New Concept!

Ok Ok so I have some down time this week and I came up with a new blog concept! I call it "What if".

So here is how it works I take a player, idea, coach, person, something in the sports world that is commonly known and "What if" it to another possibility of what could happen.

So let me give you my first "What if" as an example.
This is a popular one and would never really happen but,

"What if.....Eli Manning was never traded from San Diego to the New York Giants"

I mean in reality he (and his father Archie) demanded to not play in San Diego. But, let's say he wanted to play there (I mean who wouldn't want to ITS SAN DIEGO). The Chargers would have not gotten three of what use to be their main guys (Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman, and Nate Kaeding)

The Charger's would have been very heavy on running and Ladainian Tomlinson would have had to run more (possibly slowing him down), it may have lead to an earlier end for Tomlinson and he may have never broke Shaun Alexander's single season rushing touchdown record. With only relying on the Run the Chargers would have been very one dimensional and not having Shawne Merriman their defense would have lacked the character it would have wanted, not making them take the number one seed as they were use to in the AFC West.

With the Number One seed up for grabs Peyton Manning, Eli Manning's brother, would not have to face a defense that gives him fits in the playoffs, aka the Chargers as they give him fits in the playoffs, possibly leading to more opportunities for big brother to win more than one championship. Cementing Peyton's greatness making him questionably the best ever to play the game. Also making Marvin Harrison's arrest a bigger deal than it was.






Also with no Eli Manning the New York Giants are not champions of Super Bowl XLII, the New England Patriots are and they are the first team to ever have an NFL "Perfect" Season.

With the Chargers being a whipping post for the NFL Eli Manning may becom trade bait and could have ended up with the Arizona Cardinals instead of Kurt Warner, making the drafting of former quarterback Matt Leinart not an option.
Making Leinart be drafted by someone else, lets say Leinart's state team the Oakland Raiders take him. Being that Leinart doesn't end up in Arizonia he continues his normal lifestyle, and with Al Davis on his tail to win he becomes a legit quarterback taking the Raiders to more playoff games then seen.
The NFL's team who had a lot of top draft picks then don't and are drafted by other teams. JaMarcus Russell could have ended up with the Cleveland Browns...making them....the same..."What if" huh....

And that Ladies and Gentlemen is a "What if", send me feedback.
-Sports d00de

d00de of the Month :October

So, let us sit back and hear the history of d00de of the month October, Cam Newton.

Long ago (2007) Urban Meyer (former Florida Gator's head coach) got a verbal commit of a 6'3" 205 pound quarterback to the Gators, who already had Tim Tebow..., that commit was Cam Newton.

Later in his stay in Gainesville (Home of the Gators) Cam got in some alleged trouble (Google Cam Newton laptop incident for further information) and then he dropped out of the University of Florida. He dropped out right before the Gators beat Oklahoma to win a national title.
Most normal human beings would fall back into trouble and probably give up on their dreams, but not Cam. Lucky for him his drive took him to Binn College in Brenham, Texas. He then went on to win NJCAA National Football Championship (2009), and began recruitment again for an FBS College.
His commitment choices were between Oklahoma (wouldn't that have been something), Mississippi State, and Auburn.

He Chose to commit to the Tigers of Auburn, and became a very big star in the College football scene. They eventually won the 2010 FBS Championship, but throughout the 2010 season another controversy came up, it was alleged that Newton's father took a bribe to have Cam play for Mississippi State's football team breaking NCAA rules. Newton's father (Cecile Newton) attended most of Cam's games and was a big support, but he began to be limited in family operations for Auburn football, he even missed when Cam was awarded the Heisman. But, Cam still remained strong and focused, honestly some of the games he played seemed larger than life, like Kobe Bryant still playing while going to court. There was just something about Cam.

