Sunday, February 28, 2010
Home of the Brave
6:03 AM | 
Posted by
Nick Mendola
(WGR 550) -- The Canadian slogan for the Vancouver games was "With Glowing Hearts," a shining nod to a proud song. The American hockey team may have fallen at the hands of the favorites on Sunday in British Columbia, but it's a phrase from the Yanks' anthem that'll ring in my head once the bitterness of defeat dissolves.
The home of the brave.
For the States and Ryan Miller, they'll go down as hard-luck losers, but it's so much more than that. This edition of USA Hockey was what everyone wants an American product to be: able to rise above expectations and show absolutely no quit until something nearly indomitable comes along, and that was Canada.
In times of athletic heartbreak, it's best to keep it short and sweet, but let's salute Sunday's gold medal game between the United States and Canada for what it was: a true brilliant moment for sport.
With the exception of the States losing -- and that's a mighty big exception -- it's nearly impossible to draw up a better contest. The host nation giving away a two-goal lead only to have it salvaged by its finest product ripping a neat, low wrister past a goaltender who had been nearly unbeatable all tournament long.
I've got a lot of dislike for Sidney Crosby, but you can't take anything away from The Kid. A lesser man could've played the role of shrinking violet after being caught on a breakaway by a backchecking Patrick Kane, but Crosby kept moving. His game-winning goal had a feeling of inevitability. If the Yanks had pulled off the upset, you'd half-expect Chris Pronger to say, "...and we would've gotten it done if not for those meddling kids!"
Kane showed everyone something. The much-maligned forward -- for his off-ice activities -- showed brilliance in a high-pressure setting, registering two assists in addition to his aforementioned defensive work on Crosby. In fact, there are a whole batch of new hockey stars for the States in Jersey's Zach Parise, St. Louis' David Backes and Anaheim's Bobby Ryan.
The Canadians at the rink showed a great deal of class in cheering the brilliant backstopping of silver medalist Miller, who posted a 5-1 mark and only allowed eight goals -- six to Canada -- in the six games he played. And I only imagine that Wednesday's home return of the Sabres will feature the sort of rousing ovation reserved for national athletic heroes when Miller is announced as (presumably) starting goaltender for Buffalo.
He'll deserve it. Go States.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
The home of the brave.
For the States and Ryan Miller, they'll go down as hard-luck losers, but it's so much more than that. This edition of USA Hockey was what everyone wants an American product to be: able to rise above expectations and show absolutely no quit until something nearly indomitable comes along, and that was Canada.
In times of athletic heartbreak, it's best to keep it short and sweet, but let's salute Sunday's gold medal game between the United States and Canada for what it was: a true brilliant moment for sport.
With the exception of the States losing -- and that's a mighty big exception -- it's nearly impossible to draw up a better contest. The host nation giving away a two-goal lead only to have it salvaged by its finest product ripping a neat, low wrister past a goaltender who had been nearly unbeatable all tournament long.
I've got a lot of dislike for Sidney Crosby, but you can't take anything away from The Kid. A lesser man could've played the role of shrinking violet after being caught on a breakaway by a backchecking Patrick Kane, but Crosby kept moving. His game-winning goal had a feeling of inevitability. If the Yanks had pulled off the upset, you'd half-expect Chris Pronger to say, "...and we would've gotten it done if not for those meddling kids!"
Kane showed everyone something. The much-maligned forward -- for his off-ice activities -- showed brilliance in a high-pressure setting, registering two assists in addition to his aforementioned defensive work on Crosby. In fact, there are a whole batch of new hockey stars for the States in Jersey's Zach Parise, St. Louis' David Backes and Anaheim's Bobby Ryan.
The Canadians at the rink showed a great deal of class in cheering the brilliant backstopping of silver medalist Miller, who posted a 5-1 mark and only allowed eight goals -- six to Canada -- in the six games he played. And I only imagine that Wednesday's home return of the Sabres will feature the sort of rousing ovation reserved for national athletic heroes when Miller is announced as (presumably) starting goaltender for Buffalo.
He'll deserve it. Go States.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Friday, February 26, 2010
LIVE BLOG: States vs. Finland
(WGR 550) -- Here we go, my fellow Americans, another elimination game for the States. Thanks for hanging out with me for some live updates of Team USA vs. Finland. If you haven't been able to bail out of work -- or even if you have -- I won't miss anything I deem notable (Hence, the notes). Comment away below, and I'll cut and paste my reaction to your reaction. What a grand time it'll be!
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NicholasMendola
5:12 p.m. -- It's a final. Guaranteed medal for the United States! Do your business, Canada, and we'll see ya Sunday. Anyone who's coming down to the Pond Hockey Tourney this weekend, come say hello. Team WGR (Bulldog, me, some friends) play at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Monday, and 11:30 on Sunday. Root, root, root for the States (and us).
5:11 p.m. -- Ryan Adams' "To Be Young is To Be Sad" over the loudspeakers? Canada, where have you been all my life? Did they think it was Bryan Adams?
5:05 p.m. -- Keep booing the "USA! USA!" chants, Canada. You haven't beaten us in four-plus years, not including World Juniors (which we won this year, by the way). I really do love Canada and need to get these shots in while I can. Go States!
5:05 p.m. -- Thomas' goal mask is awesome.
5:03 p.m. -- FINLAND GOAL, 6-1, STATES. Here it comes! The inevitable collapse. Kidding.
4:54 p.m. -- Miller's night is over. Tim Thomas is going to get a piece of this one. Good for him. Miller hasn't allowed a goal in almost 120 minutes. Good news.
4:51 p.m. -- I'm still watching. Just don't have too much to add right now, except that a Twitterer(?) posted an interesting observation: no protective nets above the end glass? (Another rule exactly like the NHL, right, Gar?)
4:42 p.m. -- Backstrom just got a penalty for sweeping a loose glove out of his crease. That's ridiculous.
4:32 p.m. -- Bettman could not have come off worse. I'm sorry, but does the NHL have PR coaches? The rules (penalty times, trapezoid, no-touch icing, face shields) are quite different and Ovechkin has already said he'll pull himself from your league to play in Sochi. Can I be commissioner? Please? I'm not trying to be disrespectful... it's coming naturally.
4:31 p.m. -- Did Gary Bettman just take a shot at NBC, the only network who would take him? What a fool.
4:30 p.m. -- Would be a huge mistake to pull NHL players from Olympics in Sochi. How is Bettman still in power?
4:29 p.m. -- Dear Gary Bettman, "It's all NHL rules?" Really? Do you know what the NHL is? Signed, everyone.
4:28 p.m. -- An absolutely uneventful second period, but thanks to USA Hockey hero Jim Craig for livening things up by posting that the States should play Tim Thomas in the third. I get the sentiment of it, but would you mess with that mojo? You;ve
4:16 p.m. -- I really like Doc Emrick, but there cannot be "a lot of players tied for the best person in the NHL." By definition, "best" is best. Only one. That's why the Ovechkin/Crosby debate is so fun. And thanks to Malkin for bowing out of that discussion this year.
4:15 p.m. -- Finns have played the States even here in the second, but nothing spectacular from either side. It's going to be a long 25 minutes. They just played "Badlands" by Bruce Springsteen over the speakers. Great song.
4:10 p.m. -- Email from Ed in Texas:
Nick,
I'm watching in Austin, Texas. Loving it. Of course all of my Texas co-workers can't seem to grasp the enormity of this. They tell me they just don't get hockey. Great for USA hockey, great for the Sabres, great for Buffalo NY. Emailing two Canadians back and forth, they are frothing to get the U.S. back on the ice. Be careful what you wish for guys, eh?
USA USA USA USA USA
Reply: (Smiling).
4:07 p.m. -- Jarkko Ruutu runs Miller. Totally out-of-character for him. Two and ten. Somewhere, Andrew Peters is having phantom bite pains in his finger.
4:00 p.m. -- Second-period underway. Two questions:
1) How much would US/Canada gold medal game tickets scalp for?
2) Would you rather see a shut-out for Miller or 12 goals? Can't say both.
3:55 p.m. -- Email from Larry:
"Loving the Buffalo connection in these Olympics: Miller and Kane. We should be damn proud to be Buffalo hockey fans on days like this (btw, i live in Phoenix now but my wife and i still bleed blue and gold). 6-0! This is a great statement game to the canadians: You're not the only ones capable of blowing a team out."
Reply: Don't forget Brooks Orpik. Also, there's a veritable Canadian firestorm of hate on Twitter right now. If they win tonight -- and if the States don't start on fire -- Sunday is going to be insane. They better get a giant TV screen for the Pond Hockey Tourney!
3:48 p.m. -- It took just two weeks for NBC to run an NHL promo during Olympic hockey. Great job!
3:40 p.m. -- Six-nothing, States, just 20 minutes in. Canadians are already signing in to this blog to talk crap about Sunday, so let me officially say, "Go Slovakia."
3:32 p.m. -- Two solid quotes of the night so far.
1) Text from my buddy Spicoli, "How do you say 'Whammy' in Finnish?"
2) Tweet from Acapn: "Kane beat him like a rented cabbie."
3:31 p.m. -- If you're a boss right now, you can do one of two things?:
1) Tell your charges to go back to work, cause this sucker's over.
2) Order a couple cases of Genny Cream Ale and be the hero of the world.
3:27 p.m. -- "Janne Niskala pinched up in the neutral zone. He should feel shame," Mike Milbury says. UNITED STATES GOAL(S), 5-0 and 6-0. First, Kane gets nasty with a wrister from the right side, then Parise forechecks to get the puck to Jamie Langenbrunner, who feeds Statsny for the game's sixth. You can't make this stuff up.
3:23 p.m. -- I just went from a doubter to a cocky American. UNITED STATES GOAL, 4-0. Patrick Kane stays hard on the puck for a backhanded goal after Dustin Brown clogs the front of the net for Kiprusoff. Kipper pulls himself from the game. This is some sick stuff. I believe the United States could beat anyone right now, including the 1976 Canadians. Get me a time machine. I've got Olympic fever, and the only prescription is the gold medal game.
3:19 p.m. -- Erik Johnson may have just chased Kipprusoff. UNITED STATES GOAL, 3-0. Can I be done writing now? An impressive forecheck from the States that included a nifty little stick check from Malone allows Joe Pavelski to pick up a loose puck and attempt a wrap-around. Rebound comes to Johnson who just beats Kipper top shelf. Three-zip. I'm shocked in a deliriously-happy way.
3:18 p.m. -- Toni Lydman, over aggressive? No way! States back to power play.
3:16 p.m. -- UNITED STATES GOAL, 2-0. Like I just said, ahem, make it 2-0. Zach Parise gets a cross-crease pass from Paul Stastny who had to fight for every millimeter (they're in Canada) of that puck. A very Vanek-like play in front of the net, and Parise gets his third goal of the tourney. A just reward for one of the best players of the tourney.
3:15 p.m. -- States heading to PP. Make it 2-0 and dare someone to score three goals against Miller (Says the guy who predicted a 3-2 loss).
3:10 p.m. -- Look at it this way, Finn fans. If the States didn't score on Kipper's screw-up, they would've just now. Great save in traffic by the Flames backstop. Still 1-0. 16:37 left in first.
3:07 p.m. -- UNITED STATES GOAL, 1-0. It's like Kiprusoff is trying to prove me wrong. Kipper makes a horrible decision under duress by Phil Kessel, and Ryan Malone buries a long wrister into the empty net. Kessel tries to tip it in. Come on, man!
3:07 p.m. -- Now, it's Finland's turn to get some pressure in the U.S. zone, but they are quickly learning that the States don't allow too many pucks to get to Miller.
3:05 p.m. -- States get a shot on net within the opening minute from ol' "Fountain of Youth" Rafalski. Game plan hasn't changed. Pucks either deep or on net. We'll see if that's enough to beat Miikka Kiprusoff, the only keeper in the tourney with better numbers than the States' Ryan Miller.
2:58 p.m. -- Real nervous about this one. Even Matthew Barnaby, who generally knows his stuff, is saying we've got a better team than Finland, but I'm not so sure. You've got the 2006 silver medalists with four or five Finn legends going for it in their last OIympics, and a bunch of young Finns who don't want to let them down. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm feeling 3-2, Finland. Yikes.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NicholasMendola
5:12 p.m. -- It's a final. Guaranteed medal for the United States! Do your business, Canada, and we'll see ya Sunday. Anyone who's coming down to the Pond Hockey Tourney this weekend, come say hello. Team WGR (Bulldog, me, some friends) play at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Monday, and 11:30 on Sunday. Root, root, root for the States (and us).
5:11 p.m. -- Ryan Adams' "To Be Young is To Be Sad" over the loudspeakers? Canada, where have you been all my life? Did they think it was Bryan Adams?
5:05 p.m. -- Keep booing the "USA! USA!" chants, Canada. You haven't beaten us in four-plus years, not including World Juniors (which we won this year, by the way). I really do love Canada and need to get these shots in while I can. Go States!
5:05 p.m. -- Thomas' goal mask is awesome.
5:03 p.m. -- FINLAND GOAL, 6-1, STATES. Here it comes! The inevitable collapse. Kidding.
4:54 p.m. -- Miller's night is over. Tim Thomas is going to get a piece of this one. Good for him. Miller hasn't allowed a goal in almost 120 minutes. Good news.
4:51 p.m. -- I'm still watching. Just don't have too much to add right now, except that a Twitterer(?) posted an interesting observation: no protective nets above the end glass? (Another rule exactly like the NHL, right, Gar?)
4:42 p.m. -- Backstrom just got a penalty for sweeping a loose glove out of his crease. That's ridiculous.
4:32 p.m. -- Bettman could not have come off worse. I'm sorry, but does the NHL have PR coaches? The rules (penalty times, trapezoid, no-touch icing, face shields) are quite different and Ovechkin has already said he'll pull himself from your league to play in Sochi. Can I be commissioner? Please? I'm not trying to be disrespectful... it's coming naturally.
4:31 p.m. -- Did Gary Bettman just take a shot at NBC, the only network who would take him? What a fool.
