The Bruins are Back! Season Preview

By Matt Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff


After a long off-season the Bruins finally return to the ice tonight to start the long road to redemption after a disappointing 2009 playoffs. The playoffs ended at the hand of the Carolina Hurricanes in game 7 overtime loss on home ice. This year Boston will need more consistency offensively and less injuries to jump to the next level in the NHL.

This off-season Peter Chiarelli traded away Boston's best offensive threat and goal scorer, Phil Kessel. With the long-term signing of Tim Thomas, 4 years $20 million, the Bruins handcuffed themselves and had to choose between the younger more dynamic Kessel or the cheaper and possible one year wonder David Krejci. Now, the B's have no proven goal scorer but are hoping that if Krejci comes back at full strength after off-season surgery, he will become the sniper he showed he could be last season.

Marco Sturm is also coming back off injury. Sturm missed most of the 08-09 season, playing in only 19 games, ending his season in January with knee surgery. The Bruins better hope he can return with 25 - 30 goals to make up for some of the 36 goals Kessel scored last year.

Another "if" for Boston is Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron is trying to come back from multiple concussions which has limited his ice time and effectiveness over the past 2 years. The good news is that Patrice showed great intensity in the 09 playoffs that hadn't been there since before the concussions.

The emergence of 21 year old Milan Lucic in the playoffs gave the Bruins fans a look into the past. Lucic was given high praise from all of New England with comparisons to Cam Neely. His hard-hitting, front of the net play and willingness to drop the gloves have fans remembering back to the late 80's and early 90's to when Neely ruled the garden ice. Those are big skates to fill but he does have the size and strength to do it, as long as he can stay healthy. Atleast the "gutless puke" Ulf Samuelsson isn't still playing to derail Lucic from his career like he did to Neely. Lucic was dominant in the playoffs leading his team in plus minus with a +12; the closest teammate had a +7, the departed Kessel. If Lucic's game does progress it should makeup some of the loss of Kessel.

There is one more "if" for the Bruins this season, goaltending. With $8.2 million of the possible $44.8 million given to Thomas and rookie Tukka Rask the goaltending better be a mirror image of last year. Thomas will need to again be a candidate for the Vezina in order for this team to succeed.

The good news for the goalies is that most of the stout defensive lineup were retained from last year, plus in my opinion an upgrade from Aaron Ward to Derek Morris. Morris is a bit younger and can move the puck better in the defensive zone than Ward.

There's no doubt in my mind that the Bruins will make the playoffs, there's just too much talent on the team. The question is what will they do when they get there. The difference will be the "ifs". These "ifs" could change the outcome of a Game 7 overtime loss that propels you into the next round or could send you home packing in the first round.


*Check out the weekly Bruins Blog every Wednesday, plus catch game recaps the day after a game with news and notes.

On the March: Another NCAA 48 hours

(Editor's note: Scott Marchand is the pitching coach at the Air Force Academy. His journal about life in baseball will appear at Fan Fanatic Sports periodically)

If the summer recruiting schedule for coaches was busy, things just got even busier. After hitting up tournaments and showcases in more than a dozen states and visiting the homes of our recruited athletes, our coaching staff settled in for the arduous and critical process of gaining commitments from our most coveted members of the high school class of 2010.

I mentioned in earlier postings that I am always amazed by high school athletes that commit verbally to schools before they are even eligible to be recruited. Not only does it seem to me to be a decision that puts the “cart before the horse”, but I always wonder whose best interest the commitment supports? In the case of our recruited athletes, I always enjoy the pensive family unit that encourages the athlete to visit multiple schools to formulate a final decision. In fact, I encourage kids to visit with other programs, although I am confident that ours stands out as something truly special. The bottom line for me is that these kids have to feel confident that they are up to the challenges that the United States Air Force Academy presents and that they are comfortable with the players and coaches they will spend copious amounts of time with during their collegiate careers.

So, after months on the road and scores of phone conversations, emails, contacts, evaluations and good old fashioned postage, recruits begin NCAA sanctioned official campus visits at the beginning of the fall semester of their senior year. On official visits, the NCAA allows 48 hours for recruits to meet representatives from the coaching staffs, teams, and academic departments in hopes that they will be able to formulate an accurate picture of the institution and reach an educated decision that will impact the rest of their lives.

