Nobody's Perfect

P.S: Last Blog Post of 2009!
In Week 16 of the 2009 NFL season, the undefeated 14-0 Indianapolis Colts took on the 7-7 New York Jets. The Colts had clinched a playoff spot, and a first round bye for that matter weeks before this game. Many were unsure whether all of the Colts starters would play the whole game. Coach Jim Caldwell was looking to rest his players for the playoffs, thinking that his staters would get out to a commanding lead early in the game... The New York Jets were battling for the final playoff spot along with other teams in the playoff hunt such as the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers. This was a must win for the Jets and they sure played like it was their last. The Colts were battling in the first half back and forth against the Jets but they were unable to put enough points on the board to create a lead. Not what head coach Jim Caldwell had in mind. He decided to yank out the starters after the 3rd quarter and on came the back up quarterback Curtis Painter. Let's just say his NFL debut was not what he and Colts fans were hoping for. He went 4 of 8 for 28 yards, a fumble, and an interception. The Jets took advantage of what the Colts offered and won in comfortable fashion 29-15. I'd just like to say that the Colts handed the Jets a win. The Colts really didn't lose. Well... I guess nobody's perfect.

Wounded Soldier's Diabetes is "cured" with Cells

For today I'd like to take a break from sports(believe it or not) and talk about a story that is very close to my heart. In today's Miami Herald, the headline on the front page immediately caught my eye when I saw the word "diabetes." The healine read, "Wounded soldier's diabetes cured with cells." For those of you who don't know, I myself have diabetes which is why I wanted to blog about this story. A 21 year old U.S soldier in Afghanistan named Tre Porfirio was shot in the pancreas. A young man,a service member who might have faced a lifetime of severe diabetes got a chance at better health after a collaboration between military surgeons and experts at the University of Miami. In an apparent medical first, doctors removed a bullet-scarred pancreas from Tre Porfirio, flew the organ from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the University of Miami, salvaged insulin-producing cells, then flew it back and transplanted the cells into Porfirio's liver. Three weeks after the procedure, an excited surgical team announced that the transplanted cells are producing insulin. Tre Porfirio felt good enough to visit the University of Miami surgeon whose team spent six, pre-dawn hours on Thanksgiving Day isolating the cells from the ravaged pancreas. Dr. Camillo Ricordi, chief of the UM Medical School's Diabetes Research Institute, said "It's an operation we would have done on anyone, but for someone who is putting their life on the line for all of us, I couldn't think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving." Ricordi hopes that this case of transplanting insulin-producing cells will lead to near-permanent cures for people facing diabetes-which Porfirio would have faced without a functioning pancreas. "This could become an unlimited cure available for everyone."

Brian Kelly leaves Cincy= Takes Over at Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame had a horrible 2009 NCAA football season finishing at the bottom of the Big East standings at 6-6. Notre Dame didn't have a problem putting points on the board thanks to an explosive offense led by quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide reciever Golden Tate. Both of whom will make an immediate impact in the NFL. Notre Dame's weakness was their defense. I mean they just could not keep the opposing team out of the end zone. I assume this was the case because of head coach Charlie Weis. Weis was an offensive coordinator in the NFL for the New England Patriots prior to being head coach for Notre Dame. In the NFL, all he did was worry about putting together a good offensive scheme day in and day out. When he transferred to the college level, I guess he never stressed the importance of having a good defense. I mean all 6 of their losses were by less than 7 points! That'll make a coach sick! Weeks before the season was over, people were anticipating that this would be Charlie Weis's last year as head coach for Notre Dame. They were right. Charlie Weis was fired. So... Brian Kelly, former head coach for the undefeated 12-0 Cincinatti Bearcats was now a part of the University of Notre Dame. I guess money does make the world go round. Other wise, why would you ever leave a team that was undefeated. A team that you coached. I don't get it. Brian Kelly is dumb for doing that. Brian Kelly is a lot like Charlie Weis... Cincinatti has one of the best offenses in the country but not a great defense. Bringing Brian Kelly into the picture to me does nothing. Your bringing in a coach that's an offensive specialist to a team in need of a defense. That equation does not lead to more wins. Well, I guess well find out if Brian Kelly has what it takes to turn around the Notre Dame football program.

