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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

Hammer Radio: UFC 149 Recap, Bellator 72, Invicta Fighting Championships 2

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Its Wednesday Night, so the Hammer Radio show is back, and available in Hamilton on 93.3 CMFU FM, and archived on the internet at http://thehammar.libsyn.com

The Boys at the Hammer feature weekly coverage of all things MMA. This week they are back with  another new episode and you can listen to the archived podcast by clicking here. Hammer Radio 103

“UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao was a pretty lackluster event. Rarely has a live crowd turned on a show as badly as they did last Saturday night. Still there were some highlights, and even the lowlights were kind of interesting failures. We run through the whole card, including the preliminary fights that provided the best action of the night.

We also recap Bellator 72, preview The Invicta Fighting Championships 2 coming up this Saturday, and talk all of the recent MMA news including UFC 152 in Toronto.”

The Hammer features lastwordonsports’ own writer Greg Persson, long time internet superstar Steve Jeffrey, and is hosted by MMA aficionado Dave Abraham.

The Hammer has had interviews with some of the biggest names in MMA over the years, including BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Sean Sherk, Mark Coleman, and others. They continue to bring unparallelled, independent coverage of all things MMA to fans of the sport.

They’ll give you the straight goods and the Last Word.

AFC East Preview: Team Unity is the Key to Jets season

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Note: (All offensive/defensive ranking statistics use the footballoutsiders.com excellent DVOA rating formula.)

Earlier this week I began previews of the AFC East Division with looks at the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, today we move on to the New York Jets (Look for the New England Patriots preview tomorrow).

Back in 2008, the Baltimore Ravens hired Eagles’ assistant coach John Harbaugh to be their new head coach after a nine-year run by former head coach, Brian Billick   Stay with me, Jets’ fans, I’ll get to the J-E-T-S in a minute).  Billick was the coach who led the Ravens to their only Super Bowl in 2000, but he was also the coach who oversaw the offensive degeneration of the Ravens, culminating in the 25th-ranked offense by DVOA in his final season.  The move to hire Harbaugh was quite a surprise at the time considering he was a career Special Teams coach, with only one year of coaching defensive backs.  Other candidates were rumored to be the front-runners for the job (including current Cowboys head coach, Jason Garret), and outside of these hot candidates the Ravens already had a strong candidate on their current staff – Rex Ryan.  Ryan had been the defensive coordinator of the Ravens for three years at the time he was looked-over for their head job.  It was viewed by many on the outside that Ryan was ready for a head coaching job and the choice seemed logical since he was the one running the Ravens dominant defense.

Since hiring Harbaugh, however, the Ravens have gone to the post-season four straight times, and the offense has seen its biggest improvement under him.  The 25th-ranked unit he inherited has one top-10 finish, have never ranked lower than 20th in four seasons, and finished a respectable 13th in 2011.  It should be mentioned that the hiring of Harbaugh also coincided with the drafting of quarterback Joe Flacco, and that he has had as much to do with the offensive turnaround as anybody. But it isn’t so much the improvement in the offense alone that I want to give Harbaugh credit for, but the way the Ravens play and act like a team that is one unit instead of a divided team.

Team leader Ray Lewis has echoed this unity by repeatedly saying in interviews that he believes in Joe Flacco and the offense.  When the Ravens failed to score a TD at the end of regulation in their playoff loss to the Patriots last season, and subsequently missed a game tying field goal to force overtime, there were no sound bites from a bitter Ravens defense blaming the offense or the special teams for failing to get the job done.  John Harbaugh has been a true head coach to his entire team and they have benefited from it.  The Ravens clearly made a strong choice when selecting Harbaugh as their coach.

On the flip-side, the New York Jets are left trying to pick up the pieces from a lost season in 2011 that saw an 8-5 record crumble into 8-8 and the first non-playoff season of Rex Ryan’s tenure as HC.  The season has been defined by their late season collapse and the rash of reports (mostly generated from comments from Jets players who were there) that have painted a picture of the Jets as a team divided.  Third string QB, Greg McElroy, even went as far as to say the Jets locker room was full of selfish individuals who were not concerned with team performance.  When reports like this show up, and the team is impacted in the win column, it must fall on the head coach.  Rex Ryan has already taken the blame for this, whether he realized he was doing so or not.

In early January, shortly after the Jets season had concluded, Rex Ryan gave an interview on “The Micheal Kay Show” on ESPN New York Radio.  In the interview he admitted the need for him to take a bigger role in the offense.  “I will definitely be around the offense more, there’s no doubt, for no other reason just so I have a better idea of our team,” Ryan said.  It is great that Ryan wants to take responsibility for the situation, but does he realize he is the head coach and not a glorified defensive coordinator who also decides when to punt and go for it?  Ryan has to be totally involved in every facet of the team; offense, defense, special teams, that is what a head coach does.  For him to concede he should be spending more time with the offense shows that he didn’t truly understand what his position should have been.   If he fails to act on his claim then we could see another divided team in New York this upcoming season, especially considering some of the head-line grabbing moves they have made this offseason.

In typical Jets fashion they haven’t shied away from any of the bad press or tried to deal the “trouble” players who may have caused more turmoil than others (i.e. Santonio Holmes).  Instead they have upped the ante again for 2012, just the way Rex Ryan likes to do it.  Peyton Manning changing teams was the biggest player move of the offseason, but after that no trade has grabbed more headlines or created more speculation than the Tim Tebow acquisition (hold that thought for a minute).  The Jets also made another big off-season splash by acquiring former Miami Dolphins head coach, Tony Sparano, to run the offense.  Sparano is known for being a hard-nosed coach (former O-line coach) with a brash personality.  These two moves together could have potentially disastrous consequences for the Jets.

