Browse >
Home / Archive: 20. August 2008
by Navin Vaswani… It’s a sad day for Toronto FC. It’s official, Maurice Edu is leaving us. He’s on his way to greener pastures after signing a 5-year deal with the Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League. I don’t really have anything witty or even slightly humourous to say about this. It’s honestly a bit depressing. I wasn’t ready for this. I mean, I knew Edu would leave us one day. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. Oh, Maurice. It’s only been a year and a half since you got here. We were just getting to know each other. But, I know, you have to go. It’s a great opportunity, and hopefully a springboard to bigger and brighter things, like a spot on a club in the English Premier League, or in Italy, or Spain. It hurts, but I understand.
I ain’t mad at cha. For those of you not quite up to speed on all things TFC, Edu was the team’s first ever draft pick, first overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. He had a solid rookie campaign, and was named MLS Rookie Of The Year last season. Edu was over in Beijing at the Olympics for team USA and it’s looking more and more likely that he’ll be a mainstay on the American international squad for years to come. Look for him at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The guy’s a gamer. Actually, he’s a rudey. He represented TFC well in his short stint here in the city, and he will be missed. But I wish him well as he takes the next step in what will hopefully be a long and successful career. Cheers, Maurice Edu. Don’t forget where it all began.
Check out Navin’s blog Sports and the City
by Josh Lewis… Tremors of shock are hitting the hockey world today as the news squeaks out that Stefan Legein, a second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007, is quitting hockey.
The stunning development was originally reported by the Columbus Dispatch and has now been confirmed by Jackets general manager Scott Howson.
Legein was a key player on the Canadian world junior squad that won its fourth straight gold medal last January; the right winger also helped the team to victory in last fall’s Super Series against Russia.
Why would a 19-year-old with a very bright future suddenly quit the game for which he had such passion? There are no clear answers yet; only a thick cloud of fog.
Legein is an agitator of the first degree who has no trouble putting the puck in the net. He was a constant presence on Team Canada’s second line and also put up over a point per game in his last two seasons with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL.
But Legein’s trademark was the thundering body check. He took every opportunity to pound an opponent into the boards (and into next week) and didn’t shy away from fisticuffs. In short, he was an easy player to like.
A quick viewing of any game from last year’s world junior reveals a kid who simply loves the game.
Or used to.
The details of Legein’s premature retirement remain sketchy, but according to the Dispatch, the Jackets have been told that Legein has “lost the passion” he formerly held for the game.
Aaron Portzline at the Dispatch writes that Legein wasn’t the same player last season after returning from the shoulder injury he suffered at the WJC. Portzline says Legein did not get along with his IceDog teammates late in the season—if true, a shocking turn for a player who has always been very popular in the locker room—and left the Syracuse Crunch after two playoff games to start training for the 2008-09 season.
As Portzline asks, who wants to work out instead of competing in the playoffs? Very strange indeed.
Then, at Jackets prospect camp, Legein looked lackluster. As one of the team’s most promising prospects, it would be reasonable to expect him to stand out, right?
One final twist: when asked about their son’s alleged retirement Tuesday evening, Legein’s parents said they knew nothing about it.
It’s possible they just didn’t feel like talking, but what if Legein never told them? That doesn’t sound like the Stefan Legein that Canadian hockey fans have come to know and love.
So, how do you lose your passion for hockey? Maybe it was the pressure to succeed, which can be unbearable for a teenager. But that doesn’t seem likely, as Legein had already achieved a degree of success with Team Canada that most players can only dream about. And the Columbus media certainly does not provide the fishbowl atmosphere of Toronto or Montreal.
Sometimes young players hang ‘em up when they realize they won’t get enough ice time to justify riding the buses over getting an education. But that can’t be it either. Legein was a bonafide NHL prospect.
Perhaps there was a major change in his life or some sort of family tragedy. Maybe his parents pushed him too hard. Clearly, whatever has led hard-hitting, fun-loving Stefan Legein to such a 180-degree turnaround is something that has yet to see the light of day.
Calgary’s Daniel Ryder pulled a similar cut-and-retire routine last year, only to return to this year’s training camp.
Let’s hope Legein does the same. Otherwise, the Jackets and the hockey world are missing out on a heck of a player, and the kid Canada fell in love with is missing out on a heck of a career.
by Adam Wright… A blockbuster matchup has just been announced for the WWE’s next Pay-Per-View, Unforgiven.
Just minutes ago, RAW General Manager Mike Adamle made the special announcement. It will be a brand new WWE concept called a “Championship Scramble”.
The match will have five participants. Five men will walk into the ring at Unforgiven to compete in a 20-minute match. All five men can score a pin fall or submission victory within the 20-minute time limit.
The five participants include the World Champion CM Punk, JBL, Kane, John Cena, and Batista. The person who scores a victory in that 20 minutes becomes the new World Champion. But the match will continue until the time runs out.
Whoever is holding the World Title after 20 minutes will walk out of Unforgiven the World Champion.
No doubt this is an original idea, but I’m not sure if I like this number padding. In this match, all five men can become World Champion at some time in this match, adding to their career numbers. We could even see someone win it multiple times within the time limit.
It does make for an interesting concept. And it is almost impossible to predict who will walk out of Unforgiven the WWE World Champion.
Let’s just hope we don’t see too much “number padding”.
by Daniel Reiter…
The early 90’s are long gone and so is the NFC’s 13 game Super Bowl winning streak over AFC teams. The AFC has recently had a strangle hold on the championship game winning 8 of the past 11 when last year the New York Giants took back the title. The Giants are a strong team and came out of nowhere to surprise their whole conference and the league in winning the Super Bowl for NFC. With stacked teams in the AFC like Indianapolis, New England, Jacksonville and San Diego does the NFC stand a chance at a repeat? Do these teams have what it takes to lay down the law in the Super Bowl against teams like these 2 years in a row?
