The Great Debate: Part 2

With the draft over, it’s time to make the way-to-early predictions on who will be the standout quarterback in this class: Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez (Sorry Chase Daniel, you have to be drafted to be in this discussion…And be over six feet tall…You should also probably avoid doing this too.) When debating the merits of these two quarterbacks, it’s clear that Mark Sanchez will be the better pro.

First, let’s look at the pedigree of the two quarterbacks. Over the past few years, USC has sent Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassell, and John David Booty to the pros. Palmer has been to multiple pro bowls, Cassell had a spectacular season last year, Booty is still developing after being a rookie last year, and Matt Leinart…well at least he’s having fun. As for Georgia, let’s just say that David Greene and D.J. Shockley haven’t exactly been standouts. Also factor in that Mark Sanchez is better equipped to being in the spotlight. With no NFL team in Los Angeles, the Trojans are the main attraction. As a result, Sanchez knows what it’s like to be top dog in a huge market and has a greater maturity and understanding due to this.

An argument against Sanchez is that he only started one season in college. While he could have benefited from another year, he’ll still have the better career than Stafford. USC alum Matt Cassell started a grand total of 0 games in college, yet had a great year last year. While Stafford has started three years at Georgia, he hasn’t exactly been a dominant player. In his three years as a Bulldog, Stafford threw 33 interceptions. He’s simply way too inconsistent to be a top level NFL quarterback.

Even further, in his biggest game of this past year against the Florida Gators, Georgia got manhandled 49-10. In that game, Stafford threw 3 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. To add insult to injury, Georgia’s one touchdown came after Stafford left the game. Simply put, Stafford hasn’t come through in the clutch. On the other hand, Sanchez has excelled in the spotlight. In the Trojans three biggest games against Ohio State, rival UCLA, and Rose Bowl opponent Penn State, Sanchez threw 10 touchdowns, and only two interceptions.

One of the biggest variables in this equation (Sorry, had to throw in a Lost reference) is the NFL teams each player is headed to. Sanchez gets the win here in an absolute no-brainer, as he gets to play with an established franchise in the New York Jets. As for Stafford, he gets the pleasure of playing for the winless Detroit Lions. While they do have a stud receiver in Calvin Johnson, they’re lacking in about every other position. They have a horrible running game and one of the worst offensive lines in football. Detroit might as well line up a turnstile at offensive tackle, as it’ll produce the same results. With no help in the running game, Stafford will take a beating on a weekly basis, as teams will consistently put him on the ground. It’ll be as one-sided as Ivan Drago pummeling Apollo Creed. On the other side, the Jets have a much more established line, and a playmaker at running back in Thomas Jones. As a result, Sanchez won’t feel as much pressure as Stafford surely will experience.

Lastly, look at the motivation each player has. Stafford will get 48 MILLION DOLLARS guaranteed while he plays for the Lions. It doesn’t matter how bad he plays…the money is his. How much motivation is there for him to push himself when he doesn’t need to? For a guy with questionable intelligence, this might not be a great situation. On the other hand, Sanchez will have more of a chip on his shoulder, as he’ll have the motivation to prove he should have been the first pick in this year’s draft. Bottom line, when you look at all these factors, there’s no doubt that Sanchez will be the superior pro.

The Great Debate: Part 1

Let the debate begin. Matthew Stafford vs. Mark Sanchez. They will be linked together like Tim Couch/Donovan McNabb, Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf, Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers; and Alex Smith/Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, I would have more historic references but I am only 22. Ask Guy #1 for those, he is our resident old man. Anyway, we are faced with the task of determining who will be the better pro quarterback, Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. Some might say it is stupid to try to predict who is going to be better, between quarterbacks who have yet to take NFL snaps. However, we are Guys who like sports and don’t care who knows, and we do stupid things from time to time. For example, we chug whiskey and compare two rookie quarterbacks. You have to live sometimes.