The player the Jets most need to improve and play with confidence is incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez.  Acquiring such a notable player with a huge following that will be calling for him to start from day one puts even more pressure on Sanchez to perform.  Teaming this player with the coach who brought the wildcat back to the NFL on a limited basis, and letting the offseason speculation about how Tebow will be utilized run rampant, only adds another layer of uncertainty and pressure.  Again, I am sure this is just how Rex Ryan wants it.

In my opinion Sparano is a great coach. He has helped to develop successful running games in Dallas and Miami and I never felt Dallas played with the same edge after he left (although they were a Wade Phillips team from that point on, so maybe there is more to it).  Tebow has proved he belongs in the NFL with his play last season.  Adding good people and good talent to your team is never a bad thing.  I am all for putting the pressure on Sanchez prior to the season, also.  But the reason these moves could be potentially disastrous is that they add more pressure and expectation to the combustion chamber that is the New York Jets.  If Sanchez struggles out of the gate then the media will be calling for Tebow in an instant, just as it happens, and there may even be some in the Jets locker room who feel the same way.  This is why Ryan has to make sure that in 2012 he is the head coach of the entire team, he cannot just hand the keys to Sparano and worry about the defense.  If he can do this and the Jets can build a unified team that can fight together through the inevitable struggles that will come in any season, and work together to win as they did early in Ryan’s tenure.  In the end we know that winning cures all ills.

I don’t know how Tebow is going to be used and I am not going to speculate as there are numerous reports from analysts on this.  I will say that I believe Sparano is a great hire because he will help the running game and his brash personality will fit right in with the head coach.  Ryan wants to have a run-first offense that can limit turnovers and Sparano can help him get that.  On the other side of the ball there is little reason to worry – the Jets have the talent on defense to be a Superbowl contender.  They proved this in 2009 and 2010 by making back to back AFC Championship games.  They also proved this in 2011 by grabbing their third straight top-five defensive DVOA rating.  They had added pieces to the defense again this year through the draft, and after three years of near dominance, it would be foolish to underestimate Rex Ryan and his defense.  What needs to improve is the play on the offensive side of the ball, but more than that the Jets need to prove they are a united team.  If they can do this then they have all the talent to challenge the Patriots for the division title.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Olympic Soccer: Can Japan get Through Canada and Sweden to Win the Olympic Gold?

Posted on by Mitchell Tierney

Japan haven’t always been a heavyweight in International women’s football (or men’s for that matter).  In fact for a number of years they were not even considered the best team on their continent, one which is not particularly deep or talented when it come to the women’s game. Up until recently it was North Korea, or Korea DPR, who were the best women’s football team in Asia. That of course all changed at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany and Japan, ranked number-4 in the World, marginally ahead of Sweden and behind Brazil, are now favourites to medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Going into the 2011 World Cup, the biggest success in Japanese football history, there were plenty of teams ranked ahead of Japan, who weren’t even considered a dark horse to win the tournament by most. The consensus dark horse was Canada, a team with plenty of promise going into Germany led by new coach Carolina Morace. However, the fact that Canada only scored one goal and finished dead last in the tournament quickly eliminated them from the list of dark horse candidates. Then there was Germany, the host team and a squad that many considered the 1980 Brazil of Women’s football (i.e the best team ever). Japan apparently didn’t get the memo, defeating the Germans with a 1-0 in extra time insured by a surprising goal from Karina Maruyama. Not only did this eliminate Germany from the World Cup, but also denied them a spot at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Japan followed their quarter-final upset by shocking both Sweden and the United States in the final (in penalties no less) en route to something ever more unbelievable: the 2011 Women’s World Cup title.

At the 2012 Olympic games in London the Japanese are undoubtedly considered among the favourites to win a medal. Their winning ways of late have teams all kinds of worried about what they can produce at these games. But what are the chances that two years later this Japanese side can repeat one of the biggest string of upsets in Women’s football history? Homare Sawa, Japan’s hero at the 2011 World Cup, is two years older. While this may not seem like a lot, considering she is still only 33, it was Sawa who scored 5 goals to win both MVP of the tournament and FIFA Women’s player of the year. Her headed goal from a corner kick sent the World Cup final to penalty kicks after Abby Wambach had given the United States a brief lead. If Sawa cannot contribute in the same way can Japan find the goals that they need to secure a medal, preferably Gold at the London Olympics?

There is also the fact that Japan have found themselves in a pretty tough group to start this Olympic tournament, wheras they had by far the easiest group at the 2011 World Cup. In addition, despite the easy grouping they finished behind the English squad, who defeated them 2-0 in Japan’s second game of the tournament. This year they will have to be ready from the start. Japan will kick off their tournament against Canada, who are ranked 9th in the World and have recently defeated some fairly heavyweight opposition, including Brazil, en route to a Pan American Gold Medal. The Japanese backline will be tested very quickly in this tournament as Canada have several attacking threats including one of the best players in the history of women’s football: Christine Sinclair. They are then greeted by the team who finished 3rd at the Women’s World Cup, and a team who will be looking for revenge not to mention pass Japan in the international ranking; Sweden.  The Swedes are considered the favourites by many to win the group and will certainly not allow the Japanese any rest after their opener. The group is rounded out by South Africa, a team who will probably not cause Japan too much distress.

