Had one of my favorite moments as a parent yesterday. We had Gabe's 7th birthday party at a local sports complex, one of those ones that has an indoor football field, soccer field, floor hockey rink, basketball court, ice rink, etc. There was a half-hour of flag football, a half-hour of soccer, a half-hour of bouncy houses and then a half-hour for the kids to sit exhausted and eat pizza and cake.
Anyway, the kids got set up for the football game -- football is Gabe's favorite sport (despite the understanding that he will never be allowed to play the tackle version himself). The sportsplex-supplied "coach/QB" gave Gabe the ball on the first play, a handoff where he was quickly surrounded by his friends.
Gabe juked outside, then inside, then bounced to the outside again... then just turned on the jets. I have never seen him run so fast - or look so happy. The whole thing happened so quickly, I didn't even have my iPhone set up to video it, but instead I watched it first-hand, and I am much happier with the mythology and the memory of him zipping down the sidelines.
My first thought was: "He looked like Tavon Austin! No, really!" But then I realized what I had just witnessed was the purest expression of joy I have ever seen from him -- it is a memory for a lifetime.
-- D.S.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
5/16 (Grizzlies) Quickie
The Grizzlies beat the Thunder so decisively that it made me wonder whether Memphis would have beaten OKC even if the Thunder were at full-strength.
It has become a given that as soon as Westbrook was ruled out of the playoffs, OKC was not even close to the team expected to win a second straight West title.
So what's a fair expectation, without Westbrook? Making (but losing) the conference finals? I don't think so -- the Thunder without Westbrook are a playoff team in the West, but clearly not a Top 2 team (let alone No. 1), and possibly not even Top 4. So this exit is fairly appropriate.
The real question is whether this Grizzlies team - as constructed, with those unstoppable two guys up front -- would have beaten OKC this year anyway. I think they would have. It's at least an argument.
And so I'm happy to give OKC an asterisk on this season, but let's not assume they would have gotten past Memphis either way -- at least in this scenario, they have an excuse.
Meanwhile, it is Gabe's 7th birthday. Some of you have been around long enough to remember when I announced he was born in the Quickie on ESPN.com back in May of '06, then all the adventures since.
Now he is a fully formed sports fan -- his favorite players are Cam Newton and Russell Westbrook. His favorite sports are football and basketball (although he also plays soccer and baseball). He loves NFL Red Zone. He is through the fifth Harry Potter book -- his signature gift this year was a Potter Quidditch jersey, which I'm not sure he'll take off. We are celebrating by taking him to Dave and Busters for dinner tonight -- his choice. He is wildly independent, and it is exciting to watch, even as I struggle to give him that leeway to figure out life. It's nice to have sports to bring us together.
-- D.S.
It has become a given that as soon as Westbrook was ruled out of the playoffs, OKC was not even close to the team expected to win a second straight West title.
So what's a fair expectation, without Westbrook? Making (but losing) the conference finals? I don't think so -- the Thunder without Westbrook are a playoff team in the West, but clearly not a Top 2 team (let alone No. 1), and possibly not even Top 4. So this exit is fairly appropriate.
The real question is whether this Grizzlies team - as constructed, with those unstoppable two guys up front -- would have beaten OKC this year anyway. I think they would have. It's at least an argument.
And so I'm happy to give OKC an asterisk on this season, but let's not assume they would have gotten past Memphis either way -- at least in this scenario, they have an excuse.
Meanwhile, it is Gabe's 7th birthday. Some of you have been around long enough to remember when I announced he was born in the Quickie on ESPN.com back in May of '06, then all the adventures since.
Now he is a fully formed sports fan -- his favorite players are Cam Newton and Russell Westbrook. His favorite sports are football and basketball (although he also plays soccer and baseball). He loves NFL Red Zone. He is through the fifth Harry Potter book -- his signature gift this year was a Potter Quidditch jersey, which I'm not sure he'll take off. We are celebrating by taking him to Dave and Busters for dinner tonight -- his choice. He is wildly independent, and it is exciting to watch, even as I struggle to give him that leeway to figure out life. It's nice to have sports to bring us together.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
5/15 (Knicks Et Al) Quickie
Flattered that Mike and Mike spent a block discussing my Andrew Wiggins column from yesterday. Greenberg had tweeted it out, so I knew it was on their radar. I feel strongly enough about the topic that I am glad it resonated with folks. (Ironically, the column itself didn't do nearly the same audience numbers as some of the other ones I have been doing over the past few weeks.)