4:30 p.m. -- Would be a huge mistake to pull NHL players from Olympics in Sochi. How is Bettman still in power?
4:29 p.m. -- Dear Gary Bettman, "It's all NHL rules?" Really? Do you know what the NHL is? Signed, everyone.
4:28 p.m. -- An absolutely uneventful second period, but thanks to USA Hockey hero Jim Craig for livening things up by posting that the States should play Tim Thomas in the third. I get the sentiment of it, but would you mess with that mojo? You;ve
4:16 p.m. -- I really like Doc Emrick, but there cannot be "a lot of players tied for the best person in the NHL." By definition, "best" is best. Only one. That's why the Ovechkin/Crosby debate is so fun. And thanks to Malkin for bowing out of that discussion this year.
4:15 p.m. -- Finns have played the States even here in the second, but nothing spectacular from either side. It's going to be a long 25 minutes. They just played "Badlands" by Bruce Springsteen over the speakers. Great song.
4:10 p.m. -- Email from Ed in Texas:
Nick,
I'm watching in Austin, Texas. Loving it. Of course all of my Texas co-workers can't seem to grasp the enormity of this. They tell me they just don't get hockey. Great for USA hockey, great for the Sabres, great for Buffalo NY. Emailing two Canadians back and forth, they are frothing to get the U.S. back on the ice. Be careful what you wish for guys, eh?
USA USA USA USA USA
Reply: (Smiling).
4:07 p.m. -- Jarkko Ruutu runs Miller. Totally out-of-character for him. Two and ten. Somewhere, Andrew Peters is having phantom bite pains in his finger.
4:00 p.m. -- Second-period underway. Two questions:
1) How much would US/Canada gold medal game tickets scalp for?
2) Would you rather see a shut-out for Miller or 12 goals? Can't say both.
3:55 p.m. -- Email from Larry:
"Loving the Buffalo connection in these Olympics: Miller and Kane. We should be damn proud to be Buffalo hockey fans on days like this (btw, i live in Phoenix now but my wife and i still bleed blue and gold). 6-0! This is a great statement game to the canadians: You're not the only ones capable of blowing a team out."
Reply: Don't forget Brooks Orpik. Also, there's a veritable Canadian firestorm of hate on Twitter right now. If they win tonight -- and if the States don't start on fire -- Sunday is going to be insane. They better get a giant TV screen for the Pond Hockey Tourney!
3:48 p.m. -- It took just two weeks for NBC to run an NHL promo during Olympic hockey. Great job!
3:40 p.m. -- Six-nothing, States, just 20 minutes in. Canadians are already signing in to this blog to talk crap about Sunday, so let me officially say, "Go Slovakia."
3:32 p.m. -- Two solid quotes of the night so far.
1) Text from my buddy Spicoli, "How do you say 'Whammy' in Finnish?"
2) Tweet from Acapn: "Kane beat him like a rented cabbie."
3:31 p.m. -- If you're a boss right now, you can do one of two things?:
1) Tell your charges to go back to work, cause this sucker's over.
2) Order a couple cases of Genny Cream Ale and be the hero of the world.
3:27 p.m. -- "Janne Niskala pinched up in the neutral zone. He should feel shame," Mike Milbury says. UNITED STATES GOAL(S), 5-0 and 6-0. First, Kane gets nasty with a wrister from the right side, then Parise forechecks to get the puck to Jamie Langenbrunner, who feeds Statsny for the game's sixth. You can't make this stuff up.
3:23 p.m. -- I just went from a doubter to a cocky American. UNITED STATES GOAL, 4-0. Patrick Kane stays hard on the puck for a backhanded goal after Dustin Brown clogs the front of the net for Kiprusoff. Kipper pulls himself from the game. This is some sick stuff. I believe the United States could beat anyone right now, including the 1976 Canadians. Get me a time machine. I've got Olympic fever, and the only prescription is the gold medal game.
3:19 p.m. -- Erik Johnson may have just chased Kipprusoff. UNITED STATES GOAL, 3-0. Can I be done writing now? An impressive forecheck from the States that included a nifty little stick check from Malone allows Joe Pavelski to pick up a loose puck and attempt a wrap-around. Rebound comes to Johnson who just beats Kipper top shelf. Three-zip. I'm shocked in a deliriously-happy way.
3:18 p.m. -- Toni Lydman, over aggressive? No way! States back to power play.
3:16 p.m. -- UNITED STATES GOAL, 2-0. Like I just said, ahem, make it 2-0. Zach Parise gets a cross-crease pass from Paul Stastny who had to fight for every millimeter (they're in Canada) of that puck. A very Vanek-like play in front of the net, and Parise gets his third goal of the tourney. A just reward for one of the best players of the tourney.
3:15 p.m. -- States heading to PP. Make it 2-0 and dare someone to score three goals against Miller (Says the guy who predicted a 3-2 loss).
3:10 p.m. -- Look at it this way, Finn fans. If the States didn't score on Kipper's screw-up, they would've just now. Great save in traffic by the Flames backstop. Still 1-0. 16:37 left in first.
3:07 p.m. -- UNITED STATES GOAL, 1-0. It's like Kiprusoff is trying to prove me wrong. Kipper makes a horrible decision under duress by Phil Kessel, and Ryan Malone buries a long wrister into the empty net. Kessel tries to tip it in. Come on, man!
3:07 p.m. -- Now, it's Finland's turn to get some pressure in the U.S. zone, but they are quickly learning that the States don't allow too many pucks to get to Miller.
3:05 p.m. -- States get a shot on net within the opening minute from ol' "Fountain of Youth" Rafalski. Game plan hasn't changed. Pucks either deep or on net. We'll see if that's enough to beat Miikka Kiprusoff, the only keeper in the tourney with better numbers than the States' Ryan Miller.
2:58 p.m. -- Real nervous about this one. Even Matthew Barnaby, who generally knows his stuff, is saying we've got a better team than Finland, but I'm not so sure. You've got the 2006 silver medalists with four or five Finn legends going for it in their last OIympics, and a bunch of young Finns who don't want to let them down. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm feeling 3-2, Finland. Yikes.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Final Four Preview: No Sleep Through Finland
(WGR 550) -- It's no fun being the sobering voice of hockey reason, so please cut me some slack as I tell you that the United States road to the gold medal game in men's hockey is paved with obstacles. It may be a one-game road, but there are twists and turns.
The trip starts Friday with Finland. It would be a huge mistake to look past the "Leijonat," who have medalled in four of the last six Olympics (Leijonat translates to Lions). This includes a somewhat-surprising run to a silver medal in 2006, a tournament that saw them upset these United States, 4-3, in the first round of elimination play.
Finland blanked a Czech Republic team littered with NHL offensive firepower, 2-0. The Finns boast Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who has two shut-outs in the tournament. They won't take as many risks as the Swiss, have far more offensive skill and just as good a goaltender. It'll be a tall task for the States to win, let alone effectively dominate like they did in the quarterfinals.
On the other side, it'll be Canada and Slovakia. What a difference a couple days make. After the U.S. gave the Canadians a wake-up call, Team Canada did not touch the snooze button. They followed an 8-2 rout of Germany with a 7-3 win over the Russians. A tough couple games for San Jose Sharks goaltenders Thomas Greiss (Germany) and Evgeni Nabokov (Russia) makes the Canadians look -- appropriately -- as world-beaters.
(By the way, my bad on picking Russia over Canada, but I got the other final three right, including the upset of Sweden)
Slovakia is a nice story, but their win over Russia isn't looking as wonderful after the Canadians spanked Alexander Ovechkin and company. The Slovaks have a shot at upending Canada because of their world-class defensive play exhibited in the opening round coupled with the offense they showed in upsetting Sweden. Andrej Sekera scored the second goal last night, and plays with a talented defensive cast (Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrej Meszaros) that allows players like Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik to fly.
Look for Canada to get the best of Slovakia and loom large as the host in a gold medal game on Sunday. There will be no question that the Canadians will be favorites -- yes, even after the States beat them in the opening round -- unless the Americans put an absolute hurting on Team Finland, which I think is highly unlikely.
The United States physical style and willingness to put their face in front of pucks is massive. They are coming into Friday's game with a full head of steam, and their young stars are starting to click. As I wrote Wednesday, Zach Parise was called "the heart and soul of the Team USA" by an analyst.
It's a changing of the guard that wasn't supposed to pay off so quickly for USA Hockey, but here we are two wins from gold, and one win from a guaranteed medal. Heck, if the States lose to Finland, they'd just need a win over Slovakia to snag bronze.
It's already a victory for the underdogs because they've virtually erased the bogus 2006 performance in Italy from memory. A win on Friday would purge it. 2006 was a nightmare: they tied Latvia and lost to Slovakia, Sweden and Russia. Their only win was over Kazakstan, so it was little surprise when Finland topped them. A loss to FInland now would be a little more surprising, but the Baby Yanks have a couple tricks up their sleeves in veteran leaders Chris Drury and Jamie Langenbrunner, puck stylists Bobby Ryan and Parise and the veritable coming-out party of the Blues' David Backes.
Oh, and there's this other guy... I think his last name is Miller...
Feel free to predict the two games in the comments section.
The trip starts Friday with Finland. It would be a huge mistake to look past the "Leijonat," who have medalled in four of the last six Olympics (Leijonat translates to Lions). This includes a somewhat-surprising run to a silver medal in 2006, a tournament that saw them upset these United States, 4-3, in the first round of elimination play.
Finland blanked a Czech Republic team littered with NHL offensive firepower, 2-0. The Finns boast Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who has two shut-outs in the tournament. They won't take as many risks as the Swiss, have far more offensive skill and just as good a goaltender. It'll be a tall task for the States to win, let alone effectively dominate like they did in the quarterfinals.
On the other side, it'll be Canada and Slovakia. What a difference a couple days make. After the U.S. gave the Canadians a wake-up call, Team Canada did not touch the snooze button. They followed an 8-2 rout of Germany with a 7-3 win over the Russians. A tough couple games for San Jose Sharks goaltenders Thomas Greiss (Germany) and Evgeni Nabokov (Russia) makes the Canadians look -- appropriately -- as world-beaters.
(By the way, my bad on picking Russia over Canada, but I got the other final three right, including the upset of Sweden)
Slovakia is a nice story, but their win over Russia isn't looking as wonderful after the Canadians spanked Alexander Ovechkin and company. The Slovaks have a shot at upending Canada because of their world-class defensive play exhibited in the opening round coupled with the offense they showed in upsetting Sweden. Andrej Sekera scored the second goal last night, and plays with a talented defensive cast (Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrej Meszaros) that allows players like Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik to fly.
Look for Canada to get the best of Slovakia and loom large as the host in a gold medal game on Sunday. There will be no question that the Canadians will be favorites -- yes, even after the States beat them in the opening round -- unless the Americans put an absolute hurting on Team Finland, which I think is highly unlikely.
The United States physical style and willingness to put their face in front of pucks is massive. They are coming into Friday's game with a full head of steam, and their young stars are starting to click. As I wrote Wednesday, Zach Parise was called "the heart and soul of the Team USA" by an analyst.
It's a changing of the guard that wasn't supposed to pay off so quickly for USA Hockey, but here we are two wins from gold, and one win from a guaranteed medal. Heck, if the States lose to Finland, they'd just need a win over Slovakia to snag bronze.
It's already a victory for the underdogs because they've virtually erased the bogus 2006 performance in Italy from memory. A win on Friday would purge it. 2006 was a nightmare: they tied Latvia and lost to Slovakia, Sweden and Russia. Their only win was over Kazakstan, so it was little surprise when Finland topped them. A loss to FInland now would be a little more surprising, but the Baby Yanks have a couple tricks up their sleeves in veteran leaders Chris Drury and Jamie Langenbrunner, puck stylists Bobby Ryan and Parise and the veritable coming-out party of the Blues' David Backes.
Oh, and there's this other guy... I think his last name is Miller...
Feel free to predict the two games in the comments section.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
LIVE BLOG: States vs. Swiss
LIVE BLOG: States vs. Swiss
Nick Mendola
nick@wgr550.com
(WGR 550) -- Live thoughts during these shenanigans between the Chocolate Cheese Neutrals and Sam's Army:
5:14 p.m. -- EXHAAAALE. UNITED STATES GOAL, 2-0. Parise again, and he's earned his first two goals of the tourney. Drew Stafford's good friend ices the game with a wrister into the vacated net. "The heart and soul of USA Hockey," says one analyst.
5:11 p.m. -- Hiller pulled with 1:43 to go. Showtime. No one should have any problems with this, but the announcers think it's way too early. When you haven't solved a goalie once in 58-plus minutes, why wait?
5:10 p.m. -- This is scary tight. Don't know what to say besides an exhortation for the States to stick to their game.
5:08 p.m. -- Predictions for rest of night: Finland, Russia, Slovakia.
5:04 p.m. -- They're playing "Living On A Prayer." That's like Popeye spinach for New Jersey native Bobby Ryan.
5:03 p.m. -- Miller doing what he's done best in Buffalo; making hard saves look easy. Great crease movement by No. 39. His performance will deservedly be overshadowed by Hiller and Parise, but don't sleep on Miller's work.
5:00 p.m. -- Unlike Howard & Jeremy, I think the NHL can benefit from this Olympic exposure, and here's a prime example: You're a borderline fan in St. Louis or Los Angeles who's been watching the Blues or Kings this year. All of the sudden, you're watching national TV, which your team is almost never on, and two of the best players on the ice are from your teams (Backes and Brown). Just think of the doubters Miller could win over with a gold, and multiply that times people caring in minor markets. Just one example.
4:57 p.m. -- Shots are 40-14. Score could be 3-0 if not for a meddling game clock and weird penalty call.
4:53 p.m. -- I think Brian Rafalski hit up the "Lost" temple fountain before the Olympics started.
4:50 p.m. -- With Drury and Ryan Callahan penalty killers with the Rangers, John Tortorella should let them kill the full two minutes. Drury just blocked a very painful-looking shot that -- painfully -- looked all-too-familiar.
