Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael2 Keller

NFL Week 1: The Ready and Not-so-Ready for Primetime QBs

Michael2 Keller — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:32:20 -0400

FINALLY, we have the unimportant (except to the NFL owners' pocketbooks) and unfulfilling "preseason" behind us and can move on to the Real Thing! Welcome to the 2009 NFL version of madness, mayhem, maladies, misfires, missteps and the masterful. We will take a look at the best ...... and the worst of the QB performances of Week 1.

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Brett Favre: Why All Athletes Need a "Not To Exceed Expiration Date" Clause

Michael2 Keller — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:35:46 -0400

Have you ever pushed the "use by" date on your milk, salsa, or beer way past the limit and then tried to use that product and found it was moldy, spoiled, or flat?

That will be what the Vikings experience over the next season in the NFL with their "expired" quarterback, Brett Favre.

Everyone knows what happens when you push that date too far and then end up wishing you hadn't opened the carton and let all that stink out. But, like trying to put that morning-after smell back in the bottle after devouring six greasy tacos and four beers too many, you just can't undo the olfactory damage.

A "putrid" metaphor for the Vikings and their "past expiration date" quarterback?

Maybe, but if they let this continue to fester over the rest of the NFL season, they are exposing their team and Favre's legacy to a rot that may never be recoverable.

They will have effectively destroyed any chance for developing a future quarterback prospect. They will have allowed themselves to be the team that cares nothing about the future, just current ticket sales, and they will become the laughing stock of the league.

They have allowed the career of a once great player to circle the drain like other "well-past-their-prime" players that have streaked the bowl that also held it in just a bit too long.

I am not sure if this is an individual ego of a once-great player that has colored the view of a once-great franchise, or just a front office worried more about the almighty dollar than the integrity of their team and that of a player a year, or three, past his prime.

Whatever the reason, please Minnesota, do the honorable thing and pull the handle and kindly flush all this overripe sediment where it belongs before the stench becomes too much for all of us fans of the game and Favre to bear.

OAK's Recent First-Round Picks: Has Al Held On Too Long and Dropped The Ball?

Michael2 Keller — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:53:29 -0400

I just read a nice article by Bryan Leifeste, entitled "Oakland Raiders: Success in the Second Round". It was about great second-round Raider players.

This article was very well written and brought back some fond memories of past great Oakland players.

But it also got me to thinking about how some of the recent first-round picks have turned out and I thought a review of the more recent 1st Rounders was in order.

In doing my research, it struck me that maybe Al Davis needs to trust his Head Coach and staff more in the personnel department in the first Round, before he takes his nap. I know he loves some first-round flash but let's look at what cost to the team over the past 10 years:

2009—Darrius Hayward-Bey, WR

A definite reach but too early to tell. Needs a better QB than the current one projected to start to give him a chance.

2008—Darren McFadden, RB

A bit early to call. Not huge production last year but was bothered by a foot injury for part of the season. This year will tell the tale.

2007—JaMarcus Russell QB

So-So so far. And if he doesn't show up to Training Camp in the best shape of his blubbery life and start turning it around in '09, there will be another J. Garcia known in the Bay Area as a savior (And he doesn't play guitar and sing 'Keep on Truckin')

2006—Michael Huff, S

A bust, and worked hard to earn that moniker. Can't cover or tackle, two skills most people look for in a DB.

2005—Fabian Washington, CB

Was, at best, average during his time in Oakland. Traded away for a fourth-rounder in 2008. Hmmmm!!

2004—Robert Gallery, OT

Started out pretty bad as a tackle but has become an OK Guard, but was he worth a No. 2 in the first Round to be an OK OG? Duh!!

2003—Nnamdi Asomugha, DB

Definitely the best first-rounder of the past Decade!

2003—Tyler Brayton, DE

A 'Tweener between DE and LB, never showed me much and left to FA. Good riddance but for no return!

2002—Phillip Buchanon, DB

Great ST returner, but stunk it up as a DB. Traded away.

2002—Napoleon Harris, LB

Average to above average LB for a few years but will always be known as the bait that brought the rotten fish, Randy Moss from MIN to the Raiders.

2001—Derrick Gibson, DB

Couldn't cover and tackled like your Gran'mama. Worked hard to get out of the Not For Long.

2000—Sebastian Janikowski, K

Who but Krazee Al would burn a first-round pick on a beer-gut Kicker? He has become a pretty good placekicker, but not many teams would draft a kicker in the First.

All I am trying to say here is when Upper Management and their inflated egos get involved in the 'glamour' first-round picks, it usually ends up sucking for the Home Team.. And no more so than for Da Raida's! But the same can be said for the Cowboys, the Redskins and a few other teams where the owners have too tight a rein on some VERY critical decisions.

Man-Ram: "Crowd-Pleasing" (aka Mo' Money) or 'Who's Laughing Now?"

Michael2 Keller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:57:44 -0400

The audacity of MLB (and Man-Ram) to throw his 50-day suspension in our face as a token of MLB's efforts to "clean up" the game made me laugh my ass off. He and the front office of Major League Baseball have no concept of what it takes to truly clean up their sport.