Wiggins at Kansas is... sort of deflating. I will watch them, obviously, if only for Wiggins, but I am pessimistic that he can carry them to a national title, a la Danny Manning. This was a moment for a superstar prep to really make a statement about the vestigial role of college hoops, specifically for players only planning to spend a year in college before being a Top 5 NBA Draft pick.
Meanwhile, I'm circling around a concept for the NBA Playoffs that is tantamount to a "TKO" -- no team is eliminated until they lose four games, but at some point (say, down 3-1), it's effectively over. The Knicks are done -- not just because they are down 3-1, by the way, but also because the Pacers are playing so much better.
As a Wizards fan, it is heartening to see the success of the Pacers and Grizzlies -- two teams that grind -- making hay in the playoffs. Now, to call them "superstar-free" is misleading, because Paul George is one of the Top 10 talents in the NBA, and I'm pretty comfortable putting Marc Gasol in that group, too. But they are doing it with consistency across multiple positions, plus a winning system. (That is clearly how the Spurs are grinding down the Warriors.)
Last thing: Clayton Kershaw may well be the best pitcher in baseball, but 132 pitches is insane.
-- D.S.
Wiggins at Kansas is... sort of deflating. I will watch them, obviously, if only for Wiggins, but I am pessimistic that he can carry them to a national title, a la Danny Manning. This was a moment for a superstar prep to really make a statement about the vestigial role of college hoops, specifically for players only planning to spend a year in college before being a Top 5 NBA Draft pick.
Meanwhile, I'm circling around a concept for the NBA Playoffs that is tantamount to a "TKO" -- no team is eliminated until they lose four games, but at some point (say, down 3-1), it's effectively over. The Knicks are done -- not just because they are down 3-1, by the way, but also because the Pacers are playing so much better.
As a Wizards fan, it is heartening to see the success of the Pacers and Grizzlies -- two teams that grind -- making hay in the playoffs. Now, to call them "superstar-free" is misleading, because Paul George is one of the Top 10 talents in the NBA, and I'm pretty comfortable putting Marc Gasol in that group, too. But they are doing it with consistency across multiple positions, plus a winning system. (That is clearly how the Spurs are grinding down the Warriors.)
Last thing: Clayton Kershaw may well be the best pitcher in baseball, but 132 pitches is insane.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
May 14 (Wiggins) Quickie
Top prep -- the best prep since LeBron, actually -- Andrew Wiggins picked Kansas, in a bit of a surprise.
But the real move should've been to skip college altogether and go to the D League, where he would instantly have access to sponsor dollars, future earnings and NBA coaching -- all without hurting his lock-to-be-first-pick draft stock.
Longtime readers know this is one my capital-i Issues: The absurdity of professional league "age limits," which are sitting right there to be disrupted.
There is nothing -- nothing -- rational about a surefire NBA draft-pick prep spending even a single year in college before going pro.
If I had a lot of money, I would offer the top five preps $200,000 each to sit out the year and do nothing but train for the NBA, giving them access to the best trainers possible.
All the players would have to do is promise to tithe 1% of their first NBA contract extension -- probably somewhere around $400,000, but hopefully higher directly because of their experience in my one-year program -- which would allow me to fund the next player down the line, along with operating costs, which would also be supported by a shoe deal and other marketing deals, which would be revenue-shared with the players.
There is a lot of dumb investment money being thrown around -- it is hard to believe that raising $10M as the equivalent of a seed fund and accelerator for basketball talent (with the potential for at least a 2X return) is out of reach.
Anyway, here's hoping Andrew Wiggins doesn't get injured, like Nerlens Noel. (Of course, that ACL tear won't keep Noel from being the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft.
-- D.S.
But the real move should've been to skip college altogether and go to the D League, where he would instantly have access to sponsor dollars, future earnings and NBA coaching -- all without hurting his lock-to-be-first-pick draft stock.
Longtime readers know this is one my capital-i Issues: The absurdity of professional league "age limits," which are sitting right there to be disrupted.
There is nothing -- nothing -- rational about a surefire NBA draft-pick prep spending even a single year in college before going pro.
If I had a lot of money, I would offer the top five preps $200,000 each to sit out the year and do nothing but train for the NBA, giving them access to the best trainers possible.
All the players would have to do is promise to tithe 1% of their first NBA contract extension -- probably somewhere around $400,000, but hopefully higher directly because of their experience in my one-year program -- which would allow me to fund the next player down the line, along with operating costs, which would also be supported by a shoe deal and other marketing deals, which would be revenue-shared with the players.
There is a lot of dumb investment money being thrown around -- it is hard to believe that raising $10M as the equivalent of a seed fund and accelerator for basketball talent (with the potential for at least a 2X return) is out of reach.
