Author: bestkeptsecret19

I'm just a man trying to be listened to. Hopefully, I can motivate and inspire people on the way to making a widespread positive difference.

What should expectations be for Tiger going forward?

Almost three years ago to the day, I wrote an article about Tiger Woods, detailing what has to happen if he wants to catch Jack Nicklaus for the most major tournaments won in PGA Tour history with 18. Back then, there was optimism Woods could accomplish that feat, even after everything he has been through both professionally and personally. The article mentioned was a month after Tiger won The Masters for his 15th major championship, and I was just as happy to see this result as anyone. Having said that, the main thing Woods had to do was find a way to….well, play more golf. That seemed reasonable at the time, but now, it’s anyone’s guess.

Since Tiger had that triumphant return a few years back, a lot has transpired, mainly the fact he almost died in a car accident February 2021. The crash resulted in Woods having to get immediate surgery on his right leg, and just like that, a storied career was suddenly in danger of ending. As fans, we are mostly wired to think about how events will affect someone on the field of play (golf course in this case). After seeing the shape the vehicle Tiger was in after the accident, it’s a miracle he’s alive to see future days. Quality of life becomes first and foremost, and everything else is secondary. Even through this life-changing event, we understand athletes who have performed in the highest of levels are a little different. Knowing this, seeing Woods back in action sooner than later would be a good bet.

True to the bet, Tiger being back at Augusta National for The Masters last month probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, but is at the same time considering the shape he was in after the crash. Being a Woods fan, I couldn’t help but wonder what if he gets off of the couch and wins another major. While that would be great, it was at that moment where reality set in, and expectations have to be tempered. To even think Tiger could actually win his first tournament back, let alone a major, is probably disrespectful towards the other golfers who have been playing regularly (and are really good by the way). It’s true Woods won his last major without playing much golf, but that’s not happening every day. Throw in the fact Tiger was coming back from catastrophic injuries, and it should be considered a victory if he was able to make the cut with the best in the world.

As it turned out, Woods did make the cut at the Masters. Outside of a win, that’s the best (and most realistic) result. While watching him compete, another thought set in. I was ecstatic seeing Tiger out there, but to see him struggle to walk, grimace after every swing and fight off bogey after bogey quickly became painful to watch. Fast forward to this past weekend’s PGA Championship, and it was more of the same, to the point Woods decided to withdraw from the fourth round. Obviously, Tiger isn’t close to full strength, and it’s fair to question if he’ll ever get back to that level. Toughness and pain tolerance has never been a question, and Woods’ confidence in his ability to compete is always above high (he has no reason to think otherwise). With that said, it’s time to acknowledge we could be close to seeing Tiger’s last days in competitive golf.

So what’s next for Woods? Well, we wait to see if he will compete in the next major, the U.S. Open, in June. It’s probably safe to say we won’t see Tiger in any other tournaments outside of majors, and if that’s the case, it’s hard to see a scenario where Woods wins ever again. Yes, I’m happy to see him on a course, but he probably came back too early. Two things need to happen if visions of catching Nicklaus are to stay alive. First, the 46-year-old has to get healthy. If and when he does, the second thing is more golf has to be played, just like I said three years ago. Right now, neither one of those items are a reality. Until they do, expectations should be low, and the first thing that might be on Tiger’s agenda is him stepping away from the sport, for good.

Egos in the way of perceived great players

When a player is going through his or her career, one of the toughest things for them to deal with is the realization they can’t quite do the stuff they could in their younger days. Knowing Father Time is undefeated, a tough decision has to be made. Either said player is going to evolve and make adjustments to prolong their journey, or the ego will stay in the way, leading to a sharp decline in ability and status. The three players discussed in the coming paragraphs are among the best offensive players in recent memory (notice I didn’t say overall, because they’re terrible defensively), but for one reason or another, the impact they once had on the court is becoming more minimal almost by the day. Therefore, it’s probably safe to say a crossroads has been reached, and what happens after this point depends on whether or not growth occurs.

Let’s start with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. One thing Irving can say is he has a championship on his resume, and by hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA history in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, he is forever written in Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA history. Outside of that, Irving is known for having special offensive skills, but also for being a player who is not dependable and rots team chemistry. He forced a trade from the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics, and after two seasons, the Celtics couldn’t wait to get him out the door. The Nets were waiting to take Irving in, but the three seasons that have followed have been uneven at best. The 30-year-old has constantly alienated teammates, and between injuries, going on mysterious vacations during the season and his unwillingness to get the COVID vaccine, nobody can say he’s been the most available player. What’s common with Irving’s behavior is let him tell the story, it’s never his fault, and he always the smartest person in the room. Point blank, all of the drama that comes with Irving off the court is starting to overcome the dazzle his offensive talent provides on it, and if his ego continues to inflate, it would not be a surprise to hear about an early retirement sooner than later.

