Mets become NL East Favorites With Santana

Well, all of us can sleep easier at night now, the Johan Santana is he staying or is he going drama concluded this afternoon as the Minnesota ace lefty was dealt to the New York Mets for a package of prospects (none of them the top prizes of the Mets system by the way). Suffice to say, the Mets got a steal from the Twins and it seems he was traded for 70 cents on the dollar at best.

In 2007, the New York Mets finished 88-74, one game behind the NL East winning Phillies. What's hidden in that is the fact that they staged one of the biggest collapses in the history of the game. Holding a 7 game lead in the division with 17 games remaining, the Mets lost 12 of their final 17 games. Their patchwork rotation couldn't give them innings down the stretch and their bullpen wore down. In the end, it was another forgettable season that ended with a bitter taste in the mouths of Met faithful.

So how does Johan Santana help with this after veteran bulldog Tom Glavine returned to Atlanta in the offseason? In my opinion, the Mets are getting the best pitcher in the game today. Playing in the vastly superior (especially offensively) American League, Santana has won two Cy Young awards, led the league in strikeouts three times, and in ERA twice. He is the rare power strikeout pitcher with pinpoint control (plus he's left-handed). Take a look at his last four seasons with the Twins:

• 2004: 20-6, 2.61 ERA, 228 innings, 265 strikeouts, 54 walks, 0.92 WHIP, 24 homers allowed

• 2005: 16-7, 2.87 ERA, 231 2/3 innings, 238 strikeouts, 45 walks, 0.97 WHIP, 22 homers allowed

• 2006: 19-6, 2.77 ERA, 233 2/3 innings, 245 strikeouts, 47 walks, 0.99 WHIP, 24 homers allowed

• 2007: 15-13, 3.33 ERA, 219 innings, 235 strikeouts, 52 walks, 1.07 WHIP, 33 homers allowed

While you can certainly argue that Santana has been slipping the last few years and he did fade down the stretch, he still finished in the top ten in ERA, innings pitched, and strikeouts in the American League. Santana will command top dollar when his contract expires, which makes the Mets a logical team for him to go to as they have the financial resources to lock him up long term. With the Phillies still looking for pitching help, the Braves facing health questions at the front end of their rotation, this move puts the Mets ahead of those teams at the moment. This is still an offense with dangerous hitters like David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and even Carlos Delgado at his advanced age. To this point, I felt the Mets had a bad offseason after Glavine walked and they traded their best prospect Lastings Milledge to Washington for what appears to be spare parts. With an ace like Santana in the fold, pitchers such as John Maine and Oliver Perez can pitch in the middle of the rotation where they belong and they won't have to hold their breaths over the health of Pedro Martinez.

The addition of Santana adds at least 5 wins to a good Mets squad. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2007, the Mets should return now. This deal sews up the National League East for the Mets as far as I'm concerned, it is now their division to lose. If some of the health question marks are answered, this could be the best team in the National League. If they get Santana locked up long term, you're looking at a likely 5 year run where they could be the dominant team in the senior circuit. Great move by the Mets.

Lions Shedding the Pounds...

Well so much for stealth tactics. The Detroit Lions not so secret secret plan to trade Shaun Rogers has become well known and according to ESPN2's First Take, the Lions are willing to release him outright for nothing if they can't find another team. The Lions have since backtracked and said that's not true (note: that was written in a Mike Gundy voice). However, the cat is out of the bag and the damage is done and I'm pretty sure the rest of the league knows that Shaun Rogers only plays with enough consistency to keep him on a roster these days.

Rogers is such a tantalizing mix of talent and laziness. He led the Lions in sacks with 7 this season (a career high). He's been to two Pro-Bowls as well. Yet when you watch him week in and week out over the course of an entire season, he leaves you wanting more. He was a dominant player during the Lions surprising 6-2 start (highlighted by a 66 yard interception return for a touchdown against Denver), yet disappeared during their 6 game losing streak that knocked them out of the playoffs. Rogers came off of a knee injury and showed up overweight and out of shape in training camp. Despite a long leash by coach Rod Marinelli, Rogers never worked his way back into top shape and his conditioning (or lack thereof) came back to bite him during the 2nd half collapse by Detroit. It's become clear seven years after he was picked in the 2nd round, his time as a Lion has come to an end. My question is, are the Lions managing this situation correctly? Come to think of it, this really is a trick question.