Anyway, here's hoping Andrew Wiggins doesn't get injured, like Nerlens Noel. (Of course, that ACL tear won't keep Noel from being the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 10, 2013
5/10 (Happy Mother's Day) Quickie
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!
I had planned to write about Mother's Day today in the USA TODAY Sports column, but "Angry Heat Fan" needed some closure.
Between yesterday morning -- when I was pretty out in front of it (that's not to self-credit, but just to highlight that it only really popped once the casual/non-fans got to work and heard about it) -- and this morning, it became The Story. You would be -- or maybe wouldn't be -- shocked at how dominant it was among all sports stories fans could have chosen from yesterday.
There were a lot of good reasons why -- visual, accessible to non-fans, high-profile event, risque but not TOO risque -- and today I looked back on the 24-hour surge and tried to make some sense of it.
Enjoy your weekend. Lots of good NBA, good NHL and Players Championship, among other things. Don't forget Mother's Day.
-- D.S.
I had planned to write about Mother's Day today in the USA TODAY Sports column, but "Angry Heat Fan" needed some closure.
Between yesterday morning -- when I was pretty out in front of it (that's not to self-credit, but just to highlight that it only really popped once the casual/non-fans got to work and heard about it) -- and this morning, it became The Story. You would be -- or maybe wouldn't be -- shocked at how dominant it was among all sports stories fans could have chosen from yesterday.
There were a lot of good reasons why -- visual, accessible to non-fans, high-profile event, risque but not TOO risque -- and today I looked back on the 24-hour surge and tried to make some sense of it.
Enjoy your weekend. Lots of good NBA, good NHL and Players Championship, among other things. Don't forget Mother's Day.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
5/8 (Coaching) Quickie
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson retired today. He is the greatest coach in soccer history, which qualifies him on the short list for discussion about the greatest coaches in sports history, period.
Domestically, it is hard to appreciate Ferguson's career, so in today's Morning Win column for USA TODAY Sports, I tried to pull it back to wonder what the toughest coaching seats to fill are, with the qualifier of current coaches.
Ferguson is near the top, but I would rank Nick Saban ahead of him. Alabama might be able to get a top-tier replacement eventually -- maybe not someone at the Urban Meyer level, but certainly Dan Mullen or, if the NFL doesn't work out, Chip Kelly. But the reality is that no one in U.S. sports runs a team like Saban.
I actually thought that Butler's basketball coaching job would be immensely difficult to fill -- I mean, they will find someone. But they will be hard-pressed to find someone as good as Brad Stevens, who is arguably the best coach in college basketball.
Jim Harbaugh has immediately set a new gold standard for NFL coaching, thus making himself fairly indispensable. (You wonder if Stanford's David Shaw could immediately step in and take over the role with little drop-off... that mitigates Harbaugh's "toughest seat to fill" status.
I actually think Doc Rivers will be hard to replace in Boston -- not only is the head-coaching pipeline in the NBA really weak, but it is almost impossible to find the combination of Rivers' prior head-coaching experience, plus his work as an assistant, plus his authority as a former player (who played for some all-time great coaches). Then layer in the end of the Big Three era -- and, with it, any realistic shot that Boston will be competitive at the top level for the foreseeable future. Maybe that makes the job easier to fill -- the expectations are fairly low, a testament to the job Rivers has done.
Anyway, please check out the column, which also includes a rip on Phil Jackson (as your team's top executive), praise of Matt Harvey (the obvious current choice to start the All-Star Game for the NL) and thumbs-up for the Grizzlies and Knicks.
-- D.S.
Domestically, it is hard to appreciate Ferguson's career, so in today's Morning Win column for USA TODAY Sports, I tried to pull it back to wonder what the toughest coaching seats to fill are, with the qualifier of current coaches.
Ferguson is near the top, but I would rank Nick Saban ahead of him. Alabama might be able to get a top-tier replacement eventually -- maybe not someone at the Urban Meyer level, but certainly Dan Mullen or, if the NFL doesn't work out, Chip Kelly. But the reality is that no one in U.S. sports runs a team like Saban.
I actually thought that Butler's basketball coaching job would be immensely difficult to fill -- I mean, they will find someone. But they will be hard-pressed to find someone as good as Brad Stevens, who is arguably the best coach in college basketball.
Jim Harbaugh has immediately set a new gold standard for NFL coaching, thus making himself fairly indispensable. (You wonder if Stanford's David Shaw could immediately step in and take over the role with little drop-off... that mitigates Harbaugh's "toughest seat to fill" status.