One thing that has to be mentioned is the fact that it is quite a bit easier to advance past the group stage at these 2012 Olympics then last year at the World Cup. Japan is in Group F of a tournament which consists of three groups, E,F and G. As per usual the top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, but with only three groups that is only six teams out of the required eight. This means that two of the three 3rd place teams will advance to the next round and play the winner of Group E or Group G. For Japan it may not actually be all that advantageous to finish top of their group. Should they finish first they will most likely have to face France in the Quarter-Finals, a match that will certainly not be easy. Finishing second most likely pairs them off with Great Britain, who while they are the hosts are not considered a huge threat to medal in their own backyard.

So what will the Japanese produce under a greater spotlight then they had at the 2011 World Cup? It is hard to say, as is usually the case in short tournaments with plenty of unforeseen factors. This time around they are expected to medal and teams will not underestimate their talent as they may have done last year. Without Germany the number of high-end teams in the tournament are fewer, which allows the Japanese a better shot at accomplishing their goals. If Japan can finish second in their group the path to the Final becomes a lot easier. A quarter-final win against most likely Team GB sets up a decent Semi-Final against Sweden or France, rather than the other way around if they finish first which gives them a difficult start to the knockout stages. It is probable that Japan finish second in the Group, losing or drawing their second match against Sweden after a hard-fought opening win against Canada. They will certainly advance past the Semi-Finals but after that fate takes over. The Japanese Women’s soccer team will medal at the 2012 Olympics in London but what colour that medal ends up being will become apparent closer to the time those very medals are handed out.

Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastWordMitch

Shane Doan Deserves to Play For a Cup Contender

Posted on by Maksim Vasilyev

So there it is, folks.  The Rick Nash derby is over. The NY Rangers won, they got the man they have been after since the February trade deadline. So their team is set, right? Well it seems there is one more player that they are actively looking to sign even after the big trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers and just about every other team in NHL is actively seeking the services of a great leader and hockey player, Shane Doan.

So what makes this 35-year old so coveted? Is it the fact that he can score 30-40 goals a season? Is it his tenacious two-way play without the puck? Can he turn it up at the right times and score big goals in the crunch time? Will he have a positive locker room presence and help mentor your young players into the men that learn to compete at the highest levels and learn to win? It sounds like we have more questions than answers.  Well, there is one thing that is definite about Doan and that his persona, his character.  When talked about in the media he seems to never come under fire, and instead never sees a shortage of compliments.

Shane Doan was selected 7th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft (a draft that included Jarome Iginla, Marc Savard, Mikka Kiprusoff, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere)  by the Winnipeg Jets. He became the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes in 03-04 season and has spent all of his16 seasons with Phoenix, while attaining a reputation for being a ferocious competitor that can score. He has 11 seasons under his belt of scoring more than 20 goals and seven with 60 or more points. His highest career totals came in 07-08 season where he had 78 points. He has also been the captain of Canadian national team in 2007 at the World Championships.

Off the ice this man is an honest, good person, and anyone who has met him will say the same. He clearly cares about where he plays, as he has been a loyal captain of a less than perfect franchise. He participates in the community, and commits to spending a lot of time off the ice volunteering.  He was even honoured by Mark Messier, who bestowed a leadership award to Doan.  A family man with four kids, Shane has a genuine, caring side.  If you happen caught him on the TV show, “Mantracker”, you would see what I mean. Generally speaking, this man is an awesome human being.

So this man is a good, clean Canadian hockey player, one I would imagine Don Cherry would have a poster of in his bedroom or as his screensaver at the very least (wait, would Cherry have a computer?). But the problem with this is that he is not exactly an offensive juggernaut, and whose to say a team would sign him based on his affinity for helping others in the community and taking his kids on camping trips?  Afterall, hockey is a business.  On the free agent market right now, there is another player available that clearly has better offensive numbers than Doan – Alexander Semin. Yet, it seems teams would not touch him with a 6-foot pole.

Let us not forget that Shane Doan is not as nice on the ice as he is off the ice – don’t let him lull you into thinking that or you’ll be pasted into the corner boards. Shane Doan isn’t exactly your Average Homeboy when it comes to playing hockey. He can be a little dirty and nasty, and you would not use the word “finesse” to describe his play. He has been suspended here, made someone bleed here, might have been a bit late here, dished out some pain here, and some more punishment here. Less of “Average Homeboy” and more of an Ice Cube – while rapping he rocks with AK-47s  and when he isn’t rapping he can baby-sit your kids. Mr.Doan is somewhat like that; probably not the cleanest, nicest player on the ice but an awesome individual off the ice.

So while we established that he has good character and he will not be Kovaleving out there, what about his offensive talent?

Shane Doan is a power-forward. Recently there was a great piece on this “Mythical Beast” at canucksarmy.com, that explains some of the detailed qualities of Shane’s game. He has the size and ferocity that comes with soft hands to score big goals. He grinds and inflicts pain on his opponents. This man was built for playoff hockey. He led his team with 5 goals in this years playoffs while being plus-2 with 47 shots on goal in 16 games.  Not Crosby numbers, but not bad, right? Doan really showed up the last two years in the playoffs for Phoenix.

