Bleacher Report - Articles by Cabbage

Aaron Ross: Future of the New York Giants

Cabbage — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 07:47:47 -0500

The first pick the Giants had in last year's draft was the rookie safety Aaron Ross.

I thought this was a smart decision, because the Giants secondary had some trouble in the zones and not much speed.

Because of these two weaknesses, Aaron Ross was the perfect pick.

Aaron Ross is a great player with plenty of speed. This gives him a good ability to stay with the quicker receiver throughout the entire rout. This would mean that less zone coverage would be needed because you wouldn't need an extra man covering zones at the end of the rout. Usually, the safety would be beaten and the Giants weak zones would fail to stop the receiver.

Also, speed is helpful for any position in any situation. If you can outrun your receiver, than you will be pretty successful in your game.

Another way that Aaron Ross helps the Giants secondary is that he is good at zone coverage. As I have said before, the Giants have very weak zones. The extra skill can be very useful in situations when zones must be used.

A third reason that Aaron Ross has the ability to both cover receivers and cover the zones. He is very versatile like this and it is great to have somebody who can not only stay on a receiver from start of the play to finish, but it is also good to have someone with the ability to drop back and play the zones. The Giants have both of these traits in Aaron Ross.

My fourth and final reason of why Aaron Ross could be a future star is because he is young and talented and we all know that this is the best possible thing to be if you are a rookie.

now you must see that Aaron Ross has the potential to be a great player in the future. Maybe, he will even be a big part of Super Bowl XLII.

Another Disapointing Offseason for the Chicago Cubs

Cabbage — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:03:13 -0500

The Chicago Cubs have not had a very exciting offseason in the past and this year isn’t much different.

It seems that the Cubs haven't made any big moves to improve their ball club—and for Cub fans, this could be another disappointing offseason.

So far the Cubs have gotten a fielder who can't speak English in Kosuke Fukudome and thrown away a good pitcher for nothing.

Maybe it's just me, but so far I've seen many teams land a myriad of trades, (including the Santana deal with the Mets), but no, not the Cubbies. They have done almost nothing this offseason and it is beginning to make me mad.

The Cubs need a good power hitter that can bat in the three spot well. Instead they got a speedy fielder who looks like he isn't exactly a power guy.

Sometimes I wonder what the club is looking at because they need to make a big deal, and soon.

The last time the Cubs won a World Series was in 1908. I think that some of that has to do with their consistently horrible offseasons—Chicago really self-destructs in the offseason by losing young talent and making highly ineffective trades.

I don't know what other Cub fans think, but I think that they need to step it up in the offseason, or pay the price later on.

Ahmad Bradshaw: New York Giants' Future Star?

Cabbage — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:55:37 -0500

Early in the preseason, I was told by a fellow Giants fan that the third-string running back really looked good.

Since it was the preseason, I wasn't paying much attention to the game, because it didn't seem very important and I was very busy.

I had not yet seen Bradshaw run yet, but know that it had my attention, and I was concentrated on his playing.

He had noble cuts and exceptional speed, so I was rather happy to see him returning some kicks when the regular season began.

At first, he had a bit of a problem with fumbling. He had fumbled a few times until Tom Coughlin, the coach of the New York Giants, decided it was time to end the dilemma. In practice, the two of them went over ways to fix the problem.

If anybody can remember, this was a lot like what Tiki Barber had to do when he first started. Bradshaw began to remind me more and more of Tiki Barber.

I continued to follow Bradshaw's play while returning kicks, but inevitably, he started to take some hand-offs when the starting back at the time, Brandon Jacobs, was exhausted. His running looked better than ever and his fumbling problem appeared to be fixed. I grew to really like this new back.

One day, I was scrutinizing a Giants game when I saw Jacobs fall to the ground with an obvious injury. I know that some fans were disappointed to possibly lose the starting halfback early in the playoff run, but I saw this as a chance to see Bradshaw play.

They brought him into the game and he immediately looked great. I guess I was seeing exactly what the coaches saw, because after that game they started to use Bradshaw and Jacobs as a one-two punch.

So, Bradshaw was earning himself more carries with the football as his performance was constantly improving. The one-two punch between the two backs seemed ideal because Brandon Jacobs, being as large as he is, would pound the difference and set them up for the speedy Bradshaw.