I actually think Doc Rivers will be hard to replace in Boston -- not only is the head-coaching pipeline in the NBA really weak, but it is almost impossible to find the combination of Rivers' prior head-coaching experience, plus his work as an assistant, plus his authority as a former player (who played for some all-time great coaches). Then layer in the end of the Big Three era -- and, with it, any realistic shot that Boston will be competitive at the top level for the foreseeable future. Maybe that makes the job easier to fill -- the expectations are fairly low, a testament to the job Rivers has done.
Anyway, please check out the column, which also includes a rip on Phil Jackson (as your team's top executive), praise of Matt Harvey (the obvious current choice to start the All-Star Game for the NL) and thumbs-up for the Grizzlies and Knicks.
-- D.S.
Sunday, May 05, 2013
5/5 (Very) Quickie
*Joakim Noah wins the weekend.
*Should've paid more attention to the pre-race odds on Orb.
*Games like yesterday afternoon when the Caps beat the Rangers in OT are when you realize that, even with the craziness for the Redskins and the new enthusiasm for the Nationals, D.C. is a really good hockey town.
*Mayweather? More like "Meh-weather," amirite?
*Grizzlies over the Thunder in 6.
*Knicks over the Pacers in 7.
*Don't feel particularly good about either of those last two.
-- D.S.
*Should've paid more attention to the pre-race odds on Orb.
*Games like yesterday afternoon when the Caps beat the Rangers in OT are when you realize that, even with the craziness for the Redskins and the new enthusiasm for the Nationals, D.C. is a really good hockey town.
*Mayweather? More like "Meh-weather," amirite?
*Grizzlies over the Thunder in 6.
*Knicks over the Pacers in 7.
*Don't feel particularly good about either of those last two.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 03, 2013
5/3 (Derby) Quickie
I spoke to a class of Georgetown seniors earlier this week -- great group, studying Sports Marketing.
I asked how many used Twitter - probably 25%.
I asked how many used Instagram - probably two-thirds?
I asked how many used Snapchat - felt like every hand in the room went up.
I asked what the appeal of Snapchat was. "No consequences, no commitment."
As we all focus on the Kentucky Derby for the one day a year it matters, it clicked for me that the Derby is the Snapchat of sports: It's interesting, but entirely fleeting. It matters, then it evaporates. We care, then we forget about it.
That is the lead of today's Morning Win at USA TODAY Sports' new For The Win site, and that about sums up my interest in the Derby: The Friday before, the day-of, the two minutes it runs, then... OK, what's next?
Meanwhile:
*So glad the Warriors are advancing - what a fun team.
*Last night was the first time I found myself resenting Derrick Rose sitting on the bench while his teammates tried to grit out a home win over the Nets (which they couldn't). You're telling me that Derrick Rose couldn't help his team even a LITTLE bit? He would be so ineffective he couldn't relieve for a few minutes Nate Robinson who spent his time-outs puking on the bench? Come on.
*Tonight is as interesting as the first round of the NBA Playoffs can get -- two Game 6s where the teams down 3-2 are at home, having both come back from 3-0 deficits and seemingly having all the momentum to force who-knows-what-can-happen Game 7s on Sunday.
*This week's big lesson: Tim Tebow is never not interesting. (Yesterday, I pulled together a quick thing about Tebow's fit with the Saints -- off of a fairly innocuous tweet from Yahoo's Jason Cole -- and fans went bonkers for it. For what it's worth, if Tebow's criteria is "great QB"/"great coach," then the Saints certainly qualify (not as much as my top "best fit" for him, New England, but up there.)
*Doesn't it feel like Jason Collins announcing he is gay was months ago, not days ago?
Enjoy your weekend.
-- D.S.
I asked how many used Twitter - probably 25%.
I asked how many used Instagram - probably two-thirds?
I asked how many used Snapchat - felt like every hand in the room went up.
I asked what the appeal of Snapchat was. "No consequences, no commitment."
As we all focus on the Kentucky Derby for the one day a year it matters, it clicked for me that the Derby is the Snapchat of sports: It's interesting, but entirely fleeting. It matters, then it evaporates. We care, then we forget about it.
That is the lead of today's Morning Win at USA TODAY Sports' new For The Win site, and that about sums up my interest in the Derby: The Friday before, the day-of, the two minutes it runs, then... OK, what's next?
Meanwhile:
*So glad the Warriors are advancing - what a fun team.
*Last night was the first time I found myself resenting Derrick Rose sitting on the bench while his teammates tried to grit out a home win over the Nets (which they couldn't). You're telling me that Derrick Rose couldn't help his team even a LITTLE bit? He would be so ineffective he couldn't relieve for a few minutes Nate Robinson who spent his time-outs puking on the bench? Come on.
