Picking My Son's Team For Madden 15

            Back in the day, I used to waste way too much time playing Madden. I’d run multiple franchises (one with the Dallas Cowboys, another with me created as a quarterback on a crappy team, and another where I would simulate the entire season and manage all 32 teams) and play on-line (ranked somewhere around 2,100 in the world on PS2 sometime around 2005. As you could guess, I didn’t date much back then). These days, I only have time for one franchise, with virtually every game I play occurring well after my son goes to bed. Speaking of my spawn, he has replaced me as the person created for Madden (it would be a little weird to create yourself when you have a kid), and he’s already had a very successful virtual career. Let’s recap the stops he’s made.

Madden 11 = After failing to win a Super Bowl in his first three seasons, he piloted the Buffalo Bills to six straight titles before I ran the team into salary cap hell by trading players for draft picks after signing them to new contracts (true story… I’d never gotten that far into a franchise before, so I didn’t realize how the cap penalties worked yet. Needless to say, we only trade players on expiring deals now).

Madden 12 = Arriving in Seattle a year before Russell Wilson did in real life, my son dominated with the Seahawks. Seattle was the most complete team I’ve ever constructed in Madden.

Madden 13 = Taking his talents to Kansas City, Jamaal Charles was the most dynamic runningback my son got to play with during a rookie season.

Madden 25 = My son took over the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was extra fun because after one year I moved the team to Los Angeles and renamed them the Aftershocks. We’re into the sixth year of this franchise, and the Muir to Dez Bryant connection is lethal.

            We’re already looking ahead to Madden 15, and I want to figure out who my son is going to play for next. Here are the things we are looking for when we are trying to produce the best Madden franchise experience.

-         The quarterback situation should be awful. We don’t want to replace an established superstar (my son will not be replacing Tom Brady this year), a player a team has invested in as it’s franchise quarterback (sorry Rams fans, we don’t get the infatuation with Sam Bradford either), or a young quarterback drafted during one of the previous three drafts (Oakland would’ve been a slam dunk for this, but had to take a Carr brother in the second round).

-         The rest of the roster should be pretty shitty too. The more positions I have to reload through the draft or free agency, the better.

-         A stud rookie wide receiver or runningback would be nice.

            Today we’ll share our top-5 teams that were considered, with the number one team being the place my son will suit up for on the virtual gridiron.

5. New York Jets

QB Situation = Geno Smith is going into his sophomore campaign, and Michael Vick was brought in to push him
Why They Aren’t the Team = Of recent early round quarterback picks (recent being within the last three drafts), Geno appears to be the one with the least stability in terms of support from his own team. If he was in his fourth year, we probably would make the move to replace him.

4. Arizona Cardinals

QB Situation = Carson Palmer lost the ability to see defenders lurking in the flat shortly after joining the Raiders, which is sort of a problem.
Why They Aren’t the Team = Arizona is a little over qualified for my son’s services after winning 10 games last season. While it would be fun to throw to Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, we don’t want to start off with things being too easy.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB Situation = Tampa signed journeyman Josh McCown, and still has second-year QB Mike Glennon on the roster.
Why They Aren’t the Team = While not as stout overall as Arizona, getting to throw to Vincent Jackson and rookie Mike Evans would be ridiculous in a rookie season. Doug Martin also is a guy whose talents are well suited for Madden, so we’d be piling up some easy Super Bowl wins very early.

2. Houston Texans

QB Situation = Passed on taking Johnny Fucking Football first overall, and are weirdly content with rolling into 2014 with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback. Case Keenum is still around, and the team used a fourth round pick on Tom Savage.
Why They Almost Were the Team = Houston was the worst team in football last season, and even with using a mid-round pick on a quarterback, it’s unlikely their long term starter is on the roster.
Why They Aren’t the Team = Despite being so awful last season, they are still just two years removed from winning the AFC South. J.J. Watt leads a talented defense (we like to start our franchise mode with a defense that puts us in early holes), which with a little fine-tuning, would be too Super Bowl caliber for me in Madden.

