Author: Chris McGlynn

NFL proving to be ungracious guest

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues

The NFL has proven that it is not the easiest organization to get along with over the years but a particularly interesting dynamic has arisen over the past couple of seasons. The Super Bowl is one of the league’s busiest times of year. Coordinating between the stadium, the host city, the teams and others can get overwhelming as the preparations are being made. However, through all of this, the league has little sympathy for the host city. The NFL expects full cooperation with very little granted to the city in return. Thankfully, some of the mayors involved have started speaking out.

This year’s host was the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This was actually the second Super Bowl hosted by this stadium, the other coming back in 2008. In both situations, the NFL has tried playing hard ball with the politicians. In 2008, then Glendale mayor Elaine Scruggs reported that she had been offered Super Bowl tickets from the league. The issue was that they were at face value for $700 per ticket. Scruggs admitted she could not afford it and was planning to miss the game until a local Super Bowl planning committee came up with two free tickets for her. This year saw current Glendale mayor James Weiers forgotten completely. The league did not even offer Weisers a chance to buy a ticket to the game. He instead attend with Mitchell Modell, owner of the sport goods chain Modell’s. It seems a little cruel to put the mayors of the host city through that sort of ordeal. After all of the organization in the scheduling of the game, the league gives the mayor no compensation. That does not seem right to me.

Glendale is not the only one with these concerns either. The mayor of East Rutherford, New Jersey, James Casella had his own criticism for the league. East Rutherford is the home of MetLife Stadium and the site of last year’s Super Bowl. In addition to never being offered a ticket, Casella was infuriated by the NFL’s advertising of the game. I interviewed the East Rutherford mayor last year around the time of the game. He felt that the league was overlooking his city. He said, “Even Terry Bradshaw [Fox broadcaster] has called it the New York Super Bowl. The NFL has acted that our gift was hosting the Super Bowl and that was enough. It appears the NFL doesn’t want anyone else to make money from their game.” Casella had every right to be angry. While it is difficult to calculate, it is likely that New York got the bigger cut of the revenue generated by the Super Bowl.
While the NFL seems to be largely conceited, the cities that host the game do tend to pull in a lot of money from tourists. Rockport Analytics published research conducted on the 2012 game held in Indianapolis. The group found that Indy received $264 million from visitors and game attendees. The city of New Orleans, which hosted the 2013 edition of the Super Bowl, reported that the big game had brought in a similar amount of money from direct spending, $262.8 million. However, I have also seen conflicting numbers that are much closer to $200 million. This underlines the major problem of how difficult it is to track how much of an economic impact these games bring to a specific city. On average though, the host city is estimated to generate roughly $200 million in direct spending, according to Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP.

The debate is still open for how beneficial it is for a city to host the big game though. The reality is that the game does bring in a lot of extra income but it also leads to plenty of other costs and offsetting detractors that make it a neutral effect on the economy. I have read in just about every article about the Super Bowl’s economic impact that economists view the projections as overblown and the net gain is for the most part minimal. To that end, I haven’t exact seen huge increasing trends in economies that had the Super Bowl, nor have I seen any major drop offs. I think it is fair to reason that the overall impact of the big game is negligible at best.

If we are assuming that, the economic impact is relatively neutral then the NFL really has to start offering these mayors free Super Bowl tickets. That seems to be the only really compensation these politicians could be in line for after all of the work they put in organizing the hosting efforts. If this continues to be a trend though where the league not only provides minimal returns on the city’s investment and less than generous accommodations, we could start to see the pool of Super Bowl host cities begin to shrink. Until then though, I doubt the NFL will change it’s ways.

NFL Cornerstones: Defensive Tackles

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

Cornerstone players will be a recurring theme on Second Look Sports where I look at each position in a certain sport and I choose a cornerstone player to build my franchise around. I have a couple of parameters for this selection though. I will factor in age, potential, injury history, experience, reputation and production. I think this should be a fun and interesting topic to discuss on here. I hope you guys agree.

The selection- Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions
Honorable mentions- Gerald McCoy, Sheldon Richardson, Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins, Marcell Dareus

This might seem like a no-brainer because of how much media attention Ndamukong Suh receives and how many analysts regard him as the best in the league. However, the selection got a little bit hazy when I started comparing the numbers. Suh is an incredible force for the Lions’ defense but Marcell Dareus is no slouch. He is actually averaging more tackles and the same number of sacks per season as Suh. The other guys mentioned are all fantastic options as well but given Gerald McCoy is recovering from a serious knee injury, Geno Atkins is still trying to find his 2013 form when he suffered his own knee injury and Sheldon Richardson and Aaron Donald have very small sample sizes, Suh wins almost by default. His biggest competition is Dareus but more on why Suh has the edge over him later.