4:47 p.m. -- Replay proves us wrong on two counts. One, Jeannin's shot hit the post. Two, the Kesler penalty was a little shaky. Either way, the Swiss are on the power play.
In shame, I have to admit that I was consoling myself after the Jeannin goal by reminding myself that he's on my Olympic fantasy team in the Schopp & The Bulldog league. I'd rather be up, 1-0 (I have Parise, too).
4:45 p.m. -- Sandy Jeannin just beat Ryan Miller, but it was ruled it hit the post. Then, the U.S. goes down and score. The States goal is disallowed, and now they will go review the Jeannin almost goal, which looked like it was a good one. At best, it'll be 1-0 States when this review is said and done.
4:44 p.m. -- States doing what they can to totally deflate the Swiss balloon. Bobby Ryan tries a kid's trick and almost makes it 2-nil. Then, a nice replay of the Parise goal. High-def is excellent.
4:41 p.m. -- AND THEY DO! UNITED STATES GOAL by Parise. He called for the puck and followed a point shot past Hiller, who still almost saved it! 1-0, States!
4:40 p.m. -- Brooks Orpik just donated a Swiss player to the USA bench. At the other end, another penalty for the Swiss. States gotta get going (obviously).
4:39 p.m. -- Nothing's changed in between periods. Hiller is still a jerk (or a guy who's really good at hockey and making huge saves).
4:29 p.m. -- Potential heroes based on first two periods: Hiller (obviously) and Roman Wick for the Swiss. Parise and Backes have been the best players on the ice for the States. Tough spot for Ryan Miller, but he's there to be the best, not to have an excuse. This has been a solid game. Good for hockey.
4:26 p.m. -- Temporary technological difficulties. What you missed: The States scored... just not in time. The puck crossed the line and the Yanks celebrated, but replays showed the puck fluttering in the air but not across the line when the clock hit zero. This is how upsets are drawn up, and Swiss people make domestic movies. Time to be concerned.
Also, the commercial where they ask if a guy can win $1 million by wrapping himself in toilet paper and not ripping it is anti-climactic. They show him celebrating. Great job!
4:17 p.m. -- Things are getting dicey just because the "one funny bounce rule" is officially in play. The game is beginning to resemble every memorable international upset ever. I'm having an intense deja vu moment, and I can't remember if it's Canada/Swiss from an old Winter Games, or US/Latvia's 3-3 tie in 2006.
4:16 p.m. -- Yikes. The Yanks are blowing chances left and right. Olczyk has been spot-on as an analyst since the aforementioned comment about the first period. Backes is a monster.
4:12 p.m. -- Erik Johnson's remarkable shot block on a Swiss 3-on-1 out of the box leads to Switzerland scrambling back up ice and taking another penalty. Wilson should think about a time-out here.
4:12 p.m. -- Team USA's power play has been garbage. It's up to Ron Wilson and the staff to come up with a solution for the Swiss press. They tried three across the blue line there, but that's almost anti-threatening.
4:09 p.m. -- Second-consecutive goal-saving penalty by the Swiss, and even a hook almost wasn't enough to stop Jamie Langenbrunner from putting it home. Another big opportunity for the States to put one home. This is looking more like a Sabres/Panthers game with every shift.
4:04 p.m. -- Nothing doing. Switzerland finally building up so momentum and starting to look like the team that took Canada to the shoot-out. America has to stay patient on offense. Still scoreless.
4:01 p.m. -- Parise is doing everything but score, and was taken down after nearly connecting for the game's first. Good penalty for the defeated Swiss defender. Here we go, boys!
3:59 p.m. -- Good kill but some scary moments for the States. Blocking shots is huge and proof of dedication, but the US have to be careful with using their sticks to block shots. When those go wrong, they're called deflections.
3:55 p.m. -- Back in business. Stupid interference/elbowing penalty by Ryan Malone. The Swiss were being controlled and hemmed in their own end for the first few minutes of the period until Malone took an over-aggressive two.
3:40 p.m. -- A commenter who can't see the game just asked if the Swiss were "playing their game." The answer is yes, and they can be proud of their effort, but make no mistake about who owned the period. In the first three minutes, Switzerland did some nice things and Miller made a couple of tricky saves, but Hiller and the pipes are what's kept this game closed. Fun fact: Hiller and The Pipes would be a good band name. Someone get on that.
3:37 p.m. -- Twenty absolutely dominant minutes. 0-0. Not great, but not worried. Keep this in mind: It wouldn't get the press, but the Swiss winning here would be a bigger upset than Sunday's win over Canada.
3:36 p.m. -- Parise cranks another one off the post. I think he thinks this is three-bar.
3:34 p.m. -- Ed Olczyk just called this an even game. He's probably forgotten more hockey than I know, but he also could be high. This sucker hasn't been close, but the longer we go scoreless... well, whatever. I'm not going to lie. I'm just not at all worried right now. The Yanks are cruising, just not denting the twine.
3:28 p.m. -- The US is outshooting Switzerland, 14-4, through 14-plus minutes. "My name is Jonas... I'm carrying the Swiss."
3:26 p.m. -- Zach Parise would be the most statistically-dominant player in this tournament if he had any finish. It's been like watching the Sabres in one of those games they out-shoot Montreal, 43-21 and win 2-1.
3:23 p.m. -- Pavelski, Malone and Kessel are all over the Swiss, and Chris Drury keeps the pressure up by winning a face-off back to Jack Johnson who pumps one into Hiller's pads. Switzerland is overwhelmed right now, a combination of playing into a shoot-out with Belarus on Tuesday night and just not being good enough. Miller will take shots with a clear viewing lane from the top of the circles all day.
3:17 p.m. -- There's a penalty coming up to the States, but let's focus on David Backes, who just put his shoulder through a Swiss forward in open ice. For casual Sabres fans, Team USA has to be a coming out party that there are skilled players besides Alexander Ovechkin who do that, with Backes, Bobby Ryan and Dustin Brown playing all sorts of mean.
3:15 p.m. -- Luca Sbisa's hand is bleeding from a blocked shot. Yesterday, Canada's Shea Weber shot a puck through the German netting. Cue Don Cherry talking about banning composite sticks.
3:11 p.m. -- The Swiss aren't changing a thing from group play, where they'd lie in wait for transition opportunities and then swarm the goaltender. The problem with this strategy is the Yanks are willing to put their face in front of every slap shot. 0-0 though three-and-a-half minutes.
3:06 p.m. -- The States are all over the Swiss to start. A friend was helping me put a new light in, so I didn't get to make this prediction somewhere other than my Twitter page, but I don't expect this one to be close. Even if Jonas Hiller stands on his head, which he is to start this thing, I'm predicting 4-1, States. The boys aren't letting me down early.
Nick Mendola
nick@wgr550.com
(WGR 550) -- Live thoughts during these shenanigans between the Chocolate Cheese Neutrals and Sam's Army:
5:14 p.m. -- EXHAAAALE. UNITED STATES GOAL, 2-0. Parise again, and he's earned his first two goals of the tourney. Drew Stafford's good friend ices the game with a wrister into the vacated net. "The heart and soul of USA Hockey," says one analyst.
5:11 p.m. -- Hiller pulled with 1:43 to go. Showtime. No one should have any problems with this, but the announcers think it's way too early. When you haven't solved a goalie once in 58-plus minutes, why wait?
5:10 p.m. -- This is scary tight. Don't know what to say besides an exhortation for the States to stick to their game.
5:08 p.m. -- Predictions for rest of night: Finland, Russia, Slovakia.
5:04 p.m. -- They're playing "Living On A Prayer." That's like Popeye spinach for New Jersey native Bobby Ryan.
5:03 p.m. -- Miller doing what he's done best in Buffalo; making hard saves look easy. Great crease movement by No. 39. His performance will deservedly be overshadowed by Hiller and Parise, but don't sleep on Miller's work.
5:00 p.m. -- Unlike Howard & Jeremy, I think the NHL can benefit from this Olympic exposure, and here's a prime example: You're a borderline fan in St. Louis or Los Angeles who's been watching the Blues or Kings this year. All of the sudden, you're watching national TV, which your team is almost never on, and two of the best players on the ice are from your teams (Backes and Brown). Just think of the doubters Miller could win over with a gold, and multiply that times people caring in minor markets. Just one example.
4:57 p.m. -- Shots are 40-14. Score could be 3-0 if not for a meddling game clock and weird penalty call.
4:53 p.m. -- I think Brian Rafalski hit up the "Lost" temple fountain before the Olympics started.
4:50 p.m. -- With Drury and Ryan Callahan penalty killers with the Rangers, John Tortorella should let them kill the full two minutes. Drury just blocked a very painful-looking shot that -- painfully -- looked all-too-familiar.
4:47 p.m. -- Replay proves us wrong on two counts. One, Jeannin's shot hit the post. Two, the Kesler penalty was a little shaky. Either way, the Swiss are on the power play.
In shame, I have to admit that I was consoling myself after the Jeannin goal by reminding myself that he's on my Olympic fantasy team in the Schopp & The Bulldog league. I'd rather be up, 1-0 (I have Parise, too).
4:45 p.m. -- Sandy Jeannin just beat Ryan Miller, but it was ruled it hit the post. Then, the U.S. goes down and score. The States goal is disallowed, and now they will go review the Jeannin almost goal, which looked like it was a good one. At best, it'll be 1-0 States when this review is said and done.
4:44 p.m. -- States doing what they can to totally deflate the Swiss balloon. Bobby Ryan tries a kid's trick and almost makes it 2-nil. Then, a nice replay of the Parise goal. High-def is excellent.
4:41 p.m. -- AND THEY DO! UNITED STATES GOAL by Parise. He called for the puck and followed a point shot past Hiller, who still almost saved it! 1-0, States!
4:40 p.m. -- Brooks Orpik just donated a Swiss player to the USA bench. At the other end, another penalty for the Swiss. States gotta get going (obviously).
4:39 p.m. -- Nothing's changed in between periods. Hiller is still a jerk (or a guy who's really good at hockey and making huge saves).
4:29 p.m. -- Potential heroes based on first two periods: Hiller (obviously) and Roman Wick for the Swiss. Parise and Backes have been the best players on the ice for the States. Tough spot for Ryan Miller, but he's there to be the best, not to have an excuse. This has been a solid game. Good for hockey.
4:26 p.m. -- Temporary technological difficulties. What you missed: The States scored... just not in time. The puck crossed the line and the Yanks celebrated, but replays showed the puck fluttering in the air but not across the line when the clock hit zero. This is how upsets are drawn up, and Swiss people make domestic movies. Time to be concerned.
Also, the commercial where they ask if a guy can win $1 million by wrapping himself in toilet paper and not ripping it is anti-climactic. They show him celebrating. Great job!
4:17 p.m. -- Things are getting dicey just because the "one funny bounce rule" is officially in play. The game is beginning to resemble every memorable international upset ever. I'm having an intense deja vu moment, and I can't remember if it's Canada/Swiss from an old Winter Games, or US/Latvia's 3-3 tie in 2006.
4:16 p.m. -- Yikes. The Yanks are blowing chances left and right. Olczyk has been spot-on as an analyst since the aforementioned comment about the first period. Backes is a monster.
4:12 p.m. -- Erik Johnson's remarkable shot block on a Swiss 3-on-1 out of the box leads to Switzerland scrambling back up ice and taking another penalty. Wilson should think about a time-out here.
4:12 p.m. -- Team USA's power play has been garbage. It's up to Ron Wilson and the staff to come up with a solution for the Swiss press. They tried three across the blue line there, but that's almost anti-threatening.
4:09 p.m. -- Second-consecutive goal-saving penalty by the Swiss, and even a hook almost wasn't enough to stop Jamie Langenbrunner from putting it home. Another big opportunity for the States to put one home. This is looking more like a Sabres/Panthers game with every shift.
4:04 p.m. -- Nothing doing. Switzerland finally building up so momentum and starting to look like the team that took Canada to the shoot-out. America has to stay patient on offense. Still scoreless.
4:01 p.m. -- Parise is doing everything but score, and was taken down after nearly connecting for the game's first. Good penalty for the defeated Swiss defender. Here we go, boys!
3:59 p.m. -- Good kill but some scary moments for the States. Blocking shots is huge and proof of dedication, but the US have to be careful with using their sticks to block shots. When those go wrong, they're called deflections.
3:55 p.m. -- Back in business. Stupid interference/elbowing penalty by Ryan Malone. The Swiss were being controlled and hemmed in their own end for the first few minutes of the period until Malone took an over-aggressive two.
3:40 p.m. -- A commenter who can't see the game just asked if the Swiss were "playing their game." The answer is yes, and they can be proud of their effort, but make no mistake about who owned the period. In the first three minutes, Switzerland did some nice things and Miller made a couple of tricky saves, but Hiller and the pipes are what's kept this game closed. Fun fact: Hiller and The Pipes would be a good band name. Someone get on that.
3:37 p.m. -- Twenty absolutely dominant minutes. 0-0. Not great, but not worried. Keep this in mind: It wouldn't get the press, but the Swiss winning here would be a bigger upset than Sunday's win over Canada.
3:36 p.m. -- Parise cranks another one off the post. I think he thinks this is three-bar.
3:34 p.m. -- Ed Olczyk just called this an even game. He's probably forgotten more hockey than I know, but he also could be high. This sucker hasn't been close, but the longer we go scoreless... well, whatever. I'm not going to lie. I'm just not at all worried right now. The Yanks are cruising, just not denting the twine.
3:28 p.m. -- The US is outshooting Switzerland, 14-4, through 14-plus minutes. "My name is Jonas... I'm carrying the Swiss."
3:26 p.m. -- Zach Parise would be the most statistically-dominant player in this tournament if he had any finish. It's been like watching the Sabres in one of those games they out-shoot Montreal, 43-21 and win 2-1.
3:23 p.m. -- Pavelski, Malone and Kessel are all over the Swiss, and Chris Drury keeps the pressure up by winning a face-off back to Jack Johnson who pumps one into Hiller's pads. Switzerland is overwhelmed right now, a combination of playing into a shoot-out with Belarus on Tuesday night and just not being good enough. Miller will take shots with a clear viewing lane from the top of the circles all day.