Right.

The 48 hour contact window places enormous pressure on coaching staffs, as well as on families and recruits. The pressure is intensified at the Academy, as a glimpse into a life in the military has to be provided with as much clarity as possible. A typical official visit to the Air Force Academy for a recruited baseball athlete consists of the following: Thursday is monopolized by flights to Colorado and a dinner with the coaching staff. On Friday, recruits are ushered through a litany of meetings with coaches, players, academic department representatives, military personnel, admissions counselors, and athletic department staff. The grand tour culminates in a rather heavy-eyed group dinner and individual meetings with the coaching staff. Respite can be found on Saturday, as everyone attends a team tailgate party and an Air Force Falcons football game.

On their return flights, I always imagine that parents and recruits hold deep discussions of the benefits of becoming a cadet at the Air Force Academy. More than likely, that conversation is put on hold until dinner on Sunday night, in favor of a few hours of sleep at 35,000 feet. When the conversation happens, though, I know that we have shown our recruit everything the Academy has to offer, albeit within a 48-hour window of time. We cross our fingers until the national signing date in November…

Not So Sweet Emotions for Brady

By Rick Eggleston
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Boy, Tom Brady sure looked steamed on the sidelines moments before halftime during Sunday’s clash with the Atlanta Falcons.

The usually calm and collected New England Patriots QB was visibly fired up on the Fox telecast, first yelling toward what seemed to be the general vicinity of where receivers Randy Moss and Sam Aiken were standing, and then kept snapping as coach Bill Belichick leaned in to soothe his frustrated gunslinger as he sat on the bench.
Frustrated for sure, as the possession in question saw the Patriots' drive stall on the Falcon 15, forcing Brady to make way for the field goal unit after he failed to connect on three straight passes that included a sure thing on second down up the middle to Joey Galloway, who inexplicably and maddeningly dropped the ball.

The missed connections were among the seven throwing chances that went up in the smoke in the red zone on the day and led to Brady blowing his stack on the sideline and then reportedly again in the locker room at the half.
“We can’t keep kicking field goals,” Brady told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to be better than that. It comes down to execution.”
Thus far this season, the Patriots’ red zone efficiency ranks among the worst in the league, while their overall defense is one of the best (third at last check). Go figure. Wasn’t it supposed to be the Pats’ vaunted offense that was going to save the day while their defense — minus Richard Seymour (trade), Rodney Harrison (retired), Tedy Bruschi (retired), Jerod Mayo (injured) and Vince Wilfork, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury — struggled?
So far the opposite has been in effect, as New England’s defense has given up a paltry 50 points through three games, including just three touchdowns via the air and one on the ground, the first of which occurred Sunday with Michael Turner’s 2-yard run.

Meanwhile, the Pats grounded the Falcons’ potent air attack, limiting former Boston College star Matt Ryan to just 199 yards, while completely shutting down Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez and receiver Roddy White, who combined for 30 total yards.
With its defense seemingly not the problem after all (next up, a stiff test at home against the Joe Flacco–led Ravens), it’s the New England offense that has yet to get untracked.

Aside from his vintage performance late in the season-opening win over Buffalo, Brady has been anything but spectacular. Overthrown balls, misread routes, itchy trigger finger and tentativeness — all can be blamed on Brady missing a full season following reconstructive knee surgery.
Galloway, Randy Moss, Wes Welker (albeit the lack of), Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken, Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker aren’t the problems here.

Time is.

With it, Brady is bound to get better with each passing week.

Who will be the first NFL Coach fired?

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Is it too early to start talking about this topic? Heck no, especially after you look at what's going on in Cleveland. Eric Mangini is again showing the world that he's not fit to be in charge of a professional football organization. He has created a quandary at the quarterback position, reportedly has players filing grievances against him, and apparently no control in his locker room. He's the one who should be fired right off the bat. There really isn't anyone on the current staff I would trust to take over on an interim basis. Maybe Rob Ryan, I guess. Will he be the first one let go? I don't know. I certainly think he should be, but there are a couple other candidates giving him a run for the title.