Rogers embodies what is wrong with the franchise, a collection of talent that can't coexist and doesn't have the motivation to do anything about it. Last year, they teased fans such as myself with that 6-2 start. However, they just weren't that good of a team. Shaun Rogers was the poster child of the team wide fade that saw them finish 7-9. I will go out and say I agree with the move they're making (or at least hilariously trying to make) shedding the dead weight of Shaun Rogers. My concern is the value they can get out of him.

For a team as bad as the Lions have been since...well, my whole life they've been a joke save for 1991, you have to make sure you get proper value for your few trade able assets. After the past two seasons, the value for Rogers has to have hit rock bottom. If he were to be traded, he would take with him a lot of money for a player whose best days years ago are still being heavily compensated.

Jettisoning a player like Shaun Rogers may be addition by subtraction by the Lions, but what can they realistically expect to get with a team? More importantly, if the Lions are serious about releasing him if they fail to make a trade, what possible motivation is there for the other 31 teams to trade draft picks as opposed to waiting until mid to late August for his release and signing him to a base minimum contract with incentives? I am happy to see the Lions doing what they should, but they may be single-handily diminishing the return on him to possibly nothing. 50 years ago when quarterback Bobby Layne was traded to Pittsburgh (following a 1957 championship) he said the Lions would not win anything for another 50 years. With Matt Millen still making the important decisions, did he end up guessing too low? *sigh* Same old Lions.

New Twaro's Take

NFL Conference Championships Review

...And then there were two. We've arrived at this. Two weeks of agonizing hype, long pregame shows, fake debates between Skip Bayless and whatever other chump ESPN throws on the other side of the desk, peaking at Super Bowl commercials, etc... Two games this past Sunday in bitter cold conditions with swirling gusts of wind to decide who earns a ticket to warm, placid Glendale for Super Bowl XLII. Here are my thoughts on the conference championship games:

San Diego @ New England (Final: New England 21-12)

• Not to nitpick an 18-0 team (there will be plenty of praise later), but Randy Moss has caught only two passes for 32 yards combined in two playoff games (also picked up 14 yards on an end around in this game). I have to think at some point he has to become a factor in the playoffs for New England to raise the Lombardi trophy
• Laurence Maroney (25 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD) has taken his game to another level in the playoffs. Consecutive 100+ yard games. He absolutely wore down the Charger defense in the second half. What a weapon and a welcome addition to the Pats arsenal.
• Difference of the game was in the red zone. The Patriots scored 3 touchdowns in 4 red zone possessions, Chargers kicked 3 field goals in their 3 trips. 21 is greater than 9. Note to the NFL: if you end up sending your kicker onto the field for 3, make sure he takes a white flag with him.
• Asante Samuel is playing like a man possessed in the postseason. I'd say odds are slim to none that he's a Patriot next year. Great cover corner who will get Champ Bailey type money.
  
• In all honesty, I was surprised at how close the Chargers kept this game, especially without Tomlinson for all but the first drive and a very limited Antonio Gates. Credit the defense with mixing up their looks and getting pressure on Tom Brady. They managed to pick him off three times and did a pretty good job covering the Pats dangerous wide receivers. It's been proven that the way to contain New England defensively is to blitz selectively and play physical with their receivers. We'll see if the Giants follow suit in two weeks.

New York @ Green Bay (Final: 23-20 New York)

• Anyone want to try to justify the Packers calling only 13 rushing plays against one of the better pass rushes in the NFL? I didn't think so. Seriously, Ryan Grant couldn't get on track (29 yards). However, the blame lies with the game plan, it is inexcusable to go away from what had been working so well up to this point. The Giants featured a much more balanced approach, calling 38 rushes (I'm not counting Eli Manning's scramble as a called run play, but the QB sneak will suffice).
• Eli Manning really came of age in this game. The stat line won't look impressive (21/40, 254 yards), but he was never rattled by anything and didn't flinch at the prospect of trailing on the road in the 2nd half. After turning the ball over 21 times this season, the younger Manning has gone three playoff games without a single turnover.
• With everything on his side (familiarity with the elements, this stage of the playoffs, and homefield), Brett Favre folded under pressure. He got three opportunities to get points and win this game and he tried to do it all himself. The results of the Packers final three possessions: 3 and out, 3 and out, and interception. Ouch.
• Plaxico Burress (11 catches, 154 yards) looked as healthy as I've seen since September. He absolutely abused Al Harris in every way. He has Randy Moss like ability, and now he's got some confidence on his side.
• The Giants were able to get crucial stops when they needed to despite getting absolutely no pressure from ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Combining for 2 tackles (both Strahan) and no sacks. They haven't gotten great production from the ends in the playoffs. If they want to have any chance to knock off New England, they have to be a factor.