 

1. Tennessee Titans

QB Situation = I think Jake Locker just hurt himself again, and we’re still more than two months away from playing real games.
Why They Are the Team = Locker is in the last year of his rookie deal, and has done nothing to establish himself as the QB the Titans need to build around. Furthermore, their starting runningback is a rookie (Chris Johnson is wearing a Jets uniform now), and while there is some decent talent at wide receiver, there isn’t a dominant player to make things too easy in year 1. Lastly, the defense is mediocre at best, and they are shifting to a 3-4. We’re not terribly excited about it, but my son will be leading the Tennessee Titans for the foreseeable future in Madden 15.

No Credentials "Mailbag" 9/23/11

            Good friend of the blog Ryan Brooks sent me this message via Facebook after I posted my Chase preview.

Answer my question dick.

            I guess it’s time for a No Credentials Mailbag. As always, these are real or fake questions from real or fake readers.

            What will I do when twelve-year-old girls don’t like me anymore? – Justin B., London, Ontario, Canada

            Hopefully you’ll fall so far out of the public eye that when your name randomly comes up in conversation ten years from now, people will wonder if you fell off the face of the Earth.
 
            Did Wade Phillips take over the Kansas City Chiefs while no one was looking? – Jason B., San Antonio, TX
            Wade’s doing a solid job as the Texans defensive coordinator so far (although playing the Colts and Dolphins weren’t exactly tough tests, we’ll see how Wade and the Texans’ defense fairs against New Orleans Sunday). It does appear that Todd Haley has taken a page out of the Wade Phillips 2010 playbook. The team is decimated by injuries, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of effort during the first two weeks. Haley is either actively trying to get fired or he’s been given orders to tank so Kansas City can get Andrew Luck. Speaking of Luck, here is the list of teams that appear to have a great shot at securing the number on pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Chiefs

Colts
Dolphins
49ers
Seahawks

            When did No Credentials become a straight NFL blog? What the hell? – Maria C., Saratoga, NY

            Sorry Maria, but baseball is boring, the NBA is in the middle of lockout (with no end in sight), I know you don’t want me to write about NASCAR (I can see my page views), NHL isn’t cranked up yet, Tiger Woods hasn’t started hooking up with porn stars so he can revive his golf career, I’m not home during the day enough to follow the Premier League, and it’s to damn hard to type a “j” after a “d” to talk about tennis. So you’re stuck with a whole lot of football talk.

            Can you estimate how many parties we left early in high school to go home and play Madden? – Ethan H., North Conway, NH

            I’ll set the over/under at 40. Note to all you kids out there that get yelled at by your parents because you play too much Madden. Just tell them that you could be out drinking and getting in trouble instead. I know my liver would’ve been much happier if I stayed home more often.

            I always knew I was a decent quarterback, but I didn’t realize I was that good until watching Kerry Collins start the first two games for the Colts. – Peyton M., Indianapolis, IN

            It’s insane how different the Colts look without Manning. This was literally the only team in the history of the NFL that built its defense around their quarterback (Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are built to rush the passer after their offense has given them a lead, not to stop the run in a tight game). It’s going to be a long year for the Colts.
            Jumping off of that idea, what happens if Indianapolis ends up with the top pick in the draft? Could Indianapolis get a better package if they traded Peyton Manning, or if they traded the rights to Andrew Luck? Herm Edwards will be out of action on ESPN for a while with an exploded skull if this happens.

            Hey man I’m a 19-year old college student at BU. I work at a local grocery store for beer money. The other day this fairly attractive lady came through my checkout line. She paid by check, so I had to see her license, and it turned out she was 57 years old.
            To make a long story short (and to pay homage to Bill Clinton), would it of been appropriate for me to engage in sexual relations with this woman, and if not, what are my guidelines in terms of what ages I can hook-up with? – Jackson D., Brighton, MA
            Social guideline questions…I don’t get enough of these! Here are my standard rules for both sexes if you find yourself in the clutches of a cougar (or a youngster).

18-52 = Fair Game. Adjust this number up or down based on the ratio of the opposite sex that is in the area you live in. For example, if you are a male in Alaska, go ahead and bump that top end number up to 60.

Once you hit the age of 38, add fifteen years to your limit. So if you’re 49, you’re good to go with someone who is 64.