So what we have here is a very productive true power-forward who has all the hockey characteristics you would want in a player. The only thing that you can hold against him is his age. He is a 35-year old player and no doubt that is a concern for most fans hoping their team sings him. But if you look around the league that might be less of a concern then once thought. Whitney/Jagr signed $4 million contracts last month and they are both over 40 and both were productive last year. You have to look at Doan and see that he never played less than 73 games in his career after his first full season in 98-99. So, what I’m getting at is that I do not see any worries here.

A conclusion? Well he needs to win a cup – I guarantee you that is what he wants, and to do so, he will need to sing with a team that is a premiere Cup contender. Red Wings, NY Rangers, and even the L.A. Kings are just some of the teams where he stands a chance to make the last “hurrah” at the Cup. He is very loyal and the word out of Doan’s camp is that he is waiting on Phoenix to figure out the ownership situation, but that to me is just good PR. He is thinking. Thinking how much he has left in the tank and what team will give him a chance to compete in the playoffs. Getting to the Western Conference Finals last year and losing has to hurt, but it also leaves a taste of what could be. L.A. Kings seem to be the favorites to sign him IMO due to being the best and closest team to his current home.

I say Shane Doan sign with the L.A. Kings (they are the favorites to repeat) and enjoy the playoffs, possibly the Stanley Cup Finals, because the playoffs are better with Doan in them and hockey world deserves to see more, on national television, of Shane Doan doing his thing.

Some of Shane Doan’s Hockey

…and that is The Last Word.

Please comment below and feel free to follow me on Twitter @maximus91

Top Shelf Prospects: Buffalo Sabres

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Earlier this week I launched “Top Shelf Prospects” a look at the top prospects for all teams in the NHL. Monday we started with the Anaheim Ducks. And Tuesday we  moved on to the Boston Bruins. Today’s team is of course the Buffalo Sabres.  Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2012 draft, as there have been no games since the draft, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2012-13 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick. A player who was either drafted in the 4th round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL.

2012 Draft Picks Reviewed in our Preview:
Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Jake McCabe,

 

Top Prospect: Joel Armia, Right Wing
Born May 31 1993 — Pori, Finland
Height 6.03 — Weight 187 — Shoots Right
Drafted 16th Overall in 2011 NHL Draft

 Joel Armia is a natural goal scorer, pure and simple.  He just craves goals, and putting on a show, such as when the young Finn rode his stick on his way past the Swedish bench at the 2012 World Juniors.  Armia is an outstanding stickhandler.  His hands are quick and he is able to dangle past opposing defenders and goalies.  We combine this with a hard accurate shot and quick release, and he is a nightmare for opposing goalies.  It is very hard to tell if he will let the shot go, or make one more move, and before a goalie knows it, the puck is in the back of the net.  He is absolutely lethal on breakaways and shootouts.  Armia does have other offensive talents and can sometimes make good passes to teammates, but his main skill is as a goal scorer.

At 6’3″ Armia has ideal size, but we’d like to see him use it more often.  He’s not overly physical in the corners either in the offensive zone or the defensive end of the ice.  That said he doesn’t shy away from contact, and he is willing to get to the dirty areas of the ice, he just isn’t the type of player who will initiate that contact.   Defensively he is a willing and involved backchecker, and capable two way player.

Armia has good straight line speed, and very good top end speed.  He also has the agility and balance to make the fancy dekes that work so well for him off the rush.  He does however lack a little in first step quickness and acceleration.  This is not to say he is bad in those areas, it just isn’t up to par with the rest of his skating which is excellent.

Armia is still at least a full season away from the NHL, and is likely to play in Finland again next year.  Even if he comes over for the 2013-14 season, he might need some AHL time.  He’s a player the Sabres will be patient with, as his skills will make him worth the wait.

 

Marcus Foligno, LW,
Born Aug 10 1991 — Buffalo, NY
Height 6.02 — Weight 215 — Shoots Left
Selected by Buffalo Sabres round 4 #104 overall 2009 NHL Entry Draft

As a former fourth round pick, Marcus Foligno could have qualified under my sleeper category.  However after being called up for 14 games for the Sabres last year and scoring 13 points and being named the NHL rookie of the month, he is a sleeper no more.  He also made a name for himself as a very impressive forward with Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championships, held in Buffalo.  Marcus is the son of former NHL, and former Sabre, Mike Foligno, and the brother of former Senator turned Columbus Blue Jacket Nick Foligno.

Marcus plays a hard nosed gritty style of two way game that makes his father proud.  He is a tremendous forechecker, and a force along the boards.  He also brings this tenacity and ferocious hitting to the defensive end of the ice.

Offensively he is difficult to handle off the cycle and plays at his best protecting the puck down low.  He has a good shot and release, and is willing to get himself to the dirty areas of the ice to make use of it.  He is adept at getting scoring chances in prime scoring areas.  Foligno also possesses good vision and moves the puck well in the offensive zone.  That said, I don’t expect him to be a near PPG player in the NHL as he was in his first 14 games.

Foligno will probably settles into a role as a physical force, and good two way player on the Sabres second line one day.  For now though he has a good chance to make the team with  a strong training camp, and would form an excellent tandem with newly acquired Steve Ott.

