Year: 2015

NFL Divisional round predictions

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , , , , , , ,

The Wildcard round featured storied rivalries and entertaining finishes. This weekend though gives us some of the best storylines of the season. We will see Tom Brady face off with the team that has given him so much trouble in the playoffs when Joe Flacco and the Ravens come to town. Two quarterbacks who have greatly changed how the position is viewed will share the field in Seattle when Russell Wilson’s Seahawks host Cam Newton’s Panthers. Two MVP candidates square off as a hobbled Aaron Rodgers takes on Tony Romo’s Cowboys at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. The best though is the showdown in Denver between golden boy quarterbacks of present and future. Andrew Luck battles the man he replaced in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning, when the Broncos match up with the Colts. This is Manning’s first playoff game ever against the franchise that drafted him in 1998. Now it is time to break down these divisional round games and tell you who will be advancing to the conference championship.

I will start in New England with the Patriots and Ravens will play for the second time in three years in the playoffs. The last time these two teams met, the Pats lost in Foxboro as Baltimore continued its run to the Super Bowl. This time around will be very different though. This New England defense resembles nothing that it did two years ago. There are a couple of holdovers but the biggest additions include corners Brandon Browner and Darelle Revis. Those two alone allow Bill Belichick to pressure the quarterback without safety help for his corners. Joe Flacco has been on a quite a run of late in the playoffs but it will end in Foxboro. Belichick will be sending pressure Flacco’s way all game long and he will emphasize shutting down the Ravens rushing attack as Pittsburgh did a week ago. I think Brady will exorcise some demons and key on a Baltimore secondary that struggled throughout the regular season. Look for Tim Wright and Rob Gronkowski to have big games. The Ravens are a talented enough team to keep the game close but I think New England will pull away late and win 27-14.

Flipping to the NFC now, many are calling this a mirror image game. Seattle and Carolina play very similar styles of football relying heavily on the defense to make plays and the offense to kill the clock with an explosive running game. At the helm, both squads have talented, mobile quarterbacks, who can give defensive coordinators nightmares when trying to game plan against them. The Panthers have been on a hot streak entering the playoffs and continued it last week with a commanding win over Arizona. The score was closer than the game ever seemed. Seattle had the week off and should be ready for the former Heisman winner. Saturday’s game will be very scrappy and I expect some turnovers. Seattle had the best defense in the league and Carolina’s was no slouch either ranking tenth. The first half will be a lot shifting momentum with both teams exchanging field goals. The Panthers might be the underdog but this team came close to upending Seattle earlier this season. This game will go down to the wire and I think in the end Russell Wilson’s ability to make plays outside the pocket will be too much for Carolina to handle. In this defensive battle will be low scoring and finish 19-13, Seahawks on top. When all is said and done, Seattle should be set to host its second straight NFC Championship game.

Dallas will travel north to take on Green Bay in the other NFC divisional round game to travels to Seattle. This should be an exciting game to watch. The Cowboys will need to start fast in this one if they have any hopes of surviving until the next round. They fell behind early and were lucky to escape with a win over Detroit. This game could be much easier for Dallas though than was initially thought if Aaron Rodgers is truly not at 100% with a serious calf injury. However, Rodgers was clearly hobbled in his game against Detroit two weeks ago and still led the Packers to a victory. Yet, the key to this game will be the Packers’ defensive front. The Lions laid out the blueprint to beat the Cowboys last week getting after Tony Romo and limiting Demarco Murray’s ability to break long runs. Romo was sacked six times, Murray averaged less than four yards per carry and it was clear Dallas struggled. I think Green Bay will come out with a plan early to get after Romo. Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense ranked in the bottom quarter of the league for passing yards allowed. I think Rodgers gets the Packers out to an early lead that the Cowboys, as good as they can be, are unable to overcome. Green Bay wins 34-28.

The last game pits two quarterbacks desperate for a playoff win. Peyton Manning’s career is winding down and his critics have always pointed out Manning’s struggles in the playoffs. On the other hand, Andrew Luck has burst onto the scene and has be called a great quarterback but the doubters still have yet to see Luck take his team past the divisional round of the playoffs. When the Colts visit the Broncos, we should see two offenses heading in completely different directions. Indy has struggled running the ball all year and Denver’s defense ranked second during the regular season for rushing yards allowed. This game will fall squarely on the shoulders of the former Stanford quarterback if Indianapolis is going to stand a chance in this game. Luck has the ability to put up incredible numbers but he has also been turnover prone of late. He will need to play mistake free to give the Colts a chance. For Denver though, this game will be about running the football. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase completely restructured Denver’s offense down the stretch this season to rely heavily on the running game, taking the weight off Manning. The Broncos will want to keep the ball out of Luck’s hands as much as possible and simply wear the Colts defense out with C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman. This approach should make also negate the Colts pass rush, which registered an impressive 41 sacks this season. This should be an interesting game but in the end, I think the quarterback of the present holds off the quarterback of the future. Broncos win 31-21.

