Bleacher Report - Articles by Dave Nemetz

Michael Vick's Job Offers

Dave Nemetz — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:16:12 -0400

Michael Vick is almost out of prison, and until the glorious day that he returns to the NFL, he'll need to find another source of income as he fights his way out of bankruptcy. Luckily, Vick will have the help of all of his fans here at Bleacher Report who have come up with a very attractive list of potential job offers. Employers everywhere should take note - if you've got an offer for Michael Vick, get it in soon because he's sure to find some kind of work in this "thriving" economy. Yeah...right.

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Scottsdale Spring Training: A San Francisco Giants Fan Guide

Dave Nemetz — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:33:25 -0500

No joke: spring training has changed my life. What started as a one-off fluke of a trip that my Dad and I took down to Scottsdale to check out some late-spring Giants tuneups has turned into an annual pilgrimage that marks the shedding of winter and the renewal of America's pastime for a new season. As a Giants fan, I can't recommend Scottsdale Spring Training highly enough. Whether you head down with your dad, your kids, your siblings, or your friends, you're guaranteed to have a good time and collect your fair share of great memories. For this visitor's guide, I've attempted to provide some history and background along with a broad overview of what to expect at Scottsdale Spring Training, as well as some of my recommendations and favorite spots from my six years of spring trips. I hope people find this helpful, and those of you who have also been feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments below.

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After Loss, USC OC Steve Sarkisian Demoted to Oakland Raiders Head Coach

Dave Nemetz — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:08:54 -0400

LOS ANGELES — After an embarrassing loss to unranked Oregon State in front of a nationally televised audience in a Thursday night game, the previously #1 ranked USC Trojans made a difficult—but perhaps necessary—change, dismissing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. As a result of the demotion, Sarkisian will turn in his USC playbook and take over as head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, effective immediately.

"Sark has been a great coach to our kids and a loyal member of our staff," said USC head coach Pete Carroll. "It's tough to send him down, but my hope is that he can focus on the fundamentals with the Raiders while not having to deal with the pressure and expectations that come with coaching at a winning program. The way I expect thing's to go down there, Steve should be back up here soon."

The fate of in-limbo Raiders head coach and former USC co-offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is still unclear, although ESPN's John Clayton reports that Raiders owner Al Davis may fire Kiffin in the next two days, but could also let him remain in limbo as co-head coach for up to two years. The deciding factor is presumed to be Davis' ability to remember who Kiffin is and whether or not he has fired him already.

Davis himself was unavailable for comment, but sources within the Raiders organization say that the mercurial owner is already plotting his plan to undermine and alienate Sarkisian in a misguided power play that only serves to further sink his team into putridity.

USC has not named a replacement for Sarkisian, but the short list of candidates is said to include Kiffin if-and-when he is fired, current tight ends coach Brennan Carroll (Pete's son), soon-to-be-fired University of Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham, and former USC quarterback Todd Marinovich. The Trojans do expect to have a new offensive coordinator hired in time for Saturday's home game against the Oregon Ducks, but regardless of who they hire they will continue to give the ball to Joe McKnight way too much despite his propensity to fumble and the obvious fact that C.J. Gable is clearly the better all around back.

The Raiders have a bye week this week and resume play on October 12th at the New Orleans Saints, giving Sarkisian plenty of time to institute his playbook, cut out all the plays that are too complex for Jamarcus Russell, get stabbed in the back by members of the Oakland front office, realize he is alone on an island, and commiserate over a beer with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.

Memo to Don Nelson: Call More Plays for Andris Biedrins

Dave Nemetz — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:08:13 -0400

The Golden State Warriors have lost three of its last four and are teetering on the brink of playoff elimination. If it hadn't been for Denver's ineptitude in losses to Sacramento and Seattle, the Dubs would already be done.

And yet as Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis and Al Harrington brick three after three, there is one player who can score consistently at a high percentage, yet Coach Don Nelson consistently ignores him, especially down the stretch.

Yes, I'm talking about the Latvian Legend, Andris Biedrins.

Biedrins may have one of the best 'retro 80's white guy' haircuts in the NBA, but he is also a smooth finisher down low who currently sports the highest field goal percentage in the NBA. With the Warriors' glut of outside shooters and Monta Ellis' ability to either drive and shoot or drive and finish, Biedrins can pretty much always find an opening in the paint.

And when the Warriors go to him, he is pretty much unstoppable. He racked up 15 points in the first half against the Hornets yesterday on a combination of pick-and-rolls, put backs and fast break finishes. He's also been shooting better from the free throw line recently, despite his previously horrible percentage and bizarre shooting style.

But the problem is that, all too often this season, Biedrins has all but disappeared from Don Nelson's game plan. That's what happened in the second half yesterday in New Orleans, and that's what happened in the loss to Dallas earlier in the week.

From a Warriors fan's perspective, it's painful to watch a bunch of quick perimeter shots with no passing when we know we have one of the quickest penetrating guards with a great pull-up jump shot in Ellis, and one of the best athletic-finishing bigs in Biedrins.

There are even some fans who have suggested that Nelson has limited Biedrins' minutes this year to keep his value down as he is to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the team desperately needs to re-sign both him and Ellis, who is to become a restricted free agent.

Yet in the throes of a playoff chase, that hardly makes sense.

