SB Nation User Blog: HBBeough

Bmarsh on ESPN radio

HBBeough — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:16:53 -0000

#15 was on the Mike Tirico show today. He was a little smoother than he has been in some interviews I’ve seen this year.

Much of the subject matter is the same "dead horse" material that we’ve heard over and over but there’s some new stuff and a few good quotes.

Here’s the podcast link

You can slide forward to about 7:30 if you don’t want to hear the Big Ben interview.

Sportscenter

HBBeough — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:09:24 -0000

Tonight, after PTI ended ESPN ran a teaser for Sportscenter. After touching on the NBA draft they cut to a clip of Jay Cutler and ask “Who’s going to have a breakout year in the AFC west?” They follow up with a more negative question (I can’t remember exactly what) and show a clip from Phil Rivers. I couldn’t believe it, love for Denver on ESPN?

So after sitting through news that the Astros released Chacon and more NBA draft analysis they finally go to Mort and our own Tom Jackson.

Jackson goes says that he thought last year would be a breakout year for Cutler but now he thinks it will be 2008. He also notes Denver has question marks rushing the passer and at RB. (I actually think the pass rush will be fine, stopping the run will be a bigger concern.)

Then Mort jumps in and says that even though the Chargers are saying he is fine, there are some issues with Phil River’s health and the RB depth behind LT is also questionable.

I know it’s Tom Jackson but…

Is the national media ready to embrace the Broncos again?

When Elway finally won a Superbowl sympathy for him and the team went away and was replaced by content for Mike Shanahan being called a genius and the blocking tactics of their offensive line.

With one losing season are the Broncos loveable underdogs again?

I thought I’d never see the day.

I have to admit, I was pretty happy when ESPN let the contract expire for Shanahan critic Sean Salisbury. I don’t know if Mike failed to call his agent back when he was a player or what but “steak” never failed to take a shot at Shanny every chance he got.

I may be crazy but I think ESPN is going MHR right before our eyes.

Once a Raider, Never a Bronco

HBBeough — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:12:44 -0000

via assets.espn.go.com

After the 2007 season where Javon Walker was injured or ineffective for all but two games he told reporters he was not a good fit for the team. When the Broncos found there was no trade market for high salary injury prone wideouts Denver cut him. He was then picked up by the Raiders with a six year $55 million dollar contract.

So, that leads to the question: Who will miss the other guy more? Jay Cutler or Javon Walker?

Not even his doctors know for sure if JW can remain uninjured for any stretch in the future but let’s just assume he can or else this whole post is a waste of bad typing skills.

Walker is young but has proven he can rack up big numbers. It does hurt to have a Hall of Famer like Brett Favre dishing you the rock or playing in a superbowl caliber offense like Mike Shanahan runs but when Javon wasn’t in rehab he was among the best in the league at his position.

As far as motivation is concerned remember this?

from ESPN

Pretty bold remarks for a guy that was afraid of competition for his job from a fourth round pick.

Further motivation, Javon has to know that he’s coming to the end of the line. If you have talent there are always teams that will give you a second chance but almost none that will be a fourth after you don’t work out with the Raiders (ask Jeff George).

Enough about bad fro-hawk Javon, let’s take a closer look at his new team the Raiders. Walker is going from a 13th ranked passing offense to a 30th ranked. His new team averaged 54 yards per game less in the air than Denver last year. Most likely Javon will be thrown the ball from JaMarcus Russell who has only one NFL game posting double-digit completions. His career completion percentage is less than 55 and averages 5.65 yards per compared to Cutler’s 62+% and 7.4 ypa. Hey maybe Al Davis’s crew is beginning to turn their train wreck around... who knows but last year Randy Moss took a 6.75 million dollar paycut to get out of Oaktown… maybe he just wasn’t selfish enough.

Maybe Walker will be the next Lyle Alzado, or maybe the next Bill Romanowski or (Cooper Carlisle), only time will tell.

