Vick rewarded for hard work

While listening to a sports radio show this morning, the question came up of who had restored their image more, Michael Vick or Ben Roethlisberger? The hosts of the show had various answers, and I just wanted to weigh in on this one.

One of the hosts said that he thought Vick had been restored more and his reasoning was because of how “out front” Vick has been in speaking out about his mistakes and about animal cruelty. While I definitely agree that Michael Vick’s image is more rehabbed than Big Ben’s, I think so because of a different reason.

My reason is this: Michael Vick has restored his image more because he has had to come back from much farther than Big Ben. Even if Vick isn’t all the way back, if you look at how far he’s come then you can really see how amazing the last two years have been. I mean, think about it. This guy was suspended by the NFL, went to jail for almost two years, went bankrupt, lost all of his money, lost all of support and most importantly, lost all of his respect. Vick being basically kicked out of the league and put in jail is the same as a lawyer being disbarred and put into prison. But he owned up to his mistakes (even if it not immediately), did his time in the clink, faced down the backlash from Eagles fans, NFL fans and dog lovers across the world and two years into his return to football has met President Obama, been mentioned in MVP talk this past season, secured an endorsement deal and is on the cusp of a major payday.

Ben Roethlisberger on the other hand, seems to be a bit of the “same old, same old.” Popular athlete gets in trouble, beats the rap, takes a slap on the hand, comes back and wins some games and the fans love him again. Big deal. What did he do to rehab his image? He kept his head down and let the time pass because he knew that that was all that it would take.

I think the bigger lesson here is what would you rather see? An celebrity mess up and work his way back into your good graces? Or an athlete mess up and disappear his way back into the positive light of the public eye?

Playoff Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

George Halas and Vince Lombardi at Lambeau Field in 1964

So we’ve finally reached the end of what Chicago sports radio has referred to affectionately as “Meatball Week,”  and I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard that there’s a pretty big game that’s being played on Sunday.  I, like all other Chicagoans have completely bought into the hype, read every article about every matchup and heard every interview with every player that’s ever played in this rivalry. So instead of adding my own checklist of why this NFC Championship game is “the biggest game in Chicago sports history,” let’s focus on the matchup that’s going to be on the field.

The Packers come into this game billed as “the hottest team in football,” and it’s hard to argue against that label.  Aaron Rodgers comes into this game having thrown six touchdowns against no interceptions in his two playoff games this year, and the Packers put 45 points on the NFC’s number one seed at home last weekend.  Chicago also cruised into the conference championship game, beating up on Seattle for three quarters before allowing them to pad their stats late in a 35-24 win.  The Bears have been riding this wave for awhile since they’ve won eight of their last 10 games, and Green Bay isn’t too far off, winning their last four after losing two consecutive games when Aaron Rodgers went down with a concussion in December.  So with two seemingly similar teams in two seemingly similar situations, who’s got the edge?

Let’s take a look at the keys to the game:

1.        Special teams is king.

It goes without saying that Devin Hester is the best and most feared kick returner in history.  (Go ahead, I dare you to argue.) His contribution is going to be a deciding factor in this game.  Hester has averaged 17.1 yards per punt return this season, and he ran one back for a touchdown against the Packers earlier this year.  While many teams have tried directional kicks to keep the ball away from Hester, that strategy also can play into the Bears hands because even if Hester doesn’t touch the ball the Bears usually can get good field position.  Special teams has been an Achilles heel for Green Bay this year, and if this group can’t lineup capable players on their coverage units, Chicago could put up more points than everyone thinks they will.

2.        Killer corners

The cornerback tandem of Charles Woodson and Tramond Williams has probably been the best in the NFL this season.  Woodson is the reigning defensive player of the year and Williams very quietly put together a Pro Bowl caliber season this year.  Since Williams has 3 interceptions in the Packers two playoff games so far, that secret is out of the bag and the Bears had better be careful when throwing to his side of the field.  As for Chicago’s defensive backfield, they can be pointed to as one of the biggest reasons that the defense has been so exceptional this season.  While cornerback Charles Tillman has been a mainstay since 2003, there were whispers going into this season on whether “Peanut” was still good enough to cover every team’s best receiver after a disappointing 2009.  Tillman responded with 5 interceptions and three forced fumbles, and his play against receiver Mike Williams in the Divisional round against the Seahawks had big-time player written all over it.  On the other side of the field, Tim Jennings took over the starting position from Zac Bowman in week 4 and never looked back.  His ability to make tackles is what makes him an integral part of the defense and his and Tillman’s ability to blanket WR’s is what has helped the defensive line generate pressure.  Whichever unit gets their hands on more balls is going to decide which QB has a bad day.  And when turnovers turn into points things can get out of hand quickly.  Just ask the Atlanta Falcons.