Roll Tide Roll

In the SEC Championship game, the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide battled the #1 Florida Gators and everyone anticipated for it to be a true death match between two potential Heisman trophy winners Mark Ingram and Tim Tebow. Unfortunate for most (fortunate for me), that was not the case. Alabama absolutely man handled the Florida Gators by rushing over 250 yards and passing for over 240 yards. Thats a total of 490 yards. Mark Ingram led the rushing attack with 113 yards and 3 touchdowns of his own. Very uncharacteristic for a Florida defense that only allowed an average of 90 yards rushing and 150 yards passing per game this season. Alabama was able to do this by sticking to their game plan, running the ball and forcing the Gators offense in to 3rd and long situations. The inexperienced and heavily doubted QB Greg McElroy really showed up and came to play. The Florida defense was "on their heels" the entire game, unable to read any of Alabama's offensive schemes and formations. Tim Tebow and the normaly dynamic and explosive Florida Gator offense was ineffective in running the ball and that immediatly ruined their game plan. They were forced to throw the ball in unnecessary situations and it got them in trouble. The Alabama defense loaded up on the pass and covered the receivers beautifully throughout the game. Tebow was 20 of 35, completing only 57% of his passes. Let's just say the mvp for the Gators in the SEC Championship game was their punter Chaz Henry. He did a good job of keeping the ball out of the hands of Alabama's quick kick returner, Javier Arenas. I think Mark May from College Game Day on ESPN said it best, "You win championships by running the ball and stopping the run. Alabama did both those things in this championship game and made it look easy. I would just like to say one thing... Why was Tim Tebow crying? Are you kidding me? So what you lost the game. Suck it up. Take it like a man. Reminds me of a little boy crying after losing a pee wee hockey game. Honestly Tebow, grow up. People lose all time the and get disappointed over things. They don't cry about it. Alabama runs their way to a BCS National Championship bid, Florida crys their way back to Gainesville.

Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart: Sound Familiar

In week 12 of the 2009-2010 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans who have won 4 straight, battled the high powered offensive Arizona Cardinals. Just last year, it was Kurt Warner vs. Kerry Collins. Two experienced veterans. This year, it was Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart, sound familiar. On this day, history repeated itself. For those who remember, in the 2005 National Championship, the Texas Longhorns faced off against the favored USC Trojans. What do you know, Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart. In that game, it seemed like big play after big play occured for both teams. That was also the case in this Sunday's showdown. The Titans running back Chris Johnson broke off an 85 yard touchdown run to take a 13 to 3 lead. The Cardinals didn't get too down on themselves, especially LaRod Stephens Howling (kick returner for Cardinals). He responded with a 98 yard kick return on the very next play to cut the deficit to 13-10. The crowd was silenced. The Cardinals kept the momentum and added on a 6 yard touchdown run from Tim Hightower. It was now 17-13 with one minute to go in the game. A field goal would do no good. The Titans needed to march 99 yards in just 60 seconds for a touchdown. Let's flashback. Wasn't Vince Young in the same situation 4 years ago. The answer is yes. Vince Young crushed the hopes of USC fans and Matt Leinart in 2005 by running it in to the endzone from 6 yards out with just seconds left. Same here except for they were Cardinal's fans and Matt Leinart was in the NFL. Vince Young connected on a 20 yard strike to rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt. Titans win! Sorry Matt Leinart, your good but just not good enough.

