Bleacher Report - Articles by Ted Gioia

Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris Lead Syracuse's Charge to No. 1

Ted Gioia — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:10:20 -0500

Sure, you can go ahead and call me crazy, but the No. 9-ranked Syracuse Orange are indeed on the road to being overall number one in the country.

Syracuse is on the top of their game right now, and they did not let the half court buzzer-beater loss to Cleveland State get to them. They have won seven in a row now and are the top team in the Big East standings, off to a 4-0 start.

I'm not going out on a limb and saying Syracuse is going to be number one without reason. The opportunity has presented itself to the Orange, who will not back down against these Big East powerhouses.

The upcoming schedule for Syracuse is rigorous. However, there has not been one team all season they have not competed with. Their upcoming games consist of at No. 10 Georgetown on Wednesday, No. 13 Notre Dame on Saturday, then a huge game in No. 1 Pittsburgh, and finishing off the week at home against No. 21 Louisville.

We will certainly find out how good this Syracuse team really is. If they win three out of those four games, one of the wins being in Pitt, I feel that the number one spot should be theirs. There is no tougher test then running through this Big East, and Syracuse is about to begin their journey to the top.

With Jonny Flynn on your team, anything is possible, and many people say he could contend for Big East POY. Also, Paul Harris is having a breakout season, as people are starting to see the Harris who locals saw playing at Niagara Falls High School with Flynn just a short while ago.

This team is loaded with talent, and there is no one in the country that they cannot compete with. They have great shooters in Devendorf and Rautins that are absolutely on fire recently.

Don't get me wrong—this is a long shot. Pittsburgh is absolutely loaded and is a well-deserved number one. However, when you have the heart of this Orange team, loaded with talent and good guard play, there is no limit for how high they could fly.

Dissapointing Season for Buffalo Bills Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

Ted Gioia — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:12:42 -0500

After one of the best starts in for The Bills in many years, the rest of the season turned out to be an absolute disaster. Bills fans are sulking in Buffalo, and almost every season here recently has been, "At least things look bright for next year."

After this season, no one wants to think about next year. The Bills have so many things up in the air after an ugly season.

Is Trent Edwards going to be the next franchise quarterback in Buffalo.

If you saw the beginning of this season, this was answered quickly because Edwards was lights out. However, week five against Arizona he was knocked out. It just seemed like down the stretch as he fought injuries, he was not the same quarterback.

As the weather got colder to Edwards, so did the fans who started to question if he could be the future for this franchise. He did have a couple good games towards the end as he got healthier, but still fans are not positive he can get the job done.

Can Dick Jauron lead The Bills to the playoffs?

Buffalo Bills were 5-1 and atop the AFC East. Then they signed Dick Jauron to a three year contract extension, and it blew up in their face. After a huge collapse, fans are definitely disappointed that he is still going to be the coach of this football team.

Dick Jauron claims he can get the pieces he needs this off-season to lead the Bills to the Playoffs, but fans want him out.

Are the offensive and defensive lines legitimate?

It all started with a hold out in training camp with All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters. Peters wanted more money and he didn't get it, when he came back he looked like absolute garbage. Sure the massive offensive line looked great in pass blocking at points this year, but there were many times when the run blocking looked very poor.

There is no question they are improved from two years ago, but they still did not look great this season or at all consistent. They also are in need of a center and maybe another guard for Melvin Fowler and Brad Butler who did not have good seasons to say the least.

The defensive line is decent at best, but were not able to blossom with the injury to Aaron Schobel. New defensive tackle Spencer Johnson and Marcus Stroud were definately a great addition to the team, but seemed to dissapear in some big games.

During some big games it seemed like our pass rush was non-existent and our run defense couldn't compete with other teams offensive lines. The defensive line is definately not the biggest problem, but it could use some work.

These are just a couple of problems the Bills had this year, as many are still wondering if Lee Evans has All-Pro capability. Also, will James Hardy become a solid number two reciever?

Two of the only things positive they can take from the season are the great play of running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, as well as the great defensive and special teams play of rookie Leodis McKelvin.

Juaron is trying to give fans reasons to keep buying tickets, but Buffalonians are not happy with this football team

Buffalo-New York (Recap): Miller Plays Like Superstar, Leads Sabres to Win

Ted Gioia — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:17:28 -0500

The surging Sabres won again Friday night in an impressive 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers.

However, The Sabres looked sluggish early in the game and the Rangers scored late in the first to evaporate the Sabres chances of getting out of the sluggish start free of charge.

Early in the second it looked to be the same story except Miller kept them in it with some phenomenal saves and then Derek Roy tied the game midway through the period. The goal seemed to give the Sabres a spark as they started to pick up the shot total and Miller continued to make great saves, leading to a 2-1 shootout win.

The Sabres have now won four in a row and are in the midst of the playoff rush, tied for seventh. They have clearly been playing better hockey since the new year and have turned things up right before the All-Star Break.

It is clear that each player is now playing like they need to win each game, and their have been great efforts shown from first year Sabre Matt Ellis, Derek Roy, and Paul Gaustad.

The play of Gaustad is really impressing a lot of people while his huge hits are not only gaining momentum for the team, but also setting up goals. Although Buffalo may have been having a very inconsistent season so far which seems to go win one lose won, look for The Sabres to keep these winning ways due to the hard work of the whole team.