To begin this argument we need to set the ground rules. We aren't trying to argue to see who is the better overall quarterback right now because as the Florida homers we are, we’d clearly take Sanchez over Stafford any day. This comparison is strictly to see who will have a better pro career when it’s all said and done. Rather than just taking into account draft grades, we will take into account current team situation, arm strength, media attention and pressure, technical skills and other metrics when determining who has the better pro career… actually I think we can throw that out the window because Stafford is going to be throwing to Calvin Johnson. Do I even need to continue this argument, the guy is nicknamed Megatron. For the next two years you’ll be watching your favorite team play and then JB or whatever low-life they have anchoring the Fox pregame show, come on and say, “We have a scoring update for you from Detroit.” It will be an amazing hookup between Matthew Stafford and Megatron to cut the lead to 38 (whoever the Lions are playing) to 17 (Lions).

Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez will be pounding the ball to Thomas Jones, throwing screen passes to Leon Washington and then trying to rely on Dustin Keller and Jericho Cotchery, as his go to guys. I don’t like where this is going. Although Sanchez might have a better offensive line to protect him and running game to depend on, he is going to be playing in an extremely hard division without a safety blanket at receiver to rely on. There will be multiple times this year where faced with defensive pressure, Stafford will just throw the ball up and Megatron will make the play for him. Sanchez just doesn't have this luxury.

Also, while Mark Sanchez was backing up Matt Leinart and John David Booty, Matthew Stafford was starting in the Georgia pro-style offense for those two years. Some might use this argument in Sanchez's favor, saying that he has the better pedigree coming from USC, which has produced Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and John David Booty in recent years. However, Palmer, Leinart, and Booty all had the chance to start for more than one season while Sanchez only started for one. In addition, Sanchez's own coach thought it was a mistake for him to leave college this year.

If you aren't convinced yet that Stafford will have a better career than Mark Sanchez then look no further than who he will be backing up to start his career. From the University of Central Florida, weighing in at 282 pounds, Daunteeeee Cullllpepper. Ladies and Gentlemen, the debate is over, we have our winner.

NFL Draft Thoughts

With the 2009 draft behind us, I want to talk about a few things that have been on my mind.

First off, let's talk about Oakland. With Michael Crabtree available, the player ranked one overall by most draft experts, Oakland inexplicably drafted the player ranked 4th at the same position. Al Davis, what were you thinking?!? drafting Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 7th pick?!?! Mike Lombardi summed it up best in his column on the National Football Post: “It might be 2009 here in America, but in that room, it’s 1960.”

Honestly, I really liked Heyward-Bey going into the draft… as the 25th pick for the Dolphins; however he is a terrible value at seven overall. He may have tremendous upside potential, especially as a deep option to go with JaMarcus Russell, but it bothers me when teams reach and overvalue players who aren’t sure things this early in the draft. If you are that in love with a player, then trade down and get him later. I know he has 4.3 speed, but he has yet to develop into the everyday playmaker a top ten pick must be. This past season at Maryland, he had two games where he didn’t even register a catch.

He has already been labeled as such a potential bust, that it would be a surprise if he actually does well. It’s hard enough to be a rookie in the NFL, but now Heyward-Bey is in a tougher position because he will always be compared to Michael Crabtree. Unless he becomes a superstar, this is a can't win for everyone: the organization, the fans, and Heyward-Bey. To make matters worse, Oakland then took a player ranked by most as a 7th rounder or undrafted free agent in the second round. The two groups that I feel the worst for are Raiders fans and sea monsters. If I were a sea monster I would not want to be part of the same species as Al Davis.

The next thing I wanted to talk about was Percy Harvin going to the Vikings with the 22nd pick. I know a lot of readers have already accused us at Guys Who Like Sports of being complete Percy Harvin homers because we got to watch him for four years at Florida…and all I can say is that we are. If we were writing a blog just about Percy Harvin, the blog would be called, “Guys Who Have Extreme Heterosexual Man Crushes on Percy Harvin and Don’t Care Who Knows”. That being said, we are extremely excited about the prospects of Percy Harvin playing alongside Adrian Peterson. Having a versatile, explosive player like that alongside the best running back in the league will elevate both of their games. So much so that PERCY HARVIN WILL BE OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. That’s right, I said it and here’s why.