Anyway, let’s look at the other side of the argument. Walker was there for Cutler in 2006 and for two games in 2007. Jay pretty much said where he stands on the discussion with his arm after Javon returned from his injury... "No passes to uninspired paycheck only concerned me guys who aren’t getting open." was my interpretation. Cutler read Walker’s attitude way before the WR’s locker room rant. And now he’s someone else’s problem.

Can you replace a guy like Javon Walker? Super7 presented a good argument that the Broncos already have with Darrell Jackson. Then there’s Keary Colbert who Shanny really likes and the rookie Eddie Royal who many think will be as freaky as Steve Smith. One way or another I don’t think Jay C. is losing a lot of sleep over it.

Forgive my obvious bias and let’s vote. Remember OakFoSh, 1 vote per person…

Poll

Who will miss the other guy more?

Jay Cutler (will miss Javon Walker)

2 votes

Javon Walker (will miss Jay Cutler)

61 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Eat this burrito AJ Smith

HBBeough — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:01:10 -0000

via photos.signonsandiego.com

AJ Smith is the general manager of the San Diego Chargers and is highly regarded as one of the best. His team last year had a great run but I’m not as impressed with his work as others seem to be.

Smith took over as Charger’s GM after John Butler died in April 2003. He found himself in the right place at the right time. The Chargers looked promising the previous year with a team constructed of high draft picks (fallout from the Ryan Leaf era) but after AJ’s first year as GM the bolts were looking like the bolts of old going 4 and 12 and wrapping up the first overall pick. Harnessing the power of that first pick (as they did in 2001) the Chargers traded eventual Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning (who didn’t want to play for them anyway) and set themselves up for nice drafting in 2004 and 2005. So was this a great move on Smith’s part or something forced on him by the Manning family? I say Smith did what he had to do but he was set up nicely. Other teams have had similar opportunities and failed so I do credit AJ for making the most of it.

So, after reviewing his successes Mr. Smith’s ego swelled up like a hemorrhoid and he started making some wild and bold yet mostly successful decisions. Before the 2005 season, All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates held out of training camp, leveraging for a new contract. AJ advised him that if he didn’t sign the contract he drew up for him by 12:30 PM on August 20 he would sit out the first regular season game. Gates didn’t and he did. AJ Smith won the pissing contest and the Chargers didn’t make the playoffs.

At the end of the 2005 season Mr. Smith was looking at perhaps his biggest decision so far as San Diego GM, whether or not to sign QB Drew Brees to a long-term contract. Fortunately for AJ the Broncos helped make the choice easier by wrecking Brees’ labrum in a meaningless game at the end of the season. This allowed Smith to offer the fan-favorite Brees an incentive-based contract that he knew he would turn down and Brees ended up signing with the Saints.

Then after the 2006 season AJ found himself in a position where he had to decide whether to bring back head coach Marty Schottenheimer (who he was not on speaking terms with) after the bolts finished the regular season a franchise best 14 and 2 but couldn’t win their home playoff game. Once again the NFL GM gods smiled upon AJ and both of Marty’s coordinator’s landed head coaching gigs prompting owner Dean Spanos to change his mind about retaining Schotty and AJ replaced him with the legendary 59-82-1 Norv Turner because he “Obeys orders and recognizes my ultimate authority." The 2007 season started off rocky (with Phil Rivers bouncing passes off the back of LT’s helmet, a loss to the rudderless Chiefs and Adrian Peterson’s single game rushing record) but they turned it around and found themselves on the brink of the Super Bowl but once again (like in his days in Buffalo) AJ was a bridesmaid and not a bride. But the season was a success. The bolts finally won a, and then another playoff game. Was this a case of hiring the right man for the job or could a chicken have coached the mass of talent AJ compiled?

So that is my short but accurate history of AJ Smith. The man has an eye for talent but almost laughable management skills. However biased I feel toward him he did build the roster that won the last five Super Bowls and is widely considered the most influential man since Jesus Christ. So what does the future hold for Mr. Perfect? I define it with one word: Desperation.

