NFL Wide Receiver dies at 25.

R.I.P. O.J. Murdock. 1987-2012

Tampa police say Tennessee Titans reserve wide receiver, O.J. Murdock, died by what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound. He was found in a car in front his alma mater Middleton High School. Thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones. 

Source: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8214355/police-tennessee-titans-player-oj-murdock-dies-apparent-suicide

Expectations for Tim Tebow in 2012



Tim Tebow at Jets camp. (251 lbs)

 Tim Tebow entered the Jets Training camp looking like he had been eating footbals rather than throwing them. He weighed in at 251 lbs but was only 1-7 in passing attempts. Not only is that the highest playing weight for him ever, but it is also more than head coach Rex Ryan who lost over 100 lbs this past off-season. Tebow is definitely bulked up to be an impact for his team in many ways other than starting quarterback, but here are a few ways I see Tim Tebow giving the Jets a push in their pursuit of the elusive Lombardi trophy (Or at least the playoffs).

1. Tim Tebow will pressure Mark Sanchez to improve his play over the regular season. Sanchez has always come up big on the big stage, but it has been his carless regular season play that has been the death of himself and the Jets. Sanchez has a history of being in the spotlight going from starter at USC to starter in New York, so he definitely knows how to handle it. The only problem with Sanchez is at times he seems complacent. With Tebow behind him, he will not be able to settle for mediocre because his starting job is no longer a guarantee.
2. Tebow will also put a stress on defenses that cannot be measured in numbers. The intangible of having Tebow on the field is going to be detrimental for defenses. Whenever he touches the field the focus has to go on him and that will allow the Jets to be sneaky and tricky on offence especially with Tony Sparano at Offensive coordinator. (He was the HC for the Miami dolphins 2008-2011 when they ran the wildcat offence.)
3. Tim Tebow will also give them an inside running game with their wildcat that Brad Smith could not give them a couple years ago.  Tebow will have ample success on offence when he comes in with the wildcat offence and will go for multiple touchdowns.
4. In the goal line, if the Jets are bold enough to use him there, Tebow could be dominant. He is also a dynamic player if you want to take the risk of going for a 2-point conversion. Tebow is a beast and is the hardest QB to tackle in the NFL today. Look for him to make big plays followed by a prayer in these situations.

Tim Tebow is a class act and a very impactful player. I’m looking forward to watching him succeed this upcoming year with the Jets, but if he wants to eventually become a starting quarterback, 1-7 throwing  in training camp is not going to cut it.

Tuesday's Top 5: Top 5 NFL Wide Recievers

5. Victor Cruz

2011 NFL Receiving statistics:

GP 16

REC 82

YDS 1,536

AVG 18.7

LNG 99

TD 9

FD 59

Victor Cruz is an electrifying receiver with the New York Giants but he barely made this list. Cruz cracked the list due to his big play ability and the way he carried the Giants offence this past year. Cruz cruised to many touchdowns and though he has his flops, he also had his many highlights which landed him the 5 spot.

4. Wes Welker

2011 NFL Receiving statistics:


 

GP 16

REC 122

YDS 1,569

AVG 12.9

LNG 99

TD 9

FD 77

Wes Welker has been the most reliable receiver over the past few years. He led the league in receptions by far with 122 this past season and was very consistent game to game. However he is more of a product of a great quarterback and a system than a great receiver which is why he only gets the number 4 spot on my list.

3. Larry Fitzgerald

2011 NFL Season receiving statistics:

GP 16

REC 80

YDS 1,411

AVG 17.6

LNG 73

TD 8

FD 61

Larry Fitzgerald is an astounding receiver and athletic specimen. When the ball is in the air and he is around there is no question who will come down with it. These past few seasons Fitzgerald has been without an adequate quarterback and his stats have suffered. With that being said there is no question the Fitz that gives courners fits is still a top 3 receiver in the NFL still today.

2. Andre Johnson

2011 NFL Season receiving statistics:

GP 7

REC 33

YDS 492

AVG 14.9

LNG 50

TD 2

FD 23

Pay no attention to Andre Johnson’s stats last year. He was injured and missed many games. Also he played banged up in most games last season. Andre Johnson still has top speed, great leaping ability, amazing hands, and a great frame. He also has great character and plays every play like it’s his last and he’s a product of the U (University of Miami, when it was actually the U).