*Tonight is as interesting as the first round of the NBA Playoffs can get -- two Game 6s where the teams down 3-2 are at home, having both come back from 3-0 deficits and seemingly having all the momentum to force who-knows-what-can-happen Game 7s on Sunday.
*This week's big lesson: Tim Tebow is never not interesting. (Yesterday, I pulled together a quick thing about Tebow's fit with the Saints -- off of a fairly innocuous tweet from Yahoo's Jason Cole -- and fans went bonkers for it. For what it's worth, if Tebow's criteria is "great QB"/"great coach," then the Saints certainly qualify (not as much as my top "best fit" for him, New England, but up there.)
*Doesn't it feel like Jason Collins announcing he is gay was months ago, not days ago?
Enjoy your weekend.
-- D.S.
Thursday, May 02, 2013
5/2 (Not Very OKC) Quickie
Have a point to make about the post-Westbrook Thunder in light of last night's loss, but first a quick point:
I've been doing this daily morning column for USA TODAY Sports for five or six weeks now, and yesterday's edition -- leading with a full 32-team ranking of fits for Tim Tebow as an NFL free agent -- was so massively popular (the most widely read thing on USATODAY.com, not just USATODAY.com/sports) that it just underscores the huge interest in all things Tebow.
My challenge is the same one since I started writing about Tebow obsessively at TimTeblog.com four years ago -- there are plenty of ways to simply take advantage of the situation by creating Tebow click-bait. I hate that. If I'm writing about Tebow, I'm doing it because (a) it is legitimately a big story that particular day, and (b) I'm doing it entirely uncynically. Yesterday's column was actually something I had been looking to do ever since it was clear Tebow was leaving the Jets. It is of a piece of what I did before the 2010 draft, when I meticulously covered which teams might want to draft him.
The point is that people really really really like to read about Tim Tebow -- folks in the media can serve that interest either for good or for evil. I'm going for "good."
It would have been really easy to go back to the Tebow well today -- actually, not easy at all, because there isn't much/anything to say today. I found the situation in Oklahoma City WAY more interesting:
Basically, the Thunder are done. It might happen this round (which, because they were up 3-0, would be astonishing) but it will certainly happen before they have a chance to get back to the NBA Finals, which was nothing short of a presumption heading into the playoffs. At this point, based on losing last night at home to the Rockets -- along with a general problem ever since Westbrook went down -- I can't see them beating the Spurs, and I'm not sure they can beat the battle-tested survivor of Grizzlies-Clippers. And, again, staggeringly, it is not out of the realm of possibility that they lose Game 6 in Houston, then -- reeling -- lose a toss-up Game 7 back in Oklahoma City.
But the takeaway is that the presumption of inevitability that the Thunder would advance to the NBA Finals has been replaced by a presumption of inevitability that they are going to fall short of that.
It's a really interesting dynamic (even more interesting than the passion play between the Celtics and Knicks, where the C's are one Game 6 win in Boston away from teeing up their own unprecedented comeback from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA Playoffs.) Give today's column a read -- thanks!
-- D.S.
I've been doing this daily morning column for USA TODAY Sports for five or six weeks now, and yesterday's edition -- leading with a full 32-team ranking of fits for Tim Tebow as an NFL free agent -- was so massively popular (the most widely read thing on USATODAY.com, not just USATODAY.com/sports) that it just underscores the huge interest in all things Tebow.
My challenge is the same one since I started writing about Tebow obsessively at TimTeblog.com four years ago -- there are plenty of ways to simply take advantage of the situation by creating Tebow click-bait. I hate that. If I'm writing about Tebow, I'm doing it because (a) it is legitimately a big story that particular day, and (b) I'm doing it entirely uncynically. Yesterday's column was actually something I had been looking to do ever since it was clear Tebow was leaving the Jets. It is of a piece of what I did before the 2010 draft, when I meticulously covered which teams might want to draft him.
The point is that people really really really like to read about Tim Tebow -- folks in the media can serve that interest either for good or for evil. I'm going for "good."
It would have been really easy to go back to the Tebow well today -- actually, not easy at all, because there isn't much/anything to say today. I found the situation in Oklahoma City WAY more interesting:
Basically, the Thunder are done. It might happen this round (which, because they were up 3-0, would be astonishing) but it will certainly happen before they have a chance to get back to the NBA Finals, which was nothing short of a presumption heading into the playoffs. At this point, based on losing last night at home to the Rockets -- along with a general problem ever since Westbrook went down -- I can't see them beating the Spurs, and I'm not sure they can beat the battle-tested survivor of Grizzlies-Clippers. And, again, staggeringly, it is not out of the realm of possibility that they lose Game 6 in Houston, then -- reeling -- lose a toss-up Game 7 back in Oklahoma City.