After his collegiate career he then said he wanted to live his dream and play in the NFL, and claimed himself eligible for the draft. Lots of the experts in the draft claimed his immaturity and off field issues would make him a long time prospect. I even had my doubts after watching his "Gruden Camp" on ESPN. He seemed to have a low Quarterback IQ, his Wonderlic score was the bare minimum, and he just seemed young and immature. Though he was talented I had no idea what to make of him, I think none of us did. His off the field antics at the time seemed unprofessional and we were all caught up in what we thought of Cam Newton.

But he was the most talented and fit a need for the number one drafting team that year the Carolina Panthers. Due to a lock out in the NFL most people assumed that it would be a rough year for Cam and the Panthers no continuity, new staff, new players, AND a rookie quarterback....

When the season kicked off.....we all became dumbfounded.

CAM WENT OFF, to silence critics. Playing against the Arizona Cardinals Newton went 24-37 passing with 422 yards through the air, 2 touchdowns, .....with 1 INT. He also showcased his talent and athleticism with a rushing touchdown. In this game he also broke Peyton Manning's rookie opening day passing yards record.
He wasn't done the next game he played the SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS The Green Bay Packers, THE DEFENDING SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS, he topped his debut with a 432 passing yard day, with a passing and rushing touchdown.

He Finally got his first career win against the Jaguars in week 3. Then he had to play the Bears and he lost to Chicago. Just last week he lost to the Saints, but Cam isn't exactly taking it lightly, he enjoys winning even in his post game interviews he explains, he wants to win. But I mean in this video his demeanor seems disappointed, that surprised me too. I thought this was supposed to be a kid all about himself, but he is following the strides to be a great quarterback.


Even though they lost to a division rival, they didn't look out of the game. The Panther's kinda have a feel like the Buffalo Bills last year. A few clicks away from being a great team in the NFL. The problem is that Cam is playing out of his mind and they are still losing.

But with his story Cam Newton is a phenom, he has overcome a lot of flack, judgement, and has remained resilient the whole time. That is why he is this Month's d00de of the Month.

His next game is against Atlanta in Georgia. ANOTHER Divisional game, keep an eye out for him, because he may raise his chances to win Rookie of the year.

Haters gon Hate

d00de of the Month Nominations for September/October

Here they are:
Kellen Moore

So, he's an unsung small school hero, but this lefty can sling it. Last night he had 455 passing yards, and 5 TDs. On top of that he also might finally have a chance at a BCS title game, in College football once you get on a role you got a chance. Plus, the Colts are worried about losing Peyton, and people are talking about Andrew Luck to replace 18, but I'd say this Bronco is a dark hoarse to be the pupil.





Justin Verlander

Batters from the beginning of the second half of the season have been saying "How am I supposed to hit that?". Cartoonish fire balls have crossed the plate, and the Tigers clinched the AL Central. Why you may ask, well that is because they have this guy Justin Verlander. He basically is the AL Cy Young winner and he will win a lot of playoff games. This d00de is a good candidate, but possibly the last baseball candidate for d00de of the month (till next MLB season).



Cam Newton

24/37, 422 passing yards, 2 TDs, 110.4 Passer rating. So, all those people that didn't think Cam was worth the first overall pick, to quote Uncle Tito "You can leave". Sure it was against the Cardinals, but you have to respect Cam's attitude after the game he legitimately looked mad for losing, and hey all he knows is winning. Will he start a new streak as the d00de of the month?


Ravens D

Yes this is another one of those d00des of the Month situations. But when you beat the Steelers at their own game you deserve a nod for nomination. They forced the Steelers into as many turnovers as they had points (7 turnovers), they made Ben look like what most people considered Cam Newton to look like in his first start. This week they face the Tennessee Titans who are waiting to get back into form, good luck.


So vote for who you want, and I'll write about them. (Vote box is located in the right column near the top).

Herp Derp, NFL Free Agency continued.

So, I am a busy guy. I am going to quick do the rest of the league, not in the same fashion as the other post.
Here we go.

