Monday, January 24, 2011

The Tin Man is NOT Jay Cutler

   First of all, I’m not a Jay Cutler fan, hell I’m not even a Chicago Bears fan, but the fact this guy is being crucified by almost EVERYONE for not going back into a conference championship game to play quarterback is just ridiculous.  
   From Michael Wilbon, to Jason Whitlock to Mike Ditka to other former  NFL-ers and sports writers, many are jumping on the “let’s throw Jay Cutler under the bus” bandwagon and I think it’s speaks to the high volume of ignorance that many people have due to them  having not played sports at a high level.   And for the people who have played football at the pro level, particularly at Quaterback, how crucial is it to a QB’s mechanics for them to be able to plant when they throw? How crucial is it to have your mobility intact to avoid the pass rush of one of the top defenses in the NFL. So Ronnie Lott cut off a part of his finger to go back in a game. Last time I checked Ronnie didn’t have to throw a football with accuracy to be successful at his position.  Mike Ditka says he would have had to be paralyzed for him to have to be prevented to from returning to the field.  Hey Mike, you ever play QB in the NFL? Are you saying you’d be in chipper form on the sideline had you suffered a torn pectoral muscle and been rendered ineffective and unable to go back into the ball game.  

   As it speaks to his body language, wouldn’t you feel a little dejected had you been knocked out of the biggest game of your life?  Bottom line is people need a scapegoat and because Jay Cutler isn’t generally well perceived, right now he’s public enemy number one.

   Cutler sprained his MCL as was revealed the day after the game.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the terminology, a sprain is a slight tear of ligament tissue, with the severity of the sprain pending on the degree of the tear.  So to rephrase, Cutler, according to Jason Whitlock and many other people, is hiding behind a partially torn knee ligament.  I have never played QB in the NFL, but it seems pretty clear that to be successful at the position, a partially torn knee ligament would prove to make that difficult.  Well how about Philip Rivers back in 2007 in the AFC championship game, when he played on a torn ACL? What about him? Is this the same Phillip Rivers who in that game couldn’t lead his team to a single touchdown and threw two picks in a loss?  Go ask Phillip Rivers how a compromised knee ligament affects a Quarterbacks performance in a big game and see what he tells you.  And this isn’t meant to take anything away from Rivers’ toughness, but can we assume that as he might look back on it, maybe he wasn’t the player who gave that team the best chance at going to the Super Bowl as a result of the injury? 
 
   And the last thing I’ll point out is the quick defense of Cutler by Brian Urlacher in the post game presser.  This is the same guy who couldn’t stand Jay Cutler when he got to Chicago, backing up his QB from the other side of the ball right after the game.  If I can read between the lines here, if his own teammate, who’s more than likely privy to what actually happened behind closed doors, actually believed that his QB was gutless and quit on his team, wouldn’t he just not comment on the questions asked about Cutler instead of going to bat for his QB?

   All the Cutler backlash is really more telling of the people throwing this guy under the bus then it is of the QB.  Wilbon: Die Hard Bears fan looking for someone to blame. Ditka: former player/disgruntled former coach looking to jam the QB of the franchise that kicked him to the curb. Darnell Dockett and other players in the league watching at home:  jealous players sitting at home watching the games instead of playing in them with an outlet to pile on a guy they personally don’t care for in public view.  Jay Cutler may not get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the public perception of his heart and toughness, but if Brian Urlacher is willing to vehemently back Cutler to the extent that he showed in the post game press conference of Chicago's NFC championship exit on Sunday, then I for one won't be so quick to pass judgement.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Sports JAM 11-26 - Segments

Mike and Jeff share their observations of recent events with the help of a few select movie quotes....

Vossler's Shitty Situation

Mike thinks Adrian Peterson is in a bad spot trying to keep a quickly sinking ship afloat in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Jeff thinks Miami Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra has been in a bad spot from the beginning...



The Pressure Cooker

 Jeff thinks the pressure is rising once again for the NCAA as the possibility looms that they will once again give the Heisman Trophy only to perhaps take it away a few years from now; this time it will be Cam Newton.  Meanwhile, Mike thinks the hot seat  is just now warming up for boy wonder Josh McDaniels....







What Would Have Been the Odds?
 
Jeff talks about an odd recurrent theme in Portland, while Mike uncovers a strange circumstance in a deep AFC.....





Shooters Hitlist

Mike stays in the AFC and wonders about the conference leading New England Patriots.  Yes, they have the record, but some of the stats on this team have to make you wonder if their spot at the top is indeed safe.  Jeff uncovers the essence of Shooter's Hitlist with the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team living on borrowed time....




The Nedermayer Woodshed

Mike had a hard time deciphering which Bay area team has been more putrid lately, so why not just throw both in the shed?  After a strong start the Texans have once again returned to their terminal losing ways.  For teasing NFL fans once again, Jeff sends the Texans to the shed.....





Click Here to Listen Now:  Podcast feed: Subscribe

  

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Sports JAM 11-26

On this episode of the Sports JAM, Jeff and Mike discuss the following questions........

Fact or Fiction

The season is over for Vince Young. Indeed, his tenure as a member of the Tennessee Titans may have ended as well. It seems like a certainty that the talented Young will get another shot, but will he ever become the star he once seemed so destined to be? Fact or fiction, Vince Young will be an impact player in the NFL....