Jim Zorn, the man at the helm of the Washington Redskins, is another coach who should be on the hot seat. I know Peter King, of Sports Illustrated & NBC Sports, has voiced his opinion that Zorn holds too many jobs (Head Coach, Offensive Play Caller & QB Coach) that it's not in the best interest to fire him in season. That may be, but when someone is bad at all three jobs, don't you think it might benefit a team to try something different. My guess is Zorn ends up making it through the season only to be fired and then replaced by Mike Shanahan.

The Carolina Panthers are 0-2 and will be playing the Cowboys this evening. While most experts pick the Cowboys to win their first game in the new stadium, you never know. Personally, I think Tony Romo will have a bounce back game and make the Panthers and 0-3 record to start the season. Even before this game begins, John Fox is a candidate to be fired this season. Everyone expects Bill Cowher to return to coaching after this season, and he just happens to live in North Carolina.

The last coach that comes to mind is Jack Del Rio of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags have been disappointing their fans the past few years. It certainly helped that they held on yesterday to beat the Texans. I know they are 1-2 and the Titans are 0-3, but Tennessee is still a better team than Jacksonville. Picking David Garrard over Byron Leftwich was the correct decision, but Garrard really isn't much of an upgrade and has gotten worse since his breakout season in 2007. I totally forgot this until the other day when I read it somewhere, but Mike Tice is still on the coaching staff in Jacksonville and could easily take over for the rest of the season.

There are going to be a bevy of good/great head coaches out there with the likes of Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan and Tony Dungy to name a few. I know what I'd do, but what do you think?

What we learned this week in college football

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Week 4 of the college football season is in the books and here's the lessons we learned.

Ole Miss was, indeed, overrated.
Most of this has been covered already, but just to reiterate the point, No. 4 Ole Miss lost to an unranked South Carolina team in embarassing fashion. Remember that until Jevan Snead threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass, the Gamecocks had dominated for three quarters. Had USC been able to capitalize on three red zone trips with touchdowns instead of field goals, this one could have been a lot uglier.

Penn State is not a championship calliber team.
Year after year Penn State plays one of the softest schedules in college football and is considered a terrific football team bound for BCS glory. Then they lose one of their perceived cupcake games and it all unravels. This year is no different. For the second straight year, Iowa may have disrupted Penn State's hopes for a championship. Any team that can apply decent pressure will be able to disrupt the Nitany Lions' spread offense and Iowa exploited that flaw.

There is life after LaGarrett Blount for Oregon afterall.
The Oregon offense lost what was perceived to be its best player in its opening day loss to Boise State, but the Ducks have gone 3-1 without him, including putting up 42 points against sixth-ranked California. While scoring on Cal shouldn't be all that surprising, holding the Golden Bears to three points is. Jahvid Best was held in check after scoring five touchdowns a week ago. Looks like the Pac-10 just might be a three-team race.

Tim Tebow is not God.
Contrary to what the media might like to tell you, Tim Tebow is not the second coming. Tebow was knocked out of Saturday's blowout win at Kentucky with a concussion and is uncertain for next week's game against LSU. For many, it would only be sweet justice that the team touted as the best in the land for beating up on the likes of Troy and Charleston Southern would be without its best player for its first game against a real opponent.

Notre Dame isn't a Top-25 team, but it sure is fun to watch.
Love them or hate them, the Irish have been party to some of the most entertaining games in college football this year. Saturday night's 24-21 win over Purdue marks the third straight time a Notre Dame game was decided within the last minute. This time, a hobbled Jimmy Clausen, who didn't play pretty much the entire second half, came in with his team down and led them on a 13-play, 72-yard drive to take the lead with 24.8 seconds remaining.

The ACC is way to close to even venture a guess at a champion.
Florida State can't decide whether or not they're a good team. Miami proved they're vulnerable. Despite this week's big win, Virginia Tech still has major question marks. Georgia Tech is back in the Top-25, but has lacked consistency. The only thing for certain in this conference is there's a lot of uncertainty. One thing to note is that all the teams in this discussion are in the Coastal Division. Boston College and Clemson lead the Atlantic at this point and neither can be considered a team to beat. Both already have one conference loss. Clemson lost to Georgia Tech by a field goal, but then topped Boston College, holding the Eagles to 49 total yards. Boston College came off of that loss and beat Wake Forest in overtime, but gave up 500 yards in the process.