The Vikings are the perfect team to utilize Percy because they already run the ball well. They can use Percy as a decoy to take one guy out of the box in order to open up space for Peterson, and they can also use Peterson as a decoy on reverses and end-arounds to open up space on the edge for Harvin. The common thought around the National Football League (we have to spell it out at least once a post like Jaws so we sound smarter) is that defenses are too fast to allow even speedsters like Percy to run East-West, they have to run North-South. However, with a great runner like Adrian Peterson having eight or nine guys in the box keying on him, the opportunities for Percy to get to the edge on quick outs, bubble screens, reverses, and end-arounds will be almost endless. I really can’t think of many players who will be able to tackle Percy Harvin in space.

On top of that, Percy gets to play 8 games a year on fast astro-turf, and their schedule isn’t stacked with great run defenses. They do have to play the Steelers and Ravens, but they get to play the weak NFC West, as well as two games against the Lions. There it is, Percy’s path to Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, Brad Childress doesn’t stifle him, and allows him to turn into the great player he should be.

Friday Night TV Guide

-Cavaliers @ Pistons (Game 3) 7:00, ESPN (Pistons better hope Lebron pulls an Artest if they want any shot)

-Magic @ Sixers (Game 3) 8:00, ESPN2 (Can Ron Jeremy pull it out again?)

-Trail Blazers @ Rockets (Game 3) 9:30, ESPN (Who’ll wag the finger at the Blazers now?)

-Rangers @ Capitals (Game 5) 7:00, Versus (I have no hockey jokes left)

-Prison Break, 8:00, Fox (Remember when they were actually in a prison?)

-Dollhouse, 9:00, Fox (The Joss Wheadon show no one's buzzing about!)

Don't Call it a Comeback!

With the NBA playoffs still relatively young, we’ve been fortunate to already witness several classic games. Derrick Rose led the Bulls to an overtime win against the Celtics in Game 1, and those willing to stay up late last night saw another thriller, as the Jazz came from eight down to knock off the Lakers. Much like the Bulls game, a young point guard stepped up when the pressure was on, as Deron Williams came through in the clutch. Williams hit the game winner with 2.2 seconds to go, as Utah held off first seeded L.A. to creep back into the series.

I joked yesterday about how John Stockton and Karl Malone weren’t walking through that door, but last night the Jazz clearly didn’t need them. Utah has their own 21st Century combo of Stockton/Malone in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.

Boozer came through in a monstrous way as he dominated the Lakers inside with 23 points and 22 rebounds. While Boozer has been a rock for the Jazz ever since he came over, Deron Williams has been the most fascinating to watch. While he only had 13 points last night, Williams made the most of them, as he shined with the pressure on. In the post-game news conference, he said the original play was to run a pick and roll with Boozer. However, when that fell apart, Williams took it upon himself and drained the fade away jumper for the win. Make no question about it, Utah was backed into a corner in this game. Down 2-0 at home, they needed a win if they wanted any shot in this series, and Williams delivered that slimmer of hope for Jazz fans.

Will Utah come back to win this series? Probably not, as the chances are slim that Kobe Bryant will be held under twenty points again. But to quote Kevin Garnett (and Lonely Island), with Williams and Boozer on the floor, anything is possible.

NFL Draft Countdown T-minus 1 day

Only one day until the NFL Draft, and I have to say I'm pretty excited. Between now and tomorrow, so many events will unravel that will make clear the questions we have today. Instead of going through a mock draft, or writing some pithy editorial comparing one of the players to Miles Straum or some other character from Lost, I am going to go through one thing about the draft I know, one thing I think will happen, and some things I am very curious to see play out.

First with what I know for certain.