Both of these games surprised me, I thought we were in for a pretty boring weekend of football and we got two competitive games. 13 days and counting until kickoff in Glendale. Later this week, I'll have a new Twaro's Take. About...something. I haven't quite decided yet.

New Twaro's Take

NFL Division Round Recap

Monday rolls around and like last week, time to look at the week that was in the NFL playoffs. We're now down to four teams remaining in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. Only two will make the trip to Glendale for Super Bowl XLII. So without further ado, here are my observations from the NFL Divisional Playoffs:

Seattle @ Green Bay (Final: 42-20 Green Bay)

• Talk about an inauspicious playoff debut for Packers runningback Ryan Grant, who fumbled twice on his first three touches (both leading to Seattle touchdowns). Packers shot themselves in the foot falling behind 14-0 as the Seahawks capitalized on short fields.
• Even more impressive was that Grant was able to rebound for an outstanding overall game (27 carries, 201 yards, 3 touchdowns). This game felt like a Packers blowout when they got their first score to cut the deficit to 14-7. My feeling was confirmed when the Packers scored touchdowns on six consecutive possessions after spotting Seattle two scores.
• Weather was a huge factor and this looked like an old school football game, the kinds you watch on NFL films during summers when you have nothing better to do.
  
• Brett Favre is a magician. Anyone who saw him escape a pass rush and complete a pass to Donald Lee underhanded for a first down now has to be convinced he could make the Statue of Liberty disappear.
• Matt Hasselbeck is a good 2nd tier quarterback, nothing more.
• The Green Bay Packers starting cornerback tandem of Charles Woodson and Al Harris might be the best in the NFL. Seattle receivers couldn't get anything resembling separation from those two all game, and I doubt that it was just the crappy field conditions. This is a dangerous Packers team.

Jacksonville @ New England (Final: 31-20 New England)

• What a masterful performance out of Tom Brady (26/28, 262 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs). Only two passes he threw hit the ground and both of them hit the hands of his intended receiver and were dropped.
• Laurence Maroney (162 total yards and 1 TD) had the game that fantasy football players who pegged him as a late first round pick envisioned him doing regularly. The Patriots proved they can run the ball when needed and that makes them even more dangerous. That is not fair.
• Randy Moss (1 catch, 14 yards) did next to nothing, and it didn't even matter one iota.
  
• Jaguars runningbacks Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew were invisible on the ground once again (combined 19 carries for 66 yards, 3.5 yards per attempt).
• Jags QB David Garrard is a championship level player (22/33, 278 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT).
• The game was over when Ben Watson caught a 9 yard TD pass from Tom Brady late in the 3rd quarter to put the Patriots up 28-17. There is one team in the NFL that can play two possessions behind the Patriots and win, Indianapolis (more on them later).
• This Jacksonville team is not far away from competing for a Super Bowl. If they can add two of the following three (number one wide receiver, shut down corner, elite pass rusher) in the offseason, they'll be on the short list of serious Super Bowl XLIII contenders next season.

San Diego @ Indianapolis (Final: 28-24 San Diego)

• Peyton Manning (33/48, 402 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) had the second best game of any QB in the playoffs this week and lost. In fact, I'm pretty sure he played better in this game statistically than in any game in last year's playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl XLI title and Super Bowl MVP honors for Manning.
• Someone want to tell me where this 3rd ranked Colts defense was when they needed it? Seriously, they gave up 411 yards to an undermanned Chargers team and couldn't hold a 4th quarter lead against Billy Volek and Michael Turner? Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders (3 tackles) was completely invisible and a non-factor.
• Indy may have gotten a bit pass happy in this game, but when the offense feels like it has to score every time, balance gets thrown out the window.
• Philip Rivers (14/19, 264 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) finally had the breakout performance we've been waiting for.
• Turning point of the game #1: Up 7-0 with the ball after intercepting Rivers, the Colts were driving deep into Chargers territory looking to go up 14-0. Marvin Harrison makes a big 3rd and 10 catch after missing 2 and a half months. Harrison, never one for his open field elusiveness, attempted to make a man miss and extend the play rather than just go down. He fumbled, San Diego recovered, and we had a game. Without that fumble, the Colts are likely up 14-0 and none of the ensuing drama ever happens.
• Turning point of the game #2: After a perfect pass and an even better effort to stay in bounds by Anthony Gonzalez on his 55 yard touchdown reception to give the Colts the lead back at 24-21. The Colts had the crowd behind them and needed only to stop a Billy Volek and Michael Turner led Charger offense to possibly extend their lead. On 3rd down, Marlin Jackson inexcusably grabbed onto the facemask of Chris Chambers in traffic when he already had position on him. The play would've been an incomplete pass down the sideline, instead the 15 yard penalty gave the Chargers life, and they scored the winning touchdown.
• Wouldn't you know it, Norv Turner has now won 2 more playoff games with the Chargers than Marty Schottenheimer did. He is also two career playoff wins shy (3-1) of Marty Schottenheimer's total (5-13). Holy crap, he's one game away from playing for a Super Bowl! How on earth did that happen?
  