Winless

The New Jersey Nets have gotten off to an unexpected and unfortunate start to this 2009-2010 NBA season. They are 0-16. Can you believe that 0 and 16 meaning 0 wins and 16 losses. A well coached team and a team with a bunch of young prospects with promising futures. This equation does not equal an 0 and 16 start. However, this is the result from a ton of injuries so a lot of it is not their fault. Players like Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez are some of the best young talents in the NBA and with Chris Douglas Roberts coming off the bench, everyone thought they would be a good team. So tell me what do you think? Will this bad stretch continue or will they snap out of it and put together a winning streak?

Bill Belichick: A Moron?

In week 10, the New England Patriots at 6-2 faced the Indianapolis Colts who were undefeated at 8-0 on Sunday night. Everyone was expecting this battle between longtime rivals to be a great one. And they sure didn't disappoint us. Between two future hall of fame quarterbacks in Peyton Maning and Tom Brady, nobody was sure who was going to come out on top. Early on it looked like Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would absolutley run away with it because of the Colt's inability to put any sort of pressure on Brady in the pocket. They also struggled to cover Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the Patriots two best receivers. However, the New England defense also somewhat struggled against Manning and the highpowered Colts offense. Nevertheless, New England still had a commanding lead at the half. Both offenses dominated in the second half and then things got very interesting. With just 5 minutes to go in the game New england led by two touchdowns and everyone knew that if they "played their cards right" that they would come away with a win. The Colts got the ball back after forcing a three and out on defense with about 4 minutes to go. In order for the Colts to have any sort of chance on winning the game, they had to score a touchdown quickly. They did just that by Peyton Manning hooking up with Pierre Garcon for a 35 yard touchdown. The Patriots got the ball back with about 2:30to go in the game. They knew that converting a first down right then and there would ice the game and put it out of reach for Manning and the Colts. Bill Belichick decided to go for it on 4th and 2 with the ball on his own 30 yard line. I understand that you have Tom Brady at quarterback but their is no way you can go for it in that situation. In my mind, you play the percentages and punt the ball and see if Manning can go 70 yards with just a minute and a half remaining. The odds are in your favor if you punt the ball. With that said, they went for it and didn't get it. The Colts drove it 30 yards in a minute and thirty seconds and capped it off with a two yard strike to Reggie Wayne. Bill Belichick showed zero confidence in his defense and it cost him. Ball game. Colts remain undefeated at 9-0 because of a coaching meltdown.

Two Close Wins: Back to Back

This weekend was a good weekend in sports for South Florida. Both the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins won in dramatic fashion. On Saturday night, the Heat took on Eastern Conference rival, the New Jersey Nets. The Nets who were winless so far this season with an 0-9 record were expected to be blown out by the Heat who were 6-2. However, head coach Lawrence Frank and his Nets had other plans. The Nets were able to "bottle up" Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, only allowing him to score 22 points. The Heat were unable to stretch out any sort of lead they may have had as the Nets just kept it close all game long. In the closing minute of the 4th quarter, the Nets had a 3 point advantage over the Heat with just forty two seconds remaining. Out of shear luck, as the shot clock was winding down, shooting guard Quentin Richardson heaved up a prayer from three point land and "banked" it in to tie the game. What luck. I guess the Leprechauns were rooting for the Heat that night. So here we go its a tie game with 24 seconds left to go. Rafer Alston drives to the hoop and floats one up. It rattles off the rim and Brook Lopez tips it in. However, the referees missed a call because the tip came when the ball was still in the "cylinder" so it should have been called no basket and an offensive goaltending. Four seconds remain and the Heat need two to tie and three to win. Dwyane Wade dribble drives and steps back behind the arch and lets it go. Wade runs towards the Heat benching thinking that the shot was good and he was right. Dwyane Wade to the rescue and I quote "this is my house." Nets fall to 0 and 10.