 

Sleeper Special
Logan Nelson, Centre
Born Sep 9 1993 — Rogers, MN
Height 6.01 — Weight 178 — Shoots Right
Selected by Buffalo Sabres round 5 #133 overall 2012 NHL Entry Draft

Yes, I know, I’m cheating by including a 2012 Draft pick, but Foligno would have been the sleeper if he didn’t go and make a name for himself in the NHL last season.  Plus I didn’t review Nelson in the draft preview, and he was a player who just missed the cut.  As a September 1993 Birthday he was also passed over in the 2011 Draft.

So who is Logan Nelson?  In his draft year, Nelson played for Des Moines in the  USHL and really struggled.  He was a fourth line player with limited ice time and really didn’t stand out.  As such he was not drafted in 2011.  In 2011-12, Nelson moved to the WHL, and played a key role for the Victoria Royals and helped the franchise make the  playoffs in their first season on Vancouver Island.  The young Nelson was an effective 2 way centre and the team’s number 1 pivot down the stretch, playing in all situations.

Nelson is one of those players who is good at everything.  He is an above average skater, has offensive skill to score goals and make plays, is a decent backchecker, has decent size and is willing to play a physical game.  However Nelson does not possess any elite skills that blow you away either.  What he does have is a great work ethic, and a desire to continue to improve and make it to the NHL.  I believe he will continue to work hard at improving his game, and as such, I choose Nelson as my sleeper candidate to exceed expectations and one day make the NHL.  I see him as a potential bottom six centre who can add a few points while providing tenacious defence on the bottom lines.

 

As we can see, the Sabres have good young wingers in the pipeline and on the team.  They also have a good stable of young defencemen in Mark Pysek, Tyler Myers, Mike Weber, and now Jake McCabe.   They also have a Vezina Candidate in Miller, and a great young prospect in Jhonas Enroth.  However the Sabres were lacking at the centre position in January.  However a trade dealine deal for Cody Hodgson, and an excellent 2012 Draft haul with Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons, they have established the core of a good young team going forward.

Feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr.

 

Predators Match Shea Weber Offer Sheet: Flyers Fallout?

Posted on by Ben Kerr

The Nashville Predators have decided to match the 14 year $110 million offer sheet made to their captain and star player Shea Weber.  After losing Ryan Suter earlier this month to the Minnesota Wild, and Alex Radulov to the KHL (again), losing Weber as well would be too much of a hit for the franchise’s fans to bear.  The Flyer’s had hoped that Weber’s heavily front loaded contract would be enough to get the cash strapped Predators to shy away.  It did not.

Weber is quite simply one of the best defencemen in the NHL, and the Predators had to stop the bleeding somehow.  The comparisons to the continual loss of talent experienced by the  Montreal Expos in their later years would have been made here should they allow Weber to leave.  The compensation of 4 first round picks (likely to be late picks looking at what Philly’s lineup would be with Weber) was simply not enough.

There are quite a few examples of teams being very successful after matching an offer sheet to the their star players.  The New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and Colorado Avalanche won a combined 6 Stanley cups with Scott Stevens, Sergei Fedorov, and Joe Sakic after matching their offers sheets.  You can read my article on the history of offer sheets here.

This move leaves Philadelphia with a ton of cap space and lacking a big offseason addition to a team that has lost Jaromir Jagr and Matt Carle.  It will be interesting to see where they turn next.

I am going to predict that they make a strong push to trade for Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan.  As we can see in this excellent piece in ESPN the Magazine, Bobby Ryan and his family have a close relationship with long-time Flyers great, and current team advisor Bobby Clarke.

Other options include making an offer sheet to one of the remaining RFAs on the market, and there are some interesting D and forwards available, signing UFA Shane Doan, or Alex Semin, or could the Flyers make a trade for Keith Yandle, Jay Bouwmeester, or a player less involved in current trade rumors.

I doubt that the Flyers will just accept this decision and close up shop for the off-season.  Paul Holmgren has shown that he is willing to spend to improve his club, and I think he will look for a new target.  With Rick Nash out of the picture, the options have limited themselves even further, and the question now becomes, who?

Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr.

The Joy of Beer League Hockey

Posted on by Maksim Vasilyev

Today is like no other day.  Days like today only happen a few times a month and each time it causes me to count seconds on the clock till it hits 5pm. Today is a day when I feel like I am back in school on a late spring day where you just cannot wait to leave and go play with your friends. Today is circled on my work colander. Today is the day my girlfriend knows to make plans with her friends, instead of me.

Today is hockey day.

I love hockey almost to a scary degree. I buy the Center Ice Package to be able to watch every game, every day, and enjoy watching specific match-ups or play pairings from different teams. I am in a competitive hockey fantasy league where we get together every year in my friend’s basement with beers and have a 6-hour NHL fantasy draft – no really, it’s fun, I swear. Oh, and we have a trophy, too.

My favorite time of the year is spring. Not only because my birthday is in April, but because playoffs start. I write about hockey, talk about it, and the summer sometimes turns out to be the worst season for me because…baseball.  But thankfully during summer I can still play hockey and today just happens one of those specials days.

Today is hockey day.

Playing hockey in America almost always puts you in the minority. Nine out of ten people do not play hockey and never have in their lives, which is why I guess it feels so special to be a hockey player. It is like being part of that elite club where you and a select few know the little things – those special moments that occur inside the game. Some call them the unwritten rules or special nuances.  Consider some of these:

  • you know there is a price to pay if  you want to stand in front of the net
  • you know that no matter how violent and disrespectful the chirping gets, you always line up to shake the hand at the end of the game
  • all those little things that help you win a faceoff
  • how to use the boards as a rear-view mirror when chasing the puck in the corner
  • how to give a winger who is trying to get around you a slight push on the hip to make him reconsider his speed and balance

These are the little things that make the game special and only you and your friends know about them and appreciate them. It is like having a favorite band that no one has heard on the radio yet.  That is likened to the special feeling of excitement that you get on each game day.

