- The Gophers were wise to recruit all those wide receivers. Judging by how slow our current receiver corps looked against our defensive secondary we will need all the speed Vincent Hill and Brandon Green can provide, although it should be noted starting WR Erik Decker was not playing tonight.
- Gophers and quarterbacks do not mix. Webber was unimpressive. Mortenson was disappointing. Pittman was injured. Brewster was unpolished. Marqueis Gray was still in Indiana. Suffice to say, tonight's game did not leave me confident about our QB situation.
- The D-line is showing promise. Anthony Jacobs has bulked up to a solid 285 and if he can maintain the speed that made him an elite defensive end recruit back in 2007, he should be a monster in pass rushing downs. Derrick Onwuachi looked good at right defensive end. VanDeSteeg looks to have recovered from last year's broken wrist and should provide good balance to the line. If we can get some size at the defensive tackle position, the line should be much improved from last year.
- Can Duane Bennett stay healthy? No doubt he's quick and has some good moves to shake tackles, but I keep getting the feeling he's about 10 pounds too light to survive the Big Ten season intact.
- We need corners. Marcus Sherels showed promise tonight, but Ryan Collado seems hopelessly lost. Hopefully Traye Simmons, Tim Dandridge, and Simoni Lawrence can make big contributions as freshmen.
- Ben Kuznia was an animal tonight. I'm putting the over/under at him being second team All Big Ten in 2008 at 40%.
- The linebackers looked solid. Sam Maresh, Gary Tinsley, and Spencer Reeves should make this group even better.
- Harold Howell fumbled the first punt of the game and allowed an interception on his next time out on the field. Yikes.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Gopher Gloom
Ahh, what a satisfying Friday evening in Minneapolis! Tonight, Kyle Sexton (K-Sex), Caboose, Mom, Pops, and I attended the Gopher Spring game. I must admit, I was really looking forward coming into tonight's game to seeing some of the Juco recruits picked up by Brewster & Co. during the off season and seeing how various players had developed. Overall, tonight's inter-squad scrimmage was a bit of a snooze and didn't provide much in terms of confidence for the coming season. Some thoughts:
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Recent Reading
A few links to some reading over the past week:
Memo to Petraeus & Crocker
A thought provoking opinion piece on the recent testimony by the lead General in Iraq. Interesting how even the business of murder can be made PC.
Bill Simmons' LVP to MVP - Part I & Part II
The section on Tim Thomas has to be the highlight, though the Sports Guy's love letter to KG is a sobering reminder of what a joy it was to watch him play for the Wolves. However, I think Simmons missed an opportunity to pay tribute to the Celtics true MVP this year: Kevin McHale.
Denver Post Column on the Minnesota Wild
Personally, I loved this column. Think about it: when was the last time Minnesota had a professional sports team that had a reputation for being tough? The 60s? I find it comforting that others view the Wild as a tough team willing to muscle their way to victory. Plus, think of all the shots this leaves open to take on the Avalanche. I think my colleague Licia summed it up best: "If they don't want to get hit then they shouldn't play hockey. Maybe they could play ladies rules against the Canadian women's team, that might be more their speed." Ouch.
Survival of the Richest
Normally I don't agree with Kiyosaki's columns, but this one is a reasonably concise explanation of why the Fed bailout of Bear Stearns was such an unbelievable move. Worth at least a quick read.
The Next Five Years
An interesting blog post I stumbled upon about Eric Case quitting the Blogger team and moving on to other adventures. A good reminder that no matter how comfortable things get, it's OK to keep your eye on the horizon and follow your heart.
So THAT'S why the Wolves Suck
It all seems so simple: the Wolves have terrible players. Why does Kevin McHale still have a job? Why?
Seriously, why?
Financial Inequality in 2008
It's unreal how much greed can continue to exist despite all of the troubles faced by the middle and working classes over the past decades. Don't forget, if you think you're rich, you're not. Remember this in November.
Happy reading everybody and get ready to enjoy a spectacular year for the NBA playoffs!
