Monday Morning Mehta 1/10/05

Edition # 101
January 10, 2005

NFL Wild Card Weekend

The first weekend of playoffs proved one thing, which I'm ashamed I didn't take into account last week, and that is parity. Like I've stated here time in and time out there is a ton of parity in the NFL. Parity this year is none more apparent than in the "Wild Card tier" of playoff teams. The elite teams of the league are still good. Take Indianapolis for instance, they obviously didn't belong in this Wild Card bunch. But the teams like St. Louis, Seattle, Jets, Chargers, Packers, and Vikings are all very similar. All have enormous flaws which can be exposed in the playoffs. They were, as 3 out of the 4 road teams won which is incredible (first time) for the NFL. Let's quickly breakdown the games this weekend and give a preview of next weeks games:

Rams 27 - Seahawks 20
By most accounts the Rams should have buried the Seahawks early in this game. Seattle came out with no fire and it took them into the second quarter to wake up. Couple things I noticed about this game: First off, the Seattle WR's drop the ball way too much. Darrell Jackson is good for two drops a game. Secondly, besides Chad Brown & Michael Boulware, the rest of the Seattle defense must have thought the game was on Sunday. Lastly, why was Jerry Rice not in that game more? That's a question I'd like to ask Mike Holmgren if he isn't already onto a plane for San Francisco. Anyway, as for Rice, I think he catches that ball Bobby Engram dropped/couldn't catch in the endzone.

Jets 20 - Chargers 17
This game was the biggest shock of the weekend in my estimation. The Chargers went from a high flying, aerial attack team which gave LaDainlian Tomlinson the ball 15-20 times to a team that became way too conservative. Marty Schottenheimer has made a habit of this. Herman Edwards & Paul Hackett were the more aggressive coach in this game for pete's sake! I hope this game shuts up all the people that doubted Chad Pennington. He looked absolutely terrific at times and didn't look as if that hurting shoulder played a big part. I've always said winning playoff games on the road is what separates the good from the great QB's, and Chad took steps towards that Saturday. As for the late hit by Eric Barton on fourth down in regulation as Brees threw an incomplete pass? My first reaction was that it was an unnecessary call to determine the outcome of a playoff game. Then I saw 5 different angles of the call and realize it was an absolute bonehead play and if it weren't called, it would've been a bad move.

Indianapolis 49 - Broncos 24
This game doesn't deserve much of a breakdown, it was just a massacre. The Colts are clearly in another league from 80% of the teams in football especially in their dome on the fast turf (only St. Louis & Indy still have this type of turf). John Lynch and the Broncos defensive backs couldn't be reached for comment after the game because they were removing the feet from their mouths. I don't have any idea what they were thinking saying the Colts WR's are soft. If you can't back it up, your comments were absolutely idiotic.

Vikings 31 - Packers 17
Daunte Culpepper has gotten tons of heat in this column for not winning 'the big road game'. Culpepper gets major kudos for his performance yesterday. He was clearly the best player on the field (aside from Al Harris of course). Culpepper has always had a command of his team since he's so big but yesterday you could see a confidence and swagger in Culpepper which you haven't seen. Brett Favre on the other hand looked like an absolute buffoon. Granted his teammates were dropping like flies, but Favre looked like he didn't even want to play yesterday. The throw past the line of scrimmage late in the first half was an absolutely horrific play. To this minute I have no idea how the commentators (Buck, Aikman, Collingsworth) on Fox laughed that off. That was absolutely one of the worst plays I saw all weekend (aside from the roughing call on Barton). I lost a lot of respect for the Fox crew after that call. They obviously don't feel that ripping someone in a game situation to be very important yet they freaked out over Randy Moss' meaningless celebration. These announcers need to get a clue as to what really matters and stop worrying so much about peripheral garbage.