The Chargers need to figure out where they want to play their home games after their lease expires next year. Qualcomm Stadium (or the Murph as I’d like to remember it) is not fit for Super Bowls any more and the bolts need a new home. They aren’t working in a friendly San Diego economy and a nice shiny XLIII ring could only help when voters go to the polls to vote if their hard earned dollar will go to buy gas or funding a new structure for the Chargers. AJ Smith has put a priority on the present and seems willing to sacrifice the future to get the Chargers into a state-of the-art new field in Chula Vista with a Vince Lombardi trophy.

“Oh HBBeough, I don’t think he’s desparate.” No? Then how do you reason his latest moves? AJ Smith and John Butler built this team on the lack of patience by other teams (Atlanta and NY Giants). They made trades for more than they gave. Now the tables have turned on the bolts and it seems like they are willing to give up more than equal value for the now enriching the future of their trading partners and retarding their own. Here are some examples of their new philosophy:

In the 2007 NFL draft AJ traded the Chargers their 2nd round pick, their 3rd round pick, their 5th round pick and a 3rd round pick in 2008 for the Bears 2nd round pick and took Eric Weddle from Utah. For a guy that has based his success on the draft Smith traded a lot of his options for one guy that slipped into the second round. Who knows? Maybe Weddle will be a hall of famer and the other four guys he would have got wouldn’t have ever made a roster.

Then there was Chris Chambers, a 32 year old who AJ acquired with only a 2nd round 2008 draft pick who will be free agent after 2008. Who knows? Could Smith have drafted a good player in the second round in 2008? AJ is a former scout. Rookie 2nd rounders can be quality guys locked up in 2nd round money contracts for three years. Chambers will most likely be aloud to walk when his big money deal is done but he did seem to be the biggest factor in the team’s turnaround in 2007.

Continuing the trend, the Chargers (that didn’t have a bunch of picks in the 2008 draft anyway) sent a 5th round pick and a 2nd rounder from 2009 to the Patriots for their 3rd round pick and drafted Jacob Hester of LSU. I know the Broncos did the same kind of thing to get Marcus Thomas but I’m no advocate of mortgaging the future and when you trade next year’s 2nd round for this year’s 3rd you automatically lose value.

So, with much riding on the 2008 season AJ and the bolts have their work cut out for them. They will go into the season with the three musketeers (Rivers, LT and Gates) all returning from injuries. The team's leading tackler from 2007, Stephen Cooper will sit the first four games for getting caught with his hand in the steroid jar (joining teammates Shawne Merriman, Andrew Pinnock and Luis Castillo with that distinction). They lost starters Drayton Florence, Marlon McCree, Lorenzo Neal and Shane Olivea and LT’s backup Michael Turner split for the Falcons. They play all the big dogs in the AFC (except Jacksonville) and have to travel to London to play the Saints in the middle of the season.

In conclusion, all I want from the Chargers this year is excuses. Nothing else will do. And AJ Smith, I hope you like your new office in Carson.

Murphy's Law 2007

HBBeough — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:32:42 -0000

A first year starter QB in the NFL has enough to deal with without the added weight put on Jay Cutler in 2007. It is amazing the team was only one game under .500 considering whatever could have gone wrong did. It all started at the end of the prior season when Denver's energetic young cornerback Darrent Williams got gunned down and died in the arms of Cutler's #1 air option Javon Walker. Then before the season even got started, Travis Henry, the team's big offensive free agent acquisition RB was distracted by child support problems and in minicamp Tony Scheffler (Cutler's comfort zone TE) broke his foot. By the end of training camp the team found itself down key veterans like Broncos legend Rod Smith, DE Ebeneser Ekuban and offensive guard Ben Hamilton. Hamilton's injury, along with Montrea Holland replacing Cooper Carlisle and Matt Lepsis returning from his 2007 injury (in which he was never the same) left Cutler with only 40% of the personnel providing protection from the previous year.

