Bleacher Report - Articles by Smush Higgins

New York Jets and Bob Sutton: Awful Match

Smush Higgins — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:32:26 -0500

He shouldn't be smiling; he should be crying. Sutton is awful.

In the last two games, Jets defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has been sending three or four-man rushes every play, and seven or eight coverage defenders. Nothing is ever going to be accomplished if you don't send five to seven blitzers. If they don't, the opponent's rushing game will be gaining four to five yards a carry—so will the passing game.

Teams are more conservative with their passing game, using screen and dump passes. For example, Broncos FB/RB Peyton Hillis was killing the Jets on the ground two weeks ago, and still Sutton sent the four-man rush. San Francisco QB Shaun Hill had a great passing day last week and had five seconds of time to throw and guess what...NO PASS RUSH!

Sutton has to go, regardless of what happens this year.

AFC South Preview

Smush Higgins — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:32:20 -0400

David Garrard and the Jacksonville Jaguars are searching for their first division title in five years. But this is a challenge that they may not be able to meet, due to the strength in the rest of the division.

Predicted Standings:

Colts: 12-4

Jaguars: 11-5

Titans: 9-7

Texans: 7-9

On the Hot Seat:

David Garrard QB, Jaguars; Vince Young QB, Titans

Best Offensive Player:

Peyton Manning QB, Colts

Best Defensive Player:

Bob Sanders SS, Colts

Best Rookie:

Chris Johnson RB, Titans

Now if the Jaguars want to win the division, they have to want it. Play and practice hard every day, and want it.

Their defense is awesome, and on offense they have two great elusive Running Backs in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

And if Tennessee wants to compete for a wild card spot, they have to play like Jacksonville. They have to want to win as well.

I'm sorry Texan fans, but they have no chance. With Indy, Jacksonville, and Tennessee in the same division as them, and Matt Schaub as your QB, it would be a miracle for you to get a wild card.

They wasted their first round pick on Duane Brown, (OT, Virginia Tech) who I projected to go in the third round.

I am very anxious to see how this division turns out.

The Tampa Bay Rays Are Absolutley Unbelievable

Smush Higgins — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:05:17 -0400

With ecstatic walk-off wins, a lethal offense, great pitching, and the regular season closing down, it's starting to look like that the Tampa Bay Rays will come away with their first division title in franchise history.

I projected the Rays to come fourth, in front of Baltimore, but I stand corrected.

Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton, Scott Kazmir, Akinori Iwamura, Dioner Navarro, James Shields, and Matt Garza are all studs.

Try being me. It seems like the Red Sox are winning five out of 10 and the Rays are winning nine out of 10. They NEVER lose. I hate it!

The Red Sox might not even make the playoffs, and even if they do, they will be eliminated somewhere throughout.

The Rays are bone-crushing I tell you, and will cruise into the playoffs like there is no tomorrow.

2009 NFL Mock Draft

Smush Higgins — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:12:10 -0400

1. Atlanta Falcons - Fili Moala, DT, USC

2. Miami Dolphins - Michael Johnson, DE/OLB, Georgia Tech

3. Detroit Lions - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

4. Houston Texans - George Selvie, DE, USF

5. Buffalo Bills - Andre' Smith, OT, Alabama

6. San Francisco 49ers - Derrius Heyward-Bay, WR, Maryland

7. Kansas City Chiefs - Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

8. St. Louis Rams - Rey Maualuga, ILB/OLB, USC

9. Oakland Raiders - Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

10. Chicago Bears - James Lauranaitis, ILB, Ohio St.

11. Denver Broncos - Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

12. Philadelphia Eagles (via Carolina) - Sen' Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Nic Harris, FS/SS, Oklahoma

14. Minnesota Vikings - Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

15. Arizona Cardinals - C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

16. Philadelphia Eagles - Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

17. Tennessee Titans - Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss

18. Baltimore Ravens - Max Unger, OT, Oregon

19. Washington Redskins - Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma

20. New York Jets - Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

21. Cleveland Browns - P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin

22. Green Bay Packers - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

23. Cincinnati Bengals - Alex Mack, C/G, California

24. New Orleans Saints - Andrew Gardener, OT, Georiga Tech

25. Seattle Seahawks - Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

26. Pittsburgh Steelers - Cornelius Ingram, TE, Florida

27. Jacksonville Jaguars - Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State

28. New York Giants - Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State

29. San Diego Chargers - Myron Rolle, SS, Florida State

30. New England Patriots - Ciron Black, OT, LSU

31. Indianapolis Colts - Demonte` Bolden, DT, Tennessee

32. Dallas Cowboys - Demetrius Byrd, WR, LSU

Was Matt Ryan the Best Choice for the Falcons?