3.       Play Blackjack

With both defenses playing at the top of their game, this could easily be a slugfest.  Conventional theory gives the Packers an advantage because of a)Aaron Rodgers and b) Green Bay’s potential to be a high powered offense.  But you can’t easily forget that the last game of the regular season ended in a 10-3 Packers win, and if the Chicago offense had been able to do anything on that fateful night four weeks ago, then the Packers may not have ever had the chance to play in this historic game.  If either of these offenses can muster a two score lead it’ll put the other team in a bad place in trying to play comeback against a stingy defense.  That could especially mean trouble for Jay Cutler, who’s thrown nine interceptions in four games against the Pack, and his INT with ten seconds remaining sealed the final regular season game.  While it may seem like a stretch with Chicago’s defense (or a slap in the face considering the Packers offense), both teams magic number needs to be 21.  Anything more than that can be considered running up the score.

So who wins?  You can’t deny the extremely high level that Aaron Rodgers is playing at, and while I don’t see him throwing a stinker, I think the Packers will have trouble finding the end zone.  The Bears haven’t had too many barn burners either and this game will be no different.  My head is telling me that Green Bay is playing too well to be stopped, but my heart (and my home) is in Chicago.  It’s gonna be a cold, windy, brutal afternoon next to Lake Michigan, and The Battle of Chicago (as I’m now calling it) is going to be one for the ages.  Neither team reaches blackjack, but the house wins with seventeen.

Bears 17, Green Bay 13

Forgetting the fundamentals



Reeves Nelson reacts after tipping in the game-winner against Cal on Thursday night.


You know what is so irritating to me? When basketball games are won or lost on a rebound and putback. This happens so often that it’s mind - boggling. Starting with the first practice in elementary school, I can guarantee you that almost every coach will instruct and teach his or her players to BOX OUT. When a shot goes up, get a body on somebody and go get the ball right? So how is it that tip-dunks, tip-ins and offensive rebounds happen in the closing seconds of so many games at every level, including the NBA? It just goes back to fundamentals. It’s a weird thing to see some of the best athletes in the world, playing on big stages just simply forget to do something they’ve learned to do their entire careers. And it happened again on Thursday night in the Cal - UCLA game at Pauley Pavilion.

California, being down by nine points with less than a minute left had just made an improbable comeback and tied the score at 84 on a three pointer by Allen Crabbe with 10 seconds remaining. UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt dribbled the ball up court and put up a shot from the free throw line that missed but teammate Reeves Nelson came all the way from the top of the key, untouched, and tipped in Honeycutt’s miss right before the buzzer to win the game.

Its proven time and time again, when the game is on the line it’s the fundamentals that make the difference between a win or a loss. Move your feet on defense, and box out.

Aparentley that's easier said than done.

"A win is a win"

Derrick Rose goes up for a reverse layup against the Mavericks on Thursday night.

It wasn’t pretty, but its hard to be unhappy about a positive outcome. Derrick Rose was just happy to escape with a win as the Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 82-77 on Thursday night.

“A win is a win, “ Rose stated after the game. “Everything that went on in that game was kind of terrible, except the way we played defense.”

The defensive effort was solid, holding a Mavericks team to 36 percent shooting and forcing 15 turnovers. Dallas was coming off a win over the Lakers that snapped a 6 game losing streak. Dirk Nowitzki put up 19 points for the Mavs and Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and Deshawn Stevenson scored 12 apiece. It was Nowitzki’s fourth straight start after missing more than two weeks with a knee injury.