• The Colts are now 0-3 under Peyton Manning when they are coming off a 1st round bye in the playoffs. By contrast, they are 2-1 on the road in the Divisional round when they play Wild Card weekend. At 2-4, the Divisional round is by far Peyton's worst record wise. He is 3-2 in the Wild Card (3 straight wins), 1-1 in the AFC championship, and 1-0 in the Super Bowl. Possible theory: this rhythm offense that Indy runs is predicated on reps and timing. A bye throws that off and then combine with the fact that Week 17 is fairly similar to a bye for the starters in Indy and that spells trouble when you go two weeks without regular reps.
  

New York @ Dallas (Final: 21-17 New York)

• Dallas head coach Wade Phillips still has not won a playoff game (0-4)
• America's team, the 'Boys haven't won a playoff game since 1996 and have lost 6 straight postseason contests. The Detroit Lions have "only" lost 5 straight playoff games. I'm just sayin' is all.
• Anyone want to explain to me how a team outgains another by 103 yards, gets 7 more first downs, goes 10-16 on 3rd down conversions, and has a 13 minute advantage in time of possession LOSES a game? Maybe it was the 11 penalties for 84 yards. Not to downplay what the New York Giants have accomplished, but it seems they did JUST ENOUGH to win this game. Can't complain obviously, the only stat that matters in January is the W and the Giants got that.
• Giants receiver Plaxico Burress has 5 catches for 43 yards in two playoff games. That won't cut it at Green Bay.
  
• The Giants offense was one of the most turnover prone in the NFL and Eli Manning was one of the most turnover prone quarterbacks. Yet they have not committed a single turnover in two road playoff games.
• The Giants have won 9 straight road games.
• While not finishing with the flashy numbers at any point of future Hall of Fame brother Peyton, Eli Manning has grown leaps and bounds the past few weeks.
• While one of the worst analysis stats of a QB's play, Eli Manning (2-2) has the same winning percentage as Peyton (7-7).

Sunday has not been a good day for my NFL playoff predictions. I sit at 5-3 overall. I am a perfect 4-0 on Saturday and 1-3 on Sunday (0-2 this week). There are no more Saturday playoff games *gulp*. Being knotted up with Keck for the postseason, will the agreement fest stop? Find out on Twaro's Take this week.

Osgood Takes Less to Stay a Wing

The Detroit Red Wings added some stability to the future of their goaltending position by giving Chris Osgood a 3 year extension worth $4.5 million. A move that was in both sides best interest if you follow the club. Osgood wanted to stay with Detroit. With Dominik Hasek (turns 43 years old this month) an unknown beyond this season and Jimmy Howard (.915 save% in Grand Rapids this season) untested at the NHL level, this was a logical play for Ken Holland.

The gifts keep coming for Osgood as today he was named an All-Star for the 3rd time in his career and 1st time since 1998 (which he sat out due to injury). The bid is well earned as Osgood is playing easily the best hockey of his career. Owning a 19-2-1 record with a league best 1.68 goals against average and .932 save percentage going into tonight's contest with the Minnesota Wild despite splitting time with Hasek. Even though Osgood could've probably earned at least twice as much elsewhere, Detroit is where he's comfortable and he'll get a chance to hit some milestones as a Red Wing (tied for 15th all-time with 355 wins).