Divisional Playoff Preview

Jets at Steelers (-9)
After a crazy first weekend of playoff action, the divisional round kicks off with this defensive battle. Although just when you expect a defensive battle you get a shootout. Both coaches love to run the ball and both coaches have very good defenses. As all the games are this week, this is a rematch from earlier in the year at the same venue. The Steelers won a sloppy 17-6 game earlier in the year. I expect the Steelers to play much better and come out like they did against the Eagles and Patriots earlier in the year. The Jets need to make sure they stop this initial surge by the Steelers, if they don't this game will be over by halftime.
Steelers 30 - Jets 13

Rams at Falcons (-7)
This is the token contrast of styles game of the week. Falcons rely heavily on the running of Michael Vick, Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett on offense and have a defense that is playing great football. The Rams, well, they run the ball to give Marc Bulger's arm a rest. The health of Alge Crumpler and TJ Duckett will play a huge part in the playoff lives of the Falcons. The Rams are playing very good football the last few weeks and Marc Bulger has been as hot as any QB the last two weeks. This is the toughest game of the week to call, but I do expect a low scoring game.
Falcons 20 - Rams 17

Colts at Patriots (-2.5)
When the playoffs started, this was the match up and the game everyone pointed to. The Game of the Week and maybe the game of the playoffs as far as non-Eagles fans are concerned. Peyton Manning's struggles against the Patriots have been well chronicled. He had a good game earlier in the year but the Colts lost 27-24 on a last second miss by the "idiot kicker". But last year's 3 interception performance in the AFC Championship game looms large. I think this game truly determines whether or not Peyton Manning's 49 TD preseason actually means anything. Another goose egg like last year erases all of that. On the other end of the football, Manning will face a completely injury ravaged secondary. He should have a field day against this team. Something tells me we're going to get the best of both world's here, a great day by Manning, and a great game by the Pats.
Patriots 37 - Colts 34

Vikings at Eagles (-9.5)
There are some moments which can define a career, Donovan McNabb & Daunte Culpepper face one squarely in the face this weekend. McNabb faces a QB whom he will inevitable be compared to his whole career in Culpepper who was selected 9 picks after him. Culpepper has also shredded the label of "can't win the big road game" as of last week. It's McNabb's turn to put up. No Terrell Owens will probably be negated by a hobbled Randy Moss. Daunte Culpepper will have a rude awakening when he plays next weekend, this isn't the Packers defense. The Eagles defense can actually play, and I can't get away from that point. Eagles have a better defense than the Vikings and are at home. The last two home playoff losses were against teams we knew, probably had a better defense that the Birds. McNabb throws 4 TD's, Westbrook runs all over the place, and the critics which said the Eagles should've played their starters are silenced...
Eagles 38 - Vikings 20

That means it will be home teams revenge week, and the Eagles will battle the Falcons for the NFC...

NBA - Derreck Sura

-While I was gone the Sixers went 5-3 on their longest road trip pf the year. If Allen Iverson hadn't sat out with a sprained right ankle in Minnesota, Philly may have gone 6-2. I didn't watch much basketball on vacation, but I think it's safe to say the Sixers played pretty well to pull themselves to second in the Atlantic Division (15-17), and the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, while being on the road for 18 days. I finally heard what coach Jim O'Brien's problem is with Samuel Dalembert. Apparently, Sam D doesn't get out and guard the high post pick and roll, which in turn hurts Obie's overall defensive scheme. Whatever the case may be, Sam D is an important piece to Philly's future, and should be playing more then the 17 minutes he's averaging over the last 6 games, even if he's just being showcased for a trade. For Dalembert to ever reach his "potential", he'll need consistent minutes, AND for the coaching staff to show they have confidence in him. Sam shows promise as a defender, rebounder, and shot blocker, but his offensive game is somewhat limited, to be kind. At his peak I could only see Sammy D putting up 15-18 points a night, max. Obie would like a big man that better fits his defensive systems, that's why if the decision is made to trade Sam, GM Billy King better get something good in return. Young big men with Dalembert's combination of size and athleticism don't grow on trees, which could be why the Suns, Sonics, Mavs, Nets, Raptors, and Hawks have all shown interest already. The Sixers toughest stretch of the season isn't over yet, so they can't get over confident with their recent success. Philly still has to play 7 of 11 on the road through 1/29. Portland, @Chicago, Toronto & @Detroit (back to back) presents a very dangerous week for the Sixers. The Bulls are not the gimmie they once were, and the Raptors have been able to out score teams on occasion.