Suh is a bit older than the other guys on this list at 28 but he has only played 5 years in the league. He should still have a couple of good years left in the tank. I already mentioned what Suh can do as a pass rusher. He has recorded at least eight sacks in three of his five seasons, which is incredible for an interior lineman. He displays a certain amount of quickness and a great punch at the point of attack. Couple that with his massive 6’4”, 305-pound frame and you have very large man wreaking havoc along the line of scrimmage.

The five honorable mentions have had fairly productive seasons as pass rushers but none of them have then also dominated the ground game like Suh has. Dareus has 11 run stuffs in his 4-year career and McCoy has 13 over his 5-year stint. The Lions defensive anchor has racked up 36. That completely blows away just about any other run defender in the league. The Detroit mainstay slides well along the line and is too strong for offensive lineman to keep blocked for very long. Suh’s combination as a top pass rusher and an elite run stopper make him the perfect multifaceted player to build a defense around.
The four-time Pro Bowler is not without flaws though. Suh has a bit of a mean streak, which has led him into trouble with referees and league officials alike. His antics can often cause a distraction or cost his team on the field in the form of penalties. It has even led to Suh being suspended by the league, which is not what you want to see from your star defensive lineman. On top of that, even though Suh seems to be around the ball a lot, he does not generate too many turnovers. He only has 3 turnovers forced in his entire career. It is probably a little meticulous to point it out, but he has not thrived at creating those big plays.

Despite that, Suh still has some traits that are simply invaluable. He has never missed a game due to injury in his career, something that held back McCoy and Atkins from being selected. He also plays with consistency. Year in and year out, the three-time All Pro has put up stellar numbers that ranks among the best in the league at his position. He also provides a little bit of fire to a defense with his aggressive play. Sometimes, it comes back to hurt him, but it can certainly be motivating for his teammates to see how hard and passionately he is working.

Suh’s window of productivity is slowly closing and while he may not be getting any better at this point in his career, he still has the physical tools to be the best defensive tackle in the league. In about two years, I would venture to guess that it will be Donald taking this spot as the cornerstone. I think he has that something special that could propel him to being one of the best defensive players in the league. For now though, Suh will reign supreme. He is playing some of the best football of his career. Even if Suh does leave the Lions this season, he will still be the best player at his position, making whatever team he joins instantly better.

For more Cornerstone selections, click here.

NFL Cornerstones: Defensive End

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

Cornerstone players will be a recurring theme on Second Look Sports where I look at each position in a certain sport and I choose a cornerstone player to build my franchise around. I have a couple of parameters for this selection though. I will factor in age, potential, injury history, experience, reputation and production. I think this should be a fun and interesting topic to discuss on here. I hope you guys agree.

The selection- J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Honorable mentions- Jason Pierre-Paul, Ryan Kerrigan, Robert Quinn, Junior Galette, Muhammad Wilkerson

Defensive ends in the NFL tend to be some of the most athletic, physically built human beings alive. They fly around the line of scrimmage with the intent to blow up plays and create problems for the offense at the point of attack. No one does that better than J.J. Watt. The Texans’ defensive end has been arguably the best player in the NFL over the past three years. He definitely has been on the defensive side of the ball, earning the Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2012 and 2014. Watt, at only 25 years old, has years to come of playing at an elite level. He has proven his worth in the NFL.
Watt over the course of his career has racked up 57 sacks. In just four seasons, that is an incredible number. He is averaging just over 14 quarterback takedowns per year. Watt also penciled himself into NFL history this season. The three time All-Pro became the first player in the league history to record multiple 20+ sack seasons. Watt is a menace along the line of scrimmage even when he cannot reach the quarterback. He has tallied 37 tipped passes at the line, including 10 this past season, most among defensive linemen this year.

As a run defender, Watt has proven his worth as well. The 3-time Pro Bowler has registered 53 run stuffs in the past 3 seasons. Each year he has recorded at least 15 as well showing his consistency dominance at the line of scrimmage. He is strong enough to hold off offensive linemen, disrupting the flow of the rushing attack. Watt’s 79 total tackles were the most by a defensive lineman in 2014. He has a knack for flying around and making plays.

