Boston Sports Then and Now

Branch and Brady were on their game as Deion finished with 6 catches for 125 yards

I wouldn’t have thought it possible to enjoy a game in which Vince Young threw for 400 yards against the Patriots defense, but Sunday’s game in Philly served as another reminder that all things are possible through Tom Brady.

The Eagles came storming out of the gates to claim an early 10-0 lead behind a number of big passing plays from Young. From that point forward it was all Patriots as they responded by outscoring Philadelphia 38-3 prior to a garbage time Jason Avant touchdown.

The Patriots patchwork secondary was once again passable and the offensive unit turned in perhaps their best effort yet in a game that presented the biggest remaining challenge of the 2011 regular season. New England has now reeled off three straight wins after losing back to back games to the Steelers and Giants, and they once again appear primed to compete for the AFC’s number one seed.

Let’s look back at this week’s keys to victory to see how it was done.

1. All eyes on LeSean McCoy. McCoy came into the game as the NFL’s leading rusher and, in the absence of Michael Vick, the Eagles most dynamic offensive player. McCoy finished with 31 yards on 10 carries and 4 receptions for 30 yards. Bill Belichick heavily emphasized gang tackling this week in practice knowing that McCoy as well as receiver DeSean Jackson are difficult to tackle in one-on-one situations. It appears that the message hit home. The Patriots swarmed whenever McCoy got the ball and the Eagles were unable to get anything going in the running game.

While the defense deserves credit for bottling up McCoy, his limited effectiveness had as much to do with the Patriots offense as anything else. Brady’s surgical precision and the onslaught of Patriots points starting at the end of the first quarter forced Andy Reid’s offense to go to the air more often than they might have liked. Still, the defensive game plan was clearly concentrated on stopping McCoy and the Patriots defense deserves credit for doing so. Whether or not the offense provided help, the Patriots contained McCoy to an extent that only one other team has. That would be the 49ers, owners of the NFL’s best rushing defense. Not bad company. Read the rest of this entry →

Bruins Captain #33 Zdeno Chara is having his best season statistically to date.

It it no secret to any Bruins fan anywhere that Zdeno Chara is one of the best defensemen in the entire game of hockey. The Trencin, Slokavia native is the tallest player in NHL history, and it is because of this the league had to make an exception in their “stick length” rule. To put into perspective for you, Chara uses the longest stick possible and then adds an attachment to make it long enough. Being the tallest player in the NHL has it’s obvious perks, one of which being the incredible reach and physical prowess that Zdeno possesses. Chara is arguably the most dominant physical force in the NHL and he brings that same tenacity to every game. Having to to play against some of the greatest talent the Hockey world has to over, Chara has established himself and the Bruins as the team to beat.

Coming off an emotional Cup run that saw the Bruins break multiple records, good and bad, Chara quelled any questions about his leadership when he raised the Stanley Cup taller then it has ever been raised before. The Bruins captain is someone who expects a lot from himself and as such, usually is under the biggest microscope. Having already won a Norris Trophy as league’s best defensemen in my eyes Zdeno has nothing left to prove, but to him he expects more and more every season. This season we are getting a great taste of what the captain is capable of. Bruins fans expect to see that dominant shutdown game from Chara night in and night out but this season it is his offense that is getting done more consistently. So far “Big Z” has 4 goals, 12 assists, and a plus 13 in 22 games. These numbers are incredible and put the Bruins’ big man on pace for 14 goals, 44 assists and a plus 46 for the season.

Chara has always been an incredible force in the NHL and on the Bruins. He is the kind of player that you may not appreciate all the time, but if he were to go somewhere else you would notice it in just about every aspect of the game. You would be hard pressed to convince me that there is a better defenseman in the league as I believe Chara to be one of a kind. I have no reserves about saying the Bruins organization counts their lucky stars that he is on the Bruins and not another team. His physicality, passing ability, excellent reach, impressive reads, and last but certainly not least, his big shot, make Chara not just one of the most dominant defensive forces in the NHL, but arguably the most dominant force in the game.