Carlos Boozer is nearing his debut with the Chicago Bulls after battling a hand injury that has sidelined him for the entire season thus far. The Bulls showed considerable faith in Boozer by dropping max money on him during the off season. But, do Mike and Jeff have the same level of faith? Fact or Fiction, Carlos Boozer is a top ten power forward in the NBA right now.....




The Weigh In

Time for another "Heat Check" as Jeff and Mike look in on the progress of the NBA's newest super team. This time the news is ugly as the Heat sit at 8-6 on the season. Time to weigh in on just how much of a disappointment the Heat are at this point in the young season....






On the other hand, there are the San Antonio Spurs; the virtual opposite of the Heat as they sit at 13-1 on the season. But, are the Spurs for real? Jeff and Mike weigh in on the chances that the Spurs can hold it together and be a major player in the west come playoff time.




Buy or Sell

There can be little doubt about the train wreck that is the 2010 Minnesota Vikings. Things took a step in the right direction with the better late than never firing of embattled head coach Brad Childress. But, do the Vikings have more dead weight to unload? Like a 40 year old turnover machine at quarterback? Jeff and Mike elect to buy or sell on whether or not Favre, rather than Childress, is more to blame for the Vikings poor performance this season....


Two weeks can be a long, long time. Two weeks ago the Giants were trampling the Seahawks in Seattle and looked for all the world like the best team in the NFC. Two weeks and two losses later the Giants are on the outside looking in in the playoff race in the NFC. Yet, the season is far from over. Jeff and Mike decide if they are buying or selling on the Giants making the playoffs in 2010.....


Click Here to Listen Now: Podcast feed: Subscribe

Friday, November 12, 2010

Sports JAM - 11-4 - Part 2


Jeff and Mike continue their discussion of the strange events of the first week of November.......



Randy Moss seems dead set on proving that he is the equal of Jerry Rice.  Apparently, he is going to do it by also finishing his career with a long series of brief stopovers with different NFL teams.  Next up for Moss, a stint with the Tennessee Titans; his third team of the season.  But, is he still a difference maker on the field?                                                                 







TCU travels to Utah this weekend in a match up of undefeated top 5 teams.  Yet, the game is receiving almost no hype whatsoever.  How can a game with national championship implications be so overlooked?  One has to burrow into the deepest niches of sports fanaticism to find a meaningful event that is garnering so little pub.  TCU and Utah is truly a heavyweight match up.......


Finally, the weirdness reached a fever pitch in Detroit on Sunday when Donovan McNabb was removed late in a close game because he apparently was too winded to continue.  That might have been strange enough, but that was only the beginning as former Bear Rex Grossman came into the game.  Sanity quickly was restored as Grossman promptly turned the ball over on his first play, and thus normalcy was returned to the universe.  Yet, questions remain.  What seems more improbable...The undefeated start of a New Orleans Hornets squad that missed the playoffs last year?  Or, that the billionaire owner of the Redskins couldn't hire a better backup quarterback than Rex Grossman?
 



Click Here to Listen Now:Podcast feed: Subscribe  






The Sports JAM - 11-4 - Part 1

This week on the Sports JAM, Jeff and Mike ask a few questions.....


What is the greater form of suffering in Dallas?  Watching a talented Cowboy team completely implode en route to a 1-6 start?  Or, watching a talented Ranger team dominate the American League playoffs only to then see their stud pitcher get lit up twice en route to a 4 games to 1 whitewash in The World Series against the Giants?  Also... 

It has become clear that NBA talk this year simply cannot exist without a weekly "Heat check".  When last we checked in Miami was coming off an ugly opening night loss to the defending eastern conference champion Celtics.  One week later?  A couple of wins including a blow out win against eastern conference power Orlando.  Prognosis positive?  Yes, at least until the next Heat check....                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
     On the other hand, there is the story of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  After a fast start, the Thunder dropped back to back games by double digit margins.  First at home to Utah and then on the road in LA.....to the Clippers.  With the Thunder playing in Portland during the podcast, Mike was placed on temporary suicide watch.....for his own protection.  Fortunately, OKC gutted out a solid road win.  But, do they have the maturity to really make a run?        
                                                                                                        And, why do the Clippers suck?  Mike has the answer....it's Baron Davis.  Judging by his start this season, Davis is giving the wrong finger to Clipper nation.  Finally, the timeless question....will Andrew Bynum ever play 50 games in a season?  The Lakers are loaded and playing well.  Will Bynum's return be good, bad, or ugly?  The only thing we know for sure is, it should be short...
                                                                                                                                                                      Click Here to Listen Now:Podcast feed: Subscribe                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Sports Jam 10-28 - Part Two

Jeff and Mike discuss the upcoming NBA Season in the Western Conference:                           


Will the greatest threat to the two time defending champion Lakers come from a surprising new foil?





Have the previous contenders done enough to make a run at a loaded Lakers squad?




Which team that missed the playoffs last year might find a way to slide into the playoffs this year?




Can a team bolstered by "key" acquisitions like Darko Milicic and Michael Beasley make a run at the Wizards as the worst team in the league? We will find out this year in Minnesota.


Click Here to Listen Now: Podcast feed: Subscribe