Happy Hour!

We haven’t filmed one in just about a year, but this week’s addition of Happy Hour features our annual baseball preview. Feel free to agree – or disagree – and let us know!

Intriguing Match-Up

Giants vs. Saints Preview
by Matt Shanley

In a battle of the unbeatens Sunday, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning travels to his home state of Louisiana to take on the dynamic New Orleans Saints.

Manning’s homecoming is only one of several storylines, however, as the Giants also battle their former stand-out tight end Jeremy Shockey, and Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks to continue to validate his most valuable player candidacy by increasing his already-outrageous statistics.

This game has all the ingredients for a true shootout, though, as the Giants defense hasn’t faced a true test this season, and Saints defenders are always capable of giving up a big play.

The last time these two teams faced each other, it was 2006, and Saints halfback Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 126 yards.  Since then, Bush has taken a backseat to Pierre Thomas, who pulled somewhat of a magic trick by appearing and making an impact completely out of thin air.  No matter who starts in the backfield for New Orleans, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll do anything spectacular against the Giants’ feared front seven.  With Pro Bowl bookends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora anchoring the defense, even the best rushers have struggled.

If the Saints expect to win this game, it will be through the air.  Brees, like always, has tons of weapons to utilize.  In addition to Brees’ stellar quarterbacking abilities, the Giants secondary remains suspect.  So far this season, they’ve faced Jason Campbell, Byron Leftwich, Matt Cassel, and JaMarcus Russel.  The only worthwhile play-caller they lined up against was Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, who just so happened to have an off-day for the ages against the G-Men.

Let’s put it this way.  When a secondary is excited to have lackluster cornerback Aaron Ross return from injury, they simply aren’t that good.

From the other side of the spectrum, the Giants key to winning will lie in the hands on their backfield.  Running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been listed as probable, although all football fans know that “probable” means “definite.”  Because the Saints run defense isn’t anything noteworthy, Bradshaw and fellow running back Brandon Jacobs should feast on Sunday afternoon.  In addition, by adding veteran Darren Sharper this past offseason, and drafting Ohio State product Malcom Kelly, the Saints made obvious improvements to their secondary.  A key note to Sunday’s game is remembering that Sharper has six career interceptions against Manning, with three of them being returned for touchdowns.

Sunday’s game should be a classic match-up, and may be a preview of something fans will see in late January.

It’s Report Card Time…

NFC Draft Grades

by Matt Shanley

 

NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys: C
It would be impossible for the Cowboys to get any grade higher than a C, seeing as they didn’t have a single pick until the third round.  Their most valuable pick came in the fifth round when they replaced hard-hitting safety Roy Williams with Michael Hamlin out of Clemson.

New York Giants: C+
Coming in, the Giants had ten picks and were expected to trade away several of them.  They ended up drafting nine players and adding three solid weapons for Eli Manning.  Their only mistake was not addressing the secondary sooner.

Philadelphia Eagles: B
The Eagles got lucky when they saw wide receiver Jeremy Maclin falling as far as he did.  Throw him into the fire with DeSean Jackson on the other side, and the Eagles will be dangerous for years to come.  Running back LeSean McCoy is also a solid replacement for former back Correll Buckhalter.

Washington Redskins: C+
Brian Orakpo was one of my favorite picks in this draft.  The Redskins got a winner when they drafter the Texas pass rusher.  Other than that, they didn’t really seem to address any major needs.

NFC North:

Chicago Bears: C+
This is a similar situation to the one in Dallas.  Because of the Jay Cutler trade, the Bears lacked a pick in the first two rounds.  They could have used a wide receiver, however, defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert out of San Jose State will be a nice addition to Lovey Smith’s defense.

Detroit Lions: B+
The Lions were very smart in drafting a franchise quarterback (Matt Stafford) and a sure-handed tight end (Brandon Pettigrew) to mature with each other.  Look for these two to make careers for each other.

Green Bay Packers: A-
Adding tackle B.J. Raji and linebacker Clay Matthews to an already scary defense is something for teams to be worried about this season.  They could have drafted a running back to share some carries with injury prone Ryan Grant, but even so, they made out pretty well for themselves.

Minnesota Vikings: C
I’m not really a fan of the Percy Harvin pick, and it’s not because he supposedly has character issues.  In order for him to be a playmaker in this league, he needs a playmaker taking snaps.  Sage Rosenfels is not that guy, nor is Tavaris Jackson.

NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons: B-
Out of eight picks, the Dirty Birds drafted one offensive player, a lineman.  This was a very smart move on their part, seeing as they addressed what was really their only concern on offense in acquiring Tony Gonzalez a week prior to the draft.

