SB Nation User Blog: TheSportsWatcher

Urlacher Was Right, Having Said That...

TheSportsWatcher — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:15:43 -0000

If you watched the season finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” or even if you’ve just been a member of society for a considerable amount of time, then you know that any clause that starts off in the fashion of “Having said that,” or “I mean no disrespect,” for all intensive purposes, will end in having disrespected the subject of conversation.

Enter Brian Urlacher, who in a recent radio interview (mind you, Urlacher has plenty of time to talk considering he’s not playing this season) said, “I'm not taking a shot at Jay,” and then immediately went on to take a shot at Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

I'm not taking a shot at Jay. I'm not one bit taking a shot at Jay. He throws it better, right? And we haven't tried to run the ball as much. That's true. But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I'm not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.

Even though Urlacher began and ended his sentence with “I’m not taking a shot at Jay,” the fact is, he did take a shot at Jay, and it was a hefty one. By saying that Kyle’s “formula” works and that Kyle “won games,” he is essentially saying that Cutler’s “formula” doesn’t work and that Cutler doesn’t win games. Now, if that’s not taking a shot a Jay Cutler, what is?

Knicks Rant; Blown Out By the Heat?

TheSportsWatcher — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:17:59 -0000

I expect the New York Knicks to get blown out on many different occasions this season.

The Knicks certainly don’t have any hope against the "New Twin Towers" in Boston, with Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett manning the paint (and the perimeter) with their guard-like shooting in the bodies of 7-footers.

Also, the Knicks are probably going to get pummeled by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on both occasions. I can already see Ron Artest doing us up in Madison Square Garden in front of his hometown.

And of course, there’s the Cleveland Cavaliers game next weekend. It will be LeBron James’ only visit to New York City this season, which can only mean that he’ll feel the supplementary pressure to score an "official" 50-point triple double on the Knicks. And for added measure, Shaquille O’Neal will probably score 30 and knock both David Lee and Al Harrington out for the season, leaving us with Eddy Curry for the rest of the year.

But to get blown out by Miami?

The Heat?

Seriously?

How on Earth did that happen last night?

Expounding...

Win or lose, Eagles Defense Must Impress

TheSportsWatcher — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:35:32 -0000

The Eagles have a tough game against the New Orleans Saints. While the likley absence of Donovan McNabb may have already determined the outcome of this game, the performance of the Eagles defense this week may determine the Eagles season.

While the Eagles defense looked great against the Carolina Panthers, the Eagle shouldn't expect 4 interceptions from Drew Brees. This is a big game, and Brees often plays quite well in those. In the past, the Eagles defense has been the reason Philly comes through in big games, but without coach Jim Johnson, how well equipped is the new defensive coordinator for a game of this magnitude?

New defensive coordinator Sean McDermott had all offseason to get ready for Carolina, but with just a week to get ready for the NFL's best offense, is he ready for the challenge? There are a lot of things that go into preparing for a game like this, and let's face it, McDermott is a rookie when it comes to calling the plays. The plays he calls, and how this beat up defense performs this week, will go a long way in determining whether the Eagles are the defense from last year, that finished #3 in the league, or if they are just a shell of their former selves.

One thing McDermott showed last week was an interest in making the backers more involved in the game. It was a good strategy, bringing pressure of the middle with twist and the like. Jim Johnson usually just preferred coming off the edge, using backers and Dawkins interchangeably. However, McDermott seems inclined to increase the sack totals of linebackers specifically, something that could make offensive lines more weary of the backers presence, and thus more cautious with their pass protections. Although, blitzing the linebackers could just be a way of making up for the loss of Steward Bradley and masking the coverage liabilities of his replacements.

Outside of the coach, I will be interested to see how the Eagles match up man to man. Asante Samuel and Brown had big plays last week, but they weren't really challenged. This week, the Saints will isolate those two, and Drew Brees will find the isolation. Whether Brown and Samuel hold up will determine how they are used for the rest of the season and whether Ellis Hobbs will get more of a shot at starting. Also, if Samuel and Brown play well, the issue of the Eagles two safeties won't be that big of a problem--at least for now.

After years of trouble with the run, the Eagles finally stopped the rush in 2008. They did a decent job to start the year last week, but the ultimate test will come against the Saints, because the Eagles won't be able to put 8 men in the box for the majority of the game. When you look at teams that win the Super Bowl, you will always come across teams that can stop the run with just 7 men in the box. Thus, if the eagles are going to contend this season, they have to stop the run against the Saints, with just 7 men around the line of scrimmage.

Lastly, what about the blitz? The Eagles love to blitz, it's a staple of their defense, and they won't win games without it. But when you're up against the best quarterback in the conference, you can't just blitz him all "willy nilly." Jim Johnson was notorious for calling blitzes at poor times in big games only to allow the other team free reign on an exposed secondary. It was blitzing late in the 4th quarter that may have cost the Eagles a trip to the Super Bowl last year. So what will be McDermott's use of the blitz against Brees and late in the 4th when the game is on the line? I don't know, but it will be very interesting to see his strategy and whether or not he chooses to expose the secondary late in the game.

Win or lose (and I'm not too concerned either way without McNabb), what the Eagles defense does this game will either give me great deal of confidence or great displeasure on the Eagles outlook for the rest of the 2009 NFL season.

~TheSportsWatcher

TheSportsWatchers.com

Not Having a Healthy Westbrook Should Not End the Season

TheSportsWatcher — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:11:22 -0000

I really wouldn't be too concerned about Brian Westbrook not being healthy to start the season. They can definitely make it the first 4 games, if not the first 8 games, by just employing a running game by committee.

What some people are failing to remember is that this offense is not predicated around the game. Sure, the Eagles are a really good team when there is more balance in the offense, especially when you have an efficient runner like Westbrook in the backfield. But the offense has often thrived without a potent rush attack, and you don’t even have to look past last season to see it.

Last season, Westbrook had 12 games where he had less than 65 rushing yards or did not play, and the Eagles were 5-6-1. Not impressive in the least. However, 5 of the losses were 1 possession games, and the other was the notorious beat down in Baltimore where no phase of the Eagles game plan worked. Granted, maybe if the rushing attack was a little more potent in those 5 closes the Eagles might have won. But the Chicago loss was full of mistakes. The Washington loss was a porous effort by our run defense. The Dallas loss has another porous effort the defense. In the close to the Giants, the defense gave up 219 yards on the ground. And the loss to Washington near the end of the season was a dropped-ball palooza.

Look, you point to the running game in almost any game that a team loses, but I really don’t think the paucity of a running game hurts the Eagles that much during the course of a regular season.

If anything, Westbrook’s ability to block and pass receive will be missed more than anything, but Lorenzo Booker is a very talented running back who has been utilized in a lot of ways, and I think that he will finally get a chance to show his versatility if Westbrook is not back in the fold in time for the start of the season.

So in my opinion, the Eagles should rest Westbrook for as long as they can. Let him sit out 6, 7, 8 weeks if that’s what it takes to get him back to 100%. Because while the Eagles can probably go the regular season without him, not having a rushing game in the playoffs is whole other story.