Shanahan Hurts Mystique of Redskins HC Job

As we all know by now, Mike Shanahan has altered how people look at the Head Coaching position of the Washington Redskins.  The attraction of the job has come from the likes George Allen, Vince Lombardi (all be it for one season), and Joe Gibbs. All Redskins fans hoped in January of 2010 that Mike Shanahan would add to the list of Hall Of Fame Coaches for the team.

After inheriting the debacle that was a Jim Zorn team, Shanahan would have trouble but the fans knew he could turn it around because of his track record.  His first pick as head coach was Left Tackle Trent Williams, a very solid selection for a team that could not keep its quarterbacks upright.  Shanahan also acquired QB Donovan McNabb from the Eagles for a 2nd round pick.  Things looked bright as the season started but the team finished 6-10 and benched McNabb by the end of the season in favor of Rex Grossman and John Beck.  Oh yeah and don't forget about the drama that was the "Albert Haynesworth conditioning test."

2011 for Mike Shanahan didn't pan out as expected either.  Grossman, Beck, Grossman, Beck, Grossman? Mike believed that one of these quarterbacks would be the answer in Washington.  NOPE.  Both men failed to make huge strides and got the team to a dismal 5-11 record.  But the team picked LB Ryan Kerrigan in the 1st round and versatile RB Roy Helu in the 4th.

That 5-11 record rewarded the Redskins with 6th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  BUT WAIT!!! The mortgage of the future had arrived when the team made a trade with the St. Louis Rams who had the 2nd overall selection.  Along with the swapping of 1st rounders in 2012, the Rams also collected the Skins 2012 2nd round pick and the 2013 1st round pick... AND committed highway robbery when they secured the 2014 1st round pick from the Redskins as well.

Yet, all seemed ok in Washington after former Bayler QB Robert Griffin III was taken 2nd Overall behind Andrew Luck and RB Alfred Morris was taken with the 173rd pick (the 6th round).  Robert went on to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award while leading the Redskins to an NFC East Championship and the playoffs.

That is when things changed for Washington.  After RGIII tore his ACL in the playoff loss to the Seahawks, everything seemed to be crashing in.  "All in for week one" was the phrase used by Griffin to let the nations capital know that their quarterback would be back to start the season.  

All seemed lost after the 0-3 start for the Redskins. "Should RGIII have been benched?" "Does Kirk Cousins give the Redskins a better chance at winning?"

Mike Shanahan waited until after week 14 to announce Kirk Cousins would be the starter for the final three games in order to "keep Robert healthy and let him have an offseason."  The team finished 3-13 and EVERYONE knew Shanahan was all but done. 

Shanahan was fired 11 days ago and yesterday, the Washington Redskins hired the 29th head coach in team history in Jay Gruden, younger brother of ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden.  It's time for yet another "new era" in Washington.

Is There Such a Thing as MISSING PICKS?

Unfortunately college takes a toll on a mans life.  I have not submitted my NBA Picks for a week and I feel weird not doing so.  BUT rather instead of me giving picks for the week I missed, and getting judged for making picks based on the already completed results, I will just continue picking the games once I get the chance to update everything.

This Thursday is Jam-Packed for All Football Fans

Tonight..2 AP Top 10 matchups to go along with the Thursday Night NFL game.  So tonight is definitely a football kind of night.

The first of the 2 matchups is (10) Oklahoma at (6) Baylor.  Baylor averages 63.9 points...let me say that again, they AVERAGE 63.9 PPG. Yikes! That is enough for me to say Baylor will win the game tonight, even if it is a shootout between the teams.

The second matchup has (3) Oregon traveling to (5) Stanford.  This top 5 matchup is one that everyone is looking at as to see who will strengthen their bid for a National Championship.  The winner will surely be in the Top 3 (or in the Ducks case, stay at 3rd in the poll depending on what happens to Florida State). Marcus Mariota will either make himself the top QB prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft over Teddy Bridgewater (according to Mel Kiper Jr) or will stay put as the second QB.  With a win, the Ducks will improve to 9-0 and if Stanford takes the home victory, they will be 8-1.

The contrasting styles of the spread vs a pro-style offense will be the deciding factor in my mind.  Which team can get their opponent to play their style?  Which team can control the clock and still be effective scoring the ball?  Does Oregon need to slow down? Or does Stanford need to spread it out?  Everything will be answered tonight at 9 PM Eastern on ESPN.

