Duttons Brentwood http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com Sports Articles and Books Sat, 18 May 2013 09:21:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 What Kobe Bryant Wishes He Could Have Tweeted During LA Lakers’ 1st-Round Exit http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/what-kobe-bryant-wishes-he-could-have-tweeted-during-la-lakers-1st-round-exit/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/what-kobe-bryant-wishes-he-could-have-tweeted-during-la-lakers-1st-round-exit/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 09:21:36 +0000 Ehran Khan http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643874-what-kobe-bryant-wishes-he-could-have-tweeted-during-la-lakers-1st-round-exit Sidelined with a torn Achilles and unable to travel with the team, Kobe Bryant took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Game 1 of  the first-round matchup between his Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.

Bryant's insights delighted the Twitterverse, and ABC's broadcast often displayed and discussed his tweets at length. 

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni was even asked about Bryant's online commentary after the game. That's when Bryant decided to hold his tongue (and his thumbs) until the series came to its final, grisly conclusion.

 

What if he never muzzled himself though, and kept delivering candid nuggets throughout the series? 

Here are five tweets Bryant wished he could have sent out.

Begin Slideshow

]]> Sidelined with a torn Achilles and unable to travel with the team, Kobe Bryant took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Game 1 of  the first-round matchup between his Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.

Bryant's insights delighted the Twitterverse, and ABC's broadcast often displayed and discussed his tweets at length. 

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni was even asked about Bryant's online commentary after the game. That's when Bryant decided to hold his tongue (and his thumbs) until the series came to its final, grisly conclusion.

 

What if he never muzzled himself though, and kept delivering candid nuggets throughout the series? 

Here are five tweets Bryant wished he could have sent out.

Begin Slideshow

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/what-kobe-bryant-wishes-he-could-have-tweeted-during-la-lakers-1st-round-exit/feed/ 0 The Phil Jackson Effect http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/the-phil-jackson-effect/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/the-phil-jackson-effect/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 05:52:47 +0000 Marshall Zweig http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643788-the-phil-jackson-effect Hidden within the minor furor Phil Jackson created by comparing Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant in his new book is Jackson's true legacy.

He is the Alexander Graham Bell of the NBA.

Now, before you go assuming I'm a Phil Jackson fan, let me explain.

There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, that says Bell came into the patent office in 1876 lugging his invention, the telephone. He sat down with the device on his lap, waiting for his appointment.

A few minutes later, a gentleman by the name of Elisha Gray came in with his attorney and sat down in the crowded lobby, across from Bell. On his lap was…another telephone.

The two men stared at each other's inventions, then at each other.

And then they called Bell's name.

That part of the story may be a myth. This part is not: Alexander Graham Bell's appointment was earlier than Elisha Gray's. His patent was the 15th filed on that February day. Gray's was the 39th.

Had Gray made his appointment one day previous, it's his name we'd be force fed in grade-school history class.

Bell was a bright man, no question. But there were other bright men. Bell happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Phil Jackson didn't have the telephone. Instead, he had the aforementioned Jordan and Bryant, two of the greatest players of all time dropped into his coaching lap. Nay, three, when we include Shaquille O'Neal.

As a matter of record, Jackson, who has more NBA jewelry than carpal digits, may be the lord of the rings. But as a coach, I say he's merely the king of being in the right place at the right time.

I say the Phil Jackson effect is nothing more than opportunism.

Let's start with the teams he's coached.

Jackson was preceded as coach of the Chicago Bulls by Doug Collins. The Bulls improved by 10 wins in Collins' first year as head coach. His second year, they improved by 10 more.

In each year, the Bulls got one round further in the playoffs than they had before, first bowing out in the first round, then in the second and finally in the conference finals.

They were on their way up. Moreover, they were not very deep. Their top scorers for Collins' last season were Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright and Horace Grant. After that, you were looking at guys like Craig Hodges and Sam Vincent.

In other words, Collins was achieving these improvements with an incomplete roster.

A week before before Collins was fired, the Bulls picked thrice in the first round of the NBA draft. Their first two picks, Stacey King and B.J. Armstrong, were sixth and eighth in scoring, respectively, for the team the following year, Jackson's first year.

You think Collins wouldn't have improved on his record with those guys added to the fold?

The way Jackson tells it, Collins, his former boss, had yelled too much at his players, so they were nervous to think for themselves. I admit that Collins is vitriolic and mercurial. But somehow the idea that he was so Mike Rice-like that the team responded like abused children is difficult for me to swallow. After all, they did make the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since...well, since they were in the Western Conference (that's not a misprint).

But in Jackson's account, it was him riding in on a white horse, getting the players to remember how to trust their natural instincts, that made the Chicago Bulls who they were.

Whatev, Phil. I say for some reason, Collins' relationship with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf had soured, and the notoriously cheap Reinsdorf simply chose an assistant off Colllins' staff to replace him. Which makes you the luckiest duck since Lana Turner chose the Top Hat Cafe on Sunset to grab a Coke.

I say Jordan was going to win multiple championships eventually. I've never seen a player more destined for the Larry O'Brien Trophy than he.

I say the supporting cast had gotten better. And I say if the Bulls had kept Collins, they would have just as much bling. And Jackson would have much less.

Because it was Phil's vaunted stature more than anything else that landed him the plum job of coaching Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. And once again, the timing was impeccable.

Del Harris, while not a coach of Collins' stature, had acquitted himself well in stops with the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks. Moreover, he had guided the Lakers to a 61-win campaign in 1997-98, the last full season before his firing.

Yes, his team was off to a 6-6 start the following year. But it was a strike-shortened season, and every team was struggling to get back into game form after the drastically abbreviated preseason. Had the Lakers brass shown some patience, instead of rushing to fire Harris, there is every reason to believe that the trajectory of the Lakers under him would have mirrored the one it took under Jackson.

But let's say for the sake of argument that there was something Jackson brought to both teams that transformed them, something no one else could provide. Some say it was mindfulness: the notion of noticing one's thoughts and feelings, rather than being them. It's a concept of which I am a big fan.

Call me crazy, but when I watch MJ's Hall of Fame induction speech, or any press conference Kobe and Shaq ever had, I hear competitiveness, but I don't hear mindfulness.

So what else could Jackson have brought?

What about the vaunted triangle offense? It used to be mentioned so often and in such hushed and reverential tones by broadcasters of Lakers games, one would think they were talking about the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Time to pull the curtain back on the great and powerful wizard and demystify the triangle offense.

The word is it's so complex. Really? The triangle is composed of a center in the low post, a forward at the wing and a guard in the corner. That leaves the remaining two players on the weak side to play their own two-man game. Yes, there's more to it than that, specifically a great deal of motion, but that's the essence in a nutshell.

Put it like this: Even Avril Lavigne wouldn't call that complicated.

Here's what the triangle offense demands: a player on the post who will draw double-teams, and a player who can direct the offense. On Chicago, those players were Jordan and Pippen, respectively. On Los Angeles, they were Shaq and Kobe.

With players like that, nothing's really complicated.

And if the triangle offense were really the key to winning a championship, why isn't anyone else running it? It's been around since the '40s. In all that time, don't you think teams would hire consultants to figure it out if the scheme meant winning it all?

There is one more quality Jackson has been lauded for: his wisdom. Jackson is practically canonized by so many fans and media, to the point that he has the reputation of being a modern-day Siddhartha.

I don't know if something's wrong with the audio on my TV set, but whenever I watched a Phil Jackson press conference, he sure comes off as a petulant whiner. Much more often than not, Phil's pressers were glorified gripe-fests about some aspect of officiating.

It's probably unfair to expect the meaning of life from Jackson. But giving credit to the other team after a loss...I don't know, is that too much to ask from such an alleged sage?

From what I've seen, yeah it is.

A real sage would see himself as he is: a competent and hard-working coach who inherited great teams and rode them to the top.

Jackson has never once taken a bad team and turned it into a good one. He's never even taken a team without two superstars past the second round. He lost in the conference semis both years of MJ's first retirement, and with Kobe as L.A.'s lone superstar, Jackson's Lakers teams won 45 and 42 games. Some might recall that before the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol, Kobe was at the end of his rope with frustration about his team's failures.

Modern-day sports history, though, has been reduced to a bottom-line mentality. As Al Pacino said so presciently in And Justice For All, winning is everything. Regardless of the truth.

What is the truth?

The truth is, if you want Jackson to agree to coach your team, make sure your team is already great (note to the current Lakers: you don't qualify). Otherwise, the Phil Jackson effect will be that he won't take the job.

Come on. And risk being exposed?

Jackson may not be the greatest coach the game has ever seen. But I guarantee you he's smart enough that if he does come back to coaching, it will only be in the right place at the right time.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]> Hidden within the minor furor Phil Jackson created by comparing Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant in his new book is Jackson's true legacy.

He is the Alexander Graham Bell of the NBA.

Now, before you go assuming I'm a Phil Jackson fan, let me explain.

There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, that says Bell came into the patent office in 1876 lugging his invention, the telephone. He sat down with the device on his lap, waiting for his appointment.

A few minutes later, a gentleman by the name of Elisha Gray came in with his attorney and sat down in the crowded lobby, across from Bell. On his lap was…another telephone.

The two men stared at each other's inventions, then at each other.

And then they called Bell's name.

That part of the story may be a myth. This part is not: Alexander Graham Bell's appointment was earlier than Elisha Gray's. His patent was the 15th filed on that February day. Gray's was the 39th.

Had Gray made his appointment one day previous, it's his name we'd be force fed in grade-school history class.

Bell was a bright man, no question. But there were other bright men. Bell happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Phil Jackson didn't have the telephone. Instead, he had the aforementioned Jordan and Bryant, two of the greatest players of all time dropped into his coaching lap. Nay, three, when we include Shaquille O'Neal.

