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I started getting notes again on that old post I made of screenshots of the red square web cam when you were drawing a face in the snow. It still amazes me that you found those posts! How have you been?

I have been good. I am just doing the same old school thing like always. What about you?

thegoldenstatewarriors

Although there is a lot of stats I can bring up about any player on the team, there is only one stat that matters for a certain player on the Golden State Warriors. The eFG% (effective field goal percentage) is the only stat that really matters and should matter for backup SG Jordan Crawford. Sure...

thautspitchout

Yeah another article I wrote!!

#jordan crawford #golden state warriors #dubnation #NBA

Bazemore’s Golden Opportunity: A Chance to Represent Old Dominion

As a Golden State Warrior SG Kent Bazemore could never get enough minutes behind the talented SG Klay Thompson and SG Jordan Crawford to make a difference but he was talented to make a difference nonetheless. This was something that was displayed with his improved game in his first ten games as a Los Angeles Laker he has played since he was traded with SG MarShon Brooks for PG Steve Blake. Though he has not averaged the same numbers as his fellow teammates SG Jodie Meeks and C Pau Gasol have the last couple weeks, Bazemore has been doing well since leaving the Bay area. In his first ten games, eight as a starter, here are Kent Bazemore’s stats and averages as a Laker:

29.8 minutes, 46.0 FG%, 40.4 3P%, 59.5 FT%, 3.7 REB, 2.9 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.5 BLK, 14.6 PTS, 2.6 TO

He has averaged these great shooting guard numbers and doing a little bit of everything not only because he plays to his strengths but also because he is a hustle player. Bazemore will always be the last player hustling on the Lakers, even if they are down by 30 at the end of the game, like they were most of last week. He has recorded blocks and steals in the fourth quarter when trailing because he is a defensive minded player that just plays his heart out. He will be the one player to always contest the shot at the rim and will be the one to play tight on ball defense on an opposing guard in half court defense. He is also getting a significant amount of rebounds for a 6’5” shooting guard in the NBA at about 3.7 a game, with a couple double digit rebound games since he has been with the Lakers. This is a real blessing in disguise for Coach Mike D’ Antoni because right now the Lakers are in a rebuilding stage and need a player that is willing to hustle.

Plus, since Bazemore has shown that he has improved greatly on the offensive end, especially that day he closed out the game against the Thunder, and that he can be a starting shooting guard in the NBA. Bazemore’s increasing offensive efficiency is a huge development for the Lakers’ franchise because they will need a new shooting guard in the next few years that is a hustle player as well. They will need another shooting guard that put all their effort into the game and make key offensive and defensive plays. Something the Lakers’ franchise has not said in decades since they have arguably had the best shooting guard of all time that also hustles every minute he is on the court, Kobe Bryant. I am not saying Bazemore will become the next Kobe Bryant or anything but I am saying based on his defensive prowess and the work he has put in lately offensively, he could be the next starting shooting guard for the Lakers once Kobe retires. He would have to work on this free throw shooting a little bit but that is something he can easily fix with practice then he would be a great shooting guard for the Lakers’ franchise. But I can see him fulfilling this role because he is a player that puts his heart into the game like Kobe does. Bazemore has been putting it all out on the court ever since he played for Old Dominion as a Monarch.

So people should know that Bazemore has a great all-around game that most NBA shooting guards don’t possess and has a hustle ability that cannot be taught. The hustle that Bazemore shows is a key trait that separates him from lots of NBA players and makes him very helpful in a starting backcourt because of it. So never doubt Kent Bazemore because he will do great things in this league now that he has been given the chance to start in the NBA after being a rarely used bench player for the Golden State Warriors. So look for Bazemore to do good things during his NBA career because now that he has shown the Lakers that he can start and why he was picked by the Golden State Warriors. Bazemore will likely be in the league for years either as a starting shooting guard or a sixth or seventh man off the bench until he retires and he will do well in his role.

#kent bazemore #los angeles #los angeles lakers

thegoldenstatewarriors

thautspitchout

thegoldenstatewarriors:

From recent responses I have viewed on online threads from Reddit and other sports forum websites, some people have been wondering if Andre Iguodala was the small forward that would answer all of Golden State’s problems. People wonder if he would be the small forward that could be a good...

The second article I wrote about the Golden State Warriors

#Andre Iguodala #golden state warriors

thegoldenstatewarriors

Warriors Bench Rising Up

#golden state warriors #warriors bench

In Blake We Trust: The Warriors’ Bench Stepping Up

Originally I was going to write about how the Golden State Warriors needed to add a player late in the season on a ten day contract from free agency to bolster their bench. However, I have noticed a recent trend when watching the Warriors’ games as of late in the month of February. I have seen a team that has really stepped up their gameplay from the starters to the bench. Though the Warrior’s bench averaged the least amount of points earlier in the season but with the added presence of Steve Blake and the return of Jermaine O’ Neal, the Warriors’ bench is ready to contend against the bench units of the NBA. I have ran some numbers to show the averages of each player on the Warriors’ bench that regularly gets minutes in each game, Steve Blake, Jordan Crawford, Draymond Green, Marreese Speights, and Jermaine O’ Neal.

Warrior’s bench stats per game averages since Steve Blake arrived:

Steve Blake: 19.8 MP, 37.1 FG%, 36.3P%, 100 FT%, 1.0 3PM, 1.5 TRB, 3.6 AST, 0.25 STL, 4.8 PTS, 0.5 TO, -19 +/-

Jordan Crawford: 15.8 MP, 42.2 FG%, 32.3 3P%, 77.0 FT%, 1.0 3PM, 1.1 TRB, 0.9 AST, 0.1 STL, 9.3 PTS, 1.6 TO, -35 +/-

Harrison Barnes: 23.8 MP, 33.3 FG%, 38.1 3P%, 75.0 FT%, 1.0 3PM, 3.3 TRB, 1.5 AST, 0.2 STL, 0.5 BLK, 7.9 PTS, 0.75 TO, -14 +/-

Draymond Green: 21.1 MP, 34.5 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 78.6 FT%, 0.4 3PM, 4.4 REB, 2.5 AST, 1.75 STL, 0.6 BLK, 6.5 PTS, 0.8 TO, +1 +/-

Marreese Speights: 8.4 MP, 37.9 FG%, 93.8 FT%, 2.3 TRB, 0.7 BLK, 5.3 PTS, 0.6 TO, -10 +/-

Jermaine O’ Neal: 25.1 MP, 61.5 FG%, 65.2 FT%, 7.4 TRB, 0.4 AST, 0.1 STL, 1.4 BLK, 11.3 PTS, 2.3 TO, +26 +/-

Averages as a unit: 19.0 MP, 41.1 FG%, 33.8 3P%, 81.6 FT%.

Statistical output as a unit: 23 REB, 8.9 AST, 2.4 STL, 3.2 BLK, 45.1 PTS, 6.6 TO, -37+/-.

Problems and how to solve them:

Crawford and Speights need better shot selection, which they can get through Blake getting more assists.

Less turnovers as a unit, which can be solved by Steve Blake handling the ball more.

Crawford should become a spot up shooter from mid and 3 point range, which can be solved by more passing in and out of the post.

Driving lanes need to be setup for Crawford and Barnes so they can draw more fouls, something that can be fixed by Green, Speights, and O’ Neal setting more screens.

The best part about these problems are that they are fixed by just better offensive effort and offense recognition of teammates on the court. This is something that Steve Blake and Jermaine O’ Neal can help with because they are veteran leaders that play the game well in their respective roles. Blake knows how to pass proficiently from the wing into the post and while driving to the hoop in the lane. Blake’s ability to do this will allow for more easy points from dump offs around the hoop for the bigs and for better midrange and three point shots. However, Blake’s most important skill is his ability to pass the ball into the post. If Blake is able to get the ball into the post and into O’ Neal and Speights’ hands, they will be able to do two things well. First, they will be able to spread the floor better by pulling two defenders towards the post and second, they will open up better shots for Crawford, Barnes and Green on the perimeter. This would be a huge development for the bench and make it more efficiently in four ways, less turnovers, more ball movement, higher shooting percentage, and more points.

These four reasons show that the bench offense needs to run the ball through Blake on the wing and O’ Neal in the post. This will allow Crawford and Barnes to get open at the three point line and shoot more threes, something he is good at. Then it will allow for Crawford and Green to get into more driving lanes easier and shot their midrange jumpers. Then it will also allow Speights to either get into good post position or get into good position to get an offensive rebound off of a miss. Then if O’ Neal is using his post moves to score, Green and Speights can get ready to rebound while he is going to the hoop. And if O’ Neal backs into the post, he will be in good position to pass the ball out to an open teammate because he is so tall. So if the Warriors’ bench runs their offense through Blake and O’ Neal and take away the ball handling responsibilities of Crawford, it will open up the potential of the whole bench and make the Warriors’ a very complete team. Solely because it will make them a better scoring unit and it will minimize the 6.6 TO’s they are getting as a unit, which will ultimately help the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. The Warriors will need a deep bench to compete with the Western Conference powers of the Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Suns, Clippers, and Trailblazers who all have great benches themselves. So it will be a hard battle fought but the six on the Warriors bench are more than capable of competing against the other benches of the Western Conference.