Memo to Petraeus & Crocker
A thought provoking opinion piece on the recent testimony by the lead General in Iraq. Interesting how even the business of murder can be made PC.
Bill Simmons' LVP to MVP - Part I & Part II
The section on Tim Thomas has to be the highlight, though the Sports Guy's love letter to KG is a sobering reminder of what a joy it was to watch him play for the Wolves. However, I think Simmons missed an opportunity to pay tribute to the Celtics true MVP this year: Kevin McHale.
Denver Post Column on the Minnesota Wild
Personally, I loved this column. Think about it: when was the last time Minnesota had a professional sports team that had a reputation for being tough? The 60s? I find it comforting that others view the Wild as a tough team willing to muscle their way to victory. Plus, think of all the shots this leaves open to take on the Avalanche. I think my colleague Licia summed it up best: "If they don't want to get hit then they shouldn't play hockey. Maybe they could play ladies rules against the Canadian women's team, that might be more their speed." Ouch.
Survival of the Richest
Normally I don't agree with Kiyosaki's columns, but this one is a reasonably concise explanation of why the Fed bailout of Bear Stearns was such an unbelievable move. Worth at least a quick read.
The Next Five Years
An interesting blog post I stumbled upon about Eric Case quitting the Blogger team and moving on to other adventures. A good reminder that no matter how comfortable things get, it's OK to keep your eye on the horizon and follow your heart.
So THAT'S why the Wolves Suck
It all seems so simple: the Wolves have terrible players. Why does Kevin McHale still have a job? Why?
Seriously, why?
Financial Inequality in 2008
It's unreal how much greed can continue to exist despite all of the troubles faced by the middle and working classes over the past decades. Don't forget, if you think you're rich, you're not. Remember this in November.
Happy reading everybody and get ready to enjoy a spectacular year for the NBA playoffs!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A Poetic Finish
Every so often, we get reminded why some flaws are referred to as "fatal;" we get reminded that a critical weakness can rise up and snatch defeat from the claws of victory, leave us confused and despondent and wondering what went wrong, how we blew our chance at glory.
Last Monday night, the Memphis Tigers showed us all how fatal a single flaw can be.
Coming into the tournament, Memphis was widely considered one of the most talented teams in the country. They spent the season utterly dominating their opposition: UConn by 11, Arkansas State by 21, Marshall by 23, and on and on. Led by All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts, outstanding freshman Derrick Rose, and senior Joey Dorsey, the Memphis Tigers were the complete package both offensively and defensively. They could run the fast break, score in a half court set, shot the three well, could defend teams that scored from both the guard and post positions, and rarely made mistakes or turnovers that cost them games. On the eve of March Madness, the Tigers appeared to be an invincible juggernaut destined to make NCAA history as the winningest team of all time.
But...
During the season, Memphis had revealed a critical weakness: their ability to make free throws. In fact, Memphis ranked 329th out of 341 teams in their statistical ability to cash in at the charity stripe, converting only 61.3% of their attempts throughout the season. While it is not unusual to see players, especially more defensive minded centers and forwards, shoot this bad of an individual percentage, for a team of Memphis' stature to shoot this bad collectively is truly a staggering display of lapsed concentration. To put this in perspective, the Tigers shot less than 15% worse from the field, when the other team was allowed to play defense!
Many speculated that free throw shooting would be the undoing of the Memphis Tigers in the Tournament, but much to the critics chagrin, the team seemed to miraculously reverse course. 74% against Michigan State. 83% against Texas. 87% against UCLA. By all appearances, Memphis had found their stroke from the free-throw line at precisely the right time. Some said they had heard their critics and were rising to answer them, others that the magnitude of the event was causing the Memphis players to perform at a higher level. Regardless of the explanation, all considered the Tigers' free-throw dilemma solved and predicted a national championship and a place in the record books. But as Galadriel once said, they were all of them, deceived...
