The Sports Guru

If the Broncos are to have success this Sunday, they have to make sure they don’t get beat by Johnson.  Problem is, there are plenty of Johnson’s to worry about.  The Bengals roster has no less than five players with the Johnson surname, so stopping all of them could be easier said than done.

Of course the main Johnson is Chad Johnson, or Ocho Cinco.  85’s stats are impressive -

85 Rec, 1274 yards, 7 TD’s

It’s his leadership and work ethic on and off the field that are equally vital to Cincy’s success.  CJ is going to see alot of Champ Bailey all day and whoever wins that battle will have a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

Johnson #2 is Rudi Johnson, the Bengals all-pro running back.  The offensive line woes this season have curbed Rudi’s out put this season and overall he has endured a roller coaster ride of a season.  Overall, Johnson has still rushed for over 1100 yards, but his per carry average of 3.8 is below his career average, and is even worse on the road(3.4).  Rudi has also reigned in 20 catches but has had a case of the dropsies, fumbling 4 times this season.

If you are going to have a fullback lead the way for Rudi Johnson you might as well grab a guy with the name of, well, Johnson.  Jeremi Johnson is in his fourth year in Cincinnati and though he doesn;t get the ball a bunch does have an impressive 4 yards per carry average.  If you are not careful Jeremi Johnson can sneak out of the backfield and become a bit of a weapon, as his 3 catch day against the Raiders would demonstrate.

Just for good measure the Bengals have a couple more Johnson’s on their roster.  Doug Johnson is the emergency quarterback and doesn’t see the light of the field.  I don’t think we’ll have to worry about D.J. at all.

There is a Johnson on defense that the Broncos will have to account for, starting linebacker Landon Johnson.  The third year pro has had a nice year, compiling 97 tackles, a pick and 2 forced fumbles.

In all, four of the Johnson’s will have an impact on the game, and if the Broncos are going to win on Sunday all of Cincy’s Johnsons will have to be present and accounted for.

Technorati Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson, Doug Johnson, Jeremi Johnson, Landon Johnson

You gotta love Al Davis. Not only is he living on the successes of the past, a very distant past, but he loves to cause trouble with the mass media. Earlier in the year he threatened to punch a San Francisco beat writer, something I am sure we would never see from Pat Bowlen, and now it’s a beef with former Denver Post columnist, current NFL Network rover Adam Schefter.

Maybe Al and his walker can return to the sidelines!

You see, Schefter reported earlier today that the Raiders are planning to fire Art Shell after the season. According to Schefter, the Raiders are disappointed with how Shell has fared in his second stint with the Raiders. A lack of inspiration, a total mess in regards to Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, and perhaps the biggest reason of all, the Raiders’ solid 2-12 record. Shell still has a year left on his deal, but Schefter was clear, Al Davis is going to fire Art Shell.

It didn’t take the Raiders long to release the following statement —

“Adam Schefter has always been a false rumor monger with respect to the Raiders and Anti-Raider bias based upon his relationship with Denver and Mike Shanahan. No decisions have been made reletive to the 2007 Oakland Raiders nor will they be made for some time. Adam Schefter could not have gotten his information from a ‘reliable source’ because there’s only one reliable source and he doesn’t trust Adam.”

Doe it get any better than that? To his credit, Schefter simply pointed out that no where in the statement did it deny the fact tehat Shell would be gone. If Schefter is such a ‘flase rumor monger’ come out and give your embattled head coach a vote of confidence.

I was never a big fan of Schefter when he covered the Broncos and I must say I think less of him on NFL Network, but in this case it appears his information is accurate, and hey, if his old allegiances in Denver entice him to take a shot at our arch-enemy, so be it!

Technorati Tags: Al Davis, NFL Network, Adam Schefter, Art Shell, Fired

It’s official. Jim Tressel became the ultimate snub for 2006. Any sport, any award, any all-star game or pro bowl, doesn’t matter, Tressel wins for not winning. What am I talking about, you ask? The fact that Jim Tressel, who led the Ohio State Buckeyes to an undefeated season, all while ranked #1 of course, did not win either of the Coach of the Year awards. Are you kidding me? Before you get on my case, hear me out.

