I'm probably just being a fan, but after really reading up on the Cowboys' picks from this weekend, I'm cautiously excited. We were lucky that this year's strength in the draft played into what we needed. I expect that Awuzie, Lewis, and Woods will all be on the field next year. If Brown is really a player, it has some promise. Charleton will obviously play a lot. He will have to convince me, but those DB's I think may rebuild that secondary.
Overall I'm so gratified that the Cowboys have started to look like professional drafters. One of our favorites, Rick Gosselin gave the weekend a glowing stamp of approval. Imagine following your board and staying calm and improving your weaknesses. They look like a real front office of late.
The stat we saw about the pro bowl players the Cowboys have drafted in the last 15 years was interesting. I looked back over these last 25 years. When Johnson left it got truly awful and remained that way for more than a decade. Even after getting Ware and Ratliff in 2005, they still struggled with lots of pure misses. People like Witten (2003) and Ware made it look better, but they still whiffed on entire drafts as late as 2009.
Since 2010 it's gotten somewhat better, although still too many misses. Those rounds 2 - 4 where Gosselin always talks about the great teams putting together their rosters were still iffy for the Cowboys. Bringing in Dez, Sean Lee, Tyron Smith, and Demarco Murray in 2010/2011 gave way to a horrible 2012 class. 2013 was not a lot better after Frederick. Martin, Lawrence, and Hitchens came in '14, while '15 is going to depend somewhat on whether Chaz Green is going to hold down the right tackle spot going forward. Taking Randy Gregory and Jaylon Smith in round 2 in 15/16 was too risky. 2016 could be one of 2 or 3 best drafts in team history.
The best teams repeatedly find solid starters in the first 3 to 4 rounds. We may get that out of 2016 and 2017 with the new crop of DB's along with the health of Jaylon Smith being the key to whether we can capitalize on the ridiculous wealth of offensive stars on this team. What I feel good about is that if Stephen Jones continues to take on more influence in the front office, his draft philosophy is beginning to take root. Scout well, put your board together, and let the picks come to you.
S
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Tony Romo
The story of Tony Romo deserves better than what I can ever write. His story is so unique, not only because of how successful he has become, but the path in which took him to the pinnacle of sports fame in America as the QB for Dallas.
He was definitely the most polarizing figure in football during his career and one of those cursed with detractors that choose not to believe what the numbers say.
A .602% winning percentage and (I doubt anyone will claim that he had excellent coaches after Parcells.)
60% is top 15 all time area for a player with over 130 games started in the NFL.
He trails only some of the greats:
Brady, Montana, Manning, Big Ben. Rodgers, Young, Elway, Kelly, Farve, Flacco and McNabb, All of these guys had HOF type coaches, (Harbaugh maybe on the way.)
You stated some of his all time NFL stats in the previous post.
Here is a few NFL RECORDS he holds.
He was definitely the most polarizing figure in football during his career and one of those cursed with detractors that choose not to believe what the numbers say.
A .602% winning percentage and (I doubt anyone will claim that he had excellent coaches after Parcells.)
60% is top 15 all time area for a player with over 130 games started in the NFL.
He trails only some of the greats:
Brady, Montana, Manning, Big Ben. Rodgers, Young, Elway, Kelly, Farve, Flacco and McNabb, All of these guys had HOF type coaches, (Harbaugh maybe on the way.)
You stated some of his all time NFL stats in the previous post.
Here is a few NFL RECORDS he holds.
- Highest QB rating in month of December (133.7)
- Highest QB rating in fourth quarter
- Most games in a season with a passer rating of at least 135.0 (6)
Yes, he had moments of infamy with his interceptions, I believe he threw 8, I think Brady was second with 7 before last year. but goodness what he did was special. He held the highest QBR in history during last two minutes the last time I checked.
There is not telling how many games they lost where he scored with less than two minutes in his career. The 25 are only games in which Dallas actually won. I saw somewhere they lost 37 somewhere, but I cannot prove this number.
This chart simply shows QBR in 4th and OT during the modern passing era.
2006-2016
I will miss the crazy comebacks, but I am glad he retired without more injuries.
As for Hall of Fame, if you judge it based on stats amongst his peers he deserves to be considered. If you only take the top 5 for his time played, I wouldn't give him a chance.