The milestones are what intrigue me. I've never considered Osgood anything more than a good goalie on great Red Wings teams. However, I did some research after being astonished by his place on the wins list. Here's a chart of the all-time leaders in career wins by a goalie (ref: Hockey Hall of Fame, not up to date as the active goalies have amassed more wins since it was last updated):

1st	1st	551	Patrick Roy	19 seasons
2nd	2nd	508	Martin Brodeur	15 seasons
2nd	3rd	484	Ed Belfour	17 seasons
3rd	4th	447	Terry Sawchuk	21 seasons
6th	5th	446	Curtis Joseph	17 seasons
3rd	6th	435	Jacques Plante	18 seasons
5th	7th	423	Tony Esposito	16 seasons
6th	8th	407	Glenn Hall	18 seasons
8th	9th	403	Grant Fuhr	19 seasons
10th	10th	385	Mike Vernon	19 seasons
11th	11th	374	John Vanbiesbrouck	20 seasons
12th	12th	372	Andy Moog	18 seasons
14th	13th	370	Dominik Hasek	16 seasons
13th	14th	369	Tom Barrasso	19 seasons
14th	15th	355	Rogie Vachon	16 seasons
17th	16th	349	Chris Osgood	14 seasons

If Hasek were to retire after this season, Osgood would likely be the starter for at least the next two years. Let's play the numbers game. Say Osgood wins 30 games this season. He would be at 366 for his career. It's not out of the question to figure Osgood averages at least 30 wins a year the next two seasons, that's 426 and 7th place all-time. At this point, going into his final year (possibly of his career), he would need 22 victories to pass Red Wings legend Terry Sawchuk as the Red Wings all-time winningest goalie. If he were to retire there, he would finish his career in the top five in wins, likely over 50 shutouts, at least 3 all-star appearances, and at least 2 Stanley Cups (one as a starter). I've never thought of Osgood as a Hall of Fame goaltender, but those kind of numbers would certainly be difficult to keep him out.

The Hall of Fame and projections I've given may be getting ahead of myself. For now, Osgood is enjoying a renaissance campaign and is engaged in a heated battle with Dominik Hasek (10-1-1, 3 SO his last 12 starts) for who gets to be the last line of defense on what could be a very special season for the Wings. Great move by Detroit.

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Wild Card Playoff Roundup

Well, a relatively ho-hum opening round of the NFL playoffs this past weekend. A bit of drama on Saturday in the form of fourth quarter comebacks and a relatively boring Sunday with one team playing shockingly well (New York Giants) and another sleepwalking their way to a win (San Diego). Here are some of my observations game by game of Wild Card weekend:

Washington @ Seattle (Final: 35-14 Seattle)

• I truly believe Mike Holmgren has made the Seahawks vastly better than they should be year in and year out. Think about it, two seasons ago they were a balanced offense built around star runningback Shaun Alexander (who scored a then NFL record 28 touchdowns in 2005). Now, Alexander is a shell of his former self (an expensive one at that) and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck with his group of patchwork wide receivers has to carry the offense. Sure, the NFC West is awful, but I don't think Seattle wins it every year with an average coach.
• Joe Gibbs deserves a lot of credit for getting this team to the playoffs and infusing life into journeyman backup Todd Collins and going to him over veteran Mark Brunell when incumbent Jason Campbell went down.
• Seattle has a much better defense than they're given credit for. They have a scary pass rush when they are on. They are going to need another great effort if they want to walk out of Lambeau with a win next week.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (Final: 31-29 Jacksonville)

• When is the last time you've seen Pittsburgh's defense fail to get a clutch stop in a playoff game? After a valiant comeback led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put the Steelers up 29-28. Jacksonville faced 4th and 2 at Pittsburgh's 43 yard line. In true Steeler fashion, they blitzed. The difference, the Jaguars offensive line picked up the rush perfectly, leaving a lane open for quarterback David Garrard to scramble 32 yards to the Steelers 11. Jacksonville kicked a field goal and forced a Roethlisberger fumble to seal the deal.
• The injuries to Willie Parker and Anthony Smith (among others) caught up to the Steelers down the stretch, yet they still almost pulled out a win despite trailing by 18 in the 4th quarter.
• Jaguars runningbacks Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew (combined 24 carries for 77 yards, 3.2 yards per attempt) disappeared down the stretch. That won't cut it against New England.
• Garrard (season: 64% completion, 16 TDs, 3 INTs) struggled badly until that late scramble. Ending 9/21 for 140 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. That won't cut it against New England.
• Leading 28-10, Jacksonville allowed 19 straight points before rallying in the final minutes. That won't cut it against New England.

New York at Tampa Bay (Final: 24-14 New York)

• In a game that featured one team that led the NFL in turnover margin (Tampa Bay) playing host to a team with a quarterback who led the league in interceptions (New York-Eli Manning), Tampa turned the ball over 3 times versus none out of the Giants.
• New York limited Buccaneers speed wideout Joey Galloway (17.8 yards/reception) to one catch for nine yards.
• Jon Gruden may be the most overrated coach in the National Football League. He won a Super Bowl his first year with the team Tony Dungy built back in 2002, and has not won a playoff game since.
• Giants get a third crack at a Dallas team they hung around with twice this season.