As the final game against the Jayhawks of Kansas stretched on, Memphis found themselves up by nine points with approximately 2 minutes to play, victory seemingly assured if they could hit their free-throws and crush any hope of a comeback left in the Kansas players. It was at this moment that the basketball gods turned their back on the Tigers, abandoned them to fend for themselves, and trip after trip to the line was met with a resounding *clank*. Taunted and tormented, the Memphis players looked around wildly for answers, but the truth was inescapable: it was time to pay the piper for their free-throw sins that had gathered and compounded throughout the year. Like a script from Hoosiers, the Jayhawks proceeded to make a stunning comeback, capped by Mario Chalmers incredible three-pointer with virtually no time remaining. Kansas would go on to clinch the title in overtime and Memphis would be left to wonder about what went wrong and what could have been.
In hindsight, it's almost poetic how the Tigers' free-throw collapse cost them a national title. Their one Achilles heel, their inability to stop, concentrate, and execute, rose up to bite them on the biggest of all possible stages. Almost like it was fate.
Anyway, there's tons of great analysis out there for this game so I won't continue further. Hope everybody enjoyed the wild finish to a great year of March Madness!
Last Monday night, the Memphis Tigers showed us all how fatal a single flaw can be.
Coming into the tournament, Memphis was widely considered one of the most talented teams in the country. They spent the season utterly dominating their opposition: UConn by 11, Arkansas State by 21, Marshall by 23, and on and on. Led by All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts, outstanding freshman Derrick Rose, and senior Joey Dorsey, the Memphis Tigers were the complete package both offensively and defensively. They could run the fast break, score in a half court set, shot the three well, could defend teams that scored from both the guard and post positions, and rarely made mistakes or turnovers that cost them games. On the eve of March Madness, the Tigers appeared to be an invincible juggernaut destined to make NCAA history as the winningest team of all time.
But...
During the season, Memphis had revealed a critical weakness: their ability to make free throws. In fact, Memphis ranked 329th out of 341 teams in their statistical ability to cash in at the charity stripe, converting only 61.3% of their attempts throughout the season. While it is not unusual to see players, especially more defensive minded centers and forwards, shoot this bad of an individual percentage, for a team of Memphis' stature to shoot this bad collectively is truly a staggering display of lapsed concentration. To put this in perspective, the Tigers shot less than 15% worse from the field, when the other team was allowed to play defense!
Many speculated that free throw shooting would be the undoing of the Memphis Tigers in the Tournament, but much to the critics chagrin, the team seemed to miraculously reverse course. 74% against Michigan State. 83% against Texas. 87% against UCLA. By all appearances, Memphis had found their stroke from the free-throw line at precisely the right time. Some said they had heard their critics and were rising to answer them, others that the magnitude of the event was causing the Memphis players to perform at a higher level. Regardless of the explanation, all considered the Tigers' free-throw dilemma solved and predicted a national championship and a place in the record books. But as Galadriel once said, they were all of them, deceived...
As the final game against the Jayhawks of Kansas stretched on, Memphis found themselves up by nine points with approximately 2 minutes to play, victory seemingly assured if they could hit their free-throws and crush any hope of a comeback left in the Kansas players. It was at this moment that the basketball gods turned their back on the Tigers, abandoned them to fend for themselves, and trip after trip to the line was met with a resounding *clank*. Taunted and tormented, the Memphis players looked around wildly for answers, but the truth was inescapable: it was time to pay the piper for their free-throw sins that had gathered and compounded throughout the year. Like a script from Hoosiers, the Jayhawks proceeded to make a stunning comeback, capped by Mario Chalmers incredible three-pointer with virtually no time remaining. Kansas would go on to clinch the title in overtime and Memphis would be left to wonder about what went wrong and what could have been.
In hindsight, it's almost poetic how the Tigers' free-throw collapse cost them a national title. Their one Achilles heel, their inability to stop, concentrate, and execute, rose up to bite them on the biggest of all possible stages. Almost like it was fate.
Anyway, there's tons of great analysis out there for this game so I won't continue further. Hope everybody enjoyed the wild finish to a great year of March Madness!
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