The Weekly Sports Burns Ed.2

LOCAL NEWS

THE BEST

Notre Dame came into the season as a favorite for the college football playoff. Or at least, a contender. Experts said it was Brian Kelly's most talented team. In the first game, they lost their number one tailback, Taream Folston, for the season. In the second game, they lost Malik Zaire, their number one quarterback.

But after their win against USC on Saturday night, the Irish sit at six and one, and still in contention for a playoff spot. How? Well, Deshone Kizer has been excellent. A true freshman, he has played much better than anyone expected. And C.J. Prosise has been a revelation at running back, making the switch from receiver and recording five, one hundred yard games already. The offensive line is filled with studs (left tackle Stanley is projected to go in the top three in the NFL draft) and they have a deep group of receivers.

The defense has struggled at times, particularly with their tackling, but they still boast a ton of playmakers (Sheldon Day and Jalen Smith) who are getting it done.

Beating USC always feels good. It's one of the oldest rivalries in college football, and so for at least one more week, Notre Dame remains in contention.

THE WORST

14 - 2. Cliff Pennington, a reserve shortstop pitched the ninth. Dickey never got out of the second. We ended up with four hits. So, yes, the Blue Jays are down 3 - 1 in the LCS to the Kansas City Royals who look like a machine right now, don't they? In Game Three, the Blue Jays finally got their offense on track but still ended up conceding eight runs, despite winning the game.

Facts are facts. Their pitching has been terrible. When we look back at this series, we'll probably look at a couple of things. David Price dominating until he didn't, and gave up that lead in the fateful seventh inning. The bullpen being stretched too hard because the starters weren't good enough. The bullpen, particularly the back end, with Hawkins and Tepera, just not being good enough against an awesome Kansas City bullpen. The Jays' bats going stagnant in the repugnant Kaufman field, built more like a cemetery than a baseball park designed to watch hitters slash opposite field singles and run a lot. (Boring.)

It's an old cliche, but for your team to win a championship, your stars have to be stars. Price has been a playoff bust. No, he wasn't hit that hard, but he gave up a three run lead. Donaldson has been okay, and so has Tulo, but the others?

Still, I put this on the pitching staff. They've been bad. What worries Jays' fans is that we only get two or three of our starters back next year. (Dickey has a club option.) The problem isn't the lineup. The problem is elsewhere.

Kudos for the defense, though. Aside from that Goins/Bautista miscue, they've been good. Let's get some damn outs, starters.

FAVOURITE MOMENT

Troy Tulowitzki's home run to put the Jays up 6 - 2. For a brief, shining moment, he gave us life. And then today happened. Sigh.

SIX THINGS

1. There's some concern around the Raptors about Demar's slow start. There should be. I like what I'm seeing in the pre-season. Lowry looks like an MVP candidate, and both Carroll and Joseph seem to be everything we were promised they would be. But DD is a usage-heavy shooting guard who slows everything down. If he could hit the three, like he did at times last season, it would mitigate some of those issues. But every time he touches it, the pace slows down, and he takes them out of their offense.

2. JV signed a huge contract in the offseason, but we still don't know what we're going to get from him. He's still slow on his defensive rotations, and every time he makes that pump fake, the apocalypse happens, we all go for dinner, and he still hasn't decided what to do with the ball. He needs to be good for them this year for the Raptors to contend for the division. We'll see.

3. The Bills get embarrassed again. Honestly, I don't know what to think. I hate their offensive line, other than Incognito and Wood, and if you want to take a page from the college ranks, look at Notre Dame. (Or the Cowboys last year) Their line is so good, they can lose their top RB and top QB and keep going because they get protection. Manuel was better then he'd been in the past, but he simply isn't good enough to be a starter in the NFL. He misses too many throws.

4. And the defense. Truly, the Bills defense played better, especially in the first half, then the final score suggests. Too many dumb penalties. Too much taunting. Too much idiocy. Darcy looks like a great pick, and Gilmore has played well. So, um, how about some pressure on the quarterback oh vaunted defensive line? The whole team screams mediocrity.

5. Do the Leafs look like a different team or what? Yes, they lost against Pittsburgh on Saturday, but it was really a hell of a game. The results aren't there yet, and they may not come this season thanks to a lack of talent, but I honestly thought I'd be skipping their games. They play a terrific, disciplined attacking style of hockey and hold on to the puck more than they did the last two seasons combined, when they all treated the puck like it was a live hand grenade. Kudos, Mr. Babcock, good job so far.

6. In 2012, everyone thought the Giants were done, trailing 3 -1 against the Cardinals. They came back to win the series and the World Series. Here's hoping lightning strikes twice. Go Jays!

(Author's note. I've been caught up in editing my latest novel this week, which, along with the election and a few other things has diverted my attention from the national sports scene. Next week, we'll have the regular spot for what else is going on in the world of sports. Cheers!)