As a matter of record, Jackson, who has more NBA jewelry than carpal digits, may be the lord of the rings. But as a coach, I say he's merely the king of being in the right place at the right time.

I say the Phil Jackson effect is nothing more than opportunism.

Let's start with the teams he's coached.

Jackson was preceded as coach of the Chicago Bulls by Doug Collins. The Bulls improved by 10 wins in Collins' first year as head coach. His second year, they improved by 10 more.

In each year, the Bulls got one round further in the playoffs than they had before, first bowing out in the first round, then in the second and finally in the conference finals.

They were on their way up. Moreover, they were not very deep. Their top scorers for Collins' last season were Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright and Horace Grant. After that, you were looking at guys like Craig Hodges and Sam Vincent.

In other words, Collins was achieving these improvements with an incomplete roster.

A week before before Collins was fired, the Bulls picked thrice in the first round of the NBA draft. Their first two picks, Stacey King and B.J. Armstrong, were sixth and eighth in scoring, respectively, for the team the following year, Jackson's first year.

You think Collins wouldn't have improved on his record with those guys added to the fold?

The way Jackson tells it, Collins, his former boss, had yelled too much at his players, so they were nervous to think for themselves. I admit that Collins is vitriolic and mercurial. But somehow the idea that he was so Mike Rice-like that the team responded like abused children is difficult for me to swallow. After all, they did make the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since...well, since they were in the Western Conference (that's not a misprint).

But in Jackson's account, it was him riding in on a white horse, getting the players to remember how to trust their natural instincts, that made the Chicago Bulls who they were.

Whatev, Phil. I say for some reason, Collins' relationship with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf had soured, and the notoriously cheap Reinsdorf simply chose an assistant off Colllins' staff to replace him. Which makes you the luckiest duck since Lana Turner chose the Top Hat Cafe on Sunset to grab a Coke.

I say Jordan was going to win multiple championships eventually. I've never seen a player more destined for the Larry O'Brien Trophy than he.

I say the supporting cast had gotten better. And I say if the Bulls had kept Collins, they would have just as much bling. And Jackson would have much less.

Because it was Phil's vaunted stature more than anything else that landed him the plum job of coaching Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. And once again, the timing was impeccable.

Del Harris, while not a coach of Collins' stature, had acquitted himself well in stops with the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks. Moreover, he had guided the Lakers to a 61-win campaign in 1997-98, the last full season before his firing.

Yes, his team was off to a 6-6 start the following year. But it was a strike-shortened season, and every team was struggling to get back into game form after the drastically abbreviated preseason. Had the Lakers brass shown some patience, instead of rushing to fire Harris, there is every reason to believe that the trajectory of the Lakers under him would have mirrored the one it took under Jackson.

But let's say for the sake of argument that there was something Jackson brought to both teams that transformed them, something no one else could provide. Some say it was mindfulness: the notion of noticing one's thoughts and feelings, rather than being them. It's a concept of which I am a big fan.

Call me crazy, but when I watch MJ's Hall of Fame induction speech, or any press conference Kobe and Shaq ever had, I hear competitiveness, but I don't hear mindfulness.

So what else could Jackson have brought?

What about the vaunted triangle offense? It used to be mentioned so often and in such hushed and reverential tones by broadcasters of Lakers games, one would think they were talking about the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Time to pull the curtain back on the great and powerful wizard and demystify the triangle offense.

The word is it's so complex. Really? The triangle is composed of a center in the low post, a forward at the wing and a guard in the corner. That leaves the remaining two players on the weak side to play their own two-man game. Yes, there's more to it than that, specifically a great deal of motion, but that's the essence in a nutshell.

Put it like this: Even Avril Lavigne wouldn't call that complicated.

Here's what the triangle offense demands: a player on the post who will draw double-teams, and a player who can direct the offense. On Chicago, those players were Jordan and Pippen, respectively. On Los Angeles, they were Shaq and Kobe.

With players like that, nothing's really complicated.

And if the triangle offense were really the key to winning a championship, why isn't anyone else running it? It's been around since the '40s. In all that time, don't you think teams would hire consultants to figure it out if the scheme meant winning it all?

There is one more quality Jackson has been lauded for: his wisdom. Jackson is practically canonized by so many fans and media, to the point that he has the reputation of being a modern-day Siddhartha.

I don't know if something's wrong with the audio on my TV set, but whenever I watched a Phil Jackson press conference, he sure comes off as a petulant whiner. Much more often than not, Phil's pressers were glorified gripe-fests about some aspect of officiating.

It's probably unfair to expect the meaning of life from Jackson. But giving credit to the other team after a loss...I don't know, is that too much to ask from such an alleged sage?

From what I've seen, yeah it is.

A real sage would see himself as he is: a competent and hard-working coach who inherited great teams and rode them to the top.

Jackson has never once taken a bad team and turned it into a good one. He's never even taken a team without two superstars past the second round. He lost in the conference semis both years of MJ's first retirement, and with Kobe as L.A.'s lone superstar, Jackson's Lakers teams won 45 and 42 games. Some might recall that before the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol, Kobe was at the end of his rope with frustration about his team's failures.

Modern-day sports history, though, has been reduced to a bottom-line mentality. As Al Pacino said so presciently in And Justice For All, winning is everything. Regardless of the truth.

What is the truth?

The truth is, if you want Jackson to agree to coach your team, make sure your team is already great (note to the current Lakers: you don't qualify). Otherwise, the Phil Jackson effect will be that he won't take the job.

Come on. And risk being exposed?

Jackson may not be the greatest coach the game has ever seen. But I guarantee you he's smart enough that if he does come back to coaching, it will only be in the right place at the right time.

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/the-phil-jackson-effect/feed/ 0 Joshua Cribbs Gives the Special Teams in Oakland a Huge Lift http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/joshua-cribbs-gives-the-special-teams-in-oakland-a-huge-lift/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/joshua-cribbs-gives-the-special-teams-in-oakland-a-huge-lift/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 00:36:00 +0000 Christopher Hansen http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643685-joshua-cribbs-gives-the-special-teams-in-oakland-a-huge-lift The Oakland Raiders were not a good team in 2013. The offense was bad, the defense was bad and the special teams was terrible. The return game and the coverage teams were extremely poor, and one of the few coaches fired after the season was special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman.

The signing of Josh Cribbs does more to boost the Oakland’s special teams than any other move this offseason. New special teams coordinator Bobby April has to be happy that he has a special teams ace to help turn things around.

To put it all in perspective, Cribbs will help on kickoffs, punts, return kicks and return punts. Cribbs is a rare four-way dynamo on special teams. Even if Cribbs isn’t used on offense, he is exactly what the Raiders needed to ensure they improve in the forgotten third phase of the game.

According to Football Outsiders, the Browns had the second-best special teams in the entire league last year with Cribbs and the Raiders ranked 31st in the league. Although other factors play into the rankings, Cribbs was a big part of what the Browns were able to achieve on special teams.

 

Kickoff Return

The Raiders averaged 22.3 yards per kick return, which was well below average. Cribbs averaged 27.4 yards per return last season (25.9 yards per return in his career), and only seven players last year had a higher average. Over the course of a season, Cribbs would have given the Raiders approximately 14 yards per game more than they had last year.

That might not seem like a lot, but an offense’s chance of scoring greatly improves based upon the field position on first down. A difference of 14 yards per game is roughly equal to 0.8 expected points, according to NFL Stats Blog's data from 2011.

Obviously, not every return is going to be average, and there will be some games where the return game will help more than others. One big kickoff return could put the Raiders in range for a field goal and give and make things easier for an inexperienced quarterback.

 

Punt Return

The Raiders were embarrassingly bad on punt returns last season with a league-low 5.1 yards per return. That’s more than a yard-and-a-half less than the next worst team. The Raiders do face a trio of solid punters in the AFC West, but that’s no excuse for being so bad.

Cribbs averaged 12.0 yards per punt return (11.0 yards per punt return in his career), which is almost a full seven yards more than the Raiders averaged in 2012. The difference of about 15 yards per game means another 0.8 expected points per game.

Just in the return game, having Cribbs is worth around 1.5 points per game or roughly a field goal every other game (24 points per season). This is assuming that Cribbs doesn’t score on a return and that the Raiders produce points at the standard rate on offense.

This also assumes Cribbs continues to produce at a high level and stay healthy, but it’s enough evidence to suggest he’s a great addition to the team strictly for his return abilities. Cribbs also plays on the coverage units and adds more value to the team.

 

Kickoff Coverage

Despite Sebastian Janikowski’s big leg, opponents returned 30 kickoffs for an average of 28.9 yards. The Cleveland Browns with Cribbs averaged just 19.8 yards per return against and were one of only two teams that held opponents to less than 20 yards per return.

Even if the Raiders only make it to league average in kick coverage, they will save another 14 yards per game. These little chunks of yardage add up; anything the Raiders can do to improve their chances of scoring and decrease their opponent’s chances of scoring is going to be a key for a team still short on talent.

Cribbs typically lined up third from the outside on kickoffs, so he isn’t the gunner that runs down the field hoping in kamikaze-like fashion to try to get the return man first. Rather, Cribbs has to sift through the traffic to find the return man and bring him down in traffic.

Along with the other additions this offseason, Cribbs will be an important piece of Oakland’s kick coverage team and hopefully allow it to improve over last season.

 

Punt Coverage

Cribbs also plays on the punt coverage team, lining up on the end of the line and protecting against rushers coming around the edge and then streaking down the middle of the field to take down the punter returner.

Punt coverage is a combination of the punter and the punt coverage. A lot of people think Shane Lechler had a down year in 2012, but the stats don’t really support that line of thinking.

Lechler averaged more yards per punt in 2012 (47.2) than he did in 2010 (47.0) and fewer were returned, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In 2012, 55.6 percent of Lechler's punts were returned compared to 57.9 percent in 2010. Lechler’s 2012 punt average was just 0.3 yards less than his career average.