The Lions will take Quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia...

or Baylor tackle Jason Smith...

or Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry.

I am 100% positive they take one of the three. My sources inside the organization are that good.

The funny thing about how the Lions are handling this pick is that it all depends on whether or not they can get the deal with Stafford done. For whatever the reason, Lions management is more concerned with signing the pick than getting the pick right in the first place. This makes no sense. Yes, Oakland had trouble signing Jamarcus Russell, and that may have hurt them. What would be worse for the Lions though, is to screw up this pick because the guy they want isn't signing right away.

I can see it now. Fast-forward to Saturday with the Lions on the clock. Negotiations with Stafford fall through. The Lions talk with Jason Smith, but he wants a bigger deal than Jake Long, and the Ford family won't give him the money. They try, but can't get a deal done with Aaron Curry as the clock begins to tick down. A flustered Matt Millen calls in the pick, and Commissioner Goodell walks to the podium. “With the first pick, Detroit selects wide receiver Michael Crabtree?”
What?!!!!!!!

But wait... this isn't a parallel universe. The Lions actually fired Millen. So, with the first pick of the NFL draft, they’ll take Stafford whether or not the deal is in place. (The chances of this not happening are about the same as Todd McShay not knowing something about a player).

Next, one thing I think will happen.

Braylon Edwards will get traded. I see Eric Mangini cleaning house, and don’t envision Edwards being apart of his future. with the loss of Plaxico Burress, the Giants would be stupid to pass up on a big, athletic, game changing receiver like Edwards, if he were available. They would be better off with a known entity like Edwards as opposed to a rookie like Hakeem Nicks, Darrius Heyward-Bey, or Kenny Britt. Although Edwards has become the unofficial spokesman for “Butterfingers” lately, he has the ability to separate from coverage, create mismatches for the running game, and make big plays in the passing game: skills that rookie receivers need time to develop.

Lastly, one thing I am definitely eager to see, yet have no clue on.

Where will Mark Sanchez fall? Does a team like the Denver Broncos trade up in the draft to snag him, or does he fall like Aaron Rodgers did in 2005 when he was thought of as a possible top 10 pick before he fell late to the Packers in the first round. There are a lot of stories waiting to unravel on Saturday and it’ll be exciting to see how they pan out.

Thursday Night TV Guide

-Celtics @ Bulls (Game 3) 8:00, TNT (Will Derrick Rose have Doc Rivers sweating profusely again?)

-Spurs @ Mavericks (Game 3) 8:30, NBA TV (Will Eva be in Dallas for Game 3?)

-Lakers @ Jazz (Game 3) 10:30, TNT (Jazz fans: John Stockton and Karl Malone are not walking though that door)

-Flyers @ Penguins (Game 5) 8:00/ Sharks @ Ducks (Game 4) 10:30, Versus (These hockey jokes doing anything for you?)

-The Office, 9:00, NBC (Another Michael Scott Paper Company episode. Should be big. That's what she said.)

-30 Rock, 9:30, NBC (More Salma Hayek is only a good thing)

-Bridget's Sexiest Beaches, 10:00, Travel Channel (If you're really bored.)

Back From the Dead?

I always hate Wednesdays without Lost. But this Wednesday, we got our Lost fix with the Heat's game 2 victory over the Hawks. Dead man who comes back to life: check. Mastermind who is one step ahead of everyone else despite seeming behind: check. With the Heat game, we got all the drama we expect from Lost on a weekly basis.

Last night, all the pieces were in place. Jermaine O'Neal played the role of the dead guy who came back to life, as he played a pivotal role in the Heat's game 2 win. He was the initiator of the Heat offense, as the ball went into him at the beginning of almost all the Heat sets. He passed well out of the post and effectively took the pressure off D-Wade as the focal point of the offense. Wade and other scorers were given the opportunity to move off ball and not have the sole attention of the defense on them while they were creating shots. The question remains though: did he die and come back to life like John Locke, or is he some kind spirit incarnation like Christian Sheppard? We'll have to see if he can keep it up in game 3.