The NFC
North

The NFC North was retooled at QB once again (i.e. the year Bret Favre turned it upside down went from Green Bay to New York Jets to Minnesota). With Favre gone from the Vikings they picked up Donovan McNabb and released Tavaris Jackson and their prime receiver Sidney Rice. The Chicago Bears picked up those former Cowboys Marion "The Barbarian" Barber the III, and Roy Williams. That gives the Bears a possible okay receiver and a decent third down back. The Packers didn't really sign anyone, they just cut Nick Barnett. And then there was the Lions, they didn't Pick up anyone big but they added depth to their running game by picking up Mike Bell (a former Bear) and Jerome Harrison (a former Brown).

South

Well in the South the Saints got rid of Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey (Bush now with the Dolphins), Shockey ended up in another team in the South the Panthers of Carolina. Who also picked up another Tight end from the Bears Greg Olsen. The Tampa Bay Bucs didn't really do anythings, and the Falcons retooled their defensive backfield and signed Ray Edwards as another pursuer of the quarterback.






West

Oh the NFC West, The big story here is former Eagle back up QB Kevin Kolb came to the Cardinals, this makes them a bigger passing threat in a passing league. Elsewhere Mike Simms-Walker became a St. Louis Ram. The Seahawks let Matt Hasselbeck (QB) go from Seattle and they picked up former Vikings duo Tavaris Jackson and Sidney Rice (QB + WR), they also got Zach Miller (a former Oakland Raider). The 49ers didn't really do anything but trade their safety Taylor Mays to the Bengals (the theory here is that they are sandbagging for Andrew Luck (QB from Stanford formerly coached by now 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh)).

The AFC
North

The Ravens picked up former Bill, Lee Evans giving them another receiver to pick up more attention off of Anquan Boldin, they also grabbed Ricky Williams from the Dolphins. The Steelers basically tried to keep things the same being it got them to the Super Bowl last year, so with that being said I can get to the other team the Browns (who I believe may surprise a lot of people this year) they basically have a young veteran (oxymoron?) offensive line, they like the Steelers didn't make any big moves but some cuts (Like Jerome Harrison and former QB Jake Delhomme). Then there is the Bengals who committed NFL suicide, they basically made their Pro Bowl QB Carson Palmer retire, then T.O. (Terrel Owens) retired, then Chad Ochocinco went to the Patriots, they also got rid of Johnathan Joseph their PRO BOWL Corner back. The Bengals big story is their draft, they basically are trying to go "young" their just doing it wrong in my opinion.

South

So as I was saying Johnathan Joseph was not resigned by the Bengals, so the Houston Texans picked him up so they would have protection from Peyton Manning. The Tennessee Titans picked up Matt Hasselbeck and got rid of Vince Young, and the Jaguars didn't do much. The real story here is the turmoil of my Indianapolis Colts and the pending status of health for their quarterback Peyton Manning. He had off season neck surgery, and has sat out most of the preseason. In the meantime they tried to cover up by picking up the grizzled veteran Kerry Collins, hopefully Peyton starts, they also bulked up on their D by signing (former Bear) Tommy Harris at tackle and (former Lion) Ernie Simms at Line Backer.

West

The Broncos were thought to be giving up their now starting quarterback Kyle Orton, but instead they didn't really do anything but have a fight of whose better Tim Tebow or Brady Quinn? (Time will only tell). The Chiefs picked up former Raven RB/FB Le'Ron McClain who will get them some toughness possibly needed for them since their only other short yardage back is Thomas Jones. The San Diego Super Chargers picked up former 49er and NFL veteran Takeo Spikes at Line Backer, and the Raiders like I said earlier, got rid of Zach Miller and picked up a back up QB Trent Edwards....



So as you can see the infrastructure of the NFL basically went haywire because of the short offseason due to the lockout, pretty crazy stuff.