There is no doubt in my mind that if Chara keeps playing the way he has so far this season, not only will the Bruins have no trouble defending their title, but the big man will have his second Norris Trophy to polish. The Bruins have one of the best defenses in the hockey world, and I can think of no one better to lead that unit then Zdeno Chara

Will he be the right man for the job?

What a day for my first column on BST&N.  Gordon Edes is reporting that Bobby Valentine will become the 45th manager of the Boston Red Sox.  Apparently the offer was extended while he was on some business in Japan and he immediately accepted.  That kind of makes you wonder why exactly it took so long for the Red Sox to hire Bobby Valentine in the first place.  Either way it looks like interesting times are coming to the Fens as they have now injected one of the biggest personalities in the game into an already volatile clubhouse situation.  Anyway for fans that aren’t familiar with Valentine there are two things you need to know about him – his reputation and his resume.

I’ll tackle the latter first.  Some time ago (1985 to be exact) Bobby Valentine was hired as the manager of the Texas Rangers at the tender young age of 35.  Valentine lasted parts of 7 seasons with the Rangers before being fired in 1992.  He amassed a 581-605 record in his tenure with the Rangers, finishing in 2nd place on two occasions.  After he was jettisoned in Texas he landed with the larger market Mets for the 1996 season after spending a year managing in Japan.  Valentine fared better in New York than he did in Texas, going 536-437 before being fired after the 2002 season.  Valentine did make two postseason appearances with the Mets, in 1999 and 2000.  He managed the Mets in the World Series loss against the Yankees in 2000.  Valentine and GM Steve Phillips never saw eye to eye and Phillips promptly fired Valentine after a late season collapse (oops) in 2002.  After that Valentine returned to Japan to manage the same team he did in 1995, the Chiba Lotte Marines, from 2004-2009.  It was there that he found his greatest success, taking the Marines to their first Japan Series victory in thirty years.  Valentine became a cult hero in Japan before he returned to ESPN in 2010.

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Who is calling the shots on Yawkey Way?

It’s been a topic to avoid in recent months. It began with inconsistent play in September and climaxed with the dreaded last day of the season. The distaste for the Red Sox is reaching new heights as we approach December. The home team hasn’t won a playoff series since 2008 and despite seeing GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona leave town, the team lacks direction.

Look no further than the front office.

Contradictions among the owners of the club were evident as they took to the airwaves to put out fires when the season ended. During John Henry and Larry Lucchino’s interview on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan they chimed in on the ownership’s support, or lack there of, to sign Carl Crawford to a megabucks contract. Then as tempers boiled over, John Henry showed up at 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger and Mazz show unannounced. Spending over an hour in studio talking about everything from Theo to the team’s succession in the event of Henry no longer being around, it was truly a no holds barred affair.

There was the awkward press conference as Theo, Larry, and Tom Werner succeeded Terry Francona’s last words as he “decided to not come back to the team.” Believed to be forced out, he took a shot saying he didn’t always have the “support” ownership. Theo, Larry, and Tom took questions about the future of the club, and Theo promised a thorough search for the next manager of the Boston Red Sox.

However, Theo’s thorough search for a manager was in Chicago with the Cubs, as just days later he found himself as the President of Baseball Operations in Chi-Town. Under contract with the Red Sox, the Cubs and Red Sox were to work out compensation for Theo’s departure. Over five weeks past his introduction with the Cubs, there has been nothing sent the Red Sox way.

Perhaps the clearest part of the Sox offseason was the promotion of Ben Cherington to General Manager. He was deemed the successor to Theo long ago and appeared to fit the part right away at his introduction in October.

It’s been almost two months since Terry Francona was ousted, but the Sox are on the cusp of announcing a new manager. However, it has not been all rosy, as the interview process has dragged on. So much so, that rumblings in the media profiled a divide between ownership’s preference (Bobby Valentine) and Cherington’s (Gene Lamont, Dale Sveum). Regardless of the soap opera, the next manager of the Boston Red Sox has the tall task of winning a World Series soon, or they won’t be around long.