So my prediction is that we will see the Packers travel to Seattle and another round of Brady versus Manning in the conference championship. Let me know if you think I completely overlooked something or you have a different idea of how next weekend will look. Keep an eye for next week’s predictions as well. Enjoy all of these great matchups this weekend.

Should MLS institute relegation?

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer

Just about every soccer league in the world has a tier system built into the league. What this means is that at the end of every season, the bottom few teams are knocked down a flight to the lower division for the following season. Meanwhile, the top few teams from the league below them move up a flight, taking the spot of the teams who are leaving the top flight. This process is referred to as promotion and relegation. It is commonplace for this process to take place in European and South American soccer leagues, yet it is not a component of Major League Soccer in the United States. It is not something that can be simply added overnight but it is something that MLS should begin to think about in the near future to really grow soccer in the US.

I mentioned that it is more complicated than it seems, and that’s for a long list of reasons. At the moment, the biggest obstacle is the continual shifting of the MLS playing field. This past season the league had 19 teams. With Chivas USA now defunct and NYCFC and Orlando City SC set to join at the beginning of 2015, MLS will have 20 teams. There are also a handful of other expansion teams in the works. The cities that could end up with expansion teams include Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and San Antonio at the moment. Atlanta and Los Angeles are set to kickoff for the first time in 2017 and MLS Commissioner Don Graber has made it clear he wants to have 24 teams up and running by 2020. The MLS wants to have a top flight of 24 teams, which would be the largest worldwide.

With the league filling up so quickly, it is obvious that some of these expansion projects will fall outside of the 24 team cut off. This would be a perfect reason to begin a promotion and relegation system. Yet, MLS seems like it does not intend to implement the system any time soon. The format for the system is in place though. The US has three division of soccer already, though the lower two are largely unknown. The second division is the North American Soccer League (NASL), which actually mirrors the original North American soccer league that existed during the 70s and 80s with revival franchises. This division only has eleven teams the moment but is looking to add two more, which could be where these extra MLS teams come into play. The third division is known as USL Professional Division (USL PRO). This league is substantially larger with 23 teams but a very short history spanning back to only 2011. At the moment, USL PRO is being used as a training ground for many MLS reserves and in many ways as a feeder system for MLS.

Technically, all three leagues are independent but the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) sanctions them all. This makes linking the three leagues significantly easier because they have the same format and rules. Sure, at first these teams that are getting promoted will have a large gap in talent but over time they will even themselves out and eventually be able to compete. Some of these teams can already salvage a couple of wins over MLS sides. The MLS Open Cup offers the only opportunity NASL and USL PRO teams get to play MLS clubs and in a few instances we have seen upsets by NASL sides. There might be a gap but it will shrink over the course of the first few years the system is in place.

I am not going to pretend that I understand the financial issues that could arise from the situation but if the MLS officials are truly serious about raising US interest in soccer and promoting player development, this would very easily be the way to do it. It would expand soccer all over the country. It would be a perfect way to develop talent in the US. US soccer would much better resemble how the rest of the world plays the game. It would add a new excitement to American soccer that would make almost every game meaningful as teams not only seek to win the championship but also struggle to remain in the league. It would likely lead to an increase in attendance and would increase MLS popularity. The more teams that exist that have a chance to play for something meaningful will draw more fans and spread the influence of soccer much further in the US.

The argument stands that no other American sport uses relegation but soccer is not like any other US sport. In the Big Four sports of hockey, baseball, basketball and football, North America gets to set the rules on how these games are played because they were all invented and popularized here. With soccer though, this sport was developed overseas and has always been something that the US has been trying to catch up to the rest of the world at. Europe set precedent with the idea of promotion and relegation. I do not see why the US should be any different from how the rest of the world plays the sport. America did not invent the sport; it should not be up to them to determine how the format proceeds. Yet, MLS continues to resist the change. I do not think this should happen immediately and certainly, the league will need some time to settle after annexing the next round of teams in 2020. It is something that MLS should start planning to integrate into the US system once the league is set though. I understand that I am speculating in some ways as to how this could benefit American soccer but I feel that this is the best way for MLS to be taken more seriously on the world stage. It could only up the level of play pushing players to improve and contend with the youth who are developing in the lower leagues. It also promotes staying in the system rather than fleeing to a different country if riding a team to promotion is possible. I think it is the next logical step for the MLS. Let me know what you think though.