Today is hockey day.

I sit here taping my stick while saying to myself, “This is my stick. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My stick is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my stick is useless. Without my stick, I am useless. I must shoot with my stick true. I must shoot straighter than my opponent, who is trying to score. I must score before he scores. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my stick and myself are defenders of my team, we are the masters of our opponent, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until the game is won, but peace. Amen.”

A stick is very personal. You can ask every seasoned hockey player about a stick and you will get unique answers. Some guys care more than others, but in the end it is your tool. You get attached to it and you get mad when one breaks. Nothing makes me want to hurt the other team’s player like when he slashes on my stick. After a while you will always want to carry two sticks to each game you go to.

Today is hockey day.

I am a beer league hockey player and I am helluva proud of it. We do not get paid and do not have equipment endorsements. We play simply because we love it. Our team exists because we share a passion for the game and this unites us. We stand up and protect each other. The game and the team is more important than the pain and sacrifice. We play to win, to have fun, and hang out with the boys. Nothing tastes better than a cold one after a hard fought game.  Everyone pushes each other and you know if you mess up or slack up that you will be hearing about it all week. You spend the entire time waiting for next game to come to go ahead and redeem yourself.

Today is hockey day.

Nothing beats the smell of the ice rink and if you’ve played, you know exactly what I mean.  The big arenas do not have it. Only the ice rinks with tiny bleachers that are mostly empty and are used for practice and beer leagues have that smell. The locker room – the time spent here is full of memories of guys chirping each other, talk about life, and of course, hockey. It’s almost as if the locker room creates a special bond between players that releases tension and everyone bonds, makes jokes, and pulls pranks. The guys share the smiles after a win and the disappointments of a loss.

I love playing hockey because it is physically and emotionally exhausting. You are always involved whether playing on the ice or screaming at your teammates on the ice, there is barely enough time to breathe. It is like no other sport really, because you battle hard with your opponents to a point where you automatically start to hate them. Fists, words, and emotion all comes out. The closer the score the harder and stronger you push.  You are not playing for anything, but pride and that wonderful feeling of a win.

Today is hockey day and I already cannot wait for the time to come. I get my hockey socks, my lucky undershirt, my equipment that gets packed the same way each time.  I can’t leave without my customary can of Red Bull, along with water bottles in a bucket filled with pucks. My stick is taped and waxed, ready to go. The skates were sharpened earlier today. I throw my bag into the car.

Today is game day, comrades.

If you love hockey or have some interesting hockey stories to share, please feel free to leave comments below, or to message me or follow me on twitter @maximus91

 

 

MLS versus Chelsea: Should there even be an All-Star game?

Posted on by Mitchell Tierney

Wednesday night at PPL park in Pennsylvania two somewhat familiar foes square off in a soccer match that means plenty to one side and very little to the other.

For Chelsea FC, the reigning European club champions, this match is another exhibition game en route to their upcoming English Premier League and Champions League campaigns. It will be considered a good test for their roster but they have very little to lose going into the match. On the other end of the pitch are the MLS All-Stars – a team comprised of the best players from the top division of North American soccer. They are a team that have never played together before, yet are expected to compete with one of the best sides in world soccer, something they have failed to do in their past two outings.

The last and only time these two sides have met was in 2006. Chelsea were the reigning Premier League champions and were a promising and exciting side, as they continue to be today. Their roster for the 2006 MLS All-Star game contained plenty of international stars: John Terry, Micheal Ballack, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben to name a few.

The match turned out to be fairly competitive and saw plenty of chances both ways. Chelsea came very close on two occasions, the first ruled offside against Drogba and the second cleared off the line by Eddie Robinson, a defender for the Houston Dynamo who has since retired. The only goal of the game would come early in the 70th minute. Another Houston Dynamo player (currently with DC United), Dwayne De Rosario, collected the ball at the top of the box, juggled it once and then finished from just inside the box. The 1-0 result was huge for MLS, a league that was on the verge of realizing the success it has today.

The All-Star showdown with the best teams in Europe is somewhat of a new phenomenon for Major League Soccer. The 2005 MLS all star game was the first time that they met European opposition, formerly playing East vs West, US MLS players vs International MLS players and friendlies against the American national team and CD Guadalajara of Mexico. The first MLS All-Star game with a European squad was played against English Premier League side Fulham and saw the MLS All-Star triumph 4-1 led by MLS legend Jeff Cunningham, who currently plays for Comunicaciones in Guatamala and scored a brace in that match. Since then and including that very match the MLS All-Stars have a record of 4-3 and have tied their European opposition 13-13 in scoring. If not for back to back losses (5-2 and 4-0) to Manchester United in the last two MLS All-Star games these numbers would have been even better.

So the questions we need to ask are should the MLS continue to play their All-Star games against the best of Europe, and if not, should they even play an All-Star game at all?

There are plenty of reasons for playing an All-Star game. There is the fact that it is different then anything that any other league in the world does. It is unique while at the same time attracting decent crowds, including 70,000 in Houston to watch Manchester United a couple of years ago.