-The Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15), my pre-season pick to win it all, have lost 7 out of 9 games to fall to the 7th seed in the Western Conference. Kevin Garnett is doing everything he can by leading his team in minutes (39.7 mpg, 11th overall), points (23.8 ppg, 9th), rebounds (15 rpg, 1st), assists (6.3 apg, 13th), steals (1.66 spg, 10th), and blocks (1.63 bpg, 15th). However, when you look at the Wolves' defensive numbers, it's plain to see they aren't playing with the same effort and intensity as last year. Minne is 14th in opponents field goal percentage (44.2%) and 15th in points allowed (96.9 ppg) this season. Compare that to the 41.4% (4th overall) and 89.1 ppg (7th) they held their opposition to last year, and you see what I mean. Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell are mostly at fault for the Wolves current funk. Those two set the tone for the season early on, and so far their play has backed up their mouths.

Owner Glen Taylor has gone as far as to halt all contract negotiations with both of them until after the year. Here's what I don't get, if Sam (35 years old, 12th season) and Spree (34, 13th) are really tanking this season away, they have to know how their play will affect their value on the open market. I'm sure they'll still be able to find jobs, but not at the 14.6 million (Spree) and 6.25 mil (Sam) they currently enjoy. They are both on the downside of their careers, and would be wise to pick up their play to ensure one final payday. All hope is not lost in the land of 10,000 lakes though. No matter how poorly Sam and Spree play, their expiring contracts guarantee their status as valuable trade commodities to franchises looking to trim payroll. If GM Kevin McHale feels it would benefit the team, he can either package the two malcontents together, or deal them separately. My point is, McHale has the pieces to remake the Wolves on the fly, while keeping them a contender for the crown in the process.

-On 12/28/04 GM Kiki Vandeweghe fired Jeff Bzdelik as head coach of the Denver Nuggets. The move really wasn't that much of a surprise considering the Nugs record at the time (13-15), and Bzdelik's lame duck status. The team was not living up to it's lofty expectations, and there had been rumors of a Carmelo Anthony-Jeff Bzdelik rift for a long time. When Kiki signed Michael Cooper to be Bzdelik's top assistant on 7/6/04, Jeff had to see the writing on the wall. Word has it that Coop wasn't named as the permanent head man because Kiki hasn't been thrilled with what he's seem so far. Denver lets their opponents shoot 46% from the field (25th overall), so Coop's first task as interim coach will be to get the Nugs to improve their defense. Coop is just 1-4 since taking the reigns, proving that all of Denver's problems, like shooting 33% from 3 (26th overall), won't be solved with a coaching change.

-Houston GM Carroll Dawson was busy over the holidays reshaping the Rockets back court. First he dealt Tyronn Lue to the Hawks for Jon Barry. Then he traded Jim Jackson and Bostjian Nachbar to the Hornets for David Wesley. The addition of Barry and Wesley, to go along with Bob Sura, gives coach Jeff Van Gundy enough options that he can go with the hot hand at PG every night. Even though Sura, Barry, and Wesley are all combo guards, I like what they to bring to Houston as a unit. They are all team players that can all shoot it a bit. Sura is the best rebounder, Wesley the best defender, and Barry is an energizer off the bench. Dawson really only gave up Jim Jax to upgrade the Rockets backcourt with veteran players that have playoff experience. The loss of Jackson will hurt some, but Tracy McGrady will slide over to starting SF, and given time, Houston (17-17) should be a better team.

Atlanta was lacking a true PG, and Ty Lue fit the bill. Coach Mike Woodson wasn't playing Jon Barry anyway. So GM Billy Knight traded his 12th man for a starting PG. That should tell you all you need to know about the Hawks (5-26).