Next, let’s dive into the story of Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. The 32-year-old was once mentioned as one of the greatest offensive players in league history during his time with the Houston Rockets, and he even has a regular season MVP under his belt from the 2017-’18 campaign. Now, accumulating with a no-show performance in an elimination game Thursday night against the Miami Heat, Harden has developed a reputation to disappear when his team he’s on needs him the most (playoff time). Another cloud that hangs over his head is the tendency to want to run away from adverse times. When things went south in Houston, Harden threw teammates under the bus, showed up to training camp horribly out of shape, and whined his way to the aforementioned Nets via a trade involving four teams. Stuff went haywire in Brooklyn, and once again, Harden forced a trade, this time to the 76ers. One can only run away from problems for so long, before the problem is staring right back at them through a mirror. This is the reality Harden faces, and that, combined with declining abilities, is all catching up. It’s already proven a team wasn’t going to win a title with a player who has been on three teams in two years being their best, but maybe it can happen with him being a complimentary piece. Can Harden make that adjustment? Anything is possible, but if teams continue to pay him like a max player, there’s no reason to believe that change would happen.

Finally, the story of Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is on the menu. Like Harden, Westbrook has won an MVP (2016-’17), and he averaged a triple-double in three straight seasons (four total). When the triple-double record was reached in Westbrook’s award-winning journey as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, that marked the first time a player accomplished the feat since Oscar Robertson did it in 1961-’62. The 33-year-old has been widely praised for his ungodly athletic feats, but a game that’s heavily reliant on athleticism never ages well, especially if that player has little to fall back on. Westbrook has never been a good outside shooter, and even with the flashy triple-double numbers, he’s still a turnover machine after all of these years in the NBA. The athleticism goes away with age, and those explosive dunks are now missed layups. All of this equals being on four teams (Thunder, Rockets, Washington Wizards and Lakers) in the same amount of seasons. It’s no secret the Lakers had a disappointing, disastrous season with no games in the playoffs, but there might have been a slight chance if Westbrook put his ego to the side and came off the bench. With a team that has LeBron James on it, the opportunities to handle the ball go down significantly. Anyone who follows basketball knows that, but apparently, Westbrook didn’t get the memo.

To sum everything up, these three players have serious choices to make if they’re going to be the best version of themselves. In saying that, understand it’s not as much about the numbers as it is about the mindset coming onto the court. When a person thinks about Irving, Harden and Westbrook, leadership and unselfishness isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. This could have been the case all along, but it’s to the point the elite offensive glamour can no longer cover the messy truth. Now, the thirty somethings have to reinvent their way of thinking, or those inflated egos might find themselves in the midst of a huge freefall from grace.

The Rams’ path to glory is not the model to copy

From Thursday to Saturday, the NFL Draft is taking place in Las Vegas. With these picks come eternal hope, for teams and their fans alike, that the players selected can be a part of building something special. Entering the draft, eight squads didn’t have a pick in the first round. One of those teams come in the form of the newly-crowned Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who have famously put a value on veterans over draft picks in their pursuit of championships. It a high-risk, high reward strategy, and even if the reward is a title or two, the result of future futility is almost certain.

We all know Rams general manager Les Snead is known for saying “F*** Them Picks,” even wearing a t-shirt with the phrase on it during the team’s championship parade. When it comes to a winning window, there’s no telling how long that could last. Since the New England Patriots went back-to-back in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, there hasn’t been a repeat champion. So the question a squad’s front office has to answer is how to go about building a team that can compete for titles. Is it being patient to build through the draft and develop young players, or is stacking the team with established veterans to enhance the all-in, win now mentality? For L.A., the answer was clearly the latter.

So the frenzy of trading the draft picks began, and the Rams turned to free agency to fill the rest of the holes on the roster. The main chess piece was quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the team sent previous starter Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Detroit Lions to receive before last season. It took a couple more first-rounders and a fourth-round pick to get cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. Wanna get linebacker Von Miller (now with the Buffalo Bills) from the Denver Broncos? L.A. said here’s a second and third-round pick in return. Looking for a wide receiver to complement Cooper Kupp? Let’s sign Odell Beckham Jr. While trading all of these picks seem a little insane, one can respect a team going for it when the opportunity presents itself.