All stats taken from basketball-reference.com from Feb. 20th-Feb. 28th games.

#golden state warriors #dubnation #steve blake #jordan crawford #draymond green #marreese speights #jermaine o' neal

The Triple Threat of Damian Lillard: What His Second Year All-Star Experience Really Means

All stats as of 2/20/2014 from basketball-reference.com

The jab step, the pump fake, and drawing contact. These are the triple threat moves that any NBA player that wants to be elite, needs to develop. These are three moves that Portland Trailblazers’ point guard, Damian Lillard, has incorporated into his game to put him in the group of elite point guards. This elite company includes point guards Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Rajon Rondo, Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, John Wall, Kemba Walker, and Ty Lawson. Lillard is in this group because he has proven he can create plays for his teammates, drive to the hoop proficiently, and take a clutch shot as time expires. His ability to lift the Trailblazers, with the help of PF LaMarcus Aldridge, to one of their best seasons since the days of Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, show he is the real deal. So how is Damian Lillard able to help the Trailblazers win so many games in only his second year in the NBA? It is because he possesses a new set of triple threat abilities most point guards do not possess. Lillard has proven he is a phenomenal passer, a proficient dunker, and a dead eye three point shooter, the new triple threat skills he showcased on all-star weekend in 2014 in NOLA.

He is able to create plays for his teammates to succeed, something that is shown from the point totals coming from his assists. Out of the 5,827 points the Blazers have scored this season, he has assisted on 716 of them. This may not seem like a lot for an elite point guard but there are a few reasons why Lillard is still doing his elite point guard duties. First of all, since he scores driving to the hoop about 25% of the time, it means he is looking to create shooting space for his mid and long range shooters. This an essential job of any elite point guard, regardless of how much they score, because it shifts the opponent’s defense for more open shots. Second, SF Nicholas Batum and backup PG Mo Williams are averaging around 5 assists (Batum 5.4 and Williams 4.6) per game, much like Lillard is. These numbers show there is a lot of ball movement happening each offensive possession and lots of perimeter shooting happening, something that only happens if a team has an elite point guard driving into the paint. Third, Lillard has less assists than most point guards because of how good the Trailblazers are at offensive rebounding. Out of the 54 games they have played this year, they have recorded 688 offensive rebounds (which is third in the NBA). That is about 13 offensive rebounds a game and can range from 0 to 39 unassisted points depending on where the rebound lands and how fast the shot is taken. Though it is likely C Robin Lopez and Aldridge will just get put back layups or dunks, it is an unassisted score they are getting a lot of cracks at. So Damian Lillard is a great passer and all point guards are right? Well I will tell you why Lillard’s dunking ability makes him an elite NBA point guard and gives him an advantage most point guards don’t have.

Although dunking has its obvious flash and flare, it has often looked over added bonuses most people don’t think about when watching a NBA game. These bonuses are the increased probability of drawing a foul and demoralizing an opposing team and their coach. The increased likelihood of drawing shooting foul is very simple to explain since dunking will do two things for a player. It will keep the player in the shooting motion longer and it will give the defense more time to think about a blocking the shot, which will make a foul more likely to happen. These may be obvious to some people but they are important to acknowledge because the all-time great Shaquille O’ Neal scored lots of extra points by doing this through free throw and And-1 opportunities. Though Shaq was not the best free throw shooter, the 86.2% Lillard is shooting from the free throw line in his career will allow him to capitalize off dunking more. Secondly, dunking will demoralize a team and its coach because when one team is dunking on another team, it means two things. It means there are larger driving lanes opening up in the defense and that there is soft defense being played. So if Lillard can use his dunking ability to take advantage of an opponent’s defense, it will cause problems for his opponent. For it will make them worry about him scoring more and force their opponents to create new defensive schemes for him. These are things that would ultimately cause more opponent timeouts to be called which means more rest for Lillard, Aldridge, and the Trailblazers, the best scoring offense in the NBA. Lastly, the three point game of Lillard makes him an elite point that cannot be given any space on the perimeter.

So far in the 2013-2014 season, Lillard has a three point shooting percentage of 40.2% and has made 150 threes. He has made roughly 30% of the three pointers on the best three point shooting team in the NBA with a total of 505 threes made this season. And he is 3rd on threes made this year only behind the splash brothers of the Golden State Warriors, PG Stephen Curry (173) and SG Klay Thompson (153). So what does this mean exactly? It means that Lillard can spread the floor because he is a threat to shot the ball from behind the arc. Lillard threatening to shot at the three point line does a few things that makes the Trailblazers’ offense work efficiently because it opens more scoring options. If Lillard does not take the three point shot, he can either pass to another perimeter shooter, pass it to a post player easier, or bounce pass to a cutting teammate for an easy score. The ability for Lillard to have this effect on an opposing defense is a factor that has helped the Trailblazers win games this season and it is a factor that will help them win many more.

So if you thought it was a fluke that Damian Lillard was a participant in the dunk contest, a participant in three point contest, a two time skills winner, and two time rising stars participant, and a first time all-star, it wasn’t. Damian Lillard is the real deal when it comes to point guards and will be one of the best point guard the Trailblazers’ franchise ever had the pleasure to coach. Lillard is who averaged 44.6 FG% (39% 3P%), 4.3 REB, 3.5, and 18.6 PTS in four years in at Weber State University, is by far the best Wildcat to play in the NBA. A reputation he will likely keep for a long time as he changes the Trailblazers’ franchise, by facilitating a dangerous offense for Coach Terry Stotts. He will be a point guard that will give Stephen Curry, John Wall, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving a run for their money since he has the abilities of all four of them. A good three point shot, the ability to drive to the hoop effectively, has great hustle, and the ability to slam the ball with authority. And just so you have them, Lillard’s All-Star Stats…

Damian Lillard’s All Star Weekend Stats:

Skills Challenge: 45.2 second victory shared with Jazz PG Trey Burke

Rising Stars Game: W on Team Hill, 42.9% FG, 5 REB’s, 5 AST’s, 2 STL’s, and 13 PTS.

All Star Game: L on West All-stars, 9 MINS, 3-8 (3-6 3P) FG%, 1 REB, and 9 points.

#Damian Lillard #2014 all-star #NOLA 2014 #Portland Trailblazers #portland #ripcity #rose city #elite point guard #triple threat

A Good Start to Say the Least: Russell Wilson’s 2 Year Seattle Career

14 Stats to Compare Russell Wilson vs. modern era HOF & future HOF QB’s

Stats are based off HOF of likely future HOF quarterbacks who started at least 5 games in their 1st 2 seasons of their career, or off the first 2 years they started at quarterback for 5 or more games in two consecutive seasons, or the 1st 2 years when stats were available for them. All stats are taken from pro-footballreference.com.

Stat 1.1: Russell has a 24-8 record (QB rec) in his 1st 2 years as a starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks in his first two regular seasons. He has a better two year QB rec than any modern era HOF QB or any future HOF QB than will likely enter (these being Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, and Brett Favre).

Stat 1.2: If one includes Russell’s playoff record of 4-1, it makes his regular plus post season QB rec to be 28-9 (an NFL Record, and just one ahead of QB Ben Roethlisberger who has 28 in his 1st 2 seasons as a starting quarterback).

Stat 2.1: Russell also threw for 55 (if you count the 3 postseason TD’s of 2014 playoff games) touchdowns in his 1st 2 years as a starting quarterback for Pete Carroll (2nd behind only Dan Marino of HOF or aspiring HOF QB’s, with 13 TD’s behind Marino’s record of 68).

Stat 2.3: Russell threw for 20 touchdowns in his rookie year (tied with Peyton Manning for the NFL Record) and clearly most than any HOF QB of the modern era or Brady, Brees, or Favre threw as rookies.

Stat 4.1: Russell has 2 Pro Bowl Selections in 1st 2 years as a starting quarterback (something only Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, and Bob Griese have done).

Stat 5.1: Russell Wilson just 19 INT’s in 1st 2 years as a starter with less INT’s than these modern era HOF and future HOF QB’s below in stat list 5.2. Only Bart Starr 1956-1971 who has 10 INT’s has less than Wilson while Roger “The Dodger” Staubach ties Wilson with 19 INT’s in his 1st 2 starting seasons with more than 5 games.