Tennessee at San Diego (Final 17-6 San Diego)

• Philip Rivers (19/30, 292 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) played like the quarterback I thought I drafted for my fantasy team in the 2nd half. The two starting wideouts Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson (combined 11 catches, 237 yards, 1 TD) finally made some plays on the perimeter. Good news because Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates left with an injury and may not play the rest of the playoffs. He'll have to bring that to the RCA Dome if they have any hope of defeating Indianapolis (who they should have lost to at home despite Peyton Manning throwing six interceptions).
  
• LaDainian Tomlinson (42 yards on 21 carries) looked frustrated against a Titans defense that sold out to stop the run. That's not going to cut it against Indianapolis.
  
• Much maligned (especially by me) Chargers coach Norv Turner made a brilliant decision to go for the jugular, going for it on 4th and goal from the 1 yard line in a 10-6 game. Titans didn't have a chance from there.
• There is little to no skill position talent on the Titans roster. Until they can find one game breaker to complement Vince Young, they will never win a playoff game. Regardless of how great a coach Jeff Fisher is.

For the week, I went 3-1 in my picks. I'll go against my buddy Keck once again later this week in Twaro's Take.

Lions Go Bust...Martz Shown the Door

Stop me if you've heard this before. After a couple seasons, the experiment with a successful coach moving the Detroit Lions into playoff contention has gone for naught and everyone is starting over again. After being hired as President and CEO of the inept franchise, Matt Millen went out and hired quarterbacks guru Marty Morningweg to be the head coach for a team that narrowly missed the playoffs at 9-7 a year earlier. While that was an aging roster, Morningweg went 5-27 in two seasons (and made one of the most attrocious decisions in NFL history by taking the wind in overtime against the Bears after winning the coin toss). Experiment failed, Morningweg out. Time to start over.

Enter Steve Mariucci, the only candidate who Millen seriously interviewed (the team got disciplined for not seriously considering any minority candidates), who had been a playoff coach for the 49ers and had led their rebuilding roster to as much as could realistically have been expected. Following an 11-21 record after two years, expectations going into year 3 were high and they, um, were not met. Mariucci didn't survive the season and the Lions went 5-11. Mariucci out. Time to start over.

Amidst all the Fire Millen chants that were smothering the air in Ford Field, Millen somehow kept his job and searched for another regime. Enter Rod Marinelli, an older coach for being a first time head man. He came in with the idea of creating a mentally and physically tough team that played smash mouth football, gave 110%, and (insert your own overused cliche' here). Millen also brought in an offensive guru named Mike Martz who created a dynamic offense in St. Louis, winning a Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator and reaching another as a head coach. Marinelli craves smash mouth power running football and I'm pretty sure Mike Martz invented the forward pass (at least that's what he would tell you). This is the type of mismatched couple you see living together in failed sitcoms on Lifetime.

In year one, an undertalented Lions roster that was used to the West Coast offense and base man defense played Martz's pass heavy spread and Marinelli's base Cover 2 zone to a 3-13 record. The passing game showed signs of life as new quarterback Jon Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards while wideouts Roy Williams and Mike Furrey each surpassed 1,000 yards receiving. With Williams ending up at the Pro Bowl.

This year's Lions started 6-2 and fans finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Turns out that light was a freight train as the Lions lost their next 6 games and 7 of their final 8 to finish the year at 7-9 (the best during Millen's 7 year reign). Kitna again through for over 4,000 yards, but for the second consecutive season tossed more interceptions than touchdowns. Less than a week after their season ended, Martz was shown the door. Time to start over.

While occassionally looking like a potent offense, the Lions over the course of these two seasons have been hindered by mistakes and generally poor offensive line play that's led to them finishing near the bottom of the league in sacks allowed, penalties, and turnovers. This, along with pass heavy play calling by Martz that led them to finishes of last and and 2nd to last in rushing offense respectively. Part of the problem was the Lions falling behind (they're defense was attrocious as well), another part was Martz's own nature.

Still, the underlying problem was how blindly all the supposed "superiors" in Millen and Marinelli went along with everything Martz said. Martz was not the head coach, yet Marinelli never could get him to consistently feature a more balanced attack to take pressure off Kitna. Martz was not the head coach, yet when he said jump, they said how high when he suggested that they bring in players that fit his system in players like Jon Kitna, Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald, and Calvin Johnson. Martz was not the head coach, yet was the one who received the credit for the 6-2 start along with the 1-7 collapse.

