two minutes without people debating about the topic. I will say this, I do think Manning has to win this game way more than Brady.  Manning has without a doubt the better receiving corps, he has the home field advantage, Brady throughout his career has a 10-4 record against Manning, and most importantly Manning only has 1 Super Bowl win to Brady's 3.  If I were to look at this match up as an objective fan, I'd give the edge to the Broncos given their offensive weapons and home field advantage of playing in the thin air.  However, I do love that the Patriots' run sustaining offense as of late does allows them to control the clock a lot more and their defense with the emergence of Jamie Collins and a healthier Aqib Talib is peaking at the right time.

I will also say this about Peyton Manning, while I am on the topic, I actually do like the guy a lot.  You can't deny his talent and he seems like a pretty good and funny guy as he showed us again last weekend with his Bud Light comment .  In many ways I put him in the same category as a Derek Jeter. As a Red Sox and Patriots fan, I obviously hope both their teams lose miserably, but at the same time I respect the hell out of the way they play the game, and my feelings for Manning will not change regardless of the outcome this weekend.  However with all that being said, if the Patriots win I cannot wait to see another burnt red forehead and vintage Manningface.

While I will be mad if the Pats don't win I can honestly say that this has been one of the more fun Patriots seasons to watch in a while.  In many ways it reminds me of this past Red Sox season.  The Patriots have won not with stars, but rather a variety of role players.  While TB12 is arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time, the Pats didn't need to  rely on his arm to win them many games.  Players like Blount, Edelman, and Logan Ryan just to name a few have far outplayed the money they are being paid.  Just to think the Patriots have played nearly the whole season without 4 of the biggest players from last years squad including Hernandez, Gronkowski, Wilfork and Mayo and are now one game away from another Super Bowl is unfathomable. Also, of all years (with the exception of maybe the year Brady went down and Matt Cassel stepped in and some would also argue the 2001 season) this has been hands down Belichick's best year of coaching.

I won't give a prediction for the game (I don't like picking games when I have a dog in the fight), but I look forward to the Brady-Manning games more than any other games, and I don't think this game will disappoint.

As for the Seahawks-49ers game, it is another game I can't wait to watch (although if the Pats lose I will be thoroughly depressed watching it).  The game features two of the best young talents in the game in Wilson and Kaepernick, whose ability to run is a stark contrast to the drop back quarterbacks like Brady and Manning.  What I like most about these two teams however is that their defenses are the heart and soul of each team.  Both defenses hit hard and have an attitude about them that makes you hate them, but their play on their field backs up the talk. While the 12th man in Seattle is a huge advantage for the Seahawks, the 49ers in my mind have been the best team in the playoffs thus far and because of that I am going to go with them. Every year it seems there is one team to make the Super Bowl who has had to win all their games on the road and this year I think it will be the Jim Harbaugh $8 Walmart khaki wearing led 49ers.

Well anyways, enjoy the weekend and hopefully Sunday will come quickly.  Go Pats!

A Late Christmas Gift for BC Football

Boston College head coach Steve Addazio's pipeline from Gainesville to Chestnut Hill was at work again yesterday when it was announced former University of Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy would finish his college football career with BC.

This is the third player in the last two years from Florida to have to have transferred to BC, where Addazio was the offensive coordinator and interim head coach prior to becoming the head man at Temple.  This past season former Gator offensive lineman Matt Patchan was a stalwart on the BC offensive line who paved many holes for Heisman Trophy finalist and Doak Walker award winner Andre Williams.  Murphy will be joined this season with another former Gator offensive lineman Ian Silberman.

One of the fears going into BC's upcoming season is that they would have to replace a lot of talent including the quarterback position.  While Murphy's stats aren't jaw dropping, the most important thing he will bring to the quarterback position for BC is experience and more importantly experience playing in an elite conference. Prior to Murphy it seemed incoming freshman dual-threat quarterback Darius Wade from Delaware would have a strong opportunity to be the starter, however with Murphy's arrival maybe Addazio could allow Wade a year to further develop.

While it appears both Wade and Murphy will both be allowed to compete for the starting job, it is my hope that Murphy wins the job, since I am always fearful of a true freshman starting at any position, let a lone the quarterback position.  On the plus side, regardless if it is Murphy or Wade, it looks like given both qb's skill set of being able to throw and run, that Addazio will be able to run more of a spread and uptempo offense that proved to be successful during his tenure at Florida.

During this time of year, especially given the current state of the basketball program, usually the hockey team is the only thing that can lift the spirits of BC fans, but with the addition of Murphy and excitement around the football team's incoming recruiting class it appears this is the first time in a while that fans can look forward to spring football and the upcoming season with hope and optimism.

State of BC Basketball

As many of those who follow the BC basketball team know the 2013-14 campaign is one that many would already like to forget about.  Coming into the season there was much hype surrounding the team given the amount of talent returning and how the squad finished last season strong, yet the team hasn't come close to meeting the pre-season expectations.  While I was happy that BC had scheduled non-conference games against teams from power conferences like UConn, USC, Auburn, Purdue and VCU as well as maintaining regional rivalry games against Providence, UMASS and Harvard, the one thing all these games had in common is non of these games were played at Conte Forum.  One of the ways to excite a fan base, as was seen by the crowd against Syracuse last night, is to bring quality opponents to Chestnut Hill.  Two of the best games BC has played at home over the past 2 seasons (although both ended in a loss) were the Duke game from last year and the Syracuse game from last night, which both had huge crowds with a lively student section.  I truly believe any team in any sport increases their level of play when they know the crowd is fully behind them.  Bringing in a Division 2 team like Philadelphia University is not a way to excite fans and make them want to come to the game.

