Just as they have done in the past, the NY Mets have begun the second half of the season with pure letdowns. They were over achievers prior to the All-Star break, actually making believers out of most people, leading us to think that they could sustain the winning and keep up with the rest of the pack until wild card time. Ironically, this is the first season for MLB to have (2) wild card teams from each league (American/National). So it looked as if the Mets could actually cling on to one of those spots. It would be horrible to spoil such "amazin" feats that have occurred already during the first half of the season: Johan Santana's "no-hitter", RA Dickey's magical start (12 wins, league lead in K's, numerous one-hitters and the consecutive scoreless inning streak). David Wright keeping his average at the top of the heap (.390 and then finally leveling out at .360) and the team as a whole clawing and fighting in almost every game, winning from behind or bouncing back from being swept by dishing out their own sweep. BUT, as all Mets fans have come to understand, this is all an illusion. It doesn't matter who the skipper is (Terry Collins should have been named Manager of the first half) because the Mets are predisposed to collapse after the All-Star break. There is no clear time as to when they will collapse, right after it (like this year so far) or in September. All that we know, is that the Mets will somehow figure out a way to lose games, give up leads, drop pop flies, blow saves and trickle down to the bottom of the division by the time the season comes to an end. It's very disappointing to know that your favorite baseball team will eventually break down, it's also depressing because when they screw with your emotions early in the season and then kick you to the curb, you go into a black hole waiting for the next local team you love to begin their respective season. As a fan, you shouldn't have to be wishing for another sport to begin, you should be basking in the glory of the current season, cheering for your team to try and fight to win. The Mets however don't give you that chance after July. It could just be that Carlos Beltran is the culprit and he is an example of signing a deal with devil, in exchange he would have a long and wealthy career as long as he watched a called third strike eek past his knees in the 2006 NLCS. Who knows?? Unfortunately, I am writing this blog today in response to the ongoing state of the Mets. They desperately need bullpen help, Jason Bay is the biggest bust since Mo Vaughn, they need starting pitching, Valdespin should be in the line up, they need a bigger bat to protect Wright, the owners needed to stay away from Madoff and they need to stop thinking that the veterans will bail them out, they won't. The DC Nationals showed that if you invest in youth, it will come back ten fold. The Mets can't really do that since they are in the NYC market, to have seasons like the Nats have had prior to this year would surely run the Mets out of dodge and would prompt a "for sale" sign to be posted outside Citi Field.
So rest assure Mets fans out there, the Jets and Giants begin pre-season in about a month, the Olympics will be on TV this next week and the Knicks and Rangers start back up again in October.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tebow(mania)
Here's how it breaks down in my opinion:
Having Tim Tebow on the NY Jets is actually a positive move for the team. The "mania" surrounding Tebow really has nothing to do with him personally, he does not seek out nor does he create the media whirlwind that everyone has come to know. He is a religious person and that's something you see all of the time. If you remove the media issues from the trade, then what the Jets got was a very talented football player that will only enhance and upgrade a very average offense. How you ask? Well as most Jets fans know, Mark Sanchez is not the strongest QB in the league when it comes to throwing deep. The Jets made a mistake trying to force Sanchez into throwing the ball 50 times a game last season and what that did was put too much pressure on Sanchez to be a "Brady" or "Manning" like QB, which he is not. The Jets were most successful, getting to back-to-back AFC championship games, with a ground and pound mentality on offense. Once they left that and had Sanchez try to win games with his arm, throwing to mediocre WR's, things went south for the team and they missed the playoffs entirely. Now, it's not all of the offense's fault they missed the playoffs, the Jets desperately needed help on the defensive line and at the safety position (which GM Mike Tannenbaum addressed with this year's signing of LaRon Landry). But, the main issue last season was the inability of the offense to put up big numbers and make the big plays.
