Bleacher Report - Articles by Devon Jeffreys

Tempering Expectations After a Positive Performance

Devon Jeffreys — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:29:53 -0500

Given the disappointment associated with being a Duke Basketball supporter over the last few years, it's difficult to allow myself to be overly excited about the way the Blue Devils are playing here in December.

Yet with last night's sizeable victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, there's plenty of reason for optimism in Durham. Of course all that can be squelched with just one loss.

But what accounted for Duke's, at times, dominant performance against the Boilermakers?

Was it the fact that Duke's defense was as suffocating as it needs to be? Or was it that Purdue just couldn't get the ball to actually go in the basket?

In the first several minutes of the game, the Duke defense did its work, but Purdue also missed several makeable shots. I pin that as much on a cold night for the Boilermakers as I do on the Blue Devils' defensive pressure.

But you had to be impressed with the way Duke held onto the lead and closed the game. And by that I mean the way Kyle Singler closed the game.

When I first saw Singler, he appeared to be a dime a dozen type forward, nothing more and nothing less. But he's been overwhelmingly impressive this year. Its obvious Coach K has instilled confidence in him. He's got the motor and the fire to be to Duke what Baby T is to the Tar Heels.

And the dunk. What a dunk. As Singler powered through the Purdue frontcourt for that dagger of a jam, prompting Dickie V to proverbially throw in the towel for Purdue, it felt different then the last few years It was a turning point type of moment.

You can't turn the corner on a multitude of March nightmares on Dec. 2nd, but it helps to ease the pain.

What amazes me isn't that Purdue only made two three-pointers in the game, although that's shocking in itself. But it's even more amazing that the Blue Devils only allowed them to take 13 threes all night. They average more than 21 three point attempts per game.

In that regard I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the Blue Devils. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention how great Greg Paulus has been as the sixth man. Since his freshman year, I have disliked Paulus. I didn't like the way he conducted himself and I didn't think he was a good point guard at all.

But he played and each year, he turned more and more Duke fans against him. When Nolan Smith challenged him for the job this year, who thought it would turn out like this. Paulus moves to the bench as a senior, after starting for two years and suddenly he finds his niche as a sixth man. He was great in relief of Smith last night. That kind of depth is paramount to succeeding in March.

It seems as though the game at Cameron Indoor where the Devils survived a very tough Rhode Island team has served as a wake up call.

It seems as though Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Smith are cornerstone players for this era of the program.

It seems as though the Blue Devils have it all figured out.

We'll see if it still seems that way in March.

A Duke Fan's Guide to '08-09: 10 to Watch

Devon Jeffreys — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:35:59 -0500

Two games in and the Duke Blue Devils are already 2-0...pretty good, right?

Well, when your first two games are against Presbyterian and Georgia Southern, and you're a top 10 team in the country, those should be 30-plus point victories.

When the schedule hits its stride, things will get much tougher for Coach K's bunch. Here are 10 games for Blue Devils fans to keep a close watch on in 2008-2009.

When: Nov. 21, 2008—2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
Championship Game
Who: UCLA?
Where: Madison Square Garden

The first test, and one of the biggest, for the Blue Devils should come a week from tonight when, barring a Duke upset at the hands of Southern Illinois or a Michigan upset of UCLA, the No. 8 Blue Devils take on the No. 4 Bruins in the Championship of the 2K Sports Classic.

This game will be the Blue Devils' first chance to prove they've made the adjustments necessary to go farther than the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has appeared in the Final Four three of the last four years and has to be favored in this one.

Playing the underdog is not a familiar position for the Blue Devils this early in the season. It should be interesting to see how they respond.

When: Dec. 2, 2008
Who: Purdue
Where: @ Purdue

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge brings the Blue Devils to the Midwest in December...brrr.
Duke will have its hands full trying to stop Purdue sophomores E'Twaun Moore at guard and Robbie Hummel at forward.

