The NBA season tips off tonight, and for me that doesn't mean a whole lot because with the exception of occasionally checking in to see if Jabari and Giannis can make the Bucks relevant again, I won't really start paying attention until April. I'll have the Badgers to follow until then. There is one aspect of the NBA regular season that I do enjoy, however. Thursday nights mean the best sports broadcast team is on the air, but I'm not talking about the games themselves. Tune into TNT around midnight and watch the postgame show. The TNT show is by far the most entertaining sports studio show you'll see. I would say its 90% comedy, 10 % basketball. Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith , Shaq, and Ernie Johnson (with an occasional appearance from C-Webb) know how to have a good time. Charles isn't afraid to say whats on his mind, and the rest of the crew isn't afraid to make him look like an idiot. I thought I would share some of my favorite moments from the show in honor of the season starting tonight.
Charles will read anything off the teleprompter: He must not have seen Anchorman.
The All-Star Fantasy Draft: With the 1st pick, you could take any player in the history of the game, and Chuck takes....
Leroy Jetson: The crew introduces us to the black version of the popular '60s cartoon.
San Antonio women: Charles has an issue with the city of San Antonio and its women
Who He Play For: Every year on opening night, Charles is tested to see if he paid attention to the offseason player movement. He always fails miserably.
Where We At?: Charles Barkley: not too good at geography
I was watching some of last Thursday's NFL game, and as always JJ Watt was making great plays. He is without a doubt the best defensive player in the league this season. That got me thinking: what would have happened if he had stuck around for another season at Wisconsin? That would have been the Russell Wilson year, and maybe he would've been able to get pressure on Kirk Cousins so that damn hail mary never would've happened. In my 5 years at UW, we always had good teams, but never were good enough to compete for a national championship. Made it to 3 Rose Bowls,and that's nice, but we couldn't even win one. Each year I attended UW, I felt we were great in certain spots but lacking at others. So I thought of an idea of trying to put together the best badger team from my 5 years there (from the 2009 to the 2013 season) and seeing if they would have been good enough to win a national championship. Many of these guys were on the team together, but just didnt start at the same time. This is imagining if they would have all been starting together during their best years as a Badger. Here's what I came up with.
QB: Russell Wilson. This one's a no-brainer. He's one of the best in the NFL right now. Scott Tolzien was a decent college qb, and would have been a huge upgrade over the Phillips/Stave duo in 2012/13. Curt Phillips has to be the worst qb to ever start a Rose Bowl.
RB: Melvin Gordon. Running back has been the one constant for the Badgers, and they may have their best one yet playing for them right now. It was tough picking someone over touchdown machine Montee Ball, but Gordon is by far the best athlete of the bunch and might be the most explosive runner the Badgers have ever had. I think he'll do big things in the NFL. James White and John Clay were solid backs as well.
FB: Bradie Ewing. Pretty much between Ewing or Derek Watt here, both are solid players, but I'll go with Ewing, who was also a solid receiving fullback and became a 5th round draft pick.
WR: Jared Abbrederis and Nick Toon. Badger fans are longing for the days when we had reliable receiving options. Abbrederis is the clear cut top choice here, as he always was able to make big plays even with Joel Stave at quarterback. Toon was a pretty easy choice for the #2 WR. He may not have been as much of a big play threat as Abbrederis, but made plenty of catches in key situations and caught plenty of touchdowns, especially with Russell Wilson at QB his senior year. In the '09 and '10 seasons Isaac Anderson and David Gilreath were also solid receiving options.
TE: Lance Kendricks: Tight end has been another position where the Badgers have had consistency over the years. Kendricks is a pretty easy choice here though. Out of the tight ends the Badgers have had over this time period, Kendricks was by far the most athletic. He ended up being a 2nd round pick of the Rams, who he has been a solid contributor for over the years. Garrett Graham and Jacob Pedersen also had good college careers and have had NFL opportunities as well.
LT: Gabe Carimi: It was between Carimi and Ricky Wagner here. Wagner has definitely been the better pro, but this team is based on college performance. In college, Carimi was a beast and ended up being a 1st round pick and Outland trophy winner. Gotta go with Carimi.
LG: John Moffitt: Pretty clear choice here, as Moffit was a good player, as well as a fan favorite who usually had something good to say for the "Ask the Badgers" segment at home games. He ended up being a 3rd round pick.
C: Travis Frederick: You could take either Frederick or Peter Konz here and couldn't go wrong. Frederick switched from guard to center his senior season and did a good enough job to convince Jerry Jones to use a 1st round pick on him, which isn't easy to do. Konz was a late 2nd round pick, so I'll go with Frederick here.
RG: Kevin Zeitler: Another pretty easy choice. Zeitler was a 3-year starter who became a 1st round pick. It looks like Kyle Costigan will also end up being a 3 year starter at RG, but I doubt he'll be a high draft pick.
