Archive for June, 2014

Mark Jackson is the right choice for Cleveland

Posted: June 16, 2014 in Cavaliers
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AP

AP


The Cleveland Cavaliers search for a head coach is still ongoing as the NBA draft is quickly approaching on June 26th. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert prefers a defensive minded head coach, while general manager Chris Grant prefers one that focuses more attention on the offensive side of the ball.

The perfect solution would be former Golden State Warriors head coach and current ESPN analyst Mark Jackson. Jackson’s primary focus is on the defense, but it’s a type of defense that leads to fast break scoring opportunities on the offensive end of the floor.

Jackson was let go by the Warriors this year despite leading them to 51 wins in a tough Western Conference, which was their most wins since the 1991-’92 season. They won 47 games last year and you have to go back all the way to the mid seventies to find a Warriors team that had won at least 47 games in back to back seasons!

Prior to the so called “Chosen One” being drafted, the last time the Cavaliers had at least that many wins in back to back years was the early nineties.

Jackson’s Warrior teams improved on a number of offensive categories each season he was at the helm including field goals made and attempted, FG%, offensive rebounds, assists, and most importantly points.

You have to go all the way back to the 1992-’93 season to find a Cavaliers team that averaged more than the 104.3 points/gm that the Warriors averaged this past season.

Defensively, the Warriors’ improved their defensive rebounds, opponents field goals made, FG%, assists, and points/gm each year under Jackson. The 99.5 ppg allowed this season was the best for the Warriors since the 2003-’04 season.

The last time the Cavaliers defense allowed less than 100 ppg was 2009-’10.
Jackson would give the Cavaliers a young coach the players would respect, while also commanding a physical type of play that a blue collar town and fan base in Cleveland would appreciate.

The trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and David Lee flourished under the tutelage of Jackson and I’d love to see how Irving, Waiters, Bennett and the 2014 number one overall pick would develop.

It’s clear that Irving and Waiters need to learn how to complement one another. If they gel, I can see them playing like the tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beale in Washington.

Get Mark Jackson here. He’s a proven winner as a player and a coach, and he is the perfect fit on both sides of the floor that the Cavaliers desperately need.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine isn’t concerned, but he should be

Posted: June 11, 2014 in Browns, Football
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Spraying champagne while floating on a blow up swan sounds like fun for a 22 year old doesn’t it? Of course it does. I mean, who wouldn’t call that a fun day? Jokes aside, for a guy that was angry about being passed up until the 22nd pick of the draft, Johnny Manziel sure is acting like that really didn’t bother him after all.

The apologists say, “He’s just doing what any young guy would be doing.” Really? Is Manziel the only 22 year old that was drafted into the NFL last month? I don’t think so.

Then there’s this one. “We are seeing Johnny doing these things because the camera’s follow him around.” Let me be the whistleblower here for all the naïve people that believe this nonsense. The reason why Manziel gets the attention he’s receiving is because he’s putting himself in the position to allow it to happen. If any of the other top quarterbacks in the league were acting in the same manner as “Johnny Football” their faces would be all over the internet and news outlets everywhere as well. The fact of the matter is, the other quarterbacks AREN’T doing the things that Manziel is doing, therefore the cameras AREN’T following them.

For the record I have no problem with players going out and having a good time. I’m all for it. When Josh Gordon or Joe Haden are partying on W. 6th St in the Warehouse district it’s not a big deal. Want to know why? Because they’re not quarterbacks!

Quarterbacks are treated differently than other players in the NFL, as they should be. They’re a rare breed. A top notch QB can be all the difference between a contender and a pretender. They’re supposed to be boring off the football field. We don’t want a quarterback that is getting headlines nationally every week for doing things away from the game. There are four top level QB’s in the league (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers). When is the last time we’ve seen any of them acting in the same manner that Manziel does? I’ll answer that for you. Never.

To put it simplistically, Manziel needs to grow up and start acting like he wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and not the president of a college fraternity. Enough of the money signs. Enough of the poppin’ bottles. Enough of traveling coast to coast every weekend when his team is in the middle of their off-season workouts.

Manziel wanting to blow off some steam after a rigorous season just finishing up would be understandable, but to do so in the middle of off-season workouts? That just adds to the immaturity he’s shown since winning the Heisman Trophy after his redshirt freshman year. It hasn’t even been a year since he was kicked out of the Manning Passing academy. Or how about how he had to broadcast to the world how he couldn’t wait to leave College Station because of a parking ticket he received.

Head coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer should have a heart to heart with Manziel or he’s just going to be another “bust” that had the talent, but threw it away because his mind wasn’t sturdy enough.