Once you are 60, there is no top end restriction. 60-120 is all the same in the world of No Credentials.

              Can we expect to see an in-depth NHL preview? Preseason just started yesterday. – Luc P., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

            Wasn’t planning on it, but since the NBA is actively trying to destroy all the good will they built up last season, I do plan on flinging together a quick NHL preview within the next week or so. As long as there is no professional basketball, there will be plenty of hockey commentary throughout the season.

Give me the winner of the major MLB player awards this year and a one-sentence explanation of why that player deserves it. – Amy K., Cleveland, OH

            Haven’t watched enough baseball this year, but here’s an uninformed unprofessional writers opinion.

NL MVP = Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers – Not a sexy choice because Prince Fielder is also on the team, but Braun is one of the top all-around players in the game.

NL Cy Young = Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers – Kershaw has thrived despite the mess around him in Los Angeles.

AL MVP and AL Cy Young = Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers – You can make a case for Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, or Robinson Cano, but Detroit is a fourth place team if Verlander wasn’t pitching for them.

            If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him? – Megan L., Silver Lake, NH

            The most logical explanation I could come up with on the web is that the song is about a slave who is celebrating because his master is away. Not a sexy answer, but it seems to be the most reasonable.      

            In your Chase Preview you said Tony Stewart would be lucky to run in the top-15 during the final ten races. He went out and won the first race at Chicago. Defend yourself. – Nicole, Augusta, GA
            To the uninformed reader that it may have looked like No Credentials was way off, but the bottom line is a driver who said himself he had no business being in The Chase stole a gas mileage race. He’ll look good in New Hampshire again this week, but it will be all down hill from there. Remember this paragraph when Stewart is hoisting the trophy in November.

            My girlfriend asked me about for an opinion about Casey Anthony. I said I knew nothing about her story, but thought she was kind of sexy. My girlfriend then quickly became my ex-girlfriend. Thoughts? – Derek E., Walpole, MA

            This question should’ve been in the mailbag two months ago, but unfortunately slipped through the cracks. About the only thing I can think of that women care about disproportionably more then men is the menstrual cycle. That’s it.  

            I can’t help it. I love words and how we can on occasion manipulate them to flow like a cascading waterfall. That flow of water never has and will not apologize for it’s continuous babble. If I smoke, I’d choke down a carton a day with Dice Clay and pick on Carlin for eating broccoli. If I drove a racecar, Goodyear’s profits would make Bill Gates feel poor. If I boxed, Tyson would not only be Van Gogh he would be neutered. Hell if I were banging rocks, Charlie Sheen would HAVE to admit I was winning. So forgive me for my long-winded approach to a seemingly simple question and answer.

              Okay, this rant is almost under control, so if licking on a given item (a Tootsie Pop I believe is its origin), how many licks does it take to get to the center? And once you get there, what is the relevance of the center? – Ryan B., Kearsarge, NH
            You almost lost me at Van Gogh, but I think I have a simple answer for this one (minus the how many licks part. That’s all relative to whatever proverbial Tootsie Pop you happen to be sucking on). Essentially, the relevance of getting to the center is the accomplishment of getting there. Whether your center is completing an important job, graduating college, or simply finishing a Tootsie Pop, it’s the conclusion of the journey that matters.

Melodrama's End

            I’ve been playing Madden for the various Playstation systems for over a decade now. In the game, there is a Franchise mode where you can run an NFL team for up to 30 years. The oldest trick in the book to stack your team was to sign high rated free agents, and then immediately trade the players you signed for players you need at different positions that are on other teams, or trade them for draft picks. I remember one draft when I was running the Dallas Cowboys back in the early ‘00s where I had seven of the first 10 picks in the draft (the Dave Campo Cowboys needed a lot of help, even with the services of super-stud Cam Muir at quarterback. Muir once threw for over 6,000 yards and ran for 1,100 in the same season. The guy was the greatest Madden QB ever). However, with the PS3 edition, you now get a financial penalty for trading players who you were supposed to pay a large bonus too. This meant that I had to delete my Buffalo Bills franchise a week ago (after playing 9 seasons and winning 7 Super Bowls) because I didn’t realize I had racked up $256.1 million in cap penalties (I don’t even think Al Davis could mismanage the cap that bad). It was financially impossible for me to field a complete roster around star 2^nd generation quarterback Evan Muir (the son of Cam Muir, who looks like a dead-ringer for his old-man on the virtual grid-iron).

