Bleacher Report - Articles by Daniel Seneriz

Miami Dolphins Defensive End Jason Taylor To Washington For Future Picks.

Daniel Seneriz — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:15:23 -0400

The youth movement in Miami is in full swing and Bill Parcells is doing it again.

According to several reports, Jason Taylor has been traded to the Washington Redskins for a second round pick in 2009 and a sixth round pick in 2010.

Peanuts if you ask me. But it really depends on who you talk to about it.

Certain fans will tell you it makes sense for Miami to get rid of the one time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. First off his salary of $7.5 Million will allow Miami to sign the second round pick, DE Philip Merling. It was apparent that Taylor was only going to play one more year, and it became more apparent once Bill Parcells came aboard that that one year would not be in Miami.

On the other hand, people may say that isn't enough for a player who puts up great numbers every year. J.T. has been a mainstay on the Miami defense since being selected in the third round in 1997.

Certain people will point to the fact that the Indianapolis Colts traded away future hall of famer Marshall Faulk to St. Louis in 1999 for second and fifth round picks. In case you forgot, St. Louis went on to win the Superbowl upon Marshall's arrival.

But the Colts turned that into ILB Mike Peterson, and DE Brad Scioli. They were not necessarily Hall of Fame guys, but none the less solid players in their Colts tenure.

Washington made the move as a result of starting DE Philip Daniels being sidelined for the year with a left knee injury. With players such as Tony Romo, Superbowl MVP Eli Manning, and the ever elusive Donovan McNabb in their division, they needed a player like Jason Taylor at the DE spot.

Bill Parcells has made it clear that players that want to be there need to show it, and players that don't want to be there will be removed. This is a strong message for anyone on the current Miami roster. Jason Taylor was a Miami icon in his time in South Beach, but Parcells message is clear. No matter how many Pro Bowl's you go to, you're no more important than anyone else on the team.

NASCAR: Say What You Want, but "Rowdy" Kyle Busch Just Wins

Daniel Seneriz — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:26:35 -0400

Super speedways, Cookie-Cutters, Road Courses, Short Tracks. He's won on all of them.

Be it Cars, Trucks, Scooters, and probably Tricycles.

He's the young kid, 23 years old, from Las Vegas.

He went from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing. He went from driving for the all-American Chevrolet to driving for the foreign (built in the U.S.) Toyota.

Yes we're talking about "Rowdy" Kyle Busch, the villain of NASCAR. The Darth Vader of NASCAR.

And he doesn't care. Say what you want to about him, he leads in almost all major NASCAR stats for the season.

Most importantly, WINS.

He is just the type of racer NASCAR needs. If he needs to run five-wide on a road course to win, he would. Although not the most popular driver on the circuit, he is certainly one of the most talented and aggressive.

He doesn't settle for the weekly "follow the leader" role that we often see in NASCAR these days. He doesn't race to have a good points day. He wants "W's".

With seven wins so far in the Sprint Cup this season, Busch is on pace to top former teammate Jeff Gordon (13), and NASCAR legend Richard Petty (13), in the win column for a single season.

All this comes on a team in its first year with a new manufacturer and crew chief—a team that hasn't seen success like this since Bobby Labonte won the 2000 Winston Cup.

He gets booed viciously while he's introduced and booed when he wins. Just last night, while being stuck in the mud, the crowd was booing him being stuck. But no matter how much you boo him, he just gets it done on the track.

Sound familiar?

There was once an aggressive "second place is the first loser" driver, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who was booed but loved week in and week out.

Now the comparisons of Rowdy to Earnhardt Sr. are pretty far fetched. The boy has a long way to go to fill those shoes, but the sport does need someone who by Rowdy's standards, losing is not an option. You go out and compete every week to win.

Some of the legends would be proud of what he does on the track. Doesn't matter who is out front, he is going to find a way to get there. He not only does for NASCAR, but for the sport: Racing.

Call it what you want, and say what you want about him, "Rowdy" has what it takes to succeed in this sport.

Racing needs more drivers like him.

Indy Racing League: Its Own Brand or Just a NASCAR Farm System?

Daniel Seneriz — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:57:46 -0400

Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish, Jr., Juan Montoya. All previous Indianapolis 500 winners, and current NASCAR drivers.

Can we please stop the bleeding? How is it that the IRL can begin to build its fan base back up with the lack of star power being stripped by NASCAR?

Over the past 12 years, Open Wheel racing has seen a steady decline in drivers and corporate dollars.

How does one series prevent the other from taking its superstars?

Start by locking up drivers and sponsors for three to four years at a time. Create some competition among manufacturers. Maintain a good product, and fans will start to buy into it.

Sure the IRL-Cart split took its toll on the sport. But now that the series is one again, it's time to look towards the future, and put the past behind us. NASCAR didn't build its success overnight. It took years, consistency, and loyalty to get it where it is right now.

We like consistency. It's easy to follow.

You don't really see the drivers in NASCAR changing sponsors year in and year out. Jeff Gordon hasn't changed much since his first race in 1992. Only the date on the calendar and the paint scheme. The sponsor is still there.

The IRL can really take advantage here. By locking up its drivers for the long haul, it prevents NASCAR from taking some of its biggest names.