If he had played in a wide open offense like Brees, of course he would be in the HOF with a higher winning percentage and better numbers than Brees. But he didn't and Saint Sean got New Orleans a Super Bowl.
Is Romo on the level with Manning, Brady, Rodgers, and Big Ben? Not in my opinion, especially those first three.
On the plus side, he is definitely the best golfer to play QB since John Brody.
J
LSU
As you know, I really don't like paying attention to spring games.
The fact that Etling and the new LSU offense looked putrid has people worried. It was obvious that Canada did not use his full offense in this game. Etling was poor at best, He missed his last 7 passes and finished 4/11 in the game.
Worrisome was that Etling had a so called minor surgery on his back following the game and is has rehab for next couple of months. Why was he playing? Did it happen at game? Supposedly the offense has been killing the defense all spring.
The best quote of the spring to me was Guice bragging about his open field moves in the passing game. He was quoted as schooling Devin White in practice.
Guice reportedly ran a sub 4.4 40 at 5'11 222lbs. I find this a little hopeful, but if he can run 4.43 as originally reported, that is scary good.
Devin White is just a freak, as Louisville found out in the bowl game, At 6'1 255 plus with 4.49sh speed as a high school senior and an obvious mean streak, he could explode this year.
Below, I posted an article on the recently turned 19year old.
http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2017/03/devin_white_stepping_into_lead.html
The fact that Etling and the new LSU offense looked putrid has people worried. It was obvious that Canada did not use his full offense in this game. Etling was poor at best, He missed his last 7 passes and finished 4/11 in the game.
Worrisome was that Etling had a so called minor surgery on his back following the game and is has rehab for next couple of months. Why was he playing? Did it happen at game? Supposedly the offense has been killing the defense all spring.
The best quote of the spring to me was Guice bragging about his open field moves in the passing game. He was quoted as schooling Devin White in practice.
Guice reportedly ran a sub 4.4 40 at 5'11 222lbs. I find this a little hopeful, but if he can run 4.43 as originally reported, that is scary good.
Devin White is just a freak, as Louisville found out in the bowl game, At 6'1 255 plus with 4.49sh speed as a high school senior and an obvious mean streak, he could explode this year.
Below, I posted an article on the recently turned 19year old.
http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2017/03/devin_white_stepping_into_lead.html
North Carolina and Roy Williams
I find it incredibly humorous that Roy Williams doesn't get mentioned with the great coaches.
All he has is 9 final fours, 6 Title games, 3 National Championships and 17 conference titles in 29 years.
All he has is 9 final fours, 6 Title games, 3 National Championships and 17 conference titles in 29 years.
- Of course Wooden is in class to himself. 12 Final fours 10 titles.
- Coach K has 5 titles and 12 final fours
- Even Dean Smith only has two titles with his 11 final fours.
- Winning Percentage Williams 79.1 Coach K 78.6 Wooden 80.04.
To downgrade Williams for recruiting great players and teaching a system that works is ludicrous. He doesn't have to make as many in game adjustments because he is prepared. I highly doubt that Wooden made many adjustments either. The difference is Williams accepted the ability to let players play within a system before anyone else. He doesn't draw up set plays, like Knight or Izzo, This system works obviously and in my opinion it is harder to teach a team to always be prepared than to correct things you missed in pregame with mid-game adjustments. Losing to Villanova last year did leave his critics with ammunition, but a great player beat them after his guard missed an assignment.
The recruiting thing is ridiculous argument since Coach K recruits as well if not better year in and year out.
In no way is this post meant to demean the greatness of Coach K, he built Duke into this juggernaut and I would put him second behind Wooden.
Since going to ACC Williams has won 8 conference titles in 13 years. Duke has 2.
He has won 55 NCAA games since 2000, Next in line are those considered great coaches by the media. Izzo at 43. Self at 42 (also underrated) Cal at 40.
North Carolina on the blue bloods as you like to say has been on an incredible run and overshadowed by Duke in the media.
Duke and North Carolina in last 30 years are far an away the best programs in college.
In 40 years, they basically have split all games with Duke getting the edge at the end of this year with a one game lead in series.