With the addition of Tim Tebow, the Jets can take the pressure off of Sanchez and limit him to 20-25 throws a game, while incorporating "wildcat" packages and "trick" plays with Tebow at the helm. If Sanchez has help like that, like he did when Brad Smith was on the team, he has a much better chance of getting the defensive looks he wants, where he will be able to have more success. There are so many types of plays a team can run with Tebow when he is not the focus of the offense 100% of the game. The Broncos mistake, in my mind, was trying to have Tebow be there starting QB, involved in every snap and every play. Teams quickly caught on to Tebow and they identified his weaknesses immediately, fortunately for Tebow he just happen to catch the defenses off guard in big games, completing passes beyond his abilities (with some spiritual help). SO the Jets have an advantage with Tebow because teams will prepare for Sanchez, a pocket passer with limited range but enough experience to lead an offense, and they will have to simultaneously prepare for Tebow, a strong, running QB, who can throw if needed to and is smart enough to understand what defense is on the field against him.
In NY, this hunky dory story of having 2 starting QBs coexist on one team at the same time, with the media and the fans might not be possible. Especially when one of the QBs is a polarizing figure, that whether or not he wanted it, gained enormous popularity with the national media and fans. There can easily be a situation at the New Meadowlands stadium, where Sanchez throws 2 interceptions and the whole place is chanting Tebow's name. Or, Tebow could throw so many wobbly passes, that people will be calling for an exorcism. Either way, this new and improved Big Apple Circus show will be entertaining at the least and if it succeeds, Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan will look like geniuses.
Having Tim Tebow on the NY Jets is actually a positive move for the team. The "mania" surrounding Tebow really has nothing to do with him personally, he does not seek out nor does he create the media whirlwind that everyone has come to know. He is a religious person and that's something you see all of the time. If you remove the media issues from the trade, then what the Jets got was a very talented football player that will only enhance and upgrade a very average offense. How you ask? Well as most Jets fans know, Mark Sanchez is not the strongest QB in the league when it comes to throwing deep. The Jets made a mistake trying to force Sanchez into throwing the ball 50 times a game last season and what that did was put too much pressure on Sanchez to be a "Brady" or "Manning" like QB, which he is not. The Jets were most successful, getting to back-to-back AFC championship games, with a ground and pound mentality on offense. Once they left that and had Sanchez try to win games with his arm, throwing to mediocre WR's, things went south for the team and they missed the playoffs entirely. Now, it's not all of the offense's fault they missed the playoffs, the Jets desperately needed help on the defensive line and at the safety position (which GM Mike Tannenbaum addressed with this year's signing of LaRon Landry). But, the main issue last season was the inability of the offense to put up big numbers and make the big plays.
With the addition of Tim Tebow, the Jets can take the pressure off of Sanchez and limit him to 20-25 throws a game, while incorporating "wildcat" packages and "trick" plays with Tebow at the helm. If Sanchez has help like that, like he did when Brad Smith was on the team, he has a much better chance of getting the defensive looks he wants, where he will be able to have more success. There are so many types of plays a team can run with Tebow when he is not the focus of the offense 100% of the game. The Broncos mistake, in my mind, was trying to have Tebow be there starting QB, involved in every snap and every play. Teams quickly caught on to Tebow and they identified his weaknesses immediately, fortunately for Tebow he just happen to catch the defenses off guard in big games, completing passes beyond his abilities (with some spiritual help). SO the Jets have an advantage with Tebow because teams will prepare for Sanchez, a pocket passer with limited range but enough experience to lead an offense, and they will have to simultaneously prepare for Tebow, a strong, running QB, who can throw if needed to and is smart enough to understand what defense is on the field against him.
In NY, this hunky dory story of having 2 starting QBs coexist on one team at the same time, with the media and the fans might not be possible. Especially when one of the QBs is a polarizing figure, that whether or not he wanted it, gained enormous popularity with the national media and fans. There can easily be a situation at the New Meadowlands stadium, where Sanchez throws 2 interceptions and the whole place is chanting Tebow's name. Or, Tebow could throw so many wobbly passes, that people will be calling for an exorcism. Either way, this new and improved Big Apple Circus show will be entertaining at the least and if it succeeds, Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan will look like geniuses.
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