Author: Chris McGlynn

National Championship preview

Chris McGlynn Football, NCAAF , , ,

It may be the first of many to come but this College Football Playoff has been exciting from the very beginning and is definitely an improvement to the old system. Now, we will see who wins the ultimate prize of a National Championship when Oregon clashes with Ohio States. The battle of the Ducks and the Bucks will be a heated one and I am here to break down what you need to know for the game.

This marks the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Ducks since 2009, when Ohio State defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl. In the previous eight meetings between these teams, Oregon has never managed to win a game. History is not going to matter too much in this matchup but it is definitely not in the Ducks’ favor. In that 2009 Rose Bowl loss, Oregon’s signal caller was Jeremiah Masoli, who ended up transferring to Ole Miss following the season. This year the Ducks have Heisman winner Marcus Mariota under center, which is certainly a major upgrade over Masoli. Mariota might not be the only reason the Ducks are in the title game but he is definitely a key component to this championship run. The Hawaiian-born quarterback has been nothing short of excellent this year amassing 4121 passing yards and 56 total touchdowns, 40 through the air, 15 on the ground and even 1 receiving. He has a quarterback rating of 184.3, ranking as one of the best single season marks in history. Mariota was also one of the best avoiding turnovers throwing only 3 interceptions on 408 attempts. That means that Mariota threw an interception on less than 1 percent of his throws. He accomplished all of this while completing a career high 68.6 percent of his passes as well. He will be the focal point of this Oregon squad.

Mariota struggled a bit more than we are used to seeing at the beginning of the Florida State game but settled down and had a stellar second half. It will be largely up to the Ohio State defense to keep the Buckeyes in this game. The offense can score, as we saw when it racked up 42 points against a top defense in Alabama on New Year’s Day, but the defense will need to keep Mariota and this high flying Duck’s attack in check. This group will be up to the task. The Buckeye’s secondary came up with three interceptions of Blake Sims last week and the defensive line limited the big plays from Bama’s tailback duo of Xavier Henry and T.J. Yeldon. This pass rush also registered 43 sacks on the season, which ranks ninth in FBS. This defense is explosive and can make Mariota uncomfortable. Ohio State is also the type of team that could really do a lot of damage to the Duck’s offense but not in the way you would think. The Buckeyes’ grounded out 281 yards rushing against the nation’s second best run defense in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon ranks all the way down at fiftieth in terms of run defense and that could spell trouble for the Ducks. If Ohio State can run the ball effectively with Ezekiel Elliot, they will not only wear out Oregon, they will also limit the number of chances Mariota gets to make plays on offense. Usually, Oregon’s fast paced offense has tired out defenses by the end of games, making it easy to score, but if the Ducks are getting fewer drives then Ohio State’s defense should be able to hold up for the entirety of the game. That should be Ohio States game plan going into this game: run the ball and keep the Heisman winning quarterback for the Ducks on the sideline. Elliot will be the center of the Buckeye’s attack, and if he gets rolling, it could spell the end for Oregon’s title hopes.

Oregon’s defense might have a slight edge though as they will get to face Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones in only his third career start. The Buckeye’s are rolling right now and changing quarterbacks for the second time this season has not seemed to affect them but Jones is still young and learning. The sophomore from Cleveland struggled against Alabama’s defense, particularly when the Buckeye’s were in passing downs. He completed only 51.4 percent of his passes and definitely seemed like he was not fully ready to handle throwing more than twice as many passes in the Sugar Bowl than he did in the Big Ten Championship game. Oregon’s pass rush is talented as well registering 36 sacks on the year. If Oregon can find a way to slow down the Ohio State running game and force the Buckeyes into third and long situations, we could see some the Buckeyes’ offense stalling quite a bit. I would not be surprised if the Ducks defense crowds the box and forces Jones to beat them using his arm. It is risky but the kid is still fairly young and is liable to make some costly mistakes.