Smush Higgins — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:54:00 -0400

Was Matt Ryan the right pick for the Atlanta Falcons? The answer is absolutely not.

Matt Ryan stacked up some pretty awesome numbers at Boston College, which made their fans happy. I bet he was rather joyous as well.

In late April, I was at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City when Roger Goodell stepped to his podium and said: "With the third pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College".

I was in complete shock. Why not Glenn Dorsey? Why not trade the pick? I didn't know.

Mike Smith, the Falcons new head coach and a former coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is mainly known for bringing great DT's in to play for the Jags. One of those being Marcus Stroud, who is now with the Buffalo Bills organization.

I thought Dorsey would fit perfectly in Atlanta. He would have brought more defensive help for the team and could've filled the spot of the recently released Rod Coleman. Atlanta could've gotten a quarterback in the second round like Brian Brohm or Chad Henne.

Atlanta actually packaged two of the three picks in the second round to move up to get Sam Baker, an Offensive Tackle from USC. With that move, they passed on Phillip Merling, a Defensive End from Clemson.

I thought Baker would have been a definite 2nd round pick because of his poor performance at the combine.

Glenn Dorsey would have been perfect.

Boston Red Sox: Three Reasons Why a New Bullpen is Needed

Smush Higgins — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:30:56 -0400

Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Mike Timlin:

LEAVE BOSTON! PLEASE!

Every morning when I wake up to check the Red Sox game on the bottom line and see that they lose, I pound on the bed. After game winning pitcher is declared, like Mussina or Wang, and I see Delcarmen, Hansen, or Timlin, I chuck my pillow across the length of the room.

I believe that everyone in the Boston Red Sox bullpen should leave because:

3. All of them are terrible, Delcarmen: 0-2, 4.46; Hansen: 1-3, 5.84; Timlin: 3-3 6.75.

2. It's just time for a change!

1. They lose very key games, such as ones against the Rays and Yankees.

MLB Trade Deadline Preview

Smush Higgins — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:15:24 -0400

July 31st might be my favorite day of the year, well not including Christmas. It means that it's about a month from my vacation, and of course, the MLB trading deadline!

Players that should go:

Adam Dunn, LF, Cincinnati Reds

Ken Griffey Jr., RF, Cincinnati Reds

Coco Crisp, CF, Boston Red Sox

C.C. Sabathia, SP, Cleveland Indians

Gary Matthews Jr., CF, Los Angeles Angels

Players that will go:

Randy Wolf, SP, San Diego Padres

A.J. Burnett, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Erik Bedard, SP, Seattle Mariners

Joe Blanton, SP, Oakland Athletics

Hank Blalock, 3B/2B, Texas Rangers

Split Decision:

Rich Harden, SP, Oakland Athletics

Paul Byrd, SP, Cleveland Indians

Adrian Beltre, 3B, Seattle Mariners

Jon Lester, SP, Boston Red Sox

Josh Fogg, SP/RP, Cincinnati Reds

2008 NBA Draft Review: Russell Westbrook to Seattle?

Smush Higgins — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:01:21 -0400

Russell Westbrook, a gifted guard out of UCLA, projected to go 10-15 in last Thursday's NBA Draft, went to the Seattle Sonics at a shocking fourth overall.

Mighty PG out of Memphis, Derrick Rose, went first overall to the spectacular Chi-Town Bulls, no surprise. Considering they already have three talented other guards in Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, and Ben Gordon, it made me think: why Derrick Rose over equally-talented Michael Beasley?

Are they going to trade Gordon and keep just the three? Trading Hughes could definitely be another possibility as well. Just a wonderous selection by the Bulls.

Lefty power forward Michael Beasley went behind Rose at number two overall to the Miami Heat. I really think that this selection can improve the Heat's record for 2009. Just think; Jason Williams PG, Dwayne Wade SG, Shawn Marion SF, and Michael Beasley PF? This rotation is absolutley lethal.

O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love were selected third and fifth overall by the T'Wolves and Grizzlies. Later on, they were traded for each other and both teams were granted their wish.