GM Allan Bristow continues to acquire young players and clean house in New Orleans. The Hornets' roster is closer to CBA then NBA, but I don't think anyone is really crying over Jim Jackson not reporting to the team after the trade. Least off all JJ, who was seen sitting courtside at a Miami Heat game recently. Bristow dealt Wesley so 19 year rookie SG J.R. Smith could get more on the job training. Bostjian Nachbar will get the same opportunity, that Dan Dickau has been the beneficiary of, to sink or swim in the last year of his contract on this horrendous team (3-29).

-There's one more small trade to report on, Golden State acquired Zarko Cabarkapa from Phoenix for a conditional 2nd round pick in 2005, and an unconditional 2nd rounder in 2009. Zarko is only in his second year, but he was obviously not part of the Suns' future plans. Zarko was looking like a very intriguing player his rookie year until his right wrist was broken by a cheap shot from Danny Fortson. He hasn't seemed to play with same aggressiveness ever since. At 6'11, 235 pounds, Zarko can create match up problems with his versatility on the perimeter or in transition, but he doesn't play much D, or rebound well for his size. I can't help but think this is Warriors' GM Chris Mullin's way of slightly nudging Mike Dunleavy Jr.

-Federal judge George B. Daniels ruled on 12/30/04 to uphold arbitrator Roger Kaplan's decision to reduce Jermaine O'Neal suspension from 25 to 15 games. And thankfully the NBA and commissioner David Stern decided to accept the decision, move on, and let this story die.

-Dikembe Mutombo's elbows have dropped many a player over the years, in practice and games alike. But if Deke had done serious and/or permanent damage to LeBron James' left cheek bone...immediate deportation back to Africa would've been in order. Hockey expert Ed Wasser could attest to this better then I, but I think there were special "unwritten" rules in the NHL about not hitting Wayne Gretzky too hard. Players were never told directly (well, maybe they were) not to lay into the Great One, they just knew the league was watching. I'm here to say the same rules need to be put in place for LeBron. He is far too important to the future of the game to be taken out by a 38 year old (YEAH RIGHT!) journeyman C on his way out of the league. At the very least Robert "Tractor" Traylor should get a free retaliation shot (a la NHL enforcer style) on Deke just to get the message out to the rest of the league that excessive contact on LeBron won't be tolerated.

*Note: All statistical data does not include Sunday's games.

NHL Week in Review By: Ed Wasser

- Rob Simpson from 'Maple Leaf America', whatever that is, told Comcast SportsNet last Tuesday that a "lock Hall of Famer" and a "high ranking Maple Leaf executive" told him that the lockout will be settled and hockey will be played by Jan. 24. A conference call between the 30 player reps is scheduled for sometime within the next couple days in which they'll give the go ahead for a salary cap, but they won't call it a salary cap so the players can save face. I vote for calling it a calary sap!! Anyway, it'll be a 48 game schedule, conference games only, with the Stanley Cup awarded somewhere around the third week in June. I'm not even sure I could pretend to give a damn about a season like that. Oh...by they way, on the same day Wayne Gretzky said the lock out may last two years so who knows.

- Since I wrote that opening paragraph the owners have since cancelled the meeting between them and the players reps. The season's done folks, sorry to get your hopes up. I feel like a doctor talking to a family after a serious heart operation..."Great news Mrs. Smith!!! Your husband survived the operation!!!" "My name is Mrs. Jones." "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. Your husband's dead. Do you know where I can find Mrs. Smith?"

- I've never been a guy that got all sentimental about sports memorabilia but I think I've finally seen an item that would bring a tear to my eye. Literally. A few weeks ago the Sixers were playing the Trailblazers in Portland and after the Sixer victory, as Allen Iverson is walking off the court, he sees a kid wearing an Iverson jersey. As a, I guess reward, Iverson removes his sneaker and gives it to the kid. That's a sneaker that has just played 48 minutes of NBA basketball, plus a shoot around. Good grief!! The guy I feel most sorry for is this kid's poor father who had to be stuck in a car for the ride home with a steaming sneaker in the back seat.

