Bleacher Report - Articles by Taylor O'Brochta

There Has to Be a Better Way: BCS Controversy Continues

Taylor O'Brochta — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:16:13 -0500

Yet again, the BCS is in shambles and will be for the rest of the season. Think about this. If Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State, Texas Tech is in the Big 12 championship. If Texas Tech loses to Baylor, Texas is in the Big 12 championship.

Voters these days are all about that hot team! Which team is playing well right now? Which team just put up 70 against the Citadel? Lets take a deeper look at what just happened in the AP poll.

Florida sits at No. 2. They sit above a team in Texas who lost on a dropped interception. If it had been caught Texas would be still sitting at No. 1. This was a Texas Tech team that was ranked No. 2 in the nation yesterday and is number seven in the nation now. The voters have forgiven Florida for their loss to unranked Ole Miss (7-4) in "The Swamp," but haven't forgiven Texas for their loss at Texas Tech.

Florida sits in front of an Oklahoma team that has its only loss to Texas on a neutral field. This was a game that Oklahoma led all the way up until the fourth quarter. Are you telling me that a one-loss team whose only loss is to the No. 4 team in the nation with a Heisman candidate at quarterback? Are they worse than a team whose only loss is to an Ole Miss team at home? I refuse to believe it.

Oklahoma sits at No. 3. Sure, they handed Texas Tech a butt whooping, a team that Texas lost to. But let's not forget this was at home where Bob Stoops has two losses in his career. Don't underestimate how influential a home field advantage is. That loss that you talk about against Texas Tech?

If that interception was caught this talk wouldn't even be happening. That loss was at Texas Tech and it was on the heels of a brutal stretch of games: Oklahoma at the time No. 1, Missouri No. 11, Oklahoma State No. 6, Texas Tech No. 7. Where is the break in that stretch? Let's not forget that Texas gave Missouri, the hot team at the time with the Heisman front-runner quarterback, a nice little 56-31 loss.

This system is flawed terribly! Like I mentioned at the beginning of the article, if Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State and Texas Tech beats Baylor, the Red Raiders are in the Big 12 championship against Missouri.

What happens then? The voters will be quick to drop Texas out of the top five to make sure that a team that didn't win its championship will not make it to the national championship. They might even jump Texas Tech up over Texas. Then the question is, who plays the winner of the SEC championship in the national championship, assuming Florida and Alabama don't lose before then?

The next highest-rated team is USC who might not even win the Pac 10 because of their loss to Oregon State early in the season, so then Penn State is sent to the national championship. A team that lost on a last-second field goal to Iowa, are they better then Texas, USC, Oklahoma?

There will be no winners this year in the BCS. No matter who is decided to go to the national championship or even the Big 12 championship, it's going to be the wrong choice. We as college football fans deserve our playoff that we all so often beg for.

We have voters that will choose the hot team and forgive teams for losses to sub-par teams early in the season and punish teams for losses to elite teams late in the season. The only good that is going to come out of this season is that yet again, the BCS is going to be under a microscope. There has to be a better way...

Grace Period About Up for Rich Rodriguez

Taylor O'Brochta — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:12:26 -0500

Its been a long year for Michigan and it got longer on Saturday with its fifth straight loss to Ohio State. Coming into this season, every Michigan fan knew that it was going to be a hard season and it wasn't going to be pretty. With that came the grace period for Rich Rodriguez.

Some said he had a season and a half grace period where no matter what the team did it was alright, and up until Saturday there was that feeling that it was still there.

After watching the disgrace of the game Michigan played against Ohio State, its about time for that grace period to fade away.

Sure he lost a lot of starters on offense and lost the top four starters on defense, but this team is a lot better the a 3-9 team.

During the Ohio State game, it looked as though the team laid down and died. The intensity of an Ohio State-Michigan rivalry was not there.

That's coaching, my friends. Its his job to get his team fired up and ready to play and they weren't. The offense, which everyone knew was going to struggle, had probably its worst showing not getting their first first down until there was eight minutes left in the second quarter. That's coaching, make a change, it's obviously not working.

