Adam’s Blog

Chiefs Football: Division Victory

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:13:37 -0400

Chiefs fans in Kansas City have been ready, waiting 6 years to host a Monday Night Football game. And the Chiefs did not disappoint, beating divisional rival and the 4-time reigning AFC West champion San Diego Chargers. The game was anything but pretty; rain came down hard in the second quarter and continued into the fourth. It wasn’t a dominating performance by the Chiefs but it was a win that showed heart and most of all improvement.

The offense had a less than amazing night, racking up only 197 yards. 56 of those came when running back Jamaal Charles broke free of the Charger defense late in the first quarter scoring to tie the game up. Other than that the Chiefs only other offensive touchdown came after a Charger turnover. Matt Cassel found rookie tight end Tony Moeaki for a two yard touchdown six minutes before half time. The other major thing that the offense did right was not turn the ball over. Given the conditions and the struggles that the Chiefs have had against the Chargers recently, losing the last five games in a row, this is a major plus for second year head coach Todd Haley and first year offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

The defensive unit fared better than the offense. Even though they gave up 389 total yards to the Chargers high powered offense, they held them four times from inside the six yard line in the last minute of the game to secure the win. Philip Rivers threw for 298 yards and both Charger touchdowns to continue his run of good play against the Chiefs. One of those touchdowns went to Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates, marking his twelfth touchdown reception against the Chiefs. The defense did make some plays. Derrick Johnson hit rookie running back Ryan Mathews causing a fumble deep in Charger territory that corner back Brandon Carr scooped and carried to the charger twelve yard line setting up the Chiefs go ahead score. Johnson had a monster game leading the defense with twelve tackles, eleven of those being solo and one for a loss. The most important thing for this defense and first year defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is they got some pressure on Rivers and they did not break with the game on the line.

The real hero of the game was the Chiefs’ special teams unit. Training camp sensation, and rookie, Dexter McCluster had a great night with the punt return unit taking one back for a 94 yard touchdown, longest in Chiefs’ history, to put the Chiefs up by 14 just before half-time. Fellow rookie return man Javier Arenas had 119 return yards for the punt and kickoff return teams. In total the Chiefs had 219 yards in returns on the night, that’s 22 more yard than the offense put up. These kind of return numbers haven’t been seen in Kansas City since Dante Hall was feared throughout the league. Special teams aren’t just about the return game; kickoff and punt coverage teams are huge, especially when the opposing team has a dangerous return man like Darren Sproles. The Chiefs coverage units were up to the task last night holding Sproles to 65 yard on 7 returns.

Overall, a win against a divisional rival on Monday night is a great way to start the year. What may have been more impressive is the way they won, scoring early and taking advantage of Charger mistakes shows the offense may be ready to turn the corner. The defensive stop at the end of the game gives hope to a once proud defensive team that things may be returning to the glory days inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Written By:
Adam Adair

Florida State Season Preview

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 11:09:13 -0400

Things will be different this year at Florida State University. Long time coach Bobby Bowden is gone after 34 years on the sidelines for FSU. Gone too is long time defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews as well as the majority of the defensive staff. However, spirits are high amongst the Seminole Nation as new head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff members have breathed life into a once proud program that had become stagnant in recent years. The media and fans alike have taken notice and the Seminoles, a team that went 7-6 last year, are ranked #20 in both the AP and the USA Today preseason polls according to ESPN.

Taking over for legend Bobby Bowden will be no easy job for first-time head coach Jimbo Fisher. He will be expected to regain the glory days for FSU, sooner rather than later. Much of this will depend on coaching hires and new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops. Stoops is the younger brother of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops and Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, so from a pedigree standpoint Mark certainly seems to fit the part. Fisher has totally redone the entire football program including; practice schedule, weight training, nutrition, and even added a sports psychologist from the IMG Sports Academy.

Florida State returns nearly all their pieces from a very good 2009 offense, ranking 28th in the nation in yards per game. The offensive line for the Seminoles this year has a ton of experience, with a total of over 140 starts between them. The offense also boasts Christian Ponder; a three year starter who is on the watch list for the Heisman and Davey O’Brien (top senior QB) Awards. Ponder was the leading QB in the ACC in passing before going down last year making a tackle on a safety after throwing an interception. Running back will be done by committee again this year with Jermaine Thomas, who rushed for 832 yards in 2009, figuring to get slightly more carries than his teammates. If there is a weak point in the Seminole offense it will be with the receivers. Jarmon Fortson, who led the team last year in TD receptions, was dismissed from the team this summer for undisclosed team rules violations. The leading returning receiver, Bert Reed, did not have a TD reception last year, and second leading receiver Taiwan Easterling spent the spring on the diamond playing baseball for the Seminoles. There is some young talent at wide-out but how effective it can be and how much Ponder will depend on the younger guys has yet to be seen.