But the takeaway is that the presumption of inevitability that the Thunder would advance to the NBA Finals has been replaced by a presumption of inevitability that they are going to fall short of that.
It's a really interesting dynamic (even more interesting than the passion play between the Celtics and Knicks, where the C's are one Game 6 win in Boston away from teeing up their own unprecedented comeback from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA Playoffs.) Give today's column a read -- thanks!
-- D.S.
Monday, April 29, 2013
04/29 (Tebow) Quickie
If you thought any other storylines -- NFL Draft hangover or the Lakers being swept out of the NBA Playoffs -- would get any oxygen today, the Jets changed that plan by cutting Tim Tebow.
I filed today's USA TODAY Sports "Morning Win" column at 7 a.m. -- leading with what the Lakers should do next -- then went to get my kids off to school, then wham.
So it's a good thing that in anticipation of this moment, I had already put together a "Where will Tebow end up?" piece, leading with the Patriots. Check it out here.
It's not trolling -- go back to my pre-draft coverage in 2010 on TimTeblog.com, and you'll see that despite my personal aversion to the Patriots, I argued that they were the best fit. They still are.
The offensive coordinator was the guy who originally drafted Tebow as a first-rounder.
The head coach is best buddies with Tebow's mentor, doesn't care what anyone thinks and has made a living doing the smart (if countercultural) thing.
If Tebow was going to step back from QB for any coach, it would be Belichick.
I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Belichick could get Tebow in a position to score 10 TDs, if Tebow would let him use him anywhere on the field that Belichick wanted. For cripes sake, Belichick got Mike Vrabel 10 TDs as a linebacker-turned-tight-end.
There are a handful of other coaches -- Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll come to mind -- with the job security, the innovative thinking and the confidence to take on Tebow and reap the benefits.
But nothing seems as much of a slam-dunk as Tebow to the Pats. He hits the waiver wire at 4. We'll see.
-- D.S.
I filed today's USA TODAY Sports "Morning Win" column at 7 a.m. -- leading with what the Lakers should do next -- then went to get my kids off to school, then wham.
So it's a good thing that in anticipation of this moment, I had already put together a "Where will Tebow end up?" piece, leading with the Patriots. Check it out here.
It's not trolling -- go back to my pre-draft coverage in 2010 on TimTeblog.com, and you'll see that despite my personal aversion to the Patriots, I argued that they were the best fit. They still are.
The offensive coordinator was the guy who originally drafted Tebow as a first-rounder.
The head coach is best buddies with Tebow's mentor, doesn't care what anyone thinks and has made a living doing the smart (if countercultural) thing.
If Tebow was going to step back from QB for any coach, it would be Belichick.
I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Belichick could get Tebow in a position to score 10 TDs, if Tebow would let him use him anywhere on the field that Belichick wanted. For cripes sake, Belichick got Mike Vrabel 10 TDs as a linebacker-turned-tight-end.
There are a handful of other coaches -- Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll come to mind -- with the job security, the innovative thinking and the confidence to take on Tebow and reap the benefits.
But nothing seems as much of a slam-dunk as Tebow to the Pats. He hits the waiver wire at 4. We'll see.
-- D.S.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
4/28 (Sunday) Quickie
Continuing the theme of the NFL Draft second and third rounds, the most high-profile snubbees ended up in pretty good situations:
Matt Barkley is with the Eagles, where Chip Kelly wouldn't take him if he didn't think he could do something interesting with him.
Ryan Nassib is with the Giants, for whom he will be given every opportunity to prove why he should be the logical heir to Eli Manning. That is even more analogous to the Aaron Rodgers draft story than Geno Smith.
Marcus Lattimore is with the 49ers, who have the organizational confidence -- and competence -- to give him time to fully recover, then unleash him on the league as the greatest draft "value" pick of 2013 -- not saying he'll be Alfred Morris, the unknown 6th-round pick, but he will be hugely effective.
Even Denard Robinson -- drafted as a "running back" -- landed in a pretty good spot, with the Jaguars, whose new coach will be open to deploying him in innovative ways.
Kevin Durant: Ties playoff career-high with 41 in first game of Post-Westbrook Era. The game wasn't necessarily a must-win, but it sure helped underscore the idea that the Thunder aren't going away, even without Durant's co-star.
Nate Robinson: That is all.
-- D.S.