This was an Ohio State-Michigan game, and it sure didn't feel like it. I am sure that if you are an Ohio State fan you feel the same way. The intensity wasn't there, and it just wasn't as fun to watch. It felt more like watching an old Northwestern game.

When the going got tough Michigan decided that it was time for them to just give up... There should NEVER be a point in ANY Ohio State-Michigan game where either team should lay down and die, and that's what Michigan did, That's on Rich!

I more than anyone was all for the grace period given to Rich Rodriguez. I knew what he was walking into, and I knew that it wasn't pretty.

I constantly said it would be a surprise if they made a bowl and that once Rich gets his guys, it will work. I still feel that it will work, and I am not even close to calling for a guys head after one season, but this season has been harder then it should have been.

The team looks and plays like it deserves to play alongside teams like Idaho and Washington, which is sad because there is a lot of talent on this team.

So, no, I am not saying let's start the "fire Rich" campaign; I am far from it. Michigan fans need to be supportive and need to understand he had nothing this season.

I am saying that from this point on when the team doesn't perform at all, that's on Rich. Don't say to yourself, "Well, he has nobody and it will work next year."

That's over. Rich used up his grace period. It's now time for him to start proving that he can coach and that he is the right guy for this job.

With that said... The season is over! It's been a long one.

Rich Rodriguez Can Prove He Was a Smart Choice With a Win over Ohio State

Taylor O'Brochta — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:48:15 -0500

Its been a long season for Rich Rodriguez and Michigan fans. It has technically been the worst season in Michigan football history (this was the first ever eight loss season in the history of Michigan football.) With that said, Rich Rodriguez has a chance to prove early in his career with Michigan that he was the right guy for the job. All he has to do is something that Lloyd Carr couldn't do the past four years, which is beat the Buckeyes.

This year's Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game has lost a lot of the spark that it has had the past couple of years. The national championship is not on the line for either team or the Big Ten championship (Ohio State still needs Penn State to lose once more.) But, it's still Ohio State-Michigan, which is why many will be tuned in on Saturday.

This is still one of the most heated rivalry's in all of sports and many believe it to be the most heated. The upsets can be huge and a victory here could mean all, which presents Rich Rodriguez with a perfect situation. Its been four years since Wolverine fans have tasted victory over the Buckeyes, something they had come to enjoy quite often in the Cooper era, and giving them a taste of victory will make almost every loss and mistake disappear like that.

Win and Rich has been a success already. It seems funny to people that don't follow Michigan or Ohio State, but remember this back in the first year of Jim Tressell. A heavily favored Michigan team was demolished by an unranked Ohio State team and from that moment on, Mr. Sweater-vest was the hero in Ohio.

When you accept the coaching job at Ohio State or Michigan, you are measured on two things: Bowl wins and beating Michigan or Ohio State. Coach Cooper was one of the greatest recruiters of all time and put together some great seasons and brought a Heisman trophy to Ohio. But, the coach will forever be remembered as the coach that couldn't beat Michigan and in the eyes of Buckeye fans, he was a failure. Lloyd Carr won Michigan a National Championship in 1997 along with a Heisman trophy, but is considered second to Bo Schembechler. Because, later in his career, he couldn't beat Jim Tressel (He beat him once.)

Rich Rodriguez could take a giant step forward and could make his statement on Saturday with a Michigan win. It's a long shot and many have already written Michigan off, but let's remember this is Ohio State vs. Michigan! With a win on Saturday, Rodriguez will already be a success in Ann Arbor

The NFL Will Do Anything for History...Going Down a Slippery Slope

Taylor O'Brochta — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:20:59 -0500

The NFL had its first ever 11-10 win in the leagues history this weekend. For the first time ever in the NFL's history, a game ended in an 11-10 score. But that seemed to be ruined by a play made by Troy Polamalu, when he tipped a lateral and picked up the "fumble" and took it in for a defensive touchdown to end the game, but wait...

With players walking onto the field to shake hands thinking its over all the sudden there was an announcement, "The play is under review!" Everyone thought this was just the NFL making sure that it didn't mess up a call again or just to make sure that this game didn't end on something unfair since it was a tough game and hard fought.