NFL Free Agency BANZIA

First off let me tell you, I Sports d00de have moved from my hometown of Saint Joseph, Michigan to Grand Rapids, Michigan (technically Wyoming, Michigan). Anyways throughout the move some major things happened in the NFL structure of teams. After I moved the dust settled and I went on a well needed vacation. I stopped by my parents house, after said vacation, and my mother mentioned to me about some players she knows from fantasy and "Why they aren't on their teams anymore?". Don't worry mom, I got you covered, and for all the d00de and d00dettes out there, here is your NFL free agency coverage.

For the sake of a shorter read I will be posting two divisions (either East, West, North, or South) from each conference (AFC or NFC). I will Start with the east for both Conferences.

NFC East

Alright lets knock out the big one first....

The Eagles

The Eagles were the big movers and collectors. They resigned their quarterback and live action Madden player, Michael Vick, they moved their backup "future" quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals, they got a new backup by signing Vince Young (former Tennessee Titans), they got a better pass Defense by taking the best free agent out there in Nnamdi Asomugha (former Oakland Raider), and got a veteran running back in Ronnie Brown from the Miami Dolphins (who is versatile in running the wildcat offense).
This team has proclaimed themselves the "dream team" (by Vince Young), and Vick has said that this feels like the best team he has been on. With a head coach like Andy Reid I bet they will make some noise in the NFC. So far this preseason they are 1-1 though, they just came off a defeat from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the first team offense didn't look that sharp. Though Vick claimed to be forcing things, hopefully the pressure to be great doesn't come upon this "dream team".

The Cowboys

America's team.....(cricket, cricket, cricket....) not so much last year. With Tony Romo getting injured early, and their former "Head Coach" Wade Phillips looking like what he is now, a coordinator, they didn't have many bright spots. That is until their new head coach (Jason Garret) stepped in and their young talent stepped up (Players like Dez Bryant and Felix Jones). With that in mind, they didn't sign anyone (big that is) and they had the mentality of "out with the old and in with the new". With that said, they released the following (Released OT Marc Colombo, G Leonard Davis, WR Roy Williams, RB Marion Barber, PK Kris Brown, OT Robert Brewster, G Travis Bright, LB Kelvin Smith and WR Troy Bergeron.)
:O
Ummm that might be a bit to much Jerry! (Jerry Jones owner of the Cowboys). They I am assuming released big contracts to free up room to keep around main pieces like Jones and Bryant. The big names from that list are Colombo, Marion Barber, and Roy Williams (each who have new homes in the NFL later to be covered.) Maybe, just maybe the Boys got something on their minds.

The NY Giants

The Giants kind of didn't make much sense this short post lockout "off season". They released a bunch of linemen, got rid of Eli Manning's safety blanket Steve Smith (who is now with guess who, the Eagles). I guess they kind of have the Cowboys idea of bringing in a new era, and allowing Hakeem Knicks to grow and their first round draft pick Prince Amukamara (Ah moo kah mur rah, lol).
I guess their big free agency transaction would be Wide Receiver Michael Clayton. Nothing big.

The Redskins

So, last year they tried the Donovan McNabb experiment, and it didn't go so well. The Skins sent him to the Minnesota Vikings (to be covered in future article). They haven't exactly found a replacement, but they have a dual between Rex Grossman....and John Beck.....Ya, you be the judge.
Their big transaction of players that you might know, is that they signed the running back from the Cardinals, Tim Hightower, since they got rid of Clinton Portis. Not to much for them either.



The AFC East

The Bills

The Bills are caught in NFL purgatory, they never have a good record, or big name players. They moved their NFL caliber wide receiver Lee Evans, who ended up in Baltimore (The Ravens). They did get a draft pick though for Evans, and on the bright side, the Bills do have some young talent (i.e. running back C.J. Spiller).
Their big pick ups were ferocious Line Backer (former Packer) Nick Barnett, fancy looking back-up QB from the Dolphins Tyler Thigpen. They also picked up a former teammate of Shawne Merriman (picked up from the Chargers last year to the Bills), Craig "Buster" Davis, a wide receiver from the San Diego Chargers, probably to cover for the loss of Evans.