The first part of the 2007 season the offense ground out a lot of yards but didn't put up points. On the other side of the ball, before the season was a quarter of the way in, it was becoming obvious the run defense (under new D-coordinator Jim Bates) was pathetic. Then, after a humiliating defeat to the Chargers the injuries started to pile up. Durable icon center Tom Nalen was done for the year with his first pro injury and Javon Walker's knee started to have problems again that all but ended his season. By this time the only member of the 2007 O-line Cutler played behind remaining was Eric Pears (a first year starter in 2007 who had to switch sides in 2008). As the season wore on the inept D-line had to be overhauled. Veteran free agent signings Simeon Rice and Sam Adams were let go leaving the defensive front to a bunch of rookies and 2nd year man Elvis Dumervil. By week 9 first round pick DE Jarvis Moss broke his leg in practice just as the run game looked like it was starting to turn the corner. Before then Travis Henry was back in the news for failing a drug test just as he himself was in and out of the lineup due to injury. Now we find out that Cutler was experiencing signs of diabetes for most of the 2007 campaign and had lost 30 lbs. before the end of the season.

Call me an optimist but I just can't see this much adversity in 2008. The team looks deeper everywhere (especially at WR and O-line) and I think the defense will bounce back similar to the year after Ray Rhodes was in mile high. I think Cutler is the real deal and am looking forward to Shanahan opening up the playbook and giving him more audible options. Cutler is better because of 2007, but he'll have to take this team where fans will know the rebuilding process is over to get the rest of the fanbase crazy again.

No respect for the AFC west

HBBeough — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:20:47 -0000

Horse Tracks missed this link on Cinco de Mayo.

ESPN's PETER smoKINGcrack has released his early NFL rankings, check it out:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/02/rankings/index.html

Cleveland #9, Carolina #10, Buffalo #13, the Jets #14 and…

Denver #23. Wow. That’s pretty sorry considering he has Oakland #30 and KC #31. That’s four wins right there.

He’s saying Denver will be worse than last year. Myself, I think they addressed most of their problems (coach Bates) and the young D-line will have the experience of one year to work with. I wish I could bet this guy some money.

It is no wonder ESPN let this piece of work fly under the radar. I seriously had to check the date on this to make sure I had the right year.

This will give me something to think about as the season goes on next year. Denver plays all the teams I mentioned below the link as rankings I thought were questionable and they play the Saints (King#16) and Tampa (#17) too.

Vegas lines have Denver at 38 to 1, 17th or 18th rank. The Browns: 13th-16th, Carolina and Buffalo 21st-24th and the Jets 25th or 26th.

We’ll see.

D - Al = ?

HBBeough — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:00:18 -0000

From week 2 to week 7 of the 2006 season (including a game against Tom Brady and the Patriots) the Denver defense held their opponents to single digit scoring and consecutive victories even though the O was sputtering. But then something happened and the unit failed to keep anyone under 10 from that point on and in only 7 of those 27 games kept the other team under 20. At first it was due to some good competition (Indy, Pittsburgh & San Diego) but then on December 3rd Al Wilson was carted off the field with a neck injury and the run defensive has never been the same… or even close. The final game of the season (when they still had a chance to make the playoffs) Frank Gore ran through the Bronco’s D like they were the “second leading brand” on a paper towel commercial.

Enter Jim Bates. Brought in to fix the ailing defensive corps Bates began pounding his round pegs into the square holes of the Broncos D in 2007. His archaic scheme was designed for enormous defensive linemen to “hold the point of attack” rather than penetrate. Because this was not the kind of team he had, Mr. Bates went shopping. He looked to bring in anyone that weighed more than a Volkswagen and ship out anyone that cheated by jumping in a gap. The result was a lot of meat up front not making any tackles, a group of linebackers out of position and defensive backs spending far too much energy supporting the run. Mercifully Jim Bates was aborted after the 2007 season and his hired heft wasn’t invited back.

So, after the dust settled from 2007 here is what you have:

D-line: Stocked with young players with a lot of potential (Jarvis, Elvis, Thomas & Crowder) with a quality DE in Ekuban coming back from an injury and a free agent DT (Robertson) that has played through bad knees.