Dolphins experienced a similar turn of events on Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Dolphins had a commanding lead at the half with a 19 to 6 advantage. I will point out however that the Dolphins missed an extra point which would go on to haunt them later on. Tampa Bay clawed there way back into the game thanks to kicker Connor Barth connecting from 51 and 54 yards. Dolphins force a turnover on downs and get the ball back with a little over 2 minutes to go and thats when seems to fall apart. Chad Henne made a crucial mistake by throwing the ball into covergae and gets intercepted. The Bucs answer with a short 15 yard touchdown drive of their own and now lead by 1 with one minute to go.Chad Henne quickly bounces back from his previous mistake and leads the team on an 80 yard drive that was capped off by a 25 yard game winning field goal by Dan Carpenter. Two games I'd like to call "too close for comfort."

A Surprising Day in College Football

I'll be the first to admit that it takes a lot for me to doubt ESPN--some would joke that the house could be burning down but I'd be too distracted by the TV to notice. With this said, the surprises of this weekend in College Football led me to believe that not even those experts on the little screen are right all the time. This Saturday was assumed to be "unexciting" because all of the top ranked teams in the nation were playing unranked teams. Everyone, including me, thought that Oregon, the #8 team in the country, would romp unranked Stanford and that Iowa, the #4 team, would blowout Northwestern. Meanwhile, neither assumption was proved correct. Furthermore, the Navy (I'm serious.) defied the odds and beat the #22 seeded Notre Dame and finally, Penn State was upset by Ohio State on their home field. All the ESPN analysts picked the ranked teams to win but even the experts were wrong. Those who bet on the favored teams to win this week were probably forking over dough to those who went with some wildcard choices. Oregon, a team who shocked the nation the week before by blowing out USC 42 to 20, lost this week to Stanford, a huge shock to everyone. Meanwhile, Iowa got off to a quick 10-0 lead against Northwestern but that didn't keep the Wildcats down for long as Northwestern turned it around after forcing a fumble on the Iowa Quarterback Stanzi which led to an easy touchdown (the hit actually caused Stanzi to leave the game). Before anyone knew it, Northwestern had stretched their lead to 14-10 as Iowa struggled with their backup quarterback Vandenburg to move the ball on offense. By the skin of their teeth, Northwestern eeked out the win and knocked off the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes. So the next time you think you've got the win in the bag? Think again.

The Heat is on in South Florida

The Miami Heat are off to a hot 3-0 start to this 2009-2010 season. Dwyane Wade is not the only guy scoring the points for the team this year. As many Heat fans expected. Everyone was bummed with the fact that the Heat did nearly nothing with their draft picks and did not sign or trade for a star player during the offseason. But man have the players from last year improved to help out their own super star in Dwyane Wade. Michael Beasley who was the Heat's #2 overall pick in the 2009 draft, has greatley improved his defense, his rebounding, his ability to draw a foul while attacking the rim, and finishing strong at hoop. Jermaine O'Neal is finally healthy after suffering many knee injuries the year before. He is now able to jump quicker and higher which has inabled him to block more shots and grab more rebounds in traffic. Udonis Haslem has greatly improved his outside jump shot. He has also shown an incredible amount of leadership by accpeting his role of coming off the bench as the 6th man. Offseason aquisition, Quentin Richardson has added a defensive presence late in games as well as an incredible 3 point shot. Joel Anthony has now become the replacement for Jermaine O'Neal and a very solid one at that. In my mind, this ain't a bad team by any stretch of the imagination.