A 50-day suspension that includes a 10-day "re-hab" session in the Minors, just like any player that is truly injured and playing his way back into shape, is a ludicrous example of how minor MLB looks at the juicing issue.

Forget that the Players Association has railroaded this little-known clause into the Bargaining Agreement, this sucks!

I grew up collecting all the cards of the great players (and teams) of the late 50s and the 60s and came to believe in the stats printed on the back of each card. Now, given enough "juice" and other growth hormone-based shite certain players can consume, all the stats are thrown out the window. And this in a stats-based sport, if there ever was one.

From my perspective, Man-Ram (and all the phony dread-locked crazy-ass fans who blindly follow him) are just as much to blame for the destruction of baseball as Bonds, Sosa, McGuire or any other juice-head or MLB official who accepts this chronic behavior to define a sport that once had some sense of morality and decency and was truly "America's Game."

Paying For Athletic Value: Have We Finally Reached the Tipping Point?

Michael2 Keller — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:37:59 -0400

Have we reached the apex for paying for athletic skills? If what just happened in the MLB draft doesn't highlight that situation, maybe nothing in modern history can.

A college undergrad pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, from San Diego State, may end up with a $50 million contract. 50 freaking million dollars!

What has he accomplished? What value over the next two years will he produce? How many players make the big leagues in the first two years? Winning 20 games in the A to AAA leagues in front of around 5,000 fans per game is worth this much?

Maybe this is just a microcosm of what is wrong with our entire financial world right now.

CEOs who run companies into the ground get $50 million bonuses. "Financial Analysts," who advise us to invest in worthless stocks or create pyramid scams out of hedge funds earn $100 million a year.

Now, a 21 year old will make $50 million and may never pitch in the "Bigs" and this is "business as usual?" Somehow, I have an issue with that.

Where is the concept of "earn it as you go?" Why not set up a program where there are actual performance incentives in place before the contract is signed (Are you listening Banking, Auto, and Insurance companies)?

Ok, maybe I am too "Old Skool" to get this, but maybe I also have reached the point of total exasperation. When good folks are losing their jobs and are real contributors to the society, and people who have done nothing to really prove they can contribute, make this kind of money.

Call me stupid, or call me jealous, but something is rotten in Denmark under these conditions.

LeBron Who? Kobe Bryant Has Answered All the Questions

Michael2 Keller — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:14:59 -0400

The ongoing LeBron/Kobe debate has spun on and on for the past NBA season and beyond. "King James vs. the Black Mambo", yada, yada, yada.

Guess what! This argument has been put to rest, at least until next season. After watching the dismantling of the Cavs, with LeBron as the sole carrier of the sword and shield of the team, it has become crystal clear that LeBron doesn't have the ability, maturity, capability, or DNA to LEAD the Cavs to the next level.

Kobe has now ensconced himself as the next coming of MJ. He has pushed his teammates to be better than they could be as individuals. He has proven he can pass, rebound, defend, score and LEAD, as the situation dictates.

LeBron, on the other hand, has proven he can score, rebound, pass and...well, lose.

As much as many people (me previously included), felt Kobe didn't have that final Key to the Kingdom on his key chain, I was proven wrong in this Playoff series and this NBA Finals Game One in particular.

Kobe drug, pushed, scored, cajoled and LEAD his team to victory, something King James couldn't and didn't do in this same series. Plus, I saw a side of LeBron that showed me that he may never have all the tools needed to truly challenge Kobe as the rightful heir to MJ.

Athleticism, charisma and hype are not the complete set of tools needed to prove superiority in the realm of superstardom in the NBA. Leadership carries a much bigger stick and Kobe has a Redwood branch, LeBron, a toothpick.

LeBron: A Great Athlete or the Greatest NBA Player?

Michael2 Keller — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:47:26 -0400

I know, I know. Another article about LeBron. But having survived the recent trauma of the uber-hype about LeBron vs. Kobe and the millions of advertising dollars spent, I had to step back and look at things from a more realistic perspective.

There are many examples of great athletes, both in individual and in team sports.

Tiger may be considered one of the greatest athletes and a winner, but he is a one-man team and only has to lead himself.

Bo Jackson was a great athlete in football and baseball, but he never won a championship in either sport.

Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas weren't the greatest athletes to play QB in the NFL, but both were winners and leaders. On the other hand, Michael Vick may have been the best athlete to ever play QB in the NFL but...well, enough said about him.

Michael Jordan was one of the greatest athletes to play in the NBA and he learned to lead and became a winner and a champion. Then there was Pete Maravich who was a phenomenal craftsman but never won The Ring.

Now we come to LeBron James. He is a great, physical player, maybe one of the best to ever play the game so far, but he is missing one key ingredient: LEADERSHIP!

There is a huge difference in wanting to win and making other people around you winners. This comes from maturity, experience, desire...and DNA.

LeBron hasn't shown that he has those traits yet and maybe he never will. Until he can LEAD a team to The Ring, he will always just be a great athlete, just not a champion.