Pressure is on Romo, Cowboys defense

By Dan Shouse

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It certainly has not been a good week for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. After a dismal 3 INT performance last Sunday night against the Giants, Romo must now also deal with the added pressure of having Cowboy legend Tony Dorsett rip the QB publicly. Tonight's game between the Cowboys (1-1) and the Carolina Panthers (0-2) at the new Texas Stadium now looms large.

Dorsett's remarks that Romo has done nothing to warrant him being labeled a great QB may seem harsh, but they are also right on the money. Zero playoff wins does not make one a great quarterback. I have seen Tom Brady play, and you Tony Romo are no Tom Brady. Not even close.

It's not like Romo doesn't have the weapons to work with. Even without TO, Romo still has one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Witten, and a capable WR in Roy Williams. Marion Barber (questionable heading into tonight) is banged up, but Felix Jones is ready to step in. It is time for Romo to step up and win an important games for a change. There are no excuses.

Having said that, it has not been all Romo's fault. The Cowboys defense has produced no turnovers and no sacks this season. What! Glad that is not the defense on my fantasy team. With guys like Demarcus Ware and Terence Newman, you would think there would be a least a few sacks and picks heading into tonight. There is just too much talent on the defense to think otherwise.

Good thing for the Cowboys is that the Panthers present the perfect opportunity for the defense to turn things around. Jake Delhomme (5 INTs already) is a turnover waiting to happen. Expect the Cowboys to take DeAngelo Williams and the Panther running game away, and put the game in Delhomme's hands. If Delhomme cannot get the ball to Steve Smith, then it will be a long night for the Panthers. Even though Jake looked better last week, that game came against a suspect Falcon defense.

Look for the Cowboys to get a least 2 picks, and for these turnovers to turn into points. The defense will make things easy for Romo this week. Romo should be good for 250 yards and 2 TD passes this week. The pressure will be off Romo and the rest of the Cowboys after this game, at least for a week anyway.

Dan's Prediction: Cowboys 27, Panthers 10

Week 3 Recap: Brady still rusty, but Taylor and Patriots defense steal the show

By Dan Shouse

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It was wild Week 3 in the NFL, with a couple of last-second victories, and a long losing streak coming to an end.

Patriots 26 (2-1), Falcons 10 (2-1)

Same old story for the Patriots, as Tom Brady still seems rusty, missing open receivers, and seeing easy passes dropped (that means you Joey Galloway). Fred Taylor was anything but rusty, carrying the ball 21 times for 105 yards and a TD, leading the Patriots to an important early-season win at Gillette Stadium. Give credit to the defense, as it shut down the Falcons in the second half and held Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White to a combined 5 catches.

Vikings 27 (3-0), 49ers 24 (2-1)

The media love affair with Bret Favre will continue, as with 2 seconds remaining Favre hit Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone with a 32 yard TD pass to hand the 49ers a stunning loss at the Metrodome . Favre and the Vikings will have little time to celebrate however, as Favre's old team, the Green Bay Packers, head to Minnesota in one of the most antcipated matchups of the season.

Bengals 23 (2-1), Steelers 20 (1-2)

Brett Favre is not the only QB with late heroics this Sunday, as Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell for a 4-yard TD with under 15 seconds to go, handing the defending champs a second straight loss. It was the first time that the Bengals successfully defended their home turf againt the Steelers since 2001. Don't look now, but if not for miracle touchdown by the Broncos' Brandon Stokley in Week 1, the Bengals would be unbeaten. The opposite could be said for the Steelers, who if not for an overtime win in the season opener against the Titans, would still be looking for their first win.

Lions 19 (1-2), Redskins 14 (1-2)

Congrats to the Lions for ending a 19-game losing streak with a win over the hapless Redskins at Ford Field. I would like to take this time to wish Jim Zorn the best of luck in his job search. Please Dan Snyder, if you really care, please sell the team or at least get someone qualified to run the team.