The Mavericks, ranked fourth in the NBA in opponents points per game, also played great defense while holding the Bulls to just 37 percent shooting. Derrick Rose was the only Chicago player in double figures, and he wasn’t exactly burning up the nets while shooting 9-for-28 from the field. His pull up jumper with 55 seconds left gave the Bulls an 80-77 lead and Kyle Korver made two free throws after Terry missed a three pointer that sealed the win for Chicago. While Rose did shoulder most of the scoring load, this game was different than the lackadaisical effort against Charlotte on Tuesday night. For instance, Luol Deng scored only seven points on 3-13 shooting, but lead the team with 12 rebounds and played solid defense when defending Nowitzki, who is considered one of the best players in the league.

“That’s what I love about Luol, he can play effectively when he is not shooting well. He is always doing other things like tonight, rebounding the ball for us,” Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. Thibodeau was not happy with Rose’s offensive hesitation in the first half and challenged him to take more shots after Rose put up only eight shots in the first half, making four of them. Rose went 5-20 in the second half, but his willingness to try and ignite the offense is what his coach was looking for.

“Coach was mad because he didn’t think I was shooting enough [in the first half],” Rose said. “So I just tried to be aggressive in the second half."

Dallas’ effort was also commendable, and Coach Rick Carlisle was pleased that Rose had to work hard for his points.

“He scored a lot of points, but he had to take 28 shots to do it,”Carlisle said. “Our guys worked hard.”

The Bulls are off tonight before the Cleveland Cavaliers come into town on Saturday. The Cavs could be just what the doctor ordered, considering they have the league’s worst record at 8-33 and have lost 24 of their last 25 games. Cleveland, who knocked the Bulls out in the first round of the playoffs last year, is the first team in NBA history to have the league’s worst record at the midway point during the season after having the best regular season record in the NBA the season before. Carlos Boozer is expected to return to the lineup for Saturday night’s game after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.

It's lonely at the top

The Charlotte Bobcats came into Chicago riding a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night. Guess who their last win was against? That’s right, the Bulls lost to them last Wednesday. It seems like this team goes through periods of playing to the level of their competition and last night was no different as Chicago fell to Charlotte 83-82.

Usually 33 points from Derrick Rose is enough to scrape out a win by itself, but when Rose missed a fade away jumper that would have won the game it underscored the reason for the loss. Simply put, Derrick Rose cannot win by himself.

Now let me be clear. I LOVE DERRICK ROSE. As a huge Bulls fan, it’s an absolute privilege to be able to watch this kid play every night. As a basketball fan, I think he’s the obvious MVP choice at this point in the season. But it has been proven over and over again that great players simply cannot win championships by themselves. Now to put things in perspective, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah - two of Chicago’s version of the “Big Three” are battling injuries and did not suit up for the game. Tuesday’s contest was also the fourth game in five nights for the Bulls, and with Dallas coming into town on Thursday it’s possible, maybe even probable that the Bulls were looking forward to a short break instead of focusing on the team at hand. But when you see your star point guard doing literally everything he could to give the Bulls a chance to win, it should motivate you to step up your play. Apparently Rose’s efforts fell on deaf ears last night. Only three Bulls scored in double figures with the second leading scorer being Ronnie Brewer with 12. Luol Deng was a no-show, scoring 10 points and hitting only two of his eleven shots and Chicago had trouble hanging onto the ball, turning it over 13 times in the loss.

I understand it’s a long season and every team and every player is going to have those days from time to time. Its just the fact that the last four losses for this team have come at the hands of 3 teams that are a combined 43-78 this season. What was frustrating about last season with this team was that they played to the level of their competition which I have long said is the mark of an average team. The Bulls are a different team this year, there’s no doubt about that. They are much better defensively, being ranked third in the league in opponents ppg and when Boozer and Noah are on the court they’ve shown themselves to complement Rose’s game almost perfectly. Come to think of it, they do have the fifth best record in the NBA and the third best record in the Eastern Conference…..

Maybe I’m looking too deep. Maybe the flashbacks from the Tim Floyd era are still too traumatic. Maybe the constant feeling of being letdown by an underachieving team in the past has made me unable to enjoy the success of an evolving contender. Whatever “it” is, there’s one thing for certain when it comes to Derrick Rose and this team.

He can’t do it alone.