People love to take shots at Tyler Hansbrough.
They call him over-rated, and criticize every little thing he does.
I think I know why.
As an NC State fan, I hate to admit it, but it is probably a combination of two things:
1) He plays for UNC.
2) He is really good.
People love to say that Tyler gets away with an extra step quite often. I've said it myself, more than once. It is the truth, actually. However, we leave out the fact that traveling is very rarely called, and lots of players get away with an extra step these days.
That doesn't fit the argument, so we leave it out.
Then, there's the criticism of how he plays the game. He plays a little out of control, causes contact, and is bailed out too much by the referees. Another of my personal favorites. Again, there's a lot of truth in the statement. However, using it to criticize Hansbrough is probably not fair. J.J. Redick was another recent example of a guy who did the same thing. Now, I am NOT a fan of this type of play, and I wish in some situations the referees wouldn't call the foul. But, since they do, I can't really fault Tyler for taking advantage of the situation. Any player in the NCAA that can draw contact like that does the same thing. Hansbrough is just better at it than most.
Last, but certainly not least, the mother of all TH criticisms: He'll never be a star in the NBA. That seems to be the clean-up batter of Tyler criticisms. Is it fair? No. Not even if it's true. Is it true? Only time will tell.
Hansbrough's NBA prospects are, in my opinion, pretty good. At worst, I think he'll be a solid, rebounding, "energy" guy coming off of the bench. At best? This is where the debate comes in. If his game is, right now, all that it's ever going to be, he'll be a solid NBA player. Teams need guys to rebound, and get "garbage" points, without having to run plays for them. A team that already has two or three proven scorers would relish having someone like Hansbrough to work hard and get 10-12 rebounds a night.
The big knock on his NBA chances is his jump shot. No one has ever seen it, so we assume it's not there. Hansbrough only takes one or two (maximum) shots a game that aren't close to the basket. Does he not have the ability to make that shot? Or does Roy Williams have no desire to see him shoot it? The answer to that question will ultimately determine how high up the NBA "star scale" Hansbrough climbs.
If he can knock down a 15-18 ft. jumper with any regularity, he will be compared to Karl Malone. He already has Malone's size, he plays tough defense, he rebounds, and he's probably better facing up and driving to the basket than Malone. He just needs the jumper. If he shows that, he will be very difficult to guard. And, he could end up being a big-time NBA player.
There it is. Honesty about Tyler Hansbrough from an NC State fan. Now, I must go visit another blog so I can get back to my criticisms!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Philip Rivers = Trash Talker??
There's been a lot of media attention on Philip Rivers lately. It would seem like a normal thing, since he's the starting quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, who face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday afternoon.
However, Philip isn't getting the positive attention that should go with where he's led his team. He's being labeled a trash-talker. He's being told he should grow up. Everyone seems to have Philip pegged as the NFL's new bad-boy QB.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It all started with a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos. Near the end of the game, the ESPN crew showed Philip out on the field, looking at Broncos QB Jay Cutler, and saying some things. They called it unsportsmanlike, and unnecessary, for Philip to be talking. Following the game, when asked, Philip said that he was saying "'Atta baby, 'atta baby" to his defense, which had just made a play. Watching the video backs up Philip's explanation, as he can be seen saying exactly what he claims to have said.
What you may have noticed, even though ESPN didn't mention it, is that Cutler is talking also. So I guess that means it's OK for the losing QB to talk, but not the winning QB? When did the losers get the right to talk? Champ Bailey said that Philip wasn't "a respectable guy right now." I'm sure the fact that Philip is 4-0 as a starter against the Broncos didn't influence Mr. Bailey's opinion at all. So that's what got it all started.
The rhetoric had lightened up somewhat until last weekend, when the Chargers faced the Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Philip left the game with a knee injury. As he was walking to the locker room, a camera followed, and Philip was seen talking to the crowd. He was saying "Thank you, I appreciate it" and "I'll be back."
At the end of the game, the cameras cut to Philip again, and he had his back to the field, saying something to the Indianapolis fans. What was he saying? Only Philip and the fans he spoke to know for sure.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Philip talking to the fans is what you should teach your children. However, having watched Philip for four years at North Carolina State, I can tell you that the talking he does is just the product of his spirit. He talks to anyone who will listen, and also to anyone who just happens to be near him. Non-stop.
The people who know more about Philip than just what ESPN reports know that he is a great husband, great father, and devout Christian. The words coming out of his mouth are not profane, and not insulting. As Philip described, "If you've followed me around since I was 5 years old, you'd see the same thing every Saturday afternoon in the backyard."
Former New York Giant quarterback and current broadcaster Phil Simms had this to say: "Some of the stuff on the field doesn't bother me the way it seems to bother other people. It's an emotional game. He's been an emotional quarterback. "
This Sunday, the Chargers travel to Gillette Stadium to face the unbeaten Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl. Rivers, nursing a sprained knee, has been listed as doubtful by Coach Norv Turner, but most people, including Philip, expect him to play. Will he keep quiet? Philip had this to say:
“You saw it for 51 games at (North Carolina) State, and you'll probably catch something this weekend.”
Based on that quote, CBS should keep "Philip-cam" on alert this Sunday. - Daniel
However, Philip isn't getting the positive attention that should go with where he's led his team. He's being labeled a trash-talker. He's being told he should grow up. Everyone seems to have Philip pegged as the NFL's new bad-boy QB.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It all started with a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos. Near the end of the game, the ESPN crew showed Philip out on the field, looking at Broncos QB Jay Cutler, and saying some things. They called it unsportsmanlike, and unnecessary, for Philip to be talking. Following the game, when asked, Philip said that he was saying "'Atta baby, 'atta baby" to his defense, which had just made a play. Watching the video backs up Philip's explanation, as he can be seen saying exactly what he claims to have said.
