Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Bring on the Canadiens!!!




Bruins Move On, Ready For the Hated Canadiens!

            Four wins down, twelve more to go. The Red Wings gave the Bruins a decent scare after a great performance from goaltender Jimmy Howard who stopped 25 shots en route to a 1-0 win in Game 1. Veteran leader for the Wings, Pavel Datsyuk, magically ripped a wrister past Tuukka Rask to give Detroit the game winning goal. The Bruins lost that game, but it obviously made them refocus and be themselves again. They strolled into Game 2 playing aggressive hockey getting two 1st period goals from young guys Justin Florek and Reilly Smith and never looked back after that. The Bruins would keep the series even winning 4-1. In a pivotal Game 3, the Bruins yet again came out as the aggressors and yet again got two early goals from two young guys, Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Caron. Tuukka Rask had a great game with 23 saves and a shutout to give Boston a favorable 2-1 series lead.

            Game 4 was a must-win for the Red Wings as they could not afford to go down 3-1 in the series with two games in Boston remaining. Early in the 2nd period, the Wings took a 2-0 lead on a Pavel Datsyuk goal. The Bruins were in a tough spot, but not finished. Torey Krug answered by slapping home a power play goal just minutes later to cut the lead in half. The Bruins headed into the 3rd period down only one. Just a minute into the 3rd, Carl Soderberg, the one eyed Swede, drove hard to the net and left a beauty of a pass to Milan Lucic who put it away to tie the game at 2-2. The play was a beauty from the hot Soderberg, who somehow had the vision and whereabouts to make the pass to Looch. The teams ended up going to overtime tied at two. For most of the overtime period, Boston controlled the pace and physicality of the game. All of this eventually paid off when Jarome Iginla scored the game winner on a shot from the dot that tipped in. The Bruins had shown some serious resilience coming back down two goals on the road and winning to take a commanding 3-1 series lead headed back to Boston.


            Back in Boston for Game 5, the Bruins just needed one more victory to secure a spot to play the Candians in the East Semis. The Bruins scored first on a Loui Eriksson power play goal. Then, Pavel Datsyuk answered tying the game at one for his third goal of the series. But then, just minutes later in the 2nd, the Bruins answered on a Zdeno Chara power play goal to take control of the game. As you can see, the Bruins were ready to respond to every shot Detroit took at them in this game. Detroit tied the game at two, then yet again, the resilient Bruins got a goal from Lucic to take a 3-2 lead which wasn’t going anywhere. The Bruins held off the Wings the rest of the 3rd and got a late empty net goal from Iginla to solidify the victory. The Bruins lost the first game of series and after that, did not look back, winning four straight games. The Bruins looked like the Bruins of March, who controlled every game in every facet.

            It was nice to see some great play from Carl Soderberg, who showed he can be a playmaker for the third line in the playoffs too. It was also nice to see the Bruins look fine on the 3rd and 4th lines even though Daniel Paille and Chris Kelly were missing. There were many things to like in this series, Rask’s netminding, Lucic finding the back of the net three times and good defensive play from the young guys, especially Miller all contributed to the B’s moving on to play the Habs. All of these guys and everyone else will have to play their ‘A’ game to beat Montreal.

            The historic Boston-Montreal rivalry will be renewed in just days. The last time these two met in the playoffs, it was a blood bath in 2011 that took an overtime Game 7 goal for the Bruins to win the series. This series in 2014 will come down to goaltending as it always does. Tuukka Rask in one of the best in the world and we all know that, but Carey Price is nothing to laugh at either, as he has had his best season yet in the NHL. We all know the Habs are the floppers of the NHL so the special teams in this series will play a HUGE factor. The Bruins need to play smart hockey and not try to take off the heads of the pests in Montreal no matter how tempting it may be. The Bruins have struggled with the Habs in recent season and Tuukka Rask especially has not had a good career vs. them. He and the team need to jump these hurdles to move on to the East Finals, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t. The B’s are the best team in the league, and as long as they play like it, they should win this series vs. the damn Habs!!! Let’s go Bruins!



Monday, April 28, 2014

Patriots Draft Needs


            New England Patriots Draft Needs

Team Picks: Rd1 #29, Rd2 #62, Rd3 #93, Rd4 #130, Rd4 #140, Rd6 #198, Rd6 #206, Rd7 #244
Tight End:

·         The Patriots have only three TE’s on the roster and two of them aren’t really legitimate receiving threats. The Hooman is a solid #3 TE but as of now he’s the #2 TE on the depth chart. D.J. Williams hasn’t been anything in the NFL and most likely won’t be. That’s not even the biggest issue with the Pats tight end spot either. Gronk cannot stay healthy and his status is in question for the upcoming season. We don’t know how much time he will miss and even when he gets back he could easily get hurt again. The Patriots need to target a legit TE in this draft. Troy Niklas, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jace Amaro or C.J Fiedorowicz are the four ‘legit’ TE’s in this draft that the Patriots can possibly pick to help sure up the TE position for the future.  
Defensive Tackle:

·         This has been a Patriots need, in my opinion, for a while now. Yes, the team has 5 or 6 (whether you view Armstead as a DT or not) defensive tackles on their roster, but honestly only 3 of them I would feel comfortable with out there on the field. If Tommy Kelly and Wilfork can both come back to be some form of what they used to be, and Siliga continues to progress, then the Pats DT situation will be fine. Even if that happens, Wilfork and Kelly are both in their mid-thirties and will need rest, which I don’t want to see Vellano or Chris Jones provide. The Pats need to look for the DT of the future in this draft. Whether it’s possible studs (Louis Nix or Ra’Shede Hageman), or sleepers (Daquan Jones, Will Sutton, Dominque Easley, or Ego Ferguson), the Patriots need to draft a DT high at some point in this draft for the future.
Pass Rusher:

·         Huge Need. The only argument needed to defend this is to show some game film from last year’s AFCCG and Super Bowl. The Patriots did not lay a finger on Manning and he picked them apart, while the Seahawks on the other hand, were all over him and look how that turned out for them. Getting to the quarterback makes the DB’s jobs much easier as well. The Patriots have a budding star in Chandler Jones, but an aging vet in Ninkovich. Both guys play way too many snaps in a season, which could be a good explanation as to why both don’t maintain consistent pressure. If the Patriots can find a solid rusher who can spell these guys and Michael Buchanan takes a huge leap, then the pass rush will be looking pretty. There are A TON of possible DE/OLB options in this draft, but my favorite talents that are possible for the Patriots are: Kony Ealy (Rd1), Kareem Martin (Rd2-3), Jeremiah Attaochu (Rd1-2), and possible sleeper: Aaron Lynch (Rd5-7).  
Strong Safety:

·         This is another position that has been a need for years now too. Since Rodney Harrison left, the Patriots have tried to replace his hard hitting presence with draft busts Brandon Meriweather and Patrick Chung. They already have an All-Pro FS in McCourty, but it would be nice to really sure up that back end with a hitter. Now, the only 4 safeties I want to see taken are HaHa Clinton-Dix, Calvin Pryor (both Rd1 fallers if so), Deone Bucannon (Rd2), or Dezmon Southwell (Rd4-7). That’s it. If it’s not one of those four, then I would rather ride with Duron Harmon/Tavon Wilson and Pat Chung battling it out for the SS role.
A Hybrid Defender:

·         This is a position that Belichick covets. A player that has the speed of a safety, but a little size to play linebacker as well. He tried to find this in Adrian Wilson just last offseason, but we quickly found out that he was way past his prime. This draft has some players who could fit the bill to play the hybrid that BB is looking for. Ryan Shazier (Rd1), Telvin Smith (Rd2-3), Christian Kirksey (Rd4), Kevin Pierre-Louis (Rd5-6) or even small school player Jordon Tripp (Rd3-4) could all be candidates for the hybrid role. If the Pats can land Shazier in Round 1 or Smith in 2 or 3 then they would have a player who can make an immediate impact on defense with BB playing them all over the field.
Wide Receiver:

·         Many want to see a WR drafted high, and I’m not against it either. The WR group as a whole is very talented and if the Patriots can land a playmaker like Marquise Lee, Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham in Round 1, they would be in business. If they can’t land a stud WR though, I don’t see the need to waste a pick on a project type WR. So, unless the player can make an immediate impact I don’t really want to see him.
Offensive Line:

·         The interior line had a very rough season in 2013 and needs to improve greatly. The Pats brought back Wendell, who struggled most. His roster spot isn’t a guarantee and the Patriot could look into drafting a center (Marcus Martin Rd2-3, or Weston Richburg Rd2-3) to compete for the job. Also Logan Mankins and Dan Connolly aren’t getting any younger so a guard could be drafted for the future as well. The draft is deep at OG so it’s not a rush to take one early unless the Pats can land a Xavier Su’a Filo (Rd1-2), Zach Martin (Rd1), Joel Bitonio (Rd1-2) or Gabe Jackson (Rd2-3) then you could have a potential star down the road.