The Boilermakers let it rain from beyond the arc (they sank 37 percent of their threes last year), and the Dukies will have to play a suffocating-type defense on the perimeter and find a groove with their own sharpshooters if they plan to keep up.

When: Jan. 7, 2009
Who: Davidson
Where: Cameron Indoor

Other than the UNC game on Feb. 11, this should be the hottest ticket of the season. The Blue Devils will look to give a hostile welcome to last season's NCAA Cinderella, Davidson. But Davidson possesses arguably the best player in the nation in Stephen Curry.

Curry swings over to the point position, but don't expect him to score any less. However, if the Blue Devils can shut down Curry's supporting cast and force the junior to make mistakes in just his ninth game at the point guard position, it could be a long night for Cinderella.

When: Jan. 17, 2009
Who: Georgetown
Where: Cameron Indoor

No one can accuse the Blue Devils of filling their non-conference schedule with cupcakes this season. The Blue Devils begin conference play on Jan. 4 and play seven games in a span of 20 days, five against conference opponents and two non: Davidson is the first, Georgetown the second.

The Hoyas aren't the team that many expected to dominate the big dance last season. The departures of Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing Jr. made sure of that, but they do have a talented roster of youngsters. Junior DaJuan Summers is expected to enjoy a coming-out party after living in the shadows of the two big men.

The Blue Devils can use their experience, and the sixth man that is the Cameron Crazies will play a big role in stifling the green Hoyas.

When: Jan. 28, 2009
Who: Wake Forest
Where: @ Wake Forest

Blue Devils fans won't soon forget that the Demon Deacons handed them a damaging and quite unexpected loss last season in the only game between the two teams. This season, the two play a home and home set, with this first game taking place at the scene of last year's crime.

Wake Forest's shooters don't have many inhibitions when it comes to shooting the ball. That bit the Blue Devils last year because their own shooting went comatose in the second half, as they connected on just 10 of 35 shots. This season, it can be expected that the Demon Deacons will play a little bit more disciplined, which makes it paramount that the Blue Devils choose their own shots wisely.

When: Feb. 4, 2009
Who: Clemson
Where: @ Clemson

Duke begins a tough stretch of three games in seven days with a showdown against the team that knocked them out in the second round of last season's ACC Tournament. This road game is a classic trap matchup for Duke. They'll have to contend with the force of Clemson forward Trevor Booker in the paint.

Kyle Singler must step up and be a go-to guy in this one. If he has another game like last season (1-9, two points) the Blue Devils don't stand a chance against a confident Clemson.

When: Feb. 7, 2009
Who: Miami
Where: Cameron Indoor

The Hurricanes were one of four ACC schools to knock off the Blue Devils last season. Miami forward Dwayne Collins is a year older after dominating the paint in last season's 96-95 win. The Blue Devils could not stop him as the sophomore went for 26 points on 12-14 from the field.

This game falls on the Duke defense. Last season's 95-point outburst by the offense was the highest scoring total by Duke in conference play, and they still lost. If the bigs can't contain Collins, it could be a long week for Duke fans because...

When: Feb. 11, 2009
Who: North Carolina
Where: Cameron Indoor

Everyone in the world's preseason No. 1 makes its annual trip to Durham in the heart of the Blue Devils' toughest stretch of the season. Duke and UNC split last season's pair with each team pulling out victories on the road. The Blue Devils held Tyler Hansbrough in check but got beat by junior Danny Green, who came off the bench to score 18.

In order for the Blue Devils to protect the home court, they must step up offensively. With 68 points and 32 percent shooting, it’s a miracle they didn't lose by 30. It's up to the shooters to let the pressure of beating UNC roll off their shoulders and make better decisions.

When: Feb. 22, 2009
Who: Wake Forest
Where: Cameron Indoor

Though the Blue Devils will have home court advantage, this looks like another trap game. Prior to this game, which falls on a Sunday, the Blue Devils spend most of the week up north, playing on the 15th at Boston College and the 19th in prime time at MSG against St. John's.