RT: Ricky Wagner: This was a tough one. It's between Josh Oglesby or Rob Havenstein, or I could cheat and go with Rick Wagner, who played 1 season at RT but was primarily an LT. Havenstein is huge but isn't great. Oglesby was an ok player but by no means was a great Badger lineman, and it always seemed like he was hurt. I think I'll just take Wagner.
DE #1: JJ Watt. I don't even need to explain this one. DE#2: O'Brien Schofield: Schofield is probably the best choice here. He had a strong final season in 2009 with the Badgers. I remember hearing the PA announcer say "Stopped. and dropped. " followed by his name many times that year. He was a 4th round pick and is contributing on the Seahawks defense. The only other player I really considered for this spot was Louis Nzegwu, a decent player who had a key defensive touchdown in the 2012 Rose Bowl.
DT: Beau Allen and Ethan Hemer: This was a tough position to pick, as there were plenty of solid players but not really any standouts. Allen and Hemer both were major contributors and Hemer started for the majority of his 4 years, so I'll go with them. Also, Allen is the perfect Badger to handle the axe after the annual win vs. Minnesota.
OLB: Mike Taylor and Jaevery McFadden: Taylor is a clear choice as he stepped in as a freshman and became one of the best players on the Badgers defense and made a few all-Big 10 teams. The other spot was pretty much a toss-up, as there were several good players, but kind of like DT, not many standouts. I could have gone with someone like Blake Sorensen or Ethan Armstrong, but I'll go with McFadden, who led the Badgers in tackles in 2009.
MLB: Chris Borland: Easy choice here. Borland was pretty much the face of the Badgers defense during this "era". He won the Big 10 defensive player of the year award last season and even appeared on some All-America teams. ( I really wish there was a spot available for Culmer St. Jean, however. By far my favorite name to hear announced during games)
CB:Devin Smith and Antonio Fenelus: This was a tough call. This was easily the weakest part of defense over these years. I had to try and think of who got burned deep the least. From what I can remember, Smith didn't get burned that often and made some good plays on the ball. While Fenelus definitely had his bad moments, I feel like he came up with enough interceptions to deserve the starting spot on this team. I had to choose these guys over the likes of Niles Brinkley, Marcus Cromartie, and Sojourn Shelton. Not exactly the "Legion of Boom" secondary we're working with here.
SS: Jay Valai: Pretty easy pick over the other options, Shelton Johnson and Dez Southward. Valai was a hard hitter who didn't make nearly as many mistakes as the other two.
FS: Aaron Henry: Tough call here between Henry and Chris Maragos. Both were playmakers from the safety spot. Maragos made some plays at key moments, although I feel like Henry made them more often.
K: Philip Welch: He actually could make field goals, unlike Kyle French or Jack Russell.
P: Brad Nortman: He actually got drafted, which is extremely rare for a punter.
KR/PR: David Gilreath: Great return man, but he also provided the greatest moment at Camp Randall while I was at UW.
So there it is, if the timing would have been right and these guys all could have been on the field at the same time, I would have liked their chances to at least compete for a national championship.
One of my favorite sports began its season last night. I'm talking about hockey. While I know most people reading this blog (If anybody actually reads this) won't start paying attention to the sport until the playoffs start in April, there are plenty of reasons to pay attention throughout the season. The regular season provides two of the more exciting aspects of the game which you won't see often in the playoffs: fighting and shootouts. There should also be some very competitive races to qualify for the playoffs this year, especially in the loaded Western conference. Here's how I think the season will shake out.
Eastern Conference Atlantic Division: Metro Division:
1. Boston Bruins 1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Tampa Bay Lightning 2.Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Montreal Canadiens 3. New York Rangers
4. Detroit Red Wings* 4. New York Islanders*
5. Toronto Maple Leafs 5. Washington Capitals
6. Florida Panthers 6. New Jersey Devils
7. Ottawa Senators 7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Buffalo Sabres 8. Carolina Hurricanes
My Take: Boston on paper looks to be the best team in the East. They have a solid goalie in Tuuka Rask as well as many experienced veterans. It has been a while since Pittsburgh has made an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Sidney Crosby and Co. should have no problem making the playoffs, but they'll be judged on whether or not they can avoid another disappointing finish like last season. The Rangers made the Cup finals last year behind the great goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, I think they'll make the playoffs but they lost some important pieces, so a run like last years will be tough to repeat. In Tampa, Steven Stamkos is a star who could carry the Lightning deep in the postseason this year. Also keep an eye on the Columbus Blue Jackets. They gave Pittsburgh a tough time in their playoff series last year, and could be ready to take the next step this year.
