I didn't get a chance to comment yesterday on the retirement of Steve McNair. He always seemed to be one of those stars that everyone knew was a star, but never talked about. You know defenses had to plan for him, but in pre-game shows and breakdown sessions on various networks there was minimal discussion of how much he could impact a game.
The other thing I think that gets overlooked is the fact that he played hurt so often. The term "gladiator" and "warrior" is completely overused in sports, the NFL particularly, but if there is anyone who deserves the term it would be McNair.
I'm not sure he's Canton worthy, but he'll be close. He is a 2-time Pro Bowler, shared the MVP with Peyton in '03 and was a foot away from winning the Super Bowl which likely would have netted him the SB MVP. Again, probably not making the HOF but it wouldn't upset me if he did.
Stanley's Cup.....
- The Bruins made me look smart last night. By winning 5-1 over the Habs last night they have at least made it a respectable series (3 games to 2). I still think the Canadiens will win the next game to close out the series, but Boston made it interesting and could be a contender next year. Of course, you never know.
- While the Bruins made me look good, the Sharks, Avs and Flyers make went the other way. All three won their games last night to either take 3-2 (Sharks & Avs) or 3-1 (Flyers) advantages. While none of those series are over, all three of those teams took big strides to the next round last night, especially the Flyers. It will take one hell of a come back by the Caps but the essentially made a season long come back just to make the playoffs, so who knows. I wouldn't be surprised if either the Sharks-Flames series or the Avs-Wild series went to seven games. For that reason I'm still sticking with my picks, but I'm not overly optimistic.
- Meanwhile, the Stars are on the verge of eliminating the defenders. Last night wasn't so much of a must-win (really, aren't they all?), but the degree of difficulty just got a whole lot tougher for the Ducks. They'll win tonight at home, but will get closed out over the weekend in Dallas.
- Predictions for tonight: Wings win game 5 at home after choking away two games in Nashville that could have leveraged the series their way. The Rangers will close out the Devils tonight in Jersey. And as mentioned above the Ducks will stave off elimination at home.
Is it really surprising that Tejada is actually older than originally thought? I would venture to guess many players from the Caribbean don't really know how old they are, or at least make sure the teams that sign them don't.
You can't blame them, they're trying to get out of impossible situations lured by millions so why not fib a little. A lot of blame has to go on the teams who are so willingly ready to throw millions at these guys. Can't they do a little more research other than asking the guys how old they are?
At the end of the day does it really matter? I suppose it does when it comes to long term contract time, but again some of the onus has to fall on the teams. If the guy is still producing what does it matter?
As the Ocho-Cinco turns....
As I mentioned yesterday, this guy is an idiot. What's his beef? Playing time? Nope. Money? Not really - he's one of the highest paid receivers in the league. Catches? Nope. His main beef is whether or not he feels the team will be competitive next year.
When you play in the NFL where the difference between the best and worst teams is not that much how can you say in April, before the draft, you're team isn't good? There is obviously something else going on that hasn't come out yet. Now the Bengals are in an impossible situation. As the days progress he's alienating more and more guys on the team (Carson and T.J.). While the cap hit isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be, the Bengals have no trade leverage. Every team knows they are looking to unload him and there is no way to get equal value. Things ought to get interesting.
Urlacher's Issue....
My gut feeling tells me this is not as big as the media, especially the Chicago media, is making it out to be. But as it drags on the more concerned I get. Some say all he wants is to have 2 more years on the current contract guaranteed. If that's the case, the Bears need to get it done. If he is actually looking for a new, bigger contract, then Urlacher needs to get real.
When you sign a long term deal and get the big signing bonus you have to know that within a few years that contract is outdated. That's the trade off for getting big money. Plus, he's an aging LB that uses his body as a weapon and is already slowed by an arthritic back and has had neck surgery. Not really someone a team will invest a lot of long term dollars in.
I'm not sure I believe the trade request that was reported by Mike Mulligan of the Sun-Times. What team would give the Bears any sort of value for him due to the reasons mentioned above. As a Bears fan and an Urlacher fan I just hope this is being blown out of proportion and really a non-issue, but I'm starting to have my doubts.
No comments:
Post a Comment