The truth is that Lechler hasn’t had a great season since 2009, when he led the league in gross and net punting. The Raiders have allowed 11.1 yards per return in Lechler’s career and averaged 10.0 yards per return against last season.

The Raiders have been able to hide bad coverage units because they had a great punter, but the quality of punters is getting better every year, and Lechler is declining. The Raiders signed Chris Kluwe to compete with Marquette King, and he actually had a better net punting average than Lechler last season.

Cleveland’s punter Reggie Hodges had 10 more fair catches than Lechler and eight more were inside the 20, with five fewer touchbacks. Hodges ranked 31st in the league in gross punting and 30th in net punting. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Hodges as the worst punter in the league and the only one with a negative grade last season who played in at least four games.

What does this have to do with Cribbs? The Browns allowed about the same yards per return (10.1) as the Raiders last season but allowed 11 fewer returns and punted nine more times than the Raiders did. Basically, the Browns' coverage units had to be a lot better because their punter wasn’t as good.

At the same time, the better the punter’s leg, the better the coverage unit needs to be. King has a monster leg, but he’s still inconsistent. If the Raiders didn’t improve their punt coverage unit, there was a good chance that opponents would be able to hit big returns against the Raiders or they will have to go with Kluwe as their punter.

The Raiders can’t afford to be bad on special teams in 2013, and Cribbs along with the punter change is going to play a vital role in the field-position battle.

 

The Impact of Cribbs

If you think of every yard gained and lost as 0.055 points (per NFL Stats Blog), the Raiders might be able to squeeze as many as three points per game out of their special teams unit. For a team that was outscored by opponents by 153 points last season, that could be huge.

Special teams might not be sexy, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important. The San Diego Chargers had the most yards on offense and allowed the fewest yards on defense in 2010 but went 9-7 and missed the playoffs because of terrible special teams.

Even if Cribbs isn’t used at receiver, he’s more than capable of having a big impact on the Raiders in 2013. The Raiders have made a concentrated effort to improve the special teams units this offseason, and Cribbs is a giant step in the right direction.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> The Oakland Raiders were not a good team in 2013. The offense was bad, the defense was bad and the special teams was terrible. The return game and the coverage teams were extremely poor, and one of the few coaches fired after the season was special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman.

The signing of Josh Cribbs does more to boost the Oakland’s special teams than any other move this offseason. New special teams coordinator Bobby April has to be happy that he has a special teams ace to help turn things around.

To put it all in perspective, Cribbs will help on kickoffs, punts, return kicks and return punts. Cribbs is a rare four-way dynamo on special teams. Even if Cribbs isn’t used on offense, he is exactly what the Raiders needed to ensure they improve in the forgotten third phase of the game.

According to Football Outsiders, the Browns had the second-best special teams in the entire league last year with Cribbs and the Raiders ranked 31st in the league. Although other factors play into the rankings, Cribbs was a big part of what the Browns were able to achieve on special teams.

 

Kickoff Return

The Raiders averaged 22.3 yards per kick return, which was well below average. Cribbs averaged 27.4 yards per return last season (25.9 yards per return in his career), and only seven players last year had a higher average. Over the course of a season, Cribbs would have given the Raiders approximately 14 yards per game more than they had last year.

That might not seem like a lot, but an offense’s chance of scoring greatly improves based upon the field position on first down. A difference of 14 yards per game is roughly equal to 0.8 expected points, according to NFL Stats Blog's data from 2011.

Obviously, not every return is going to be average, and there will be some games where the return game will help more than others. One big kickoff return could put the Raiders in range for a field goal and give and make things easier for an inexperienced quarterback.

 

Punt Return

The Raiders were embarrassingly bad on punt returns last season with a league-low 5.1 yards per return. That’s more than a yard-and-a-half less than the next worst team. The Raiders do face a trio of solid punters in the AFC West, but that’s no excuse for being so bad.

Cribbs averaged 12.0 yards per punt return (11.0 yards per punt return in his career), which is almost a full seven yards more than the Raiders averaged in 2012. The difference of about 15 yards per game means another 0.8 expected points per game.

Just in the return game, having Cribbs is worth around 1.5 points per game or roughly a field goal every other game (24 points per season). This is assuming that Cribbs doesn’t score on a return and that the Raiders produce points at the standard rate on offense.

This also assumes Cribbs continues to produce at a high level and stay healthy, but it’s enough evidence to suggest he’s a great addition to the team strictly for his return abilities. Cribbs also plays on the coverage units and adds more value to the team.

 

Kickoff Coverage

Despite Sebastian Janikowski’s big leg, opponents returned 30 kickoffs for an average of 28.9 yards. The Cleveland Browns with Cribbs averaged just 19.8 yards per return against and were one of only two teams that held opponents to less than 20 yards per return.

Even if the Raiders only make it to league average in kick coverage, they will save another 14 yards per game. These little chunks of yardage add up; anything the Raiders can do to improve their chances of scoring and decrease their opponent’s chances of scoring is going to be a key for a team still short on talent.

Cribbs typically lined up third from the outside on kickoffs, so he isn’t the gunner that runs down the field hoping in kamikaze-like fashion to try to get the return man first. Rather, Cribbs has to sift through the traffic to find the return man and bring him down in traffic.

Along with the other additions this offseason, Cribbs will be an important piece of Oakland’s kick coverage team and hopefully allow it to improve over last season.

 

Punt Coverage

Cribbs also plays on the punt coverage team, lining up on the end of the line and protecting against rushers coming around the edge and then streaking down the middle of the field to take down the punter returner.

Punt coverage is a combination of the punter and the punt coverage. A lot of people think Shane Lechler had a down year in 2012, but the stats don’t really support that line of thinking.

Lechler averaged more yards per punt in 2012 (47.2) than he did in 2010 (47.0) and fewer were returned, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In 2012, 55.6 percent of Lechler's punts were returned compared to 57.9 percent in 2010. Lechler’s 2012 punt average was just 0.3 yards less than his career average.

The truth is that Lechler hasn’t had a great season since 2009, when he led the league in gross and net punting. The Raiders have allowed 11.1 yards per return in Lechler’s career and averaged 10.0 yards per return against last season.

The Raiders have been able to hide bad coverage units because they had a great punter, but the quality of punters is getting better every year, and Lechler is declining. The Raiders signed Chris Kluwe to compete with Marquette King, and he actually had a better net punting average than Lechler last season.

Cleveland’s punter Reggie Hodges had 10 more fair catches than Lechler and eight more were inside the 20, with five fewer touchbacks. Hodges ranked 31st in the league in gross punting and 30th in net punting. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Hodges as the worst punter in the league and the only one with a negative grade last season who played in at least four games.

What does this have to do with Cribbs? The Browns allowed about the same yards per return (10.1) as the Raiders last season but allowed 11 fewer returns and punted nine more times than the Raiders did. Basically, the Browns' coverage units had to be a lot better because their punter wasn’t as good.

At the same time, the better the punter’s leg, the better the coverage unit needs to be. King has a monster leg, but he’s still inconsistent. If the Raiders didn’t improve their punt coverage unit, there was a good chance that opponents would be able to hit big returns against the Raiders or they will have to go with Kluwe as their punter.

The Raiders can’t afford to be bad on special teams in 2013, and Cribbs along with the punter change is going to play a vital role in the field-position battle.

 

The Impact of Cribbs

If you think of every yard gained and lost as 0.055 points (per NFL Stats Blog), the Raiders might be able to squeeze as many as three points per game out of their special teams unit. For a team that was outscored by opponents by 153 points last season, that could be huge.

Special teams might not be sexy, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important. The San Diego Chargers had the most yards on offense and allowed the fewest yards on defense in 2010 but went 9-7 and missed the playoffs because of terrible special teams.

Even if Cribbs isn’t used at receiver, he’s more than capable of having a big impact on the Raiders in 2013. The Raiders have made a concentrated effort to improve the special teams units this offseason, and Cribbs is a giant step in the right direction.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/joshua-cribbs-gives-the-special-teams-in-oakland-a-huge-lift/feed/ 0 Charles Woodson: Signing with Raiders Would Be Fitting Conclusion to Career http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-signing-with-raiders-would-be-fitting-conclusion-to-career/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-signing-with-raiders-would-be-fitting-conclusion-to-career/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 20:28:33 +0000 Zach Kruse http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643299-signing-with-raiders-would-be-fitting-conclusion-to-charles-woodsons-career A return to the Oakland Raiders may not bring Charles Woodson any closer to another Super Bowl, but signing with the franchise that originally drafted him would be a fitting conclusion to his Hall of Fame career.

Once a key component of the Raiders' revival in the early 2000s, Woodson could now help accelerate an even more daunting rebuild by adding a veteran defender with championship experience to the locker room. 

Such a return appears to already be in the works. The Raiders have reportedly joined the fray for Woodson, who has otherwise received mostly scant interest as a free agent this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday that Oakland has invited the 36-year-old defensive back for a visit on Tuesday. Rapoport also reports that the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers remain in play for Woodson. 

There are hurdles to an agreement in Oakland, however.

If playing for a contender is truly Woodson's primary deciding factor, the Broncos, Giants and Panthers can each present rosters closer to playing in the Super Bowl than that of the Raiders. And although Woodson said on NFL Network this week (per Pro Football Talk) that he'd play for anyone now, you'd have to assume his preference will still lean the way of the better roster.

It's also very possible that the Raiders would balk at getting into even a mini-bidding war for Woodson, given their current salary cap situation. According to Over the Cap, Oakland has just under $4 million in cap room for the 2013 season. 

But if the Raiders could both convince Woodson to once again play for a rebuilding project in the Bay Area and agree on contract numbers, such a reunion could be mutually beneficial. 