            As strange as it may sound, my Madden troubles were the first thing I thought of after hearing word that Carmelo Anthony was officially traded to the Knicks. New York gave up three players averaging more than 16 points per game (Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, and Wilson Chandler) and a center who’s claim to fame is getting posterized by Blake Griffin (Timofey Mozgov, who happens to be a 7-footer, which is why he has value). They also sent the uber-talented Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract (in this case, the contract is way more noteworthy than the player) to Minnesota. As you might guess, that’s an insane amount of players. They were able to bring in Chauncey Billups along with Anthony, which improves their point guard situation in the short term, but they have completely gutted any sort of depth they had.

            In a world where a salary cap didn’t exist, I would have no problem with this trade. NBA history has shown that in order to win a championship, you need at least two A-Level players, or one A and two B-Level guys. Here’s a list of notable championship teams and their best players for the last 15 years.

2008-10 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, B-Level = Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum

2007-08 Boston Celtics: A-Level = Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, B-Level = Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo

2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker

2005-06 Miami Heat: A-Level = Dwyane Wade, B-Level = Shaq

2003-04 Detroit Pistons: A-Level = Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace B-Level = Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince

1999-02 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Shaq, Kobe Bryant

1998-99 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = David Robinson

1995-98 Chicago Bulls: A-Level = Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, B-Level = Dennis Rodman

            The only two exceptions to my “A/B-Level” Rule were the 2005-06 Heat (who were bailed out by the refs against the Dallas Mavericks) and the 1998-99 Spurs (who won the very quirky lockout shortened season). Other than that, you better have some star power. Carmelo and Stoudemire paired together certainly bring that to the table.

            The issue here is flexibility going forward. Going into a very uncertain financial future in the NBA, it is hard to predict what the rules will be. There might be a hard salary cap, which means a team will not have an option of paying a luxury tax if they are over it. The cap itself might shrink from its current amount of $58 million. Let’s hypothetically say the cap stays put at $58 in the new collective bargaining agreement with a hard cap. New York will be shelling out roughly $40 million for both Carmelo and Amar’e for the next three years. That leaves the Knicks $18 million to fill the rest of their roster. That would eliminate them from having any chance at adding Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Dwight Howard when those three hit free agency after the 2012 season.

            One could point to Miami as an example of a team that can load up with star players and surround them with cheap role players. The problem in the Knicks case is that Carmelo is not even equal to Wade, much less Lebron. Neither Carmelo nor Stoudemire are great passers. Typically when the ball is in their hands, they are usually going to shoot. Billups isn’t exactly a great distributor either. It will be harder for the Knicks to get solid production out of role players the way Miami does with someone like Lebron and Wade to kick the ball out to wide open 3-point shooters.

             In the short term this is a win for the Knicks. Their long-suffering fan base finally has a reason to get excited. Stoudemire and Anthony are the best duo the Knicks have ever had (New York’s failure to find an amigo for Patrick Ewing was the main reason the Knicks never won a championship during the Ewing-era. That and you know, that Jordan guy that played in Chicago). The only thing that can bail them out going forward is a favorable labor agreement between the players and the league. If New York is able to spend $65 or $70 million on their roster, they should have no problem building a championship caliber team within three years (assuming they add Paul or Williams). If there is a salary crunch, and New York is stuck with two stars and very little else, they will be lucky to get out of the 1^st round in the Eastern Conference Playoffs year after year.        

   

Responses to "Reader" Mail

These may or may not be actual messages I've receieved from readers. They also could've been made up by the author of this column to create a backbone for this piece. You never know. Enjoy!