Stat 5.2: Modern era HOF and future HOF QB’s: Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, Drew Brees, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, George Blanda, Terry Bradshaw, Len Dawson, Dan Fouts, Otto Graham, Bob Griese, Jim Kelly, Sonny Jurgensen, Bobby Layne, Joe Namath, Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin, Steve Young, and Bob Waterfield.

Stat 6.1: Russell Wilson also has ran for 5 rushing TD’s in his 1st 2 years. 2 Rushing TD’s behind Fran Tarkenton (7), and 1 behind Terry Bradshaw, Y.A. Tittle, Bob Waterfield, Steve Young who all have six 6 TD’s. And he is tied for sixth with Len Dawson who also has 5 rushing TD’s in his first two years as a starting quarterback.

Stat 7.1: Along with these 5 rushing TD’s, Wilson has complied 1,028 rushing yards (Yds) on 190 rushing attempts (Att) with 5.4 yards/attempt (Y/A) and 32.1 (Y/G). Wilson has more rushing attempts and yards than any modern era HOF or aspiring HOF quarterback ever had in their 1st 2 years as a starting quarterback. He is 6th in yards per attempt behind Len Dawson with 7.0 Y/A, Roger Staubach with 6.9 Y/A, Troy Aikman with 6.1 Y/A, Terry Bradshaw with 6.0 Y/A, and Steve Young with 5.75 Y/A. Wilson is only 2nd to Steve Young in yards per game in his 1st 2 years with Steve Young posting an average of 38.5 Y/G in his 1st 2 years as the starting 49ers’ quarterback.

Stat 8.1: Wilson has 10 Game Winning Drives (GWD) in his 1st 2nd years as a starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Getting 5 each year tying in 2013 with Geno Smith and Tom Brady. More than any modern era HOF QB or future HOF I listed above in their first two years as starting quarterbacks.

Stats 9.1: Wilson also managed 8 4th Quarter Comebacks (4QC) in his rookie and sophomore year in the NFL, four in each year. Also a feat that no other quarterback in the HOF has accomplished in their first two years as a starter.

Stats 10.1: Wilson has a completion percentage (Cmp%) of 63.6% when he is throwing the football since he started for Pete Carroll in 2012. He has a better completion percentage than all HOF QB’s and likely future HOF QB’s besides Kurt Warner who had a Cmp% of 66.4 and Joe Montana who had a Cmp% of 64.1% in their first 2 years as the starting quarterback for their respective teams.

Stats 11.1: Russell has had a quarterback rating (QBR) 100.6 since he has entered the league. He is 4th amongst these HOF QB’s only behind Otto Graham who has a QBR of 110.65, Kurt Warner who has a QBR of 103.75, and Dan Marino who has a QBR of 102.45 in their first two years as professional starting quarterbacks.

Stats 12.1: Russell has 6,475 passing yards (Yds) in his first two years as well. Russell is 7th behind 6 HOF QB’s that are in the HOF or will likely be in it someday. Those 6 quarterbacks are Peyton Manning with 7,874 (Yds), Kurt Warner with 7,782 (Yds), Dan Marino with 7,294 (Yds), Sonny Jurgensen with 6,984 (Yds), Tom Brady with 6,607 (Yds), and Brett Favre with 6,530 (Yds).

Stats 13.1: Wilson has also thrown for 202.3 yards/game (Y/G) went taking snaps under C Max Unger, the former Oregon Duck his first two years as the Seahawks’ quarterback. This makes Russell Wilson 10th of the quarterbacks at are in the HOF or have HOF aspirations in Y/G in the first two years as a starting quarterback. This put him behind Kurt Warner with 291.9 Y/G, Dan Marino with 259.35 Y/G, Sonny Jurgensen with 249.4 Y/G, Peyton Manning with 246.05, Jim Kelly with 228.9, Tom Brady with 212.4 Y/G, Brett Favre with 210.75 Y/G, George Blanda with 210.7 Y/G, and Joe Namath with 206.1 Y/G.

Stat 14.1: Russell is also the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in his 1st 2 years as a starting quarterback. He is in good company with QB Ben Roethlisberger who did it in 2005 against the old Seahawks’ quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, QB Tom Brady who did it in 2002 against QB Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams, and QB Kurt Warner in 2000 who won against QB Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans!

#hall of fame quarterbacks #Russell Wilson #HOF

My Experience Playing with the Greatness

Most people play sports growing up as a kid or as an adult at some competitive level. People will either play little league baseball, high school football or track, college football or basketball, and the lucky few play their favorite sport at the professional level. But no matter how much a person plays a sport competitively or at what level they play it at, they want to accomplish two things. They want to win a championship and they want to play on a team that has extremely good teammate chemistry. This was something I was able to achieve in my lifetime at college with my intramural basketball team. A basketball team I have always called a franchise team if anyone ever asked because of its great accomplishments in the last four years.

The basketball team called the Greatness led by Andy Smith consisted of himself, Drew Goodman, Adam Boase, Ollie Hurtin, Carson Crooks, Wilson Doldier, Tim McEuem, Keith Jacobs, and myself, Mason Thaut. As a team of friends, us nine went 6-1 in the fall of 2013 on an intramural basketball team and won the fabled shirt, a grey shirt that said “The Shirt” on the back. Though I was ecstatic to be part of another championship basketball (I won a shirt two years prior but I sadly lost it), I was also happy for another reason. I was happy about the experiences I had while playing with my basketball team, especially during the last two game playoff run we had.

The last two games I played in intramural basketball before I broke my talus was by far the best two games I have ever played in. Not because I scored a lot of points each game but because I was able to be an active participant on the offensive and defensive end of the court. I was able to do all the small plays like setting good screens, getting key saves, sticking my hand in a shooter's face, and getting key rebounds. Though I got my usual rebounds and points, I was comfortable in this hustle type of role because I had a team around me that could work together efficiently to get two wins in a two hour period. We were able to get points off Andy's clutch layups, Drew’s timely daggers, and Carson's fabled post moves. Then if these weren't a scoring option for an offensive possession, our team could lean on Wilson and Keith's jump shots, Ollie's dribble drives to the hoop with great drop step finishes, or my offensive put backs from offensive rebounds. And when all else failed, we ran the fast break down the court better than most intramural teams. We were just a solid offensive team that could expose any weakness in a defense because we let each teammate play to their strengths. But our great teamwork did not stop on the offensive end

Then on the defensive side we always had Adam and the other guards playing solid perimeter defense while Carson, Wilson, and I were stopping drives to the hoop and contesting shots inside. Our great collective defensive efforts was the key thing that always kept us in games until our shooters got hot again (so much sometimes we held teams to less than 10 points in a half a few times). Our defensive was so crisp because we talked well, called out screens, we switched on screens, stepped up on perimeter shooters off screens, and played help defense (something I witnessed very teammate do). This all probably just sounds like a really well organized team that plays for a high school or college but we are just a college intramural team. But it is because of our versatility on both offensive and defensive and our collective, unselfish teamwork that we succeed where others didn't and played in way more championships than anyone else.

We played in 7 championship games to be exact with a 2-5 record. Heck, I think over the years playing with the core of this team, we won like 50 basketball games (I cannot get scores and wins from winter 2010 but we did go to the championship that quarter in 9 games). And it seemed we succeed the most this last fall when we won the championship by the score of 57-39 over a rival team called Count It. I was just glad to be on this team because it seemed like it was the team where everything came together and when teammate chemistry was at its highest. It was a perfect way to end my involvement in a four year run for a basketball franchise who has recorded a win record of (45-12) with 1 tie. The Fastbreak/Bay City/Greatness franchise has scored 3,245 Total Points and counting (since their all still two teams going in winter 2014) with an average of 56 points per game. So I guess I will have to update this article when all of my teammates have graduated from Western but hands down we are on one of the best intramural basketball teams to play at Western in a while (if ever but I can’t say that in confidence).

So after all of this reflection, I just wanted to thank the people on my latest basketball team for letting me play with them. I would also like to thank the players that played with me in the past (Jordan Bajema, Rob Radecki, Kyle Brown, Kyle Lehning, King Tin, Scott Warren, Pat Shelton, Eric Phillips aka Philly, Ben Moschel, David Patterson, Baker Boger, Chris Reed, and Justin Kruger). And I want to especially thank Kyle Eidem (KE, or Kinetic Energy) because he allowed for all these basketball experiences to happen. I was glad you were my freshmen roommate and you motivated to play basketball at the Rec Center back in 2009. But really you all have taught me so much and I am eternally grateful for it. I am so grateful because I felt like I had the training and basketball IQ needed to greatly advance as a basketball player before I broke my talus (and I will improve me game if I recover properly). So I thank you guys for the memories and it was a great run for these last four years. I promise if I ever get rich one day, I will assemble us all on a basketball court so we can throw down once again.