The Patriots are in a position where, if they can find 2 or 3 players who can come in immediately and contribute (as Jones and Hightower did their rookie years), they can get over a huge hump and possibly win the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Three Round Mock Draft 4/26




Pick
Team
Player
1
Houston Texans
Jadeveon Clowney
2
St. Louis Rams
Greg Robinson
3
Jacksonville Jaguars
Johnny Manziel
4
Cleveland Browns
Sammy Watkins
5
Oakland Raiders
Khalil Mack
6
Atlanta Falcons
Jake Matthews
7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans
8
Minnesota Vikings
Blake Bortles
9
Buffalo Bills
Eric Ebron
10
Detroit Lions
Justin Gilbert
11
Tennessee Titans
Derek Carr
12
New York Giants
Anthony Barr
13
St. Louis Rams
HaHa Clinton-Dix
14
Chicago Bears
Aaron Donald
15
Pittsburgh Steelers
Taylor Lewan
16
Dallas Cowboys
Calvin Pryor
17
Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Lee
18
New York Jets
Darqueze Dennard
19
Miami Dolphins
C.J Mosley
20
Arizona Cardinals
Zach Martin
21
Green Bay Packers
Ryan Shazier
22
Philadelphia Eagles
Brandin Cooks
23
Kansas City Chiefs
Odell Beckham Jr.
24
Cincinnati Bengals
Kony Ealy
25
San Diego Chargers
Kyle Fuller
26
Cleveland Browns
Teddy Bridgewater
27
New Orleans Saints
Dee Ford
28
Carolina Panthers
Morgan Moses
29
New England Patriots
Louis Nix III
30
San Francisco 49ers
Timmy Jernigan
31
Denver Broncos
 Joel Bitonio
32
Seattle Seahawks
Xavier Su’a Filo
 


Pick
Team
Player
1
Houston Texans
Jimmy Garappolo
2
Washington Redskins
Jason Verrett
3
Cleveland Browns
                                Carlos Hyde               
4
Oakland Raiders
Ra’Shede Hageman
5
Atlanta Falcons
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bradley Roby
7
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kelvin Benjamin
8
Minnesota Vikings
DeMarcus Lawerence
9
Buffalo Bills
Cryus Kouandijo
10
Tennessee Titans
Bishop Sankey
11
New York Giants
Scott Crichton
12
St. Louis Rams
Allen Robinson
13
Detroit Lions
Cody Latimer
14
Pittsburgh Steelers
Marcus Roberson
15
Dallas Cowboys
Jeremiah Attaochu
16
Baltimore Ravens
Jimmie Ward
17
New York Jets
Jace Amaro
18
Miami Dolphins
Jeremy Hill
19
Chicago Bears
Chris Borland
20
Arizona Cardinals
Stephon Tuitt
21
Green Bay Packers
Troy Niklas
22
Philadelphia Eagles
Kyle Von Noy
23
Cincinnati Bengals
Weston Richburg
24
San Francisco 49ers
Donte Moncrief
25
San Diego Chargers
Jordan Matthews
26
New Orleans Saints
JaWaun James
27
Indianapolis Colts
Deone Bucannon
28
Carolina Panthers
Davante Adams
29
San Francisco 49ers
Dominque Easley
30
New England Patriots
Kareem Martin
31
Denver Broncos
Phillip Gaines
32
Seattle Seahawks
Martavis Bryant
 


Pick
Team
Player
1
Houston Texans
Tre Mason
2
Washington Redskins
Trent Murphy
3
Oakland Raiders
Tom Savage
4
Atlanta Falcons
Marcus Smith
5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Daquan Jones
6
Jacksonville Jaguars
Bashaund Breeland
7
Cleveland Browns
Shayne Skov
8
Minnesota Vikings
Paul Richardson
9
Buffalo Bills
Bruce Ellington
10
New York Giants
Telvin Smith
11
St. Louis Rams
Tom Savage
12
Detroit Lions
Craig Loston
13
San Francisco 49ers
Marcus Martin
14
Dallas Cowboys
Will Sutton
15
Baltimore Ravens
Carl Bradford
16
New York Jets
Lache Seastrunk
17
Miami Dolphins
Jarvis Landry
18
Chicago Bears
Lamarcus Joyner
19
Cleveland Browns
Gabe Jackson
20
Arizona Cardinals
A.J. McCarron
21
Green Bay Packers
Jared Abbrederis
22
Philadelphia Eagles
Jaylen Watkins
23
Kansas City Chiefs
Trevor Reilly
24
Cincinnati Bengals
Stanley Jean-Baptiste
25
San Diego Chargers
Ego Ferguson
26
Indianapolis Colts
Dontae Johnson
27
New Orleans Saints
Ka’Deem Carey
28
Carolina Panthers
Keith McGill
29
New England Patriots
C.J. Fiedorowicz
30
San Francisco 49ers
Louchiez Purifoy
31
Denver Broncos 
Andre Williams
32
Minnesota Vikings
Billy Turner
33
Pittsburgh Steelers
Zach Mettenberger
34
Green Bay Packers
Christian Jones
35
Baltimore Ravens
Antonio Richardson
36
San Francisco 49ers
Ahmad Dixon