Let’s not forget the Rams played in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, losing to the Patriots 13-3. Getting that close to the title can definitely drive motivation to get back and finish the job. Seeing what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in winning a Super Bowl in their home stadium, combined with knowing this past title game was in SoFi Stadium, only added to the fire. All of this equaled L.A.’s willingness to sacrifice the future for a potentially-brighter present, and with Snead and head coach Sean McVay on the same page, “F*** Them Picks” became one of the most famous memes out there.

If a win-now strategy pays off, fans and media will say it’s all worth it to win a championship, especially when celebrations are happening at the time. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be any complaints when their squad has no future to build upon because of the lack of draft picks. The purgatory is probably coming for the Rams, and with the world living in the moment more than ever, those same fans who said the title was worth it will be the ones calling out the future being in peril. With that said, there are multiple ways to put a team together to win. L.A. found one that worked for them, but by no means should it be a model to copy. Therefore, the standard is not the standard in this case. There is still a lot of value in the draft, and over time, the Rams will see that also.

Cutting through the created clutter of the NBA’s MVP discussion

In the wide world of sports, there hasn’t been too many topics generating more buzz than who this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the NBA should be. The discussion is everywhere, and it’s the type of conversation all of the fake-debate shows dream about. As usual, there is a lot of disagreement in terms of who should win the award, but there is agreement on the three contenders, who are all bigs. The three players (in no particular order) are Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo. On the surface, deciding a winner should seem more cut-and-dry, but it never is, and it’s because the voters make up their own criteria in picking first place. Opinions are what make us unique, but they can also create unnecessary complications, which leads me to this conclusion. No one (including myself) knows what the MVP, in any sport, represents, but I believe I can tell you what the award isn’t.

It’s not a lifetime-achievement award. From reading articles and hearing viewpoints on television and radio shows, it appears some of the voters want to give the award to the best player in the league. That sounds good, but what if said best player is on a team that struggled to make the playoffs? There’s no denying what a person has done in his or her career, but that shouldn’t have any bearing on what happened for a particular year. If lifetime accomplishments is what the MVP is measured on, then there wouldn’t be a need to have this award given annually. For an example, let’s look at the 2017 season. At that time, most people would have said LeBron James, then a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was the best player in the world, but Russell Westbrook, who was with the Oklahoma City Thunder, won the MVP. There aren’t many who think Westbrook is a better player than James overall, but that didn’t stop voters from giving the award to him (it’s funny these two are teammates on a dysfunctional Los Angeles Lakers squad that’s at home with us). In other words, best player is different from most valuable.

The MVP is also not a who has the best stats award. Since the glamour stat is scoring in the eyes of many, that would mean Embiid is the winner, since he won that title during the regular season. Even with that feather in the cap, the 76ers finished fourth in a rugged Eastern Conference, which is a spot behind Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the standings. It’s one thing to see stats, and it’s another to see how it happened in game action. This is important because Jokic and the Nuggets, a team that plays in the Western Conference (and finished sixth and those standings), might not get as many eyes on him simply because of where he resides. There are a lot of players who put up empty stats that don’t lead to team success. I’m not trying to call the stats these three great players empty at all. I’m just saying while numbers never lie, they don’t always tell the whole truth.

Finally, the MVP is not a playoff-projection award. Ideally, it would be better if the postseason was included in the voting, but with the system we currently have, the playoffs have nothing to do with anything. Therefore, how people and voters think a player’s team is going to do during money time is completely irrelevant. With Denver facing the Golden State Warriors in the first round, not too many people like the Nuggets’ chances of advancing. Philly has a scrappy Toronto Raptors squad to deal with, and while Milwaukee should be able to get by the Chicago Bulls, nothing is a guarantee. The overall point is there’s a possibility the Nuggets, 76ers and Bucks can go home early. Are we going to say Jokic, Embiid or Antetokounmpo are all of the sudden not worthy of MVP consideration if their respective teams fall short of supposed expectations? Of course, there are some voters who will say that, and ultimately regret choosing the way they did. If and when they have this viewpoint, one can wonder where the meter of understanding lies with these individuals.

Ultimately, the MVP is a regular season award. What standards are used to choose the winner is up to the person with a vote, but there’s no denying that fact. Nothing else matters, and if people want to include the playoffs in the voting, then change the rule, so voting doesn’t start until the NBA Finals conclude. Until that happens, all of the clutter created by voters, and the stats, should cease. Pick the winner for this particular season (not an accumulation of seasons), the person who is most valuable to their team winning games, given the situations they’re in. This includes availability for the team, and the potential lack of availability with other key players on their squads. The three players on the ballot are all deserving, considering this is (again) a regular season award. Let’s keep it there, and I’m confident most of the complications will go away.

