A few weeks ago I introduced to you the many adventures of Chad Vader, younger brother of Darth Vader. Here is the second edition of this classic. A Must see if you are a Star Wars fan!!
Projected Record
8-8, 4th Place NFC East
Projected Schedule W/L
Indianapolis (W)
@Philadelphia (L)
@Seattle (L)
Washington (W)
@Atlanta (L)
@Dallas (L)
Tampa Bay (W)
Houston (W)
Chicago (W)
@Jacksonville (L)
@Tennessee (L)
Dallas (W)
@Carolina (L)
Philadelphia (W)
New Orleans (W)
@Washington (L)
How long does it take a predominately verteran football team to grow tired of the antics of a military-style head coach? Apparently about 2 years, because as Tom Coughlin heads into season three in New York the Giants appear to be right at that point. It started after the playoff loss at home to Carolina. Tiki Barber, a veteran teamleader, insinuated that the Giants had been “outcoached”, among other things, which caught Coughlin off-guard. He was visibly shaken when asked about it, and talked to Tiki to clear the air. Right now everyone is saying the right things, but how long is it going to take the Giants’ players to totally tune Coughlin out? We may find out this season.
Team Strengths – Barber is still highly productive, even after hitting his 30’s, usually a death sentence to running backs. Michael Strahan is still getting to the quarterback, and coupled with Osi Umeniyoora make up the best DE bookends in the League. LaVar Arrington was added to a linebacker corp that was devestated by injuries late last season. Former Baltimore Raven Will Demps was brought in to shore up a secondary exposed by Carolina in the playoffs. The Giants have some playmakers at receiver, with Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey leading the way, and a quarterback that should be primed for a breakout season in Eli Manning.
Team Weaknesses - Team chemistry is a big issue on the Giants. It is well documented that Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress have a rocky relationship to say the least. Shockey has also criticized Manning, so how this all plays out will be something to watch. Manning is not the vocal leader his brother is and his demeanor is starting to create problems in the locker room. Even with the addition of Demps, the DB’s are a concern. Steve Smith and Co. smoked the Giants during the playoffs and the DB play will have to improve for the Giants to have success in the East. The Giants totally confused me and everyone else drafting a D-Lineman, Mathias Kiwanuka, in the draft. D-Line is a position of strength and the Giants failed to upgrade he areaas that need it, like the O-Line.
Best Case Scenario – Winning can cure alot of ills. If Eli breaks out and has a huge season then alot of the issues described above will be Non-issues. Based on history, Tiki is playing on borrowed time but may have 1 more 2200+ yards combined season in him. Burress and Shockey stay healthy and are consistent big play threats. LaVar Arrington needs to play up to the potential everyone thinks he has. Some injuries to key players on the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles wouldn’t hurt as well.
Worst Case Scenario – If the chemistry issues continue to fester and the Manning/Burress/Shockey love trianlge continues to worsen things could get bad in a hurry. Most “experst” think the NFC East is the toughest division in football. I agree, with the Giants finishing in last place with an 8-8 record. The record could be worse if the Coughlin dynamic doesn’t improve.
My Opinion – The Giants are a ticking timebomb. Coughlin can wear out a welcome quickly and it is only a matter of time before the team leaders tune him out. Eli Manning has yet to prove he is going to be anything close to his brother. Unlike Peyton, Eli has a bad relationship with his big guns and that can’t make for a good huddle. It is hard for a quarterback to be a team leader when he doesn’t have the respect of his teammates. Winning can cure all but this division is too good, and the Giants too mediocre, for it to keep these issuues under wraps for long. If the Giants don’t make the playoffs, Coughlin couold be gone.
This is always the tough part of the baseball season when your team is completely out of it. Such is the case for the Indians, a team that won 93 games last year and had several “experts” googly eyed, predicting playoffs or better. It didn’t happen as bull-pen woes and underacheiving vets limped out of the gate, cowering to a 49-64 record.
All is not bad for the Indians, however, who have managed to jettison much of the dead weight from the team in order to get a good look at what the future might hold. Judging by the results of teh past week or so, I would say the future looks pretty bright. Even though the Tribe finds itself out of playoff contention they are going to have a big say on who DOES make it to October.
It all started last week with a 4 game series in Boston. The Indians split the series, but the Red Sox had to win both games in their last at bat. The wheels were starting to come off at that point. They have lost 5/6 since and fallen out of the playoffs. The team then went to Detroit and lost 3 1 run ballgames. Sure, Detrot swept the Tribe, but they definitely earned it. Next comes the Angels, in first place in the AL West. After losing the first game, the Tribe came back to win the next 2, including last night’s 14-2 clobbering.
My point in all of this? It can be fun for the Indians down the stretch, as they play the role of spoiler and make it all too hard for teams that are facing the heat of the pennant race. Even more exciting is that they are doing it with the guys that will be part of the long term future of the team. Here’s a look at some of them:
1. Shin Soo Choo, acquired from the Mariners for Ben Broussard on July 27, as done nothing but hit .340 and play incredible out in Right Field. Time will tell but the Indians may have found a diamond in the rough in Choo.
2. Ryan Garko has hit .417 in his brief stint at the Major League level. A former catcher, the Indians are in the process of moving Garko to 1B. He has hit at every level he has played and looks like he can be a Sean Casey-type player, if he can get the glove to match the bat. He had 4 RBI last night, including his first Major League home run.
3. Fausto Carmona went through a week of hell last week, but seems to have come through unscathed, pitching 2 scoreless innings last night. Carmona’s stuff is filthy and if he can keep his head up after blowing 4 saves in a 7 day period he will be that much better for it.
4. Joe Inglett may not be a superstar, but every good team has a guy like him on the bench. The Indians have tried several different players to be that “super-utility” guy. Joey Cora, Ramon Vasquez, Eduardo Perez, all failed. Inglett has not. He can play all infield positions and has held his own with the bat, hitting .289 in 28 games.
The Indians were able to take care of another big piece of business, locking up starter Cliff Lee with a 3 year deal. Lee won his 10th game last night and has proven to be an effective pitcher and nice piece of the rotation. With Lee, C.C. Sabathia and young star Jeremy Sowers the Indians have the distinction of having 3 lefties in their rotation.
I might be grasping at straws, but this team is alot more fun to watch now than they were with Broussard, Eduardo Perez, Ramon Vasquez, etc. These young guys are playing hard and are showing some flashes of greatness. If the kids can keep playing and learning 2006 may prove to be just a hiccup on the Indians’ road to the top.