Woodson could play a maximum number of snaps in 2013 for a roster riddled with holes, while the Raiders would get a veteran leader—and one familiar with general manager Reggie McKenzie—to help guide a franchise on the rebound. 

There's no way to discount the potential symmetry of the situations. 

Back in 1998, a struggling Raiders franchise drafted Woodson with the fourth overall pick. A Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, Woodson entered the NFL with as much fanfare and natural talent as any cornerback since Deion Sanders in the late 1980s. 

By 2001, Woodson had already walked the walk in Oakland. He was named to four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams in his first four years, and the Raiders improved from 4-12 in 1997 to 8-8 in both 1998 and 1999.

Between 2000 and 2002, Oakland won 33 regular-season games and played in Super Bowl XXXVII. 

After a run of just three playoff appearances in 14 years prior to the 2000 season, the Raiders were finally back amongst the NFL elite.

Or so it seemed. 

The post-Super Bowl hangover hit Oakland hard, as the Raiders won just 13 games over the next three seasons. Woodson's attitude deteriorated as the losses piled up. By 2006, Woodson and the Raiders were ready to move on.

After signing a free-agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in the spring following 2005, Woodson would go on to win a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009 and his first Super Bowl ring in February of 2011. 

Now, Woodson has a chance to bring all the maturity and wisdom he gained in Green Bay to a franchise still searching for its own identity. The Raiders may not turn into a perennial playoff contender under Woodson's watch, but he can help point the Oakland locker room in that direction during his remaining NFL career.

Keep in mind, the Raiders will enter 2013 on the heels of 10 straight non-winning seasons. There's little harm in McKenzie adding some winning culture to his rebuilding effort. 

Woodson would likely rather play for Super Bowls at the end of his Hall of Fame career, but there could be sentimental value in returning to Oakland and helping the Raiders climb out of cellar once again. 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> A return to the Oakland Raiders may not bring Charles Woodson any closer to another Super Bowl, but signing with the franchise that originally drafted him would be a fitting conclusion to his Hall of Fame career.

Once a key component of the Raiders' revival in the early 2000s, Woodson could now help accelerate an even more daunting rebuild by adding a veteran defender with championship experience to the locker room. 

Such a return appears to already be in the works. The Raiders have reportedly joined the fray for Woodson, who has otherwise received mostly scant interest as a free agent this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday that Oakland has invited the 36-year-old defensive back for a visit on Tuesday. Rapoport also reports that the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers remain in play for Woodson. 

There are hurdles to an agreement in Oakland, however.

If playing for a contender is truly Woodson's primary deciding factor, the Broncos, Giants and Panthers can each present rosters closer to playing in the Super Bowl than that of the Raiders. And although Woodson said on NFL Network this week (per Pro Football Talk) that he'd play for anyone now, you'd have to assume his preference will still lean the way of the better roster.

It's also very possible that the Raiders would balk at getting into even a mini-bidding war for Woodson, given their current salary cap situation. According to Over the Cap, Oakland has just under $4 million in cap room for the 2013 season. 

But if the Raiders could both convince Woodson to once again play for a rebuilding project in the Bay Area and agree on contract numbers, such a reunion could be mutually beneficial. 

Woodson could play a maximum number of snaps in 2013 for a roster riddled with holes, while the Raiders would get a veteran leader—and one familiar with general manager Reggie McKenzie—to help guide a franchise on the rebound. 

There's no way to discount the potential symmetry of the situations. 

Back in 1998, a struggling Raiders franchise drafted Woodson with the fourth overall pick. A Heisman Trophy winner at Michigan, Woodson entered the NFL with as much fanfare and natural talent as any cornerback since Deion Sanders in the late 1980s. 

By 2001, Woodson had already walked the walk in Oakland. He was named to four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams in his first four years, and the Raiders improved from 4-12 in 1997 to 8-8 in both 1998 and 1999.

Between 2000 and 2002, Oakland won 33 regular-season games and played in Super Bowl XXXVII. 

After a run of just three playoff appearances in 14 years prior to the 2000 season, the Raiders were finally back amongst the NFL elite.

Or so it seemed. 

The post-Super Bowl hangover hit Oakland hard, as the Raiders won just 13 games over the next three seasons. Woodson's attitude deteriorated as the losses piled up. By 2006, Woodson and the Raiders were ready to move on.

After signing a free-agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in the spring following 2005, Woodson would go on to win a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009 and his first Super Bowl ring in February of 2011. 

Now, Woodson has a chance to bring all the maturity and wisdom he gained in Green Bay to a franchise still searching for its own identity. The Raiders may not turn into a perennial playoff contender under Woodson's watch, but he can help point the Oakland locker room in that direction during his remaining NFL career.

Keep in mind, the Raiders will enter 2013 on the heels of 10 straight non-winning seasons. There's little harm in McKenzie adding some winning culture to his rebuilding effort. 

Woodson would likely rather play for Super Bowls at the end of his Hall of Fame career, but there could be sentimental value in returning to Oakland and helping the Raiders climb out of cellar once again. 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-signing-with-raiders-would-be-fitting-conclusion-to-career/feed/ 0 Charles Woodson: Are the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders the Better Fit? http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-are-the-denver-broncos-or-oakland-raiders-the-better-fit/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-are-the-denver-broncos-or-oakland-raiders-the-better-fit/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 19:35:28 +0000 Gary Davenport http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643204-which-team-is-a-better-fit-for-charles-woodson-broncos-or-raiders As defensive back Charles Woodson looks for a place to play out the final chapter of an NFL career—a career that will likely culminate with enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—it appears that the leading suitors are a pair of AFC West clubs.

One is the team with which Woodson began his NFL career. The other is that team's most hated rival. It leaves Woodson with a decision to make, and one that could come down to the most enigmatic of concepts.

His legacy.

As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are among the teams who have expressed interest in the eight-time Pro Bowler's services.

Woodson met with the Broncos earlier this week, but according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, the 36-year-old left town without a deal in place.

However, Woodson's agent claims the Broncos have made an offer, which would seem to indicate that the deal isn't up to par with what Woodson believes his services are worth.

Meanwhile, Woodson will meet next week with the Raiders, with whom he spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career.

These aren't the only teams who have expressed interest in Woodson. As Tafur relayed, the Giants have at least kicked the proverbial tires. Larry Lage of the Associated Press (via Yahoo! Sports) reports that the Carolina Panthers have as well.

However, since the Broncos and Raiders are the only teams who have scheduled visits with Woodson to this point, let's take a look at which squad would be the better fit.

From a football standpoint, it's not hard to see Woodson starting for either club.

Fans of the Denver Broncos obviously don't need to be reminded about a particular lapse in safety play in last year's playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Raiders have an entrenched starter at strong safety in Tyvon Branch, but free safety Usama Young is an average talent at best and the Raiders could also use all the help they can get at cornerback.

With that said, Woodson would likely best help a new team at safety. Age has taken its toll on his coverage skills (at least against wide receivers), but Woodson remains a ball hawk who excels in run support. In 2011 (his last full season), he ranked second among cornerbacks in run stop percentage according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

From there, things begin to slant heavily in Denver's favor. According to spotrac.com, the Broncos have about $1.5 million more in available cap space than the Raiders.

That isn't to say that they'll use it, mind you. In fact, the fact that Woodson left Denver without a deal would seem to indicate that the Broncos aren't keen on overpaying for him.

The thing is, odds are Oakland won't either. It would run counter to what Reggie McKenzie has done since taking over as the general manager in Oakland and it's not like Woodson is the one player who could put the Raiders over the top.

He could be that player for the Broncos, though. That's the real difference here.

Woodson has made it clear that, all things being equal, he would prefer to play for a contender in 2013. The Broncos fit that bill and then some. If the Broncos aren't the AFC's leading contender for the Super Bowl now, they probably would be with Woodson filling one of the few remaining holes on the roster.

And that's why Woodson belongs in Denver.

Yes, it would be interesting to see Woodson return to where his career began. However, even if the Raiders were to offer more than the Broncos, it's not like Woodson needs the money.

Woodson has nothing left to prove in the football. He's done everything there is to do. A boatload of Pro Bowls. A Super Bowl ring. Rookie of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year.

Oh, and that Heisman Trophy thingie. He has one of those too.

However, were Woodson to lead the Broncos to a Lombardi Trophy as his swan song, that would be a true coup de grace—and one that would only add to the argument that he's the greatest player at his position in NFL history.

At this point, that's about the only achievement Woodson doesn't have on his resume.

 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> As defensive back Charles Woodson looks for a place to play out the final chapter of an NFL career—a career that will likely culminate with enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—it appears that the leading suitors are a pair of AFC West clubs.

One is the team with which Woodson began his NFL career. The other is that team's most hated rival. It leaves Woodson with a decision to make, and one that could come down to the most enigmatic of concepts.

His legacy.

As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders are among the teams who have expressed interest in the eight-time Pro Bowler's services.

Woodson met with the Broncos earlier this week, but according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, the 36-year-old left town without a deal in place.

However, Woodson's agent claims the Broncos have made an offer, which would seem to indicate that the deal isn't up to par with what Woodson believes his services are worth.

Meanwhile, Woodson will meet next week with the Raiders, with whom he spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career.

These aren't the only teams who have expressed interest in Woodson. As Tafur relayed, the Giants have at least kicked the proverbial tires. Larry Lage of the Associated Press (via Yahoo! Sports) reports that the Carolina Panthers have as well.

However, since the Broncos and Raiders are the only teams who have scheduled visits with Woodson to this point, let's take a look at which squad would be the better fit.

From a football standpoint, it's not hard to see Woodson starting for either club.