The players might be on the field, but the coaches control the game. These two coaches come from very different backgrounds. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer has two national titles to his name from his time with the Florida Gators. Mark Helfrich spent a few years as the offensive coordinator in Oregon following his time at Colorado as the offensive coordinator. Meyer has eight years of head coaching experience; Helfrich is just completing his second season as the lead man in Pacific Northwest. Both have been extremely successful in their respective coaching careers. Meyer and Helfrich are a combined 49-6 over the past two years. Neither one of them is going to back down and both know what this would mean to their respective programs. For Meyer, it would be validating that Ohio State is back and that the Big 10 can be a premier conference. For Helfrich, it will be the school’s first national title and completely pull Helfrich out of Chip Kelly’s shadow. These two are both great coaches and should have many more years of running top programs but only one will be the first ever college football playoff champion.

As for which of them it will be raising that trophy while soaked in Gatorade, it is a tough call. Oregon’s offense is second to none but the suspension of freshman wide receiver Darren Carrington is a big blow. He was a big play machine against Florida State accounting for 165 yards and two touchdowns. At the same time, Ohio State is still trying to find their way offensively with a quarterback in his third ever start on the biggest stage possible. The first half will be full of experimentation by both teams as we see what these coaches have cooked up over the past week and half for this game. I really like Ohio State’s chances in this game, but I cannot go against the Heisman winner in Mariota. He won the award for his continually incredible play and I think, in the end, he will be the difference maker. This game will absolutely be high scoring and Ohio State will be competitive but Oregon wins 47-38.

Why choosing the Bills will be a mistake for Ryan

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , ,

Rumors are flying around right now that Rex Ryan could be on his way to coach in Buffalo next season to the tune of $27.5 million over the next five years. Ryan is an excellent coach and will make a stout Bills’ defense even better but going to Buffalo is a mistake for Ryan. He is being lured in by all of the money and apparently did not appreciate the Falcons lukewarm response to their first interview with the former Jets coach. Ryan should avoid coaching this northern New York team for a laundry list of reasons.

The Bills have a top shelf defense and some decent offensive weapons. The offensive line is a solid unit and this team can run the ball effectively. However, Buffalo is searching for an upgrade at quarterback due to the less than stellar play at the position holding back the team. Sound familiar? This is the exact same situation Rex Ryan walked away from in New York, just with a slightly improved defense. The gap is really not that much. The Bills finished with the fourth ranked defense allowing 312.2 yards per game. The Jets finished sixth with 327.2 yards per game allowed. That’s a difference of only 15 yards per game. New York even had a better run defense than Buffalo. Buffalo was no doubt better though allowing 7 points fewer per game and the Bills generated 17 more turnovers over the course of the season than its AFC East rival. Certainly, the Bills are a step up, but it is not a huge step.

The issue the two teams share is the mostly mediocre quarterback play. The Bills 2014 starter Kyle Orton just announced his retirement and I do not see him coming back. That leaves Buffalo with E.J. Manuel as the only quarterback on the roster going into the offseason. Manuel would be a reclamation project for Ryan and we saw in New York that he struggled to develop quarterbacks in both Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. There is a very limited free agent pool of quarterbacks with starting experience in the 2015 class, the best options being either former Titan Jake Locker or Sanchez himself. The Bills are also without a first round pick following the trade last spring with Cleveland in order to pick Sammie Watkins, which means that drafting a quarterback of the future in the first round is out of the question. Buffalo could explore trading for a player like Kirk Cousins in Washington or Johnny Manziel in Cleveland but both of those would be shots in the dark. Ryan once again does not have a proven quarterback and will have his team struggle until he finds one.

I am still very surprised to see Buffalo leaning in the direction of selecting a defensive-minded coach when the offense has struggled so mightily. Ryan is a great coach but he is walking into the same mess that led to a disaster with the Jets. I think he could be viewing this as another opportunity to take a shot at Bill Belichick in New England. Ryan would once again have a chance to meet the Patriots coach twice a year in divisional games. Ryan would love nothing more than to best Belichick and while I am not saying it could be the only reason for Ryan’s decision, it could be a motivating factor. I think Ryan is making a mistake by walking into Buffalo. He has shown his impeccable ability to create defensive schemes that can stymie Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks but he has struggled to generate an offense. Over Ryan’s six-year stint in New York, the Jets finished 20th, 11th, 25th, 30th, 25th and 22nd in total offense. They also finished 17th, 13th, 13th, 28th, 29th and 28th in scoring offense in that same time span. The Bills need a shot in the arm offensively and Ryan cannot provide it. Looking at it, it just seems like a mistake on paper. I guess now we have to see if what is on paper translates to the playing field.

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.