John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thinking out loud…and wondering how I’m going to get my team handball fix next week…
• Some observations from Patriots Training Camp this week, while popping pads with the New Orleans Saints…first, giving Drew Brees time to throw is like giving blood to a vampire. He’s not only taking it, he’s carving you up, cleaning you out, and then he’s thanking you when he’s through…
• If the Patriots’ red zone offense isn’t among the leaders in the NFL this season, something is terribly, terribly wrong. With weapons like Gronk, Hernandez, Welker and Gaffney (do I need to go on?), Tom Brady has a chance – a chance – to hit his record of 50 TD tosses…
• Then again, I might retract that prediction if I have to watch another game like the one we saw Thursday night…#stinker…
• I’m sure there are benefits for the players, getting to hit guys from another team for a week instead of your own teammates. It’s a great idea. But I can’t help but wonder how “old school” NFL’ers really feel about no more two-a-days…less time in full pads…and a reduction (gasp!) in hitting. Don’t players train year round nowadays? Just sayin’…
• We’ve seen Aaron Hernandez line up at TE, WR, RB, FB and also at PR (punt return) over the past two weeks. Clearly, there is a mission for Hernandez to touch the ball as much as possible…
• Saw Saints TE Jimmy Graham play basketball for the Miami Hurricanes five years ago, when they faced the Friars in Puerto Rico. At the time, knowing he was about to give up the hardwood for a season on the gridiron, I thought he’d make a super tight end. Wish I had this kind of foresight managing my stock portfolio…
• In practice this past Wednesday, Graham beat – or rather, abused – Pats rookie LB Dont’a Hightower on two out routes. Granted, there was no hitting…but on the second one, Hightower was draped all over him. And Graham still caught the ball, turned upfield, and got into the end zone…
• Not for nuthin’…but the Saints QB’s (all of them, by the way) were as sharp as tacks against the Patriots’ secondary. All week long. Like they knew the playbook. So, are they all that good, or do problems persist in the New England defensive backfield? The secondary accounted for itself pretty well in the game Thursday, except for Sterling Moore…
• Here’s to former Patriot QB and fellow "Score" refugee Scott Zolak, named this week to replace the legendary Gino Cappelletti in the Patriots’ broadcast booth on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll have to walk that fine line between wanting to be loved (which Gino was) and being accurately critical of the team he works for…which is pretty hard to do…
• I guess it wasn’t just “the Patriot way” that kept the erstwhile Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson muffled during his time in New England. New Dolphins coach Joe Philbin has already told Johnson to stifle it…so, why is it again HBO is in Miami for their “Hard Knocks” series? If you put a sock in Johnson’s mouth, what else is there?
• Eagles’ coach Andy Reid has my profound respect. Trying to do a tough job – and he does it as well as anyone – while trying to look after and worry about a child with numerous problems is a seemingly impossible task. If you’re a parent, you know. This week, his eldest son, 29-year-old Garrett, was found dead in his training camp dorm room even though it appeared he was dealing with his personal demons. What does Reid do in the aftermath? He goes back to work…saying he “felt the strength of the team.” I can feel your strength too, coach. There but for the Grace of God, go all of us…
• And the Philly fans? Remarkable. For a group known more for their brutal ability to boo Santa Claus in the past, they rallied around Reid like never before Thursday night. Of course, just last season, chants of “Fire Andy!” were echoing through the stands at Lincoln Financial Field. Dare I say, but humanity has crept into the city of brotherly love?
• Peyton Manning’s first game action in more than a year? One series for the Denver Broncos against Chicago, 4-7 passing for 44 yards, and an interception near the end zone. Welcome back, big fella…
• Remember the name Shannon Eastin. She didn’t win a medal at the Olympics, nor did she win the $250 million lottery. But she did break a previously thought unbreakable barrier, by becoming the first woman to officiate in an NFL game. Eastin was the line judge on a seven-man (seven-person?) crew for Thursday’s Green Bay-San Diego pre-season game. By all accounts, she performed well, even though at 4-foot-7, she was dwarfed by the players and easy to spot. At 42, she’s been a college referee in the MEAC for 16 years, and now, her officials’ cap worn during the game is headed to Canton, OH and the Pro Football Hall of Fame…
• What in the name of Moneyball is going on in Oakland? As of Thursday, the A’s were an MLB-best 23-9 since the start of July. Why can’t we get players like that?