First, the guys that did win the awards were deserving. Greg Schiano of Rutgers won the Walter Camp Football Foundation award, while Jim Grobe of Wake Forest won the AP version. Both had great seasons, and came out of nowhere, leading there teams to big time Bowl berths. But is that worthy of beating Tressel? I think not….

What do you think is harder. Coaching a team to succes when no one expects you to be successful, or coaching the team that is the Pre-Season #1, for no real reason at all? Is it harder to coach a team that is picked to finish last or a team that is expected to play for the National Championship? I think you get my drift.

Why should Tressel be punished becuase the media didn’t know enough about Rutgers or Wake Forest to give them any respect. Why should Tressel be punished becuase the media decided his Buckeyes were the #1 team in the country?

I know I am grasping at straws, but sometimes the Coach of the Year goes to the biggest surprise instead of teh guy who did the best coaching job. Both Schiano and Grobe were wonderful stories and big surprises, but when you have the bullseye that is the #1 ranking on your back and still run the table with ease I think you have done a better coaching job. That coach is Jim Tressel, the SportsGuru.com Coach of the Year.

Technorati Tags: Ohio State, Jim Tressel, Coach of the Year, Greg Schiano, Rutgers, Jim Grobe, Wake Forest

I just got finished watching the Cavaliers lose. Again. Another loss on the road, the 4th straight, 8 of 11 so far this season. More disturbing is the fact that the Cavs lost another game to a team under .500. Sure, New Jersey is very talented, much better than their 10-14 record would indicate, but they are 10-14. Amazingly, 5 of their 9 losses have come against teams that did not make the playoffs last year. I can go on and on about the numbers, but how much fun is that to read. No, I want to focus more on how this team is playing, and why Mike Brown or LeBron James keep letting it go on.

Tonite was the same ‘ole same ‘ole. Play decent in the first half, collapse in the 3rd quarter, claw back and make the final score look a lot closer than the game actually was. LeBron was great tonite, but noone else decided to show up. Eric Snow is still a waste of space on the floor, and can someone please tell me when Larry Hughes became a jump shooter. Larry did not go to the basket once during the game. NOT ONCE! Wasn’t that his M.O. in the league before breaking the bank in Cleveland? A slasher, a guy that drive hard to the hoop. Not so far this season. Larry seems content to sit out at the 3-point arc and chuck up long range jumpers when LeBron penetrates.

And what about all the talk from Donyell Marshall about playing more inside? Early in the season it appeared Marshall was going to do just that. Rebound, post up and get to the basket more. Not anymore. In the few minutes that he played Marshall hoisted three after three, miss after miss.

Meanwhile the Nets were going inside. Vince Carter, himself struggling with a case of threepointitis, went to the rim early and often, matchin LeBron point for point, especially down the stretch when the Cavs tried to come back.

Yea, all that is frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as watching LeBron and Damon Jones laugh it up with Jay-Z over and over late in the game when the Cavs were down double-digits. Hey, maybe Lebron wants to play in Brooklyn when the Nets move to the city in 2010. That’s fine with me, go ahead, but until then, when the supposed contender you play for now is getting embarrassed, AGAIN on the road, try to keep the fraternization with the other team’s owner to a minimum. Could you imagine Michael or Larry joking around during a loss? Me neither.

But that’s the thing about LeBron, isn’t it? He’d rather be Jay-Z’s buddy off the court than beat his team on it. Miss a pair of free-throws in the 4th quarter when the game is still in doubt, no problem cuz I am Jay-Z’s boy.

So the Cavs drop their 2nd straight overall, and head home to face the Pistons. Good thing the Cavs are 11-2 at home, becuase the way this team plays on the road they are going to need all the wins they can get.