Then the ref came out and said some line about it being an illegal forward pass and that the penalty was declined and the game was over.

In this mix of celebrating the Steelers win, not many people were thinking about this description or what was going on. Then I watched the replay over and over again and wondered how there was an illegal forward pass. The NFL had realized that there was a chance to get history and they found a way to get it.

Now, if you don't believe me go watch the play for yourself there are highlights on NFL.com. This is a minor thing the Steelers still won and it didn't change anything about the game. But the NFL got what they wanted, history. Even as weird as it was they got the first ever 11-10 score.

It's a minor thing, but this is just a little sign for what slippery road the NFL is going down. In a league where its apparently illegal to hit a quarterback and not only that they fine you, it's illegal to celebrate a touchdown in certain ways, it's illegal to openly disagree with refs and with all that they fine you chunks of cash if you do it.

But if you are caught cheating we will give you a slap on the wrist.

I understand that the NFL is a business and they needed to make from it, but this "business" has been run rather well for years and somehow with players allowed to not only hit the quarterback they could horse collar, slam their forearm into a helmet, grab a face mask and even level players on the sideline, this sport became the most profitable and loved sport in America.

The NFL needs to watch it they are starting to go towards the same thing that the MLB went through and the NBA is going through right now.

The MLB helped to make these players produce in home runs. Because everyone loves to see a ball smacked out of the park I know I do, so this is what they gave the people. Turned a blind eye to the steroids brought in smalled stadiums that a supposed small ball player could knock 20 HRs out a year.

The NBA just got caught with a ref that was betting and deciding the outcomes of games and now its starting to be questioned were these games pushed towards a certain outcome...but those are other articles.

The NFL is now protecting their money players WRs, RB, and especially QBs. They fine the players that hit too hard (See the Tuck hit on Brooks Bollinger) and make sure that their apparent golden boys are not harmed. This was just another example of what is going on in the NFL.

The NFL saw a feel good story and history to be made so they pulled some strings and took a touchdown away. You might disagree with me on all these stuff, but please go watch that play and tell me how that is called back and turned over to not give Troy Polamalu a touchdown.

When money is so much of a concern for a league it becomes a problem. League executives don't realize that NFL fans are educated in football, more so then ever before. With SportsCenter, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and even Bleacher Report, we know more than any generation of NFL fan.

But not only that we have opinions and when we see that players are being fined for stupid things we get angry and don't like when people change the sport we love.

My point of this article is thus: Please, NFL, watch yourself and look into what happened to MLB and NBA and don't let it happen to you. This is a slippery slope that you are going down, and you are sprinting straight towards it and we as the fans see this and know what is going on.

Pittsburgh Steelers: An Offensive Line Away from an Elite Team

Taylor O'Brochta — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:30:41 -0400

I was sitting here the night before the Giants-Steelers game, getting ready to write an article about how the Steelers never receive any respect for what they do and are never seen as an "elite" team in the NFL. For some reason, I stopped writing the article and decided that I should wait to see the game before I jumped to any conclusions.

Thankfully, I did.

As a huge Pittsburgh fan, I have been wondering why the Steelers never receive any talk about being an elite team. They have done everything that is needed to be called one: constant winning seasons, a Super Bowl in the past three years, and multiple Pro Bowlers. Yet, they are never really mentioned.

Then I watched the Steelers vs. Giants game on Sunday.

I was going to write this article about how the Steelers are an offense away from being an elite team, but that's not true. The Steelers' offense is a powerhouse waiting to bloom.

They have all the makings of a powerhouse offense: an All-Pro running back in Willie, the up and coming, highly-touted rookie in Mendenhall, a great backup and third-down back in Mewelde, and the bruiser in Najeh.

They have a quarterback that is slowly inching his way into the top tier of quarterbacks—a tier that is currently occupied by just two.

They also have a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Hines Ward, another Pro Bowl caliber in Santonio, Nate Washington could be a starter on a lot of teams in the NFL, plus they have Limas, their soon to be tall red-zone wide receiver. And one of the best all-around tight-ends in the league.

