Short & Quick

Short & Quick

I know you missed me. Several of you complained. However, I was busy at my government job – working the Arizona border, tracking the coyotes who smuggle illegals into Tempe and points beyond.

Quiz
What do Matthew Stafford (13TDs/20 picks in ’09), Mark Sanchez, (12 TDs/20 picks in ’09) and this year’s quarterback draft class all have in common?

Answer – way too much.

The problem is hype. There’s too much of it. Because they play the game’s most important position, the media is fixated with their every move, twitch, thought, etc.

Some so-called experts fall in love with one, while others fall in love with the next guy in line.

I can't tell most of these guys apart. Really.

If I played audio clips of what those who get paid to evaluate talent said about past incoming “franchise” quarterbacks, you would laugh out loud.

The truth is 99% of the time, there is no John Elway in the current draft class – regardless what these morons tell you.

It’s all a big guessing game, with opportunity, coaching, the talent around you and heart determining the pro careers of these guys.

Browns Draft
Again – unless I see a lot of you, I don’t comment. I have no idea if these guys can play. I do know one thing – there are plenty of openings for playing time if these guys can walk and chew gum.

And yes – I am still waiting for this organization to add a professional wide receiver to this roster. That would make 1 on the roster if that takes place – if you are counting.

Josh McDaniels
A friend mentioned to me this guy might be the most arrogant coach alive – that’s saying something.

His analysis was based on the quarterback he went with last year (I can't think of his name right now but we'll just say Steve Fuller & be in the ballpark) and the fact that he added two more QBs (Brady Quinn & Tim Tebow) prior and during the draft.

His thinking is McDaniels figures he can coach anybody up. I’m not sure I agree, but I do wonder why you acquire Quinn, then go out and trade up to take Tebow.

Yes, I like them both, but why go after both of them? The last time I checked, you can only play one at a time. The correct process is to pick a young quarterback and let him learn from his mistakes while having a veteran backing up.

McDaniels’ logic escapes me right now. Perhaps my friend has it right – he’s arrogant. We’ll see.

My boy Quinn did come dirt cheap. That I get. As for adding my other boy Tebow, when you have other pressing needs, I'm not sure.

I give the kid credit for doing it his way however. But one thing is for certain – if the Broncos fail to make the playoffs this season, the “boy genius” will be on the hot seat and the butt of many jokes.

John Gruden
Staying on the QB theme – why is John Gruden now considered some QB Guru?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Gruden’s passion, but why is he now considered the go-to guy when talking QBs simply because he does an appealing television piece with a group of incoming NFL quarterbacks.

Remember, this guy went through more starting quarterbacks when he ran Tampa Bay than long haul truckers go through prostitutes.

By the way, I still have Gruden as 3-1 to be the Browns’ new head coach in 2011with “The Walrus” himself as the favorite at 2-1. The Walrus is 5-1 he'll take over the team mid-way throughg the season if Mangini gets out of the gate 2-6.

Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are clearly the best team in the east and should NOT have to go 7 prior to the Finals versus their likely opponent – the Lakers. We’ve said that all along. But if they do have to go 7, that’s why you play the regular season – to post the best record and get game 7 in your building. No excuses. Just win.

As I have said in the past, Danny Ferry has given Mike Brown a full clip to work with in 2009-10 – depth and the ability to play any style. They can go small, go big, go long, etc… If this team fails to reach the Finals, expect a new head coach in 2010-2011.

Who would I hire?

Glad you asked. Same guy I wanted last time – Pat Riley. My second choice is Hubie Brown – current television analyst And if you want me to go three deep – Scott Skiles, current Bucks’ head coach. Skiles’ teams ALWAYS overachieve.

All this is predicated on LBJ returning ofcourse. He he walks, it won't matter who coaches. Hell, no one will want the gig.

Of course, all of this talk won’t be necessary if Mo Williams plays well in the post season. The Cavaliers picked up my boy Antwan Jamison to protect themselves against Mo getting the “deer in headlight” look as he did last year in the post-season.

We covered this ground months ago. Simply put – the organization is not confident Mo can be that consistent second scorer when it counts most.

But if Mo can stay in front of opposing point guards on occasion and consistently give them 16-20 a night in May and June, the Cavaliers will be almost impossible to beat 4x in a seven-game series with Cleveland playing game 7 in its building.

This leads us to his performance in game #1 versus the Celtics. It was good to see Williams actually man up in the second half after getting abused in the first half by Rondo. This was a first and a good sign for the Cavaliers.

I don’t think anyone realizes how close Mo was to getting benched in that game and perhpas going into a funk for the series.

Williams actually showed some pride and stepped up after getting embarrassed. Usually, if Moe gets handled early, you don’t hear much from him the rest of the night. He fades instead of taking on the challenge. This was not the case in game 1against Boston. Hopefully, this will give him confidence to play consistent basketball through the rest of the post-season.

He doesn’t have to go off every night – just knock down the open looks, don’t turn it over, and PLEASE TRY to stay in front.

However, if he isn’t making shots and guys are flying by him – Brown has other options this time around. That’s why this team should come out of the east.

We have loved Mo since day 1 in a Cavalier uniform. Remember, we described him as the best player LBJ has ever played with before the rest of the world figured it out. However, he (MW) did not show up last season when it counted most. That hurt this team.