Technorati Tags: LeBron James, Cavaliers, Jay-Z, Cleveland, New Jersey Nets, Vince Carter, Larry Hughes

Anytime any of these All-Star teams are chosen, in any sport, there are always going to be guys that get left off that are fully deserving to be there.  The Broncos were lucky enough to have 3 selected to travel to Honolulu on February 10, but cvertainly a fourth could and should have made it.

Let’s take a look at the Broncos that are going, then take a look at Javon Walker who should be there….

Champ Bailey, CB(7) - There might not be a more deserving defensive player than Bailey, who makes his 7th consecutive appearance in the game.  Bailey is tied for the lead in interceptions with 8, and 5 of those have occurred inside the Bronco 5 yard line.  Somehow it appears is getting better with age, and unlike other “cover corners” before him Bailey does it all very well.  He is excellent against the run and is probably the best tackler on the team.  Bailey currently has a career-best 85 tackles already and his 26 passes defensed is on pace for a career high.

Al Wilson, MLB(5) - Wilson makes his 5th appearance in the last 6 years and is enjoying what might be his finest season in his under-appreciated career.  Wilson doesn;t get the hype and pub of guys like Ray Lewis, but getting the Pro Bowl start provides the best respect of all, that of his peers in the NFL.  Wilson leads the Broncos with 106 tackles and is a leader and team captain.  Wilson is one of the toughest players in the game, getting carried off the field against Seattle before returning to the field the next week.

John Lynch, S(8) - Lynch heads back to the Pro Bowl for the 3rd time in his three years with the Broncos.  Not bad for a guy that most in the league thought was washed up when he was released by the Buccaneers after the 2003 season.  Lynch may have lost a step in coverage, but his run stopping skills combined with his leadership on the field and in the locker room have made the 14-year vet indispensible.  Lynch is enjoying what might be his best season in a Bronco uniform, amassing his highest tackle total during his time with the team.  All this while keeping a banged up defensive backfield together, with Lynch being the only guy left of the top 3 safeties that started the season.

All three deserved a spot, and amazingly it marks the 26th straight season the Broncos will send at least 1 player to the Pro Bowl.  When compared to a team like the Browns, who have had only one Pro Bowler(Jamir Miller) since returing to the league in 1999.

Now on to the guy who should be there.  Where would the Bronco offense be without Javon Walker.  Surviving an enigmatic offense that included a quarterback change, not to mention returning from a major knee injury, Walker has put up the numbers of a Pro Bowler.  let’s compare, shall we…First, the guys that made the team –

Andre Johnson - 97 rec, 1087 yards, 11.2 ypc, 5 TD
Chad Johnson - 80 rec, 1284 yards, 16.1 ypc, 7 TD
Marvin Harrison - 82 rec, 1180 yards, 14.4 ypc, 9 TD
Reggie Wayne - 77 rec, 1213 yards, 15.8 ypc, 9 TD

Javon Walker - 62 rec, 1007 yards, 16.2 ypc, 7 TD

On paper, it might appear as the four guys who made the team over Walker deserve it.  Sure, they are all having nice seasons, but of the guys chosen over Walker I’d have to take out Andre Johnson.  Yea, I know, he leads the league in receptions, but looking at his average yards per catch shows he is catching a lot of dink and dunk passes.  Even Marvin Harrison who would be considered a possession receiver has averaged over 3 yards per carry more per catch.  Walker leads the group in average, and has reached the end zone two more times than Johnson.

Lastly, All those catches for Johnson has done very little to help the Texans win anything, while Walker has been a huge part of the success of the Broncos.  Case in point, when the Broncos lost 4 straight games Walker was held out of the end zone all four times.

I know it is splitting hairs when trying to dissect players like this, but if you can get beyond the number of catches Johnson has he has done little else to help the Texans, while Walker has been a much needed breath of fresh air for the Broncos.

Let me know what you think….

Technorati Tags: Javon Walker, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Pro Bowl, snubs