The Houston superstar seems to thrive on the big plays as well. Watt has generated four fumbles over each of the past three seasons. He also led the NFL this year in fumble recoveries with five. Watt even pulled in an interception, which, along with one of his fumble recoveries, he returned for a touchdown. Watt had two defensive touchdowns this year, not to mention three more on offense as a tight end. That is a testament to Watt’s versatility and freakish athletic ability.

Watt truly has very few weaknesses. He is an elite pass rusher and a dominant run defender. He creates big plays that take the pressure off the offense. He kills drives with his batted passes. Watt has managed to find a way to do it all. The other thing that makes him invaluable is his consistency. He has registered at least 10 sacks in each of the past 3 campaigns. He has tallied the same number of forced fumbles. Watt does not have amazing years every now and then. He, year in year out lays down an unparalleled level of punishment on his opponents. Watt off the field is an excellent face of the franchise. He has never had any issues with the media or with his teammates. He is an intense leader that expects the same level of hard work that he puts in from everyone else.

Plenty of other defensive linemen in the NFL are playing a high level and making a huge impact on their team. The reality is thought that Watt plays on a completely different level all of his own. He rarely dominants a certain category on the stat sheet. He is much more likely to rank in the top three of every relevant category though at his position. He is a complete player. Many prospects joining the league now are better suited as either a run defender or a pass rusher. It is uncommon to find a player who ranks among the elite at both. Watt is one of those rare players who fits both labels making him a no-brainer at this selection.

For more Cornerstone selections, click here.

Tampa Bay making moves

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, Free Agency, NFL , ,

Yesterday afternoon, news broke in Florida that the Buccaneers had cut veteran quarterback Josh McCown after only one season. McCown had an up and down year with only 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He also suffered from an arm injury and lost his starting job to the much younger Mike Glennon. This seems like a pretty routine move for a team to make, cutting a veteran quarterback who struggled this past year. However, the Bucs also hold the number one overall pick so this might project as to what the Bucs are planning to do with that pick.

It might be a bit of stretch to say, but this seems like a vote of confidence in Glennon. Logically speaking, a team who was planning to draft a rookie quarterback would probably want to keep around the knowledgeable veteran who can act as a teacher for a year before the rookie takes over the following season. That would have been the perfect role for McCown tutoring either Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. McCown’s contract would have expired at the end of next season leaving it for one of those two signal callers to take the reins. Glennon would represent the intriguing trade piece that the Bucs might be able to convert into a mid-round draft pick in either of the next two years.

Instead, it seems like Tampa is preparing to buy into the North Carolina State product Glennon. He has shown some promise in his first two seasons. He played 13 games his rookie year and completed almost 60 percent of his passes. He also tallied 19 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions. This year Glennon’s numbers dropped slightly but that can likely be attributed to a much worse supporting cast and sporadic playing time that never allowed him to find a rhythm. He still through 10 touchdowns in only 6 games and limited himself to as many interceptions as he played games. His total quarterback rating even jumped up to 55.9. That’s not anything special but that is a solid number for a young quarterback.

If the Bucs truly are buying into Glennon then there are a couple of things we could see happen in the weeks leading up to draft day. There are several teams looking to make a move up to select either Winston or Mariota. The most likely suitor could be St. Louis who is toying with the idea of releasing oft-injured Sam Bradford as he will account for $17 million for 2015 if he is on the roster. Cutting him would save St. Louis almost 13 million. If the Rams were willing to give up a veteran, starting lineman and their pick at number 10, I think we could see these two teams swap picks.

However, if the Bucs aren’t really sold on Glennon and are looking to bring in a veteran then I think they have two options here. The Eagles have made it known that they would love to land Mariota, whom Eagles coach Chip Kelly recruited to Oregon when he was running the program. Philadelphia might be able to send Nick Foles, who the team has been rumored to have been shopping, and a late round pick in exchange for the number one pick. The other team that could be in the mix is Kansas City. This team has a lot of problems on the offensive side of the ball but in a year where the free agent class of wide receivers is looking stronger than ever, the Chiefs may be able to turn their attention elsewhere. Alex Smith is a good, veteran quarterback but he has been more of a game manager throughout his career. If the Bucs want to build a team based on running the ball and efficient quarterback play, Smith could be their guy.