#fastbreak #greatness #bay city #WWU intramurals #The Shirt

seattleseahawksnfl

Congrats to the 9-time Pro-Bowl LT, Walter Jones! Jones has been selected to the 2014 Pro Football HOF in his first year of eligibility. This isn’t surprising, as he has only given up 23 QB sacks, and penalized for holding 9 times in his entire thirteen-season NFL career.

#walter jones #seattle seahawks #hall of fame tackle

coreycolbo

As of today, the Portland Trail Blazers are 33-13 and the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers didn’t win 33 games last year. The 2012-2013 Blazers were a team that wasn’t expected to do anything close to making the playoffs. With a terrible bench (both defensively and...

#Portland Trailblazers #Atlanta Hawks #Toronto Raptors #Brooklyn Nets #Paul Milsap #Jason terry #CJ McCollum #Victor Claver #meyers leonard #will barton #kyle lowry #2014 nba draft

The Defensive Prowess of CB Richard Sherman

Two years ago, I wrote this article about Richard Sherman becoming the most successful young cornerback in the game. And since the Seahawks’ star cornerback did so well this year, I figured I would repost it for everyone to read before Super Bowl XVLIII.

Here are Richard Sherman’s career numbers in his first three years that proves he has his own defensive island in the Legion of Boom’s (LOB) secondary even though he does not want to have his own specific island:

In 48 games played with the Seahawks (42 as a starter), he has 58 passes deflected (PD), 20 interceptions (Int) with 227 Int Yds. He has also had 4 forced fumbles (FF), 3 fumble recoveries (FR), and 1 sack to go along with 139 tackles (34 being of them assisting tackles). He also has 2 Int TD’s and a TD from a blocked field goal.

Sherman’s Island

In professional football, sometimes a defensive player has the ability to cover a large amount of field successively. These players like the New York Jet’s CB Darrelle Revis have a zone coverage on defense called an island. It is an area that completely covers a star wide receiver’s routes and it is manned by one defensive player, usually by a cornerback. Although Revis is known for having a superior island on defense, I would argue that there is another defensive cornerback in the NFL that has a defensive island, and that player is CB Richard Sherman. I will argue this only because I just watched him personally shut down the 49ers’ offense four times in four straight possessions, return a blocked 21 yard field goal for a touchdown, and saw him pick off Randy Moss in the end zone in primetime football. Here is why I think Sherman is worthy of an island on defense, much like Revis has been for a long time.

I have seen him shut down every top receiver he has played against this season besides WR Brandon Marshall, a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears and WR Stevie Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills (however I do not think anyone in the NFL can shut those two down). When I say shut down I mean less than 70 yards in a game, which is good against these dynamic wide receivers. He was also able to shut down WR Randy Moss and WR Michael Crabtree this way during his last game. Not to mention he had an interception against Moss in the end zone when the ball was going against his body and completely got in Moss’ way to make the interception. Based off the game play he has showed this season, he is worthy of having a defensive island and being the defender of the year. I have seen him countlessly bat down passes, jump wide receiver’s routes, get timely interceptions, use his legs proficiently, and be a great inspirational leader in both special teams and defense. But why should a cornerback that has 61 tackles, 23 defected passes, 3 forced fumbles, a sack, 7 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns be the defender of the year? Well the first reason is because of those stats I just listed but also because of the in-game stats that cannot even be recorded in the NFL. This stat being the pass plays he has redirected and eliminated by physically being on the field and next to an all-star receiver.

Although Sherman’s best stat, deflected passes, are possible to be record on paper, it is physically impossible to record why the quarterback will not throw it their star receiver because of a cornerback’s physical presence. Although if it was possible, Sherman would fill that stat category just fine with flying color in the weekly box scores. So you may be wondering why these two aspects are so important or how Sherman is so good at these two things. Well fellow sports fans, I will tell you why Sherman (Optimus Prime) is so good.

The number one reason why Sherman is so good is because he is a wide receiver that was turned into a cornerback. When Sherman was at Stanford, during his freshman year he was a wider receiver because of his great speed, hands, and ability to track the ball (something he has been doing well since he was a freshmen in high school). However after leading the Cardinal one year in receiving yards, he got injured in his third year of play at Stanford. So when he returned to the Stanford locker room, he was forced to be a cornerback as the best way to help the team because they needed a cornerback. Sherman’s ability to make this switch, know how wide receivers run routes, and have their same abilities allowed for him to be as great as he is now. The transformation he went through in college because of his great intellectual prowess for football and determined drive he possesses made him into the phenomenal cornerback he is now. These abilities makes it so he can rival the great cornerbacks of our day like Darelle Revis, Charles Woodson, and Champ Bailey. So look for this player to earn his defensive island and be a great cornerback because Sherman has the drive and the work ethic to do so. Not to mention he does have great natural ability to play his position based on his speed and footwork he has developed throughout his life. So it may be crazy to say Sherman has an own defensive island like Revis does but I have predicted three events in the NFL this year correctly. So I do not mind taking a shot in predicting that Richard Sherman will be a great NFL cornerback.

I predicted that Greg McElroy would be a starting quarterback for the Jets, that T.Y. Hilton would emerge as a great wide receiver, and that Jim Irsay picked great, underrated players (besides Andrew Luck obviously) that made his team good but also a playoff team. So how ridiculous is it to say that a cornerback that shut down WR Calvin Johnson of the Lions to 3 receptions and 46 yards in one game with be a great cornerback one day? Not that ridiculous is the correct answer because Sherman shut down the receiver that beat WR Jerry Rice’s single season record for receiving yards. So watch out for Sherman because he is a great cornerback and even QB Tom Brady should be worried about him. The main reason being that he is statically the best cornerback in the game right now and he is on the hottest team in the NFL.

I would also like to give thanks in the creation of this article to Corey Colbo who helped me determine what stats I could contribute to Sherman correctly and in providing the stats for this post. He is a good and up incoming sports analyst with great mathematical prowess for sports statistics and economics. People like Mr. Colbo are very important to sports writing because every good sports writer needs a good statistician, even if the statistician does not set a finger on the keyboard. It is just as important has a good running back with a play action quarterback. It is absolutely essential.

#12th man #richard sherman #legion of boom #LOB #seattle #seattle seahawks #darelle revis #go hawks

There Can't be A Sports Truce Between Seattle and OKC

There is a an article here about Oklahoma City and Seattle calling a sports truce about the 2006 movement of the Seattle Supersonics' franchise to Oklahoma City. It personally upset me but as a sports writer and an almost journalism major with six college classes under my belt., I know why she did it. So her is her article:

http://newsok.com/hey-seattle-can-we-all-just-get-along-now/article/3926268/?page=2

And here is my critique I offered after I read it:

I generally don't try to swear anymore so I will just say this. Miss Carlson, you need to realize a lot more and research more about Seattle, its demographics, and the people who loved the Sonics needs to be done before an article like this is written. Because we did loved our Sonics team but in a world like today, when money rules, anyone who does not possess that money, did not have their voice heard. So I just feel bad for you, Miss Carlson, because even though her local editor thought this was a publishable article, they will learn that it will stir up a storm of comments you do not want. I just feel bad for your email account, phone, and twitter account because they are about to get bombarded and the world is not as kind as it once was. Its not bad completely bad you did this but it is not recommended for it to go viral because Seattle will always miss that team, especially after the 1979 season.

We had a team that included the powerful backcourt tandem of Gus Williams and FInals MVP Dennis Johnson, second year All-Star center Jack Sikma, forwards John Johnson, and Lonnie Shelton, and key reverses Fred Brown and Paul Silas. This a team I know no one form my parent's generation will never forget and my generation will never forget we could have Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Three players that are arguably in the list of the ten best scores in the game. And to say anything else would just be a mistake and hurt these Northwest fans. So I think more research into Sonicsgate and pro-Seattle Supersonics movements would have helped you in your article. No only for information but also if it was an ethical and appropriate article for a Seattle sport's fan like myself to read. But once again as a sportswriter (though I am a blogger and unpaid), I know what you are trying to do and why you did it and I am sorry if anything bad comes from this. It is always hard to make a leap of faith, a leap you probably knew you were taking in the first place.