Fans of the Denver Broncos obviously don't need to be reminded about a particular lapse in safety play in last year's playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Raiders have an entrenched starter at strong safety in Tyvon Branch, but free safety Usama Young is an average talent at best and the Raiders could also use all the help they can get at cornerback.

With that said, Woodson would likely best help a new team at safety. Age has taken its toll on his coverage skills (at least against wide receivers), but Woodson remains a ball hawk who excels in run support. In 2011 (his last full season), he ranked second among cornerbacks in run stop percentage according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

From there, things begin to slant heavily in Denver's favor. According to spotrac.com, the Broncos have about $1.5 million more in available cap space than the Raiders.

That isn't to say that they'll use it, mind you. In fact, the fact that Woodson left Denver without a deal would seem to indicate that the Broncos aren't keen on overpaying for him.

The thing is, odds are Oakland won't either. It would run counter to what Reggie McKenzie has done since taking over as the general manager in Oakland and it's not like Woodson is the one player who could put the Raiders over the top.

He could be that player for the Broncos, though. That's the real difference here.

Woodson has made it clear that, all things being equal, he would prefer to play for a contender in 2013. The Broncos fit that bill and then some. If the Broncos aren't the AFC's leading contender for the Super Bowl now, they probably would be with Woodson filling one of the few remaining holes on the roster.

And that's why Woodson belongs in Denver.

Yes, it would be interesting to see Woodson return to where his career began. However, even if the Raiders were to offer more than the Broncos, it's not like Woodson needs the money.

Woodson has nothing left to prove in the football. He's done everything there is to do. A boatload of Pro Bowls. A Super Bowl ring. Rookie of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year.

Oh, and that Heisman Trophy thingie. He has one of those too.

However, were Woodson to lead the Broncos to a Lombardi Trophy as his swan song, that would be a true coup de grace—and one that would only add to the argument that he's the greatest player at his position in NFL history.

At this point, that's about the only achievement Woodson doesn't have on his resume.

 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/charles-woodson-are-the-denver-broncos-or-oakland-raiders-the-better-fit/feed/ 0 What Potential Charles Woodson Signing Would Mean for Oakland Raiders http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/what-potential-charles-woodson-signing-would-mean-for-oakland-raiders/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/what-potential-charles-woodson-signing-would-mean-for-oakland-raiders/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 16:37:45 +0000 Jeff Spiegel http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643136-oakland-raiders-what-potential-charles-woodson-signing-would-mean As the Charles Woodson sweepstakes have heated up, the odds of the Oakland Raiders landing one of the all-time fan favorites has, unfortunately, declined.

Just because it's unlikely, though, doesn't mean it's impossible.

After Josina Anderson of ESPN tweeted last week that Woodson had received an offer from Oakland last week, hopes in Raiderland began to rise.

Then, Woodson left a visit with the Denver Broncos without a deal.

And then, as if things couldn't get any better, Woodson scheduled a visit to Oakland for next Tuesday to meet with team and front office officials, according to his agent:

But with all of this news coming down the wire, is Woodson returning to Oakland really a good thing?

Can he really still help the team?

In short, the answer is a definitive yes.

Obviously, the biggest reason many want Woodson back is because of the name recognition and because of the memories many have of No. 24 in the silver and black.

On a greater scale, however, I think the biggest thing Woodson offers Oakland is hope.

Ever since general manager Reggie McKenzie took over two years ago, Oakland has been in rebuild mode—and it's not McKenzie's fault.

With massive contracts littering the roster, McKenzie has cut big names and signed no-names. Of course, some, like Phillip Wheeler from last season, panned out spectacularly.

The point, though, is that McKenzie hasn't had the chance to ink a difference-maker. To sign a guy we've heard of and to give the fanbase some hope.

Despite his age, that's exactly what Charles Woodson represents.

It's a short-term reminder that the Oakland Raiders are, in fact, interested in winning football games and not just saving money.

It's a reminder that this is a franchise capable of signing big-name players and making an impact on the league.

Of course, Charles Woodson won't make the Raider defense great; in fact, he might not even make them good.

The good news, though, is that Oakland has a desperate need at free safety—a position Woodson would be most comfortable playing—and they are desperate for some veteran leadership.

Imagine Woodson mentoring young guys like DJ Hayden and it's easy to see why this move makes a ton of sense.

Of course, "sense" isn't really the object of concern for McKenzie and Co. as much as "cents."

What's it going to cost the Raiders?

In my opinion, I think Oakland should offer Woodson something like a two-year deal guaranteed—not for big money but just to show him they're committed to him beyond the veteran's minimum on a one-year deal.

Would that be enough to lure him away from a contender like Denver?

Who knows?

Then again, if it did?

Safe to say Woodson's place in Raiders lore would be safely secured.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> As the Charles Woodson sweepstakes have heated up, the odds of the Oakland Raiders landing one of the all-time fan favorites has, unfortunately, declined.

Just because it's unlikely, though, doesn't mean it's impossible.

After Josina Anderson of ESPN tweeted last week that Woodson had received an offer from Oakland last week, hopes in Raiderland began to rise.

Then, Woodson left a visit with the Denver Broncos without a deal.

And then, as if things couldn't get any better, Woodson scheduled a visit to Oakland for next Tuesday to meet with team and front office officials, according to his agent:

But with all of this news coming down the wire, is Woodson returning to Oakland really a good thing?

Can he really still help the team?

In short, the answer is a definitive yes.

Obviously, the biggest reason many want Woodson back is because of the name recognition and because of the memories many have of No. 24 in the silver and black.

On a greater scale, however, I think the biggest thing Woodson offers Oakland is hope.

Ever since general manager Reggie McKenzie took over two years ago, Oakland has been in rebuild mode—and it's not McKenzie's fault.

With massive contracts littering the roster, McKenzie has cut big names and signed no-names. Of course, some, like Phillip Wheeler from last season, panned out spectacularly.

The point, though, is that McKenzie hasn't had the chance to ink a difference-maker. To sign a guy we've heard of and to give the fanbase some hope.

Despite his age, that's exactly what Charles Woodson represents.

It's a short-term reminder that the Oakland Raiders are, in fact, interested in winning football games and not just saving money.

It's a reminder that this is a franchise capable of signing big-name players and making an impact on the league.

Of course, Charles Woodson won't make the Raider defense great; in fact, he might not even make them good.

The good news, though, is that Oakland has a desperate need at free safety—a position Woodson would be most comfortable playing—and they are desperate for some veteran leadership.

Imagine Woodson mentoring young guys like DJ Hayden and it's easy to see why this move makes a ton of sense.

Of course, "sense" isn't really the object of concern for McKenzie and Co. as much as "cents."

What's it going to cost the Raiders?

In my opinion, I think Oakland should offer Woodson something like a two-year deal guaranteed—not for big money but just to show him they're committed to him beyond the veteran's minimum on a one-year deal.

Would that be enough to lure him away from a contender like Denver?

Who knows?

Then again, if it did?

Safe to say Woodson's place in Raiders lore would be safely secured.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/what-potential-charles-woodson-signing-would-mean-for-oakland-raiders/feed/ 0 Oakland Raiders Quarterback Competition: Complete Position Evaluation http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/oakland-raiders-quarterback-competition-complete-position-evaluation/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/oakland-raiders-quarterback-competition-complete-position-evaluation/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 13:06:55 +0000 Jeff Spiegel http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1639568-oakland-raiders-quarterback-competition-complete-position-evalation If there's one position in any sport that has the biggest impact on a team's overall success, it's hard to argue with that position being quarterback.

Glancing around the league, guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are perfect illustrations of this. I mean, take a look at the defenses on those three teams and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Without any semblance of a defense, all three teams have been perennial contenders. Now, obviously, there are other guys who have had something to do with their success, but most of the credit belongs to the guy behind center.

Which, in short, is why the Oakland Raiders haven't been to the playoffs since the 2002 season.

Trivia question: which quarterbacks have made the most starts for the Raiders since 2003?

Answer: Kerry Collins (28), JaMarcus Russell (24), Carson Palmer (24), Jason Campbell (18), Rich Gannon (10), Andrew Walter (9), Bruce Gradkowski (8), Aaron Brooks, Rick Mirer (7) and Daunte Culpepper (6).

That clears things up a bit, doesn't it?

Now, to be fair, I think Carson Palmer performed more than adequately last season (although the same can't be said about many other guys on that list).

Despite finishing in the top 15 in both completion percentage and touchdowns, as well as the top 10 in passing yards, Palmer and the Raiders had yet another season to forget in 2012.

So has anything changed this offseason that leads us to believe things will be better in 2013?

Well that all depends on your opinion on Oakland's newest signal caller, Matt Flynn, your opinion on rookie Tyler Wilson and on their third-year enigma, Terrelle Pryor.

 

Matt Flynn

In 2011, Matt Flynn had the NFL's highest QB rating.

Then again, Flynn only played in one game that season—the season finale for the Packers against the Lions, when he threw for an unconscious 480 yards and six touchdowns. In one game.

Conveniently timed before his year of free agency, Flynn moved to Seattle as the assumed starter.

And then, Russell Wilson happened.

Despite Flynn's big contract, Wilson assumed the starting position in the preseason and Flynn was back where he was comfortable: holding the clipboard.

In almost a rerun of last year, Flynn has again moved teams and is the assumed starter. (Once again, however, there's a fourth-round draft pick lurking in the wings).

So what can Oakland expect from the sixth-year man out of LSU?

In all honesty, it's tough to say.

In those six seasons, Flynn has thrown just 141 passes.

The good news, however, is that there's reason to believe Flynn is capable of playing at the professional level.

The first bit of evidence was that game against Detroit, as it's safe to say that there aren't a ton of guys capable of throwing for almost 500 yards against any defense.

The second reason to believe in Flynn is the amount of interest he generated as a free agent. With the amount of executives that were interested, it's impossible to believe that just one game had radically altered their opinion of him.