We all know the defense is "elite," as they flexed that muscle against the Giants on Sunday. So, the only thing holding this team back from being the powerhouse they look so destined to become is the O-line.

I actually thought the O-line was going to perform rather well at the beginning of the season. I was one of the Steelers fans who thought they didn't really need to make any big splashes in free agency or the draft to solidify the O-line. I was wrong! This line is downright awful!

Now, don't throw all the blame on the O-line; Ben is credited with a lot of the sacks. The only thing that is keeping Ben out of that top tier of quarterbacks is that he can't distinguish between when he should get the ball out quickly, when to throw it away, and when to be the Ben he is now and hold onto the ball and make amazing plays like he can.

But with that said, this line has been the weak spot of the Steelers for about two years now. It's been obvious that we need to do something, and it's a crying shame, because this team is made up of All Pro players at almost every position except for the O-line. I have faith that the Steelers will make some changes this offseason to solidify this line, or at least take steps towards doing so.

I am also not ruling them out of Super Bowl contention. Back in 2006 the Steelers had one of the most worthless showings against the Colts in the regular season and then met them again and won the war on that one. But it's hard to watch a team hold the No. 2 offense in the league to a total of one touchdown and watch as our offense can't even get a first down.

I don't know if I am the only one that has noticed it, but ever since Jeff Hartings, our Pro Bowl center retired, for good reason, the O-line has been poor. Even with Alan Faneca on the line it was still pitiful. If you are a Steelers fan, you know the names of the centers on the great teams of the past. It's been a position that the Steelers had made a priority for good reason.

The center is the "quarterback" of the offensive line. Think back to the 1995 season. Who was the center? Dermonti Dawson, a constant Pro Bowler. Who was the center in 2006 when they won the Super Bowl? Jeff Hartings. Even back in the '70s, who was the center behind whom the Steelers won four Super Bowls? Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center and arguably one of the best ever to play the game.

In the past two seasons we have had two starting centers and I have a sneaking feeling that next year we might be introduced to another. This line can't be fixed with just a center, but it's a huge step forward. Trust me, the Steelers know this.

The Steelers will shore up this offensive line in the offseason. They have showed, time in and time out, that they know what they are doing as an organization. The most recent example of this is letting Joey Porter go because they had a guy in the name of James Harrison behind him.

So I don't doubt them, and I am not giving up on the season—far from it. We are 5-2, have only lost to the NFC East, and we have a chance to beat one of them this next week.

But to ever see this Steelers offense flourish like I know they can, we have the makings of a top three offense, and to be considered an elite team, we need an offensive line.

College Football Fans Sigh With Relief After Second OSU Loss

Taylor O'Brochta — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:06:33 -0400

It seemed as though the 2007 season was going to happen all over again. Ohio State was going to find a way to back itself into the National Championship game for the third time. It was all setting up. They had a new quarterback that the whole nation wanted to see play. Their star running back was back to form, and the Big Ten was showing how easy it actually was.

Ohio State fans had forgotten about the 35-3 butt kicking in L.A. and NCAA fans were worried yet again. Could OSU find its way back into the National Championship? And if they did would it be another dud of a performance? They were starting to get National Championship recognition again and it was scaring every NCAA football fan that doesn't live in Columbus, but with one fumble you could hear the sigh of relief from the nation.

Its over the National Championship hopes for the Ohio State Buckeyes have faded and with it NCAA football fans can relax. There are a lot of OSU haters out there and why not? All they have done is go to back to back national championships, win a Heisman and then land the number one recruit in last year's class. With success comes a lot of haters, but this is different.

After last years National Championship I could only dream of the days of USC vs Texas and even the OSU vs Miami games that were. Back to back one sided SEC wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes had completely soured the taste of the Bowl Season in my mouth. With such an upset season where no one was safe any week was this the way it was going to end?

Then the new season rolled around and OSU yet again was a favorite to make it to the National Championship there was just one game that was standing in their way, and it was a shot for them to prove themselves, but apparently they didn't want to show up for that game.

It was over the nation wouldn't have to watch OSU get trounced again in a National Championship and then came upsets galore and a weak Big Ten and all the sudden OSU was back in it.