#OKC #Seattle #Seattle Supersonics #Oklahoma City #oklahoma city thunder #jenni carlson #The Oklahoman #newsok

thegoldenstatewarriors

Mark Jackson Still Believes Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are the BEST Shooting Backcourt in the History of the NBA

#mark jackson #Klay Thompson #Stephen Curry #golden state warriors #Golden State

1/19/2014: An NFL Championship Weekend to Remember Forever

Author's Foreword

I guess I will say when I post this, I always wanted to write something on a Seahawks team in the Super Bowl since I was two. But now, I am just a 23 year old amateur ancient historian who tried to write about how he interpreted his favorite team getting to Super Bowl XLVIII. I used multiple ESPN box scores and recaps from both 2012-2014 and pro-football reference.com to write this piece and tried to be as accurate as possible (I'm sorry if there are any mistakes). But at the end of the day, I am a Seahawks fan who sees Richard Sherman as an inspirational figure in his life and I am basing a lot of the indirect statements off interviews I have heard in the last two years and my general thoughts. I guess I'm trying to say, I'm not trying to put anyone in a bad light and I cannot contest this is a one hundred percent accurate piece of truth. I'm just writing a piece of journalism, using some historical practices, to say what I think about a football team I really respect and always will for what they have done for this community. As well write about the other three teams who played in the AFC and NFC Conference Championships on Sunday because they were great teams that deserve ever better press for their achievements. And it is only unfortunate that we could not have a real and consolidation Super Bowl this year because these four team played some great football this Sunday and played their heart out. So I guess thanks for reading my piece. It felt good to write this piece because i could put my full heart into because I feel like everything I said is relevant in a way. Also if you any feedback, I am open to feedback and constructive criticism. Have a good day and Go Hawks, 12th, and the Legion of Boom!!

Game 1: Patriots vs. Broncos

Game 2: 49ers vs. Seahawks

As I lay here on my couch, with my broken and healing right talus bone up in the air, I have noticed something. I have noticed that this weekend has been monumental in my life, not solely because of my very unlikely injury, but also because of the two football games I got to watch while I took lots of prescribed pain meds. These four teams I got to watch, the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots have had remarkable years this season (Oh that’s weird, three of four championship teams are from the West). These four teams have boggled the minds of all sportswriters because of what they have been able to do this season. They have accomplished four unbelievable tasks that most people didn't even see coming last season. Mostly, since they didn’t see these four great teams forming four great defenses and four great special teams units. Which in turn, would support four great offenses to show people what football is all about and how it is really played. So I will start with the AFC teams and then work my way to the NFC teams, finishing with my favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks.

The Most Storied Quarterbacks of My Lifetime: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning

Tom Brady, the quarterback of the New England patriots, has done an astronomical task when it comes to football. This quarterback, who is the best last pick in a NFL Draft ever, created a great receiving corps with inexperienced receivers after losing a superb group of receivers last year. He lost his two tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez that got 20+ touchdowns last year and a slot receiver in Wes Welker that got 10+ touchdowns and always helped out Brady when he was in a pinch. But even after these terrible losses, he took his nine young receivers at his disposal and created a team where he was able to put up good quarterback numbers for the season. Tom Brady did a great job motivating his Patriots offense, along with veterans Julian Edleman and LaGarette Blount, to get them a chance to play in Super Bowl 48. And if Brady would have beat Peyton today, he would have been the first quarterback to go six Super Bowls, ever. This is something that has never been done before by any quarterback, not even the great Brett Farve. But to get to the Super Bowl, Brady had to beat DT Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton and this Broncos’ defense that has improved greatly since last season. A task he was not able to accomplish because the Denver Broncos play some great team ball that hasn’t been seen in a while in the Mile-High City. At least not since the days of Elway.

Although the Broncos got better on defense and because of Peyton Manning being under center, people need to remember why it is so amazing he and Denver even have a chance to be in the Super Bowl. Two years and two months ago, Manning was in his house watching his Colts’ team finish the worst season, a season where they only won twice. All he could do was just watch with a stiff neck. He watched a whole season go by while he was healing his neck after an intense surgery that should have ended his career. But since Manning is a competitor, he went back to the NFL to try his luck and then Luck of another type initially took his chance to be the Colt he was in the past. Andrew Luck from Stanford was picked first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, given lots of cash, and replaced Manning as the Colt's franchise quarterback. Something that only happened because a son learned from his father’s mistake and made the decision the franchise should have made in 1983. To do whatever it takes to keep a Stanford quarterback in the franchise and happy. However, Jim Irsay did get Andrew Luck to stay in Indianapolis when his father, Robert Irsay, failed to keep the great John Elway in Baltimore. However this history lesson and the decision by Jim Irsay did stop Peyton from pursuing greatness. He had a record breaking season where he led the best offense in NFL history with 54 passing touchdowns in a season, beating Tom Brady's record by three touchdowns. So never count Manning out of any football game until he retires because he may be the best quarterback of all time someday. The day he gets inducted into the football hall of fame in Canton, Ohio. Which is the reason Manning’s Broncos beat Tom Brady’s Patriots this last Sunday. Though this championship game was not as intense as the second one, it was game that showcased two veteran quarterbacks going head to head. Any match that any sports fan can appreciate and enjoy with their favorite beer or beverage. So it looks like the number one offense will play the best of the NFC West (and the best of the NFC Championship as well). Then we move onto the dangerous competition of the NFC west, the Seahawks. But first we will discuss the team that put in a fantastic effort this last Sunday that almost beat the Seahawks, literally losing by inches.

And before I even go on and talk about the Seahawks, I want everyone to know that this was a game that the Seahawks won and the 49ers lost, period. I mean that in a completely, literal way to emphasize this was an intense and emotional game for both sides of players and fans alike. And no fan should hate another fan just because they wear the opposite jersey. The 49ers did very little wrong during this game and made very many great plays during the whole game, just like the Seahawks did (I mean let’s be honest that effort by NaVorro Bowman was spectacular, along with that 26 yard touchdown throw from Colin Kaepernick to WR Anquan Boldin was ridiculously beautiful, amongst other plays). It just happened that CB Richard Sherman made a stellar play to end the game to punch a ticket to the super bowl. So Seattle Fans, do not hate 49ers’ Fans because they have a Michael Crabtree jersey on their back. And on the other hand, 49ers’ Fans, do not hate Seattle Fans because they are behind cocky Richard Sherman’s comments that are mean only to motivate his team. We need to let the players that represent our football teams to relay all of our actions and feelings because they are the only ones who really know what it is like to tackle each other at full speed. Plus, they are professionals for a reason and they will shape up when they need to, just like Sherman did publicly apologizing after the NFC Championship game and many other players before him. And remember about all, we are all humans so please treat each other like you want to be treated because we have come too far as a human race to not do that during leisure activities (this section is for you, Jess).

The NFC Championship: The 3rd Battle of the NFC West

I have to say though they are not my favorite NFC West team, I have to give Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers a lot of credit for what they have accomplished this season in the toughest division in the NFL. They started the season not so hot, especially against the Seahawks in week two, going 1-2 in the first three weeks. However they recovered very, very well, became one the hottest teams, and finished with flying colors. They started off the season without their star wide receiver Michael Crabtree and lost their star defensive end, Aldon Smith, for part of the season. So in the first few weeks, it was rough for them and it all depended on how Colin's legs were feeling that week. But then they became a different monster now and the hottest team in football with eight straight wins when they got all the pieces together starting in week 12. With the last victory being against the intimidating and exceedingly efficient Carolina Panthers which proved that Colin and his team were the real deal this year. When entering the playoffs, the 49ers had a healthier defense, all the star receivers are back, and Colin looked polished as of late (And yes as a Seahawks fan I will say that and even this. He looked like a 49ers’ quarterback I always wanted him to be). He threw nine touchdowns in the last eight games with only two interceptions. He showed he was ready to go to the big game because his receivers and running backs were ready to go and Kaepernick lead them into a football battle for the ages. It came down to which defense was better that day and Sherman ended up making the biggest play in Seattle football history. Even though the 49ers had a great linebacker unit on Sunday that messed with Seattle team all day, Seattle somehow prevailed over that slightly weaker 49ers’secondary. I mean NO ONE can ever say NaVorro Bowman played bad in this game because he was a defensive stud with 14 tackles, 6 solo, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, and 1 TFL, and should have had 1 more tackle, 1 FF, and 1 FR (I also hopes this prompts some motion towards review injury plays because Bowman could have made a difference since we didn’t see the turnover actually happen plus it seems he got hurt for nothing). And I only hope he feels better and continues his great career next year in full strength because he played his heart out this last weekend. So in sum, after all the drama of the game, the Seahawks came out because of who else but CB Richard Sherman, the leader of the Legion of Boom.