Stuart Scott’s legacy

Chris McGlynn Uncategorized ,

I have written a bunch of tribute pieces on athletes this past year who are finishing their career in various sports. This one is a little different though. It is not for an athlete and no one is retiring. This is a tribute piece for a man who lost his life battling cancer. Stuart Scott spent the better part of the last 7 years fighting his cancer. Twice it went into remission, but both times, it came back worse than before. Yet, Scott never let it affect his life. He continued to work through the disease, refusing to let it take over his life. This is his story.

Stu and Alan
Scott passed away on January 4, 2015. He was 49.

Stuart Orlando Scott was born on July 19, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois. That was not where he called home though as his family moved to North Carolina, where Scott spent most of his childhood. He grew up with a brother Stephen and two sisters Synthia and Susan. Scott graduated from Richard J. Reynolds High School where he was not the only famous graduate. Former U.S. Senator Richard Burr, Hall of Fame sports writer Mary Garber and musician Ben Folds all spent their time at the Winston-Salem school. Scott then went on to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a communications undergraduate student. This is where Scott honed his craft initially. Scott joined the student-run radio station WXYC and became an on-air talent.

After graduation, Scott started working for an ABC affiliate television station, WPDE in South Carolina. He only stayed rough a year before he jumped to a Raleigh station named WRAL in 1988. WRAL posted an article yesterday after the news of Stuart’s passing broke. Sports anchor Jeff Gravely said in the article that Scott had “a natural bond” with the sports department. Scott made his mark at WRAL and is still fondly remembered there today. Scott spent three years working in Raleigh before he made the move to Orlando, Florida and began working for an NBC affiliate WESH. It was at WESH where Scott made his connection to ESPN in producer Gus Ramsey.

By 1993, Scott had made a bit of a name for himself. Not a bad thing to do at the age of 28. He joined ESPN to help launch ESPN2 and Scott’s recognition shot up from there. He became a staple on the later editions of “Sportscenter” and introduced the rest of the world to his unique phrases, like “Booyah!” and “cooler than the other side of the pillow.” Scott is quoted talking about his start at ESPN in Those Guys Have All The Fun, a book written by James Miller and Tom Shales about the network’s rise to prominence. Scott said, “ESPN was my first full-time sports job. I don’t think any of it ever came easy, but that’s not to say it wasn’t fun back then. Something can be difficult and fun.” Scott embraced the change and set to work on becoming a facet of ESPN broadcasting.

Scott became one of the best-known faces in sport journalism. He also experienced some previously unheard of practices in journalism. In 2004, Scott joined a team of anchors and took Sportscenter on the road. The first stop they made was to Kuwait. To Scott, it was like nothing he had ever experienced in his professional career. He said in the same book, “The applause we got from the troops was thunderous.” He added, “I remember thinking, ‘This should be reversed. It should be me cheering for them.’” While this was his job, his career, his life work, Scott knew how to put it all in perspective.

Scott, in total, spent 21 years working for ESPN. He managed to be a part of an explosion in the sports world for delivering sports news. He found a way to touch so many different people in his time with the network. It all culminated at the 2014 ESPYs, where Scott received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and gave an incredible speech reminiscent of former ESPN mainstay Jim Valvano years before. The link is here and the fact that Scott made the trip is simply unbelievable. He brought the audience to tears as he finished his speech and embraced his daughter Sydni on stage. Just Scott showing the world that yes Stuart Scott is just a human as the rest of us.

Forget race, gender or anything else you want to categorize Stuart Scott by. Scott was one of the greatest sport journalists I have ever had the honor to watch at work. He has been a great component in broadening the boundaries of what is acceptable for professional behavior on the air. He was genuine and dedicated and he will be sorely missed. Thank you Stuart for all of the hard work you put into your career. It has been an inspiration to me and I am sure several others to continue pursuing one of the greatest jobs in the world. But more than that, you did your job with integrity. And all I can say to that is thank you. Rest in peace.

Rebuilding Knicks?

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA

A three team trade was announced last night in the NBA between the Thunder, the Cavaliers and the Knicks. The trade involved six players and a couple of draft picks. The Thunder received Cleveland guard Dion Waiters, while the Cavs landed J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, previously of the Knicks, and Oklahoma City’s future first round pick. New York landed Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas, the first two from the Cavaliers and Thomas from the Thunder, and a 2019 draft pick from Cleveland. Everyone is looking at how it affects the Cavs and the Thunder because both teams are likely playoff bound. I want to look at the Knicks, who, to me anyway, seemed to have taken whatever deal the team could find without really maximizing its potential.