Danica Patrick is by far and away its largest draw. Imagine Danica pitching a NASCAR event?

I have an eight-year-old daughter, and when we talk racing, it's about Danica. Losing her to NASCAR in the coming years would definitely take the sport down a few notches.

The IRL needs consistency.

Ask any average fan who drives the No. 3 Marlboro/Team Penske, and most will look at you as if you just kicked their dog. Ask that same group of fans who drives the No. 55 Napa Toyota, and they will know that it's Michael Waltrip.

Not that he is the most popular driver on the circuit, but he has had the same sponsor since 2001, and the marketing NAPA does for him has produced some of the better commercials out there.

We all know commercials are one of NASCAR's specialties.

I think the IRL is heading in the right direction. Name recognition is also important in the sport.

I grew up on the names Andretti, Unser, Mears, and Rahal among others. Although I knew of Earnhardt, Petty, Allison, and Waltrip (Darrell), Indycar guys were the racing rock stars, while the NASCAR guys were the mechanics at your local garage.

Indy appealed to all of us that followed the racing circuits.

Doing 220 mph going into turn one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was something we imagined on our bikes in the local neighborhood.

The IRL went to a single engine manufacturer, Honda, at the beginning of the 2006 season. Although it creates somewhat of an even playing field for some of its drivers, it hurts the growth of the sport. Manufacturers fork out millions a year promoting their drivers.

A car sounding like an IRL car in a drive-thru is not the greatest of ideas when it comes to marketing. Toyota's Commercial featuring Tony Stewart and others, driving "remote controlled" cars is priceless.

It used to be that drivers did all the promoting with corporate appearances and interviews on TV. Not in today's world. With that all important corporate dollar taking over everything in America, more needs to be done in promoting a sport.

By the way, why isn't Kevin Harvick winning more? His sponsor (Shell) is one of the bigger "an $18 billion profit isn't enough in a quarter of a year" oil companies in the world.

That's where driver recognition comes into play. By keeping some of your biggest stars from bolting to NASCAR, you create that commonality that fans buy into.

Much like my daughter's understanding of the sport, a name says a lot. Marketing can do wonders, but what is it going to do for you when you don't know who is coming and going?

Now some of the names synonymous with open wheel are coming back with Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, and Al Unser III. That's great. Now let's build on that and keep it that way.

O'Neal to Toronto: Pacers Draft Eve Trade Makes Sense

Daniel Seneriz — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:46:47 -0400

I applaud you Larry Bird.

You stepped into the role of President/CEO of the Indiana Pacers with one goal in mind.

Restore this franchise back to the Elite in the Eastern Conference.

You understood you were not going to achieve that with Jermaine O'Neal. At least not with the supporting cast around him and the lack of salary cap room due to overpaid players.

We all know that this is the first of many moves that you will make in your current role. Sending Jermaine O'Neal north of the border makes sense for everyone involved.

O'Neal's move should hardly come as a shock to those in the sports world.

While he may be a six time all-star, Jermaine has only played an average of 54 games a season over the past three years.

A solid contributor in Indiana over the past eight years, O'Neal and Indiana needed a change.

Indiana desperately needed an upgrade to the point guard position. They got one in T.J Ford. Though not a perennial all-star, Ford is a solid PG.

A rare neck condition has limited Ford over the past four years, but since returning from neck surgery, has continues to get better.

Ford is only 25, has made improvements in the past few years, and is an immediate upgrade over current Pacer PG Jamaal Tinsley.

Jackie Moon is an upgrade over Jamaal Thugsley.

Along with the trade Indiana will now hold the 11th and 17th picks in tomorrow nights draft.

That's two picks in the top 20.

Indiana will also get much needed salary cap room after the 2008-2009 season. Having salary cap room in 2009 looks to be very interesting with the likes of Allen Iverson, Elton Brand, and Kobe Bryant scheduled to become free agents.

Not a bad list to have money to spend on.

Larry will now turn his attention towards the draft.

Sure this is only the beginning of the Larry Bird regime in Indiana.

Larry still has more moves to make in the coming months, but this one sure looks like a sign of good things to come.

Bill Parcells Should Get Something for Jason Taylor

Daniel Seneriz — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:58:26 -0400

Bill Parcells. What are you thinking? Nobody is going to give you a first round pick on a guy who has already made it clear, HE WILL PLAY ONE MORE YEAR!

Sure this team hasn't been to the playoffs since we paid $1.50 for gas, but J.T. is going to get you there on his own.

Davey and Nicky screwed up this team for a few more seasons, and the joke that was Scam Cameron didn't make matters any better either.

We need draft picks. We needed them in April, and we'll need them next April.

Sure, you may have made some good picks in this draft, but even that will not be determined until two to three years from now.

J.T. will be reciting lines with Victor on The Young and the Restless before we know what this draft class is capable of.

I understand that the road taken to rebuild this once proud franchise is reminiscent of Indianapolis and New England (minus the cheating). And that is through the draft.

You have my complete support in the direction that you are taking this franchise, but hanging onto J.T. isn't helping us. Let him go while you can still get some value for him.

Maybe not a first, maybe not a second, but what about a couple third rounders and a sixth? You can find a solid player in later rounds, maybe even a diamond in the rough.

Seriously though, dump him while you still can, and let's get this show on the road.