Of course, history says this move could go one of two ways: Kevin Kolb or Matt Schaub.

Both backups with limited but successful starting experience, Kolb and Schaub moved on from their original teams (Philadelphia and Atlanta respectively) and got starting jobs elsewhere.

While Kolb was replaced by Carson Palmer in Arizona and ended up in Buffalo, Schaub has established himself as a solid NFL player in his seventh season with the Texans.

Before signing his deal with Houston, Schaub had thrown just 161 passes as a pro.

For Oakland, I think there's a chance that Flynn could end up like either of those two guys did—one a starter and the other a castoff, however, given his experience under a guy like Aaron Rodgers, I'm sure Oakland feels he's closer to Schaub than Kolb.

The good news for Oakland and Flynn is that expectations are low this season despite an eventful offseason and exciting draft, and so pressure is low.

On the flip side, however, Flynn knows there are two guys waiting in the wings behind him eager to get their chance to start in this league.

 

Tyler Wilson

Don't interpret Wilson's placing of second in this piece as a statement about where he lies on the depth chart, but more of a guess at where he ends up long term.

As I recently watched the ESPN 30 for 30 on John Elway and Dan Marino, I couldn't get hopeful but make the wishful comparison of Wilson's college career to Marino's.

NOTE: Tyler Wilson is not Dan Marino, that's not what I'm saying.

As they discussed Marino's career they mentioned what a successful junior season he had as his draft stock hit its peak. Unfortunately for Marino, a rough senior season dropped him late into the first round as the draft's sixth quarterback taken.

Like Marino, Wilson's draft stock peaked after a tremendous junior season, and like Marino, Wilson's stock plummeted after a disastrous senior season.

Heading into the 2012 season, many experts ranked Wilson as one of the next year's draft top prospects. In fact, Mel Kiper ranked Wilson as the No. 2 quarterback prospect among seniors in May of 2012, trailing just Matt Barkley.

Then, after throwing just 13 interceptions in his career prior to 2012, Wilson through 13 more in 2012 alone as Arkansas endured a dreadful 4-8 season.

All this to ask: is Tyler Wilson any good?

The short answer is that I think Wilson was as good a risk as Oakland could have taken in the fourth round at the quarterback position.

There are lots of ways to write off his 2012 season due to extenuating circumstances (namely: Bobby Petrino, no offensive line), and if you're an Oakland fan, that's a good sign.

In addition, I think the upside in a guy like Wilson is that of a first-round pick, which isn't something you could say about many quarterbacks taken that late in the draft.

Basically, there's a chance he could be the future in Oakland, but there's also a good chance his fourth-round selection was pretty accurate and that he's a career backup.

For a team like Oakland, I think he's the perfect pick and project.

He won't be rushed into starting and he'll have (likely) a full year to develop before they need to decide if quarterback is a position of need in the 2014 draft.

For me, I've got a good feeling about Wilson.

 

Terrelle Pryor

Last but not least on the depth chart is third-year man Terrelle Pryor, the topic of much debate amongst Oakland fans.

On one hand is the group who thinks Pryor's dual-threat capabilities represent Oakland's future.

On the other hand is the group who think that despite his fantastic work ethic and athleticism, Pryor simply lacks the passing ability to make it in this league.

Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, however, one thing is sure: the Oakland coaching staff seems to lie with the second camp.

While there isn't a quote out there in which Dennis Allen describes these feelings about Pryor, it's hard to imagine he has high hopes for Pryor after bringing in two quarterbacks this offseason.

If Pryor was the future, why draft Wilson and trade for Flynn?

Debate aside, I think Pryor is a fascinating piece in the incredibly fascinating Oakland puzzle.

If Pryor ever developed a consistent passing game, I think he's got all the potential in the world, but the question remains as to how long Oakland is willing to wait for that to develop.

I think, like Wilson, Pryor has one year to show what he's got. If, after this season, Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie aren't convinced that Pryor has what it takes, quarterback will be a major target in the 2014 draft, which is thought to be full of prospects at signal-caller.

Behind Pryor and Wilson are also undrafted free-agent quarterbacks Kyle Padron from Eastern Washington and Matt McGloin from Penn State.

While both guys will have a chance to show what they've got during camp, it's hard to imagine Oakland wants to carry any more than one rookie behind Flynn this season.

That said, if anyone would be replaced by Padron or McGloin, I think it's safe to assume that person would be Pryor.

So there you have it.

One year after some semblance of consistency in Oakland at the quarterback position (retaining two of their three quarterbacks), Oakland has shaken things up once again with a big acquisition and a rookie.

Now let's see if any of them can eventually pass Kerry Collins on that list of starts already.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> If there's one position in any sport that has the biggest impact on a team's overall success, it's hard to argue with that position being quarterback.

Glancing around the league, guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are perfect illustrations of this. I mean, take a look at the defenses on those three teams and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Without any semblance of a defense, all three teams have been perennial contenders. Now, obviously, there are other guys who have had something to do with their success, but most of the credit belongs to the guy behind center.

Which, in short, is why the Oakland Raiders haven't been to the playoffs since the 2002 season.

Trivia question: which quarterbacks have made the most starts for the Raiders since 2003?

Answer: Kerry Collins (28), JaMarcus Russell (24), Carson Palmer (24), Jason Campbell (18), Rich Gannon (10), Andrew Walter (9), Bruce Gradkowski (8), Aaron Brooks, Rick Mirer (7) and Daunte Culpepper (6).

That clears things up a bit, doesn't it?

Now, to be fair, I think Carson Palmer performed more than adequately last season (although the same can't be said about many other guys on that list).

Despite finishing in the top 15 in both completion percentage and touchdowns, as well as the top 10 in passing yards, Palmer and the Raiders had yet another season to forget in 2012.

So has anything changed this offseason that leads us to believe things will be better in 2013?

Well that all depends on your opinion on Oakland's newest signal caller, Matt Flynn, your opinion on rookie Tyler Wilson and on their third-year enigma, Terrelle Pryor.

 

Matt Flynn

In 2011, Matt Flynn had the NFL's highest QB rating.

Then again, Flynn only played in one game that season—the season finale for the Packers against the Lions, when he threw for an unconscious 480 yards and six touchdowns. In one game.

Conveniently timed before his year of free agency, Flynn moved to Seattle as the assumed starter.

And then, Russell Wilson happened.

Despite Flynn's big contract, Wilson assumed the starting position in the preseason and Flynn was back where he was comfortable: holding the clipboard.

In almost a rerun of last year, Flynn has again moved teams and is the assumed starter. (Once again, however, there's a fourth-round draft pick lurking in the wings).

So what can Oakland expect from the sixth-year man out of LSU?

In all honesty, it's tough to say.

In those six seasons, Flynn has thrown just 141 passes.

The good news, however, is that there's reason to believe Flynn is capable of playing at the professional level.

The first bit of evidence was that game against Detroit, as it's safe to say that there aren't a ton of guys capable of throwing for almost 500 yards against any defense.

The second reason to believe in Flynn is the amount of interest he generated as a free agent. With the amount of executives that were interested, it's impossible to believe that just one game had radically altered their opinion of him.

Of course, history says this move could go one of two ways: Kevin Kolb or Matt Schaub.

Both backups with limited but successful starting experience, Kolb and Schaub moved on from their original teams (Philadelphia and Atlanta respectively) and got starting jobs elsewhere.

While Kolb was replaced by Carson Palmer in Arizona and ended up in Buffalo, Schaub has established himself as a solid NFL player in his seventh season with the Texans.

Before signing his deal with Houston, Schaub had thrown just 161 passes as a pro.

For Oakland, I think there's a chance that Flynn could end up like either of those two guys did—one a starter and the other a castoff, however, given his experience under a guy like Aaron Rodgers, I'm sure Oakland feels he's closer to Schaub than Kolb.

The good news for Oakland and Flynn is that expectations are low this season despite an eventful offseason and exciting draft, and so pressure is low.

On the flip side, however, Flynn knows there are two guys waiting in the wings behind him eager to get their chance to start in this league.

 

Tyler Wilson

Don't interpret Wilson's placing of second in this piece as a statement about where he lies on the depth chart, but more of a guess at where he ends up long term.

As I recently watched the ESPN 30 for 30 on John Elway and Dan Marino, I couldn't get hopeful but make the wishful comparison of Wilson's college career to Marino's.

NOTE: Tyler Wilson is not Dan Marino, that's not what I'm saying.

As they discussed Marino's career they mentioned what a successful junior season he had as his draft stock hit its peak. Unfortunately for Marino, a rough senior season dropped him late into the first round as the draft's sixth quarterback taken.

Like Marino, Wilson's draft stock peaked after a tremendous junior season, and like Marino, Wilson's stock plummeted after a disastrous senior season.

Heading into the 2012 season, many experts ranked Wilson as one of the next year's draft top prospects. In fact, Mel Kiper ranked Wilson as the No. 2 quarterback prospect among seniors in May of 2012, trailing just Matt Barkley.

Then, after throwing just 13 interceptions in his career prior to 2012, Wilson through 13 more in 2012 alone as Arkansas endured a dreadful 4-8 season.

All this to ask: is Tyler Wilson any good?

The short answer is that I think Wilson was as good a risk as Oakland could have taken in the fourth round at the quarterback position.

There are lots of ways to write off his 2012 season due to extenuating circumstances (namely: Bobby Petrino, no offensive line), and if you're an Oakland fan, that's a good sign.

In addition, I think the upside in a guy like Wilson is that of a first-round pick, which isn't something you could say about many quarterbacks taken that late in the draft.

Basically, there's a chance he could be the future in Oakland, but there's also a good chance his fourth-round selection was pretty accurate and that he's a career backup.

For a team like Oakland, I think he's the perfect pick and project.