Hard as that is for his many worshipers to swallow, it is the truth. And if you still don't believe me, ask some of those winners (who are also LEADERS) mentioned above.

Fact: ESPN Is a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the NBA

Michael2 Keller — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:15:50 -0400

What an amazing partnership—ESPN is now the Official Spokesperson (TM) for NBA, Inc.

While watching both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, it was finally proven that ESPN has been bought by Chairman David Stern's company, NBA, Inc.

The shills on ESPN's broadcasts and studio 'analysis' teams have let the cat out of the bag with their slobbering over, under, and around LeBron and Kobe.

Too much has been tied up in the ads to let anything happen to not have the "Dream Match-up."

Every time those two make a layup, the screaming announcers almost orgasm on mic, but when a Magic or Nuggets player makes a 360 dunk or fall-away three-pointer, it is "Ho-hum—but remember that play LeBron/Kobe made in the last game?"

Maybe the worst of the bunch is Mike Breen, who yells so loud when Kobe dribbles across halfcourt that my girlfriend's cat jumps two feet in the air. Not sure when he had the surgery to permanently plant his nose up Bryant's keester, but it was a successful medical procedure. I am just not sure how he can still see anything going on in the game when he is looking into such a limited view.

But fear not, we shall see how NBA/ESPN will bring LeBron back from the depths of being down 3-1 and will allow Kobe to score 85 to push the Bryant Lakers (sorry LA, you don't own the team anymore).

Then, we shall have the match-up King David (pictured above) is smiling about. And those paychecks going to ESPN employees will continue to have the NBA logo on the top right corner.

Now the NBA can honestly be compared to WWE; with the results pre-determined to keep their advertisers happy and paying the freight.

Ain't American capitalism grand?

Dallas Mavericks: Too Little and (Maybe) Too Much

Michael2 Keller — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:21:05 -0400

The Mavs can put this year's season on the shelf and be grateful for what they accomplished in spite of what the early season would have projected for them.

Dallas should be proud of Dirk Nowitzki's playoff effort and his being named to the All-NBA first team. Denver got two (Carmelo Anthony and Chauncy Billups, both only made the third team).

But, in watching this series, it seemed clear to me that the days of one player and four supporters are over in the NBA, especially in the playoffs.

Dallas is lacking in two areas and is too full in another.

Outside of Nowitzki, the Mavs are lacking an athletic big. Eric Dampier has the foot speed of a turtle. He can't score, he can't consistently rebound, and he has no concept of aggressive defense.

That opens Dallas up to mayhem when a more athletic, more skilled player like Nene Hilario or Kenyon Martin owns him in the paint.

The Mavs also lack a stong leader on the floor. Jason Kidd was very inconsistent and nobody else took over the on-the-court coach role.

On the other bench, Denver had that in abundance with Billups, and it showed in the stats as well as on the scoreboard.

The one thing Dallas had too much of was tentativeness. The Mavs played like they were afraid to be on the same floor with Denver. They weren't outmatched from a purely physical standpoint, they just didn't look like they were having fun, like the Nuggets were.

After all, it still is a game, and if you can't have fun playing it, you should do something else with your life.

The NFL Draft: Equal Parts Hype, Hope, and Help

Michael2 Keller — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:55:08 -0400

As the latest NFL Draft dust is settling and seems to be moving closer to becoming a Prime Time event, I find it interesting to look a little deeper and see what draws such close scrutiny and volatile response from both the fans and the media.

Hype is probably the easiest of the three H's to define. Everyone, from those in the Team Front Office to the fans' back office water coolers has the ability to predict and define what happens before during and (soon) after the latest draft.

Every player, selection, trade, rumor and action is met with the intensity of the planning of the D-Day invasion and like D-Day, probably few other events in sports leaves as many bodies strewn all over the floor at the end.

The future of each team is defined by who they take in the first three or four rounds. Any mistakes and your team is automatically eliminated from competing in next year's season.

The Mel Kipers of this world have made a very good living off of this Hype and I don't see it changing any time soon.

Hope follows closely behind and indeed shares much of Hype's agonies and ecstasies. It never ceases to amaze me to see how much Hope is put into each team's selections. While the teams on the top are "just reloading", those in the gutter are "One (or 2 or 3 or x or y) picks away" from the giant Lombardi paperweight.

But at the beginning of each season, we are all 0-0, and have the same chance to win the cut glass at the end (well, maybe that last statement is an example of "Too much Hope" for a few teams in the NFL).

But Hope does spring eternal in the Spring as well as through the last full-priced ticket pre-season scrimmage.

Help is what, ultimately, is the end game in the Draft. Assessing where your team's weaknesses are, which players can meet those needs and/or complement your current roster's strengths, whether it is next year or three years down the road will define where your team falls on the Help curve.

This takes true skill, focus, planning, sticking to the plan and hard work to pay off in the end. Usually traits we fans feel we and OUR team has in abundance, compared to the rest of the League.

After all, Hope and Hype only last as long as the beginning of the next season but real Help will be measured in the W-L column (and the longevity of the Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel) long after Hype and Hope have been put away ..... til next year's draft.

Just one NFL fan's opinion.