Apologies if I’m not hurting from seeing Coach K and Duke lose

We all like a feel good story (which is especially needed in these days), whether it’s someone finally getting to see their dreams and goals become reality, or the man finally catching the woman (or vice versa) he has always wanted after all of this time. In walks of life, there is a thirst to catch the Hollywood-style happy ending, where everything is sunshine and rainbows after numerous storms. I’m no different from anybody else, because I like the feel good stories and happy endings as well. Having said that, there are a few occasions where I don’t mind seeing the ending being a little less than happy. Such an occasion happened over the weekend, and I’m coming here to explain why I’m okay with my feelings.

Of course, I’m talking about the results of the NCAA basketball tournament’s Final Four, where Duke was sent home by their fierce rival, North Carolina, with an 81-77 loss. The win gives the Tar Heels a date with Kansas for the national championship Monday night in New Orleans. For the Blue Devils, it means the dreams of ending the distinguished career of head coach Mike Krzyzewski with a sixth national title disappears, and it also means the school will be on the receiving end of the king of bragging rights. More on that aspect soon, but with Coack K, it would be common to think the reaction from seeing one of the most storied coaching careers in any sport come to an end would be sadness. I was definitely in the camp that was happy to see it.

Understand my dislike of Duke goes back decades, to the days when the likes of Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley played for the school. Duke is right there with the Dallas Cowboys, Oklahoma Sooners (in any sport) and New York Yankees on the list of teams I like to see lose, no matter what the scenario is. College basketball is unique because the head coach is the face of the program, and we all know Coach K was the face of Duke. Fairly or unfairly, I felt the Blue Devils was a team that acted like they were better than everyone else, and I’m not just talking about sports. There was a certain amount of arrogance and cockiness I felt just watching them on television, and if things didn’t go their way, the whine train was coming, led by Coach K. That feeling was something I could never shake to this day. So every time there was a chapter added in the Duke-UNC rivalry, I was team Tar Heels, and Saturday night provided the perfect end to Krzyzewski’s career in my eyes.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Coach K, there’s no denying the amount of success he had in his days building the brand that is Duke. I don’t have to say how hard it is to win a title in sports, but it’s especially tough in college basketball because of the format. If a team gets into the tournament, they have to win six consecutive games to get to the prize. Krzyzewski’s teams did that five times during his run, and made the Final Four on 13 occasions (can’t forget about the three Olympic gold medals as a head coach). The standard of excellence is something that is only touched by a select number of schools in the country, and whether you love him or hate him, the man was one of the best to ever coach a team. Yes, it’s true I wasn’t a Coach K fan, but there’s no disputing the greatness he achieved during his career.

Now I come to you to ask a question. Does me being happy to see Krzyzewski go out with a loss to his biggest rival (in both his regular season home finale and the NCAA tournament) make me a bad person? I’m okay with the responses either way, but the answer to a question for myself will come in the years to follow. Did I hate Duke because of the university, or because of Coach K? If the answer is the latter, then that speaks more for the legacy left by the man than any of the accomplishments mentioned, because that would mean I miss rooting against him. No matter how I feel personally, Coach K will always get the biggest salute from me. Congrats on a wonderful career, and as much as I may want to fight it, you’ll probably be missed.

It’s time to stop making excuses for “elite” quarterbacks

If we are truly being honest with ourselves, hearing the news about Tom Brady retiring, only to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers five minutes later, should come as no surprise. Besides, it’s not like Brady’s game was falling off from the standard we’ve become accustomed to. The seven-time Super Bowl winner threw for 5,316 yards, with 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season, which is not bad for a 44-year-old. It’s no secret the National Football League was shaken up by what Brady was able to do in leading the Buccaneers to a title in 2020. As a result, franchise quarterbacks everywhere felt it was time to flex their muscle and demand more say-so in personnel decisions. It’s one thing to demand that, but it’s another to make the sacrifices necessary to get what’s desired. Too many times, the other QBs want money and power, and that turns into a never-ending chase for glory that often ends in disappointment. As we move forward, it’s important to remember teams win championships, not individual players. The quarterbacks I will mention are supposed to be in the elite category with Brady, but have not elevated their respective teams when it matters most. Therefore, it’s time to call them out for coming up short.