Nov. 7th Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   40-30


November 7th

Clippers @ Heat
Hawks @ Nuggets
Lakers @ Rockets

See ya Later Football

John Moffitt had a bright NFL future ahead of himself when he came into the league in 2011 out of Wisconsin.  Moffitt was a 3rd round pick of the Seahawks and was traded to the Broncos in August.  He simply says he's done with football and is ready to move on to bigger and better things.  He turns down about a one million dollar salary to start anew.  Give credit to Moffitt, he was just being honest to himself.  Football is a game where it demands complete focus and drive and without the drive to succeed, there is no need to continue.  He is not the only player to quit on the game.  Hamza and Husain Abdullah quit football after the 2011 season to use their notoriety to spread a be better understanding of the Muslim faith in America.  Also, Jacob Bell (another offensive lineman) retired from football after an eight-year career citing the sudden suicide of Junior Seau as one of the main reasons for leaving the game.
So it is alright in my eyes if Moffitt wants to retire.  He doesn't love playing the game anymore, so why would you make the man continue playing?  Congrats to John Moffitt on stepping up and being upfront about his decision.

Nov. 6th Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   32-28


November 6th

Raptors @ Bobcats
Bulls @ Pacers
Clippers @ Magic
Wizards @ Sixers
Jazz @ Celtics
Pelicans @ Grizzlies
Cavs @ Bucks
Warriors @ Timberwolves
Suns @ Spurs
Mavs @ Thunder

Mariners Tab their New Manager

The Seattle Mariners have hired Detroit Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon as the teams' Manager.  McClendon has been with the Tigers since 2006 and was the Pittsburgh Pirates manager from 2001 until 2005.  He takes over a team that finished 4th in the AL West this past season, and has not had a winning season since 2009.  Also, he will take over for Eric Wedge who resigned after two years with the team.

Packer Fans Concerned

Aaron Rodgers confirmed this morning that he broke his collarbone.  The QB could miss time well into December.  Seneca Wallace is the likely candidate to start for Rodgers while the Pro-Bowl quarterback sit. In relief of Rodgers during last nights 27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears, Wallace went 11-19, for 114 yards and one interception.

In a corresponding move, the Packers activated QB Scott Tolzien off the practice squad to be the backup quarterback for the time being.

Kubiak Released

Texans Head Coach, Gary Kubiak was released from the hospital Tuesday, two days after suffering what has been diagnosed as a transient ischemic attack.  It is not known when Kubiak will resume coaching the team and be back on the sidelines.  

A transient ischemic attack, or TIA, occurs when blood flow to the brain is briefly interrupted, typically by a blood clot or narrowed blood vessels.  TIAs are often called mini-strokes and can cause stroke-like symptoms including sudden dizziness, numbness, vision loss or unconsciousness, though symptoms last only a few minutes or a few hours and no permanent brain damage occurs. TIAs are often warning signs for a future stroke.

Kubiak will be monitored and hopefully returns in a few weeks.  We wish him a safe recovery.

Coach Down

Gary Kubiak and John Fox have both sustained medical complications over the past few days.  John Fox the head coach of the Denver Broncos had surgery this morning to replace a heart valve and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.  Even if Fox comes back in 10 weeks, the Broncos will have finished their regular season and would be in the middle of a playoff run.  Fox will be back in time for the Super Bowl if the team makes it that far.  On the other hand, the head coach of the Houston Texans, Gary Kubiak has not been diagnosed after collapsing on the field while heading to the locker room at halftime against the Colts Sunday night.  Several media outlets have reported that Kubiak has been given medication for a mini stroke.  I hope that he takes at least one maybe two weeks off just to make sure he is ok medically.

All of our thoughts and prayers are with the men and their families.

Nov. 5th Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   27-24


November 5th

Heat @ Raptors
Jazz @ Nets
Pacers @ Pistons
Bobcats @ Knicks
Suns @ Pelicans
Lakers @ Mavs
Spurs @ Nuggets
Rockets @ Blazers
Hawks @ Kings

Nov. 4th Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   24-23


November 4th

Timberwolves @ Cavs
Warriors @ Sixers
Celtics @ Grizzlies
Rockets @ Clippers

Boston: Worst To First

After a 5th place finish in the AL East in 2012, the Boston Red Sox completed the worst to first swing after defeating the Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 of the World Series.  The beard phenomenon that took effect in Spring Training, rallied a team that was in disarray.