UNC and Duke have 5 national championship since 1982
Both have 12 final four appearances since then.. (UNC also went in 1981)
\
Amazing run of excellence!
J
Dirk
I still get a kick out of watching Dirk, what an amazing career.
Honestly, he is such an incredible player and I am glad that he has a title and MVP.
Scoring 30,000 points is insane considering where he came from as a skinny project.
His toughness and my favorite jump shot of all time has been a treat.
I enjoyed your comment, that during his prime he was basically unstoppable,
The underlier to me is that he is probably the most unselfish scorer in history. I can only consider Kareem and Lebron from the top 10 in this category,
We all know that if these two would have demanded the ball and they would have scored ridiculous amounts of points. Maybe Westbrook should look at this fact.
Sitting at 6th all time just confirms the toughness and touch of Dirk.
Duncan and Kobe took the headlines, but Dirk is next for this generation.
Yes, I have Duncan ahead of Kobe as the best player in the generation.
Should Dirk be consider as best power forward of all time?
(Duncan is a center, no matter what Pop claims, ridiculous arguement. )
What a treat it has been watching Dirk.
J.
Demarcus Ware
It is funny to type this, but how can a Hall Of Fame player be under appreciated while playing for the most popular and over publicized team in America?
Ware quickly became my favorite defensive player in the NFL, Not only was he a freak of nature, his public personality is worthy of the NFL using it as an example for incoming players.
The stats you posted previously speak for themselves,
When you trial Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White (The Greatest) in sacks per game, you have achieved a place beyond expectations.
(Side bar, Reggie White had 23.5 more sacks the 2 years in Memphis prior to Philly. And he was never just an end rusher like the rest of the top sackers.)
I was glad he won a Super Bowl ring after suffering through the mediocre years in Dallas, but I hated that he didn't get his farewell in Dallas.
His NFL friend and college teammate summed it up very well, Osi Umenyiora called him the "greatest player ever."
I still get upset that Harrison was voted Defensive MVP over Ware in 2008, Ware had more sacks and more tackles on a team with much less talent. In my opinion he should have won in 2007 also.
Hurry up and put him in the Ring of Honor.
J.
Ware quickly became my favorite defensive player in the NFL, Not only was he a freak of nature, his public personality is worthy of the NFL using it as an example for incoming players.
The stats you posted previously speak for themselves,
When you trial Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White (The Greatest) in sacks per game, you have achieved a place beyond expectations.
(Side bar, Reggie White had 23.5 more sacks the 2 years in Memphis prior to Philly. And he was never just an end rusher like the rest of the top sackers.)
I was glad he won a Super Bowl ring after suffering through the mediocre years in Dallas, but I hated that he didn't get his farewell in Dallas.
His NFL friend and college teammate summed it up very well, Osi Umenyiora called him the "greatest player ever."
I still get upset that Harrison was voted Defensive MVP over Ware in 2008, Ware had more sacks and more tackles on a team with much less talent. In my opinion he should have won in 2007 also.
Hurry up and put him in the Ring of Honor.
J.
Josh Hamilton
I have never seen anything like Josh Hamilton! How does a drug addict show up in the major leagues at 26 years of age and become a phenom?
He is one of only two true 5 tool players that I have ever seen in his prime.
(The other is ARod for anyone that wonders, ironically another person that let drugs tarnish his legacy.)
1. Speed- The times reported for his 40yd and times to first base rival Mantle. This era of Stolen Bases in analytics and fear of injuries, (rightly feared) obviously kept him from the 40-40 club. He covered the outfield completely.
2. Throwing- His arm strength- (What really keeps most of the superstars out of the 5 tool category is the arm.) Griffey, Bonds, and even Trout are good, but not great. Hamilton had a cannon and with his 95mph fastball in high school, (prior to new radar guns) he could have been top line pitcher.
3. Fielding- He was definitely the best center fielder we have watched for the Rangers, but goodness he was fearless which caused too many injuries.
4. Hitting- I still cannot believe that he led the majors in Batting Average after being homeless. How does anyone go from homeless drug addict to leading the majors in BA? He hit over 300 with 130 RBIs in just two years back from the brink of death.
5. Power- I have seen home runs as long as he hit them, but nothing like the consistent bombs when he was focused. I had a post a few years ago about the top ten longest home runs in MLB in a few years span. He had more than half in his playing time.