Let’s start with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the first example. We can all agree Rodgers is one of the most talented people ever to play the position, and the two straight regular season MVP awards add to the verification. When Rodgers and the Packers won the title in 2010, it was almost a certainty it would be the first of many coming in his career. Here we are in 2022, and the 38-year-old drama king is still stuck on that one title. When the failures occurred, many media members and fans were quick to point out the team, or the coaches, around Rodgers as to why he couldn’t get over the hump. That might have been a legitimate point in years past, but not in the last two seasons. Green Bay had the best record in the NFC in both, but were knocked out in the conference championship game (by Tampa Bay) and divisional playoff (by the San Francisco 49ers), respectively. Against the Buccaneers, Rodgers could not take advantage of three Brady second-half interceptions, and the 49ers won without scoring an offensive touchdown. The league’s MVP stunk in the playoffs, and even the biggest Rodgers supporters would have to dig deep to deny that.

For the second example, lets look at the new quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson. Wilson was acquired via trade from the Seattle Seahawks, and the thinking for the Broncos is the 33-year-old is the missing piece for the team to be a legit Super Bowl contender. A common phrase heard for the last couple of years is “Let Russ Cook.” Well, letting the chef cook has produced mixed results, with the bad seeing him get sacked 427 times in his career. It got to the point Wilson ran to “The Dan Patrick Show” to voice his frustration about getting hit too much. The Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, received much criticism for trying to establish a running game. If his quarterback is on his back all the time, who can blame Carroll for wanting to provide a little balance? While it might be true Seattle’s offensive line hasn’t been the best, Wilson does hold the ball too long at times, which contributes to the sack total. It’s also worth pointing out since the Seahawks decided to gear the offense more towards Wilson and the passing game (around the start of the 2015 season), the team hasn’t made it past the divisional playoff round. Now Wilson arrives in Denver, and there’s a lot of chatter about the Broncos being a Super Bowl favorite. That might be the case, but it’s also possible even with the upgrade at quarterback, Denver might not even be the best team in their own division.

Finally, let’s take a glance at current Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Yes, Watson’s off the field troubles are well-documented, but we can keep things about football for the sake of this article. Most people (including myself) would acknowledge the 26-year-old is a top-5 quarterback at his peak, but his individual success hasn’t contributed to much in terms of team wins. In 2020, Watson led the NFL in passing yards, but the Texans went 4-12 that season. Since he was drafted by Houston in 2017, Watson has one playoff win, which came in 2019. Looking forward, there are a good amount of teams willing to trade for his services, but the Texans are going to ask for a lot in return. That means there’s a good possibility the club Watson goes to won’t be too far away from what Houston was (and is) record-wise. As bad of a situation the Texans have on their hands, there’s no guarantee the grass is going to be greener on the other side, especially if Watson is running for his life from lack of protection.

So what does Rodgers, Wilson and Watson have in common? They all want to be like Brady, but they aren’t willing to do the things the greatest winner in league history does. For starters, Brady routinely takes less money on his contracts, which gives the team he’s on more flexibility to build around him. The other three have large contracts that eats salary cap room for their respective squads. While I would never fault anyone who fights for their payday, the flipside is the team around them might lack in other areas. If that’s the case, said quarterback has to elevate the club to championship heights. Rodgers, Wilson and Watson have all failed in this category in recent years, but they’re constantly called elite QBs. Is it fair to call them just elite regular season players? Maybe not, but if this is the quarterback-driven league I keep hearing about, then lets call a square a square. It’s time to question who is truly elite, and for me, there’s only one QB that at the level. That man resides in Tampa.

Maybe one day, the NFL will be honest with us, and themselves

A lot has happened since March 11, 2020, when the world literally changed forever. It was then when the COVID pandemic really start to grip everything and everyone, and the sports world was not spared from its outreach. The NBA and NHL postponed their respective seasons, and the NCAA cancelled March Madness altogether. MLB didn’t have a clue on how to deal with the pandemic, and their season was shortened to 60 games, more than half of the 162-game campaign we’re accustomed to. Even the English Premier League and other soccer organizations in numerous countries were forced to stop their seasons due to the virus. In other words, the world as we knew it stopped before our eyes.

The one league that was able to escaped the wrath of COVID (at least initially) was the NFL, that was only because they were in their offseason. Eventually, even they would have to adapt to change. The draft would be held virtually, and so would training camps. The preseason was cancelled, and the first game action came with the season-opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs Sept. 10 of that year. The season was largely playing out in empty stadiums, and there would be at least one game held each day of the week due to postponements caused by the pandemic.