Carolina Panthers: C
The Everette Brown pick was a great one, especially if Julius Peppers finds his way out of Raleigh.  The Panthers focused mainly on secondary after that, and I can’t say I blame them.

New Orleans Saints: B-
If the rumors are true, and the Saints do sign Edgerrin James before mini-camp, I will agree with their decision to draft Buckeye cornerback Malcom Jenkins rather than trading up for Knowshon Moreno or Beanie Wells.  Either way, they needed players in their secondary, and they got them.  Nice job by the Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C-
Nope.  They just signed Byron Leftwich.  Hefty Lefty is clearly not a franchise quarterback, but there was no reason for the Bucs to reach for Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman in the first round.  This team lacks an identity on defense, and that pain could have been eased with one of the Trojan beasts.

NFC West:

Arizona Cardinals: B-
The Beanie Wells pick was a great one.  He was the best player on the board, and he’s a physical runner to compliment the finesse style of Tim Hightower.  Linebacker Cody Brown will also offer Karlos Dansby the help he so desperately needs.

St. Louis Rams: B+
Jason Smith was a no-brainer.  He will make gaps that Steven Jackson doesn’t even see in his wildest dreams.  James Lauranitis is one of my favorite guys in this draft.  He’s ruthless.  He and Chris Long will anchor the Rams’ front seven for years to come.

San Francisco 49ers: A-
Michael Crabtree immediately makes this team better.  After productive seasons from Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan, Crabtree doesn’t need to be the number one receiver right away.   All the Niners need is someone to throw the ball to these wide outs, and don’t be surprised if fifth round quarterback Nate Davis ends up becoming that guy.

Seattle Seahawks: B-
The Seahawks drafted two immediate starters in linebacker Aaron Curry and center Max Unger.  These additions won’t make this team drastically better, but they are baby steps on the road to improvement.

Boom! No More Madden

Al Michaels Takes Cake as Best Broadcaster of All Time

by Matt Shanley

For nearly three decades, one voice has been synonymous with fans in each of America’s four major professional sports.

His voice has been immortalized in the form of sport, film, and video game. Aside from his extraordinary ability to absolutely carry a broadcast team, Alan Richard Michaels should be recognized for the diversity he has displayed in making memorable calls in a variety of events that won’t soon be forgotten.

Michaels’ voice has become so relevant in the sports world over the past thirty years, it would be nearly impossible to imagine some occurrences without his legendary voice in the background. Though it is tough to favor any particular broadcast moment, three seem to stick out in the minds of fans more than others.

Before recently, good times were hard to come by for the Boston Red Sox. Who do you think was there when the supposedly cursed team came up with a memorable moment? That’s right. It was Al Michaels. In the 1986 American League Championship Series, the Sox trailed three games to one against the California Angels. In the ninth inning of game five, with the Angels leading 5-4, centerfielder Dave Henderson, who played his previous season with the last place Seattle Mariners, came to the plate. On the fifth pitch of the at bat, Henderson smacked a pitch off of relief pitcher Donnie Moore. “Astonishing,” said Michaels. “Anaheim Stadium was one strike away from turning into Fantasyland and now the Red Sox lead 6-5! Dave Henderson, it’s a long way from Seattle!” The Angels would never recover, and the Red Sox would advance to the World Series where they would eventually lose to the Amazin’ Mets in devastating fashion. Oh, Buckner.

Just five years later, the New York Giants matched up against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Though the running backs from both teams, Otis Anderson and Thurman Thomas, had record-setting days, this game is remembered best for Bills’ kicker Scot Norwood and his attempted 47-yard field goal at the last second. Four of the most revered words in Giants history came soon after, spoken by none other than Michaels. “No good! Wide right!” This was the second of six Super Bowls called by Al Michaels, the most recent being this past year when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals.

Perhaps the most popular call in Michaels’ broadcast history came during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The heavily favored Soviet Union ice hockey team was well rested in the days before its game against an inexperienced United States team. With ten minutes to play in the contest, the Americans were given the lead following a goal by U.S. captain Mike Eruzione. The Americans would never relinquish this lead, and with time expiring, Al Michaels made the call: “Eleven seconds. You’ve got ten seconds. The countdown is going on right now. Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

In addition to these events, Michaels has also broadcasted the NBA Finals, championship fights, and he annually calls the Triple Crown of horse racing. He has been the voice of the pop culture phenomenon that is Monday Night Football for twenty two years. He is, quite simply, a legend.

Calling somebody else the best broadcaster of all time, now THAT would be a miracle.