Mental health destroyed what may have been the most talented baseball player we have ever seen.
J.
He is one of only two true 5 tool players that I have ever seen in his prime.
(The other is ARod for anyone that wonders, ironically another person that let drugs tarnish his legacy.)
1. Speed- The times reported for his 40yd and times to first base rival Mantle. This era of Stolen Bases in analytics and fear of injuries, (rightly feared) obviously kept him from the 40-40 club. He covered the outfield completely.
2. Throwing- His arm strength- (What really keeps most of the superstars out of the 5 tool category is the arm.) Griffey, Bonds, and even Trout are good, but not great. Hamilton had a cannon and with his 95mph fastball in high school, (prior to new radar guns) he could have been top line pitcher.
3. Fielding- He was definitely the best center fielder we have watched for the Rangers, but goodness he was fearless which caused too many injuries.
4. Hitting- I still cannot believe that he led the majors in Batting Average after being homeless. How does anyone go from homeless drug addict to leading the majors in BA? He hit over 300 with 130 RBIs in just two years back from the brink of death.
5. Power- I have seen home runs as long as he hit them, but nothing like the consistent bombs when he was focused. I had a post a few years ago about the top ten longest home runs in MLB in a few years span. He had more than half in his playing time.
Mental health destroyed what may have been the most talented baseball player we have ever seen.
J.
So many changes in our world of favorite teams since my last post, that I don't know where to start.
- Tony Romo
- Demarcus Ware
- Josh Hamilton
- Dirk
- Coach O and Canada in Baton Rouge
- Draft
- Dak
- Rangers Bullpen
- Trout, Kershaw, Machado and Harper
- Recruiting for next year.
- Coach Wade at LSU
- Golf
- NBA - Lebron, Durant, Davis, Leonard, Curry, Westbrook and Harden.
- North Carolina and Roy Williams
- Sports Illustrated lack of delivery of magazines.
- Ohtani and Hunter Green both 6'4" and being tagged as a "Babe Ruth"
I will try to comment on your post and add a few thoughts.
J
Monday, April 24, 2017
End of the Line for Josh Hamilton
With the Rangers releasing Josh Hamilton this week, his career is likely over and it got me going through his numbers again. I've posted plenty about Josh in the past. He should have been winding up a hall of fame career, the best player of this generation. But instead he's likely done having played parts of 9 seasons, with less than 4,000 total at bats. The greatest waste of talent we have seen. But he leaves us with flashes that I'll always remember.
Of course the moments; 28 homers in the first round of the home run derby at Yankee Stadium in 2008, the 4-homer game in Baltimore in 2012, the should-have-been World Series winning 10th inning homer in 2011, the game in 2010 that left JJ Taylor searching for words in his DMN column. But at the top of my list are the stretches of pure greatness that rival anything I've seen in 40 years of watching baseball.
Start with the summer of 2010. This was the stretch where God let us see on full display talent on par with Mantle and Mays. It was sort of unexpected. He rolled into June with only fair numbers. Then over 80 full games and 310 at bats from June - August, he hit .410 with 22 homers, a .720 slugging %, and an OPS over 1.1. Plus he played center field, ran down anything, and threw bullets all over the field. I'll always just be glad we saw the full extent of that talent, even for only 1 summer. In typical Josh fashion, he then got hurt and didn't play in September. But, .410 for 80 games? Wow.
Then, one of the weirdest falls I've ever seen. Healthy going into 2012, he started on a roll and as June began, after 47 games, Josh was sitting at .368 with 21 bombs and again an OPS over 1.1. He was once again the best player in the league and it seemed that he would top his 2010 MVP season. The other-worldly night in Baltimore with 4 homers and 18 total bases. But, that was it. For the rest of 2012, he hit .244. The Rangers let him walk and in 2 seasons with the Angels he hit .255 with 31 total homers. After May of 2012, he fell into a slump and never came out of it. How does that happen? Did his abused body just hit the wall at age 31?
At least Josh got his cash from the Angels. Through it all he leaves with a .290 average and .865 OPS. They don't do justice to what he could have been. I like to look at the per-162 game averages and those are impressive for Josh: 32 homers, 37 doubles, and 111 RBI per 162. I hope he can keep his demons under control in retirement. For us, we'll have the summer of 2010.