Defensive backs: A veteran squad that is proven but may not have many years left

Linebackers: DJ Williams moving back to his ideal spot, Champ’s brother Boss will upgrade Ian Gold and Niko Koutouvides coming in to play the middle. What should we expect from Niko Koutouvides? I have no idea. Seattle bloggers either say he didn’t start because Lofa Tatupu is so good of that they got Tatupu because Niko wasn’t good enough. If he struggles the Broncos will have a mess and the conspiracy theorists will begin to talk about Al Wilson emerging from retirement like a phoenix.

So my point is that there are reasons to be optimistic but in general this defense has much to prove. At least the challenge is being presented to young athletes hungry for success instead of past-successful athletes who are just hungry. One way or another they have to be better than 28th in points against next year. I can’t remember a Denver D that was so vulnerable to the run.

I Like Mike.

HBBeough — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:41:56 -0000

Mike Shanahan doesn’t need me or any other yahoo to justify his position with the Denver Broncos but because there is so much chatter over last year’s 7-9 record I just want to remind the people calling for his head what he has accomplished at the helm of the franchise and state my reasons why getting rid of him would be a enormous mistake.

Most of the whining about Shanahan is directed at his role as a GM and his personnel decisions. If you listen to the likes of ESPN’s Sean Salisbury you might not think Denver has never fielded a winning team under coach Shanahan’s watch. The truth is the opposite. He has only two losing seasons since 1995 (Both were with first year as starter quarterbacks) and no embarrassing 2-14 or 4-12 debacles. Only the Packers have had fewer losing seasons during this period. Unfortunately for him his success in the wins column has resulted in no top 10 draft picks in his tenure. Since 1995 Denver is the only team not to visit the top 10. In fact half the teams in the league have had at least a #1 or #2 in this time frame and a bunch of those have multiple appearances up at the top. Fact: Most high rated drafts are from teams with high draft picks and they usually only have those high picks by having bad records the year before.

So, because Shanahan’s average pick is #22 he has had to be more dynamic acquiring talent. He has a reputation of finding running backs in the late rounds (see NFL.com #3 all time draft steal Terrell Davis) and almost no free agents ever turn down his offers. Sure he has brought in some players that don’t work out but he ejects them as soon as he figures it out and some do actually stick. The Superbowl teams were filled with under-hyped free agents (easy Ed, Romo, Gordon, Braxton ect…) brought in to fill gaps and even crazy plots like pillaging the Browns D-line netted Denver an AFC championship game in the mile high city. Bottom line, Mike is a great play caller but he hasn’t won all the games he has without having some gifted players on the roster.

Another popular gripe is: “Shanahan hasn’t won anything without John Elway.” It should be: Elway never won anything without Shanahan. At Stanford Elway never even went to a bowl game. Shanahan was part of a 1975 championship Oklahoma team, a division II east Illinois national title team and has Superbowl ring with one of the most productive offenses in NFL history the 1994/95 49ers. Dan Reeves had Elway for a lot longer and never cashed in. History has proved it is not an easy task to continue to win when a hall of fame quarterback retires. Shanahan helped the post-Montana Niners do it and he has been more than keeping his head above water with Denver since Elway hung ‘em up.

But enough about Mike Shanahan’s Hall of Fame past…

I would be for axing the little guy too if I thought 7-9 was due to anything more than the fact the NFL system is designed to break down the good teams and give preference to the losers through the draft and schedule so they can become more competitive. Prolonged success is the culprit to the Broncos demise and there is no coach and or GM in the history of the game that would have prevented the inevitable decline. However, Mike Shanahan is a visionary. After the AFC championship game against Pittsburgh he knew his roster needed retooled. He already devoted a draft class to finding D-backs that could help neutralize passing games like the Colts were killing them with in the playoffs but he also saw Jake Plummer was not the man to get them to the next level. So he bit the bullet. Another coach would have remained status quo, made the playoffs in 2006 and would have had a winning record last year but Shanahan made a Hall of Fame brained decision and opted to purge the roster and replace it with new era players. I think it is nothing less than amazing how quick this transformation is taking place and anyone that thinks Mr. Bowlen needs to pull the plug on it is just crying for 4-12 next year and maybe never seeing Vince Lombardi again in this lifetime.