He deserves thanks, appreciation and respect for all of the skill and passion he showed on the field, and for all of the class he showed off of it. The Dolphins traded Jason Taylor on Sunday, and, yes, it was a very good trade. But that doesn't mean it has to feel good.- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald.
Jason Taylor, the face of the Miami Dolphins franchise since Dan Marino's retirement in April 2000, was officially introduced as the newest member of the Washington Redskins yesterday. Despite the inevitability of the situation, the Taylor trade is as bittersweet as they come. Bitter because No. 99 was the best player on the team since Danny Boy left and, aside from the reality of Miami's bleak situation, gave fans and teammates hope that his presence alone could deliver a victory on any given Sunday. Bitter because his departure leaves those once hopeful fans with no justifiable reason to actually watch this season. Bitter because it is now official that Taylor joins a group of Dolphins greats that left town without a championship, underlining the fact that management wasted the elite years of his career. And bitter because his career in South Florida could not have ended any worse with a 1-15 finish in his farewell season and seven months of animosity between he and the new regime that had fans and analysts questioning his loyalty and love for the game. Loyalty? Miami hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2001 season and has had five head coaches in that six year span. If Taylor didn't have loyalty in his blood, don't you think he would've bolted for another city three or four years ago?
Now to the sweet part of the deal. Miami netted a second round pick in 2009 and a sixth round pick in 2010. Sweet. Taylor is the game's best pass rusher and one of the five best defenders in football. He is someone that teams spend an entire week game planning around and there aren't many players on the defensive side of the ball you can say that about. He has 100.5 sacks in the post-Marino years (2000) and second place is not close. Recently retired Michael Strahan is next with 89, a full season's worth of sacks behind JT. All that gets you a second round pick and a player who will be one of the team's first cuts in the summer of 2010? Sweet.
The great thing about all this is that it got Taylor out of Miami and gives him a chance at the storybook ending his illustrious career deserves. As nice as it would've been for him to finish with a 4-12 bang in aqua and orange, it would be much more fitting if he were to go out on top by bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the nation's capital. The opportunity is there. The Redskins have a good, young quarterback in Jason Campbell, an explosive bunch of young receivers, a game-changer at running back in Clinton Portis and, now, an even better defense than the one that finished the 2007 season ranked eighth overall. Experts say Taylor doesn't help the 'Skins much because he's going to the worst team in the NFL's best division. Uh, what about the Philadelphia Eagles makes them better then Washington, who actually made the playoffs last year? And flukes aside, I'll take them over the New York Giants any day of the week in 2008. Dallas is the team to beat in the NFC East, but the Redskins will make the playoffs and, as the Giants demonstrated last winter, once you get there anything is possible.
It was said on a few occasions yesterday that this is a terrible deal for Washington because Taylor isn't the same player as he was two years ago. Well that makes sense because in 2006, the year he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, he upped the ante by recording an obscene 13.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. How could anyone expect a 33-year old to put on an encore performance better than that on a 1-15 team that had Matt Roth (who?) playing opposite end? Since when was his 2007 production of 11 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown considered pedestrian? How many ends or linebackers would love to say they had those numbers and made a Pro Bowl? On a 1-15 team! That statement is simply idiotic. Taylor will give the organization every bit of energy he has on every down he plays this season. He'll celebrate the wins and mourn the losses, just as he did much too often the last few years in Miami. The trade injects him with new life, something he did not have at the end of last season and now there's no limit to the havoc he can wreak. The Redskins added a revitalized playmaker that instantly turns their defense from good to great and makes them a legitimate contender in the NFC.
On a side note, after leading one of the NFL's top defenses for 11 years in Miami, Taylor and Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Zach Thomas will both finish their careers in the same division, on opposite sides of the league's most bitter rivalry. The two best defenders in Dolphins history will fight twice, maybe three times a year for the ultimate career achievement that both deserve to add to their legacy. Go get 'em boys. Let the Miami organization feel some bit of satisfaction and relief that, despite wasting most of your prime years, you left town just in time to add the one missing piece to Hall of Fame-worthy careers.