Go to Hell Rex

Dolphins battled the Jets this Sunday and as everyone expected it was a close game. Jets head coach Rex Ryan has a reputation of being a "smack talker" ever since he was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Ryan seemed to have built up his confidence after his Ravens defense shut down the Dolphins the year before in both the regular season and the playoffs. But his head got even bigger after excepting the head coaching job for the Jets. Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano made a comment the day before this Sunday's game that not having Will Allen (Cornerback for the Dophins) would hurt his defense because Will Allen is a large presence in the secondary. Rex Ryan showed pity towards this comment in a saracastic way by saying "Boo hoo for Will Allen and the Dolphins, I'm the one who's missing Chris Jenkins and the Dolphins are crying about not having Will Allen." I guess Ted Ginn Jr. and the Dolphins defense took offense to this comment from Rex Ryan by making three huge plays of their own during the game. Ted Ginn returned two kickoffs for a touchdown. One that was a 100 yard return and the other was a 101 yard return. Jason Taylor returned a fumble forced by Paul Soliai for a touchdown. I can't believe I am saying this but, Ted Ginn single-handedly won us the game. He may not be the best wide out, but man can he run. I guess Rex Ryan got a taste of his own medicine. Next time Rex, don't talk so much trash and just get it done on the field and put ponits on the scoreboard. Where it matters most.

The Game That Got Away

The New Orleans Saints battled the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 of the 2009-2010 season. Everyone, including me, thought that the Saints were going to absolutely pumble the Dolphins with there high powered offense and the game was going to be a complete blowout. That however, was not the case. For the most part... In the first half, the Saints offense was struggling big time because of the pressure the Dolphins defense was putting on quarterback Drew Brees. This forced Drew Brees to throw costly interceptions, along with a few forced fumbles deep in the Saints territory. These miscues by the Saints led to Dolphin touchdowns. The Dolphins were also able to shut down Pierre Thomas and the Saints running attack. It was 24 to 3, Dolphins on top, with about 2 minutes to go before the half, I thought to myself that the Dolphins could pull this one off and get a win. The tables began to turn in favor of the Saints after a crucial fumble by wide receiver Devon Bess. From there, the Saints started to throw the ball more effectively and they finished the half with a touchdown. There were a lot of bad things still to come for the Dolphins. Scenarios reversed in the second half. The Dolphins were now the ones struggling to get anything going on offense and the Saints were forcing turnovers and converting them into touchdowns. Both Darren Sharper and Terry Porter had interceptions returned for a touchdown. The Dolphins defense absolutly imploded in the 2nd half by allowing 22 points in the 4th quarter and 36 points overall in the second half. Dolphins were outscored 36 to 10 in the second half and went on to lose 46 to 34. Talk about throwing a game away.

Broxton Blow's Game 4

The Phillies picked up right here they left off in the 1st inning of Game 4 by scoring two early runs off of Dodgers starter Randy Wolfe. In Game 3, The Phillies got off to a hot start by scoring 4 runs off of Hiroki Kuroda. Randy Wolfe settled down after that, only allowing a 3rd run in his six innings pitched. On the contrary, Joe Blanton, starting pitcher for the Phillies, allowed 4 runs and left the game in line for the loss. Blanton gave up a 3 run homerun to the Dodgers #8 hitter Matt Kemp. The Phillies scratched back late by adding 1 run in the 7th inning off of Dodgers reliever, Bellasario. What many people forget about that inning was Manny Ramirez making a shoe top catch on a sinking line drive off the bat of Raul Ibanez. Had that hit fallen, it would have tied up the game at 4 a piece. So on came Dodgers closer, Jonathon Broxton, who had been solid throughout the regular and postseason, struggled in Game 4. Could it have been the pressure being built up or his nerves getting the best of him? It sure could have been a combination. Broxton allowed pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett and catcher Carlos Ruiz to reach base. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins stepped up and delivered a walk off 2 run double. Game over, Phillies win. Broxton had just blown Game 4 and possibly the entire series.