Biedrins is good enough to be a force on this team right now, and he's only going to get better.

I can only imagine when Brandan Wright develops a bit more what this team will be capable of with Ellis driving and either dishing to Biedrins and Wright for easy dunks, pulling up to shoot his great mid-range jumpshot, or finishing himself with his great reverse lay-ins and tear drops.

So listen up, Don. The Warriors offense should be running through Ellis and Biedrins. Their combination of finishing ability and athleticism are the future of the team.

And with the playoffs on the line, they're enough right now to be the present, too.

Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper: Reunited?

Dave Nemetz — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 06:35:43 -0500

ESPN's John Clayton has reported today that Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper are conspiring to reunite and "finish what they started" by signing with the same team as free agents.

This borderline absurd turn of events, made possible by the ridiculous fact that the Patriots failed to lock up Moss before he hit free agency, is nonetheless compelling and tantalizing.

Patriots fans are probably banging their heads against the wall in frustration that Moss, after disappearing in the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, may end up playing on another team next year.

New England, who also lost Donte Stallworth to the Browns, would yet again be more or less depleted at wide receiver. Sure, Wes Welker had a great year, but he's not getting open on all those patterns underneath and over the middle if Moss and Stallworth aren't stretching the field by going deep.

If Moss leaves as well, New England fans can get used to the sight of Tom Brady on his ass, something that occurred all too frequently against the Giants.

Meanwhile, fans of other NFL teams with a void at QB and WR might be scared shitless that the Daunte-Moss package could come to town and fizzle out. Moss is great and all after his rejuvenation year in New England, but he's only a year removed from being totally washed up in Oakland.

And Culpepper? Well, he hasn't exactly been lighting it up these last few years, punctuated by the fact that he could neither win the starting QB job on a horrible Raiders team last year, nor hold on to the starter's role when it fell to him due to injury.

That said, IF Moss and Culpepper follow through on this idea and decide to reunite, here's a look at a few teams they could end up with:

Carolina Panthers

Why it could happen: The Panthers' QB situation was in shambles last year. Things got so bad, in fact, that the Carolina brass actually decided the retired Vinny Testaverde was the best guy to run their team and signed him off the scrap heap. Culpepper hasn't played well in years, but you've gotta admit that the prospect of Culpepper tossing it up to Moss on one side and Steve Smith on the other would be pretty damn exciting.

Why it probably won't: John Fox is a hard-ass, and Culpepper and Moss aren't known to be great character guys. Plus, Smith might not like the idea of sharing the ball with another prima donna wide receiver.

Miami Dolphins

Why it could happen: The Dolphins were beyond horrible last year, they need a QB bad, and they could also use a big-play WR after trading away both Welker and Chris Chambers in the last year. Bill Parcells was brought in to shake up the team, and something like this would certainly qualify.

Why it probably won't: Parcells left Dallas in a hurry after having to co-exist with T.O., so it's doubtful he'd want to bring in Moss. Culpepper has already had a stint in Miami that did not end well. And Moss and Culpepper are going to want to go somewhere with a chance at competing, which Miami is still at least a few years away from doing.

Kansas City Chiefs

Why it could happen: Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence as a QB tandem in K.C. last year. Culpepper throwing to Moss, Dwayne Bowe, and Tony Gonzalez and handing it off to Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith would make for a high-octane offense.

Why it probably won't: The Chiefs are focused on getting younger, and both Moss and Culpepper are pushing 30. Plus, with so many options at his disposal, Herm Edward's head might explode.

Baltimore Ravens

Why it could happen: New head coach John Harbaugh immediately would gain an upgraded offense with the Moss-Culpepper combo. The duo would join a squad that has never lacked on defense, but hasn't exactly been great about scoring points. The team immediately would become a scary contender in the AFC North.

Why it probably won't: The Steve McNair era didn't go great in Baltimore, so who knows if they'd want to roll the dice on another banged-up, over-the-hill QB. And with Moss and Ray Lewis on the same team, the locker room atmosphere in Baltimore would be straight out of The Wire.

Atlanta Falcons

Why it could happen: Atlanta endured the season from hell last year after the Michael Vick saga played out about as badly as it could. The team had to choose between Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich at QB, and Bobby Petrino bailed mid-season to take the Arkansas job. The big splash that would come from signing Moss and Culpepper could reinvigorate the franchise and make it relevant again, or, at the very least, fun to watch.

Why it probably won't: Owner Arthur Blank may be wary of bringing in players of questionable character after getting stung by Vick. Neither Moss nor Culpepper have had particularly high marks in that category throughout their careers.

Super Bowl XLII: 19-0*

Dave Nemetz — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:30:14 -0500

Bleacher Report's official stance on Super Bowl XLII?

That was one hell of a game.

Leave your post-Super Bowl comments here, and let us know what you think of one of the most intrigue-ridden Super Bowls in recent memory.

Did the quest for perfection lead the Patriots to take the Giants lightly?

Does this indicate the arrival of Eli Manning as a big time quarterback in the league?

Was New England's attempt to trademark "19-0" the ultimate jinx?

Are the Giants this good, or was this just another case of a team getting hot at the right time?

How does a Super Bowl loss change the Patriot's legacy?

With a championship to his name, is Jeff Feagles now one of the greatest punters of all time?

Comment with your answers below, or if you have enough to say, write your own post-Super Bowl article.