3:17 p.m. -- There's a penalty coming up to the States, but let's focus on David Backes, who just put his shoulder through a Swiss forward in open ice. For casual Sabres fans, Team USA has to be a coming out party that there are skilled players besides Alexander Ovechkin who do that, with Backes, Bobby Ryan and Dustin Brown playing all sorts of mean.
3:15 p.m. -- Luca Sbisa's hand is bleeding from a blocked shot. Yesterday, Canada's Shea Weber shot a puck through the German netting. Cue Don Cherry talking about banning composite sticks.
3:11 p.m. -- The Swiss aren't changing a thing from group play, where they'd lie in wait for transition opportunities and then swarm the goaltender. The problem with this strategy is the Yanks are willing to put their face in front of every slap shot. 0-0 though three-and-a-half minutes.
3:06 p.m. -- The States are all over the Swiss to start. A friend was helping me put a new light in, so I didn't get to make this prediction somewhere other than my Twitter page, but I don't expect this one to be close. Even if Jonas Hiller stands on his head, which he is to start this thing, I'm predicting 4-1, States. The boys aren't letting me down early.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sorry, IOC, but it's Miller Time
(WGR 550) -- It's just one game. There's plenty of tournament left. You can't win giving up 45 shots to elite countries.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
In a rivalry described by one of the in-game analysts as "tremendously tremendous," Team USA topped Canada, 5-3, in the final game of group play at the Winter Olympics. No, this isn't the biggest upset since "Miracle on Ice," but feel free to have the conversation, because it's a lot of fun. For those who think hockey can't grab any Stateside momentum from the Olympics, think about this: Ryan Miller was the No. 1 "trending topic" on Twitter after the game ended. MSNBC is calling him the "man of the hour." Twitter and MSNBC have a different sort of fan base.
Apparently, the Jonas brother with the incredibly thick eyebrows apparently Tweeted about him and Team USA. Even funnier: Alyssa Milano tweeted that Miller almost makes her want to be a Sabres fan.
Who's the boss? No. 39 in red, white and blue. Sabres fans have seen Sunday evening's performance from Miller a bunch this season, but America picking up on it is pretty solid. When was the last time Buffalo had the nation's sports hero, if only for an evening?
Maybe never.
The hockey was incredible. The world's best were playing an All-Star Game with hitting. A bunch of young kids named Ryan took every punch from a Canadian talent juggernaut playing in its own backyard and were still standing in the end. One of those Ryans, Ryan Kesler, made an unbelievably gutty play to score a one-handed, game-sealing empty-netter. It typified Team USA's underdog spirit, not to mention that he's a right-handed shot and the physics of what he did are mind-stalling.
And I know... after Chris Drury gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead, someone in your house combined Darcy Regier's name with a curse word (It happened at our gathering). Then, when Drury and Miller embraced after the game, someone else talked about being wistful.
So, where does this leave Team USA? In a very tough spot, but a good one nonetheless. The States will be the No. 1 seed moving forward, and will play Switzerland or Belarus on Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST.
You'd have to consider the U.S. underdogs against almost any opponent they'd play after that, if not for a certain hot goaltender. The Ryans have one Ryan that matters more than the rest, and he's pretty good at ice hockey (Sorry to the mothers of Callahan, Kesler, Malone, Suter, Whitney and Bobby, but I'm talking about Miller).
With apologies to Canadian assistant coach Lindy Ruff, this is one night I don't care if he's miserable.
Go States.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
In a rivalry described by one of the in-game analysts as "tremendously tremendous," Team USA topped Canada, 5-3, in the final game of group play at the Winter Olympics. No, this isn't the biggest upset since "Miracle on Ice," but feel free to have the conversation, because it's a lot of fun. For those who think hockey can't grab any Stateside momentum from the Olympics, think about this: Ryan Miller was the No. 1 "trending topic" on Twitter after the game ended. MSNBC is calling him the "man of the hour." Twitter and MSNBC have a different sort of fan base.
Apparently, the Jonas brother with the incredibly thick eyebrows apparently Tweeted about him and Team USA. Even funnier: Alyssa Milano tweeted that Miller almost makes her want to be a Sabres fan.
Who's the boss? No. 39 in red, white and blue. Sabres fans have seen Sunday evening's performance from Miller a bunch this season, but America picking up on it is pretty solid. When was the last time Buffalo had the nation's sports hero, if only for an evening?
Maybe never.
The hockey was incredible. The world's best were playing an All-Star Game with hitting. A bunch of young kids named Ryan took every punch from a Canadian talent juggernaut playing in its own backyard and were still standing in the end. One of those Ryans, Ryan Kesler, made an unbelievably gutty play to score a one-handed, game-sealing empty-netter. It typified Team USA's underdog spirit, not to mention that he's a right-handed shot and the physics of what he did are mind-stalling.
And I know... after Chris Drury gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead, someone in your house combined Darcy Regier's name with a curse word (It happened at our gathering). Then, when Drury and Miller embraced after the game, someone else talked about being wistful.
So, where does this leave Team USA? In a very tough spot, but a good one nonetheless. The States will be the No. 1 seed moving forward, and will play Switzerland or Belarus on Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST.
You'd have to consider the U.S. underdogs against almost any opponent they'd play after that, if not for a certain hot goaltender. The Ryans have one Ryan that matters more than the rest, and he's pretty good at ice hockey (Sorry to the mothers of Callahan, Kesler, Malone, Suter, Whitney and Bobby, but I'm talking about Miller).
With apologies to Canadian assistant coach Lindy Ruff, this is one night I don't care if he's miserable.
Go States.
Friday, February 19, 2010
For better or worse, these won't be the same Bills
PROBLOGUE: I apologize if I'm missing anything incredibly obvious... I am not even close to in "football state of mind." I try to turn it off from the Super Bowl until free agency. I used Chris Brown from the Bills' web site free agent list, since I'm assuming he wouldn't have the wrong information!
(WGR 550) -- Hey, Brad Butler: Thanks for putting a crimp in my Olympic watching!
Laying on my couch and watching my beloved Team USA, I had no intentions of thinking about football for a solid two-to-three weeks, maybe longer. I watched enough college football to decide which players I like, and don't plan on being swayed by "who ran how fast" at the Combine.
(Quickly... for me, the Combine is cool for absolute football nuts like our own Joe Buscaglia and guys who don't like and/or don't pay a ton of attention to the college game. You also get to find out which players are absolute flakes, which is useful. I'll read the reports, talk to Joe and do Podcast interviews with players I need to know more about)
So, now my right tackle is saying "Goodbye" to pro football. Great news. I totally understand him taking off. If I was really good at a job I didn't love -- say fossil juggling -- but the job paid millions of dollars, I'd make several million dollars and then get out. God bless ya, Brad Butler. Don't ruin the government.
But it makes one thing absolutely certain -- next year's Bills are going to look very, very different. Already gone are Butler, Derek Fine and a bunch of special teams regulars (John Wendling, Justin Jenkins). Many fans would love to see Donte Whitner and Marshawn Lynch traded, and many would love to see Trent Edwards dealt or released. Terrell Owens likely isn't coming back unless no one else wants him (so maybe he's coming back). Aaron Schobel might retire, and Eric Wood's injury return is questionable at best. Roscoe Parrish has been whispered as a trade piece by a lot of folks.
Also, a few mainstays are unrestricted free agents no matter what: Ryan Denney and Josh Reed. Wouldn't be surprised to see Denney in Miami with his brother (pure speculation). Reed was rewarded for working his tail off week-in and week-out for years with the prize of being inactive to close the season. Bryan Scott is unrestricted. Also, and if Scott leaves, we'll never be able to play music together, as discussed. How sad.
Now, an uncapped year changes the free agency status of Richie Incognito, George Wilson, Ralph Ellison, Ashton Youboty, Joe Klopfenstein and Gibran Hamdan. An uncapped year is super complicated. My brain starts on fire whenever I think about it.
So..... who is guaranteed to be here come the start of the season? Let's review (and believe me, I'm totally open to being wrong about half this list!):
DEFINITELY BACK:
Fred Jackson
Lee Evans
Geoff Hangartner
Andy Levitre
Paul Posluszny
Terrence McGee
Leodis McKelvin
Shawn Nelson
Aaron Maybin
Spencer Johnson
Marcus Stroud
Kyle Williams
Kawika Mitchell
Jairus Byrd
Chris Ellis
Drayton Florence
Rian Lindell
Brian Moorman
PROBABLY BACK:
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Chris Kelsay
Reggie Corner
Garrison Sanborn
James Hardy
Nic Harris
There are a bunch of other guys under contract, but it's ridiculous to even speculate when there's a new head coach and three new coordinators in town. You can't guarantee back-ups from the Dick Jauron/Perry Fewell won't get cut.
This team could be awful, but they'd be awful with a bunch of new guys.
(WGR 550) -- Hey, Brad Butler: Thanks for putting a crimp in my Olympic watching!
Laying on my couch and watching my beloved Team USA, I had no intentions of thinking about football for a solid two-to-three weeks, maybe longer. I watched enough college football to decide which players I like, and don't plan on being swayed by "who ran how fast" at the Combine.
(Quickly... for me, the Combine is cool for absolute football nuts like our own Joe Buscaglia and guys who don't like and/or don't pay a ton of attention to the college game. You also get to find out which players are absolute flakes, which is useful. I'll read the reports, talk to Joe and do Podcast interviews with players I need to know more about)
So, now my right tackle is saying "Goodbye" to pro football. Great news. I totally understand him taking off. If I was really good at a job I didn't love -- say fossil juggling -- but the job paid millions of dollars, I'd make several million dollars and then get out. God bless ya, Brad Butler. Don't ruin the government.
But it makes one thing absolutely certain -- next year's Bills are going to look very, very different. Already gone are Butler, Derek Fine and a bunch of special teams regulars (John Wendling, Justin Jenkins). Many fans would love to see Donte Whitner and Marshawn Lynch traded, and many would love to see Trent Edwards dealt or released. Terrell Owens likely isn't coming back unless no one else wants him (so maybe he's coming back). Aaron Schobel might retire, and Eric Wood's injury return is questionable at best. Roscoe Parrish has been whispered as a trade piece by a lot of folks.
Also, a few mainstays are unrestricted free agents no matter what: Ryan Denney and Josh Reed. Wouldn't be surprised to see Denney in Miami with his brother (pure speculation). Reed was rewarded for working his tail off week-in and week-out for years with the prize of being inactive to close the season. Bryan Scott is unrestricted. Also, and if Scott leaves, we'll never be able to play music together, as discussed. How sad.
Now, an uncapped year changes the free agency status of Richie Incognito, George Wilson, Ralph Ellison, Ashton Youboty, Joe Klopfenstein and Gibran Hamdan. An uncapped year is super complicated. My brain starts on fire whenever I think about it.
So..... who is guaranteed to be here come the start of the season? Let's review (and believe me, I'm totally open to being wrong about half this list!):
DEFINITELY BACK:
Fred Jackson
Lee Evans
Geoff Hangartner
Andy Levitre
Paul Posluszny
Terrence McGee
Leodis McKelvin
Shawn Nelson
Aaron Maybin
Spencer Johnson
Marcus Stroud
Kyle Williams
Kawika Mitchell
Jairus Byrd
Chris Ellis
Drayton Florence
Rian Lindell
Brian Moorman
PROBABLY BACK:
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Chris Kelsay
Reggie Corner
Garrison Sanborn
James Hardy
Nic Harris
There are a bunch of other guys under contract, but it's ridiculous to even speculate when there's a new head coach and three new coordinators in town. You can't guarantee back-ups from the Dick Jauron/Perry Fewell won't get cut.
This team could be awful, but they'd be awful with a bunch of new guys.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
On the Olympic goalie mask controversy
WGR 550) -- At the risk of courting controversy and being told I'm "un-American" by some commenters on this site -- who apparently think observing worldwide agreements will install Osama bin Laden as President -- let me lay a few thoughts out there on the Ryan Miller/Jonathan Quick goaltie mask controversy.
As reported Tuesday, the two American goaltenders were told by both the IOC and IIHF to take certain phrases off their masks. The IOC is wary of political, commercial and personal statements in the games, though this feels hypocritical on a number of levels. Here are my takes:
-- So Ryan Miller can't paint a play-on-words of a beer slogan bearing his last name onto his mask. Big deal. It's a bit hypocritical that NBC can buy the rights to the Olympics and then sell advertising, but if Miller were getting money from the brewery bearing his name for competing in the games, it'd be wrong.
-- They also wanted Miller to take "Matt Man" off his mask. To me, this is absurd. What is this promoting besides cancer awareness and the memory of a cousin/friend? Is Latvia going to be up-in-arms because they are pro-cancer? Will Karlis Skrastins run Miller because of how much he advocates the idea of "letting people figure out they have cancer" on their own? Are they anti-doctor? It's stupid.
-- Here's what I do understand: why the IOC wanted "Support Our Troops" taken off Quick's mask. In the United States, the term "Support Our Troops" is relatively-innocuous. At its most "inflammatory," the slogan is an attempt to quell the sort of hate thrown at soldiers upon their return of an unpopular war in Vietnam. With the popularity of the war in Iraq on the decline for so long, it seems "Support Our Troops" came to the forefront to say, "Hey! Hate the game, not its players. They are serving their country."
Which is right, but flip the script. Neither Iraq nor Afghanistan have athletes in these Winter Games, but if one of the Afghani tae-kwon-do competitors or Iraqi rowers in the 2008 games stitched or painted "Support Our Troops" on their uniform or boat, I think there might be some problems in America. Would they be stupid problems? Possibly, but that's life these days. I'd simply offer that the IOC doesn't want to court that drama, so it puts up pre-emptive drama.