As for the mastermind, Erik Spoelstra did a tremendous job of filling in for Ben Linus Wednesday. He may have taken his beatings in game 1, but he bounced back strong in game 2. It helps when you shoot the way the Heat did, with a record 14 threes, but credit has to be given to Spoelstra for the changes he made in game 2. My theory is that most of the adjustments he made for game 2, he thought of during game 1. However, he realized that at best, they could have cut the deficit to around 10. So he kept his cards close to his chest to give them the advantage for game 2. The team came out with a completely different midset, realizing that they had to keep the pace they wanted, rather than play into the hands of the Hawks. Also, inserting James Jones into the starting line-up gave them a defensive boost as they were able to effectively contain Joe Johnson.

Lastly, we can't parallel a sports game to Season 5 of Lost without a character being redeemed; and last night, D-Wade did not disappoint. Like LaFleur, he was able to change himself, realizing that he wasn't going to get the calls or a clean path to the basket in the playoffs. Instead, he shot the lights out and was able to lead his team to a victory.

Our last parallel between the game and Lost is with Matthew Fox. Sorry, I forgot. There's nothing interesting about Matthew Fox.

NFL Draft Countdown T-minus 2 days

With two days to go until the NFL draft, we’re continuing our NFL draft preview. In this edition, we take a look whether underclassmen quarterbacks are a gamble and debate the similarities of Mark Sanchez and Jack Sheppard from Lost.

The buzz surrounding this year’s draft focuses on where QB’s Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez will be taken. While Sanchez had a good year at USC, is he really ready to be a franchise quarterback? Some speculation has the Redskins trading up to select him in first round, but is he honestly better than Jason Campbell? Is he worthy of a top 10 pick, or does he happen to be the second best signal caller in a weak quarterback draft class? If Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy had entered the draft, would he still be considered a top 10 pick?

In Sanchez’s defense, USC has been a quarterback factory the past few years. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel, and John David Booty are all QB’s in the NFL. However, none of those players left college early.

If one thing's been proven, it's that quarterbacks who leave early haven't had a great deal of success. Of the past season's 12 playoff quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger was the only one who left early. Yes, we know that Roethlisberger was the Super Bowl winning QB, but he’s more of an exception to this rule. It should be noted that he started for three full years at Miami Ohio. Sanchez only started one full season.

Matthew Stafford is another junior QB expected to go high in the first round, but like Roethlisberger, Stafford has three years of starting experience. At the quarterback position, experience and reps are vital in the development process. While he played well this year, we at Guys Who Like Sports don’t see the reason for wanting to leave early. Did one year against porous Pac 10 defenses really get you prepared for the NFL?

I feel in three years we're going to see a bearded, distressed Mark Sanchez hanging outside of an airport yelling to Stafford, "We were never supposed to leave. WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!!”


(Because there was no new Lost last night, we felt it necessary to make some mention on the blog today.) Since Sanchez declared for the draft, Pete Carroll has shown vast similarities to John Locke. In Lost, Locke was adamant about Jack not leaving the island, while Carroll was very vocal in declaring that Sanchez was making a mistake in leaving. Does USC= The Island? Only time will tell. (End Lost rant)

However, one of the key issues in all of this is how the NFL overvalues college performances. Look at Matt Cassel this past season. He started 15 games and played at a Pro Bowl level in THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, yet is only worth a second round pick. However, there are GM’s who will trade up to use a Top 10 pick on a guy in Sanchez who started one full season in college. How does this make any sense?

While Sanchez will certainly cash in earlier, he won’t be as prepared to handle of the pressures of being a franchise QB. As the USC quarterbacks before him have proven, staying that extra year can prove huge dividends.

Wednesday Night TV Guide

-76ers @ Magic (Game 2) 7:00, NBA TV (Can Ron Jeremy bring the Magic back)

-Heat @ Hawks (Game 2) 8:00, TNT (Will Ciara be cheering Al Horford on?)