DTM
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sorry Philly, Brand Doesn't Make Sixers Instant Contenders
Elton Brand reneging on a pre-arranged deal to return to the Clippers and bolting for the City of Brotherly Love is bordering on old news, but the discussion of whether or not this makes the Philadelphia 76ers a legitimate championship contender will be a topic of debate for the remainder of the summer. As of today, the 76ers are not a championship caliber team. From where I stand, they look like the third best team in the Atlantic Division behind the champs and the revamped Toronto Raptors and you could make an argument that they are sixth in the Eastern Conference behind the Magic, LeBrons and the Pistons. I may be reaching here, but I'm not sure they're even better then the Miami Heat with a fully healthy Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion (assuming he stays on board) and Michael Beasley. Even the Wizards trio of Agent Zero, Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler is more appealing than Brand, Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller. I see the Sixers finishing anywhere between the four and seven seed and if you aren't a top three seed in the still-Leastern Conference, you can't possibly be labeled a championship contender.
There are many questions that need to be answered about Philadelphia before we fire up the bandwagon. First, the average age on the team is 25.7 years, meaning they are very young. Secondly, the youth on the Sixers is nothing to get too excited about. Willie Green, Louis Amundson, Jason Smith, Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and, my personal favorite, Shavlik Randolph are all 26 or younger. Who in that group is going to help win a title in the next year or two? Next take a look at a projected eight-man rotation for the regular season opener in November. Obviously you have Brand, Iguodala and Miller, then throw in Reggie Evans, Green, Sam Dalembert, Louis Williams and Jason Smith. Do any of those names scare you? Having three very good players is great but, as the Boston Celtics just demonstrated, you still need a solid supporting cast around them to win a championship. Right now, the Sixers don't have that. It's safe to assume the organization regrets their decision to trade sharpshooter Kyle Korver to the Jazz for nothing last season since they are sorely lacking perimeter shooting.
Lastly, uncertainty surrounds each member of the "Big 3". Brand is coming off of a serious Achilles injury that forced him to miss all but eight games in 2007-08 and will be 30 before the 2009 playoffs roll around. Miller is coming off the best season of his career, in which he averaged a career-high 17 points and seven assists. Unfortunately, like Brand, Miller is on the downside of his career (he will be 33 next March) so it can't be assumed that he will be good for those numbers again in '08-09. And that brings us to Andre Iguodala. A.I. II appeared to be on the verge of cementing himself as one of the top-tier young stars in the game after averaging 19.9 points on 46% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals during a brilliant regular season. Then came the playoff series against Detroit. Iguodala looked lost in his first playoff run against the more experienced Pistons, averaging just 13.2 points on 33% shooting. A rising star shouldn't be shot down based on his first playoff series against a postseason juggernaut, but that showing undeniably raises a red flag. If the Sixers roll into the playoffs next April and Iguodala pulls another disappearing act, Philadelphia will fade right with him regardless of what seed they earn.
Philly is led by one of the leagues finest coaches in Maurice Cheeks and has three Brand-name players (lame pun, I know) to lean on this season. But will Brand stay healthy? Can Miller continue to play at the level of a borderline All-Star as he enters his mid-30's? Will Iguodala find his regular season mojo and translate that into playoff success? If the answer to those three questions is yes, then do they have enough help around them to make a serious run? Until the real games tip off in November, it will be hard to gauge whether or not the new "Big 3" will be merely a great marketing tool or a band of brothers that make the 76ers a contender again.
DTM
There are many questions that need to be answered about Philadelphia before we fire up the bandwagon. First, the average age on the team is 25.7 years, meaning they are very young. Secondly, the youth on the Sixers is nothing to get too excited about. Willie Green, Louis Amundson, Jason Smith, Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and, my personal favorite, Shavlik Randolph are all 26 or younger. Who in that group is going to help win a title in the next year or two? Next take a look at a projected eight-man rotation for the regular season opener in November. Obviously you have Brand, Iguodala and Miller, then throw in Reggie Evans, Green, Sam Dalembert, Louis Williams and Jason Smith. Do any of those names scare you? Having three very good players is great but, as the Boston Celtics just demonstrated, you still need a solid supporting cast around them to win a championship. Right now, the Sixers don't have that. It's safe to assume the organization regrets their decision to trade sharpshooter Kyle Korver to the Jazz for nothing last season since they are sorely lacking perimeter shooting.