As the world attempted to return to normal, the NFL was determined to do the same. They wanted to be strict as far as COVID protocols went, pinning the responsibility on the franchises to make sure coaches and players adhere to the rules as the 2021 regular season loomed. No longer would games be postponed due to spikes or outbreaks, they would be forfeited and handed to the team that was supposed to play the infected one. The league wanted to stay on schedule, perhaps thinking (and it’s not out of the norm for the NFL to act this way) they can do so because they are “The Shield.” It would be logical to think this stance was premature when considering a pandemic is still going on, but when has the NFL listened to anybody going against their vision?

With everything I just said, here we are, almost two years after having our lives turn upside down, and there’s a harsh truth staring at us and the league. COVID (and all of its variants) is still very much a factor, and because of that, the NFL is doing what they vowed not to do a few months ago, postponing three games on Friday. The Las Vegas Raiders–Cleveland Browns matchup has been moved from Saturday to Monday, and two more games (The Washington Football Team–Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks–Los Angeles Rams) were pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday. While the move shows a sign of basically being in the same place we were with the pandemic at this point last year, it also shows what the league, and many others, are ultimately about when push comes to shove. Anyone with a little intellect can see money is always the priority when it comes to the decision making in the NFL.

Bottom line, a forfeited result means a loss of revenue for everyone involved, and the NFL knows this better than anyone. What this means is they’ll do anything to protect their profit, even if it means going back on their original word. The funny thing is many people would understand if money is the first motivating factor, as long as the organization is honest about it. Instead, the NFL continues to hide behind other reasons while conducting their business, and attempts to tell us so as if we can’t see through them. Postponing the three games shows exactly why someone can not (and should not) take what the league says seriously, because eventually, the truth comes to life, and it’ll likely involve lots of dollar signs. Then again, nobody can expect the NFL to be honest with them if they can be honest with themselves first.

History only tells part of the tale for once storied programs

Championship weekend in college football has come and gone. A few of the big winners for the day were Alabama, Michigan and Cincinnati, who along with Georgia, make up the four teams who will battle it out in the College Football Playoff. While watching the conference title games, one couldn’t help but notice how a few of the most storied programs in the history of the game were not playing on this day. While these teams have rich traditions, it’s been a long time since the word “elite” could be used to describe these teams, let alone be mentioned in any sort of national championship discussion. What’s sad for the fan bases (I’m a fan of one of the teams that will be detailed) is it could still be a while before that title talk becomes a topic. In other words, a person can only hold onto history for so long before it becomes ancient.

The first team holding onto past history is USC (University of Southern California). The Trojans haven’t had a lot of fight in them lately. Their last title, which was won in 2004, was vacated because of NCAA sanctions connected to running back (now FOX Sports analyst) Reggie Bush. Other than that, it’s been since the 1970s when USC could claim a national title. Ever since Pete Carroll left the college to coach the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, it’s been a nightmare finding another head man that can rekindle the long lost glory days. Five men have taken over the position after Carroll left, with minimal success. The sixth comes in the form of Lincoln Riley, who was coaching Oklahoma before heading out to Los Angeles last weekend. It’s no secret the Trojans have all of the ability to run the Pac-12 Conference, and possibly be back in the national championship conversation, if used correctly. Is Riley the man to lead them? Most people think so, but let’s remember it’s not the same situation it was with the Sooners, where he was promoted to head coach after being the offensive coordinator for a already-loaded roster. Only time will tell if Riley can actually build a program from scratch, but the contract he has says he nothing less will suffice.

Another team that’s holding on to the glory days from yesteryear is Texas (this is the team I’m a fan of). The Longhorns haven’t won a national title since 2005, and 2009 was the last season they won the Big 12 Conference (and last appearance in a national championship game). After ’09, the eyes of Texas have been constantly crying, seeing the Mack Brown tenure come to an ugly end, three rocky seasons under Charlie Strong and four underachieving years with Tom Herman. Now it’s Steve Sarkisian‘s turn in an attempt to bring the Longhorns back to prominence. If the first year in Sark’s tenure is any preview, that won’t happen anytime soon. Texas was 5-7, making it all but a guarantee they’ll miss out on bowl season. The campaign was filled with games that saw the Longhorns pull defeat from the jaws of victory, including one to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (I know it’s called the Showdown these days) that saw the Longhorns blow a 21-point lead. A loss to Kansas was also included in the record, and that’s probably a fireable offense in and of itself if this wasn’t a first year head coach. Needless to say, Texas has a lot of work to do if they’re ever going to get back to being mentioned with the great programs in the state, let alone the country. For the fans, they can only watch so many replays of the 2006 Rose Bowl on the Longhorn Network, reminiscing about the past success.