We also cannot rule out the Buccaneers simply looking at a position other than quarterback at number one. Nebraska’s Randy Gregory is a great linebacker who has made his name putting pressure on the quarterback. He could be a plug and play helping Tampa’s defense get after division rivals Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees. Leonard Williams out of USC might also be a fit. He played mostly inside in college but has the skills to play anywhere along the defensive line. Either way he would be a huge asset to Tampa’s unit. Lovie Smith made Chicago a Super Bowl caliber team with a great defense and Rex Grossman at quarterback. Don’t be surprised if he follows the defense first formula again.

Top five most successful sports cities

Chris McGlynn Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, Soccer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As a continuation from yesterday’s piece, I thought it might be interesting to reflect back on the last 15 years of sports champions. More specifically, I am ranking the top ten sports cities in the US since 2000. This includes the five largest sports leagues in America, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS. The rankings will mainly rely on championships won by a single city but I will also take into account appearances in the finals as well. Let’s see if your city cracked the top five.

#5 Chicago: 3 total titles in 6 total appearances
Chicago actually has fewer titles than San Antonio but gets the nod for the extra finals appearance and diversity across more than one sport. Chicago is home to the two-time finalist Fire of the MLS in 2000 and 2003. The Bears also claim the Windy City as home. Even though this NFL team hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1985, they did make it to 2007 Super Bowl. Despite the Cubs century long struggle to win the World Series, the White Sox claimed a title in 2005. The other two titles came from the NHL side. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and 2013. Chicago has seen championship berths from the spread out across these 15 years. The Bulls, despite all the success in the 90s, have not made it to the finals since the turn of the century.

#4 Miami: 4 total titles in 6 total appearances
Florida’s major city clocks in at number four largely due to the success of the Miami Heat during this decade. The Heat made it to a NBA-record four straight NBA Finals, winning the middle two. The Heat also locked up a championship back in 2006 as well over the Dallas Mavericks. So yes, most of the credit goes to the NBA team but the baseball team based in Miami has a World Series title as well. The Marlins, who back then were only the Florida Marlins but still played in the city, won the 2003 World Series over the New York Yankees. The titles from two different sports gives Miami a boost. Now if only the Dolphins could help the city out. Soccer could be springing up as well soon as David Beckham seeks to set up a MLS expansion team. For now though, Miami is nowhere close to jumping over the top three cities on the list.

#3 Tri-State: 6 total titles in 15 total appearances
This seems like it is cheating a little bit but it is hard to differentiate New York and New Jersey. Despite being called the New York Giants, Jets and Red Bulls, all of these teams play in New Jersey, along with the Devils. Either way, The Giants locked up two Super Bowl titles in 2008 and 2012. The Red Bulls made a Cup run in 2008, falling short to Columbus. The Yankees won two World Series titles in 2000 and 2009, the 2000 one over the cross-town rival Mets. The Yanks also made the 2001 and 2003 Series. On the ice, the Devils have two Stanley Cups from runs in 2000 and 2003 to go along with losses in the 2001 and 2012 final. Even the Nets, who back then played in Jersey, made consecutive title appearances in 2002 and 2003. Worth noting, New Jersey based teams have accounted for 4 titles in 9 appearances while New York teams only have 2 championships in 6 showings. Looks like Jersey is holding up their end of the deal…

#2 Boston: 9 total titles in 18 total appearances
You know a city is dominant when they have more finals appearances than there are years in our criteria. Boston’s 18 championship runs is one less than the number one team on this list. The cities 9 titles are incredible though. The largest contributor has been the Patriots, with Super Bowl victories in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2015 and losses in 2008 and 2012. The Red Sox have held up their end of the bargain as well, delivering 3 World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013. The Celtics and Bruins even locked up a title each in 2008 and 2011 respectively. The little known fact is that Revolution actually have contributed the second most title appearances, with five. The issue is that they have come up short every time in the MLS Final. Still Boston’s titles are very impressive. They just couldn’t edge out number one.

#1 Los Angeles: 14 total titles in 19 total appearances
Wow. 14 titles in 15 years. It’s no wonder stars love going to Los Angeles. With teams in every one of the sports being considered but football, LA probably solid chances of succeeding but still 13 championships in 15 years in unprecedented. The LA Galaxy have brought home 5 MLS Cups in 7 attempts in 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014. The Lakers have the same numbers with their titles coming in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. The Kings have been stellar of late, nabbing two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014. The Anaheim Ducks grabbed a trophy on the ice in 2007. The Anaheim Angeles added a World Series title in 2002 as well. When one city has three different teams winning titles in a single year (2002), there is really no discussion. This city has truly become Titletown since the year of 2000.

Disagree with the list, tell me who you think should have been included and who should have missed the cut.