“If you had a gun put to your head, which of the four remaining quarterbacks would you trust to win one game?” – Eric, Woodbury, NY

            Depends on the circumstances. If all four quarterbacks were on evenly matched teams, I would take Roethlisberger slightly ahead of Rodgers. As good as Aaron Rodgers has been, I’ve never seen him drive his team down the field 80+ yards to win the Super Bowl. Roethlisberger isn’t the most graceful QB, but the guy just finds a way to make plays (see the 3^rd and 19 throw he completed to win the game against Baltimore last week).

            The other two guys aren’t as far behind as you might think. Cutler, for all of his recklessness, has the strongest arm of any quarterback in the NFL. Sanchez is totally erratic, but when the game is on the line, he always seems to make a play. We’re lucky to have very intriguing quarterback pairings for the championship games this weekend (even more lucky when you consider that Brady, Manning, and Drew Brees are not involved).

“Which are you more excited for, real baseball or fantasy baseball?” – Ken, Miami, FL

            Fantasy baseball, and it’s not even close. I might not be in the majority on this, but I do feel like fair amounts of people are with me. Baseball was built for statistical nerds. Fantasy football is more mainstream, but baseball is for the hardcore stat geek that is willing to invest time in learning who the hot AAA prospects are. Perhaps I’ll get sucked in to baseball a little more if the Red Sox are a juggernaut, but committing 3+ hours six nights a week to a baseball game is too much for me. I’ll take any NBA game over any MLB game any day of the week. And then I will check my fantasy team for five minutes the next morning.

“Hockey seemed to be gaining some steam in the States last year, but in my opinion, has fallen off a bit. What does the NHL need to do to get more into the American sports scene?” Pierre, Quebec City

            This one is pretty simple. The NHL needs to come up with an arrangement to get their games back on ESPN. Sadly, we live in a world where “Sportscenter” dictates to a large percentage of the population what they should be watching. Without a contract with ESPN, hockey is lucky to get five minutes of coverage per hour of “Sportscenter”. ESPN used to have outstanding coverage of hockey back in the late ‘90s. There are rumors that ESPN and the NHL have had preliminary talks, so we’ll see what happens.

“I’m not sure how excited I can let myself get over Blake Griffin. The Clipper stink will get him eventually.” – Travis, Long Beach, CA

            I don’t think the Clipper stink will get to him. It’s much more likely that a freak leg injury will. Griffin plays basketball the way Ronnie Lott used to play football. Keep in mind that Lott had a finger cut off so he could continue playing in a game. The only thing that will stop Griffin is him jumping 12 feet in the air to snag a Baron Davis alley-oop, and then landing awkwardly and shattering his knee into 6,000 pieces. If I was a Clippers fan, I’d be terrified every time he went in the air.

“Why did you let yourself become infatuated with “Jersey Shore”? What’s wrong with you?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire

            Great question Cameron. Somehow (probably do to great editing by the folks at MTV), I became invested in the well being of these people. Escapism is also a factor, as while I certainly didn’t party like the cast of the show on a regular basis, I do remember being a little younger and not having all that much to worry about. Am I a little embarrassed to say I’ve watched every episode of the 3^rd season so far? Yes. Am I looking forward to the next episode? Yes, yes, and yes.

“Any interest in golf?” – Bob, Tempe, AR

            The only two tournaments I usually try to catch are The Masters and the US Open (catch = watch the last three or four holes). Unless Tiger Woods finds his mojo again, I’m on the outs with the PGA Tour.

“I’m not sure who was older, the cast of the “Golden Girls” during their 5^th season or the big 3 (Duncan, Manu, and Eva’s ex) for the Spurs. Can they keep it up all year?”  - Troy G., El Paso, TX

            Do I think San Antonio will end up with 70 wins? No, but as long as they can maintain their health they should have an excellent chance at nabbing the #1 seed in the west. Coach Gregg Popovich has done a great job of resting Tim Duncan (he’s only averaging 29.4 minutes per game so far this season), which is the right thing to do with a 34-year old 7-footer with a lot of mileage on his knees. Ginobili has been playing as well as he ever has, and Tony Parker (who is only 28, it just feels like he’s older because he was at one time an 18-year old rookie) has not let his much-publicized divorce distract him. I don’t think they could last against the Lakers, Oklahoma City, or Dallas in a seven game series as presently constructed, but the fact that they are a threat in the west with an aging Duncan is very impressive.