CB Richard Sherman, CB Byron Maxwell, CB Brandon Browner, CB Walter Thurmond III, CB Jeremy Lane, FS Earl Thomas III, and SS Kam Chancellor. These are seven names you have probably heard at some time this past season because they are the real deal when it comes to a secondary. They may be the best seven to ever cover a back field as a group but only time can really tell. But anyway, they are such a great group because they play with a fearless, aggressiveness that makes their secondary one of the best in the NFL with 293 tackles, 72 passes defected, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 touchdowns, 1 sack, and 22 interceptions! The remarkable nature of the Seattle defense is only one thing that makes the Emerald City team so amazing. Seattle has proven to be a great team because of what Pete Carroll has done to achieve his Super Bowl goal, how Marshawn Lynch has performed these last few years, and the great composure Russell Wilson has shown in his first two seasons. Pete Carroll has made the team work with countless injuries and made the respective changes as needed. He has made over hundreds of roster moves to find the players in waivers, in free agency, and in the NFL draft to make a team that is always hungry. And since they are always hungry, they compete with each other but not in the way someone who expect. They compete not to get the best stats, be the NFC player of the week, or break a record, but to accomplish the end goal.

To go 1-0 that week so they can go 1-0 next week, a simple but admirable goal. Carroll has adjusted the Seahawks' lineup so they can succeed without key starting personnel week after week, which is something that has amazed me all season. However, it would be easier to do with the help of Marshawn Lynch who has rushed through walls of defenders all season. He has rushed for 1,257 hard yards and 12 touchdowns this season, racking up nine 90+ yard games as well with his typical “Beast Mode” runs. He has been a valuable key to our team that not only makes the Seahawks a multi-dimensional offense that’s extremely difficult to stop. In turn, Lynch sets up a “dangeruss” play-action game that is led by the one and only number three. The man who set the Seahawks’ franchise free from NFL playoff woes, Russell “Dangeruss” Wilson. Wilson has stepped up to the plate ever since he was picked in the third round in the 2012 NFL Draft by Pete Carroll. He has the reputation to do whatever he needs to do to win the game. He can either make the big pass when it is needed but more than anything, he is able to dictate the game as any good field general should be able to. He will always bring the positive energy we need to win the game and the leader every offense always needs. So give it to Russell Wilson and the Seahawks for what they did today because no one could have predicted the outcome of that game and the way that game played out. It was literally a one and a million game and I am eternally thankful I got to watch that game in it’s entirely.

This legendary and epic 23-17 win by the Seahawks over the 49ers is a game that will go down in history forever as a great canonical game of this NFC West rivalry and will be the first of many great games between these two teams. He put the ball in the end zone on a 4th and 7 play that no Seahawks fan will ever forget. His dime of a pass to the hometown hero, WR Jermaine Kearse, will be a pass play that will be in the collection of iconic and great Seattle sports play. It will be up there with the iconic double ‘hit’ Edgar Martinez had to send the Mariners into the A.L. Championship Series in 1995 and the shot that won the Seattle Supersonics their only title over the Washington Bullets in 1979. So this is very unprofessional to put in writing but everyone reading this, give Jermaine “Chop Chop” Kearse some props for that catch because he helped send us to our second Super Bowl in franchise history. He set the stage for the first ranked defense to play the first ranked defense for the fifth time in the Super Bowl Era (and the first time in over twenty years).

Statistical Breakdown of Super Bowl XLVIII (48): Seahawks & Broncos

So this makes this a Super Bowl for the ages, right? The match between the two quarterbacks who threw for 20 touchdowns in their rookie year (where they both share the record, a record that may hold for another decade or so). The best offense in NFL History who scored 606 points on 55 passing touchdowns, 16 rushing touchdowns, 1 kick return touchdown, 1 punt return touchdown, 25 field goals, 75 extra points, 2 defensive touchdowns, and one safety while compiling 8,761 yards of total offense (and yes that is an NFL record)! But they are going against a great defense who has only given up 4,378 yards of offensive this year while also producing 39 turnovers (takeaways) which is first in the NFL, with 11 of them being fumbles. Additionally, during the 2013-2014 season in the 990 plays seen by Seattle’s three defensive units (The Legion of Boom, Bobby’s Linebacker Crew, and the Seahawks’ D-Line Wrecking Crew) they have only given up about 4.4 yards per play (4.8 per pass and 3.9 per rush), 17.7 first downs per game, 1.25 TD’s per game, and about 2 field goals a game. And if we consider the Broncos ran a total of 1,156 offensive plays (about 72 per game) in the 2013-2014 season that means they are likely to produce 317.9 yards of offense in the Super Bowl, like they do every game, if Peyton Manning is on his game (and I mean he really has to be on his game) and runs his average amount of plays.

And to counter the power of Manning, since the Seahawks’ offense have ran 973 offensive plays (about 61 per game) this year for a total of 5.424 yards with only 19 turnovers (roughly 1 TO per game) this whole regular season, 10 being fumbles on bad snaps or hardnosed runs (as I can contest from watching games). Then if one accounts for the Seahawks’ average offensive stats being 5.9 yards per play (7.0 per pass and 4.3 per rush) and times it by their average plays per game, it shows they are likely to produce 360 yards of total offensive in Super Bowl 48 against the Denver Broncos. But to really valid the power of the average power Seahawks’ offense led by “Dangeruss”, lets figure out the Broncos’ defense lead by the all-time great, CB Champ Bailey. Of the 1,074 offensive plays the defense aided by the Terrance “Knight of playoff sacks”/"Pot Roast" Knighton saw, the Broncos’ defense gave up about 5.3 yards per play (6.2 pass and 3.9 rush), 21.2 first downs per game, 2.75 TD’s per game, and about 2 field goals a game. Then to be even more accurate and scientific with a prediction of who will win the Super Bowl, I should really do some more math. I should multiply each team average offensive plays per game times the average yards per play the opposing team gives up and should add the ideal offensive average (that I calculated earlier) to create a better median for total offense of each Super Bowl worthy team. So for the Broncos, I would multiply (72 x 4.4) and for the Seahawks (61 x 5.3) to get a probable offensive average for each team.

The probable offensive of the Broncos based on the average Seahawks’ defensive effort is 316.8 yards of offense per game. And on the other hand, the probable offensive of the Seahawks based on the average Bronco’s defensive effort is 323.3 yards. So if I add the ideal offensive average and the probable offensive average of the Broncos (316.8 + 317.9) and divide by 2, it equals 317.4 yards, or my projected statistical yards the Broncos will record during the Super Bowl. Then for the Seahawks, if I add the ideal offensive average and the probable offensive average of the Seahawks (361 + 323.3) and divide by 2, it equals 342.2 yards, or my projected statistical yards the Seahawks will record during the Super Bowl. So you may be thinking and wondering at this point (if you don’t already hate my saber metrics/statistics speak and language). Mason, who will win Super Bowl XLVIII and by how much? Well if I knew that, I would go to Vegas and finally place a good bet so I can get my parents the house they have always deserved. But since I can’t do that, I will give you the most logical answer possible based on this minimal research I have done in this article.

The Reasoning for My Super Bowl Prediction: Why I Can’t Use the AFC Numbers

Well me observing the Broncos’ defense giving up 21 first downs, almost 3 TD’s, and 2 FG’s a game against mostly AFC offenses, I worry about using these stats to predict a score for the Seahawks for two reasons. First, the Seattle are a defense heavy team and there is no way we can escape that this year. We have a defense that has gotten us a clutch stop or key turnover more than any other team in the NFL (with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers’ being up there with the Seahawks in takeaways and 3rd down stops). It does not mean that the Seahawks’ offense is worst that an AFC offense (and I would never say that) because I would argue that our defense just sets the table better than any another team in the NFL. The stellar Seahawks’ defense has never given the chance for Wilson to throw as much as Peyton did in a game this year or ever forced him to throw that much. I only say this because on average, during the regular season, the Seahawks have rushed for about 120 yards, threw for about 250 yards a game, scored two touchdowns (of any type), and kicked two field goals virtually every game in the 2013-2014 season. And we either won by 20 points like they did against the New York Giants, the San Francisco 49ers’ (the first time in week 2), and the Atlanta Falcons or by 3 or 5 like we did against the Houston Texans, The Carolina Panthers, and The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And if someone looks at the stats, it is either the turnover battle we win or a defensive touchdown we score in each game that gives Russell Wilson a unique advantage no other quarterback had this year. He was never pressured from the absolute beginning of the game to score as much AFC teams have, which is the second reason why I can’t use the Denver defense stats in the above section to completely predict a definite final score.