Giants 24 (3-0), Buccaneers 0 (0-3)

The Giants stayed perfect on the season as the running tandem of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw helped the G-Men to an easy victory over the Bucs in Tampa. The real story of this game was the Bucs offense, as they were held without a first down in the entire first half. Next week's game against Washington should be really exciting. It will be fun to see if either team can get across the 50-yard line.

Packers 36 (2-1), Rams 17 (0-3)

Aaron Rodgers led the way for the Pack in St. Louis, throwing for 269 yards and a pair of scores. As if things could not get worse for the winless Rams, Marc Bulger went down with a shoulder injury, leaving Kyle Boller to run the offense. Yikes!

Jets 24 (3-0), Titans 17 (0-3)

As much as it pains me to say it, the Jets might have the best team in the AFC East. Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan's defense did just enough to keep the Jets unbeaten with a close win in the Meadowlands. Remember, however, these are the Jets. They have gotten off to good starts before, only to fall apart in November and December. Will it happen again? Only time will tell. The Titans, meanwhile, could see their season falling apart. After being the top seed in the AFC a year ago, the Titans are still in search of a win in 2009. It does not get any easier for the Titans. With Jacksonville, Indy, and New England coming up, it is not out of the question that the Titans could be 0-6.

Eagles 34 (2-1), Chiefs 14 (0-3)

No McNabb, no Westbrook, no problem for the Eagles against the Chiefs. Kevin Kolb threw for over 300 yards and LeSean McCoy filled in nicely for Westbrook, running for 84 yard and a score in Philly. Still think the Pats should have kept Matt Cassel around? Cassel only had 90 yards passing. Enough said.

Ravens 34 (3-0), Browns 3 (0-3)

Seems like a long time ago that Eric Mangini was referred to as "Mangenius." It didn't matter who was at QB for Cleveland. Both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn were overmatched and it showed in the Ravens blowout win in Baltimore. Believe it or not, the game was not as close as the final score suggested.

Jaguars 31 (1-2), Texans 24 (1-2)

Maurice Jones-Drew was a human wrecking ball, going for over 100 yards and 3 TDs to give the Jags their first win of the season in Houston. Remember back in the preseason when the Texans were the sexy pick to make the playoffs? It's time to rethink that. With the worst run defense in the league, the Texans are going nowhere.

Bears 25 (2-1), Seahawks 19 (1-2)

Jay Cutler may have hit Devin Hester with a 32-yard TD with under two minutes remaining to give the Bears the win in Seattle. But the most interesting thing about this game were the Seahawks uniforms. What were those? They looked like USFL hand-me-downs. The NFL has had its share of bad uniforms, but this was an all-time low. I don't know how to describe that color. Vomit green or snot green?

Saints 27 (3-0), Bills 7 (1-2)

Drew Brees doesn't have to throw a bunch of TDs for the Saints to win, as Pierre Thomas and the running game stole the show in Buffalo. Thomas went over 100 yards and added 2 TDs in the second half alone, as the Saints defense shut down the Bills offense. The only question now is how long will it be before Terrell Owens has a meltdown. No catches for TO. I cannot remember the last time that happened.

Broncos 23 (3-0), Raiders (1-2)

The Broncos should not get too excited about their perfect start. Lucky win against the Bengals in Week 1, a win against Cleveland in Week 2 at home, and then the Raiders in Week 3. You will not get a much easier schedule than that. The Raiders had only 137 total yards at home on Sunday. The Denver defense is not that good, it's just that the Raiders are that bad.

Chargers 23 (2-1), Dolphins 13 (0-3)

The Chargers, after a slow start, dominated the second half, with Rivers throwing for 300 yards and running for a score to lead his team to the win in San Diego. The Dolphins seemed to be back where they belong, at the bottom of the AFC East.

Colts 31 (3-0), Cardinals 10 (1-2)

Behind Peyton Manning's 4 TDs, the Colts cruised to a impressive win in the Sunday Night game in Arizona. Kurt Warner and the Cardinals could not keep up as the Colts put up over 500 yards of total offense. The Indy defense was also impressive, putting pressure on Warner throughout the game.