Lastly, uncertainty surrounds each member of the "Big 3". Brand is coming off of a serious Achilles injury that forced him to miss all but eight games in 2007-08 and will be 30 before the 2009 playoffs roll around. Miller is coming off the best season of his career, in which he averaged a career-high 17 points and seven assists. Unfortunately, like Brand, Miller is on the downside of his career (he will be 33 next March) so it can't be assumed that he will be good for those numbers again in '08-09. And that brings us to Andre Iguodala. A.I. II appeared to be on the verge of cementing himself as one of the top-tier young stars in the game after averaging 19.9 points on 46% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals during a brilliant regular season. Then came the playoff series against Detroit. Iguodala looked lost in his first playoff run against the more experienced Pistons, averaging just 13.2 points on 33% shooting. A rising star shouldn't be shot down based on his first playoff series against a postseason juggernaut, but that showing undeniably raises a red flag. If the Sixers roll into the playoffs next April and Iguodala pulls another disappearing act, Philadelphia will fade right with him regardless of what seed they earn.
Philly is led by one of the leagues finest coaches in Maurice Cheeks and has three Brand-name players (lame pun, I know) to lean on this season. But will Brand stay healthy? Can Miller continue to play at the level of a borderline All-Star as he enters his mid-30's? Will Iguodala find his regular season mojo and translate that into playoff success? If the answer to those three questions is yes, then do they have enough help around them to make a serious run? Until the real games tip off in November, it will be hard to gauge whether or not the new "Big 3" will be merely a great marketing tool or a band of brothers that make the 76ers a contender again.
DTM
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wimbledon Final One of Sports Finest Moments
To pull a quote from the finest hour in the career of the late great comedian Chris Farley, "I swear I've seen a lot of things in my life. But that... was... awesome!" To make a slight revision to that statement, I've watched more sporting events in my life then I care to remember or report, but the 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and the new champion, Rafa Nadal, may be the best of them all. For once a championship event lived up to the hype that surrounded it and how often do you come away disappointed in situations like that? Let's go back just a few weeks to the French Open final, when many felt this was the year Federer would overcome Nadal to claim his first French title and complete the career Grand Slam. Federer instead was embarrassed, winning just four games and losing the final ten in a match that was over when it started.
The so-called experts began questioning Federer's game and his spot in history following that debacle, but let's make one thing clear after his 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8), 7-9 defeat on his home turf: his legacy is intact and when all is said and done, he will still go down as the best player in tennis history. In 2008 he has won two events, lost in the Australian Open semifinals to eventual-champion Novak Djokovic, and lost the French Open and Wimbledon final to Nadal. Just about every player on tour not named Roger Federer would kill to accomplish that much in a career, let alone a single year. As for yesterday's performance, aside from converting just one of 13 break chances, there isn't much more to dissect about Federer's play. In fact, that may have been one of the best matches he has ever played considering his opponent, the pesky rain delays and the stage itself. The saddest part about the final was that it had to end with a loser in a match that truly didn't deserve one.
Casual sports fans will say that you can turn on the last two minutes of a football or basketball game and that's all you need to see because ultimately everything else leading up to the last moment means nothing, which is absurd because there wouldn't be a last two minutes without the ones before them. The casual idiots that stand by that assertion would have no ground to stand on when talking about Sunday's final. Every point from game one to game 62 was played with the intensity of championship point and each player had to play it that way because they knew it was unlikely the other was going to make that fatal mistake that completely swung the momentum one way or the other. There were no service breaks from the fourth game of the second set up until the 15th game of the final set when Nadal finally broke Federer to serve for the match. Some would say that's bad tennis, I say it's a case of two great players doing exactly what they are supposed to do: hold serve.
The mental toughness of Federer and Nadal may be the untold story from the final. I thought the first set was going to tell the story of the match because my feeling was that, after what happened in France, no one needed a first set victory more than Federer did yesterday. Losing the first set was bad, but blowing a 4-1 lead in the second to fall behind 0-2 left little doubt that there was going to be a new Wimbledon champion and that the match was going to end in another serious disappointment for Federer and the fans. As was once said by former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion." Federer fought back again and again, dodging two match point's in the fourth set tiebreak to force a fifth set, setting the stage for one of the greatest finishes in sports history.
Now to Nadal. How many people out there thought the 22-year old Spanish phenom had any shot to win after his forehand shot went long at 9-8, clinching the fourth set tiebreak for Federer and erasing his once comfy two set lead? Anybody? You in the back with your hand up, you're lying. Nadal has been thought of as the great clay court player of this era and nothing more and, despite his successes against Federer, had yet to beat him on grass. Last year's Wimbledon final went five sets and Nadal took the momentum into the final stanza by winning the fourth. He was blown out 6-2 then and the stage was set for another heartbreaking result for Nadal. Yet one service hold and clutch shot after another, the Rat fink never folded, and he finally captured the championship that seemed so certain to be his hours before.