While I've jumped back and forth on both sides of the fence, I will say this. These are the kind of moves that are keeping the Lions the laughingstock of the NFL year after year. Matt Millen keeps choosing a direction, then pulls the plug when it doesn't work immediately. Maybe they do need someone who isn't as stubbornly devoted to this insane discrepency between passes and rushes (I tend to agree with that notion), but the Lions dove head first into his philosophies and have no viable options.

Maybe Colletto and Brown can manage the offense just fine, but the Lions took one step forward and three more backward this season. Yet the blame for the failure falls solely on the shoulders of the one man in a position of power that's actually enjoyed a reasonable amount of success at this level? How about the consistently poor talent evaluation by the Lions scouting staff in some of their high profile first round busts (Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, and Mike Williams) along with franchise contracts given to 2nd or 3rd tier players (Jeff Backus and Corey Redding the past two seasons)? What about the fact that the man who coached the worst (or 2nd worst if you think the secondary is more horrid, I think it's splitting hairs) unit in the offensive line is now getting the keys to the offense? None of these moves seem to make any sense except for Millen finding a scapegoat to keep the boo birds off his back for another season. This season has ended with probably the worst taste in my mouth of any Lions season the past seven years (that's saying something). Despite flirting with a playoff spot, this team seems further away from competing than before.

The way we're going, next season could very well see more heads roll as a probably undertalented Lions team is mediocre to bad again. Leaving the easy possibility of the next two statements. Marinelli out. Time to start over...

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Twaro's Take Debuts

As I promised, I finally figured out this whole podcasting thing. In the first episode of Twaro's Take, my buddy Andrew Keck and I preview the NFL playoffs and predict this weekend's wild card games. Enjoy. (Note: this is a long podcast at 32 minutes)

2007 Year in Review

First off, happy New Year and best wishes to all. Hope 2008 treats everyone well. This seemed the best time to put together a best of 2007 in sports column (as well as easy material). As every year in sports, 2007 was a very memorable 365 days. This may be tough, but I am going to throw together a top 10 list of the best sports moments of 2007 (note: subjective list that well could include a number of moments from Detroit teams). We'll go from 10 on up:


10. Barry Bonds Passes Hammerin' Hank-Say what you want about the performance enhancing drugs and BALCO case. The fact remains that in the "steroids era" Bonds broke the most prestigious record in all of sports, Hank Aaron's 755 career home runs. As it stands now, Bonds will possibly receive his comeuppance by serving jail time after lying to a grand jury in the case against BALCO. Asterisk or not, you have to mention this in the top 10 sports moments of 2007.

9. Florida Pummels Ohio State-For a solid month and a half, all the college football pundits were debating whether or not the Florida Gators deserved to play undefeated Ohio State for the national championship instead of a Michigan team that lost by 3 points in the Buckeye's backyard. Well, a week after Michigan got drubbed in the Rose Bowl by USC, Florida put the argument to bed by annihilating the heavily favored Buckeyes. Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to put Ohio State up 7-0. That was all that went right as the Gators rolled 41-14, winning the championship. This game single handedly killed Heisman QB Troy Smith's draft stock (though he is presently showing a potentially bright future in Baltimore). While this game wasn't nearly as dramatic as the 2006 title contest between USC and Texas, this was a significant statement from Florida and head coach Urban Meyer.

8. Justin Verlander No-Hits Milwaukee-This was the 2nd of 3 no-hitters in 2007, but this one was one of the most special moments in my lifetime. The obvious reason being that it was the Detroit Tigers accomplishing the feat. The more prevalent one is the fact that I had never seen a no-hitter from anyone in my lifetime live. It was a completely new experience. I had only the year before experienced the tension of the MLB Playoffs with the Tigers and this was similar. Verlander was hitting 100 mph on his fastball in the late innings, struck out 12 Milwaukee Brewers, and featured some of the most wicked stuff I've ever seen him work with in a start (which is saying something). The euphoria of seeing a no-no pitch by pitch is something special and Justin Verlander will forever have a place in my heart because of what he did on June 6th.

7. Florida Pummels Ohio State (Part II)-The Florida Gators became the first men's basketball team to win consecutive national championships since Duke did it in the early 90s. The game was nowhere near as close as the final score (84-75) made it seem. Florida enforced their will early in this game by playing up tempo offense and smothering defense. This game featured a number of NBA lottery picks from this past summer who are trying to make their mark in the pros. While much like the football version, this bears mentioning because of the greatness of this Florida team. It is so difficult to keep that kind of talent together long enough to see them go through the one and done tournament on top twice in a row. We may not see a repeat champion in that format again for a much longer time than the 15 years it was between Duke and Florida.