-Hornets @ Nuggets (Game 2)10:30, TNT (Will the Birdman fly again?)

-Mets @ Cardinals, 8:15, ESPN (Only 150 games until this possible NLCS match-up!)

-Capitals @ Rangers (Game 4) 7:00, Versus (Does anyone get Versus?)

-Lost, 9:00, ABC (Thanks for no new Lost ABC.)

-South Park, 10:00, Comedy Central (Cartman as a pirate? Ka-Blamo!)

NFL Draft Countdown T-minus 3 days

With three days until the NFL draft, we're continuing our NFL draft preview. In this edition, we take a look at the Bush Effect (not our 43rd President but rather Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints).

2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush was supposed to be the next can't miss star of the National Football League (emphasizing it like Ron Jaworski would, because it’s cooler to say than just NFL.) However, since being drafted by the Saints with the second pick in draft, Bush has been labeled a disappointment by many football pundits. He has certainly kept a high profile, as dating Kim Kardashian will do (but is anyone actually keeping up with the Kardashians?) However, he was supposed to be a transcendent NFL player after his electrifying career at USC, but he has underachieved in the NFL…or has he?

Some like ESPN's own Mel Kiper thought he was always going to be limited even when they scouted him in college. Many experts said he was going to be a game changer but doubted his ability to be a feature back. If Reggie Bush's career was to be a Coors Light Commercial, Dennis Green would be the coach and not Jim Mora. Reggie Bush is who draft experts thought he was, and he isn't off the hook yet.

Since Bush isn’t a feature back, he hasn’t had the conventional impact that most Football pundits were expecting. However, Bush still electrifies the NFL with his punt returns and his big play ability. Since entering the league, the Reggie Bush effect has become apparent upon the league. He was seen as a “can't miss” player; however, he couldn't fit into any existing schemes as a feature back. His skill set doesn't allow him to take the pounding up the middle and break big runs out of base plays and schemes. To get yards he needs big holes and gadget plays. When he is in the game, defenses automatically play for a draw, screen, end around or reverse. As a result, his talents and abilities are now even more defended against limiting his productivity.

The Bush Effect can be seen on both sides of the ball. Look at all the coaches who take their retread players with them to their new teams because they know they will fit into their schemes. Eric Mangini alone has taken Jets defensive lineman C.J. Mosley, cornerback Hank Poteat, outside linebacker David Bowens and safety Abram Elam with him to the Browns. Now, look at a player like Percy Harvin, who is falling down draft boards. He doesn't fit into a particular scheme because of what he did as a Gator, so now teams are labeling him as a bad route runner, or not durable. Translation: we are afraid that we can't fit Percy into our schemes and we don't want to make packages for him so we just aren't going to draft him. He was a do-it-all back/receiver of the Gators Spread Offense leading them to two national championships. Just because he had success in a non conventional college offense doesn't mean he can't fit into a traditional NFL offense. He can.

Here at Guys Who Like Sports, we urge coaches and GM’s to be creative. Just because you can't envision an electrifying player in your system doesn't mean you shouldn't take him. Don't punish players for having good all around games, like Bush, without doing one thing extremely well. Percy Harvin could end up being one of the best wide receivers in the league, but if you can’t think outside the box and envision a way to put a playmaker like him on the field, you might pay for it down the road.

-Guy #2

Tuesday Night TV Guide

Pistons @ Cavaliers (Game 2) 8:00, TNT (Can you say sweep?)

Rockets @ Trail Blazers (Game 2) 10:00, NBA TV (Can Portland keep it within 30?)

Jazz @ Lakers (Game 2) 10:30, TNT (Can Utah win a game?)

Penguins @ Flyers (Game 4) 8:00 / Sharks @ Ducks (Game 3) 10:30, Versus (Does anyone care?)