On the other side of things it is a risk for the injury of some of the league’s best players, although multiple substitutions have decreased this risk in recent years. Plus, there is the fact that no other leagues in the world that have an All-Star game and therefore, MLS opens itself up for unjust mockery. Finally, if the All-Star team loses big, as it did the past two years to Manchester United, it doesn’t look particularly good to the outside sporting world.

And what about their opponents – should these games continue to be played against elite European opposition? That is probably the only way that the MLS All-Star game could be considered worthwhile. The East versus West All-Star game has been played out by other leagues and for that very reason some sports have turned away from that matchup, as MLS started to do in the early 2000s. But does the fact that MLS teams, not All-Star teams but regular league teams, play exhibition games against the same clubs that the MLS All-Stars face make the All-Star game somewhat pointless?

Other then one match that drew 70,000, the attendance for All-Star games has not been much more then 20,000. The regular MLS clubs who play these teams draw very similar crowds and often the results are not that different, although the opposition do usually play more of their elite talents against the All-Stars. So why risk the embarrassment of having the best players in your league lose in a penalty shootout to an Everton team in pre-season form?

The game itself should be very interesting. The narrative presented by American media going into the game is that Chelsea, the European Champions (which is always mentioned of course), are looking for revenge against a MLS All-Star team that defeated them in 2006. While it is improbable that Chelsea is even worried about the result of this game it will become quickly apparent during the match, or even before the match, when they announce their roster. Another more comical MLS tagline: “Can Chelsea shut down Dwayne De Rosario 6 years later?”. Sure Chelsea can stop Messi, Iniesta and Xavi – all at the same time – but can they stop the reigning MLS leading scorer? Do any of them even remember who De Ro is?

Besides De Rosario the MLS All-Star team have plenty of other players with quality. David Beckham has become an annual selection for the All-Star game and has earned it this time around.  His 6 goals are the best he has ever recorded in MLS. Beckham’s LA Galaxy teammate, Landon Donovan, will once again join the team and has been considered for years to be the best the league has to offer. American Chris Wondolowski (try saying that ten times fast) has been the best goalscorer in the league for years now and is once again having a tremendous season with the San Jose Earthquakes. Meanwhile, New York Red Bulls striker, Thierry Henry, has continued to do what he has done his entire career – score goals. The Frenchman will be expected to do just that against a team from the league in which he spent his glory days.

So what are your thoughts regarding the MLS All-Star Game?  Leave comments below.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordMitch

AFC East Preview: New-Look Bills look to end Playoff Drought

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Yesterday I covered the Miami Dolphins, today, the next installment in the AFC East Preview Series, turns our attention to Buffalo where the Bills hope to end a ridiculous 12-year playoff drought.  A busy offseason has brought hope to Bills fans for this upcoming season.  Are these moves different from previous years?  Have the Bills actually improved this year, or is it more false hope and hype like the signing of Terrell Owens a couple of years ago?  Admittedly some of the Bills moves this offseason are harder to poke holes into than in the past, but let’s see if we can do it anyways.

The Bills big off-season splash, helping to propel their fans’ hopes over the moon this season, was the signing of defensive end Mario Williams, who received the richest contract ever signed for a defensive player.  So is getting Williams alone enough to push the Bills defense over the hump? Williams has played for the terrible Houston Texans defense his entire career, and until last season they never finished a season as a top-16 defense in the league.  Let’s also remember that last season was a year  in which Williams missed the final 11 games of the year, while his team made the playoffs for the first time ever and finally cracked the top 10 on defense finishing 6th.

But Williams isn’t the only signing the Bills have made on the defensive line; they also picked up Mark Anderson who posted 10 sacks in the regular season and 2.5 sacks in the playoffs last season for the Patriots.  So do these two make a dynamic pass rush duo?  Well, let’s look at history, as this also won’t be the first time Williams and Anderson are teammates.  They also hooked up for the 2010 Texans who were the 2nd worst defense in the NFL that year.  My point here is not to disparage these two players, it is merely to say that these two alone are not enough to turn the Bills into a contender.  But don’t worry Bills fans, it does get better.

Williams and Anderson are only two of the starters of the Bills new defensive line, and they may not even be the most two most important players on that line either.  In the 2011 draft the Bills selected mammoth tackle Marcell Dareus 3rd-overall, and his talents were immediately apparent in his rookie season.  Dareus could be an immovable object in the middle of the field for years to come.  The Bills plan was to team Dareus with Kyle Williams to form a deadly inside duo to terrorize offensive lines.  The plan fell through when Williams suffered a foot injury and missed most of the season.  When healthy Williams is the Bills best defensive player and a threat to put pressure on the quarterback from the defensive tackle position.  Having these two players healthy in the middle of the Bills defense may be a bigger boon to Buffalo than their shiny new pass rushing ends.

It isn’t often that we get to see two dominant defensive tackles play together and when they do the results can often mean destruction for opposing offenses.  In the mid-2000’s the Jacksonville Jaguars rode defensive tackles John Henderson and Marcus Stroud to four-straight top ten defenses and the results when they were paired were almost instantaneous.  The Minnesota Vikings had a similar pairing a few years later in Kevin and Pat Williams.  These two behemoths dominated the NFC North and made the Vikings almost impossible to run against for a string of five straight years. Bills fans will remember Pat Williams from his tenure in Buffalo in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, especially when he was briefly paired with Sam Adams in the middle of the Bills defensive line.  For two straight years the Bills were a force up the middle and were the number one defense in the league in 2004 owing in large part to the hefty contributions of these two men.

