Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Miller

Overrated: Quaterbacks, Top Tens, and 40 Times

Michael Miller — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:24:52 -0400

Who is better, Brady or Manning? It doesn’t matter.

Which teams have a top-ten defense? You're kidding I hope.

Does he run a 4.3 or a 4.6? The difference is negligible.

Quarterbacks

The quarterback is only one man. Only 9.1 percent of the offense.

And yet, the blocking by the offensive line, the route running by the receivers, getting off a clean snap, calling the play, analyzing any weaknesses in a defense, and all the other aspects of a successful play are credited to one man: The quarterback.

It’s just lazy to say the quarterback should get more credit than the offensive line. They block on every play, but the quarterback only throws about half the time. Blocking schemes can be ridiculously complicated, and the scheme needs to be executed perfectly, or it results in a busted play.

It’s just lazy to say the receivers don’t do as much as the quarterback. Even when he throws the ball, he’s only half of the equation, and some teams run more than they throw. But even when he does throw, the receiver needs to make a catch, or it’s worthless. Sure, the quarterback reads the defense, but the receivers need to run routes into open spots.

It’s just lazy to say the Quarterback can throw all day without a productive running back. The run sets up the pass, not vice versa. If the defense wasn’t afraid of getting carved up by a running back, there would be no pass. If safeties stay home for fear of the run, you can forget about half of your deep threats.

All this laziness has caused everyone to take the most important position, the quarterback, and make it the end-all of the game. Yes, I said the quarterback is the most important position; that is clear. But his contribution should not be overstated.

Put in a Quarterback who is half the ideal passer and your offense can still operate at nearly 95 percent.

Top-Ten Rankings

The standard for excellence in the NFL is top-four. Top-10 is laughable.

Top-ten is only better than roughly two-thirds of the league. Try getting into law school with a 69th percentile GPA.

Top-eight is still only better than three-fourths of the league. This is not excellence. Winning the Super Bowl is excellence. That’s first place, not eighth. Eighth place in the NFL is mediocre.

Even second place can be lost in the sauce, unless you go 18-1 all year, then you will never live down the shame of coming in second. Yet, people still cite a top-ten offense or defense as the reason their team is a contender to win the Super Bowl.

Last year, the Super Bowl champion Steelers had the No. 1 defense. The contenders from Arizona had the No. 4 offense.

If the strength of your team is merely top-ten, it would be best to keep that to yourself.

40 Times

Break it down. If player A runs a 4.3 sec. 40 yard dash, and player B runs a 4.6 sec. 40 yard dash, it makes little or no difference. If player B makes sharper cuts, the .3 sec. he lost in a straight line test are re-gained.

Even when player A is running a fly pattern, the safeties over the top have a 12-15 yard head start. If the safeties run a full second slower in the 40, an unlikely 5.3, it would take player A about 140 yards to catch up.

Now take into consideration that Brett Favre, in his prime, couldn’t throw more than 80 yards, and your 4.3 burner who can’t catch belongs on the track, not the field.

Darrius Heyward-Bey was picked seventh overall by the Oakland Raiders this year. While the rest of the world laughed at the organization, the Raider faithful on Bleacher Report were busy praising DHB as the next Randy Moss.

There’s only one problem: A receiver’s best tool is his ability to catch the football. You can run all over God’s creation until you’re blue in the face—if you can’t catch, it means nothing.

The greatest receiver in history, Jerry Rice, was never the fastest receiver on the field, never. His 40 time was a disappointing 4.7 seconds.

Pacman, Plaxico, Favre and Vick: Save The Drama, Give Me Football

Michael Miller — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:05:31 -0500

I don't watch soap operas. Daily, however, I get bombarded by an endless array of updates concerning football players and their personal lives.

I don't care what Plaxico was drinking when he pulled a Cheddar Bob. I don't want to hear his slimy manager tell Kornhieser that he can't discuss what happened. I don't need to know what time it was when he was picked up by the cops.

He shot himself, end story. My only question is will he play?

When it's the off season, I don't need to know that Brett Favre retired, came-back, retired again, talked to the Dolphins, ate fried okra for lunch, wants to play for Green Bay, can't, goes vacationing in the Bahamas, and finally, the only real news to report: He's gonna play in New York so Jets fans can chant J-E-T-S BRETT BRETT BRETT on kickoffs.