- Line of the week. From the incredibly overweight comedian Ralphie May on VH-1's new reality show 'Celebrity Fit Club'...."I was up over 800 lbs. at one point. I let myself go a little bit". No....you think so?

- I was reading an article by Bill 'Sports Guy' Simmons and he was making a joke/point about Jeff Montgomery being stunned about being named to the baseball Hall of Fame ballot because Jeff had a good, not great, and no way Hall of Fame career. I would have loved to have taken it a step further. Imagine a prank phone call to Montgomery's house. "Jeff, this is Joe Blow from the Hall of Fame nominating committee. I just want to extend congratulations. You've been elected to the baseball Hall of Fame". "What the hell are you talking about? Have you seen my career stats?" "Of course, but since Phil Rizzuto was elected to the Hall with his mediocre stats it's been come one, come all!! See you at the ceremony!!"

- I read in last Friday's Philadelphia Daily News that Steven "Gorilla" Mondevergine, the leader of the Pagan Motorcycle Gang, has declared war on John "John the Baptist" La Franco and the Hell's Angels. I know what you're thinking "what's the difference between the Pagans and the Hell's Angels?" I'm glad you asked. They are remarkably similar, the by laws of both organizations require a prison record, a Harley Davidson, and a winning smile. But the Pagans require that all members must be able to bench press 300 lbs. at the time of swearing in were it is only a suggestion for the Hell's Angels. Anyway, the war began when a few Pagan members beat Hell's Angels member Vincent Henrich to within an inch of his life with pool cues because he was in a Pagan bar. It's believed that this may have been done as revenge for the Hell's Angels stealing money the Pagans had collected trying to raise money for a children's charity by raffling off a Harley Davidson. By the way, if you're clutching your chance praying to win that Harley Davidson from the Pagans.....it turns out that there was no Harley Davidson and the money that people were paying for charity was really for the United I Don't Want To Get My Ass Kicked Fund. At any rate I for one believe that we here at MMM should try and mediate this dispute. Since the lion share of their problems happen in South Jersey, or as I call it...The Mehtalands...Saurin Mehta could serve as the arbitrator with a, let's shake hands and forget the whole thing, solution in mind. Think about it, if Saurin gets the Hell's Angels and Pagans to bury the hatchet in a tear filled, emotional, hugfest all the while keeping a diary of his exploits in this space and we might as well clear a place on all of our mantels for a Pulitzer. Let's do it!!

- Fairway Miss has been submitted to run in a race on Saturday, Jan. 15th. It would be the tenth race going off around 4:00 PM eastern time. If she gets the race a full recap will be in next weeks MMM.

- Few more racetrack observations....so I see this girl at the track one morning and she's cuter than a baby monkey. It turns out she's a jockey. Of course, since I'm a very interested observer but have no money at stake as far as Fairway Miss is concerned, I tell the trainer we should hire the girl (named Joanne McDade) to be our jockey. He gives me a look like, 'just shut up jackass' and tells me "female jockeys are OK if they're on a speed horse (a horse that likes to lead). But when you put them on a horse that likes to come from behind (Fairway Miss) then they don't have the upper body strength to impose their will on the horse. When they cross the finish line on a horse like Fairway it looks like they're holding on to the horse's neck for dear life". I actually feel sorry for this girl. She really busts her ass every morning. She does exercise rides at 6:15 AM for free, she introduces herself to trainers and owners with a giant grin on her face just searching for a chance. When I do see that Joanne got a mount the horse's name is always followed by something that looks like this....50 - 1. In other words she's trying to make a name for herself as a jockey while riding mules.

The constant refrain that I hear when an owner is even considering hiring a young jockey without a lot of experience is "let them learn their trade on someone else's horse". Another strange thing....each race has what's called a chart. The chart is a recap of the race with a sentence written about each horse's performance. For example, Fairway's chart from the last race said 'outrun early, found pace, closed strong'. The weird thing is when a horse isn't a factor at all in a race the term they use is "failed to menace". Sounds like something that happens to a pit bull as it gets old.