6. San Antonio Sweeps Cleveland for 4th NBA Title-One of the most unappreciated dynasties in sports history, the San Antonio Spurs gritted their teeth en route to their 4th NBA Championship since 1999. Tony Parker won MVP for the NBA finals in their four game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers (he then married Eva Longoria, has anyone else had a better individual 2007?). Credit Spurs coach Greg Popovich with changing the dynamic of this team on the fly while they've been winning. All of their champions have been fantastic defensive clubs, but they have gone from a grind it out with Tim Duncan and David Robinson in the blocks to one of the most dynamic teams around thanks to the emergence of Parker and Manu Ginobili. While they are not the sexy team in the NBA so far this season, you can never discount this team Even if they've never repeated. While many remember the controversy over the suspensions in the Suns series, this is a championship team that knows how to win when it counts. Their run was remarkable.

5. Appalachian State Shocks Michigan-This game shortened my life span at least 3 years as a life long Michigan Wolverines fan. While Appalachian State's success in the 1-AA level (or FCS to be technical) was well documented, I did not fathom this game being close beyond the first quarter. After all, this Michigan offense was senior laden and had been to two Rose Bowls in three years while receiving a preseason top 10 ranking (showing you the value of polls). In the end, the spread offense and dual run-pass threat of Armanti Edwards proved too much for the Wolverines. A blocked field goal at the end sealed a 34-32 upset in the Big House that set the tone for this wild and wacky 2007 season. A year that will forever be known by me as the year of the upset. I will never forget this game no matter how hard I try.

4. Manning Finally Bests Brady-The 2007 AFC Championship game was quite possibly the best individual game of the year in sports between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. All his career, Peyton Manning had faced scrutiny as a quarterback who would never win a big game and he had never defeated New England in the playoffs. Tom Brady was the consummate winner, a three-time Super Bowl champion who had always bested Manning when it mattered most. History looked to be repeating itself when Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it for a touchdown to make it 21-3 Patriots in the 2nd quarter. Manning responded by rallying the Colts to tie the game at 21 in the 3rd, but the Patriots found themselves ahead 34-31 with under four minutes left. That's when Peyton Manning led his team on the biggest drive of his career capped by Joseph Addai's touchdown run with a minute left. Marlin Jackson sealed the deal when he intercepted Tom Brady on the final drive and when the dust settled, the Colts marched towards Miami with a 38-34 victory.

3. Patriots Become NFL's First 16-0 Team-I don't have them at number one simply because their story is not finished. The NFL history is amazing, as is their league record point total and victory margin. Along with Tom Brady (50 TD passes) and Randy Moss (23 TD receptions) putting up record performances. Should they win the Super Bowl as a 19-0 team, they will automatically be my number one for 2008. The history is amazing, but the story isn't finished.

2. Rockies Win 21 of 22, Reach First World Series-When does the World Series loser rank higher than the winner? When you accomplish what the Colorado Rockies did to get there. Going into play on September 16th, the Rockies were 76-72, 6.5 games behind the 1st place Arizona Diamondbacks and 4.5 behind San Diego for the wild card spot. They then won 13 out of their last 14 regular season (scheduled) games to tie the Padres on the final day of the season for the last playoff spot. Forcing a Wild Card tiebreaker game (one of the single greatest events in sports). In the 13th inning, the Rockies found themselves trailing 8-6 and facing Trevor Hoffman (baseball's all-time saves leader). They rallied to tie the game at 8 when Matt Holliday scored the game winning run on a sacrifice fly (replays would show he never touched home plate) to send the Rockies to the playoffs. They easily ripped through the National League, winning all 7 playoff games to get to the World Series. The momentum didn't last as the Boston Red Sox dispatched them in a 4 game sweep. Still, an unheard of run of wins by the Rockies.

1. Peyton Manning wins first Super Bowl-While the actual game wasn't nearly the classic as the tilt with the Patriots for the AFC crown, the Colts did trail 14-6 after the 1st quarter and it was a 5 point game until Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw a late pick six. Peyton won MVP honors for the performance as the Colts won the Lombardi trophy, downing Chicago 29-17. Manning finally shed his label as a quarterback who can't win when it matters. Going into 2008, the task of repeating seems taller with a 16-0 Patriots team out for revenge. This seems like a perfect time to mention that the debut of my podcast "Twaro's Take" will be tomorrow with a preview of the 2008 NFL Playoffs.

Once again, Happy New Year to all.