The Seminole defense was forgettable in 2009. It was not only bad compared to the lofty standards Mickey Andrews had spoiled Seminole fans with for the 80’s and 90’s, but when compared to the rest of college football you see how bad it really was, ranked in the 100’s in most major defensive categories. Here is where the Seminoles will have to improve if they want to continue their college football leading run of 28 straight bowl appearances. There are questions all over the defense. Is the D-line strong enough? Does it have enough depth? It has been an issue for years; the linemen have been getting less and less pressure on the QB, creating problems for the rest of the defense. Markus White, a senior and JUCO single season sack record holder, will be counted on to make an impact in his final season with the Noles. Can the linebackers learn the new defense to capitalize on all of their talent? They return former 5-star prospect and team leading tackler Nigel Bradham, but the linebacker play was too inconsistent last year; with missed assignments in the passing game and missed tackles in the run game. This unit is huge on talent, with 5 and 4 star players throughout the depth chart, now they need to show it. Can the secondary cover anybody? Last year is memorable for the secondary only by the number of times receivers were running free of defenders. Stoops’ zone based coverage should help here, as should a bunch of young talent. Over all if the defense can simply be respectable this year that would be a huge improvement and translate into a couple more wins.

The schedule for the Noles sets up to give them a good shot at the ACC championship game. They get their toughest divisional opponents; Clemson, Boston College, and Wake Forest, all at home. They don’t have to play either Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech this year. The game against North Carolina, and its very highly ranked defense, is coming off a Thursday night game the week before, so there is a little extra time to prepare. They have a tough conference away game at Miami, but this game is always a hard fought, close game no matter where it is. The out of conference schedule is pretty demanding. The Noles get head coach Jimbo Fisher’s (and Bobby Bowden’s) alma mater Samford week one. They follow that up with their toughest away game having to travel to Norman, OK to play the Sooners on September 11th. After that game they have a rematch against always talented and well coached BYU, who the Seminoles beat soundly last year in Provo. And of course the season ends with their usual rivalry game against the Gators. With this year’s game being in Tallahassee and this being the first year in a while that the Gators have some questions as well, the Seminoles will have this game circled as a chance to beat their long time rivals.

Overall, good things seem to be brewing in Tallahassee, including the recent commitment of 5-star high school prospect James Wilder Jr. This Seminole team has a tough year laid out with big changes in the program, but an 8-4 or 9-3 regular season should be expected and if the team can get some breaks 10-2 would be a dream start for the Jimbo Fisher era at FSU.

Written By:
Adam Adair

World Cup - Some interesting Matchups

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:21:02 -0400

So it’s that time again; the World Cup is upon us, and as usual it means we are about to be treated to a month of fantastic soccer. As usual, I plan to watch every match and record all that are on while I’m at work to watch later. So, with just under a month until the games start, let’s look at some of the first round match-ups that are the most interesting.

First and foremost, the England versus United States game has me fired up. While almost every player on the England squad is better than the US, the England team is full of injuries and in a state of disarray following a scandal involving John Terry causing Wayne Bridge to step away from the team. While the United States is not without its own injuries, Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu, many feel that if the US is to relive the success of the 1950 World Cup this is the year that they can do it. This game isn’t a shoe in for the US by any means but the talent and ability may finally be there for the Americans to overcome the English and win the group.

Another exciting first round game comes from Group G, where we’ll get the fantastic matchup of Brazil versus Portugal. The two Portuguese speaking countries will play each other in what should be an all out attacking affair. The passion and ability that will be on display should make for one of the most exciting first round games. This game will be a good early test for both teams to see how likely either is to win this year’s tournament. There is a game from Group A that should also be very interesting as well. The Mexico versus France game will give us a game of two teams that are somewhat unknowns going into the tournament. Will Giovanni Dos Santos continue the fantastic run of play he was having at the end of qualifying, despite very few appearances this season? Can France come back from their scandals and injuries to have similar success to last World Cup, or will they repeat the failures of the 2002 World Cup? While no game is a sure win at the World Cup, teams like Argentina, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands should have few problems advancing from their groups.

The World Cup is full of great games. The “Big Names” of soccer will all be there and when they play each other a fantastic match is usually the outcome. Even when two lower level teams play the passion and pride that the players possess creates great drama for us fans. With 48 first round games, there are sure to be some major surprises and some amazing goals. So circle June 11th on your calendars, set your DVRs, and prepare for a fantastic month of World Cup soccer!

Written by:
Adam Adair

Newcastle: Back to Premier League!

Tue, 4 May 2010 09:40:30 -0400

Well it’s taken me a while to get this blog done. I can’t control my overwhelming fan-ness from coming out when I try to write about my beloved Magpies. So Newcastle United were relegated from the Barclay’s Premiership after last season, after years of flirting with relegation and under achievement but after one season in the Coca-Cola Championship, Newcastle is coming back up to the Premiership and with a first place trophy newly added to the trophy case. This is the first trophy for the club since the won their initial promotion to the Premier League, which was only a year old, in 1993.