The Weekly Sports Burns (How It Works)

INTRODUCTION

When I was a kid, I used to carry a tape recorder and microphone around and "interview" my friends about their latest sports heroics. I would mimic favourite announcers like Dick Vitale and Howard Cosell. When I was twenty four, I took the broadcast course at the National Institute of Broadcasting in the hopes of one day working in radio or television as a sports commentator.

It never panned out, and my love for the arts led to a writer's life. But my fandom never left. I was one of the few jocks growing up that felt equally happy to talk about the Blue Jays' lineup or Robert Jordan's "awesome" new fantasy series.

And while I've written about sports on this site before, this will be the first time that I will dedicate a single post every week to that world. I do not know what the final format will look like or how long it will be. I'm open to any suggestions, and if you like a particular section more than any other, let me know.

For every young boy and girl that put on a glove or felt the nerves dance in their stomach as they pulled on their jersey and felt the thrill of joy when their team won, and for all the fans out there who still find joy and thrill in their teams, this column is for you.

Cheers,

Steve

How The Column Works

The Column will be broken down into two categories, Local News and National News. Local News will deal with the local teams

LOCAL TEAMS 

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Raptors
Buffalo Bills
Toronto Maple Leafs
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (football; my favourite team)
Any Canadian National Team

NATIONAL NEWS

The big four sports, plus tennis and maybe golf and anything else I find interesting. (For you EPL fans, sorry, I but don't follow it.)

One last thing, playoff sports will always get priority. Always.

Okay, onto the column! See you in the next post!

Steve

5 Things: Bills 43 Jets 23

1. Turnovers: (Jets 6 Bills 0)

This is the most predicative stat in football when it comes to wins and losses. It's not QB rating, it isn't yards, and it isn't sacks. It's turnovers. Both Jets quarterbacks had bad games, though Vick was able to move the ball in the first half with his legs. (more on that later) Geno Smith threw interceptions on three consecutive possessions in the first quarter. About as bad a game as I've ever seen from a NFL quarterback. Vick was picked off and fumbled twice. Even still, with a 4 - 0 turnover edge in the first half, the Bills only led by 7 at the half. (24-17) Why?

2. Three and outs.

The Bills simply couldn't convert on third downs today. ( I believe they finished 2 for 12) The reasons for this extend to the fabulous Jets front seven (as good as it gets in the NFL. Amazing) and the poor showing by the interior of the Bills offensive line. Their running game was non-existent, which meant their play action was also non-existent. And their were times when it looked llike Orton simply held the ball too long in the pocket. When you have a six to nothing turnover edge, and when you start six times in the opponents territory, 43 points isn't enough. Have to do better in this regard going forward.

3. The offensive line

I've been hammering the O-line for the past few weeks because their guard play has been abysmal. As in, all world awful. However, Urbik started today in place of of the rookie Henderson, who was little more than a pylon in Minesota, and played okay. The problem today was Eric Wood, their normally solid center. Understand, the Jets' Wilkerson (defensive rookie of the year last year) is a force, but Wood got blown off the ball consistently, which meant their running backs had nowhere to go. If your center gets beaten that badly, the play is over. Period. That's the worst game I've ever seen from Wood. I expect him to be better going forward.

As an aside, football is interesting to casual fans because it's easy enough to follow the ball on a given play. However, if you want to see what's happening from a more analytic perspective, watch the line play. That is, do not watch the quarterback. Take your eyes off the ball and watch the line. On television, you can't see downfield anyway. So watch the lines. This is where the game is won and lost. It always takes me longer to watch a Bills game because so often I'll rewind a play if i missed what happened on the line. I should add that Glenn has been very solid at left tacle, and the other rookie (also Henderson) has been steady on the right side. The problem is in the middle, which is why they can't run the ball.

4. Defense

This game belonged to the defense. The defensive line goes eight deep. Four of those guys are pro-bowlers. At the end of the first half Vick got the Jets into good position by using his legs. In the second half, I kept an eye on the Bills D-line to see how well they stayed in their lanes. (When you have an exceptional running QB like Vick, you can't cheat, take faster angles to get to the quarterback, because if you miss, he can get around you for a big gain. This is much harder than it looks, since every defensive lineman is trained to get to the QB) Only ONE play in the second half did the Bills lose contain (Jerry Hughes) and picked up four sacks. They were disciplined. And they were dominant.

But as great as they were, what has me really excited is the linebacking play of Preston Brown, the rookie from Lousiville. 'For SO many years the Bills struggled with their linebacking play. But with Bradham and Brown and Alonso coming back next year, they have a terrific group of LB's for the first time since 2000. I'm convinced that it's the improved play of the linebackers that has them in playoff position going into week nine. Well, that and this guy...