Kevin Love is the new forward for the T'Wolves, and now PG O.J. Mayo can go along in a dangerous combination of guards with third year player SF Rudy Gay.

Forward Danilo Gallinari from Italy was "booed" several times from his new home with New York. New York really doesn't really need another forward but there are two possible reasons why the Knicks made this choice.

1. Gallinari put up decent numbers in Italy

2. Coach Mike D'Antoni played pro basketball with his father in The Big Apple and that he may have inherited some skills from him.

Dusty Baker Is Completely Insane

Smush Higgins — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:39:35 -0400

The Reds are stuck with Baker for probably two more years, and yet they are still okay with it. Well, I'm not. Here's why:

1. When there are runners in scoring position and the pitcher who is pitching a beauty of a game is scheduled to come up to bat, he brings up crappy hitters to pinch hit, such as Paul Bako, Javier Valentin, and Norris Hopper. They always make outs.

2. He's like Al Davis. He'll sign speedy free agents that are "His boy" and they always turn out to be terrible, such as Jerry Hairston Jr. and Corey DUSTYson Patterson—who he managed in Chicago.

3. He gives those horrific free agents way too much money. Patterson: $3 million. Why give that guy three million dollars? Gosh.

Now do you agree that he's insane?

Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton: A Trade with Two Winners?

Smush Higgins — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:16:52 -0400

Josh Hamilton was the former first overall pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, had several drug problems, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds.

Edinson Volquez had only 20 major-league pitching appearances, and an unimpressive record of 3-11.

Then one day, former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky realized he had too many outfielders on his roster so started shopping more prospects for his young team.

Now, Hamilton is leading the MLB in RBI's with 61, the AL in home runs with 14, and in 2nd place with a .326 batting average.

They received minor league pitcher Edinson Volquez, who is now leading the MLB in strikeouts with 83, ERA with 1.46, and tied for sixth in the win column.

So, who do you think won?

I say, the Reds only because they would have no use for Hamilton anywhere, and when Volquez pitches, the Reds bullpen can't blow the lead.

Neither teams will make the playoffs, so they have to look forward to next year.

2008 NFL Mock Draft: New York Jets Rounds 1 and 2

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:10:02 -0400

Round 1 Pick 6: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas - Thomas Jones is solid, but it would be hard to pass on McFadden.

Round 2 Pick 36: Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana - A compliment to Darelle Revis.

2008 NFL Mock Draft: St. Louis Rams Rounds 1 and 2

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:20:58 -0400

Round 1 Pick 2: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio St. - They take him over C-Long because they are in love with his potential.

Round 2 Pick 34: Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska - Orlando Pace's compliment.

2008 NFL Mock Draft: Atlanta Falcons Rounds 1and 2

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:12:20 -0400

Round 1 Pick 3: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU - Rod Coleman got cut and DT is now a need.

Round 2 Pick 34 (from OAK): Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware - No QB is good on the Falcons roster.

Round 2 Pick 37: Fred Davis, TE, USC - Alge Crumpler was also cut and they need a TE.

Are the Falcons Making Their Team Worse?

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:53:04 -0400

Yes, indeed they are. CB DeAngelo Hall was recently traded to Oakland for a 2nd round pick. TE Alge Crumpler was cut, veteran RB Warrick Dunn was cut, also veteran DT Rod Coleman was cut, QB Michael Vick - well you know. They havent made a splash in free agency either.

Arthur Blank is losing it fast. He fired Jim Mora Jr. 1 year ago, and cut and traded all these players. After a 3-13 record they have earned the 3rd pick in the draft.

Their only good players are Roddy White, John Abraham, and Keith Brooking. So personally, I think they are terrible. No offence to my cousin though. Haha!

Billy Crystal Playing for the Yanks Was Dumb.

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:40:51 -0400

Just say, "Tough crap". Spring Training is about guys trying to make the team. Just let him sit in the dugout or with the Steinbrenners. Billy Crystal had a good time, but playing for the Yanks is too much. Yeah, he played DH and batted once, but this is dumb.

Say he doesn't play and you bring up a guy who tries to make the team. He bats three times and hits 2 homers and a single. The next day, he's hot again. At the end of Spring Training. He makes the team as a solid backup. This wouldn't have happen if Billy Crystal played. Since he played, the prospect never comes to bat and they release him. Then he is a Hall of Famer for another team. Then they would regret doing this.

What Will the Jets Do With Their NT Robertson?