I can’t use the above Denver defensive stats to explain the Seahawks scoring efficiency in Super Bowl 48 because the defenses and special teams of the West gave so much good field position to the West Coast quarterbacks. So good in fact that the quarterbacks of the West Coast, could never build up the passing stats that Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, and Andrew Luck got. So since this relationship exists, it is impossible for me to use the empirical data of the AFC offense against the Broncos to ever explain anything about the NFC, at least for this year (and at this point Corey you are probably saying what about Peyton Manning in the whole scheme you just listed? I mean I think you would maybe ask that but I would answer with two things. Its Peyton Manning, he escapes all reasoning when explaining his football prowess and he did not have the intense schedule that the NFC west teams had. Corey I hope you are not mad I have devoted a whole side note to you, I just want to make sure you understand me properly). I have come to this reasoning because I can’t tell you how many times this year each quarterback in the AFC (with the possible exception of Peyton Manning) said we need to put points up fast so our defense can build off that momentum. I mean it may have only been a couple times by each AFC quarterback this year but Pete Carroll, Bruce Arians, Jake Fox, Andy Reid, Mike McCoy, John Harbaugh, and Jeff Fischer’s team all talked about their defense being key in getting them field position all year (sorry Raiders you were the only team in the West who didn’t have a chance) and then either failure or success in closing a big play.

So in sum, defenses and specials teams of the West are too good overall compared to the East Coast defenses, it throws off the credibly of the AFC East offensive stats against AFC West defenses. Additionally, the defense do not allow me to see the West Coast quarterback besides Manning and possibly Carson Palmer had consistent big numbers through the air. And this all really makes sense because every coach listed above went into the playoffs, besides the coach of the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. And that was solely because they had to play the 49ers and Seahawks, twice, during the regular season (which means only two teams from the NFC West can get into the playoffs now unless any other NFC conference has a conference winner that only gets nine wins). So how will I pick my Super Bowl pick then? I will make my pick and score by going off my observations and box scores of Denver playing the AFC West team the San Diego Chargers, the way Denver plays the AFC East team the New England Patriots, and the way the Seattle and Denver have played so far in these 2014 playoffs because it is my most relevant case study.

The Chargers’ Offense and the Patriot’s Defense: The Keys to Seattle’s First Super Bowl

Though this may seem a little illogical and strange at first but let me explain why it is relevant real quick. These two AFC are useful in my article because the combination of the Chargers’ offense and the Patriot’s defense are the closest combination to the complete Seahawks’ team Peyton Manning has faced this year (and of course I will explain why). To put it simply, the Chargers have a running game that is very similar to Seattle’s and the Chargers rely on RB Ryan Mathews to get those key yards in tough situations. But they also depend on three key receivers (one tight end, two wide receivers) to make catches, much like the Seahawks do (Zach Miller, Baldwin, and Tate/Kearse). So in all three games against the Chargers’ offense, the Broncos’ defense had to choose to either shut down either the pass or the run, but not both. So when QB Philip Rivers decided to throw more and run less in two games, the Chargers lost by seven (such a small amount against the Super Bowl Broncos, right?) solely because they just passed too much. But the one game when the Chargers relied on the legs of Mathews in Week 15, when he rushed for 127 yards, 1 TD with a 4.4 yard average per rush and they won by seven. Spoiler alert!!! Mathews numbers in Week 15 when he beat the Broncos are scary similar to Lynch’s rushing numbers in the last three games. He has 115.3 yards per game, 4.7 per carry, and 1.33 touchdowns since the St. Louis game at the end of the regular season (week 17). So this proves that the Seahawks have to play a run game predominantly, and rush for 100+ yards to tire out the Broncos’ defense and open up the pass game even more. The Seattle use of an effective screen game (which is basically a run play with more shifts) and a quick receiver will be able to have the same exact effect on the Broncos’ defense that Ryan Mathews had, plus we will also have Marshawn Lynch. With those odds in our favor and a better offensive line that the Chargers have, no Seahawks’ fan should be worried about Lynch not getting 100 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl. So with this in mind, I will say for now the Seattle Seahawks’ advantage makes them a one touchdown favorite to me so far. So now to move onto how the Patriot’s defense helps me pick the Seahawks as a favorite to win the Super Bowl.

A lot people probably have not heard about this cornerback, Aqib Talib, who plays for the New England Patriots and he got injured in the knee by Wes Welker in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos this weekend. Well he is a big deal for the Patriots but also for a Seahawks’ victory in the Super Bowl. Talib and his teammates have really setup a defensive core in their secondary and amongst their linebackers this year that can support the Patriot’s franchise for years to come and have only lose by a total of 28 points in five games this season (Hmm…this defense scheme seems familiar to you, right? And here’s why ladies and gentlemen). The Patriots are a great defense team in their own way because they had a shutdown corner in Talib (not as good as Sherman but he can still shut down a guy for sure). They have a secondary that can keep up with any receivers with members like CB Aquib Talib, CB Devin McCourty, CB Logan Ryan, CB Kyle Arrington, CB Alfonzo Dennard, and FS Steve Gregory (which shows the Patriots have the same amount of defensive backs as the Seahawks, so the similarities are still creeping up but it only gets better). The linebackers are three hard-hitting, smart linebackers that use one spy and not two. Linebackers Dane Fletcher and Dont'a Hightower rush and play zone while one of the up and coming linebacker in the league, rookie Jamie Collins, acts as a spy for the opposing quarterback.

This is laid out much like our defensive linemen with Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, and Malcolm Smith that usually rush or drop back Wright and Smith while Wagner spies on the quarterback (okay so right now you are thinking: Wow Mason watches way too much football!! I thought he was in grad school, how does he pick up on this stuff? And I will just tell you this…I recognize patterns. That’s all.). So this very long paragraph about the Patriot’s defensive was probably more than any of you wanted to know but it is extremely relevant for a reason I have made obvious. The Patriot’s defense is very similar to the Seahawks’ in setup (but not practice and execution) so this really means that we can beat the Denver Broncos if the Patriot’s defense this year could. I mean I do not know about you but I think we have three great pro bowl secondary defenders on the Seahawks and the Pats only had one (so I think we will be fine). So consider the Seahawks to win by ten points now because I know this defense will get an additional stop and create extra points for the team. But to top all of this off, here is why a Seahawks’ fan really cares about the Patriots. The typical Seattle fan cares about the Patriots and the Seahawks in the same sentence because when the Patriots came to CenturyLink Field last year on October 14th, 2012, our franchise changed forever during that game.

The Sunday Night Patriots Game: Russell Wilson’s First Encounter with Brady

If you can look and imagine back to the days when Russell Wilson first started for the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. In the first five weeks on the terrible replacement referee era of 2012 that sadly all of us had to experience. In week 1, Russell Wilson starts off his career with a rough game against the Arizona Cardinals when the Arizona starting quarterback gets injured and the opposing backup quarterback hands him his first loss as a professional. Then the Seahawks win the next week, outdueling the Cowboys with their special teams and defensive help but he isn’t the star yet we have come to love. Then Week 3 comes around and the Seahawks, predominantly Golden Tate, become the subject of controversy for weeks for being involved in a simultaneous catch between CB James Shields of the Green Bay Packers as time expired in the touchdown (and based on my intense reading into the rulebook, that was a catch but I guess they could have changed the rule by now). But the Seahawks organization received flack for weeks and it was a mess and didn’t make the next game easier. It was a hard fought with the Carolina Panthers which was another hard fought battle by the defense but no real production by Wilson in the fourth quarter yet. Then week six dawned and the Patriots came into town and Seahawks fans were asking questions like: Is Russell Wilson really our franchise quarterback? Is worthy to be starting in front of Matt Flynn? Did we waste another pick in this franchise?

And I always told the people I knew “He played amazing football at NC State and Wisconsin and is a great quarterback. He will do well. Just you wait!” And I was right just hours later cause that game changed everything for our team. This game made the team the way it is today, into a family. It made the Seattle Seahawks’ team into a team that always believed in itself. And surprising enough, it was not much different from our current Super Bowl team we have now since it was only missing TE Kellen Davis, OT Michael Bowie, DE Cliff Avril, DT Tony McDaniel, DE Chris Clemons, and WR Percy Harvin. But this day was also great for some other reasons of importance. It was also the day that Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman became noticed as premier defenders in the secondary and thus, the Legion of Boom became a force to be reckoned with. Russell Wilson also had his second come from behind victory and his first monumental game that showed he was the quarterback that could the team to a Super Bowl (a goal he accomplished 15 months later). But most importantly, it was the same day that the Seattle Seahawks beat the number one offense as the number defense for the first time against Pete Carroll’s old team. The Press and media went crazy when Russell Wilson scored on a beautiful play action touchdown pass for 46 yards to a wide open WR Sidney Rice in the back of the end zone with 1:18 left on the clock. And the game was all but over when CB Richard Sherman picked off QB Tom Brady for the second time that day. An interception that made CB Richard Sherman into a defensive phenomenon that now has 40 interceptions in three years in the league. This interception was also what allowed for the segment of Seahawks’ history pertaining to the phrase: “You Mad, Bro?” to start for Sherman but above all, it did so much for the team.