Matt Barkley is with the Eagles, where Chip Kelly wouldn't take him if he didn't think he could do something interesting with him.
Ryan Nassib is with the Giants, for whom he will be given every opportunity to prove why he should be the logical heir to Eli Manning. That is even more analogous to the Aaron Rodgers draft story than Geno Smith.
Marcus Lattimore is with the 49ers, who have the organizational confidence -- and competence -- to give him time to fully recover, then unleash him on the league as the greatest draft "value" pick of 2013 -- not saying he'll be Alfred Morris, the unknown 6th-round pick, but he will be hugely effective.
Even Denard Robinson -- drafted as a "running back" -- landed in a pretty good spot, with the Jaguars, whose new coach will be open to deploying him in innovative ways.
Kevin Durant: Ties playoff career-high with 41 in first game of Post-Westbrook Era. The game wasn't necessarily a must-win, but it sure helped underscore the idea that the Thunder aren't going away, even without Durant's co-star.
Nate Robinson: That is all.
-- D.S.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
4/27 (Very) Quickie
San Diego is an ideal spot for Manti Te'o to land, almost entirely because it is as off the radar as any team in the league (for now).
Arizona is an ideal spot for the Honey Badger to land, almost entirely because he will have a great mentor in Patrick Peterson (and a team desperate for playmakers).
New York is an ideal spot for Geno Smith to land, almost entirely because the incumbent starting QB is a mess, and the team is pretty much ready to try something/anything new (except Tebow).
Matt Barkley still on the board: Makes Matt Leinart's senior-year slide out of the Top 10 look palatable. Hell, it makes Brady Quinn's slide look palatable. Hell, it makes Geno Smith's slide look palatable. Could he go to the Jaguars at the top of the 4th? Can we at least all agree that him coming back to USC this year was as massive of a miscalculation -- at least as it relates to his professional future -- as has been made in NFL history? (At least Barkley knows he will get drafted today, so....)
Russell Westbrook out "indefinitely" with a knee injury: Even if he rushes back in 6 weeks if the Thunder make it to the NBA Finals without him (a dubious presumption, given that the Spurs are elite and the Thunder without Westbrook are not), it is hard to believe he would still be the same Russell Westbrook.
Spurs up 3-0 on Lakers: It's not really "the Lakers," but a husk. This one can't be over fast enough.
Knicks up 3-0 on Celtics: See "Spurs up 3-0 on Lakers."
Warriors up 2-1 on Nuggets: Pressure on Denver in Game 4.
Anibal Sanchez K's 17 Braves: Whew.
Aaron Rodgers gets paid: Highest-paid QB in NFL history. As he deserves. Good model for all the QBs taking a slide this week.
-- D.S.
Arizona is an ideal spot for the Honey Badger to land, almost entirely because he will have a great mentor in Patrick Peterson (and a team desperate for playmakers).
New York is an ideal spot for Geno Smith to land, almost entirely because the incumbent starting QB is a mess, and the team is pretty much ready to try something/anything new (except Tebow).
Matt Barkley still on the board: Makes Matt Leinart's senior-year slide out of the Top 10 look palatable. Hell, it makes Brady Quinn's slide look palatable. Hell, it makes Geno Smith's slide look palatable. Could he go to the Jaguars at the top of the 4th? Can we at least all agree that him coming back to USC this year was as massive of a miscalculation -- at least as it relates to his professional future -- as has been made in NFL history? (At least Barkley knows he will get drafted today, so....)
Russell Westbrook out "indefinitely" with a knee injury: Even if he rushes back in 6 weeks if the Thunder make it to the NBA Finals without him (a dubious presumption, given that the Spurs are elite and the Thunder without Westbrook are not), it is hard to believe he would still be the same Russell Westbrook.
Spurs up 3-0 on Lakers: It's not really "the Lakers," but a husk. This one can't be over fast enough.
Knicks up 3-0 on Celtics: See "Spurs up 3-0 on Lakers."
Warriors up 2-1 on Nuggets: Pressure on Denver in Game 4.
Anibal Sanchez K's 17 Braves: Whew.
Aaron Rodgers gets paid: Highest-paid QB in NFL history. As he deserves. Good model for all the QBs taking a slide this week.
-- D.S.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
4/25 (NFL Draft) Quickie
I enjoy the NFL Draft. I like the first round in primetime on Thursday -- I thought that was a brilliant move and it gives me/us a fun evening thing to gorge on while watching TV. I lead today's USA TODAY Sports column with the five most intriguing storylines of tonight's first round.
