Are the Patriots Losing Control? AFC East Breakdown: Jets, Part II/IV
The Jets seem to have made the biggest splash this off-season compared to any other East team, as well as during the season.
They traded for Braylon Edwards at the NFL trade deadline, giving Mark Sanchez a viable receiving option and the offense an overall deep threat
Defense:
This off season, the Jets have been improving an already top defense, by adding previous shutdown corner Antonio Cromartie.
Cromartie has had off-the-field problems (six different children with seven women), but on the field he is still one of the fastest players around.
He clearly has the talent set to be a top corner, and with Rex Ryan’s defensive coaching he should be able to regain his confidence and play at the level he did in 2007, when he had 10 picks.
Unfortunately, the Jets lost a major player on their defense in Kerry Rhodes. Rhodes was a cog of that unit because of his experience and consistent tackling ability, as well as his knack for the ball and making the big play.
His absence will be felt as the Jets may initially lose out on communication, but with two shutdown corners (Cromartie and Revis) and the fact that Jim Leonhard is generally in charge of defensive play call, the results of Rhodes’s absence will not compound itself. (Result being players not as sharp with their designated assignments).
Offense:
Despite the Jets’s defensive progress, they lost a large part of their offense. Last year, Mark Sanchez was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in terms of passer rating, as he threw a meager 12 touchdowns while getting picked off 20 times.
While Sanchez will be better in his second season as a pro, I look for the Jet offense to regress. They lost Thomas Jones, their star running back from last season, who gained 1402 yards last year. Without Jones, more of a burden will land on Sanchez, and I don’t know if he can be the consistent passer he was early in the season for a full 16 game season.
While the Jets do have viable backups in Shonn Greene and Leon Washington, Jones was a proven every down back, and Washington suffered a severely broken leg last year. Wash may be slowed up a bit, meaning that Greene, still young and unproven, will have to shoulder the load.
Overall:
At first glance, the Jets may seem to have improved by a lot, especially with the addition of Cromartie. However, don’t look too far into this acquisition, as they lost Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, two main parts of their team last year.
While the Jets may change/add players in the draft, as of now I don’t think they’re better than last season. I think they’re as good, maybe slightly more improved with experience, but not significantly better.”
Source Credits: mkrob.com
New England Losing Control? AFC East Breakdown: Part I/IV
The Jets have seemingly improved by leaps and bounds, right? The Dolphins shored up an inferior defensive line, making their defense solid, yes? The Bills.. Next year/not really?
I’m going to talk about the Dolphins here, the Jets in the next article, and thirdly, the Patriots. I’m going to jump over the Bills, as after an extremely quiet off season have done nothing to show me that they are ready to consistently win games.In part IIII, the prediction for division winner will be revealed.
Clearly, after winning the division last year, the Patriots’ main competitors are the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
These are all done pre-draft, so outlooks may certainly change depending on draft manipulation/drafting by the aforementioned teams.
The ‘Phins were middle of the pack last year in terms of rushing defense, at number 18 in the NFL in total rush defense, allowing 1,835 yards.
For the Dolphins’ organization, fixing their sub par rush defense was of great importance. They went out and signed linebacker Karlos Dansby, who last year totaled 101 sacks and an interception, along with a sack. Dansby is a very threatening player, as he is a force against rushers with sure tackling abilities, and has had success in bringing down the quarterback prior to last season (‘06, eight sacks and ‘08 four sacks).
One of Miami’s biggest in-season issues has been addressed by the team, and as we move towards the NFL draft, the Dolphins can focus on improving pass defense or even bring in new offensive players to rally around young quarterback Chad Henne.
Overall:
I think the Dolphins have made an extremely positive step, as they have added veteran leadership defensively, can focus more on developing as a team offensively, which therefore makes a more dynamic and threatening team.
What have we? A team which has addressed their most pressing issue, turning it from a weakness to at least a neutral point on defense. Can the Patriots keep up with the Dolphins acquisitions? What about New York? Find out next, in Part II.