The question now is whether or not Nadal unseats Federer's four year run as the world's No. 1 player. I'm not sure how the whole point system works in tennis, but I don't see how he isn't the top seed when the U.S. Open rolls around in late-August. He has won two of the three Grand Slams and beaten the current No. 1 in both finals. Regardless of what the points say, Nadal has earned the title of "World's Best Player" and should hold onto it until he is unseated by Federer or another challenger.
John McEnroe, who knows great tennis when he sees it, said that Sunday's final in England was the best in the long, storied history of the game. I would agree with that, but I'll take it a step further. The 2008 Wimbledon final was one of the great events in sports history and it will be very hard for the field in Flushing Meadows to live up to. The Federer-Nadal rivalry is the finest in sports at the moment (sorry Yanks and Sox fans) and the hope here is that they meet again eight weeks from now in the Open final to cap what has been a year to remember in tennis.
DTM
The so-called experts began questioning Federer's game and his spot in history following that debacle, but let's make one thing clear after his 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8), 7-9 defeat on his home turf: his legacy is intact and when all is said and done, he will still go down as the best player in tennis history. In 2008 he has won two events, lost in the Australian Open semifinals to eventual-champion Novak Djokovic, and lost the French Open and Wimbledon final to Nadal. Just about every player on tour not named Roger Federer would kill to accomplish that much in a career, let alone a single year. As for yesterday's performance, aside from converting just one of 13 break chances, there isn't much more to dissect about Federer's play. In fact, that may have been one of the best matches he has ever played considering his opponent, the pesky rain delays and the stage itself. The saddest part about the final was that it had to end with a loser in a match that truly didn't deserve one.
Casual sports fans will say that you can turn on the last two minutes of a football or basketball game and that's all you need to see because ultimately everything else leading up to the last moment means nothing, which is absurd because there wouldn't be a last two minutes without the ones before them. The casual idiots that stand by that assertion would have no ground to stand on when talking about Sunday's final. Every point from game one to game 62 was played with the intensity of championship point and each player had to play it that way because they knew it was unlikely the other was going to make that fatal mistake that completely swung the momentum one way or the other. There were no service breaks from the fourth game of the second set up until the 15th game of the final set when Nadal finally broke Federer to serve for the match. Some would say that's bad tennis, I say it's a case of two great players doing exactly what they are supposed to do: hold serve.
The mental toughness of Federer and Nadal may be the untold story from the final. I thought the first set was going to tell the story of the match because my feeling was that, after what happened in France, no one needed a first set victory more than Federer did yesterday. Losing the first set was bad, but blowing a 4-1 lead in the second to fall behind 0-2 left little doubt that there was going to be a new Wimbledon champion and that the match was going to end in another serious disappointment for Federer and the fans. As was once said by former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion." Federer fought back again and again, dodging two match point's in the fourth set tiebreak to force a fifth set, setting the stage for one of the greatest finishes in sports history.
Now to Nadal. How many people out there thought the 22-year old Spanish phenom had any shot to win after his forehand shot went long at 9-8, clinching the fourth set tiebreak for Federer and erasing his once comfy two set lead? Anybody? You in the back with your hand up, you're lying. Nadal has been thought of as the great clay court player of this era and nothing more and, despite his successes against Federer, had yet to beat him on grass. Last year's Wimbledon final went five sets and Nadal took the momentum into the final stanza by winning the fourth. He was blown out 6-2 then and the stage was set for another heartbreaking result for Nadal. Yet one service hold and clutch shot after another, the Rat fink never folded, and he finally captured the championship that seemed so certain to be his hours before.
The question now is whether or not Nadal unseats Federer's four year run as the world's No. 1 player. I'm not sure how the whole point system works in tennis, but I don't see how he isn't the top seed when the U.S. Open rolls around in late-August. He has won two of the three Grand Slams and beaten the current No. 1 in both finals. Regardless of what the points say, Nadal has earned the title of "World's Best Player" and should hold onto it until he is unseated by Federer or another challenger.
John McEnroe, who knows great tennis when he sees it, said that Sunday's final in England was the best in the long, storied history of the game. I would agree with that, but I'll take it a step further. The 2008 Wimbledon final was one of the great events in sports history and it will be very hard for the field in Flushing Meadows to live up to. The Federer-Nadal rivalry is the finest in sports at the moment (sorry Yanks and Sox fans) and the hope here is that they meet again eight weeks from now in the Open final to cap what has been a year to remember in tennis.
DTM
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