He won't be rushed into starting and he'll have (likely) a full year to develop before they need to decide if quarterback is a position of need in the 2014 draft.

For me, I've got a good feeling about Wilson.

 

Terrelle Pryor

Last but not least on the depth chart is third-year man Terrelle Pryor, the topic of much debate amongst Oakland fans.

On one hand is the group who thinks Pryor's dual-threat capabilities represent Oakland's future.

On the other hand is the group who think that despite his fantastic work ethic and athleticism, Pryor simply lacks the passing ability to make it in this league.

Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, however, one thing is sure: the Oakland coaching staff seems to lie with the second camp.

While there isn't a quote out there in which Dennis Allen describes these feelings about Pryor, it's hard to imagine he has high hopes for Pryor after bringing in two quarterbacks this offseason.

If Pryor was the future, why draft Wilson and trade for Flynn?

Debate aside, I think Pryor is a fascinating piece in the incredibly fascinating Oakland puzzle.

If Pryor ever developed a consistent passing game, I think he's got all the potential in the world, but the question remains as to how long Oakland is willing to wait for that to develop.

I think, like Wilson, Pryor has one year to show what he's got. If, after this season, Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie aren't convinced that Pryor has what it takes, quarterback will be a major target in the 2014 draft, which is thought to be full of prospects at signal-caller.

Behind Pryor and Wilson are also undrafted free-agent quarterbacks Kyle Padron from Eastern Washington and Matt McGloin from Penn State.

While both guys will have a chance to show what they've got during camp, it's hard to imagine Oakland wants to carry any more than one rookie behind Flynn this season.

That said, if anyone would be replaced by Padron or McGloin, I think it's safe to assume that person would be Pryor.

So there you have it.

One year after some semblance of consistency in Oakland at the quarterback position (retaining two of their three quarterbacks), Oakland has shaken things up once again with a big acquisition and a rookie.

Now let's see if any of them can eventually pass Kerry Collins on that list of starts already.

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/oakland-raiders-quarterback-competition-complete-position-evaluation/feed/ 0 Creating the Perfect Offseason Plan for LA Lakers http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/creating-the-perfect-offseason-plan-for-la-lakers/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/creating-the-perfect-offseason-plan-for-la-lakers/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 09:55:20 +0000 Richard Le http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1636398-creating-the-perfect-offseason-plan-for-la-lakers As the offseason approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers have two possible outcomes. The two paths the Lakers can take revolve around re-signing Dwight Howard or letting him go.

In either case, the Los Angeles Lakers start off with over $78.1 million under contract, which is already roughly $20 million over the salary cap.

However, a healthy Howard is worth the over five-year, $110 million investment the Lakers can make him. If Howard does choose to re-sign, roughly $20.4 million more will burden their salary cap, giving them very little room to maneuver for free agents. 

Assuming the Lakers are willing to reach the $100.1 million plateau they had reached for the 2012-2013 season, re-signing Howard will give them roughly $2 million to work with.

With potentially eight players under contract going into next season excluding Howard, the Lakers are going to have to use that $2 million to acquire three more role players.

To further complicate things, Kobe Bryant may or may not be a factor next season due to his Achilles tendon injury, meaning a fourth player may be needed to come off of the bench. 

However, the only player under contract after next season would be Steve Nash. Assuming Howard has signed a five-year deal, the Lakers can choose to retain their amnesty clause and sign journeymen and veteran free agents such as Tracy McGrady and others to tide them over for a season before they can completely rebuild during the 2014 offseason. 

In any case, with Bryant set to come off of the books after next season, re-signing the Black Mamba at a discount will be a top priority for the Lakers heading into the 2014-2015 season if Bryant doesn't choose to retire. 

This way, the Lakers retain the amnesty clause, bring back the same core this year (minus Bryant for at least a significant portion of the season) with optimistic hopes that health will be in their favor and have the chance to completely rebuild and restructure the Lakers around Howard as the foundation following next season. 

To re-sign Howard, the Lakers' management need to stress that Howard can make more money in L.A. than in any other city. On top of that, it is paramount that Howard understands that the Lakers may struggle during the 2013-2014 season due to the fact that they are bringing back an aging and injury-prone core, minus role players such as Earl Clark and Antawn Jamison.

However, in the case that Howard does not choose to re-sign with the Lakers, they will have to sign free agents that shore up their weaknesses and hope that their inevitable struggles will yield a bountiful crop of drafted players.

Assuming that Howard does not re-sign, the Lakers will have gaping defensive holes in the paint and on the perimeter. They will have to reasonably fill these holes while sitting over $20 million above the salary cap. 

At 31 years old, Tony Allen may be a little old for the Lakers to start rebuilding around. However, his tenacious defense and tendency to hit his open shots make him a valuable option.

Perhaps the riskiest option for the Lakers would be to sign J.R. Smith. His struggles during the New York Knicks' current series with the Indiana Pacers' show that he may not be comfortable under the glare or criticism and the national media spotlight.

Furthermore, his erratic shooting and ball-dominating tendencies may clash with Bryant once he returns.

Despite the drawbacks, he is a proven scorer and athlete and was one of the the Knicks' best perimeter defenders. 

If J.R. Smith consents to being a third option behind Pau Gasol (who has proven that he still has a lot left in the tank when healthy) and Bryant (should he choose not to retire and to re-sign at a discount during the 2014-2015 season), he will be able to score with less pressure while defending the opposition's best perimeter threat. 

He will definitely be in for a raise from the close to $3 million he was paid this season, but should be worth the investment if the rewards outweigh the risks. 

To attempt to fill in the gaping hole left by Howard's absence, the Lakers should consider signing Nikola Pekovic to a long-term contract. 

Like Smith, Pekovic has played his way to a significant raise from the close to $5 million he was paid this season.

However, with a core of Smith and Pekovic, who are both 27 years old, the Lakers will have two young players who would complement Gasol, Bryant and Steve Nash well. 

Though they will still struggle to make the playoffs, signing these two should tide them through until 2014-2015, which would allow them to construct a team that would work well around a core of Smith, Pekovic and a potentially healthy and motivated veteran in the Black Mamba. 

In terms of the coach, it is clear that if Howard is to re-sign with the Lakers, the Lakers will need to replace Mike D'Antoni. However, if the Lakers choose not to re-sign Howard, they could potentially keep D'Antoni and build a team to fit his system.

Bryant has proven this season that he can be an extremely effective playmaker. As his career winds down, he can be more of a facilitator than a scorer.

With that being said, Pekovic's interior presence and versatility should allow him to anchor the paint and play the pick-and-roll with Bryant.

This should allow the Lakers to bolster this pick-and-roll tandem with shooters that complement J.R. Smith and work well in D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense, should they choose to go that route. 

If the Lakers do re-sign Howard, they will need a coach (such as Phil Jackson) who knows how to utilize big men in the post, that understands the egos and personalities of the roster and is flexible enough to make adjustments.

D'Antoni has proven during his run with the Knicks and this season with the Lakers that he is too enamored with his run-and-gun system to forsake it, too proud and stubborn to manage the personalities on his roster and their talent base. 

By alienating Gasol early in the season and refusing to play Howard and Gasol together for the majority of the season (barring injury) despite the fact that their tandem was a major reason for the Lakers' late-season push, D'Antoni exhibits all of the previously mentioned deficiencies. 

However, his tenure with the Phoenix Suns shows that winning basketball can still be produced in his system, and the Lakers have the ability to recreate that system should they choose to not re-sign Howard. 

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]> As the offseason approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers have two possible outcomes. The two paths the Lakers can take revolve around re-signing Dwight Howard or letting him go.

In either case, the Los Angeles Lakers start off with over $78.1 million under contract, which is already roughly $20 million over the salary cap.

However, a healthy Howard is worth the over five-year, $110 million investment the Lakers can make him. If Howard does choose to re-sign, roughly $20.4 million more will burden their salary cap, giving them very little room to maneuver for free agents. 

Assuming the Lakers are willing to reach the $100.1 million plateau they had reached for the 2012-2013 season, re-signing Howard will give them roughly $2 million to work with.

With potentially eight players under contract going into next season excluding Howard, the Lakers are going to have to use that $2 million to acquire three more role players.

To further complicate things, Kobe Bryant may or may not be a factor next season due to his Achilles tendon injury, meaning a fourth player may be needed to come off of the bench. 

However, the only player under contract after next season would be Steve Nash. Assuming Howard has signed a five-year deal, the Lakers can choose to retain their amnesty clause and sign journeymen and veteran free agents such as Tracy McGrady and others to tide them over for a season before they can completely rebuild during the 2014 offseason. 

In any case, with Bryant set to come off of the books after next season, re-signing the Black Mamba at a discount will be a top priority for the Lakers heading into the 2014-2015 season if Bryant doesn't choose to retire. 

This way, the Lakers retain the amnesty clause, bring back the same core this year (minus Bryant for at least a significant portion of the season) with optimistic hopes that health will be in their favor and have the chance to completely rebuild and restructure the Lakers around Howard as the foundation following next season. 

To re-sign Howard, the Lakers' management need to stress that Howard can make more money in L.A. than in any other city. On top of that, it is paramount that Howard understands that the Lakers may struggle during the 2013-2014 season due to the fact that they are bringing back an aging and injury-prone core, minus role players such as Earl Clark and Antawn Jamison.

However, in the case that Howard does not choose to re-sign with the Lakers, they will have to sign free agents that shore up their weaknesses and hope that their inevitable struggles will yield a bountiful crop of drafted players.

Assuming that Howard does not re-sign, the Lakers will have gaping defensive holes in the paint and on the perimeter. They will have to reasonably fill these holes while sitting over $20 million above the salary cap. 

At 31 years old, Tony Allen may be a little old for the Lakers to start rebuilding around. However, his tenacious defense and tendency to hit his open shots make him a valuable option.