As reported Tuesday, the two American goaltenders were told by both the IOC and IIHF to take certain phrases off their masks. The IOC is wary of political, commercial and personal statements in the games, though this feels hypocritical on a number of levels. Here are my takes:
-- So Ryan Miller can't paint a play-on-words of a beer slogan bearing his last name onto his mask. Big deal. It's a bit hypocritical that NBC can buy the rights to the Olympics and then sell advertising, but if Miller were getting money from the brewery bearing his name for competing in the games, it'd be wrong.
-- They also wanted Miller to take "Matt Man" off his mask. To me, this is absurd. What is this promoting besides cancer awareness and the memory of a cousin/friend? Is Latvia going to be up-in-arms because they are pro-cancer? Will Karlis Skrastins run Miller because of how much he advocates the idea of "letting people figure out they have cancer" on their own? Are they anti-doctor? It's stupid.
-- Here's what I do understand: why the IOC wanted "Support Our Troops" taken off Quick's mask. In the United States, the term "Support Our Troops" is relatively-innocuous. At its most "inflammatory," the slogan is an attempt to quell the sort of hate thrown at soldiers upon their return of an unpopular war in Vietnam. With the popularity of the war in Iraq on the decline for so long, it seems "Support Our Troops" came to the forefront to say, "Hey! Hate the game, not its players. They are serving their country."
Which is right, but flip the script. Neither Iraq nor Afghanistan have athletes in these Winter Games, but if one of the Afghani tae-kwon-do competitors or Iraqi rowers in the 2008 games stitched or painted "Support Our Troops" on their uniform or boat, I think there might be some problems in America. Would they be stupid problems? Possibly, but that's life these days. I'd simply offer that the IOC doesn't want to court that drama, so it puts up pre-emptive drama.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Deciphering Coach-speak 101 at One Bills Drive
Visit Nick's shorter thoughts at twitter.com/NicholasMendola. For his trek through deciphering football-speak, read on...
(WGR 550) -- Working in sports journalism is a pretty okay gig, but a day like Thursday's media gathering at One Bills Drive is not one you covet. Sure, you might gather some tidbits from head coach Chan Gailey and his three top assistants, but it's going to take more digging than an archaeologist's worst nightmare. What was the refrain from the afternoon's talks? You can say it with me:
"Whatever it takes to win."
Let me set the scene for you. Gailey speaks at a podium for an overview and Q&A session, followed by offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins, defensive coordinator George Edwards and special teams boss Bruce DeHaven conducting 'enter-at-random' interviews at seated tables scattered about the place. Then, we all eat sandwiches and pasta salad. It's nice.
That said, here are some educated guesses from the goings-on at the Paul Maguine Press Box Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium this afternoon:
-- The back-and-forth between media and football coaches is like a chess game where the pieces are extra boring. This is no fault of either party. Football coaches think they might tip off the opposition and the media needs to address what their viewers/listeners/readers are screaming about.
All four fellas played any future ideas for the Bills pretty close to the vest. Can we glean anything from what they had to say? Sure. With apologies to dozens of noted philosophers, the phrase "a tiger can't change its stripes" cannot be an absolute (The tattoo community amongst tigers is growing by leaps and bounds, for one thing).
-- Gailey and Modkins abide by the same philosophy/cliche Buddy Nix said 4,000 times during his introductory news conference as Bills general manager, whatever it takes to win. I asked Gailey whether you needed the "name in lights" quarterback to win in this league, considering he's had success with Tyler Thigpen and Jay Fiedler, and his answer seemed to imply that the league was moving the way of needing a stud more than a plain "game manager." In other words, Gailey doesn't buy the Trent Dilfer/Ravens idea.
-- Gailey referenced the trade block as well as the draft and free agency as a way to acquire talent at signal caller, and that meant something to me in the wake of the Philadelphia Eagles news of the past week. Regardless of if Gailey wants Donovan McNabb from Philly or a wild card from any other team, using conditional draft pieces in 2011 to grab your quarterback for 2010 allows a team to focus on the laborious process of switching to a 3-4, which doesn't always mean instant success as it did for Green Bay this past season.
-- I asked both offensive minds in separate interviews whether they viewed the prototypical pocket passer as a must. Modkins seemed to infer that they'll take any athlete that can win and see what they can do with him. So while they'd certainly love to get their hands on their top available idea, it certainly doesn't rule out anyone from the myriad of quarterbacking styles: McNabb, Michael Vick, Tim Tebow, Dan LeFevour. They will get the guy they see as best fit for the job, and I'm almost guaranteeing it won't be Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick. That may seem like common sense to some, but it isn't a given.
-- George Edwards knows he has a battle on his hands to get a 3-4 defense ready for 2010, and wouldn't tip his hand even when confronted directly with a "Who would be more important to your defense at No. 9? Linebacker or defensive tackle?" question. He didn't flinch while saying, "Both." Frankly, other than Joe Buscaglia's idea from a few weeks back, I haven't seen too many ideas that make any sense to me, and I'll be intrigued to see what Edwards does to address this issue.
Seriously, we could start a chat room or web site simply based on the possibilities. It seems an absolute that Aaron Maybin will be an outside linebacker and Paul Posluszny will be inside, but would you bet on any other front seven player starting in a spot come opening day? Maybe Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams as ends? But what about Aaron Schobel? Will he come back? Will he be a Bill? Will Chris Kelsay's reign as captain and locker room mouth piece come to a close? Will Kawika Mitchell cut it inside, or be cut altogether?
What? You're looking at me?
Mitchell played inside in Kansas City in a 4-3, so I think you can plant him alongside Pos. Maybin has to start outside. I think logic has the Bills going DT as early as possible, and trying to find another outside linebacker along the way. Maybe Joey Porter, who spent a lot of time with George Edwards in Miami? Also, Edwards coached Stroud and Richard Seymour when they were freshman on the Georgia d-line, so that could become a "fit," as the pundits say. And, of course, there's OLB/DE/athletic freak Derrick Morgan from Georgia Tech, recruited by Gailey at GT and set for a Top Ten spot in the draft.
-- Edwards said something else that rang true. When asked what it was like watching Bill Parcells come into Miami and turn that mess around, he referenced Parcells' job of "changing the entire culture" of the Dolphins. He at least has a theory of how to do it himself, and that's an important thing to recognize. It was nice to not here everyone utter useless statements about how "the pieces are here, we just gotta move them around." They know they have a ton of work to do, and won't say much about how they plan to do it.
-- By the way, don't ask these guys for their takes on players who are actually on the Bills. "Haven't seen enough tape will be their answer," but to paraphrase one colleague in the media, "These guys were getting entertained by game film four seconds after they were hired." If it's true that the coaches just started evaluating their own players yesterday, well, I wish the press conference would be a held a few days later in the week.
-- I don't think Modkins would give you a specific opinion if he was on fire and you asked him how it felt. Typical football guy. Does seem to be a fan of attacking and referenced having "two good backs" when asked if Fred Jackson can handle a No. 1 workload all year. And Chan is calling the plays... all of them.
-- Bruce DeHaven is a nice story, and easy to talk to. The guy gets Buffalo fans, which is nice. He knows he has a good punter in Brian Moorman and an above average kicker in Rian Lindell. Better than that, DeHaven put me a little more at ease with the Gailey and Nix hirings.
DeHaven said he's been places where he wasn't sure he'd get good special teams players on the roster because there weren't "football guys" in charge. Sure, he may have been coached into saying it, but there were only a few of us left at his table when DeHaven gave both men a vote of confidence as true football guys who will give him the pieces to succeed.
-- There isn't a ton of hope to sell for 2010 right now, and I know how nutty the football season gets as soon as someone doesn't throw a challenge flag far enough or in the right direction, but I'm starting to feel pretty good about Gailey's ability to find teachers. I just wonder if he'll get enough rope from the fans on what appears to be quite the long-term endeavor.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
(WGR 550) -- Working in sports journalism is a pretty okay gig, but a day like Thursday's media gathering at One Bills Drive is not one you covet. Sure, you might gather some tidbits from head coach Chan Gailey and his three top assistants, but it's going to take more digging than an archaeologist's worst nightmare. What was the refrain from the afternoon's talks? You can say it with me:
"Whatever it takes to win."
Let me set the scene for you. Gailey speaks at a podium for an overview and Q&A session, followed by offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins, defensive coordinator George Edwards and special teams boss Bruce DeHaven conducting 'enter-at-random' interviews at seated tables scattered about the place. Then, we all eat sandwiches and pasta salad. It's nice.
That said, here are some educated guesses from the goings-on at the Paul Maguine Press Box Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium this afternoon:
-- The back-and-forth between media and football coaches is like a chess game where the pieces are extra boring. This is no fault of either party. Football coaches think they might tip off the opposition and the media needs to address what their viewers/listeners/readers are screaming about.
All four fellas played any future ideas for the Bills pretty close to the vest. Can we glean anything from what they had to say? Sure. With apologies to dozens of noted philosophers, the phrase "a tiger can't change its stripes" cannot be an absolute (The tattoo community amongst tigers is growing by leaps and bounds, for one thing).
-- Gailey and Modkins abide by the same philosophy/cliche Buddy Nix said 4,000 times during his introductory news conference as Bills general manager, whatever it takes to win. I asked Gailey whether you needed the "name in lights" quarterback to win in this league, considering he's had success with Tyler Thigpen and Jay Fiedler, and his answer seemed to imply that the league was moving the way of needing a stud more than a plain "game manager." In other words, Gailey doesn't buy the Trent Dilfer/Ravens idea.
-- Gailey referenced the trade block as well as the draft and free agency as a way to acquire talent at signal caller, and that meant something to me in the wake of the Philadelphia Eagles news of the past week. Regardless of if Gailey wants Donovan McNabb from Philly or a wild card from any other team, using conditional draft pieces in 2011 to grab your quarterback for 2010 allows a team to focus on the laborious process of switching to a 3-4, which doesn't always mean instant success as it did for Green Bay this past season.
-- I asked both offensive minds in separate interviews whether they viewed the prototypical pocket passer as a must. Modkins seemed to infer that they'll take any athlete that can win and see what they can do with him. So while they'd certainly love to get their hands on their top available idea, it certainly doesn't rule out anyone from the myriad of quarterbacking styles: McNabb, Michael Vick, Tim Tebow, Dan LeFevour. They will get the guy they see as best fit for the job, and I'm almost guaranteeing it won't be Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick. That may seem like common sense to some, but it isn't a given.
-- George Edwards knows he has a battle on his hands to get a 3-4 defense ready for 2010, and wouldn't tip his hand even when confronted directly with a "Who would be more important to your defense at No. 9? Linebacker or defensive tackle?" question. He didn't flinch while saying, "Both." Frankly, other than Joe Buscaglia's idea from a few weeks back, I haven't seen too many ideas that make any sense to me, and I'll be intrigued to see what Edwards does to address this issue.
Seriously, we could start a chat room or web site simply based on the possibilities. It seems an absolute that Aaron Maybin will be an outside linebacker and Paul Posluszny will be inside, but would you bet on any other front seven player starting in a spot come opening day? Maybe Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams as ends? But what about Aaron Schobel? Will he come back? Will he be a Bill? Will Chris Kelsay's reign as captain and locker room mouth piece come to a close? Will Kawika Mitchell cut it inside, or be cut altogether?
What? You're looking at me?
Mitchell played inside in Kansas City in a 4-3, so I think you can plant him alongside Pos. Maybin has to start outside. I think logic has the Bills going DT as early as possible, and trying to find another outside linebacker along the way. Maybe Joey Porter, who spent a lot of time with George Edwards in Miami? Also, Edwards coached Stroud and Richard Seymour when they were freshman on the Georgia d-line, so that could become a "fit," as the pundits say. And, of course, there's OLB/DE/athletic freak Derrick Morgan from Georgia Tech, recruited by Gailey at GT and set for a Top Ten spot in the draft.
-- Edwards said something else that rang true. When asked what it was like watching Bill Parcells come into Miami and turn that mess around, he referenced Parcells' job of "changing the entire culture" of the Dolphins. He at least has a theory of how to do it himself, and that's an important thing to recognize. It was nice to not here everyone utter useless statements about how "the pieces are here, we just gotta move them around." They know they have a ton of work to do, and won't say much about how they plan to do it.
-- By the way, don't ask these guys for their takes on players who are actually on the Bills. "Haven't seen enough tape will be their answer," but to paraphrase one colleague in the media, "These guys were getting entertained by game film four seconds after they were hired." If it's true that the coaches just started evaluating their own players yesterday, well, I wish the press conference would be a held a few days later in the week.
-- I don't think Modkins would give you a specific opinion if he was on fire and you asked him how it felt. Typical football guy. Does seem to be a fan of attacking and referenced having "two good backs" when asked if Fred Jackson can handle a No. 1 workload all year. And Chan is calling the plays... all of them.
-- Bruce DeHaven is a nice story, and easy to talk to. The guy gets Buffalo fans, which is nice. He knows he has a good punter in Brian Moorman and an above average kicker in Rian Lindell. Better than that, DeHaven put me a little more at ease with the Gailey and Nix hirings.
DeHaven said he's been places where he wasn't sure he'd get good special teams players on the roster because there weren't "football guys" in charge. Sure, he may have been coached into saying it, but there were only a few of us left at his table when DeHaven gave both men a vote of confidence as true football guys who will give him the pieces to succeed.
-- There isn't a ton of hope to sell for 2010 right now, and I know how nutty the football season gets as soon as someone doesn't throw a challenge flag far enough or in the right direction, but I'm starting to feel pretty good about Gailey's ability to find teachers. I just wonder if he'll get enough rope from the fans on what appears to be quite the long-term endeavor.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Monday, February 8, 2010
Did Super Sunday say anything about the Bills?
I don't want to belabor this point in the incestual world that is the National Football League, but one of my favorite Bills snagged a Super Bowl ring on Sunday, and it wasn't for Buffalo.
Jabari Greer, he of the quirky Bills locker room skits and undrafted starter fame, is a Super Bowl champ. So are Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and two of his players, Anthony Hargrove and Pierson Prioleau.
They are the first former Bills to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy since Larry Centers of the Patriots in 2003. There have been others -- Rob Johnson (Tampa Bay) and Mike Lodish (Denver) among them -- but those were back when Bills fans felt they were just a few moves away from a title, so briefly removed from playoff wins.