1. Calvin Johnson   

2011 NFL Receiving statistics:

GP 16

REC 96

YDS 1,681

AVG 17.5

LNG 73

TD 16

FD 77

Megatron is the most dynamic athlete in the NFL today. He is 6’5” and runs like a cheetah. He is a touchdown machine and has some of the best hands in the NFL. Calvin is also very hard to stop after the catch and is so multi-dimensional. He at times looks like the definition of unstoppable. Megatron is and will be the best receiver in the league for a long time coming.

A Penatly Worse than Death.

Penn state, or the State Penn?

The NCAA hit Penn State with a four-year postseason football ban, reduction of 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period,  a $60 million sanction, and they are forcing Penn State to vacate their wins from 1998 to the present. This might just be worse than the “death penalty.” This punishment has been viewed differently from all over but before I state my opinion, I would like to first explain what all of this means.

1. Penn State will lose 112 wins which in result will strip Coach Joe Paterno of his record for most wins as a head coach.
2. Penn state will have a very hard time recruiting due to not being able to play in a bowl game for the next 4 years.
3. Penn State will have 20 less scholarship in the next 4 years which would disallow the amount of good athletes Penn state is used to obtaining.
4. The athletic department is on a five-year probation.
5. All current players may transfer and play for another school immediately.
6. Penn State loses 6 bowl wins and two conference championships.

With the understanding of the penalties, these penalties suited Penn State fairly. The crime Penn State as a program committed was so beyond the game of football, but the people who committed the crimes were the leaders and coordinators in charge of the football program. When dealing with crimes against children that are as life changing as child molestation, action has to be taken.

Some are saying the football team and school shouldn’t have been punished because the actions of two coaches and certain administrators should not punish the whole school. Those who say this are either too close to the situation, or are allowing themselves to be ignorant to what took place. According to the Freeh Reoprt,  Jerry Sandusky did illegal acts to children within the confines of Penn state, and not only were authorities aware, but they covered it up to protect the brand of Penn State. This is absolutely wrong and I am glad the school was so harshly punished.

Another point to be made is when Reggie Bush’s parents accepted improper benefits from USC, the whole school was punished and USC was banned from postseason play for multiple seasons. If the NCAA can punish a whole school for the actions of one former player’s parents, the NCAA better punish a school for coaches and administrators covering up molestation of underprivileged children.

I would also like to state that I am totally against vacating wins, except in this case. In the case of USC, I don’t care that they vacated his Heisman trophy. The memories will stick with us all forever of the great games and plays Reggie Bush made, especially that Heisman year. Also the vacation of wins from the Michigan Fab five was pointless because their greatness will forever be in the front of everyone’s minds that lived to witness them. The reason vacating Penn States wins is just is because Penn State covered up the illegal acts to maintain the greatness that was Penn state football. Careless actions such as these are what is wrong with American and need to be punished.

Penn state traded the innocence of kids for football wins, and for that they deserve to lose. Not only were these punishments just, they may not be heavy enough. Jerry Sandusky will be in prison for life, and that may not even be enough to right the wrongs he committed. America needs to understand that football is nothing compared to the innocence of children, and these penalties hold this true.

I have no opinion on the removal of the statue because it is irrelavent, but I do
 feel for the students and current players at Penn state. But only to a certain extent. The students will still be able to watch great football teams; they will just be beating up on their school. Also the current players have the amnesty to choose any college they want. Not only will this give certain back ups that choose to stay a chance to shine, but this will also give starters a chance to go somewhere and contend for a national title which they wouldn’t have been doing at Penn state anyways.

Tuesday's Top 5: Top 5 Shooters in the NBA

5. Kevin Durant 

Kevin Durant surpassed hat would have been Dirk at this spot because of his surge and Dirk’s fall this year. When comparing their numbers this past year Durant has the edge. Kevin Durant shot 38 % from deep, 86 % from the stripe, and 49 % from the field. Not to mention he led the league in scoring coming mostly off his pure mid-range shot. Durant may seem low on this list but it is about shooting and not scoring.

4. Stephen Curry  

 

Curry has had a short career so far, partially because of his injury this year. His stats last year where he played a full year he average 93 % from the free throw line, 44 % from the 3pt line, and he shot 48 % from the field. Steph Curry has a pure jump shot and gets to show it off a lot in Golden State’s high octane offense. This is what landed him the number 4 spot.