Image Credits:
NFL.com
David Ortiz: Not Getting the Credit he Deserves
Yes, the Sox lost Jason Bay, but people are already giving up on the team’s offensive chances, citing a lack of pop in the middle of the lineup and no legitimate slugger.
Well I beg to differ.
Apparently, few people remember what David Ortiz did at the end of last season, and choose to focus on the negative first half he had. After Papi hit his second home run of the season on June 6th, he was tied for the league lead in home runs. Not just in the AL, but in all of baseball (tied with Adrian Gonzalez).
I say that Papi will top 30 bombs this year (after leading the league after June 6th), and throw in Kevin Youkilis and a full season with Victor Martinez, and that supposed lack of pop seems a lot less legitimate. Also, Jason Varitek hit a lot of home runs early on in the year, but then cooled off. I think as he got more tired, his bat became less effective (not good). With more rest, I think he will hit a reasonable 15 home runs this year.
While the Red Sox lineup may not be as powerful as last season without Jason Bay, I would not say it will not be as good. Obviously Jason is a tough player to lose, but Papi showed signs of heating up last season and gave no reasons at the end of the year to change that.
So, do not forget that Ortiz has not completely fallen off the radar, and with better defense and pitching, the Sox are poised to make a deep playoff run.
What do you think? Will Papi be back to hitting monster home runs in clutch moments?
Drivers are Not Athletes, and NASCAR is not a Sport
Is NASCAR a sport? Are drivers athletes? This question has been plaguing the United States for quite some time now, and I answer no to both proposed questions.
Don’t get me wrong. Being a NASCAR driver takes a major amount of skill and talent, being able to control a ridiculously fast car with the constant fear of wreckage, but NASCAR is not a sport.
To be an athlete, one must rely solely on their own body to accomplish their goal. For instance, a baseball player uses a bat, obviously not their own body, but how do they use their bat? It is essentially an extension of their arms. The player still must rely purely on his/her physical abilities. Hand-eye coordination to hit the ball and give it a direction, and potentially strength to hit it far.
A fielder uses a glove to cushion the ball, but still, relies completely on themselves, to move to the ball, pick it up and throw it.
Football, basketball, hockey, soccer, golf, none of these sports are different. All athletes use some form of external wear (padding, shoes, sticks, etc.), but the results are caused by the athlete himself (or herself).
Going back to football, a Quarterback can have all the padding in the world, and the most amazing ball or glove, but he still must rely on his own strength and mind to make a throw.
A NASCAR driver does not rely solely on his body. He uses his body to turn and accelerate, but the car is what is the major reason a driver has success. The driver relies on the car’s abilities as much as his own. In no other sport is an athlete so dependent on his gear.
For a basketball player, if he loses a shoe he can still play, albeit not at the same level, but in NASCAR, if a tire gets blown, the driver must get the car fixed before continuing to race. If one car is faster than another, with better tire traction, the driver can do little to prevent the other from winning.
In soccer, if a player is more talented than another, he will win out most of the time. In NASCAR, as much weight is put on the car as the driver himself.
This is all theory, per se.
But, how can we prove this hypothesis? Well, we can look at performance enhancing drugs.
I am not in any way at all supporting the use of PEDs, or cheating, so keep that in mind while reading the following:
Performance enhancers help athletes in all sports, because they change the athlete’s physical abilities, generally making them stronger. In hockey, if you take steroids, you become stronger and dish out bigger hits, but in NASCAR, if a driver takes PEDs, is he really going to be helped?
Sure, he can push the gas pedal harder, or turn the car with more vigor, but is he going to be profoundly affected by the use of steroids?
Simply put, roids make an athlete’s abilities better, but as a NASCAR driver, you rely a lot on the car’s abilities, so steroids are not helpful.
Obviously, NASCAR drivers are incredibly talented and are definitely taking a daily beating (driving a car moving that quickly is not easy), but the races are more events, not sports matches.