Personally, I thought this was one of the smartest moves until they began using Jacobs a bit more while Bradshaw was definitely becoming the better halfback. My opinion on who starts would be this: Bradshaw would be their main back and Jacobs would run the short yard situation.

With the speed of Bradshaw, he would be able to break away for the big gains while the power and size of Jacobs would pound through the defensive line for a guaranteed short gain.

Also, it seems that Bradshaw can stay on the field much longer than Jacobs. Not only has Jacobs been down with an injury a few times, (probably from running straight into the defense) but he appears to get tired easier than Bradshaw.

Finally, Bradshaw is younger and there is no doubt in my mind that he will last for a long time with the Giants. These are just three reasons of many that Bradshaw should be the starting halfback for the Giants.

So does this new rookie back have what it takes to be a future star? Keep following him, because as I have shown you in the article he is a good back who seems like he can only improve.

Super Bowl XLII: Why the Giants Stand a Chance

Cabbage — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:00:39 -0500

This season has been full of surprises. The Packers had an honorable record at 13-3, battling through a playoff round and finishing their season in the NFC championship game.

There was also the lovable Romo and his Cowboys, taking the NFC East. And who could forget the Patriots big goose-egg in the loss column? Now we have winded our season down to two teams and one last game: The Giants and Patriots in super bow 42.

Currently the Giants are 13.5 point underdogs to the undefeated Pats. Most of the talk so far has been directed to the possibility of an unblemished record, but only a scarce amount of football experts have their money on the G-men this Super Bowl.

Maybe it's the 16-0 regular season record that's keeping the Patriots favorites and fooling everybody out of the chance of a Super Bowl victory for the Giants, but today, let's explore the Giants chances at propping the Lombardi Trophy high above their heads.

All season, the Giants have been struggling to keep up with the thriving Dallas Cowboys and stay on top of the wild card race. In fact, they didn't clinch playoffs until week 16 of 17.

After the clinch, there were all different opinions about resting the players on week 17 or putting full effort into the game. Coach Tom Coughlin took the risky gamble of playing his starters and trying at the game. So the starters took the field and got pumped up for their opponents: The New England Patriots.

Throughout the game the Giants put in an enormous amount of un-needed effort. Maybe it was for the excitement of a good football game, or just the constant battle for victory, but the Giants went through the whole game and at the last whistle found themselves losers by only three points. This was the closest game the Pats had played all year, forcing them to really strive for a 16-0 record.

So how am I supporting the Giants chances at winning? Very simple. The Giants lost by only a three point margin in a meaningless game. Imagine how much more effort would be put in if this game meant the super bowl.

Maybe enough for an extra touchdown or adding in a turnover, ending a point scoring drive. There will be a positive difference in the Super Bowl than week 17 of the regular season.

Another satisfying reason for a Giants' success would be their road record. Standing at 11-0, the G-men have not lost a road game this season, and guess where the super bowl will be held? Arizona, not the New Jersey, making super bowl 42 a road game for the men in blue. It’s type of game they have yet to lose. That only adds to the chances of a win for the Giants on February 3rd.

Now I have given you two very acceptable reasons why the Giants can win Super Bowl 42. I hope that I have taught you to never rule out the underdog, because they have their own reasons to be the favorites.

Why We Enjoy Sports

Cabbage — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 03:28:10 -0500

Every Sunday you wake up, have some breakfast and go about your regular routine until about 1:00 p.m.

Then you flick on the tube and watch a group of guys go head to head in an all out battle for a ball.

Seem pointless?

If you really think about it, football really is just bunch of oversized guys jumping over each other, aspiring to reach the end zone. And baseball is just an enormous stick being swung at a leather-covered ball.

So why do we adore it so much? I guess we find it entertaining to pick any team to desperately want to win and never stop wanting. When our team loses, we let it dismantle our day—but one win can put us in the best of moods.

So is there a real reason? Studies on the brain can only tell you so much. I think that it is the effort of the players that keep us constantly enthralled in their performance. They try so hard to come out as the victors of their game-day battles, and this is what keeps us so excited over what they do, good or bad.

So, we've gone over the pointlessness of our sports and why we find them so meaningful. Now you can either chose to agree with me or disagree, but this is why I think we enjoy sports.