5. Sammy Watkins 

So much was written about the Bills giving an extra first round draft pick for this guy. It is an EXTREMELY high price to pay to move up five spots in the draft. I'm telling you, it was worth it. Yeah, yeah, sticking his arm in the air and slowing down and getting caught was a good teaching moment (sorry, it wasn't showboating, it was celebrating) but 3 catches, 157 yards and a touchdown later, he was the difference. Forget he's a rookie, he's a star right now. His route running and hands are far beyond his years. This guy is going to be great.

I should mention Kyle Orton, who threw four touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over. He's not perfect -- he still holds the ball too long in the pocket sometimes and he isn't mobile at all -- but he has guts. In the first half, on a third and seven he took a shot down the field. It ended up being a Bills three and out, but he's not afraid to throw it down the field. That same willingness led to the "should have been Watkins TD throw."

The Bills look dangerous to me, even without their top two running backs. There's much to fix, but they have a really good defense, a star receiver, a QB who can make the throws and a strong kicking game. Right now, they look like a playoff team.

5 Things: Bills 17 Minnesota 16

This is probably the biggest win for the Buffalo Bills franchise in years. That they were expected to win this game doesn't matter, the way they won is what counts: a last second TD pass to Sammy Watkins in a drive that included completing a fourth and twenty. I watched most of the fourth quarter with the sound off. (It's easier to see what's happening without the noise. Not exactly like watching coaches' tapes, but it's better) Okay, let's go to five things.

1. Turnovers are the most predicative stat in football. The Bills turned it over four times (the Vikings had two), two of them in the red zone. That the Bills were able to overcome those two turnovers speaks to the quality of their competition. (Look what happened against New England) If they don't clean that up, this season will be over in short order. They have to do a better job taking care of the football.

2. The Bills lost CJ Spiller (broken collarbone) and Fred Jackson (MRI coming) which meant a lot of time for Anthony Dixon. The issue isn't Spiller, who aside from that 51 yard run today before he got hurt, hasn't been effective this year. Some of that blame has to go to the coaching staff, which hasn't been terribly creative in getting him the ball, but that's not where the problem lies. (More on this in point 3) Fred Jackson is the more valuable player, the one who will be hard to replace. He's their leading receiver out of the backfield, and terrific at picking up blitzes on third down. Mr. Steady always picks up positive yardage, and knows how to run between two terrible guards. They do have Bryce Brown, who they picked up for a fourth round pick from the Eagles at the draft and who ran well in pre-season. Worried about losing Jackson, but that isn't the biggest concern going forward. No. 3 is.

3. The Bills probably have the worst set of guards in the league. Cyril Richardson was responsible for 3 sacks today (maybe even 4) and Erik Pears on the other side is just as bad. Richardson replaced Kraig Urbik, who shouldn't be playing in the NFL. Glenn is fine at left tackle, and Wood is a very good center, but playing with those two guards is like playing short-handed on every play. They're awful. To my earlier point about Spiller, he isn't a natural, between the tackles runner. He needs bigger holes than a huge back like Dixon or a slitherer like Jackson. Those holes, the push, hasn't been there this year. Just watch the Cowboys. Look at the holes Murray gets from that great offensive line. (Use your PVR and freeze it on replay. What do you think Spiller would do with holes like that?) I don't know how they fix this during the season, but it's tough to get the ball down the field to Watkins or run between the tackles when your two guards are getting blown out on every other play. The worrying part is that other teams will start blitzing the A-gap (the spot between the center and the guards) like Minnesota did in the second half. Especially without a great blocking back like Jackson.

4. Sammy Watkins. Two first round picks for one player is a lot, but wow, he looks like he might be worth it. He gets open consistently. Has great hands. Runs excellent routes. And doesn't seem at all wowed by either the moment or himself. If he stays healthy, the Bills have a generational talent. Spectacular game today, and when they needed him the most, there was no way they were going to anyone else. A rookie, but seven games in, already the most dynamic player on that offense and the one the other teams (sans Revis island) have to stop.

5. I understand that Bills fans are testy. I get it. I've been a fan for thirty years, and the last fifteen have been brutal. But we have to stop ripping the team when they win. It's hard to win in the NFL. When the Bills won against Detroit a coupe weeks ago, I heard numerous fans suggesting it was the Lions' kicker, who missed three field goals, and not the great play of the Bills' defense, that won them the game. Hey, kicking is an important part of the game. And today it's been fans suggesting that a close win like this over a bad opponent at home means they're not a playoff team. Um, not winning enough makes you a non-playoff team. They won. Relax. Enjoy it. Next week marks the halfway point of the season and the Bills are still in it. My point, stop ripping the team when they win. They've done it little enough over the past fifteen years that you should be enjoying the result.