“Lebron…humble he not.” – Yoda, a Galaxy far, far away

            Wise words from the great Jedi master.

“I’m currently in the 16^th year of my Madden franchise. My entire roster is full of players that were generated by the computer. At what point do I just need to start over?” – a 14-year old from Topeka, KS

            It all depends on what your objective is. If you’re using your favorite team, than going the full 30 years is acceptable. Perhaps you want to win Super Bowl with each team, which means as soon as you win it, you start a new one. Or lastly, you are trying to play the entire career of a rookie player and develop him to greatness (Sam Bradford, Dez Bryant, ect.). At that point you end the franchise when that player retires.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t wait for your NASCAR preview.” – Leroy, Raleigh, NC

            Unless I want to attempt to set a new record for least viewed page on the Internet, I don’t think there will be a NASCAR preview coming from No Credentials, but you never know. I am a closet NASCAR fan.

“It’s going to be a weird NFL Draft this year…who do you think will get the most value?” – Edward, Arlington, VA

            It’s always hard to predict how college prospects will end up in the pros, but I think there will be two groups of winners. One will be the Carolina Panthers, who will more than likely draft Auburn DT Nick Fairley. Fairley is probably not going to be quite as dominant as Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, but he won’t be too far off. Carolina should still be terrible next year, so I have a feeling they’ll still have a crack at Andrew Luck.

            The second group is whoever is able to make moves to stock pile future picks, or bring in a player. This is not a very deep draft (with the exception of the defensive line). If I’m a team like the Cleveland Browns at #6, I would love nothing more than have a team knock on my door to try to move up to my slot (don’t be surprised to see the Patriots make a move to jump up and grab Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green). Expect a flurry of trades on draft day.

“There’s been a lot of “Free Kevin Love” talk. In your opinion, who is an athlete in any sport that really needs to be let loose so he has a chance to win?” – Edwin, Fargo, ND

            I’ll list them by league.

NFL – Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers – Carolina needs to trade him for a 3^rd round pick before a felony happens on their team bus. Smith would be a perfect fit in St. Louis.

NBA – Richard Hamilton, SG, Detroit Pistons – I put Hamilton here only because I think he still has something left in the tank, and he could definitely put a team over the top. If he could some how end up in Chicago (which he probably won’t because the Pistons and Bulls are in the same division), Chicago would become even more dangerous than they already are.

MLB – Any member of the Pittsburgh Pirates – I shouldn’t have to explain this one to anybody.

NHL – Jarome Iginla, RW, Calgary Flames – Iginla has been dragging a mediocre Flames team on his back for the last decade. If we could somehow deliver him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he would score at least 45 goals being paired with Crosby or Malkin.

“If you had to hang out with anyone on the “Jersey Shore” for a day, who would it be?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire

            I guess we’ll take one more “Jersey Shore” question. Vinny appears to be the most normal dude on the show (admittedly, that’s not saying much, but it’s a valid point in this case). I’ll nominate Pauly as a close second. 

“Give me your honest opinion about Jason Garrett as the Head Coach next year. Not that I’ll care. I just want to read about it. “ – Jerry Jones, Dallas, TX

            It makes sense going into a potential lockout to have some continuity going into 2011. I’m excited to see what Rob Ryan will do with the defense (Rob is Rex’s twin brother who the Cowboys just hired). If you recall, Ryan’s last team (Cleveland) put up some inspired efforts against the likes of New England and New Orleans this season. I’ll be anxious to see what he’s able to get out of DeMarcus Ware.

“Is Bill Belichick senile?” – message from several angry Patriots fans after loss to Jets

            I won’t say he’s senile, but he does seem like a guy who’s not quite as invested as he used to be. I could never imagine Belichick in 2001 running a fake punt in a playoff game. Maybe it’s just a case of having already accomplished so much.

“What’s wrong with the New Jersey Devils?” – David, New York City

            Brodeur getting older doesn’t help, but I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of talent at the blue line. If you think back to the great Devils teams that won Stanley Cups, they had guys like Scott Stevens knocking dudes out. Ever since he left, along with guys like Ken Daneyko and Brian Rafalski, they have not been as solid defensively. That would be the main reason they haven’t won a playoff series since the lockout. 

