Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Winthrop

A Prescription for What Ails the Seattle Seahawks: The 2009 NFL Draft

Matt Winthrop — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:10:36 -0500

The Seattle Seahawks, thanks to their dismal 2008 season, will pick fourth in next year’s NFL draft. This is a very promising development for a team with inherent talent but a couple of gaping holes.

Above all else, the Seahawks need a big-play wide receiver with some size. Michael Crabtree, anyone? Texas Tech’s big, tall, and fast gamer would be just what Matt Hasselbeck’s doctor ordered.

In 2008, a gimpy Hasselbeck struggled mightily along with his injury-depleted receiving corps. To help him get back on track, he needs a go-to guy, a guy who can win the jump-balls with any corner at any time. If Crabtree is still available at No. 4, he should be a no-brainer pick for GM Tim Ruskell.

The second need that must be addressed is the defensive secondary, specifically the strong-safety position. While the major breakdowns in pass defense this season weren’t all attributable to strong safety Brian Russell, it was all too obvious that he wasn’t getting the job done.

And when one piece of the puzzle isn’t working, none of it works. Going forward, veteran Marcus Trufant and the young Josh Wilson should have the corners locked down, and Deon Grant will be back at free safety. The missing piece is a big, hard-hitting safety roaming the secondary (something that Russell isn’t).

Nobody fits this description better than USC’s Taylor Mays, a 6’3” stud who can run a 4.2 40 and hit like Ronnie Lott. If he decides to declare for the NFL draft, Mays is projected to go sometime in the second half of the first round. Unless Seattle can nab a play-making safety via free agency, Ruskell should seriously consider trading up to get him.

This would be a coup for the Seahawks’ defense—not only would they be getting a guy from a top-notch program who knows how to win immediately, but they’d also be getting a presence in the secondary not seen in the Northwest since the days of the great Kenny Easley.

Besides those top priorities, the rest of the draft will probably be targeted on the offensive and defensive lines, areas that always need new talent, as well as on picking up depth at receiver, defensive back, and possibly quarterback. But while the whole draft is important, Seattle can use their first two picks to immediately change their prognosis for 2009.

Drafting Crabtree and Mays would do just that.

10 a.m. Is Too Early

Matt Winthrop — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:42:37 -0400

Does anyone (except for the earliest of early birds) actually think that it is fair for a West Coast NFL team to play East Coast teams on Sundays, at what is essentially, for them, 10 a.m. (1PM EDT)?

As everybody knows, the human body is governed by circadian rhythms—they tell you when to get up, when to eat, and when to go to bed. Since the teams usually work out in the afternoons during the week, the afternoon is when their bodies are most naturally geared toward playing games.

Obviously, each team and individual should do their best to get themselves ready to play, from practicing early all week, to staying on the East Coast all week, to waking up ultra-early on game days, but those are merely mitigating strategies.

The fact remains that it is tougher, as a whole, for West Coast players to get their bodies ready for a 10 a.m. (PDT) East Coast clash, after traveling across three time zones two days before. And even if steps are taken to alleviate these effects, teams shouldn’t have to take them (especially since there are other options available) because they take a team out of their broader in-season rhythm.

This isn’t fair. After all, football is a game of inches—everything each member of the team does needs to be in-sync with the rest of the team.

One sluggish player, a few slightly sluggish players, or a whole team of slightly sluggish players can make all the difference in a game. It can start by a team getting abused on a few plays, which leads to them feeling down, the other team scoring multiple times, and by the time some of the guys’ bodies are fully up-and-running at top speed, the whole game can already be drowned by the snowball effect of failure (i.e. inept play breeding more inept play).

Cubs-Brewers: Fu-Ku-Do-Me!

Matt Winthrop — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:53:21 -0400

Long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans had a promising Opening Day today even though their team ended up falling to the Milwaukie Brewers 4-3 in eleven innings. The good feelings in Chicago are because, as ESPN announcer Brent Musburger said, "A star is born amid the gritty winds off Lake Michigan".

The Cubs' much-hyped free-agent acquisition from Japan, right-fielder Kosuke Fukudome, has been touted as a combination of Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, but possibly not quite as good as either. But if opening day has any meaning at all, even if only symbolic, then he may just end up being all that the Cubs could have dreamed.

On his first at-bat at Wrigley Field, Fukodome lined the first pitch he saw over centerfielder Tony Gwynn's head and off the wall for a double. Not a bad beginning, to be sure.

But the truly magical moment came later, in the bottom of the ninth, with two men on, the Cubs down 3-0, and the Brewers new closer, Eric Gagne, beginning to struggle.

Up stepped Fukodome and the crowd went wild. Fans wearing Samurai headbands and kimonos, holding up signs with Japanese writing on them, screamed, "FukuDoME! FukuDoME".

And then he hit it, and there was no doubt it was gone. The ball jumped off his bat and carried out in deep right-center, sailing through the sideways-blowing wind without a problem.

Crossing home plate to tie the game, Fukudome gave a slight smile as his teammates mobbed him. Waving his cap at the adoring crowd duing his first American curtain call, again there was no doubt: Cub-crazies have a new hero to pin their hopes on.

Dolphins: Bill Parcells, Jason Taylor Clash Over Dancing with the Stars

Matt Winthrop — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:03:15 -0400

Bill Parcells has to be beside himself with the news that his new team's best player, Jason Taylor, is spending his offseason preparing for an appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

While trying to rebound from an NFL-worst 1-15 record, you gotta believe that the last thing Parcells wanted to see his star defensive end doing is dancing around on a reality show in sequins and tights.

Memo to Jason: Emmitt Smith was retired when he went on (and won) that show, not trying to resurrect a team wallowing in the cellar of the league.

Parcells, as the new Team President and General Manager, is trying to bring a winning attitude back to Miami. Reality-show distractions, even if JT ends up taking the dancing crown, are probaby not exactly what he had in mind.

But then again, Miami has a proud dancing history. If all else fails, maybe they could change the name of the team to the South Beach Dancin' Fools.

Greg Oden Practices with Trail Blazers

Matt Winthrop — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:10:12 -0400

Greg Oden, last year's No. 1 draft pick, practiced with the Portland Trail Blazers yesterday for the first time since he underwent microfracture knee surgery before the season.

This is great news for Portland, a team that has already improved greatly over last season, even without the services of last season's best college player.

While there are still health-related concerns surrounding Oden, yesterday's workout had to be encouraging for the Blazers. He ran up and down the court, he dunked, he shot, he rebounded, and most importantly, he looked good.

Brandon Roy, for one, was impressed. After practice, he rushed out to call his father and tell him how good Oden looked. And there's no doubt that the rest of the team and the front office are similarly giddy with the thought of Oden playing center alongside the up-and-coming Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Big things could be on the horizon for the young Blazers, even without Oden in the middle. But if he comes back healthy and strong, Portland could realistically be thinking championship sometime in the next two or three seasons.

Of course, the Blazers and their fans know enough not to get ahead of themselves. A big man's knees are always going to be a worry, especially for the team that infamously selected Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.