What you may have noticed, even though ESPN didn't mention it, is that Cutler is talking also. So I guess that means it's OK for the losing QB to talk, but not the winning QB? When did the losers get the right to talk? Champ Bailey said that Philip wasn't "a respectable guy right now." I'm sure the fact that Philip is 4-0 as a starter against the Broncos didn't influence Mr. Bailey's opinion at all. So that's what got it all started.
The rhetoric had lightened up somewhat until last weekend, when the Chargers faced the Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Philip left the game with a knee injury. As he was walking to the locker room, a camera followed, and Philip was seen talking to the crowd. He was saying "Thank you, I appreciate it" and "I'll be back."
At the end of the game, the cameras cut to Philip again, and he had his back to the field, saying something to the Indianapolis fans. What was he saying? Only Philip and the fans he spoke to know for sure.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Philip talking to the fans is what you should teach your children. However, having watched Philip for four years at North Carolina State, I can tell you that the talking he does is just the product of his spirit. He talks to anyone who will listen, and also to anyone who just happens to be near him. Non-stop.
The people who know more about Philip than just what ESPN reports know that he is a great husband, great father, and devout Christian. The words coming out of his mouth are not profane, and not insulting. As Philip described, "If you've followed me around since I was 5 years old, you'd see the same thing every Saturday afternoon in the backyard."
Former New York Giant quarterback and current broadcaster Phil Simms had this to say: "Some of the stuff on the field doesn't bother me the way it seems to bother other people. It's an emotional game. He's been an emotional quarterback. "
This Sunday, the Chargers travel to Gillette Stadium to face the unbeaten Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl. Rivers, nursing a sprained knee, has been listed as doubtful by Coach Norv Turner, but most people, including Philip, expect him to play. Will he keep quiet? Philip had this to say:
“You saw it for 51 games at (North Carolina) State, and you'll probably catch something this weekend.”
Based on that quote, CBS should keep "Philip-cam" on alert this Sunday. - Daniel
Perhaps the NCAA football will stop being idiots
I want my first blog to be passionate. Something that people will read and think, "he has it" or "he is dumb as a bag of hammers"...in other words, I hope I make an impression and spark discussion. I chose a subject that is fresh in most minds as the college bowl season has come to an end; the absolute need for a NCAA division 1 football playoff (notice no "fsbs" crap for me.) I have always thought the argument against having a playoff was ridiculous and this season has made it all the clearer I am right. LSU national champs! Sure they are.... wonder how Georgia and So Cal feel about that? What is even more laughable is Ohio State being in the game. Perhaps the most impressive team was West Virginia and they were not even under consideration for a spot in the game. I just do not understand how LSU jumps from number 7 to number 2 in the polls just in time to make the "big game." Sure, they won the conference title in the best conference money can buy, but they struggled down the stretch, losing 2 games-classics though they were. All of this is just to say this season was screwy to say the least and produced far too many BCS blowouts to have been considered interesting or entertaining.
But perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel. It seems the U of Georgia president is now in favor of an 8 team playoff system, which is more than we could hope for, and John Swafford of the ACC seems to also be in support of some kind of plus one game. The only holdouts appear to be the PAC 10 folks with their precious Rose Bowl and the Big Ten, aka THE Ohio State's free pass to a BCS game. It seems that division one players can now be considered as smart as all other division's players as the class room demands may not be as arduous as previously thought and repeatedly stated by conference commissioners and University Presidents, an argument they lost the rights to when they expanded the season to 12 games. It seems many minds can and do change when so many deserving teams get left out in the cold, watching 2 teams that probably could not beat Georgia, Oklahoma, West "by God" Virginia, or So Cal at the end of the season. Maybe, just maybe, these money hungry BCS conferences are starting to realize what we fans have always known...you can fold the existing bowl games into a playoff system and produce a game that will sell out any Pro stadium and rival the Super Bowl in popularity. Could you imagine the football equivalent to the Final Four? Talk about TV ratings and add dollars! It would be astronomical. Oh yeah, and the game would not be too bad either, which is, after all, the point, right?
Thanks for reading
Mike, the "short" of sports
But perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel. It seems the U of Georgia president is now in favor of an 8 team playoff system, which is more than we could hope for, and John Swafford of the ACC seems to also be in support of some kind of plus one game. The only holdouts appear to be the PAC 10 folks with their precious Rose Bowl and the Big Ten, aka THE Ohio State's free pass to a BCS game. It seems that division one players can now be considered as smart as all other division's players as the class room demands may not be as arduous as previously thought and repeatedly stated by conference commissioners and University Presidents, an argument they lost the rights to when they expanded the season to 12 games. It seems many minds can and do change when so many deserving teams get left out in the cold, watching 2 teams that probably could not beat Georgia, Oklahoma, West "by God" Virginia, or So Cal at the end of the season. Maybe, just maybe, these money hungry BCS conferences are starting to realize what we fans have always known...you can fold the existing bowl games into a playoff system and produce a game that will sell out any Pro stadium and rival the Super Bowl in popularity. Could you imagine the football equivalent to the Final Four? Talk about TV ratings and add dollars! It would be astronomical. Oh yeah, and the game would not be too bad either, which is, after all, the point, right?
Thanks for reading
Mike, the "short" of sports
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