Management went out and added a true #2 scorer (A. Jamison) just in case Mo went AWOL at some point in the 2010 post-season. However, if Moe shows up, it should be 6games max versus the Celtics and the overrated Magic.

We’ll discuss the expected Lakers-Cavs series if and when that takes place.

MVP
Who were the morons who voted for Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant for MVP?

LBJ just earned his second straight MVP award. I have it at four in a row, but what do I know?

Do you remember the garbage team he took to the Finals when San Antonio swept them a few years back? Tell me he wasn't the best player in the league that year?

Regardless, the guy has gotten better in all phases every year with the one exception we have hammered for years – posting up.

If he ever truly worked and emphasized that part of his game, he would simply be unstoppable and the Cavaliers would be better for it.

I still believe he will average a triple-double for a full season at some point in his career – just to break the boredom.

But first thing first – he needs a handful of rings before the legend reaches epic proportions – at least in my mind.

Dallas Mavericks
Why can’t the basketball world figure this one out?

When you need to go out and acquire toughness to offset the softness of your best player (Dirk N.), you have a problem.

Yes, Dirk will go into the Hall of Fame. And yes, he’s the best shooting big man of all-time. But he's soft. Period. And therefore, his team is soft.

Teams either take on the personality of their coach or their best player. That's just the way it is. See, you learn something new every time, don't you?

He never made the adjustments necessary for his team to advance – get stronger, post up more often, go to the basket more, stop fading away so much, and improve his average passing skills. Doing those things would have made him better, his teammates better, and given his teams a better chance to advance come post-season.

I know it’s hard to get a superstar to buy in when he’s leading you to 50+ win seasons every year and earning MVP votes. But the Mavs have been flawed for years and ditto for Nuggets, whose superstar (Carmelo) is moody and mostly just a scorer.

I still hate it when people put Anthony in the same conversationa as LBJ and D. Wade. He's not in their league. He doesn't make others better ever night. How many times do I need to say it?

Jerry Sloan
I think Jerry Sloan is an amazing coach. His system works. Period. But if I were interviewing him after game 1’s loss to the Lakers, I would ask him why he didn’t take the ball out of Kobe’s hands down the stretch. Cardinal sin coach.

Sloan let the other team’s best player beat him. Game 1 is on him. I don’t care how many career wins Sloan has. You NEVER let the other team’s best player beat you if you can avoid it. In basketball, you can control that factor by doubling and tripling when necessary.

If Artest, Gasol, Odom, or fill in the blank make the plays to beat you, you live with it and move on. But why give the best player on the floor the opportunity to beat you?

Look, would you rather face the sixth hitter in the line-up with the game on the line or Eddie Murray in his prime?

Sloan didn’t make the correct coaching move, and the Jazz – my FAVORITE organization in sports because they do it the right way and their players play the right way – lost!

Stupid Statement of the Month
Every once in a while, you hear something said that instantly destroys someone’s credibility. It’s like an Indians’ announcer, who will go unnamed, who once wondered why the Indians were squeezing with two out and a runner on third.

They weren’t you moron, he was simply bunting for a hit hoping to catch the opposition sleeping – just like some dude in KC pulled on them last week.

I was watching some late afternoon sport talk show last week - which was my first mistake - when some female sportswriter, or whatever she was, mentioned in passing that Milwaukee Bucks' rookie B. Jennings would be a future MVP candidate.

Yea – and bats will fly out of my ass next time we turn the clocks back come fall lady.

Yes, Jennings had a nice rookie year – but future MVP candidate? How does one process that insanity? Maybe she had a bad hair day or was having her monthly cramps. Who knows. But this isn't limited to female media members mind you.

I hear such nonsense all too often and it makes me wonder how some of these people cash their checks without wearing masks.

It's really just a simple case of being exposed.

Again, one of my pet peeves in sports in full display - the media is now part of the show. Thirty years ago we didn't know who these people were or what most of them looked like. Now they have their own shows, are in front of us more than the athletes and coaches, and many show their biases, short-term sports memories,and in some cases, their pure ignorance, on a regular basis.

Which bring me the question - what does a sportswriter have to do to get fired? In other words, has one ever been canned for not knowing shit about sports?

Oil Spill
Okay – so now we won’t be able to drill for oil off our coasts because we had a spill off the Louisiana coast and a bunch of lobsters will turn up dead. Great. Why don’t we just go back to the wheel and buggy and before we had penicilin to cure crabs?

Hell, I don’t even eat at Red Lobster. The only fish I eat is shrimp.

When you try to advance the human condition, shit happens! It’s called the cost of progress. I'm not happy about it, but you don't tuck tail and run when something goes wrong. Too bad we are becoming so soft, we can’t even state the obvious.

Thank goodness this generation didn't fight WWII. We'd all be talking German right now or eating rice 3x daily.

Do me a favor, next time you see a smart car – take a look who is driving.

It’s usually an ugly broad from NOW (The National Organization of Ugly Women) or a bearded college professor who spent the late 1960s and early 1970s on a commune avoiding taking baths for fear it would drain our water supply, all the while growing lettuce and weed in the garden.

Had enough?