So the question is, can we expect to see the same from the Bills’ new twin towers?  I don’t think it is unrealistic to think the pairing could dominate offensive lines for years to come.  But when you pair them with the two new ends the Bills present a unique problem to opposing offenses.  Often the teams best defensive linemen will be double teamed throughout the game.  With the Bills it will be tough to focus on one player to double team because each of them is so dangerous.  Having the four players together will present a nearly unblockable force that may be enough to make less physical and experienced teams wilt.  The Ralph could be a very interesting place to watch opposing offenses operate this season.

The bigger question for the Bills then is, will the improvements on defence be enough?

What do I mean?  Well if we concede the Bills will field an excellent defense in 2012 does that automatically point to team success?  I am not so sure.  The Bills can look inside of their division for evidence of this.  The New York Jets have been positively dominant on defense since the arrival of Rex Ryan, and while it has led to two playoff births their regular season records have been less than stellar.  The Jets have posted 9-7, 11-5 and 8-8 marks over the last three years and this is all while they have had the number one, number five and number two defenses in the league.  This is not a problem unique to the Jets either.  The Baltimore Ravens have made four straight playoff appearances since the arrival of Joe Flacco but before that their record was surprisingly spotty.  In spite of the consistency of their defense the Ravens only made two playoff appearances in six years between 2002 and 2007.  Shocking?  Yes. This is the preeminent defense of the new millenium and even they struggled to join the post-season dance most of the time. The Bills defense can only hope to be as good as either of these units until we see them produce on the field.

You see where I am going with this?  Yup.  It’s all on you now Mr. Fitzpatrick.  The Bills appear to have the offense in place that they want and the changes are going to be few and far between.  They have two quality running backs, one of whom could be considered a legitimate star (Fred Jackson). Stevie Johnson is their man on the outside and he is complemented by David Nelson, Donald Jones and rookie, TJ Graham.  Historically the Bills have rarely incorporated the tight end in the offense.  However, last year Scott Chandler was a weapon early in the season for the Bills.  Was Chandler just on a short half-season blip, or is he a legitimate Tight End?  I tend to think he will not repeat his success.  On the offensive line they lost LT Demetress Bell to the Eagles, but he is no big loss due to the number of times he was injured.  However, the replacement will either be rookie 2nd-rounder Cordy Glenn, or Chris Hairston, and this doesn’t really improve their line this season either.  Oh, and of course, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the man who makes it all go behind center.  Is it enough?  I think the answer to that question will be dependent on which Ryan Fitzpatrick shows up this season.

Everyone knows that the 2011 Bills story was a tale of two seasons, but also a tale of two QB’s.  They started 5-2 behind Fitzpatrick’s efficiency and Fred Jackson’s occasional brilliance.  Then they finished 1-8 with Jackson injured and Fitzpatrick playing like he has for much of his career before his hot early start.  It has been revealed that Fitzpatrick played the last half of the season (after their 5th win) injured so the expectation should be that the offense will rebound in 2012 with a healthy QB.  But when you look closer at the Bills early-season victories it does make you question how dominant the Bills offense really was.  Buffalo started the year off by trouncing Kansas City, who later proved they were totally unprepared to start the season in September.  They followed that up with big offensive showings against Oakland and New England.  But these teams ended up at the bottom of the defensive rankings at year’s end, especially against the pass.  The Bills were hardly dominant in these games either, requiring 21 and 17 point 4th quarters to win each game.  Their other two victories came against Philly, who handed the Bills the game with five turnovers and then Washington (see City, Kansas and replace “September” with “October”).

Taking a closer look makes me question which offense is the real Bills offense and also how effective Fitzpatrick can really be even when healthy. I also don’t know if their offensive design is suited to winning in Buffalo in the winter months.  Buffalo loves to spread it out and throw quick hitters.   They led the league in 3 WR and empty backfield formations.  This puts a lot of pressure on Fitzpatrick and he does not have the strong arm to help him deal with it.  Over the last two seasons the Bills are only 3-7 in November and December at home.   Admittedly, Fitzpatrick does a good job of getting the ball out and avoiding sacks but if he has to hold the ball then their line struggles in the face of a serious rush.  This does not line up with the typical power football we would normally associate with winning in Buffalo in the cold.

Nevertheless this is an improved Bills squad with a distinct advantage over last years team – they play a very winnable schedule.  The Bills, like the rest of the AFC East face off against the AFC South and NFC West this season.  These are the two worst divisions in football and should provide the Bills with plenty of wins to pad their record.  Also the Bills have a fascinating series of QB’s on the schedule this year.  Outside of two games against Brady and one against Matt Schaub near mid-season the Bills don’t play a single other established veteran QB all season long.  The closest thing they play is Matt Cassel and Alex Smith.  Beyond them the names on the schedule are definite question marks from Sanchez to Weeden to Kolb to Luck.  Look it up, it is truly bizarre.

Buffalo’s defensive improvements and favorable schedule will allow the Bills to be in the playoff hunt all season long.  The determining factor could be as simple as how they perform against the Jets this season whom they lost both games to in 2011.  But beyond just improvement against the Jets the Bills fate will come down to the entire final month of the season.  They will be in playoff contention and they will play four of their final five games at home.  Will the Bills step up and close the deal or will they crumble under expectation like the Bills we have grown accustom to?  I think only Ryan Fitzpatrick can answer that question.