Penn Stats slammed the door shut on that Saturday night in the Horse Shoe, and is looking to take themselves to the National Championship. Its not bashing on the Buckeyes to say that NCAA fans are glad they won't be in the National Championship this year and its not hating of the Buckeyes that made so many fans sigh with relief on Saturday night (although I am sure there are a good amount of them out there).

Its the fact that we as a fan base want a better National Championship and the Buckeyes have had two shots at it and three shots to prove they can play with the big dogs and they haven't shown it.

The Buckeyes will go on to win their Bowl Game and with the season shaping up the way that it is they might even get a BCS Bowl Bid, but their National Championship run is over it will be two new teams in it this year, seeing as LSU was handed its second loss on Saturday as well, and to tell you the truth I am excited about that!

Now lets hope that whoever makes it into the National Championship that one of them doesn't lay an egg and we have an actually good game.

Quit Crying and Play The Game, Hines Ward Does!

Taylor O'Brochta — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:15:59 -0400

That's right the Baltimore Ravens have yet again called for the head of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.

On the syndicated radio show 2 Live Stews this week, Terrell Suggs mentioned that there was a "bounty" out for Hines. This is the second Raven to complain about Ward this year. The first being Bart Scott, who couldn't stop crying after he was destroyed by Ward on a block and now Suggs.

...Really? A "bounty"?... I have one thing to say to the Ravens defense. Shut up and just play football. Hines will take your hits and stand up and smile and never say a word about it. You, on the other hand, get blocked and hit like you are supposed to hit once in your life and you have to complain.

Hines is the staple of what football should be! This is a league where WRs are defined by Chad Ocho-Cinco, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss, and where blocking is defined as getting in the way of a corner and pushing them. Hines goes out and demonstrates game-in and game-out how football should be played and he does it with a smile on.

The man never complains about how many times he is thrown the ball. He doesn't refuse to go over the middle and when he is asked to block you better believe he is going to block! Ask Bart Scott, Ed Reed, Keith Rivers and the list goes on.

So what is so wrong about this? The true answer is nothing at all. There is not a coach out there that would say they wouldn't want Hines Ward on their team and there isn't a running back in the league that would not want Ward lined up wide blocking for him.

Unfortunately, in today's NFL it's viewed as "dirty" to lay a devastating block, especially when it's on a linebacker. That saddens me a lot because football is supposed to be a physical sport and Ward knows that and he loves that.

I read recently on a web site that said, "If Hines Ward would get hit like he has been hitting people he wouldn't do it anymore." I had to laugh at that because obviously this person doesn't watch Ward play. He welcomes the hits and loves to go across the middle. When he is lit up (and trust me he gets lit up) what does he do? Does he call for a "bounty"? No! Does he go out for revenge? No! He stands up, smiles, and goes back to the huddle. Ward demonstrates everything that is good in football!

He goes out there to play football. He smiles every play. After a touchdown, he gives out a ball and gives it to a fan with his jersey then takes the fine that is dealt out. He plays until the whistle is blown and he does all this without complaining.

When Hines Ward career is over he will have the stats to get some serious consideration for the Hall of Fame, but overall what will make him most appealing to voters is the fact that he played football the way it was supposed to be played.

So to the Ravens and everyone out there that can't stop complaining about how Ward plays, stop crying to the public. Go out and when he comes across the middle take your best shot and drive him into the ground. He will get up, slap you on the helmet with a smile on and run back to the huddle. Then he'll get ready for the next play, because he has a lot more football to play!

Matt Joyce: New Face of Mo-Town

Taylor O'Brochta — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:29:49 -0400

That's right—move over Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. There is a new newbie in town.

Matt Joyce, the kid out of Florida Southern, who's first performance in the Majors was only 17 days ago is taking not only Detroit by storm, but also the MLB.

When he was called up, many believed it to be the wrong choice—people not really knowing who he was didn't really help.

With the Jacque Jones experiment not working and doctors saying that Sheffield wouldn't be able to perform in LF consistently with his injury, the Tigers turned to youth for the first time all season. Being called up to the Majors at the age of 23, Matt Joyce has performed like he has been there for years.