After the downward spiral and failures of the Bobby Valentine era, the Sox looked to a familiar face in John Ferrell to take over the reins after managing in Toronto the previous couple of seasons.  Ferrell was able to turn Jon Lester back into the dominant pitcher he was when Ferrell was his pitching coach.  A bounce back year from John Lackey was far from expected. A pitcher who seemed defeated and outright done at the end of the 2012 season, returned as a rejuvenated pitcher who bought into what John Ferrell was preaching. Lackey's seven innings in Game 6 was the culmination of all the work he had put into this season.
After a strong start to the season, Clay Buckholtz was not as dominant when he returned from injury or when he pitched this postseason.  But he was effective enough to aid Boston in their championship run.

The additions of Johnny Gomes, David Ross, Shane Victorino, and Mike Napoli were skeptic when the moves were made.  But each one of those players showed up and delivered in the moments they were needed.  These guys prove the theory that you do not need to play the best players in baseball (sorry Yankee fans) to win a championship or to climb the ladder. All a team needs are chemistry players and players who fit into a lineup that already had some promise to it.

The likes of Dustin Pedroia, David Oritz, and Jacoby Ellisbury benefited the most from all of the changes.  These guys stuck with this franchise through the demise of 2012, and were still leaders and believers heading into the 2013 campaign.  Dedication and leadership are truly a blessing in disguise for any team that that wants to have a bounce back year.

Will there be another worst to first in 2014?  That is hard to judge, but with proper off-season acquisitions, there could very well be another.  But all of that needs to work itself out as we progress through the off-season and Spring Training.

Nov. 2nd Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   16-17


November 2nd

Cavs @ Pacers
Bulls @ Sixers
Bobcats @ Pelicans
Grizzlies @ Mavs
Raptors @ Bucks
Rockets @ Jazz
Spurs @ Blazers
Kings @ Warriors

Halloween Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   10-8 


October 31st

Knicks @ Bulls
Warriors @ Clippers

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL

Nov. 3rd Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   21-20


November 3rd

Celtics @ Pistons
Wizards @ Heat
Nets @ Magic
Suns @ Thunder
Timberwolves @ Knicks
Hawks @ Lakers

Nov. 1st Picks

NBA PICKS
Season Record   12-8


November 1st

Cavs @ Bobcats
Pelicans @ Magic
Sixers @ Wizards
Raptors @ Hawks
Bucks @ Celtics
Mavs @ Rockets
Pistons @ Grizzlies
Thunder @ Timberwolves
Heat @ Nets
Blazers @ Nuggets
Jazz @ Suns
Clippers @ Kings
Spurs @ Lakers

NBA Season Underway...Time for NBA Picks!

NBA PICKS

So with the NBA season underway, I thought I'd take a chance and attempt to pick almost every game this season.  Lets see how I do by the end of the year...and by that I mean the end of 2013 not the regular season....This will be for the first two days of the season.  My record will be updated each day.


October 29th

Magic @ Pacers
Bulls @ Heat
Clippers @ Lakers

October 30th

Nets @ Cavs
Heat @ Sixers
Celtics @ Raptors
Wizards @ Pistons
Bucks @ Knicks
Bobcats @ Rockets
Magic @ Timberwolves
Pacers @ Pelicans
Hawks @ Mavs
Grizzlies @ Spurs
Thunder @ Jazz
Blazers @ Suns
Nuggets @ Kings
Lakers @ Warriors

Old Work

Old Work...

I wrote something on October 10th, 2012 about Geno Smith while he was the starting QB at West Virginia. I had no idea what I wanted to write for this was for a start-up website that hasn't made much progress.  So with it being on my computer, I thought I could share my article and give myself a score.

Here ya go:

GeNO Heisman…For Now…He has to EARN it

Last Week I discussed my reasoning for Not handing Geno Smith the Heisman:

                Five days removed from the 70-63 West Virginia victory over Baylor, everyone is still talking about the senior WVA QB Geno Smith.  656 yards through the air came complete with an 87-yard touchdown and 8 passing touchdowns overall.  The only thing that could possibly go through my mind when seeing the highlights of this game would be imagining Brad Nessler and Kirk Herbstreit on NCAA 13.  The complete stat line of Geno Smith seriously reflected one that came from a video game.  He completed 45 of 51 passes.  What is 51 minus 45? Six.  How many touchdowns did he throw?  Eight.  More touchdowns than incompletions?  VIDEO GAME NUMBERS!