That means the Blue Devils will return to Durham on Friday and have about a day and a half to get ready for a tough Demon Deacons team.

When: March 8, 2009
Who: North Carolina
Where: Chapel Hill

The Blue Devils travel Tobacco Road for their final game before the ACC Tournament begins. Duke went to the Dean Dome last season and took down the Tar Heels 89-78 thanks to all five starters, who put up double-digit points and a defensive effort to contain everyone not named Hansbrough.

Tyler went off for 28 points, but it wasn't enough for a Carolina team that was handcuffed by a Ty Lawson injury. The intensity will be even higher in this one.

It's most likely that the Blue Devils will maintain a Top 10 status all season, but these 10 games will go a long way to showing how high they can go.

Romo's Injury Puts Spotlight on Backfield's Two-Headed Monster

Devon Jeffreys — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:14:04 -0400

For Dallas Cowboys fans, it was painful enough to watch as a triumphant comeback was deflated quickly in overtime. So quickly in fact there wasn't much time to think before it all came unraveled.

In Dallas, Monday morning is, as much as it is in any other place, a time for Monday Morning Quarterbacking, analyzing a loss and how to change things for the week ahead. But before most of the criticizers even got a chance to snooze their alarm clocks, Sunday's biggest loss was no longer a 30-24 upset at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.

And suddenly the only Monday morning quarterback in Dallas is Brad Johnson.

There's no painting a beautiful picture here. Brad Johnson is no Tony Romo. And he's also not the same quarterback that led the Bucs to a Super Bowl Championship.

What Johnson is, at the age of 40, is a ball control quarterback. Don't expect Miles Austin sprinting down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown toss…unless of course Austin is doing much of the running with the ball in his hands.

What can be expected are many more dump-offs to Marion Barber, something he proved late Sunday that he could turn into a big play. Barber caught 11 balls on Sunday for 128 yards, and they were mostly on check downs. Now, Barber will become a primary target on every down.

Barber is going to be crucial to the Dallas success or failure over the next four weeks. The pressure is on for Barber who didn't have much big play success against Arizona before breaking a check down pass for 70 yards. Now the onus is on Barber to do what he's famous for, making something out of nothing.

Previously all the Cowboys needed out of their running attack was a complement to their potent air attack. Anything more was gravy. But now, Johnson will be feeling heavy pressure and without a Romo caliber arm to bail him out.

Not only will the running game be relied on to make big plays. They'll also be relied on to cloud opposing defensive judgments so that Johnson isn't feeling constant blitz pressure.

It remains to be seen who will join Barber in the backfield this week after Felix Jones missed the fourth quarter of the loss with a strained hamstring. If it is Jones, then the screen pass will quickly become the Cowboys' soup du jour. If Jones can't play against St. Louis then the duty will fall to fourth round pick Tashard Choice who did a lot of impressing in training camp. What he can do in a real game with such big implications remains to be seen.

It seems probable that the Cowboys can handle the Rams. St. Louis has allowed eight rushing touchdowns in five games and allowed Cowboys castoff Julius Jones to run all over them for 140 yards just a few weeks back. But Jim Haslett has the Rams drinking some kind of Kool-Aid, so the win is far from a sure thing.

Following their trip to St. Louis, the Cowboys return home to host a defensively stacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that is ranked tenth in the league in rush defense. The Bucs game looked like a grind it out game from the get-go, but without Romo, Dallas will be forced to rely on their ground gainers to try to slash through a tough Bucs' D.

If he's back, this game may be Felix Jones' time to shine. The Bucs can be expected to plan for Barber, but Jones is a wild-card and defenses haven't gotten a good enough look at him. His play will make or break that game.

As for the Giants game. I won't believe Romo misses that game until game time. He's undefeated at Giants Stadium and the game will have serious implications for the rest of Dallas's season.