Honestly, when my boss called me Monday morning and asked if I had any postable opinions on Gregg Williams winning a Super Bowl, I felt uninspired in terms of writing. Yeah, I don't really like the guy, and I'm bummed that he won. Plus, I was rooting for the Colts on account of UB alumni Drew Willy and Jamey Richard.
But truth be told, former Bills winning doesn't faze me. Maybe I'm already in hockey mode after the underwhelming "Quest For a Coach" and more underwhelming Sabres weekend, but when I see Williams, I don't think "former Bill" and I certainly don't seethe with hate. I don't like the guy, no, but he's just another guy who has a ring.
When it comes to Greer, I'm very happy for him. He was a rags to riches guy who told us midway through last season that the Bills hadn't even approached him about sticking around. That was pretty rough to hear, but maybe there's a silver lining here.
There's a new coaching staff and some new front office folks in town. Sure, they don't look like much and the odds say they're bigger castaways than "Lost," but beneath it all maybe they'll be able to recognize and work with the talent they had.
I'm certainly one of those "quarterback first" guys, but how much better would the Bills have been if they had picked Haloti Ngata and played him alongside former Bills defensive tackle Justin Bannan, allowed to leave. What about Jim Leonhard, who started for the Jets in the AFC title game with a broken hand? Mike Gandy started a Super Bowl at tackle for the Arizona Cardinals last year, while Sam Aiken has been catching passes from Tom Brady this year.
Bannan, Leonhard, Gandy and Aiken aren't household names, nor are they stars. They aren't players you were shocked to see leave Buffalo and, with the exception of Leonhard, they underperformed as Bills. But it makes you wonder exactly how bad things have been here in terms of finding and developing NFL players, not even in free agency, but on your very own practice field.
There's a bunch of new faces in charge now. New defensive coordinator George Edwards could be eyeing up someone in the draft, but he also could've seen a number of players in the NFL and thought, "Those guys could work better under my tutelage." Same for every other coach on staff. It's not much to go on, but it's better than nothing.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Jabari Greer, he of the quirky Bills locker room skits and undrafted starter fame, is a Super Bowl champ. So are Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and two of his players, Anthony Hargrove and Pierson Prioleau.
They are the first former Bills to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy since Larry Centers of the Patriots in 2003. There have been others -- Rob Johnson (Tampa Bay) and Mike Lodish (Denver) among them -- but those were back when Bills fans felt they were just a few moves away from a title, so briefly removed from playoff wins.
Honestly, when my boss called me Monday morning and asked if I had any postable opinions on Gregg Williams winning a Super Bowl, I felt uninspired in terms of writing. Yeah, I don't really like the guy, and I'm bummed that he won. Plus, I was rooting for the Colts on account of UB alumni Drew Willy and Jamey Richard.
But truth be told, former Bills winning doesn't faze me. Maybe I'm already in hockey mode after the underwhelming "Quest For a Coach" and more underwhelming Sabres weekend, but when I see Williams, I don't think "former Bill" and I certainly don't seethe with hate. I don't like the guy, no, but he's just another guy who has a ring.
When it comes to Greer, I'm very happy for him. He was a rags to riches guy who told us midway through last season that the Bills hadn't even approached him about sticking around. That was pretty rough to hear, but maybe there's a silver lining here.
There's a new coaching staff and some new front office folks in town. Sure, they don't look like much and the odds say they're bigger castaways than "Lost," but beneath it all maybe they'll be able to recognize and work with the talent they had.
I'm certainly one of those "quarterback first" guys, but how much better would the Bills have been if they had picked Haloti Ngata and played him alongside former Bills defensive tackle Justin Bannan, allowed to leave. What about Jim Leonhard, who started for the Jets in the AFC title game with a broken hand? Mike Gandy started a Super Bowl at tackle for the Arizona Cardinals last year, while Sam Aiken has been catching passes from Tom Brady this year.
Bannan, Leonhard, Gandy and Aiken aren't household names, nor are they stars. They aren't players you were shocked to see leave Buffalo and, with the exception of Leonhard, they underperformed as Bills. But it makes you wonder exactly how bad things have been here in terms of finding and developing NFL players, not even in free agency, but on your very own practice field.
There's a bunch of new faces in charge now. New defensive coordinator George Edwards could be eyeing up someone in the draft, but he also could've seen a number of players in the NFL and thought, "Those guys could work better under my tutelage." Same for every other coach on staff. It's not much to go on, but it's better than nothing.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Hardware, Not Hat Tricks
I woke up this morning after a couple hearty-enough weekend nights and asked my wife where the five pounds on my stomach came from. Her answer: You run all summer, and not in the winter. It's true enough, my winter is iced hockey -- more anaerobic than aerobic they tell me -- and my summer is 5ks and grassed soccer.
So after church, I headed to the gym, pumped out my normal routine and then popped on a versaclimber (whatever that means) and decided to move my legs for the entire third period of the Caps and Pens, or at least a half-hour. I entered the work-out entertaining the idea that perhaps Buffalo needed an undeserved but perhaps appropo shake-up behind the bench, and left shaking my head at my naivete. Here's what I learned:
The Sabres don't have the wherewithal to take either of those clubs past five games unless they magically acquire two Ryan Millers and both play at once.
Notice I didn't even type "the Sabres right now." See, the thing about both Washington and Pittsburgh isn't that they just have better players than Buffalo. It's that those players adapt their talent into demanding systems and go balls to the wall for a 'W.'
Read the box score, and you'll assume that the Caps came back from 4-1 down to beat the World Champs because Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick and a helper, which isn't entirely false. Washington got to overtime because Ovechkin will shoot from anywhere on the ice, but they won because Mike Knuble would rather break a beer bottle over his face than quit before a whistle.
Ovechkin ripped a half-wall shot off the post that came to just under Marc-Andre Fleury's leg pad. While they Pens searching for the puck, Knuble dug for the rubber like an oil man and forced it past Fleury for the win.
That one play is indicitive of the difference between the league's best five or six teams and the Sabres. Yes, Buffalo has players who give their guts in the paint (and one of their names is Thomas, seriously). They also have players who will dedicate themselves to playing their parts in Lindy Ruff's system.
But they are too many drifters to call them outliers, and something has to scare these guys. No one meaningful has been moved from this system in years. Yes, they didn't pay Brian Campbell and they traded Ales Kotalik, but the former move wasn't one they wanted to make and the latter was a given.
Somebody major has to move.
This team obviously has the talent to be a Top-4 team in the East, but do they have the make-up? Not yet. If I'm Darcy Regier, I've reached a breaking point where I trade the "untradeable," the guys who are viewed better around the league than they are here. I deal a guy like Derek Roy, who is immensely-talented on the ice and liked in the locker room -- as many of the guys are -- but doesn't commit to playing the style the wins games.
See that word I used and love -- wherewithal -- is one of those crazy "intangibles," and what Buffalo has right now is tangible. Talent that wins when it works hard. And that'll work on its best night against any team in the league (save Ottawa. Ha!), but the Sabres players don't give that. Regier is or was hoping his youngsters would find the right mix, but there's a difference between making taking lemons and making lemonade and trying to make lemonade out of potatoes.
On Sunday afternoon, I watched the Caps and Pens do the same things the Sabres try to do. Ever see a Sabres drop pass and think "too fancy?" You can think that, but Washington and Pittsburgh did it all game and guess what? There was a teammate in the right spot to pick it up. That's dedication to positioning and Buffalo doesn't always have that. Same things with using the boards for passes and defensive pinching. As bad as Craig Rivet has been in 2010, he'd look better if his forwards gave more than a passing thought to hustling back to cover for a risk their captain's made.
Back in my naive world, watching Drew Stafford rip his bucket off and make R.J. Umberger's brain come out of his ear was a solid moment for me, one where I wondered if maybe he's getting it. If I'm going to stay consistent with this column, though, I have to offer him up to this season-saving sacrifice, too.
It's time for more team players, and almost everyone's available (I wouldn't trade Ryan Miller, Tyler Myers and Paul Gaustad. I'd prefer not to trade Chris Butler, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, but you can't type a column like this and then offer up crap to the opposition).
The Sabres are in first place in their division with a team that tries 75 percent of the time at best. It's time for a change, one that says, "We're here for hardware, not hat tricks."
Email: nick@wgr550.com
So after church, I headed to the gym, pumped out my normal routine and then popped on a versaclimber (whatever that means) and decided to move my legs for the entire third period of the Caps and Pens, or at least a half-hour. I entered the work-out entertaining the idea that perhaps Buffalo needed an undeserved but perhaps appropo shake-up behind the bench, and left shaking my head at my naivete. Here's what I learned:
The Sabres don't have the wherewithal to take either of those clubs past five games unless they magically acquire two Ryan Millers and both play at once.
Notice I didn't even type "the Sabres right now." See, the thing about both Washington and Pittsburgh isn't that they just have better players than Buffalo. It's that those players adapt their talent into demanding systems and go balls to the wall for a 'W.'
Read the box score, and you'll assume that the Caps came back from 4-1 down to beat the World Champs because Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick and a helper, which isn't entirely false. Washington got to overtime because Ovechkin will shoot from anywhere on the ice, but they won because Mike Knuble would rather break a beer bottle over his face than quit before a whistle.
Ovechkin ripped a half-wall shot off the post that came to just under Marc-Andre Fleury's leg pad. While they Pens searching for the puck, Knuble dug for the rubber like an oil man and forced it past Fleury for the win.
That one play is indicitive of the difference between the league's best five or six teams and the Sabres. Yes, Buffalo has players who give their guts in the paint (and one of their names is Thomas, seriously). They also have players who will dedicate themselves to playing their parts in Lindy Ruff's system.
But they are too many drifters to call them outliers, and something has to scare these guys. No one meaningful has been moved from this system in years. Yes, they didn't pay Brian Campbell and they traded Ales Kotalik, but the former move wasn't one they wanted to make and the latter was a given.
Somebody major has to move.
This team obviously has the talent to be a Top-4 team in the East, but do they have the make-up? Not yet. If I'm Darcy Regier, I've reached a breaking point where I trade the "untradeable," the guys who are viewed better around the league than they are here. I deal a guy like Derek Roy, who is immensely-talented on the ice and liked in the locker room -- as many of the guys are -- but doesn't commit to playing the style the wins games.
See that word I used and love -- wherewithal -- is one of those crazy "intangibles," and what Buffalo has right now is tangible. Talent that wins when it works hard. And that'll work on its best night against any team in the league (save Ottawa. Ha!), but the Sabres players don't give that. Regier is or was hoping his youngsters would find the right mix, but there's a difference between making taking lemons and making lemonade and trying to make lemonade out of potatoes.
On Sunday afternoon, I watched the Caps and Pens do the same things the Sabres try to do. Ever see a Sabres drop pass and think "too fancy?" You can think that, but Washington and Pittsburgh did it all game and guess what? There was a teammate in the right spot to pick it up. That's dedication to positioning and Buffalo doesn't always have that. Same things with using the boards for passes and defensive pinching. As bad as Craig Rivet has been in 2010, he'd look better if his forwards gave more than a passing thought to hustling back to cover for a risk their captain's made.
Back in my naive world, watching Drew Stafford rip his bucket off and make R.J. Umberger's brain come out of his ear was a solid moment for me, one where I wondered if maybe he's getting it. If I'm going to stay consistent with this column, though, I have to offer him up to this season-saving sacrifice, too.
It's time for more team players, and almost everyone's available (I wouldn't trade Ryan Miller, Tyler Myers and Paul Gaustad. I'd prefer not to trade Chris Butler, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, but you can't type a column like this and then offer up crap to the opposition).
The Sabres are in first place in their division with a team that tries 75 percent of the time at best. It's time for a change, one that says, "We're here for hardware, not hat tricks."
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thought Kovalchuk would return more?
(WGR 550) -- My first thought when I heard that Atlanta had shipped Ilya Kovalchuk (and Anssi Salmela) to New Jersey for Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick was that the Thrashers had either gotten just enough for their star, or perhaps a little too much.
Atlanta GM Don Waddell certainly did better than the Marian Hossa deal of two deadlines ago, when he picked up Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, enigmatic prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-rounder, but did he get enough for a star who shines a little brighter than the best Hossa in the National Hockey League?
Do I make the deal if I'm New Jersey? I'd need to know the answers to several questions? Is Matt Corrente ready to jump into an NHL defense, or can journeyman Cory Murphy fill the gap left by Oduya? Is there a top-four defenseman on the market that I have the arsenal to acquire? Bergfors -- who has 27 points in his first year -- and Cormier -- who was suspended for the year in his junior league -- are Day One picks, and they've set loose next year's first, too.
It's a very steep price to pay for Kovalchuk, who was swept in his only playoff appearance, putting up a goal and a helper. He is, however, better than a point-per-game player for the Thrashers during his seven-plus NHL seasons, including two fifty-goal campaigns. Can he work in the Devils system? Will they allow him more freedom than the rest of the team? New Jersey isn't exactly the trap machine they were in years past, and the Kovalchuk/Zach Parise power play unit should be filthy (Good filthy).
Also, as I did with the Phaneuf to the Leafs trade, I tried to think of a Sabres equivalent for those who were hoping Buffalo won the "Kovalchuk sweepstakes." It'd have to be a solid player, a first-roundish pick having a solid enough season, a top prospect in the system and a first-round pick.
So, in Buffalo's case, you're probably talking Drew Stafford, Chris Butler, Tyler Ennis and a first-round pick, and we're not talking a locked-up guy like Phaneuf -- Kovalchuk's a rental who just turned down a 12-year, $101 million deal from the Thrashers. I don't make that move.
Perhaps more important, Kovalchuk wasn't coming to Buffalo. It isn't a Darcy Regier move, and it wouldn't matter if it was. Kovalchuk has dissed Lindy Ruff on behalf of Maxim Afinogenov, and if that wasn't enough to deter Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov probably wasn't signing "Buffalo Girls" to him.