3. Steve Nash 

Nash is going to deliver as much as Kobe lets him in LA. One thing Kobe can’t even impair is Nash’s pure shooting ability. Steve Nash has been a 40, 50, 90 shooter 4 times since 2006. That is the most of all players. Being a 40, 50, 90 shooter means a player shoots 40% from beyond the arc, 50% from the field, and 90% from the charity stripe. Nash has a good chance of pulling off this feat again this upcoming year because he will have a load off his back and not be the main target on the team.

 

2. Steve Novak

Steve Novak was astounding this past year for the New York Knicks. He seemed to make just about everything they gave to him. He shot the lights out with a 47 % 3pt percentage and an 86 % free throw percentage. He has to be the best spot up shooter this past year, but he didn’t make number one because he is not a versatile shooter. He cannot create his own shot at all, and is not capable of running off screens as well as Ray Allen does.

1. Ray Allen 

Allen has the purest jumpshot in the NBA. He has the most 3-pointers made in a career with 2,718. He also shot 91.5 % from the free throw line over the past year to go along with his 45 % shooting behind the 3pt line. He is no longer the young Jesus Shuttlesworth people fell in love with in Milwaukee and Seattle, but he is still the most feared jumpshooter in the league and people will remember that in Miami this upcoming year.

Houston Rockets 2012 Draft Review

The Houston Rockets have been making plenty of moves starting about 48 hours before the NBA draft. Their main target that they publicly announced they were after was Dwight Howard. Well let’s see how this all worked out. The Rockets traded away Chase Budinger, Samuel Dalembert, multiple picks, and rights to a foreign player to achieve the number 12, 16, and 18 overall picks. They wanted to package those picks with more of their players, but that is obviously not appealing enough to get the Magic’s attention. I also stated before that they had little to no chance of trading for Howard due to insufficient trade bait.

Moving on the Rockets were not able to make any moves for their backup plan which was Josh Smith, so let’s check out what they did with their 3 top 20 picks.

With the 12^th pick they selected Jeremy Lamb which was a good value pick. The only problem I see with Lamb is the fact that he is not the best defender and is a high octane scorer. Sound familiar Rocket fans? I’ll give you a hint (Kevin Martin). That’s about as good as I see Lamb getting if he can’t improve on the defensive end. He has the length to do it, but does he have the will.

With the 16^th pick they got another good pick in Iowa State forward, Royce White. The comparisons to Lebron James are silly. This guy has a similar frame, but lesser motor. Also Lebron is just a more complete overall basketball player. Royce white definitely can be a good piece, but he likes to play point- forward and the Rockets have no place for that on their team. There is one big knock on White, that’s the fact that he has anxiety issues and he is afraid of flying. The way he attacks the rim I couldn’t tell. This pick was viewed as a reach but I like this player and if the Rockets felt good about grabbing him I commend them for making the pick. People thought Russell Westbrook was a reach for the Thunder, but now they look at him as a steal.

With the 18^th pick the Rockets were looking to get Tyler Zeller but the Dallas Mavericks stole him one pick before they had the chance. Everyone watching the draft had to be thinking the Rockets would finally stop acquiring forwards and get a point guard or center which they desperately need. Let’s see what they did.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I am a fan of Kentucky basketball and Terrence Jones, but the Rockets did not need to make this pick. I don’t even want to go past that because I have ample complaints about this pick.

Looking back on the draft the rockets made a complete mockery of themselves. They acquired an underweight scorer at the 2 guard, and two forwards to go along with the 29 forwards they already have. To top it all off they did not make any of the big trades they said they would get.

Wait stop the presses!!! The Rockets are announcing they have made an agreement to acquire a big man! The Rockets agreed three-year deal worth $25.1 million for whom else but Omer Asik. Pinch me, I think I’m dying. The Rockets blew up their team, then realized Dwight Howard is not going anywhere but Brooklyn. Then the Rockets promised a superstar in Hoawrd, and get rotation player at best Omer Asik.

At least they filled a need a center, right? Wrong. Sources close the Chicago Bulls stated that the Bulls plan to match the Rockets offer, and there is no way he would leave a contender to be a part of the mess the Rockets are making.

Chris Broussard said it right on draft night. The Houston Rockets are trying to go from mildly good to contender, and that is one of the hardest things to do. My advice to the Rockets is to blow it up like they have been doing, acquire young promising pieces, and do badly for the next two years. They will get two top 5 picks and also they have a big enough market to attract a free agent once some pieces are there. Then again why take my advice, it’s only my opinion. THEOpinion.