According the espn.com recap of the game, “The matchup between the Patriots' No. 1 ranked offense and Seattle's No. 1 defense instead turned in to a starring performance for Wilson. And a shocking rally that gave Pete Carroll a win in the first matchup against the franchise he coached for three seasons in the late 1990s. Carroll was bouncing around the sideline in celebration after one of his biggest pro victories.” Russell posted his best game yet with 293 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, a QBR of 92.2, and a passer rating 133.7. It was a game where he needed to step up since they were eating up the run since Lynch carried 15 times for 41 years with 2.7 yard average. It was a game that launched Wilson’s career forward not only with the media but with his whole team. When reflecting on the touchdown catch to win the game, Sidney Rice said this in the recap after the game. "It was a heck of a throw. When I came out of my break, the whole time I was looking at the ball in the air and it was so pretty," Rice said. "I was just running, I was like 'You've got to catch up to it, you've got to catch up to it,' and I was able to track it down." So this explanation about the Patriots had to be very convoluted and long because explaining how the Seahawks have succeeded has never been a simple task.

They have overcome huge obstacles every game they have played with Russell Wilson because he plays every game, along with CB Richard Sherman, knowing that people said he could not be an NFL player. So since these group of people that make up the 2013-2104 Seattle Seahawks are players that were told they would never win a Super Bowl, every Seahawks fan should know one thing. They should know that these players will do whatever it takes, and they will do it together, to get that ring. So it is only in hindsight that one can the see the importance the Seahawks/Patriots game had in 2012. For it was not only the game where they conquered Brady and a number one offense for the first time. It was the game they vowed to trust each other, go the extra mile, and put in the extra effort so Pete and Russell could get them to the Super Bowl. And here they are going to the Meadowlands to prove their worth. A full, hungry, cooperative, and loving team with great nicknames led by a multi- talented leader in Pete Carroll, a hard-working quarterback in Russell Wilson, a ‘beast’ of a runner in Marshawn Lynch, and a number one defense that can put it all out there against the challenge of a lifetime, QB Peyton Manning. Russell Wilson could also be the first quarterback to get 28 wins in his first two seasons, setting another NFL record that may not be broken for a while. The Seattle Seahawks would be the first team since the 1980 Buffalo Bills to have no players with Super Bowl experience while entering (assuming they do not make a roster move before the game).

My Actual Prediction for Super Bowl XLVIII:

So for all of you that have read through the whole article I will say, I had to make it a representative profile of the Seattle Seahawks since 2012 instead of a sports blog post because I have always wanted to write about a Seahawks Super Bowl since I was two. And I finally got to accomplish one of my dreams so that was cool to say the least. Back to prediction reasoning, me seeing the Patriot’s defense being able to handle Manning for a whole second half with just one shutdown corner makes me confident in the team. Also, the fact that the Broncos cannot guard a good run and screen game without their all-star linebacker Von Miller, I’m going to have to go with the Seahawks 30 and Broncos 17 for Super Bowl XLVIII (48). There are a few things that should be said even with this prediction. One, I do understand Peyton Manning is a great quarterback but I do not think he is ready for a defense like Seattle’s (and last time he played a defense like ours, he threw an interception to CB Roman Harper of the New Orleans Saints that ended up costing him the 2010 Super Bowl game). Second, I know the Seahawks do not have the highest scoring offense in the NFL but a team does not need to score 40 points alone on offense when they have a defense that will help them. And that defense will definitely be helping out Russell in the Super Bowl. Third, the first and second time Russell Wilson had to step to win a big game, he has done it, so he still can. I mean he has all the pieces he needs so he will make it work. Fourth but not least, it is a Super Bowl and anything can happen so look for a clash of the titans to happen. I’m sticking by Richard Sherman and his defense team to be the game changer and give Russell the chance to win. Since ever single amazing Seahawks’ game needs a “Beast Mode” touchdown, 250 yards through the air, a couple Russell Wilson touchdowns, two huge defensive stops, and an optimistic, smiling Pete Carroll. That is the Seahawks’ recipe for success.

trailblazers

Un. Deux. Trois.

thautspitchout

Clutch!!

#portland #Portland Trailblazers #nicholas batum #ripcity #clutch #best in the west

The Reason for Rip City Success

For the last few week I have found myself watching nightly highlights and looking at box scores of Portland Trailblazers’ games since I am not able to watch the games live. After looking at the numbers for the last few weeks, I have noticed a few common themes that were not present the last few years in the team’s play. First, the Trailblazers finally have a few big men besides PF LaMarcus Aldridge that can rebound the ball. The addition of C Robin Lopez and PF Thomas Robinson to the lineup and the emergence of C Joel Freeland as a great rebounder finally gives Portland a rebounding presence inside the paint. This has allowed Portland to secure more rebounds per game and average seven more rebounds a season so far compared to last year’s numbers. Although these three big men only split 60 minutes a game, they still get 15.7 rebounds a game, which greatly compliments the 10.9 rebounds a game Aldridge is getting in an MVP type of year. The rebounding numbers are also better because of the great effort SF Nicholas Batum has put into improving his game over this last offseason. Batum is now averaging 6.2 rebounds a game as the main swingman for the Trailblazers. With five players averaging 33 rebounds a game, Portland has a recipe for success and makes the boys of Rip City legitimate contenders for the title. Their 45.6 rebounds (13 offensive) a game, 5th in the NBA, means they are a force to be reckoned with and can keep up with all the premier teams in the league. The next theme I realized about the Trailblazers and the second reason why they are a title contender is their ability to move the ball.

The assists total of the Blazers (23.6) has only increased slightly since last year so far (just 2 more a game) but the ability for PG Damian Lillard, PG Mo Williams, and SF Batum to pass the ball effectively and get about five assists, gives Portland a huge advantage over other teams. Having three players that can act as a point guard during the game allows for Portland to spread the floor better, concentrate more defensive efforts away from the paint, find the open man more effectively, and create mismatches on the court. All of these factors will lead to a stellar season to occur (something that is already happening) and the ability for Portland to keep up with the great teams of the East, the Pacers and the Heat. Another reason other teams will experience difficulties when playing against Portland because it is virtually impossible to guard three people that can handle the ball well at once. The normal use of screens and picks will likely put an opponent big man on Lillard, Williams, Batum, or even SG Welsey Matthews on the perimeter. This will then create two beneficial mismatches for the Trailblazers in their half-court offense. One where it is easy to pass into the paint and one where it is easy to score in the paint, which is essence means easy scoring. Additionally, the other players on the team coming up with about 10 assists a game shows that they can pass the ball as well and don’t always have shooting as the first thing on their mind. The idea of the Trailblazer big men passing the ball better leads to the third new theme I noticed about this year’s Trailblazer team, the increased three point shooting percentage.

If you are a faithful Portland Trailblazers fan, you have noticed that they have been hitting a ridiculous amount of threes (9.9 a game with a percent of 41.2%) when Aldridge and Lopez aren’t doing work in the paint. I mean I just watched highlights from today where Lillard hit eight three’s against the Cav’s right over PG Kyrie Irving. It was an impressive showcase of skills that was only able to happen because of the multiple threats that are on the team. There is no way any team can effectively guard Lillard, Matthews, and Batum without using help defense. So this requires big men to make the difficult decision of stepping up on a shooter off a screen or stay with Lopez or Aldridge would have a great shot off the pick and roll. These possibilities make it hard for any opposing team to play against Portland because everyone can score when it is needed. A stats that is clearly shown because they average 108 points a game with six players either averaging double figures or nearly in double figures. Their league leading scoring is more evidence that the Trailblazers are a complete team that are utilizing each player to their greatest potential. This will ultimately allow for them to make a deep playoff run because they possess all the tools needed to succeed in the playoffs.

A point guard that can make the big shot, slash through the defense, and pass effectively in Damian Lillard. A wing player that can pass the ball, hit the boards, sink the three, steal the ball, and drives to the hoop in Nicholas Batum. A magnificent rebounder, mid-range/post shooter, and inside scorer in LaMarcus Aldridge. A center that brings energy to the team and gets the tough offensive and defensive rebounds and scores when it is most convenient in Robin Lopez. And last but not least a bench that is willing to put in quality minutes and do whatever is necessary when the starters are on the bench. The Portland Trailblazers have become a great team that resembles Hall of Famer’s Clyde Drexler mid 90’s Trailblazer team, something Portland has been waiting for, for a long time. So look for this great record of 22-4 to only get better as the season progresses, the emergence of Lillard and Aldrdige’s careers, and MVP conversation about the Blazers’ point guard and power forward.

#portland #Portland Trailblazers #nba #rip city #rose city

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