The Knicks have been one of the worst teams in the league this year and their record shows it. New York scores the second fewest points per game and rank in the bottom third of the league for shooting percentage. Defensively, the Knicks are mediocre as well. New York sits as the 21st scoring defense and 24th in shooting percentage against. That includes allowing teams to shoot almost 40 percent from behind the arc, worst in the NBA. Derek Fisher’s team also has the third worst point differential in the league. The Knicks are more than on their way to a top-5 pick with their 5-32 record. This team cannot even rebound well as it ranks second to last in that category as well.

The issue for the Knicks organization now is that they need to rebuild this team. This team does not frighten anyone and will not with the current core of players. The front office knows that but is not doing much to start that process. Sure, shipping Smith and Shumpert to Cleveland is a nice sentiment but the Knicks got back three role players with non-guaranteed contracts and a second round pick, for four years from now. That provides zero help for the immediate future. It makes Kirk Amundson and Thomas likely candidates to be dealt again because of the contract flexibility but it is useless in reality. It accomplished next to nothing. The organization has no new draft picks to bolster this aging and talent-strapped roster. The Knicks’ plan will be to most likely build around Carmelo Anthony for the near future due to the nature of his contract that he signed just this past offseason.

The reality is that this trade does next to nothing to help New York. It allowed them to jettison two players the team had been shopping for a long time but it did not really bring in much in the way of trade ammunition either. The Knicks are, if it is even possible, actually in worse shape after engineering this trade. The front office sold out on the present but failed to buy into the future. They opened up a ton of cap space for themselves in the coming offseason but the free agent pool does not project as well as the Knicks need it to. New York also is not a very appealing place to play right now when the starting lineup sits as Jose Calderon, Tim Hardaway Jr., Anthony, Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich. That starting five does not intimidate anyone, nor does it make it easy to sell potential free agents on the Knicks. This team needs a huge overhaul and the front office is not making the best effort to make that happen. That is just my opinion. Let me know yours and whether you think the Knicks are on the right track to rebuilding.

LA does it again

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer ,

There were all sorts of questions floating around the Galaxy at the end of this season. Landon Donovan was retiring, Robbie Keane was rumored to be leaving and Los Angeles expected to lose players in the expansion draft. This team might have just won the MLS Cup, but as soon as last year ends, a new one begins. For the front office, there is no offseason. Earlier today, the front office for LA got to work as it was announced Liverpool captain Steven Gerard announced his intentions to join the Galaxy following the end of the Premier League season. Just when it seemed like the Galaxy would be running out of star power, LA managed to land another great towards the end of his career who can still contribute. Let’s take a look at what Gerrard brings to this Galaxy squad.

Gerrard was a member of Liverpool for each of the last 16 years. The Premier League squad brought him through its youth academy eventually signing him in 1998. Gerrard has made 695 appearances for the Reds and scored 180 goals in all competitions. Gerrard brings a fierce competitor and leader to an LA team that will be missing that with Donovan’s absence. His 180 goals rank number one in Liverpool’s 122-year history. His goals per appearance ratio is not anything spectacular at 0.23 but he is truly a once in a generation player. He ranks as the second best scoring midfielder in EPL history only behind Frank Lampard.

Gerrard will mostly emulate Donovan though in how he orchestrates the offensive attack. Gerrard ranks second in Premier League history for assists with 100. He is crafty and while his legs have begun to lose some of that spring he had as a younger man, he will find ways to mentally beat his opponents. Gerrard is not the same player as Donovan but without a doubt, he fills a similar role that allows LA to maintain close to the same attack style it employed this season. Gerrard will most assuredly find himself setting up Keane and Gyasi Zardes on multiple occasions.

This move will mark yet another former international superstar to come to MLS following the prime of his career in a European league. While it is certainly exciting, it still underlines the continual problem the MLS has with landing big stars before the decline in their career begins. The movement started with Beckham back in the early 2000s and has rapidly accelerated this year with Kaka, Frank Lampard and David Villa all set to join MLS this season. Now Gerrard will be added to the mix.

It should continue to drum up interest in the MLS though stateside though. That has been one of the league’s greatest weaknesses. It has been unable to really turn itself into a major North American sport due to how enamored the U.S. is with football, hockey, basketball and baseball. However, if these players can boost the popularity enough (after all, sports fans love to watch big name athletes compete) to where the league finds themselves capable of generating more money, we could finally start to see some of these players come over to the US before their career seems all but over. It could only be a matter of time. Gerrard is just another piece in this jumbled up puzzle for the MLS. He should be fun to watch in Los Angeles though once he arrives in June. If he resembles anything close to the Steven Gerrard Liverpool fans have watched play for so long, then LA might be in line to make another run at the cup.