And, thank God he came back because my mom was all broken up when he left.

I know the guy will be in the Hall of Fame someday, but do I need to know his favorite color is teal? No.

I watch Sportscenter—a lot.

What I really want is analysis. There is one place to get loads of it, (shameless promotional plug) the show is called NFL Matchup. Ron Jaworski and friends analyze, I mean analyze football.

They analyze plays, players, coaches, schemes and techniques. They talk about who has a rocket arm, who is losing a step, who hits hard and who the bums are. They discuss what is done well, what is played out, what needs improvement and why.

And then Sportscenter comes on.

I regress from the edge of my seat as I learn that Michael Vick doesn't get special privileges while locked up. Whoa there chief! I'm not sure I can handle all this at once!

At least it was Erin Andrews breaking the "news" this time. Man-O-Man

This might be a good time to insert this: http://coedmagazine.com/sports/14480/

Click the link; you'll thank yourself.

So, I'm watching Sportscenter and learning all the nuances of Pacman Jones' life. The guy is a scumbag. I mean what else can you say? The guy is a scumbag.

I know he's a scumbag, I really want to know what he plays like. Can I get some analysis of his efforts on the field? I mean real analysis, not "He sometimes struggles on an island" with a short clip of him gettin' habachi'd by...whoever.

I just hope you get some local shows giving up some real analysis. I live in Colorado so I get Pro Football Sports Summit and Jay Cutler Live: both offer some okay analysis, which I put up with because it's all Broncos, all the time. I gotta get my fix somewhere, and ESPN falls short.

Give me the good stuff ESPN. Save the small talk for the dinner tables. You are the professional analysts here, but somehow I get better material from the bleachers (woot woot). Get off the fence and give me some honest opinions.

Come On Man!

Broncos-Raiders: More Than Just Football

Michael Miller — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:59:14 -0400

Raider fans are known for being true fans; that is to say fanatics, literally. Is it too much?

For a Broncos fan brought up to be a good sport about football, I think it can be. Certain distinct differences in these two organizations make this rivalry one of the most interesting, both on, and off the field. It's good vs. evil, plain and simple.

To fans around the NFL, Raider fans are known for being over the top, and acting in ways that simply aren't acceptable in most places.

The first time I witnessed a Raider fan losing it I must have been 10 years old. I was cussed out, literally, by my best friend's dad for rooting against the Raiders. As I left my friend's house I could still hear his dad explaining himself to his wife as she questioned his actions.

I ask myself what would drive a person to act out like that. I have a few theories.

-First, I think the symbolism of the Raiders feeds a man's sense of brutality. I think that people who want to feel more powerful will naturally identify with the Raiders symbolism: a pirate; skulls and cross bones; the color black

-Second, I think that the mob mentality will play part in making other Raider fans think that acting out is okay: see the "Black Hole"

When Al Davis first heard "Autumn Wind" he immediately moved to make it the official hymm of the Oakland Raiders. With quotes like "He growls as he storms the country, A villain big and bold" it is easy to see why some Raider fans think it's okay to act like villains.

So take a large group of people who identify with the Raiders symbolism, and add to it the Raider organization-management's embracing the evil symbolism, and what you have is a mob.

If you ever have the privelege of attending a Broncos game at Mile High, you will notice a recurring theme: keep it classy. There are signs throughout the stadium asking fans to act like gentlman. There is a recurring voice coming over the loud speaker telling fans to be good sportsman.

Fans who come to Mile High stadium are made to feel welcome; it doesn't matter what team they root for.

Mike Shanahan will probably finish out his coaching career for Pat Bowlen because Bowlen feels Shanahan's attitude is key. After reading Shanahan's book Think Like a Champion, it's easy to see where the Broncos get their winning attitude. Mike Shanahan believes in being positive at all times.

This is why I identify with the Broncos organization. It's a classy organization with a classy attitude.

Obviously, every Bronco fan isn't a saint, and every Raider fan isn't a felon; however, there are distinct differences in these two organizations that make this rivalry all the more prevalent.

Kudos to the Raiders fans for being so enthusiastic, to the Broncos fans for keeping it classy. Here's to a rivalry that will be feeding debates for decades to come.