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:25:48 -0400

Well, Mangini will likely release him, to free up cap space, and, because they will pretty much get nothing for him if a trade occurs. Maybe a fourth or fifth round pick. That's like a baseball bat to me. The Jets are my second favorite team behind the Colts. I assume they wont keep him after aquiring Kris Jenkins from Carolina in a steal of a trade. They gave up a three and a five.

Unless a team is in love with Robertson, they won't trade him. He was drafted in the first round in the '05 draft. If they keep him, they would put him as a backup for Jenkins because Mangini plays a 3-4. They took a crack at Alan Faneca in free agency making him the highest paid G in the NFL. So cap space would be nice.

Who Will Be the National Champs?

Smush Higgins — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:10:19 -0400

North Carolina Tar Heels

Hansbrough is just too explosive.

Memphis Tigers

Almost undefeated proves they have a chance.

Tennessee Volunteers

They beat Memphis when they were undefeated.

UCLA Bruins

Show some LOVE for Kevin LOVE.

Kansas J-Hawks

Physical and talented team.

Surprised to see Duke and Texas not in the top 5?

Chris Long, Others Make Noise at NFL Combine

Smush Higgins — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:39:47 -0400

Mario Manningham WR, Michigan: Sure of a first round pick, but with a terrible combine, he'll fall to early-to-middle second round. - 40 time: 4.59; Bench Press: 16; Vertical Jump: 32. Height: 6'0; Weight 178 lbs.

Chris Long, DE/OLB, Virginia: Long was definitely a top give pick, and still is. A great combine for C-Long. - 40 time: 4.75; Vertical Jump: 34; 20 yard shuttle: 4.21. Height: 6'4; Weight 280 lbs.

Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC: Pretty good combine for Ellis, if J-Long isn't available at five, the Cheifs will take him. 40 yard dash: 5.24; Bench Press: 34. Height: 6'6; Weight: 307.

Jake Long, OT, Michigan: This guy is a beast. His hands measured 10 in. LONG. 40 yard dash: 5.15; Bench Press: 37. Height: 6'7; Weight: 315.

Darren McFadden, HB, Arkansas: He's beastly fast running 4.33 in the 40 yard dash. Other stats: Vertical Jump: 33.

Pau Gasol: Huge Pickup for the Los Angeles Lakers

Smush Higgins — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:57:20 -0400

A talented, basketball-playing Spain native just went from one of the worst teams, to an NBA Championship contending team. He's Pau Gasol. Here's your trade recap:

Grizzlies receive: Kwame Brown, F; Marc Gasol, F; Javaris Crittenton, G; Aaron McKie, G; 2008 and 2010 1st rd. picks; and 2010 2nd rd. pick.

Lakers receive: Pau Gasol, F (obviously).

Kwame Brown was terrible this year, the Lakers will be good so the picks mean nothing. McKie came out of retirement to trade him, so pretty even trade.

2008 NFL Mock Draft

Smush Higgins — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:45:44 -0400

1. Miami Dolphins - Chris Long, DE, Virginia

2. St. Louis Rams - Jake Long, OT, Michigan

3. Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan, QB, BC

4. Oakland Raiders - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

5. Kansas City Cheifs - Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

7. New England Patriots - Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy

8. Baltimore Ravens - Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio St.

9. Cincinnati Bengals - Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida

10. New Orleans Saints - Kentwan Balmer, DT, UNC

11. Buffalo Bills - Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma

12. Denver Broncos - Keith Rivers, LB, USC

13. Carolina Panthers - Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois

14. Chicago Bears - Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.

15. Detroit Lions - Mike Jenkins, CB, USF

16. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon

17. Minnesota Vikings - Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville

18. Houston Texans - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State

19. Philadelphia Eagles - Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal

21. Washington Redskins - Limas Sweed, WR, Texas

22. Dallas Cowboys - Early Doucet, WR, LSU

23. Pittsburgh Steelers - Branden Albert, OG, Virginia

24. Tennessee Titans - James Hardy, WR, Indiana

25. Seattle Seahawks - Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh

26. Jacksonville Jaguars - Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt

27. San Diego Chargers - Kenny Phillips, S, Miami (FL)

28. Dallas Cowboys - Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas

29. San Fransisco 49ers - Sam Baker, OT, USC

30. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Flowers, CB/S, Virginia Tech

31. New England Patriots - Forfieted

32. New York Giants - Dan Connor, LB, Penn St.