Longtime readers know my biggest quibble with the NFL Draft is the age limit -- if the NFL is willing to draft a player coming off their freshman or sophomore seasons (as they clearly would with South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, who would have been the No. 1 overall pick this year and will be next year, barring some kind of Lattimore-esque injury that never should have happened), then that player should be allowed in the league.
Rather than place artificial constraints on players (and teams), let the market decide: If teams are unwilling to spend draft picks on 18-year-old O-linemen in the same way they would on 18-year-old receivers or running backs (Adrian Peterson coming off his sensational freshman year comes immediately to mind), great.
But there will always be one (at least one), and clearly the NFL is nervous that the market inefficiency will be glaringly obvious -- as it is with the NBA -- that the most talented younger players are clearly worthy of being drafted.
That is why I continue to be mystified that a professional minor league for football hasn't emerged -- the leagues trying to compete at the NFL's existing margins (taxi squad players, etc.) are terrible ideas.
The one and only viable idea remains going directly after the 18-, 19- and 20-year-old players that the NFL can't or won't.
And so for better or worse, we are left with obsessively thinking about the system as it is -- about where Manti Te'o lands or how the Jets plan to humiliate Mark Sanchez or why Eric Fisher is the best talent of the draft or why Tavon Austin is the guy you'll want on your fantasy team next year, regardless of what team he ends up with or what Chip Kelly will do in his first Eagles draft.
Those are the best storylines of the draft, heading into tonight and leading today's "Morning Win" column for USA TODAY Sports. Please give it a read, pass it along and enjoy tonight's spectacle. Bro-hugs for everyone.
-- D.S.
Longtime readers know my biggest quibble with the NFL Draft is the age limit -- if the NFL is willing to draft a player coming off their freshman or sophomore seasons (as they clearly would with South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, who would have been the No. 1 overall pick this year and will be next year, barring some kind of Lattimore-esque injury that never should have happened), then that player should be allowed in the league.
Rather than place artificial constraints on players (and teams), let the market decide: If teams are unwilling to spend draft picks on 18-year-old O-linemen in the same way they would on 18-year-old receivers or running backs (Adrian Peterson coming off his sensational freshman year comes immediately to mind), great.
But there will always be one (at least one), and clearly the NFL is nervous that the market inefficiency will be glaringly obvious -- as it is with the NBA -- that the most talented younger players are clearly worthy of being drafted.
That is why I continue to be mystified that a professional minor league for football hasn't emerged -- the leagues trying to compete at the NFL's existing margins (taxi squad players, etc.) are terrible ideas.
The one and only viable idea remains going directly after the 18-, 19- and 20-year-old players that the NFL can't or won't.
And so for better or worse, we are left with obsessively thinking about the system as it is -- about where Manti Te'o lands or how the Jets plan to humiliate Mark Sanchez or why Eric Fisher is the best talent of the draft or why Tavon Austin is the guy you'll want on your fantasy team next year, regardless of what team he ends up with or what Chip Kelly will do in his first Eagles draft.
Those are the best storylines of the draft, heading into tonight and leading today's "Morning Win" column for USA TODAY Sports. Please give it a read, pass it along and enjoy tonight's spectacle. Bro-hugs for everyone.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
4/24 (Very) Quickie
We are "name them what you'll call them" parents. People make the assumption that Gabe's full name is Gabriel, but we have to clarify that -- indeed -- the legal name is "Gabe."
So you can understand why I am drawn to the name of the new college football playoff -- "College Football Playoff." Isn't that what we've been asking for all these years?
It is brilliant in its simplicity, and I heartily endorse the name in today's USA TODAY Sports "Morning Win" column -- now part of our exciting new "For The Win" product (ftw.usatoday.com).
I ended up ranking the names of sports championships, and "College Football Playoff" finished in the Top 5. Clearly, it's not "The Masters" or "Super Bowl" (or the vastly underrated "Frozen Four"), but it is better than "World Series" (inaccurate) and "NBA Finals" (classic logo, zero pizzazz).
Much more in the column today, so give it a read -- thanks!
-- D.S.
So you can understand why I am drawn to the name of the new college football playoff -- "College Football Playoff." Isn't that what we've been asking for all these years?
It is brilliant in its simplicity, and I heartily endorse the name in today's USA TODAY Sports "Morning Win" column -- now part of our exciting new "For The Win" product (ftw.usatoday.com).
I ended up ranking the names of sports championships, and "College Football Playoff" finished in the Top 5. Clearly, it's not "The Masters" or "Super Bowl" (or the vastly underrated "Frozen Four"), but it is better than "World Series" (inaccurate) and "NBA Finals" (classic logo, zero pizzazz).
Much more in the column today, so give it a read -- thanks!
-- D.S.
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