Maybe it was the idea that when there was a problem all season and off season, they went and found someone that had a "track record." Or that there just isn't anyone that young on the Tigers' starting line up right now. Or with the Tigers' season seeming to spiral out of control. Whatever the reason was, they felt the need for a spark and were going to take a gamble on a young player who had shown that he wants to play in the MLB and was going to work hard for it.

Whatever it was the Tigers found their man, and it has paid off!

Since his first Major League performance on May 5th, Matt Joyce has hit five home runs. That's more then Edgar Renteria, Carlos Guillen, Gerry Sheffield, Placido Polanco, and Pudge—who are all consistent starters.

He is also only two home runs off away from the team leaders, Miguel Cabrera and Maglio.

Not only that, but he is starting to solidify himself as a strong left fielder—the only position in the Tigers lineup that was considered to be weak at the beginning of the season.

This may sound all fine to you and not even that amazing, but let's consider the fact that Matt Joyce has eight RBI, five HRs, and has scored another eight times. Not the greatest line if you were looking right at it, but the fact is—Matt Joyce has only played in 13 games.

Maglio and Miguel have seven home runs and have played in 47 games.

He is batting .278 and has on OBP of .357 which, for a rookie who has been in the Big Leagues a total of two weeks, is outstanding.

And let's not forget the fact that at the beginning of the season the Tigers were hard pressed to find more then 2 batters over .200.

Matt Joyce might have slipped into the big leagues, but he won't slip past anyone else. If he continues to be consistent, he will get some serious recognition for the Rookie of the Year, and he will find himself in the starting lineup for the Tigers for a long time.

It's too early to say if the Tigers have struck gold, but as of this moment Matt Joyce looks like the real thing.

Jim Leyland, It's Time to Stop the Babying the Detroit Tigers

Taylor O'Brochta — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:27:37 -0400

The Tigers have fallen from grace just as fast as they had climbed up to it. It seems like yesterday that a much worse Tigers team was heading to the World Series.

That has come and passed.

With acquiring both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, it seemed the Tigers were going to be the team to beat.

In the eyes of many people they had surpassed the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees with the greatest lineup in baseball.

The power and offense was supposed to be amazing, and the pitching got even better with Dontrelle. They already had a great ace pitcher in Verlander, the vet in Kenny Rogers, and rising prospect Jermey Bondermen.

Where is that power? Where is the pitching?

The team is horrible, and the offense doesn't exist. Before the season really even began they had been shut out more times than they had all last year.

Verlander has only on a couple of occasions given up less then four runs in a game.

And what is the response of the feared Jim Leyland? "Our offense has been blah. That's all I can say. I'm not mad at them. I'm not down on them."

Maybe its Leyland's age or the fear of upsetting the supposed greatest lineup in baseball, but it seems Leyland has gone soft.

Remember back at the beginning of the season when it was reported Leyland ripped into his team? Their record was 3-10.

I guess that is the boiling point—not the fact that your team didn't win a game for the first couple of weeks of the season, was the last team in the MLB to get a single win, or ,not to mention, was also the last team to win back to back games.

It's time to stop saying everything is going to be ok and that there is a lot of time in the season. The longer we say that, the closer to the end of the season we get.

These players need to get a complete wake up call.

It seems that they think the next person in the lineup will do their job.

Leyland needs to lay into them and show them he is in charge. They are terrible and they need to be treated that way. There needs to be booing in the stadiums, and people need to stop showing up.

It pains me to say it, but as much as I was looking forward to the begining of this MLB season with the great team that we were going to have, I can't wait for it to end. I was counting down the days until opening day—now, I am back to counting down the days to the end of the season.

It's already over if we don't stop babying this team.

Of course the New York Giants became the first team ever to win a Super Bowl starting 0-2. Sports don't have a set path that they follow and its never exactly the same, so there is hope.

But, we as Tiger Nation need to wake up and stop telling ourselves and our team that the season is long and we are going to pull it around. We stink and that is that. Lets just hope they wake up.