“My buddy and I got into an argument about what the perfect basketball team would have. Can you settle it for us?” – Sean, Saco, ME

            This is a hard one because there are so many ways to play basketball. Depending on whether you want to have a run-and-gun team (2004-2007 Phoenix Suns) or a lock down defensive team (late-80s Detroit Pistons), each style would call for players with different skill sets. For the sake of coming up with an answer, here’s a sort of realistic 8-man rotation I would put together of current players if I needed to win one game.

PG: Rajon Rondo (superb passer and defender, don’t need a scorer like Rose or Westbrook)

SG: Kevin Durant (can stretch the floor, would be alpha dog 1A on this team)

SF: Lebron James (alpha dog 1B, can obviously do it all)

PF: Kevin Love (best rebounder in basketball who can also bury 3s and hit free throws)

C: Dwight Howard (most dominant center in the game, doesn’t need the ball all the time to be effective)

BG: Jason Terry (can be a microwave off the bench, instant offense)

BF: Glen Davis (not afraid to step in and hit a big shot if needed)

BF: Thabo Sefolosha (lockdown defender)

BC: Serge Ibaka (averages over 2 blocks per game, a force inside on the defensive end)

“Based off of the preview for next week’s episode, it looks like Sammi Sweetheart could leave “Jersey Shore”. Big loss?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire

            All right, I guess we’ll answer one more Jersey question. Even though Sammi is an uber-bitch, I’d be bummed out if she left. It’s good to have a little tension between roommates, and her volatile relationship with Ronnie is always solid entertainment. I hope she sticks around.

“Give me your instant reaction when you heard that Catwoman and Bane would be the villains in the next Batman movie.” – Stuart, Rochester, NH

            Bane’s inclusion in this movie was pretty surprising. Director Christopher Nolan has shied away from non-realistic characters and story lines so far. I’ll be curious to see how Bane looks in the film. As for Catwoman, I’m disappointed that Anne Hathaway will play the part. Just seems a little too obvious, and it almost reminds me of the crappy Batman movies in the mid-90s (“Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin”) where they were heavy on names, but the story was not as sharp. 

“Where do the Nets go now that they have shelved the idea of trading for Carmelo?” George, Newark, NJ

            I always thought it was pretty moronic that a 10-31 team was trying to make a blockbuster trade in the middle of the season. It didn’t do any of their young players any favors (particularly Derrick Favors, who has shown flashes, but was definitely distracted by his rumored move to Denver). A team like this just needs to go through the motions this season and add assets for the next year or two. Maybe in two years when they move to Brooklyn they will have the flexibility to add an elite player, and develop him along with someone they took high in the draft.

“If Dale Earnhardt Jr. sucks again this year, I vote that we kick him out of NASCAR.” – Mark, Augusta, GA

            I’ll co-sign that. He needs to crack the top 15 and contend for a win or two to restore some semblance of relevance (semblance of relevance…that was a power phrase).

“Which non-playoff team is the biggest threat to win the Super Bowl next year?” – Ted, Gorham, NH

            Without knowing what the off-season will hold, here’s my list of non-playoff threats.

1. Detroit Lions (they were 13-3 against the spread this year. If Stafford is healthy, and they have another solid draft, this team can make noise)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (finished 10-6 with one of the youngest rosters in the league. They should only get better)
3. Dallas Cowboys (5-3 under Jason Garrett with Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee playing quarterback. I’m expecting big things with Romo back under center)
4. Oakland Raiders (I like they’re young offense. If they can improve their defense a little, they could be the favorites in the AFC West)
5. Houston Texans (oddly enough, the addition of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator will make them a better team. Wade has always been a quality defensive coach. Unless Indianapolis makes some new additions to their o-line and defense, Houston can make the leap in the AFC South)

So there you have it. I’m also posting my Championship Game picks at the bottom of this. Have a good weekend folks.

STEELERS (-3.5) over Jets

BEARS (+3.5) over Packers (I’ve gotten every game wrong in the NFC, so order your Super Bowl tickets now Packers’ fans)