• The secret to Oakland’s success? Relief pitcher Ryan Cook says the team is “extremely selfless, the whole team, from top to bottom.” Hmmmm…
• Bobby Valentine said this week on WEEI he thinks the Red Sox are a playoff team, and that “we’re going to be there before the season is over.” Two things – one, they can’t get there BEFORE the season is over…because it’s the playoffs. Two, they can’t get there anyway…
• After getting bombed by Texas this week, Josh Beckett said he’s disappointed because his teammates are “battling their ass off.” Too bad we can’t see you do the same, Josh…
• And that, in itself, is the problem with Beckett. If there was ever an athlete in need of a makeover or a do-over. It’s one thing to suddenly “lose it,” but another entirely to maintain a pompous, self-righteous, non-apologetic, indignant attitude while continuing to play poorly…stupid is as stupid does…
• What’s the difference between Beckett and Jon Lester right now? Not much…except for the fact that Lester doesn’t generally act like a jerk. Although he’s unleashed his moments of frustration, to be sure. Is there any doubt, however, that change must occur for the Goodship Red Sox to right itself?
• I think the world of Bob Lobel, his career and what he's meant to sports fans throughout New England. But he's off base with his opinion on Larry Lucchino. Lucchino may be a brilliant businessman, but as a baseball guy...he's a bust. If you or I have the run over the past few years that he's had as a CEO, we get run...
• Saw this morsel earlier in the week from good friend Joey Mac at ESPNBoston…since June 1 at Fenway, with Beckett and Lester on the mound the Sox are an abysmal 2-12. That’s a typo, right?
• Very surprised at the New York Times, and the criticism leveled at Olympic track star Lolo Jones this week. The Times suggested Jones’ “stardom” was hyped, and not based on achievement. She’s been a media darling, appeared on magazine covers, and has runway model looks. But think again, NYT…Jones also holds two indoor world titles, and the American indoor hurdles record…
• However, there may be more to the story than meets the eye…as two of her hurdles teammates, medalists Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells, finished ahead of her – and blasted her afterward as well…
• Elizabeth Beisel’s medal-winning performances were a treat to watch, and there’s no doubt there’s an entire state proud of her efforts. But did anyone else think that the 30-minute “live” TV special on Channel 10 welcoming her home was just a bit of self-serving overkill…for the NBC affiliate that carried the games?
• Speaking of WJAR Channel 10, I'm watching a history-making match Friday with American freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs about to take gold from an Iranian...when they break in to tell me it's going to rain. Rain. And NBC 10 viewers missed the rest of the historical event! Really? Couldn't they have run a simple crawl, or waited to cut into Ellen 10 minutes later? The Team You Trust...to do what?
• What does the world’s fastest man do after winning an unprecedented 2nd straight 200m gold medal, becoming the first person to EVER win back-to-back 100’s and 200’s? He slams the man whose record he beat – Carl Lewis. Usain Bolt says he’s lost respect for Lewis because Lewis “suggested” Jamaican drug testing needed to be on par with the rest of the world. For that, I agree. Bolt took offense, thinking he was being accused of doping. You’re a dope, alright…
• July was the hottest month on record for North America? Maybe…but I’ll guarantee we’ll wish for a little of the warmth to come our way by the end of next January…
• How hot has it been? It’s been so hot, my buddy Statbeast sez, that even Mitt Romney seems cool…
• What am I missing with synchronized swimming? With all due respect, how is this an Olympic sport, and baseball, softball and golf are not? Don’t we have more baseball and softball players – and golfers – than synchronized swimmers on this planet?