This Newcastle team is without the big guns that the club has had in the past; Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen, Damien Duff and many others; however they also have done something that the team was unable to do for years and that’s play up to their potential. Chris Hughton, a Republic of Ireland international, had never been in full charge of a first team. He took over from a run of big name unsuccessful coaches; Sam Allardyce, a second term for Kevin Keegan, and Graeme Souness to name a few. All of these coaches failed to use the nearly unlimited resources that were given bringing in big name players and not creating a team, simply a collection of players. This is the great success of Chris Hughton, he got the most out of his players and fielded a successful TEAM.

But enough about the past failures and on to the achievements of the current team. This incarnation of Newcastle United gelled as a team and was able to bring a championship to the Northeast. Players like Joey Barton, Peter Lovenkrands, and Alan Smith showed how they can play and why they’ve had big money spent on them in the past. There is an excitement in the northeast of England as Newcastle won the Coca-Cola Championship with 102 total points and is returning to top flight football. I can guarantee that every home game will see over 52,000 Newcastle fans cheering the Magpies on.

For me, as a Newcastle fan, the Premiership has been lacking something while Newcastle has been down. Not only this past season, but the previous few year when Newcastle has been playing well below par, the Premiership is greatest when there are many teams fighting for the top not just the Big 4. Remember back in the late 90’s when Newcastle gave Manchester United everything the Red Devils could handle, at tell me you’re not at least a little happy the Magpies are back!

Written by:
Adam Adair

Kansas City Chiefs Draft Preview

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:56:52 -0400

Well it’s that time of the year again; the NFL Draft is right around the corner. My Kansas City Chiefs have made some interesting moves this off-season and hopefully with a good draft we can lay some more of a foundation to help get this team back to where we want them to be, or at least back to losing less than 10 games.

General Manager Scott Pioli really has done what he can to make the Chiefs a Patriots-West team. He hired Head Coach Todd Haley last year and he had a rough rookie coaching year. This off-season Pioli hasn’t made too many player moves, he has resigned some players and brought in a few new names. What he has made a splash in are new coaches. The Chiefs fired Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey 2 weeks before the season last year and it was evident with their offensive cohesion, or lack thereof. To remedy this Pioli brought in an old buddy from New England Charlie Weis, recently let go from Notre Dame. Weis had a tough time in the college ranks but is still seen as an offensive and specifically a quarterback guru, and that is exactly what the Chiefs need. The Chiefs ranked in the bottom third of the league in yards per game and points per game. Hopefully a new game plan and a return to basics for quarterback Matt Cassel will see him return the form he had his last season he had in New England.

Pioli also brought in another coach with New England ties, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Crennel was the defensive coordinator for New England for 4 years, 3 of those years they won the Super Bowl and while Tom Brady and the offense got the majority of the headlines the defense was doing the dirty work to keep giving the offense the ball and scoring chances. The Chiefs defense last year was nearly the worst in the league in terms of yards per game and points per game, so Crennel will have his work cut out for him. There is raw talent on the Chiefs defense; DT Glenn Dorsey, OLB Tamba Hali, and CB Brandon Flowers, we’ll see if Crennel can get the most of this talent.

There is talent on both sides of the ball. Some players have stepped up while others have yet to impress. So the question becomes where do the Chiefs need the most help and who can they get in the draft? A lot of people would say simply look at the trenches, sure up the lines on both sides of the ball and watch everything else fall into place. The Chiefs’ success in the early 2000’s started up front with a dominate offensive line that opened huge holes for Priest Holmes and gave not-very-mobile Trent Green ages to find open receivers. That being said let’s see who is or may be available at the number five spot for the Chiefs. OT - Russell Okung, from Oklahoma St.

I think this is really the best pick for the Chiefs in the first round; they need someone desperately who can help keep Matt Cassel from having to back up every time he wants to throw the ball. This pick also allows Branden Albert to either move to guard or take over the right tackle position, either being a spot he can really shine giving the Chiefs two very good offensive linemen. If either of the 2 big defensive linemen are there to take I think you have to take either of them, but I would be surprised. After the first pick things are pretty wide open for the Chiefs and their draft choices. Help is needed all over the field and this draft has a lot of quality players in it. A second round pick of a wide receiver isn’t out of the question. It has been a long time since the Chiefs have had a receiver that was feared by the opposition; Dwayne Bowe looked to be that guy but just seems to fade in and out of games. An early second round pick of Golden Tate or Arrelious Benn would be a good get; both were playmakers at the college level but offer different options. Tate could score with the best of them and was a security blanket for Clausen, as well as already having been a player for offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Benn was an animal at Illinois, even though he suffered from being on a Ron Zook coached team (ask Jeremy about Zook). Benn is amazing with the ball in his hands; he can make people miss and is big enough to go get the ball.

Overall, the Chiefs have their work cut out for them this draft. The bright side is that they have a lot of positions that need help so while it’ll be hard to solve all of them you have to feel that they can sure some holes up with quality players. My advice would be to secure the trenches and get back to winning like we do in the Midwest, with hard work and an in your face attitude.

Written by:
Adam Adair