Lastly, if Kovalchuk gets hurt in the Olympics, this deal explodes in the face of New Jersey. Credit where it's due, Eklund of Hockey Buzz brought this salient point up first. Perhaps, New Jersey would've been better served waiting, but patience isn't always a virtue in this market, and we've seen that before in Buffalo.
EDIT NOTE (6:12 a.m.): It was late last night, so I neglected to put out my opinion on the deal. I think it's okay for Atlanta -- considering they are losing their franchise player in every sense of the word -- but New Jersey's made a foolish move. Kovalchuk is an elite offensive talent, but his downsides will be exposed in Newark, where they actually get on television. He was hiding as a sort of fantasy player in Georgia. It'll be a true test for "Kovy" to prove me wrong.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Atlanta GM Don Waddell certainly did better than the Marian Hossa deal of two deadlines ago, when he picked up Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, enigmatic prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-rounder, but did he get enough for a star who shines a little brighter than the best Hossa in the National Hockey League?
Do I make the deal if I'm New Jersey? I'd need to know the answers to several questions? Is Matt Corrente ready to jump into an NHL defense, or can journeyman Cory Murphy fill the gap left by Oduya? Is there a top-four defenseman on the market that I have the arsenal to acquire? Bergfors -- who has 27 points in his first year -- and Cormier -- who was suspended for the year in his junior league -- are Day One picks, and they've set loose next year's first, too.
It's a very steep price to pay for Kovalchuk, who was swept in his only playoff appearance, putting up a goal and a helper. He is, however, better than a point-per-game player for the Thrashers during his seven-plus NHL seasons, including two fifty-goal campaigns. Can he work in the Devils system? Will they allow him more freedom than the rest of the team? New Jersey isn't exactly the trap machine they were in years past, and the Kovalchuk/Zach Parise power play unit should be filthy (Good filthy).
Also, as I did with the Phaneuf to the Leafs trade, I tried to think of a Sabres equivalent for those who were hoping Buffalo won the "Kovalchuk sweepstakes." It'd have to be a solid player, a first-roundish pick having a solid enough season, a top prospect in the system and a first-round pick.
So, in Buffalo's case, you're probably talking Drew Stafford, Chris Butler, Tyler Ennis and a first-round pick, and we're not talking a locked-up guy like Phaneuf -- Kovalchuk's a rental who just turned down a 12-year, $101 million deal from the Thrashers. I don't make that move.
Perhaps more important, Kovalchuk wasn't coming to Buffalo. It isn't a Darcy Regier move, and it wouldn't matter if it was. Kovalchuk has dissed Lindy Ruff on behalf of Maxim Afinogenov, and if that wasn't enough to deter Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov probably wasn't signing "Buffalo Girls" to him.
Lastly, if Kovalchuk gets hurt in the Olympics, this deal explodes in the face of New Jersey. Credit where it's due, Eklund of Hockey Buzz brought this salient point up first. Perhaps, New Jersey would've been better served waiting, but patience isn't always a virtue in this market, and we've seen that before in Buffalo.
EDIT NOTE (6:12 a.m.): It was late last night, so I neglected to put out my opinion on the deal. I think it's okay for Atlanta -- considering they are losing their franchise player in every sense of the word -- but New Jersey's made a foolish move. Kovalchuk is an elite offensive talent, but his downsides will be exposed in Newark, where they actually get on television. He was hiding as a sort of fantasy player in Georgia. It'll be a true test for "Kovy" to prove me wrong.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Lost Spoiler Alert: Final Season, Episode One
So, for those of you fortunate or unfortunate enough to never have a "Lost" braincramp, this isn't for you. For those who do watch the show...
How in any world would it be possible for the island to be underwater had Oceanic Flight 815 never crashed? This has been bothering me for about 10 minutes now. The only thing I could come up with was that Desmond putting the numbers in was the only thing that kept the island afloat, but that would be absolutely bogus. Why? When Locke didn't punch in "the numbers" and Desmond turned the failsafe key in Season Two, is that what kept them above a watery death? Is the only thing that can counter number-punching an atom bomb? AAAAAAAAAH.
What I'm trying to say is, I've seen some dumb shows through, but this one has the ability to take the cake.
I also kinda hate the alternative timeline idea, but if some real serious stuff is going to go down off the island because of what happened on the island and they can quasi-explain it to me, I'm down.
Help: nick@wgr550.com
How in any world would it be possible for the island to be underwater had Oceanic Flight 815 never crashed? This has been bothering me for about 10 minutes now. The only thing I could come up with was that Desmond putting the numbers in was the only thing that kept the island afloat, but that would be absolutely bogus. Why? When Locke didn't punch in "the numbers" and Desmond turned the failsafe key in Season Two, is that what kept them above a watery death? Is the only thing that can counter number-punching an atom bomb? AAAAAAAAAH.
What I'm trying to say is, I've seen some dumb shows through, but this one has the ability to take the cake.
I also kinda hate the alternative timeline idea, but if some real serious stuff is going to go down off the island because of what happened on the island and they can quasi-explain it to me, I'm down.
Help: nick@wgr550.com
Sabres second-third report card
To follow Nick on Twitter, click here. For his first-third report card: here.
(WGR 550) -- Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 55 games is as close to two-thirds of the way through the Sabres season as you can get (besides 54). Even after back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa, should we be having a positive discussion about this team?
Yes, but not without it's share of negatives. Every team goes through rough stretches, but Buffalo is just 4-5-3 since Jan. 9, a stretch that does include a seven-game road swing. 16-7-5 overall for the second-third, which is slightly better than how they started: 16-9-2. Here's what I wrote about in the intro to the first-third report card:
"So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer."
Seems like they're still in the same spot, eh?
SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: A-)
-- Ryan Miller's numbers have dipped very slightly since the first-third of the season -- GAA from 1.90 to 2.12 and save percentage from .935 to .932 -- but he's still having an outstanding campaign. One of the amazing fun facts of the campaign is that Miller is better when he gets more work (in a single game). In contests he's faced more than 40 shots, he's 3-0-1, including Jan. 8's 3-2 win over Toronto, when he stopped 48 of 50.
You really have to wonder where would this team be without him. Once you consider that, you also have to look at who else in the league has been as valuable to their team. Henrik Sedin may have a leg-up in the race despite Roberto Luongo being his tender, but Martin Brodeur has benefited more from the increased freakish play of Zach Parise than anything of his own doing. Devils' goalies have faced the second-fewest shots in the league, while Sabres' netminders have looked at the fifth-most. That's a difference of 217 shots.
Patrick Lalime has been better after an awful first-third. He's 3-1-2 since then and has only allowed more than three goals once. Clearly, that's the reason he's played twice as often in the second-third of the season. His only truly poor performance was his last one - four goals allowed in 10 minutes at Anaheim. That's a goals against average of 23.00 if you're keeping score at home.
By the way, I'll say it again: I am not scared of the Olympics taking a major toll on Miller.
PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- C+
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B-)
-- Things are kind of a mess right now, but I'll try and keep-in-mind that this report card goes over 28 games. A bunch of guys are in a really bad way right now. You can't bench a captain, but Craig Rivet is having a lot of trouble. Splitting up Rivet and Chris Butler could be a damning look for one of them, as the pairing has been just brutal. Rivet's on pace for his fewest points since 2003-04, and is a minus-player for the first time in several seasons. He has one goal and three assists in the second-third, and rates a minus-2.
Butler has seen his offensive game grow by leaps and bounds, but it's come at the expense of defense. From a plus-12 on a bad team last year to a minus-11 on one of the league's best sides so far in 2009-10. Explain that. Butler has regressed defensively, but we have to be careful when evaluating young defensemen from here-on-in. It's extremely rare for a young kid to have a Tyler Myers start to his career. Butler has a goal and 8 assists since coming back from injury on Dec. 27, during which time he's rated a minus-5, which is actually better than the start of the season. That's very hard to believe.
Toni Lydman seems a target for message board posters around here, but has been pretty good. As always, he's prone to the occasional puck gaffe or putting himself way out-of-position to make a hit. He's a plus for the second-third, but a minus-8 in his last five games. Former linemate Henrik Tallinder has officially shaken off the cobwebs from the injury woes that had him playing meek for two years. You'll have to watch closely, but Tallinder is playing as physical as ever before, as indicated by his rough-ride of Daniel Alfredsson in the third period of last night's contest.
I'm not sure what else you can say about Tyler Myers, but if you're not glowing about the 20-year-old Calder hopeful, than you're trying too hard. Not only that, but the manchild did the right thing in going after Chris Phillips last night when his teammates -- besides Tim Kennedy -- just watched. The best part? Myers didn't see the hit. He just knew what he needed to do.
Steve Montador is struggling right now, but on the whole has been pretty good. As a friend put it, "He needs to realize he's not Mike Green." That's more harsh than I'd put it, but the Sabres' increased focus on defensive contribution has costs Montador a little bit. He has two goals and seven assists in the second-third, which may surprise some people, likely because his plus/minus over the last few weeks is minus-6. I don't see why he's getting benched twice in a week for lesser crimes than Rivet and Butler, but I'll trust that Ruff knows what he's doing with the blueliners.
Andrej Sekera is still a hit-or-miss player with more offensive upside than defensive promise, but I'd like to see him a bit more. Nathan Paetsch works in the role that he's in, but you have to wonder if he won't be tossed-in to sweeten up a deadline deal, provided the Sabres make one.
PART III - OFFENSE - B
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: C)
-- Yes, they've been a full letter better.
Buffalo finished the first-third of the year in the league's bottom 10 in goals-per-game. Not good. Now, they rank No. 12 in the league, which would put them somewhere in the top 10 for the second-third (I am not doing the math for every team in the league).
Let's start with the elephant in the crease that has been Thomas Vanek. The Sabres best forward registered a paltry eight goals and 10 assists through the first-third of the season, so how did the second-third go? Nine goals and eight assists. Not much better, though the Austrian does have 10 points in his last 10 games while submitting a plus-1 rating. Hopefully, he's heating up.
Seemingly against all odds, Tim Connolly has played in all 55 games this year, and recently has been showing up for all of them. The wildly-talented center has been playing tougher hockey and boasts multiple decent-sized point streaks. His 52 points are just outside the league's Top-20, so I'm going to have to relax on my sensitivity to his play.
The numbers are also on the rise for Jason Pominville, who is second on the team in points. The 27-year-old winger had a solid second-third, with 21 points, eight of which were goals. He's a plus-six during that part of the campaign, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his 15 goals turn into 30 overall after the last 27 games of the regular season.
Derek Roy remains an enigma. Every time you're ready to see him shipped out-of-town for what would be a king's ransom -- given his reputation around the league -- he seems to nab that goal or helper to win you the game. When he's going right, so are the Sabres. It's just that he's not going all-that-right right now. Just one goal, two assists and a minus-4 for Roy since the 7-2 blow-out win over Phoenix
Jochen Hecht is Jochen Hecht, but not the Jochen Hecht of last year, which was awful. He's doing alright. Clarke MacArthur and Drew Stafford fit into the "Roy enigma" mold. One night they are delivering some the biggest hits on the ice -- especially MacArthur -- the next they are falling all over themselves to give the puck away in traffic.
Tim Kennedy has hit the rookie wall, but your concern should only be for this season. Kennedy has had the opposite of a sophomore slump at almost every level he's played, and his grit for a kid his age is doing the Western New York hockey player proud. He just needs to refind his groove. His stats say he's a playmaker, but I'm telling you he can shoot.
Mike Grier has been what the locker room needs, and his play on the ice has been generally quite inspired. I've enjoyed watching him work the boards and gain position on the guy he's battling for the puck with. I'd still like to see Patrick Kaleta fight more, but I'll trade it for his goals. The only difference between the night-in, night-out efforts of Matt Ellis and Adam Mair is that Mair takes a dumb penalty every other game. Center-ice-face-wash last night? In the words of horrible football analysts, "C'mon, Man."
Who have I missed? Ah, Paul Gaustad, who hasn't scored in the new year, but has otherwise been everything the Sabres need. Slap the 'C' on this guy when Rivet leaves town, because "Goose" gives five-on-five effort like a champ. He's a minus-11, seriously, since his return from injury on Dec. 18, which makes me wonder if he isn't still hurting.
PART III - FRONT OFFICE - INC
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: TBA)
-- We're going from a TBA to an incomplete, because I think the time has come to add a player into the mix. The Sabres need a veteran and a scorer, hopefully both. I've detailed that in other places. If Darcy Regier can get a true power play quarterback to let Craig Rivet focus on defense and Chris Butler play on the second unit only when necessary, that would be great. Again, the time to trade has come. Give the guys more time to gel than the traditional month-or-so after the deadline.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B)
As I wrote after the first-third, I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place, so anything higher is gravy to me, though the stakes have been raised by Buffalo essentially playing better hockey in the second-third (until recently). This team is overachieving because of their goaltender and third-and-fourth lines, but the Top-Six are starting to come around. I'd love to see the team makes some changes to its Top Six (It would be very nice for MacArthur or Stafford to become a third-liner), but the more pressing issue is one I didn't have until last night.
You can play tougher overall, which they have all year, but when an Ottawa player throws his shoulder into goaltender's face/chest, everybody's gotta get in on the mix, and only the two youngest kids on the roster did. Good on you, Kennedy and Myers.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
(WGR 550) -- Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 55 games is as close to two-thirds of the way through the Sabres season as you can get (besides 54). Even after back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa, should we be having a positive discussion about this team?
Yes, but not without it's share of negatives. Every team goes through rough stretches, but Buffalo is just 4-5-3 since Jan. 9, a stretch that does include a seven-game road swing. 16-7-5 overall for the second-third, which is slightly better than how they started: 16-9-2. Here's what I wrote about in the intro to the first-third report card:
"So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer."
Seems like they're still in the same spot, eh?
SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: A-)
-- Ryan Miller's numbers have dipped very slightly since the first-third of the season -- GAA from 1.90 to 2.12 and save percentage from .935 to .932 -- but he's still having an outstanding campaign. One of the amazing fun facts of the campaign is that Miller is better when he gets more work (in a single game). In contests he's faced more than 40 shots, he's 3-0-1, including Jan. 8's 3-2 win over Toronto, when he stopped 48 of 50.