• A major four-team deal in the NBA that sends Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers? Read my lips: “I do not care.” I might care, maybe, by next June…
• For those Friar fans concerned about Ricky Ledo’s eligibility question this season, if you’re looking for a good omen, national number one recruit Nerlens Noel got his eligibility ticket cleared by the NCAA to play for Kentucky. Chris Obekpa and Felix Balamou likewise for St. John’s. Ledo’s situation is a bit more complex, but a decision could come any day now…
• On the down side of things, PC was hopeful of securing the services of 6-8 BU transfer Jake O’Brien for this season, as the Friars have a definitive need on the inside for this season. Instead, O’Brien is headed for Temple…where he’ll probably start for an NCAA-caliber team…
• Here’s the other side of the story…what do you do, if you’re a league that is losing teams to the Division I superpowers? You expand, too. That’s what the Colonial Athletic Association is doing in the wake of losing Old Dominion and Georgia State. The league has also asked URI to consider staying in the CAA for football, rather than move to the Northeast Conference for 2013, in an effort to keep geographic rivalries intact. They’ve also added Stony Brook and Albany to the mix…and URI says it will consider the invitation…
• Two coaching tales – one of them broken…Jim Calhoun has been released from the hospital after a nasty fall from a bicycle left him with a fractured left hip. Calhoun has fought and beaten cancer on three separate occasions, and a bout with spinal stenosis took him from the sidelines for a while this past season. He is expected to make a full recovery. And Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin has received an official “slap on the wrist” (or was it a piece of tape for his mouth) from the NCAA for using “profane” language against an official in the Bearcats’ tournament loss to Ohio State last March. Really? A coach cussed out an official? Oh, the horror…
• And you want to know why the NCAA can never – ever – be taken seriously? Or trusted to do the “right” thing? In the wake of discovering academic fraud at North Carolina, where a professor was found to be “teaching” bogus courses…with athletes being pushed to those courses by counselors…the NCAA has said it has no jurisdiction in the matter, and will not step in. But it’s ok to step into criminal matters in which you have no jurisdiction either, like at Penn State…right?
• I'm not even sure I can comprehend this one...but the nation's pre-season #1 college football team, LSU, just kicked a Heisman Trophy finalist from last year (Tyrann Mathieu, aka "Honey Badger") off the team for violations of team and school policy. This guy was the top defensive player in the country a year ago. Don't know what he did...so I don't know whether to applaud the Tigers, or ridicule them. I do know this - you don't see this happen every day, and not every coach has the guts to make a move like it...
• One of the true highlights of watching the Olympic coverage was listening to the play-by-play call from sports we’re not used to seeing. For instance, old friend Mike Gorman’s call of team handball. And volleyball (both indoor and beach) had plenty of energy and excitement. My favorite? Hearing Tom Hammond and Ato Boldon on track. Boldon is a former sprinter, and he knows his stuff…
• Our mailbag question/comment this week comes from @EwellMello via Twitter: “I am very nervous about the O-Line…we have no RG. Do u think we will sign another guard?” Melvin: I think what you’ll probably see is a continual parade of line candidates come through Gillette Stadium over the next two weeks…and perhaps even into the season itself, until the Patriots feel like they have enough depth. As you know, they really like flexibility on the offensive line, so they always look for players who can line up at multiple spots. I also believe that at some point soon, we’ll see Sebastian Vollmer, Logan Mankins and/or Brian Waters return, which will certainly provide some of that depth! But you are correct…right now, you should be nervous. So should Tom Brady…
• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to jrooke@golocalprov.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
• And you’re up early anyway…don’t forget to join us for GoLocal Sports on 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am! Call in (401) 737-1287, or text 850850…and send email to the show - golocal@weei.com .
• And one more plug – we’ll be back for a 12th season with “Patriots Playbook” on Patriots.com Radio beginning September 5th. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-4:00 pm ET, we’ll be live with commentary, interviews and your calls and questions on the Patriots and the NFL via social media. It’s a great way to break up the day at work! But if you can’t make it for the live webcast, never fear…the podcast will be near…
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