Top 10 Draft Steals, 8:00, NFL Network (You won't be seeing him)

The Italian Job, 8:00, FX (Watch Edward Norton mail it in!)

Rescue Me, 10:00, FX (Best show on Tuesday?)

NFL Draft Countdown: T- 4 days

With four days to go until the NFL Draft, we decided to focus on things we've got issues with heading into Saturday.

Here at Guys Who Like Sports, we don't understand the sudden drop of Florida receiver Percy Harvin. Well, actually we do understand why he's falling, and it's because of so-called "character issues." As someone who's watched Harvin play for the past three years, I honestly can't see where this is coming from. Let me throw out a number for you: 0. That's the number of times Harvin's been suspended and the amount of times that he's been arrested at UF. It's insulting that NFL teams are acting like he's been a thug his whole time at UF when that's clearly not the case.

Harvin has gotten the dreaded "character issues" label because of a suspected positive marijuana test at the NFL Combine. Apparently, smoking weed will negate three stand-up years of no character issues in college. Is Harvin the first NFL player to smoke marijuana? No. Will he be the last player? No. Frankly, I would be more concerned if he were caught using steroids, as that does impact performance on the field. But, if the NFL draft has taught us anything in recent years, it's that you can be forgiven for using steroids. Don't believe me? Luis Castillo, who admitted to using steroids before the 2005 draft, appeared on the cover of the Spanish version Madden 2008.

If you want to degrade Harvin, then cite injury problems or transition to an NFL offense, because those are legitimate concerns. Harvin's missed at least two games in each of his three seasons at Florida due to injury, and as everyone knows, Gator receivers haven't fared all too well in the NFL.

However, at UF, Harvin's been nothing short of a warrior. If NFL teams should take anything away, it should be the grit and determination he showed when rehabbing from a hairline fracture in his ankle, so he could play in the BCS Title Game against Oklahoma. And how'd he do in that game? How about 171 total yards in a Championship Game win. If I'm an NFL executive, I'll take a guy like that on my team anyday.

Caretaker of the Year?

We were shocked when we turned on ESPN to find out Mike Brown was named NBA coach of the year. Mike Brown? Say what!?! The same guy who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Potato Head? We don't think that Mike Brown is a bad coach by any means, but did he really do the best coaching job in the NBA this year?

What does Coach of the Year even mean anymore? Does it go to the coach on the team with the best record, or the coach of the team that shows the greatest improvement? How do you quantify the coaching aspect? The best coach of the year is next to worthless (a ridiculous claim but Guys Who Like Sports don't just make ridiculous claims, we back them up). In every other award, you can statistically determine the impact of the candidates. Mike Brown coached for Cleveland last year. He coached for them this year. Did he improve as a coach between these two seasons? Honestly, he did what he should have done. He let a great player flourish, he shouldn't get any extra credit. He did what he was supposed to.

Coaches are becoming the CEO's of NBA teams. Over the year, 8 coaches have been fired. Coaches take the blame when something goes wrong; and when something goes right, the credit goes to the players, rightfully so. Does Mike Brown really deserve an award for staying out of Lebron's way and only making him run two high screens with Ilgauskas a game. This is a players' league, coaches need to stay out of their star's way.

So what we are proposing is an award to bring to light the coach that did the worst job of caretaking and tried to over-coach. Terry Porter, we choose you. Thanks for ruining the Suns. Mike Dunleavy made a strong case for our award but who cares about the Clippers anyway. Our apologies to Malcolm in the Middle. To be in the running coaches need to have lasted more than 30 games, sorry Reggie Theus, even though you could have been up for this award in “Hang Time.”

Guys Who Like Sports (and other stuff) and Don't Care Who Knows

This is a sports blog designed to expand the way you look at sports. Written by two guys who are having a good time watching, reading and writing about sports. Bottom line: we like sports (and other things too) and don't care who knows. If you want to get sweet insights into sports, read about shows like Lost, and get insights into things that might not be that cool, then this is the sight for you. TOP THAT!