Western Conference Central Division: Pacific Division:
1. Chicago Blackhawks 1. Anaheim Ducks
2. St. Louis Blues 2. San Jose Sharks
3. Dallas Stars 3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Colorado Avalanche* 4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Minnesota Wild* 5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Nashville Predators 6. Arizona (not Phoenix anymore) Coyotes
7. Winnipeg Jets 7. Calgary Flames
My Take: This conference is stacked, and a few quality teams will miss out on the playoffs this year. Chicago has been able to keep its core intact, and the addition of a quality player like Brad Richards should help this team. Anaheim and St. Louis also made key additions. The addition of Ryan Kesler should help the Ducks win their division. Getting Paul Stastny from the Avs was a big move by the Blues and should help them compete with the Blackhawks for the top spot in the Central, which is the toughest division in the league. San Jose is always a great regular season team, but will they be able to avoid another playoff letdown? Blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Kings was extremely disappointing, especially because key players like Joe Thornton are only getting older and their window to compete for a cup may be getting smaller. The defending champion Kings (which hurts to say as a Blackhawks fan) are an extremely deep team and should be one of the league's best again this year. However, it is extremely difficult to repeat as a Stanley Cup champ, as it hasn't happened since 1997-98.
Playoff Picks East: Boston over Pittsburgh West: Chicago over Anaheim Finals: Chicago over Boston
I know I'm a little biased, but after losing that tough series with the Kings last year, the Hawks will use that as motivation this year. They have a loaded roster which they may lose some pieces in the future due to cap issues, and the time is now to win again. I like them to beat Boston in a rematch of the 2013 finals.
I feel bad for Melvin Gordon. After a career high 259 yards this past Saturday against Northwestern, you would think he would've been able to celebrate an easy Badger win, which typically would accompany those numbers. Not with the 2014 Wisconsin offense.
The Badgers have been blessed with one of the best running backs in the nation, and they still are able to do nothing offensively except for hope that Gordon's long runs reach the endzone. Why? They have virtually no passing game. Tanner McEvoy started this season at quarterback hyped up as a dual-threat. From what we have seen from him so far, whenever he drops back to pass he hasn't threatened anyone with the exception of an ok 2nd half against FCS Western Illinois. A dual-threat quarterback would help this offense significantly, as seen in the one year they were fortunate enough to have Russell Wilson. McEvoy, however cannot complete a pass over 20 yards. He has missed badly on the few times they have even attempted to throw the deep ball. This has made the Badgers a one-dimensional team which has to rely on their two outstanding running backs, Gordon and Corey Clement. As good as they are, they can't do everything for this offense. Having any signs of life in the passing game would do wonders for this team, as it would open up some play-action opportunities and maybe clear the box a little bit, which would in change give the running game some room. Without any threat of a passing game, defenses will continue to stack the box against this team, making things more difficult for the backs (who will still have success, because they are that good).
So at the start of the 2nd half against Northwestern, when I saw Joel Stave enter the game, I thought maybe things would turn around. I am not a fan of Stave, but he has shown the ability to complete long passes. He has no mobility, unlike McEvoy, but in the Wisconsin offense, they just need someone who can hand the ball off and complete 3rd down throws when necessary, maybe a few play action passes as well.
The Badger offense had pretty much the same results with Stave in the game. He did complete a few passes and lead a touchdown drive, but threw a very costly interception which I'm sure made many Badger fans frustrated. The one I'm talking about is the one when the Badgers had 1st and goal near the 5 yard line. 2 things about this play had me confused. First, as the play was going on, anyone watching Stave slowly roll out towards the sideline had to be screaming "THROW THE BALL AWAY". There was clearly no one open and he tried to force it on 1st down. The second puzzling thing about this play is the playcall itself in this situation. With a first down at the 5 yard line, the big offensive line and running backs the Badgers have, combined with their terrible quarterback play, I would think the obvious call would be to run the football. I would have to like the Badgers' odds of gaining 5 yards in 4 tries with Gordon or Clement. But that playcall and poor decision making by Stave on that play crushed any hopes for a Badger comeback.
If you're Gary Andersen, what do you do from here on out? Up next is Illinois at home, which shouldn't be a problem since the Illini just lost at home to Purdue, who might be the worst team in the Big Ten. But they need to figure out an answer at QB soon. Both Stave and McEvoy have proven to be ineffective. Is it time to give Bart Houston a shot? He was a highly touted recruit from one of the best high school programs in the country, but has yet to see significant action. Another intriguing option is freshman dual-threat D.J. Gillins, but it might not be worth lifting his redshirt this season. Hell, maybe they should just run an offense like Navy for the rest of the year. I should also point out that the qb's aren't the only ones to blame for the passing game's deficiencies. The receivers have often failed to gain separation from defenders, making things even more difficult for the struggling quarterbacks. Sam Arneson and Alex Erickson seem to be the only ones able to catch a pass and get open once in a while. The offense has really missed having a playmaker like Jared Abbrederis.
This season isn't a total lost cause yet, as a Big Ten Championship game is still a possibility because of how weak the conference (especially the West Division) is this year. It looked like this could have been a promising season because of the weak schedule and a great first half against LSU(who doesn't look that good anymore).However, thanks to a terrible passing game, an appearance in Indy is looking unlikely.
Since I'm unemployed and have a lot of free time right now, I figured I might as well revive this page. I'll primarily focus on Wisconsin sports, but will touch on other stuff if I feel like it. Enjoy