The Dolphins

So, Ronnie Brown left, and they didn't make a move on Broncos QB Kyle Orton. BUT, they did pick up Reggie Bush from the Saints. I know what you're thinking, "So what?" Well Reggie Bush will get a lot of outside short passes which is what he likes which in turn should make the Miami offense a bit more spread out, and defenses will have to choose to cover either a former NFL powerhouse at wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, or up incoming Devon Bess. People are booing QB Chad Henne but he might have a good year this year. They also gave previously mentioned Offensive Tackle Marc Colombo a home.

The Jets

J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS! Last years version of the Eagles, they signed a bunch of guys last year.....they competed in the "Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes", they tried to keep their former wide receiver Braylon Edwards, and then a light came on. They got former Giant player Plaxico Burress fresh from prison, and they are hoping for a "Michael Vick at WR" redemption story.
They also signed wide receiver Derrick Mason from the Ravens. But, they lost most of their pass rush (Kris Jenkins announcing his reitrement, and Shaun Ellis becoming a Patriot), but head coach Rex Ryan says he is looking for young guys to step up.

and with that, we come to....
The Patriots

....Ochocinco.....Haynesworth.....Ellis.....meh
They are a super-powered team, yadda yadda yadda, Tom Brady this, Tom Brady that, *cough* cheaters *cough* (not anymore, cause they aren't making AFC Championships anymore). Anyways they got Ochocinco who might actually make them semi-fun to watch, he is already showing he can be top tier by catching a touchdown in their last preseason game against Tampa Bay. BUT they will not be the team to beat, if you ask me there are better teams in the AFC, but ESPN has to have their hype being they are in the New England area.


So there you have it the east is knocked out. Prolly get working on the north next article expect it in the middle of the week or next weekend.

d00de of the Month: August Cliff Lee

A three way tie between nominees of Cliff, Aramis, and Novak. Here's how the tie break went, there hasn't been much tennis since the British open, Aramis had to hit a homer to win the night voting ended, and Cliff Lee just had to get back to pitching like Cliff Lee.
So of course, Cliff Lee pitched like Cliff Lee. So he is d00de of the Month.

I consider Cliff as a number one pitcher in the league. Roy Hallday (also of the Philadelphia Phillies) is considered to be the most consistent, but he just has a different style than Cliff. Cliff Lee's style is that of a charging bull. His pitches are aggressive and (what appear to the batter as) fast, his quick pace keeps batters on their toes.

To really understand the pitcher, Cliff Lee, you have to know his pitches. He has an arsenal of pitches including, a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a cut fastball, a slider, a circle changeup, and a knuckle changeup. Basically if you are going to swing thinking you know what is going to be pitched next, you will swing and miss.

It all really comes down to his month of June, Cliff was unstoppable. He pitched three consecutive shut outs over his span of starts, one involving an outing against the potent offense of the Boston Red Sox. Even though he stepped into humanity for the month of July, he also did something that helped him earn the coveted title of "d00de of the Month" and that was hit his first career home run off of Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves. (Here is the proof)



Once he finished July with a win against Pittsburgh by striking out eleven batters, Cliff might be back on a run of godly pitching Thursday night he threw another shut out against the reigning world champs, the San Francisco Giants. Beware other teams in the majors, Cliff Lee is getting warmed up.

NFL UNLOCKED

Hip Hip HOORAY, mark the day on the calendar. NFL is now unlocked with a new CBA. We now have the new past time, gladiator sport of the century. Pretty sweet huh?

Well of course this means that I have a to do list, so here are my upcoming post ideas.

Sports d00de Upcoming Posts:

1. d00de of the Month
2. Free Agency coverage
3. Quaterback ratings
4. Season Predictions
5. Fantasy Picks
6. Inside the Sports d00de Fantasy Football League
   
   
   
   So, I have some work ahead of me! Keep voting for d00de of the Month. Subscribe, pass the word, Get you're popcorn ready!
   
   
   -Sports d00de