Finally, it’s time to take a look at “The U” for another institution still holding on to back in the day. Miami was once known as a university that had NFL-caliber players being grown from the roots of south Florida. Anyone who remembers the 2001 version of the Hurricanes know how many players went on to have sustainable pro careers. Unfortunately for Miami and their fan base, that was the last year they could claim a championship, and there hasn’t been much to celebrate in the two decades after. Any hint of a return to dominance gets swallowed up by the media, only for those hype machines to get shut down when the Hurricanes catch a humbling defeat. Since the end of the 2003 season, which was right before they joined the ACC, Miami has only been to one Bowl Championship Series or New Year’s Six bowl game. Like USC and Texas, the Hurricanes have had bad recent history, but hope comes with the arrival of coach Mario Cristobal, who is taking over for Manny Diaz after spending the previous four seasons in Oregon. Games aren’t won off the field, but the Hurricanes might have won a battle with the hire of Cristobal.

While these three universities all have storied traditions, recent history says they’re yesterday’s news. Having said that, there are reasons to believe the future can be brighter. One is with these respective schools being in California, Texas and Florida, the resources and talent available to assist in a rebuild are practically unlimited. Another is they can look at the Wolverines as a model for returning to the glory days. Before breaking through against Ohio State and ultimately winning the Big Ten Conference, Michigan was in a long drought that had them missing out on title talk since their last victory in 1997. If the Wolverines can do it, there’s no reason to believe USC, Texas and Miami can’t do the same. No longer should it be acceptable to keep living in the distant past. Enough time has gone by since these institutions were good in football. The only thing I ask is to wait until they at least win their conferences before we say they’re officially “back.”

Familiar names still in the NFL hunt through all of the craziness

If there is anything we’ve learned through the first half of the National Football League’s regular season, it’s validation of knowing we are watching the world’s best reality show in progress. Just when a team looks like they’re emerging from the pack, they catch a loss that has many wondering what happened. The Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills were among the squads that experienced those humbling defeats last weekend, while the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans (the team that gave the Rams their loss) might actually be the teams to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the bunch. What happens this week is anyone’s guess, but the one thing we do know is predicting who will be in the Super Bowl at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in February won’t be too much easier than trying to figure out a Rubik’s Cube. We also know watching what happens on the way there will be tons of fun.

While I say there isn’t much we know in processing what has happened in the regular season so far, there are a couple of trends that do stay true. Any team with Tom Brady as their quarterback remains in the hunt for a Super Bowl, while the ones with Kirk Cousins as their triggerman remains consistently average. Something else has been proven true in regards to the landscape in the respective conferences. In the NFC, the standings are top heavy, while the AFC has many teams bunched within at least two games of each other. To back this up, consider the fact every team in the AFC North and West divisions have a winning record at the halfway point of the season. So yes, the NFL has new faces trying to stake claims, but there are a couple of familiar ones who are still in the mix, even through all of the wackiness. Those two teams are the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the Patriots, they have righted the ship to move their record to 5-4, which has them half a game behind the Bills for first place in the AFC East. New England still has two head-to-head matchups with Buffalo remaining on the schedule. The Pats have won their last three games, and they could be 8-1 if it wasn’t for a one-point setback to the Miami Dolphins, a two-point defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and an overtime loss to the Cowboys. At any rate, New England looks to be hitting their stride at the right time behind a strong running game and a ball-hawking defense. When the team needs a big play in the passing game, rookie quarterback Mac Jones has shown he is more than capable of providing that. Another thing the Patriots have going for them is they have one of the best head coaches of all-time in Bill Belichick, who can make up what the club might lack in talent with game-specific scheming. If this upward trend continues, don’t be surprised if New England does more than just make an appearance in the playoff picture.

As for the Steelers, they were sitting at 1-3, and people were basically declaring the season over for them. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was looking old and ready to retire, and nothing was going right for the offense and defense as a whole. Someone forgot to tell Pittsburgh the rebuilding project was beginning, because quietly, they have won their last four games to bring the record to 5-3. With a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, they would be tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North, with both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals close behind. One of the major questions about the Steelers coming into the season was the offensive line. Things didn’t look good the first four games, but they have become functional by establishing the running game with rookie running back Najee Harris. The defense has elite playmakers on every level, with T.J. Watt on the line, Devin Bush at linebacker and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety. Like the Patriots, Pittsburgh has a great coach to help get them ready for battle each and every week. Say what you want about Mike Tomlin, but the truth is the Steelers have not had a losing season since he took over as the head coach in 2007. As long Roethlisberger doesn’t become a turnover machine, Pittsburgh will be a team nobody wants to play come December and January.