Perhaps the riskiest option for the Lakers would be to sign J.R. Smith. His struggles during the New York Knicks' current series with the Indiana Pacers' show that he may not be comfortable under the glare or criticism and the national media spotlight.

Furthermore, his erratic shooting and ball-dominating tendencies may clash with Bryant once he returns.

Despite the drawbacks, he is a proven scorer and athlete and was one of the the Knicks' best perimeter defenders. 

If J.R. Smith consents to being a third option behind Pau Gasol (who has proven that he still has a lot left in the tank when healthy) and Bryant (should he choose not to retire and to re-sign at a discount during the 2014-2015 season), he will be able to score with less pressure while defending the opposition's best perimeter threat. 

He will definitely be in for a raise from the close to $3 million he was paid this season, but should be worth the investment if the rewards outweigh the risks. 

To attempt to fill in the gaping hole left by Howard's absence, the Lakers should consider signing Nikola Pekovic to a long-term contract. 

Like Smith, Pekovic has played his way to a significant raise from the close to $5 million he was paid this season.

However, with a core of Smith and Pekovic, who are both 27 years old, the Lakers will have two young players who would complement Gasol, Bryant and Steve Nash well. 

Though they will still struggle to make the playoffs, signing these two should tide them through until 2014-2015, which would allow them to construct a team that would work well around a core of Smith, Pekovic and a potentially healthy and motivated veteran in the Black Mamba. 

In terms of the coach, it is clear that if Howard is to re-sign with the Lakers, the Lakers will need to replace Mike D'Antoni. However, if the Lakers choose not to re-sign Howard, they could potentially keep D'Antoni and build a team to fit his system.

Bryant has proven this season that he can be an extremely effective playmaker. As his career winds down, he can be more of a facilitator than a scorer.

With that being said, Pekovic's interior presence and versatility should allow him to anchor the paint and play the pick-and-roll with Bryant.

This should allow the Lakers to bolster this pick-and-roll tandem with shooters that complement J.R. Smith and work well in D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense, should they choose to go that route. 

If the Lakers do re-sign Howard, they will need a coach (such as Phil Jackson) who knows how to utilize big men in the post, that understands the egos and personalities of the roster and is flexible enough to make adjustments.

D'Antoni has proven during his run with the Knicks and this season with the Lakers that he is too enamored with his run-and-gun system to forsake it, too proud and stubborn to manage the personalities on his roster and their talent base. 

By alienating Gasol early in the season and refusing to play Howard and Gasol together for the majority of the season (barring injury) despite the fact that their tandem was a major reason for the Lakers' late-season push, D'Antoni exhibits all of the previously mentioned deficiencies. 

However, his tenure with the Phoenix Suns shows that winning basketball can still be produced in his system, and the Lakers have the ability to recreate that system should they choose to not re-sign Howard. 

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/creating-the-perfect-offseason-plan-for-la-lakers/feed/ 0 Kobe Bryant Fears Nothing, Not Even Sharks http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/kobe-bryant-fears-nothing-not-even-sharks/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/kobe-bryant-fears-nothing-not-even-sharks/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 04:12:26 +0000 Sean Hojnacki http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1642644-kobe-bryant-fears-nothing-not-even-sharks

I don't know if Kobe Bryant has seen Jaws, but I'm willing to bet that he has.

I guess he didn't understand the movie's message: Sharks can eat you.

Statistically speaking, the average swimmer is extremely unlikely to be attacked by a shark. But if you just saw some sharks hanging around your boat, it would be courageous at best and colossally stupid at worst to hop in the water after them.

And yet that's precisely what Bryant did on one fishing trip off the coast of California.

Did anyone tell the Los Angeles Lakers about this?

Accompanied by Eric Avar from Nike, Bryant decided to go for an impromptu swim in waters patrolled by large pelagic fish, including friendly whales and man-eating sharks. At least it's not all bad.

Nike rep Heidi Burgett tweeted out a photo of the exhibit.

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports supplied the larger version of Burgett's photo. 

Daniel Buerge from Lakers Nation did us the favor of transcribing the text:

Avar witnessed Kobe Bryant’s alpha male personality firsthand on a deep sea fishing trip about 60 miles from Newport, California. “There are sharks, whales, dolphins all around, and he’s like, ‘If I jump, will you jump?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, we just saw sharks.’ He says, ‘Come on.’ No sooner do I say okay, he takes off his shirt and jumps. I literally grab my camera, and got this shot just in time.

We all know that Bryant drips with toughness on the court, as he has proven over 16 stellar seasons in the NBA, but hopping into the deep blue sea requires an entirely different temperament. 

I know if I were a multimillionaire and future NBA Hall of Famer (admittedly, that's a big if), I wouldn't be taking any chances on becoming lunch for some peckish shark.

Now, there's no word on what species of shark Bryant and Avar had seen earlier that day, so perhaps they were just some cuddly blacktip reef sharks venturing out. I highly doubt they were great whites, but why even take the chance? Just go swimming in your infinity pool!

But Kobe is just brash enough to test the odds for the sake of a refreshing splash in the ocean. 

There have been sightings of great white sharks near Newport Beach, as well as a fatal shark attack in 2008 at a nearby beach, according to the Los Angeles Times. A dozen people were killed by sharks in 2011, numbering among 75 attacks worldwide, according to Reuters, via the Telegraph.

But it's important to remember that Bryant is much more of a danger to sharks than they are to him. According to Oceana.org, "[F]or every one human killed by a shark, there are approximately 25 million sharks killed by humans."

Now, if we could only keep Bryant out of shark-infested waters for both his sake and the sharks'.

Perhaps someone should call up Robert Shaw's chilling monologue about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis to help convince Bryant to stay out of the water.

Maybe that can scare him straight.

 

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]>

I don't know if Kobe Bryant has seen Jaws, but I'm willing to bet that he has.

I guess he didn't understand the movie's message: Sharks can eat you.

Statistically speaking, the average swimmer is extremely unlikely to be attacked by a shark. But if you just saw some sharks hanging around your boat, it would be courageous at best and colossally stupid at worst to hop in the water after them.

And yet that's precisely what Bryant did on one fishing trip off the coast of California.

Did anyone tell the Los Angeles Lakers about this?

Accompanied by Eric Avar from Nike, Bryant decided to go for an impromptu swim in waters patrolled by large pelagic fish, including friendly whales and man-eating sharks. At least it's not all bad.

Nike rep Heidi Burgett tweeted out a photo of the exhibit.

Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports supplied the larger version of Burgett's photo. 

Daniel Buerge from Lakers Nation did us the favor of transcribing the text:

Avar witnessed Kobe Bryant’s alpha male personality firsthand on a deep sea fishing trip about 60 miles from Newport, California. “There are sharks, whales, dolphins all around, and he’s like, ‘If I jump, will you jump?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, we just saw sharks.’ He says, ‘Come on.’ No sooner do I say okay, he takes off his shirt and jumps. I literally grab my camera, and got this shot just in time.

We all know that Bryant drips with toughness on the court, as he has proven over 16 stellar seasons in the NBA, but hopping into the deep blue sea requires an entirely different temperament. 

I know if I were a multimillionaire and future NBA Hall of Famer (admittedly, that's a big if), I wouldn't be taking any chances on becoming lunch for some peckish shark.

Now, there's no word on what species of shark Bryant and Avar had seen earlier that day, so perhaps they were just some cuddly blacktip reef sharks venturing out. I highly doubt they were great whites, but why even take the chance? Just go swimming in your infinity pool!

But Kobe is just brash enough to test the odds for the sake of a refreshing splash in the ocean. 

There have been sightings of great white sharks near Newport Beach, as well as a fatal shark attack in 2008 at a nearby beach, according to the Los Angeles Times. A dozen people were killed by sharks in 2011, numbering among 75 attacks worldwide, according to Reuters, via the Telegraph.

But it's important to remember that Bryant is much more of a danger to sharks than they are to him. According to Oceana.org, "[F]or every one human killed by a shark, there are approximately 25 million sharks killed by humans."

Now, if we could only keep Bryant out of shark-infested waters for both his sake and the sharks'.

Perhaps someone should call up Robert Shaw's chilling monologue about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis to help convince Bryant to stay out of the water.

Maybe that can scare him straight.

 

Read more Los Angeles Lakers news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/la-lakers/kobe-bryant-fears-nothing-not-even-sharks/feed/ 0 The Oakland Raiders’ Sio Moore’s Tattoo Stories http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/the-oakland-raiders-sio-moores-tattoo-stories/ http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/the-oakland-raiders-sio-moores-tattoo-stories/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 21:34:06 +0000 Bleacher Report Productions http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1641650-the-oakland-raiders-sio-moores-tattoo-stories Say what you want about tattoos: Some are bizarre, others cool and some not so much. But when tattoos have a great story behind them, they are often looked at in a whole new light.

We caught up with the Oakland Raiders' third-round draft pick, Sio Moore, whose body is inked with tats. 

He's one of those guys who does not get a tattoo for the sake of it. Some deep meaning and thought go into his body art. 

In this video, the Raiders' rookie linebacker gives his stories behind the ink.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of the Raiders drafting Sio Moore in the third round and if you like his tats. 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> Say what you want about tattoos: Some are bizarre, others cool and some not so much. But when tattoos have a great story behind them, they are often looked at in a whole new light.

We caught up with the Oakland Raiders' third-round draft pick, Sio Moore, whose body is inked with tats. 

He's one of those guys who does not get a tattoo for the sake of it. Some deep meaning and thought go into his body art. 

In this video, the Raiders' rookie linebacker gives his stories behind the ink.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of the Raiders drafting Sio Moore in the third round and if you like his tats. 

Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com

]]> http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/oakland-raiders/the-oakland-raiders-sio-moores-tattoo-stories/feed/ 0