Phillies vs. Dodgers: Game 1

The anticipated ideas or thoughts of this series was to expect the Phillies to score on the Dodgers 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters who have been struggling so far in the post season. However, we did not see the Phillies putting up 8 runs on the Dodgers ace and #1 starter Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw cruised through the first three innings only allowing two hits as well as throwing shut out ball. The Phillies were still productive in their at bats, despite not getting base hits, as they made Kershaw throw a lot of pitches during that span. Phillies hitters were working the counts as well as fouling off a lot of close pitches. When the top of the 5th inning rolled around, Clayton Kershaw was beginning to tire from all the pitches he had thrown in the previous 4 innings. In that inning, Kershaw could not find the strike zone early in the count which lead to him throwing batting practice like fastballs on 3 and 0 counts. Kershaw was also not getting any break on his curveball and the Phillies hitters took advantage by putting up a 4 spot in that inning. after Ryan Howard's two run double, Kershaw was yanked from the game. Just 6 and a third innings pitched and 5 earned runs. The Dodgers responded with a solo shot from James Loney and a 2 run blast from Manny Ramirez. The Phillies bullpen continued to struggle as they gave the Dodgers a myriad of opportunities to get back in the game. The Dodgers failed to take advantage. The Dodgers had their work cut out for them after Raul Ibanez hit a three run homerun to stretch the lead to 8-4. The Dodgers bounced back in the 8th inning by loading the bases with no outs. Phillies reliever Ryan Madson had some troubles but managed to get out of the inning with littile harm donw; two runs scored. Jonathan Broxton shut down the Phillies in the top of the 9th and on cam Brad Lidge, closer for the Phillies. Lidge got Casey Blake to line into a game ending double play. Lidge got the job done. I'm sure Phillies fans were relieved.

Pretenders or Contenders

The Denver Broncos have really shocked the world with there quick and unexpected 5-0 start. However it is still early in the season, do you ask the question: Are the Denver Broncos for real? I guess for now they are with their impressive close game wins against the New England Patriots with Tom Brady and the Dallas Cowboys with Tony Romo. The Broncos have the #5 overall defense in the NFL and last year they had one of the worst. Is this all because of new head coach Josh McDaniels, former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, or is it new starting quarterback Kyle Orton. I can for sure tell you that WR Brandon Marshall has positively impacted this team in a huge way since his return. He basically won the game for the Broncos against the Cowboys along with steller red zone defense by the Broncos. Brandon Marshall has accounted for a total of 4 touchdowns in his last two games against some pretty solid secondaries. This Broncos team will really be challenged Week 6 on Monday night when they take on division rival, The San Diego Chargers. Will they be able to contain quarterback Phillip Rivers? This defense will be tested, it won't be easy, but they sure have the confidence. So, Denver Broncos, prtenders or contenders? Well just have to wait to find out if this streak continues and if this Mile High City magic is for real.

An Old School Rivalry

The Dolphins squezzed out a fantastic win over the heavely favored Jets. I was sick and tired of hearing about how great Mark Sanchez has been and how Rex Ryan is the "Defensive Specialist" and can stop the wildcat offense like its his job. May be last year, but this is a new team with now high powered playmakers on both sides of the ball. Dolphin fans were worried about the Dolphins not being able to run our wildcat offense and that we would have to dreadfully rely on our quarterback Chad Henne who was making just his second NFL start. Little did everyone know that we had a new and improved game plan for Rex Ryan. The offense was able to keep the Jets secondary off balance the entire game by mixing up the run and the pass. We really got them thinking when on the first drive RB Ronnie Brown threw a pass out of the wildcat formation. Throughout the game it almost seemed as though we were nt only playing against the Jets, but also the Referees. They were horrible..... it was as if our cornerbcks couldn't even breathe on the wide receivers without getting called for a penalty. The Refs also bailed out the Jets on a few drives by calling garbage pass interference calls on 3rd and long situations. I have to tip my hat off to the Refs, the didn't completely blow the game. What a drive the dolphins put together with 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. The play calling by Head Coach Tony Sparano was genius. The whole scheme of just "running the ball down their throat" really paid off and wore the defense out completely. Chad Henne really stepped up in just his 2nd game as a starter. He made so really clutch throws when he needed to like the two 3rd down conversion throws to Greg Camarillo. In the end, Ronnie Brown barreled it in to the end zone and we won. Take that Rex Ryan and the Jets! Well see you in New York. This time well just make it a blowout.