You really have to wonder where would this team be without him. Once you consider that, you also have to look at who else in the league has been as valuable to their team. Henrik Sedin may have a leg-up in the race despite Roberto Luongo being his tender, but Martin Brodeur has benefited more from the increased freakish play of Zach Parise than anything of his own doing. Devils' goalies have faced the second-fewest shots in the league, while Sabres' netminders have looked at the fifth-most. That's a difference of 217 shots.
Patrick Lalime has been better after an awful first-third. He's 3-1-2 since then and has only allowed more than three goals once. Clearly, that's the reason he's played twice as often in the second-third of the season. His only truly poor performance was his last one - four goals allowed in 10 minutes at Anaheim. That's a goals against average of 23.00 if you're keeping score at home.
By the way, I'll say it again: I am not scared of the Olympics taking a major toll on Miller.
PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- C+
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B-)
-- Things are kind of a mess right now, but I'll try and keep-in-mind that this report card goes over 28 games. A bunch of guys are in a really bad way right now. You can't bench a captain, but Craig Rivet is having a lot of trouble. Splitting up Rivet and Chris Butler could be a damning look for one of them, as the pairing has been just brutal. Rivet's on pace for his fewest points since 2003-04, and is a minus-player for the first time in several seasons. He has one goal and three assists in the second-third, and rates a minus-2.
Butler has seen his offensive game grow by leaps and bounds, but it's come at the expense of defense. From a plus-12 on a bad team last year to a minus-11 on one of the league's best sides so far in 2009-10. Explain that. Butler has regressed defensively, but we have to be careful when evaluating young defensemen from here-on-in. It's extremely rare for a young kid to have a Tyler Myers start to his career. Butler has a goal and 8 assists since coming back from injury on Dec. 27, during which time he's rated a minus-5, which is actually better than the start of the season. That's very hard to believe.
Toni Lydman seems a target for message board posters around here, but has been pretty good. As always, he's prone to the occasional puck gaffe or putting himself way out-of-position to make a hit. He's a plus for the second-third, but a minus-8 in his last five games. Former linemate Henrik Tallinder has officially shaken off the cobwebs from the injury woes that had him playing meek for two years. You'll have to watch closely, but Tallinder is playing as physical as ever before, as indicated by his rough-ride of Daniel Alfredsson in the third period of last night's contest.
I'm not sure what else you can say about Tyler Myers, but if you're not glowing about the 20-year-old Calder hopeful, than you're trying too hard. Not only that, but the manchild did the right thing in going after Chris Phillips last night when his teammates -- besides Tim Kennedy -- just watched. The best part? Myers didn't see the hit. He just knew what he needed to do.
Steve Montador is struggling right now, but on the whole has been pretty good. As a friend put it, "He needs to realize he's not Mike Green." That's more harsh than I'd put it, but the Sabres' increased focus on defensive contribution has costs Montador a little bit. He has two goals and seven assists in the second-third, which may surprise some people, likely because his plus/minus over the last few weeks is minus-6. I don't see why he's getting benched twice in a week for lesser crimes than Rivet and Butler, but I'll trust that Ruff knows what he's doing with the blueliners.
Andrej Sekera is still a hit-or-miss player with more offensive upside than defensive promise, but I'd like to see him a bit more. Nathan Paetsch works in the role that he's in, but you have to wonder if he won't be tossed-in to sweeten up a deadline deal, provided the Sabres make one.
PART III - OFFENSE - B
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: C)
-- Yes, they've been a full letter better.
Buffalo finished the first-third of the year in the league's bottom 10 in goals-per-game. Not good. Now, they rank No. 12 in the league, which would put them somewhere in the top 10 for the second-third (I am not doing the math for every team in the league).
Let's start with the elephant in the crease that has been Thomas Vanek. The Sabres best forward registered a paltry eight goals and 10 assists through the first-third of the season, so how did the second-third go? Nine goals and eight assists. Not much better, though the Austrian does have 10 points in his last 10 games while submitting a plus-1 rating. Hopefully, he's heating up.
Seemingly against all odds, Tim Connolly has played in all 55 games this year, and recently has been showing up for all of them. The wildly-talented center has been playing tougher hockey and boasts multiple decent-sized point streaks. His 52 points are just outside the league's Top-20, so I'm going to have to relax on my sensitivity to his play.
The numbers are also on the rise for Jason Pominville, who is second on the team in points. The 27-year-old winger had a solid second-third, with 21 points, eight of which were goals. He's a plus-six during that part of the campaign, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his 15 goals turn into 30 overall after the last 27 games of the regular season.
Derek Roy remains an enigma. Every time you're ready to see him shipped out-of-town for what would be a king's ransom -- given his reputation around the league -- he seems to nab that goal or helper to win you the game. When he's going right, so are the Sabres. It's just that he's not going all-that-right right now. Just one goal, two assists and a minus-4 for Roy since the 7-2 blow-out win over Phoenix
Jochen Hecht is Jochen Hecht, but not the Jochen Hecht of last year, which was awful. He's doing alright. Clarke MacArthur and Drew Stafford fit into the "Roy enigma" mold. One night they are delivering some the biggest hits on the ice -- especially MacArthur -- the next they are falling all over themselves to give the puck away in traffic.
Tim Kennedy has hit the rookie wall, but your concern should only be for this season. Kennedy has had the opposite of a sophomore slump at almost every level he's played, and his grit for a kid his age is doing the Western New York hockey player proud. He just needs to refind his groove. His stats say he's a playmaker, but I'm telling you he can shoot.
Mike Grier has been what the locker room needs, and his play on the ice has been generally quite inspired. I've enjoyed watching him work the boards and gain position on the guy he's battling for the puck with. I'd still like to see Patrick Kaleta fight more, but I'll trade it for his goals. The only difference between the night-in, night-out efforts of Matt Ellis and Adam Mair is that Mair takes a dumb penalty every other game. Center-ice-face-wash last night? In the words of horrible football analysts, "C'mon, Man."
Who have I missed? Ah, Paul Gaustad, who hasn't scored in the new year, but has otherwise been everything the Sabres need. Slap the 'C' on this guy when Rivet leaves town, because "Goose" gives five-on-five effort like a champ. He's a minus-11, seriously, since his return from injury on Dec. 18, which makes me wonder if he isn't still hurting.
PART III - FRONT OFFICE - INC
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: TBA)
-- We're going from a TBA to an incomplete, because I think the time has come to add a player into the mix. The Sabres need a veteran and a scorer, hopefully both. I've detailed that in other places. If Darcy Regier can get a true power play quarterback to let Craig Rivet focus on defense and Chris Butler play on the second unit only when necessary, that would be great. Again, the time to trade has come. Give the guys more time to gel than the traditional month-or-so after the deadline.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
(FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B)
As I wrote after the first-third, I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place, so anything higher is gravy to me, though the stakes have been raised by Buffalo essentially playing better hockey in the second-third (until recently). This team is overachieving because of their goaltender and third-and-fourth lines, but the Top-Six are starting to come around. I'd love to see the team makes some changes to its Top Six (It would be very nice for MacArthur or Stafford to become a third-liner), but the more pressing issue is one I didn't have until last night.
You can play tougher overall, which they have all year, but when an Ottawa player throws his shoulder into goaltender's face/chest, everybody's gotta get in on the mix, and only the two youngest kids on the roster did. Good on you, Kennedy and Myers.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
UB Signing Day
(WGR 550) -- While four local players in Jeff Quinn's first UB recruiting class jump out at first glance, the Bulls list of 2010 recruits goes even deeper.
Running back James Potts was rated by Rivals the No. 24 incoming running back in the country (No. 54 by ESPN), and is headed to Buffalo after being pursued by Oregon, Rutgers, Vanderbilt and Louisville amongst other schools. He'll compete in a loaded backfield with sophomore Jeffvon Gill and redshirt-freshman Branden Oliver, who was also a three-star back.
Okoye Houston (Piedmont, S.C.) is rated the No. 81 overall cornerback in his senior class by Rivals.com, who lists him as a three-star recruit. Another three-star recruit is Devon Hughes out of Georgia, a 6'1", 185 pound wide-out gifted with 4.5 speed, while Maryland native William Robinson has signed on as a 6'3", 295-pound guard.
Also coming to Buffalo is pro-style quarterback Alex Zordich, a Youngstown, Ohio, kid recruited by Ohio State, Pitt, West Virginia, Penn State and Toledo. State College-area tight end/linebacker Colby Way also committed to Buffalo after seeing interest from Penn State and Kent State.
Buffalo's recruits with local ties come from three schools: St. Francis, Southwestern and Maryvale. Delano Fabor (CB) and Adam Redden (WR) faced off in practice for years with Franny's, and will continue to do so at UB, while massive defensive tackle (6'4", 275) Andre Davis comes in from Maryvale. O-lineman Jasen Carlson of Southwestern completes the class.
The Bulls will formally announce the class at 5:30 p.m. at UB's Center for the Arts, with Coach Quinn speaking and showing highlights of the class. Anyone who attends gets a free ticket to the women's hoops game later that night.
Full list (courtesy of UB athletic department):
The initial members of the 2010 class:
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High School/Last School
Dante Burton* TE 6-4 230 Lodi, NJ Paterson Catholic/NC Tech Prep
Jasen Carlson OL 6-3 295 Lakewood, NY Southwestern
Andre Davis DT 6-4 275 Cheektowaga, NY Maryvale
Cordero Dixon WR 6-1 185 Suwanee, GA North Gwinnett
Delano Fabor* CB 6-0 190 Buffalo, NY St. Francis
Okoye Houston S 6-0 185 Greenville, SC Woodmont
Devon Hughes WR 6-0 185 Tyrone, GA Sandy Creek
Rudy Johnson QB 6-1 195 Owing Mills, MD McDonogh
Cortney Lester WR 5-11 175 Miramar, FL Everglades
James Potts RB 5-11 190 Boynton Beach, FL American Heritage
Adam Redden WR 6-0 185 Amherst, NY St. Francis
Kendall Roberson OLB 6-2 215 Decatur, GA Avondale HS
Witney Sherry S 6-1 180 Miami, FL Chaminade Madonna
Kristjan Sokoli DE 6-5 230 Bloomfield, NJ Bloomfield
Dwellie Striggles CB 5-10 170 Lauderhill, FL University
Jeff Veinotte OL 6-5 305 Ottawa, Ontario St. Peter Catholic
Aaron Walters WR 6-1 180 Hopkins, SC Hammond
Colby Way OLB 6-3 235 State College, PA State College
Alex Zordich QB 6-3 215 Youngstown, OH Cardinal Mooney
Jack Molloy P/K 6-2 200 Harrison, NY Harrison
*enrolled at UB in January
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Running back James Potts was rated by Rivals the No. 24 incoming running back in the country (No. 54 by ESPN), and is headed to Buffalo after being pursued by Oregon, Rutgers, Vanderbilt and Louisville amongst other schools. He'll compete in a loaded backfield with sophomore Jeffvon Gill and redshirt-freshman Branden Oliver, who was also a three-star back.
Okoye Houston (Piedmont, S.C.) is rated the No. 81 overall cornerback in his senior class by Rivals.com, who lists him as a three-star recruit. Another three-star recruit is Devon Hughes out of Georgia, a 6'1", 185 pound wide-out gifted with 4.5 speed, while Maryland native William Robinson has signed on as a 6'3", 295-pound guard.
Also coming to Buffalo is pro-style quarterback Alex Zordich, a Youngstown, Ohio, kid recruited by Ohio State, Pitt, West Virginia, Penn State and Toledo. State College-area tight end/linebacker Colby Way also committed to Buffalo after seeing interest from Penn State and Kent State.
Buffalo's recruits with local ties come from three schools: St. Francis, Southwestern and Maryvale. Delano Fabor (CB) and Adam Redden (WR) faced off in practice for years with Franny's, and will continue to do so at UB, while massive defensive tackle (6'4", 275) Andre Davis comes in from Maryvale. O-lineman Jasen Carlson of Southwestern completes the class.
The Bulls will formally announce the class at 5:30 p.m. at UB's Center for the Arts, with Coach Quinn speaking and showing highlights of the class. Anyone who attends gets a free ticket to the women's hoops game later that night.
Full list (courtesy of UB athletic department):
The initial members of the 2010 class:
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High School/Last School
Dante Burton* TE 6-4 230 Lodi, NJ Paterson Catholic/NC Tech Prep
Jasen Carlson OL 6-3 295 Lakewood, NY Southwestern
Andre Davis DT 6-4 275 Cheektowaga, NY Maryvale
Cordero Dixon WR 6-1 185 Suwanee, GA North Gwinnett
Delano Fabor* CB 6-0 190 Buffalo, NY St. Francis
Okoye Houston S 6-0 185 Greenville, SC Woodmont
Devon Hughes WR 6-0 185 Tyrone, GA Sandy Creek
Rudy Johnson QB 6-1 195 Owing Mills, MD McDonogh
Cortney Lester WR 5-11 175 Miramar, FL Everglades
James Potts RB 5-11 190 Boynton Beach, FL American Heritage
Adam Redden WR 6-0 185 Amherst, NY St. Francis
Kendall Roberson OLB 6-2 215 Decatur, GA Avondale HS
Witney Sherry S 6-1 180 Miami, FL Chaminade Madonna
Kristjan Sokoli DE 6-5 230 Bloomfield, NJ Bloomfield
Dwellie Striggles CB 5-10 170 Lauderhill, FL University
Jeff Veinotte OL 6-5 305 Ottawa, Ontario St. Peter Catholic
Aaron Walters WR 6-1 180 Hopkins, SC Hammond
Colby Way OLB 6-3 235 State College, PA State College
Alex Zordich QB 6-3 215 Youngstown, OH Cardinal Mooney
Jack Molloy P/K 6-2 200 Harrison, NY Harrison
*enrolled at UB in January
Email: nick@wgr550.com
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