There’s a phrase that says “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” In the NFL, there are several new teams trying to emerge as contenders, but through it all, that conversation doesn’t happen often without a mention of the Patriots or Steelers. There’s a reason why these two teams are tied for the most Super Bowl wins (six) in league history. Winning DNA is not built overnight. It takes consistency over a sustained amount of time, and it’s hard to find more consistent teams than these two. It didn’t start well for either one, but as of now, they’re as dangerous as anyone in a league oozing with parody.

Coaching is killing a dynasty before it starts for the Dodgers

When looking for the ingredients to build a championship team, what comes to mind? Of course, talented players would help, but even the biggest talent pool won’t win a title without a coach who can put everything together. It’s no secret the coach’s primary job is to put the players in the best possible position to win games. Part of that process is understanding all of the analytics (fancy word for statistics) and translating the data into something the players can use against the opponents. Sometimes, the coach, or manager in this case, can get too engulfed in the numbers, and it ultimately comes back to hurt the team on the field.

This is the reality the Los Angeles Dodgers have sitting on their laps as of today. If someone was to say the Dodgers have the deepest and most talented roster in Major League Baseball, there probably wouldn’t be much pushback. The problem is they have a manager whose decisions regarding the pitching staff leaves a team loaded with talent coming up short of their championship goals, with the exception of 2020. The latest blunders from L.A. head man Dave Roberts resulted in his squad being eliminated by the Atlanta Braves, with the final blow coming in the form of a 4-2 loss in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series Saturday night in Atlanta. With the win, the Braves move on to face the Houston Astros in the World Series, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night in Houston. As for the Dodgers, they head into an offseason left to wonder what could have been once again.

While Atlanta was the team that ultimately knocked L.A. out of the playoffs, the battle with the San Francisco Giants set the tone for a move the Dodgers wouldn’t be able to overcome in the long run. In Game 5 of the NL Division series, Roberts decided to go with the opener, an analytic-driven strategy where a pitcher from the bullpen starts the game instead of a normal starter. The starting pitcher would have been Julio Urias, who was a 20-game winner during the regular season, won Game 2 of the series and would have been on a normal rotation. Instead, Roberts used two bullpen guys, and Urias didn’t see the mound until the third inning. While that move was perplexing, the choice that really put L.A.’s pitching staff in a bind going forward was bringing ace Max Scherzer in to close out the game. Everything worked out for the Dodgers to advance to the NLCS, but the moves caused Scherzer to come out early in Game 2, and miss his scheduled Game 6 start because his arm was still fatigued. In the NLCS, Roberts had two “bullpen games,” using eight pitchers in Game 1 (the first one) and nine in Game 3 (Game 5 was the other bullpen game). With a starting rotation already without Trevor Bauer (legal issues) and Clayton Kershaw (arm trouble), the last thing L.A. needed was to strain an already-short starting rotation even more with bad decisions.

As horrible as that sounds, the history of Roberts overworking the pitching staff goes back a few years. In 2017, the Dodgers probably should have defeated the Astros, sign-stealing scandal not withstanding, but the skipper continued to let analytics drive his decision-making, and the pitchers didn’t have much left when Game 7 came around. In 2018, L.A. was down 2-1 in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, and Rich Hill (now with the New York Mets) was pitching a gem in Game 4, to the tune of allowing just one hit over 6 1/3 innings. Back in the day, numbers like that says Hill would stay in until his arm falls off, but in the analytics world, stats say it’s time to pull him due to the vaunted third time through the batting order. So Roberts decided to pull Hill, and the bullpen would get shelled for nine runs in the final three innings. The Dodgers lost Game 4 9-6, and would lose the series in five games. In 2019, it was the eventual-champion Washington Nationals who would take advantage of curious usage of the bullpen by Roberts.

Over the years, the Dodgers have developed a roster with an embarrassment of riches. The batting lineup is beyond potent when healthy, and the pitching staff is loaded with electric arms. They have both big pockets to sign high-priced free agents, and a farm system popping with talented prospects. All of the bookmarks of a dynasty are in place, but coaching can kill any vision of that before it starts. This is what’s happening in L.A., because the decisions made by Roberts between the lines (the front office is probably complicit in what drives this line of thinking) have turned the Dodgers into an organization that has underachieved. Even in 2020, the pitching staff moves seemed over-the-top, but they just happened to work out. Nine times out of 10, they have not, and even though the big picture has L.A. being a successful organization over the past few seasons, one can’t help but think there’s a lot of meat left on the bone. If the Dodgers want to salvage what could be a run of titles, their best chance is probably with someone other than Roberts as the manager. If the decision is to keep him, get ready for more disappointment in the City of Angels.