S
Of course the moments; 28 homers in the first round of the home run derby at Yankee Stadium in 2008, the 4-homer game in Baltimore in 2012, the should-have-been World Series winning 10th inning homer in 2011, the game in 2010 that left JJ Taylor searching for words in his DMN column. But at the top of my list are the stretches of pure greatness that rival anything I've seen in 40 years of watching baseball.
Start with the summer of 2010. This was the stretch where God let us see on full display talent on par with Mantle and Mays. It was sort of unexpected. He rolled into June with only fair numbers. Then over 80 full games and 310 at bats from June - August, he hit .410 with 22 homers, a .720 slugging %, and an OPS over 1.1. Plus he played center field, ran down anything, and threw bullets all over the field. I'll always just be glad we saw the full extent of that talent, even for only 1 summer. In typical Josh fashion, he then got hurt and didn't play in September. But, .410 for 80 games? Wow.
Then, one of the weirdest falls I've ever seen. Healthy going into 2012, he started on a roll and as June began, after 47 games, Josh was sitting at .368 with 21 bombs and again an OPS over 1.1. He was once again the best player in the league and it seemed that he would top his 2010 MVP season. The other-worldly night in Baltimore with 4 homers and 18 total bases. But, that was it. For the rest of 2012, he hit .244. The Rangers let him walk and in 2 seasons with the Angels he hit .255 with 31 total homers. After May of 2012, he fell into a slump and never came out of it. How does that happen? Did his abused body just hit the wall at age 31?
At least Josh got his cash from the Angels. Through it all he leaves with a .290 average and .865 OPS. They don't do justice to what he could have been. I like to look at the per-162 game averages and those are impressive for Josh: 32 homers, 37 doubles, and 111 RBI per 162. I hope he can keep his demons under control in retirement. For us, we'll have the summer of 2010.
S
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Tony Romo Retires
Following on the
heels of the great DeMarcus Ware’s retirement, now comes Tony Romo calling it
quits after 13 seasons. Romo was
certainly one of the most polarizing players of the era and I’m not totally
sure why that is. If you put his career
in context, he was an undrafted player with no expectations who rose to lead an
iconic franchise for about a decade, making 4 pro bowls. It should be a great story. But everyone gets irrational when talking
Tony Romo.
The Cowboy fans spoiled by success and 2
HOF QB’s could never forgive his shortcomings.
Fans across the country saw him as the face of a team they hate and were
jealous for the attention and coverage of the team and their leader. At his best, he could play the position with
anyone, literally making some of the most beautiful passes we’ll ever see. At his worst he could melt down in big games
or situations, never understanding his responsibility to play safe when called
for.
I do not think Romo is a hall of
famer. He did not win an MVP or even
make 1st team all-pro (although he should have once in 2014). He didn’t have playoff success and he played
in an era when many QB’s had gaudy stats similar to his. The Cowboy Ring of Honor will be
interesting. The bar is very high. As the franchise leader in most passing
categories and making 4 pro bowls, I think he’ll get in.
·
Black ink – he led the league in QB rating once,
yards per attempt twice, and completion % once
·
4 pro bowls, 1 all-pro team (2nd
team)
·
78-49 as a starter (61.4%)
·
Career yards per attempt of 7.9 is 6th
all-time at retirement
·
Career QB Rating of 97.1 is 4th
all-time at retirement
·
30 game-winning drives is 17th
all-time at retirement
·
25 comebacks is 14th all-time at
retirement
S
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
College Basketball Bluebloods
I've posted on this before as related to college football, but not basketball. These are the programs that most fans would list as the all-time best; the "bluebloods". I'm ranking them based on giving 1 point for a final four appearance and 2 points for winning the title, including the Tar Heel's title from last night, their 6th.
S
- UCLA - 17 final fours and 11 titles (last 1995)
- Kentucky - 17 final fours and 8 titles (last 2012)
- North Carolina - 20 final fours and 6 titles (last 2017)
- Duke - 16 final fours and 5 titles (last 2015)
- Kansas - 14 final fours and 3 titles (last 2008)
- Indiana - 8 final fours and 5 titles (last 1987)
S
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