Until Romo makes it back, though, it's on Barber and, to a lesser extent, Jones to keep Big D from going under.

What Tebow Must Do to Beat LSU

Devon Jeffreys — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:46:39 -0400

The SEC has always been the conference that, above all others, doesn't allow for mistakes. After losing to Ole Miss two weeks ago, in what many consider his worst college game, no one knows this better than Tim Tebow.

Tebow's poor play, along with some poor play from every other Gator not named Harvin or James put Florida in a position where its next loss will undoubtedly squash any chance it has of fulfilling its 2009 national championship dream that looked rather reasonable when Tebow stepped to the podium to accept his Heisman Trophy last December.

This week, Tebow will venture to make up for that loss at Ole Miss and put the Gators back on track for a chance at the crystal football.

All he has to do is make it through the defending national champion, undefeated LSU Tigers. No biggie.

Last season when Tebow took on Les Miles' bunch, he had a relatively mediocre game by 2007 Tim Tebow standards. Tebow completed less than 50 percent of his passes in the game, throwing for under 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried for a nine-yard touchdown and ended up with 67 yards on 16 rushes.

Still the Gators led by 10 entering the fourth quarter and let a season-changing win slip away.

Fast forward and Miles' team looks different but the plan toward Tebow remains the same—as an LSU lineman said in less kind terms, the Tigers want to smash Tebow. Tebow needs to fight fire with fire, be the Heisman-winning, position-revolutionizing player he is, and hit back.

But what Tebow, first and foremost, needs to do is manage a good football game. He can't make the bonehead mistakes that plagued him against Ole Miss. This is his team, and if they have title aspirations, he's going to be the guy that puts them on his back.

That brings me to the other thing Tebow must do. Mix things up. Tebow hasn't even shown flashes this season of the superhuman player that ran threw the Swamp his freshman and sophomore seasons. For the Gators to pull out this upset, Tebow needs to have a special game. Anything less will leave the the Swamp filled with Gator tears come Sunday Morning.

Putting the D Back In Big D: The Dallas Cowboys' Revamped Defense

Devon Jeffreys — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:21:33 -0400

While many of the cheers and jeers for the Dallas Cowboys' performance last year have gone to a high powered offense, the defense played a big role in the season as well.

It is my opinion that the defense, as good as it was in the regular season, was the reason the Cowboys lost to the New York Giants in the second round of the playoffs.

With the clock ticking down in the first half, the Dallas offense had just sustained a marathon drive that gave them the lead it seemed they would take into the locker room. But as if from out of nowhere, the Giants began driving down the field, aided by mental mistakes, stupid penalties, and altogether horrible team defense from Dallas. Because of this, the Giants knotted the game at halftime and the rest, as they say, is history.

In that one drive, the defense took all the momentum the offense had built and squashed it, giving the Giants the confidence they needed.

In the offseason, Jerry Jones addressed this deficiency by retaining key players and adding some big names that should make Big D one of the top defenses in the league.

The weakest part of last year's team was the secondary. With either Terence Newman or Anthony Henry trading time out with injuries, the Cowboys counted on the likes of Nate Jones and Jaques Reeves to shut down receivers like Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss.

This season, the team returns Henry and Newman, as well as adding first round pick Mike Jenkins, who has been impressing scouts in camp. Also, assuming his reinstatement, Adam "don't call me Pacman unless you already called me Pacman" Jones. Those four, along with safety Ken Hamlin and what appears to be an attitude (and diet) change by safety Roy Williams make the secondary one of the deepest in the league.

The other key addition by Jones was future Hall of Famer Zach Thomas who has also been impressive in camp. If Thomas can stay away from injury, a big if for the concussion prone, aging linebacker, his tackling skills will boost Dallas against the top running backs of the NFC East.

With the emergence of Tank Johnson, who will be anchoring the D-Line for his first full season along with the budding talent of DeMarcus Ware, and the Cowboys' defense will be the force that drives them deep into the playoffs this season.