In addition to all of the turmoil in the offices on Yawkey Way, Jonathan Papelbon also bolted town. Always looking for the top dollar after his decision to go year-to-year in salary arbitration, Paps shipped down to Philadelphia where he signed an elite contract for a closer. Cherington later confirmed the Red Sox never made an offer for the homegrown closer. Handcuffed by big deals, the Sox will not be making dishing out big dollars in this year’s market. Instead they must take a more strategic approach to improving the ball club for 2012.

The season ended with allegations of beer drinking, but it now appears, those appear to the least of the Red Sox problems. Until the dust settles, a manager is in place, and players start coming aboard, it will continue to be a winter of Red Sox bashing.

Tom Brady completed 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns.

In a hostile Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, even Vince Young’s 400 passing yards couldn’t help the Eagles as the Patriots defeated them 38-20.

Philadelphia’s playoff hopes = crushed. Well, you might have thought that was the case a few weeks ago, but New England just made it worse.

As for the Pats, they continue to roll through their favorable schedule.

Tom Brady had another big game as he threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Despite Chad Ochocinco not playing on Sunday, (which has been the case all season) Patriots WRs played a crucial role in the victory as Deion Branch and Wes Welker combined for 14 catches, 240 yards and two touchdowns. New England’s TE duo also had a solid game, combining for 121 yards and a touchdown, as well.

But what is it about the Patriots that make them so tough to beat?

Most opposing teams know that New England mostly passes the ball, yet there was no defense for it. Their short passes help them move the chains, but the yards after catch have been the reason why they are scoring touchdowns. The Pats blocking has also been essential, whether it is on a screen or simply just protecting Brady.

Even Julian Edelman helped out on defense, making a few big tackles on Vince Young.

However, once again it wasn’t just about the offense. The Eagles started the game with a touchdown, driving 84 yards down the field in five plays. At that point the Patriots pass defense looked just about right but they picked it up, not allowing another touchdown until late in the 4^th quarter.

What was even more impressive was New England’s rush defense, which held LeSean McCoy (league’s leading rusher) to only 31 yards in ten carries. Sunday was McCoy’s second lowest rushing total in a game this season. His lowest was in week four when he rushed for 18 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.

Despite that, you still can’t be fully confident in New England’s defense. Given their schedule, the Pats will probably have a first-round bye, but a team like the Steelers or Ravens will give them trouble in the playoffs.

As for the Eagles, their fans were — to no surprise — booing and chanting “Fire Andy!” during the second half. After the game, Andy Reid told the media, “The way we played, I can understand.”

The Patriots (8-3) will host the win-less/Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Notes: With his one touchdown catch against the Eagles, Rob Gronkowski now has 21 career touchdown catches. Gronkowski is moving his way up the list for most receiving touchdowns in the first two seasons of an NFL career. Randy Moss (1998-99) leads that list with 28 touchdown receptions.

This year was one Crawford will remember, but perhaps not in a good way.

There were lots of surprises this season. Major breakthroughs. Major disappointments.  No one has to guess which group Crawford is leading right now. And with the off-season underway, dismally I report to you that Crawford is not someone who is on the list of free agents. He will be gracing us with his presence for a long time.

Great. There’s a lot to address with this issue, but I want to start by looking at the shortsightedness of the front office. It is not a practical idea to sign a player going on 30 to a seven year contract of this proportion. Especially not a base-stealer like Crawford. It’s this kind of logic that gets teams into situations where the payroll is being eaten up in large part by average players. (This means you, John Lackey).

But to be fair, even with all their resources, it would be impossible to predict the season that Crawford had. This is the kind of year that drives sabermetricians crazy trying to discern a reason. Doing personal research, I looked at all the common statistics, and even some uncommon ones, trying to isolate a cause of his regression.

This generation has a vast, almost incomprehensible array of knowledge constantly at it’s fingertips. Major League Baseball has been no slouch in providing information, nor in inventing new statistics to represent it all. After looking over all this material, the only conclusion one can make is that there is no conclusion hiding in the numbers.

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