Now that BC is starting to get into the thick of ACC play and it is clear that it will be the 5th year in a row without an NCAA Tournament appearance, one has to start looking into the future about what's best for the program.  I, like many BC fans, think Steve Donahue is a great guy who represents everything good that Boston College as an institution stands for, but at the end of the day a Division 1 coach in an elite conference is judged not by their character but by their win-loss record and in the time he has been at the helm at BC he has yet to deliver results that show the program is heading in the right direction.

When BC hired Donahue, I was excited, even though I was sad to see Al Skinner go.  While I longed for the days of Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, Louis Hinnant and Sean Marshall again, I did look forward to the style of play Donahue would bring to BC.  His Cornell team that made the Sweet 16 the year before was a fun team to watch and it is clear Donahue coaches the game with great passion.  The one major concern I had however was how would his style of play in the Ivy League translate into the elite conference of the ACC.  Donahue's hiring of Joe Jones as an assistant I thought was a great hire, not only because he also had head coaching experience, but he was also a strong recruiter during his time as an assistant at Villanova.  When Jones left for the head coaching gig at the school down Commonwealth Ave.  BC was left with a coaching staff that was made up of rather young and inexperienced coaches, and I am confident in saying that this has had an impact on the level of play by the team on the court.

The core group of this BC team has been together for 3 years and while the play towards the end of last year, especially with the emergence of Olivier Hanlan, gave me great hope for this year, the team as a whole does not seem to have the skill and athleticism to compete at a consistent basis with the middle and upper tier of the ACC. The regression of the defense this year is what has been the most shocking, and while I know part of this has to do with the absence of big man Dennis Clifford, it is clear missing him is not the only reason for poor play.  Going back to last year BC has shown they can compete for 30 minutes but the final 10 minutes of each game is where they seem to falter and lose their composure.  Watching the second half of games this year has been increasingly frustrating and for the sake of my health and BC fandom, I don't think I can go through another year of watching this team play like this.

Based on how the year has gone, I don't see how Athletic Director Brad Bates can keep Donahue beyond this season.  I do think Donahue is still a great coach, but like Tommy Amaker at Harvard (who has now beaten BC 6 years in a row) maybe he is best suited to coach at Ivy or Patriot League level school.  The question now becomes who does Bates turn to from here?

If it was up to me, first person I'd be calling is Bruce Pearl, although I am well aware it comes with great risk. Pearl is a BC grad and I am sure he is itching to get back into the coaching ranks after his 3 year show cause ban.  Pearl has proven he has been successful both at the mid major level at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (who beat BC in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and went onto the Sweet 16) and in a power conference at Tennessee who he took to the Elite 8 in 2010. He has a good eye for talent and sounds like a relentless recruiter (as long as he does it legally) and coaches with great energy, which sounds a lot like BC's first year head football coach Steve Addazio.  While Pearl seems a little crazy based on some of his off the court antics (as is seen by the pictures I have added) I'm hoping his time away from coaching has made him wiser and because of that I'm hoping Bates at least gives him a shot.

Whether Bates goes after Pearl, is still a huge question mark, but I do hope that Bates at least goes after a guy who has been a head coach at an elite level, and not hire a coach from a mid major, like a Steve Donahue, in the hopes that he is the next best thing.

Bye, Bye to the BCS

So Monday night marked the end of the 16 year BCS era.  Funny how times change people's views on how college football's national champion should be decided.  Prior to the BCS it was a free for all and there was no real rhyme or reason besides the final ranking on who won the title.  Many times the two best teams didn't play in a bowl and that in many ways was why the BCS was created to try to insure that this would no longer be the case.  Fast forward to 2014 and it appears the vast majority of college football fans are overjoyed that the BCS come next year will be a thing of the past.

I am not here to say the BCS was good or bad.  I do believe however that almost every year the best team hoisted the crystal ball, and to me that was the most important thing.  Also, the BCS allowed the little man for one day such as Boise State against Oklahoma or TCU against Wisconsin (Hawaii against Georgia not so much) to play on one of college football's biggest stages and not only compete by actual beat one of college football's premier programs. 

 The one major drawback however was there always appeared to be one or two teams at the end of each year who felt snubbed and that they should have been one of the two teams to play in the BCS Championship Game.  This year it was Michigan State and in past years one could have argued for USC in 2003 (the one team I believe was the true national champion, without having played in the title game in the BCS era) and Auburn in 2004.  The four team playoff hopefully will help remedy this situation, although people are already clamoring for the playoff to be expanded.  I do believe it will eventually be expanded to eight teams, but I do not think it should go beyond that.

While I am happy college football is moving forward with the playoff system, I do not think the BCS was as bad as people made it out to be.  From a personal standpoint the USC-Texas game in 2006 and Monday night's game between Auburn and Florida State were two of the best football games I have seen given the magnitude of the game.  Pre-BCS there is a good chance these match-ups would never have taken place. The best part however of transitioning from the BCS to the playoff era of college football will be that strength of schedule will hold a lot of weight.  The non-conference schedules during the regular season will be significantly tougher which will be great from a fan's perspective.  The days of powerhouses playing FCS and directional schools will likely cease to exist and college football will forever be better for it.