               

Against the pathetic defensive backfield of the Baylor Bears, Geno Smith ran the table.  A perceived "superman" effort from a QB to me was very un-superhero like.  The margin of victory was still only 7 points.  Attention college football fans…West Virginia’s defensive backfield is some garbage too!  They gave up 63 points to the man who is replacing Robert Griffin III who moved on to my Washington Redskins.  It’s just unacceptable coming from a team like the Mountaineers that has high postseason aspirations. 

Included in those postseason aspirations is the Heisman Trophy for Geno Smith.  At the moment, I would not hand Geno the Heisman.  Through four games, WVA has beaten up on teams that are not too powerful themselves (sorry fellow Maryland fans).  Geno has shown he can tear up defenses that rank outside of the top 45 in points against (the Terps are 47^th).  Still, credit must be given to Smith because of his effectiveness within the offense, accuracy on all throws, and not turning the ball over.  Geno Smith right now is a definite front runner for the Heisman Trophy, but he has yet to really be tested this season.  Once he shows me that he can perform against highly ranked teams and defenses, I believe Geno Smith will become the outright Heisman favorite like all the analysts are presuming now.

The matchup this weekend versus the 11^th ranked Texas Longhorns in Primetime on FOX is definitely the first real test for the Mountaineers this year.  I’ll be watching not only for Erin Andrews in her new gig, but also for how effective Geno Smith plays and how he can respond to any adversity on the big stage down in Austin, Texas.

MY MONDAY GIVES GENO SMITH RESPECT:

Geno Smith and his West Virginia Mountaineers showed ME that they can be for real this season.  With their 48-45 win over the Longhorns, WVA looks forward to hopeful postseason success.  Geno Smith looked somewhat HUMAN for once this season with 10 incompletions, under 300 passing yards, and -33 rushing yards.  With only 4 touchdown passes this week, Geno smith now has 24 for the season which has him in 6 ahead of Derek Carr of Fresno State and Rakeem Cato of Marshall who are tied for 2^nd.  Geno Smith showed up in primetime and proved to be the top Heisman candidate.

With this victory versus a top 15 team, Smith is my true frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy but we never know what can happen in the coming weeks.  That’s what makes football at the college or professional level, the best ‘reality show.’

                                                                                                                               

I'll go ahead and give myself a score on the article and WOW am I in for a rude awakening.  

( - ) >I can't believe that I said WVA instead of West Virginia...I mean that was just the tip of the iceberg.  

( + ) >I thought the title was clever with the whole GeNO thing.  Guess I was actually onto something since there was no Heisman for Smith.  (The Johnny Football craze began if you've been under a rock)

( + ) >I think there was some good analysis with the stat talking about beating defenses that are outside the top 45 in points against.  A glimmer of hope because I actually researched that via ESPN.  That Carr and Cato reference was decent too.

( - ) >Cannot believe though I mentioned Erin Andrews though...I mean I still love her but she's still the sideline reporter to me because I can't see her on Fox Sports 1.  But I'm astonished that I said I'd actually watch the game because of Erin and her pregame show (that team of her, Joey and Eddie was terrible) and because I would watch Geno...I didn't watch that.

( - ) >Longhorns weren't actually that good...I hyped a Texas team that was not exciting offensively.

( - ) >I used WVA 3 times when we all know who Geno played for....wow

( - ) >A fail by me for calling Geno a front runner after that Texas game.

My Score: -3

Yikes...but I guess it could be worse...actually it might be.  I just don't want to be even more harsh on my younger self.

...As for Geno Smith...he is comfortably the starting QB for the New York Jets...and I am still in college....

1st Post

Its time for me to have an outlet for my sports obsession.


I mean twitter is great, but people don't follow me because its "too much sports"  ....yeahhh ok....

But I understand where they are coming from.  It does fill my twitter feed and I don't always get the time and space to give my true, honest opinions.  So that is where this new blog comes into play.  JAMO Sports will be my outlet for wannabe analysis and opinions.  I love sports so this makes complete sense to do.  With the NBA and College Basketball seasons right around the corner, it is a perfect time to start.  We are in the midst of the NFL season and as the season hits the halfway point, there are playoff opinions, Super Bowl predictions and draft predictions. The NHL season is off to a rapid start, and Ovi is killin' it.  Oh yeah, you all must know beforehand that I am a a homer when it comes to my favorite teams...and yes I am from the Washington DC area so hate it if you want.

SO here we go.