Here are the NFC predictions.
NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys are certainly a favorite in their division and the conference this season. They have picked up some good players in defensive back Adam Jones and line backer Zach Thomas in the off-season and have one of the games best at quarterback in Tony Romo. Let’s also not forget about wide receiver Terrell Owens. There are few weak points on this team if Jones is reinstated by the league and the offensive line can protect Romo from his own frustrations.
The New York Giants have lost defensive end Michael Strahan and tight end Jeremy Shockey. Big deal, they were good players, but Shockey’s replacement looked good in the Super Bowl and they still have defensive end Justin Tuck on the pass rush who did get 10 sacks last season. Their offense is solid, but their defense won them the Super Bowl last season. This season will write the same story for their team and I am sure their opponents will prepare for the ending.
Brett Favre and the New York Jets beat the Washington Redskins in the preseason. I’ll reiterate, the preseason means nothing! The Redskins made some good moves in the offseason and will be a force in the division this year. They got defensive end Jason Taylor which will help keep their defense one of the best in the league. Their offense will be fairly dependent on the performance of running back Clinton Portis as he will be a huge factor again. You can bet that they are also expecting a big season from wide receiver Santana Moss.
The NFC east will likely be the strongest division in the conference which does not bode well for the Philadelphia Eagles. They are a good team but 6 of the 16 games are against the 3 other teams in their division who will all be better than them. Quarterback Donvan McNabb is back and healthy this season but it is doubtful that will be enough to lift the eagles into contention for a wildcard birth. It seems like all their chips are dependent on McNabb staying healthy and with 3 of the best pass rushers in the league in this division it is doubtful that will be the case.
Cowboys (14-2)
Redskins (10-6)
Giants (10-6)
Eagles (6-10)
NFC North
No team has generated as much off-season press as the Green Bay Packers. They gave up on their franchise player to embrace 3 year veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers who has seen very little field time in his career. Their team has not changed a whole lot otherwise and it is likely they are expecting similar results as last season. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are good receivers made into great receivers by Brett Favre. Right now Rodgers doesn’t have what it takes to lead this team to a conference championship, but may have a bright future.
The Minnesota Vikings were rumoured to be looking at Favre, but have instead put their full trust into Tavaris Jackson. This was probably the best move for the team. He is a young quarterback who will only get better and had a decent season last year with wins over the Giants and Chargers. The Vikings had the best rushing offense and defense in the league last year and that won’t change much at all. If they get their passing game going they will probably be facing the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game.
Sadly the Detroit Lions will not have a rushing game again this season. They do have a good receiver in Calvin Johnson and Jon Kitna has thrown for over 4000 yards in the past 2 seasons, so they do have a passing game. Their defense will be lead by linebacker Ernie Sims, but the defensive secondary will likely be the story of the year with a battle for first string positions among 3 solid starters at cornerback: Brian Kelly, Travis Fisher and Leigh Bodden.
The Chicago Bears are walking a line that doesn’t need walking, the one between doing something really stupid and not doing it. Two seasons ago quarterback Rex Grossman led them to the Super Bowl, and has now been named as backup behind Kyle Orton. This decision has to be based on preseason play because the only other experience Orton has is his rookie season, in which he only passed for 1800 yards in 15 games. Oh and 3 games at the end of last season when Grossman was injured. Any improvements the Bears have made in the off-season will mean very little if Orton starts the entire season.
Vikings (11-5)
Packers (9-7)
Lions (7-9)
Bears (5-11) *If they sit Grossman all season
NFC South
Jeff Garcia is 38 years old and already injured. It is hard to blame the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for hanging onto him as he is the type of quarterback capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl, but if he gets injured it will be a long season with Brian Griese or Luke McCown at the helm. McCown has the ability to take over and would probably be better suited than Griese in the long term, but immediately it will be a year of learning for the 27 year old. The Bucs had the best defense in their division last season allowing a total of only 270 total points through 16 games. This team could be the dark horse of the conference with a few key upsets in their future.
The most important thing for the Carolina Panthers is probably that quarterback Jake Delhomme’s right elbow has recovered from surgery and that Vinny Testaverde has announced his retirement this off-season. Let’s hope he doesn’t pull a Favre. This is very good news for receiver Steve Smith who is a favorite target for Panthers’ quarterbacks and will likely lead the team in receiving again this year. Another bright light for the Panthers could be running back DeAngelo Williams who managed to rush for 717 yards last season without starting a game ahead of DeShaun Foster, who was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Look for him to have a breakout season although their offense was a black eye on the team last year. It seems like a lot is riding on Delhomme.
The New Orleans Saints’ biggest acquisition was Jeremy Shockey, and hate him or not he will have an immediate impact on the Saints offense both in the running and passing game. They already had one of the best offenses in the NFC and Shockey could put them into the same league as the Cowboys. They have also just added a Pro Bowl safety in Lance Schulters to their defense, which was somewhat dismal last season. The Saints also just lost starting defensive tackle Hollis Thomas to an injury. The defense will be an issue.
The Atlanta Falcons were terrible last season and are in the midst of a rebuilding year. They have an unproven running back in Michael Turner who was playing backup LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego his whole career. They have a quarterback with very little field experience in Chris Redman who will be throwing to a lineup of average receivers who will probably struggle as Redman finds a groove. The defense will be weak as well – rebuilding as well with losses like DeAngelo Hall at corner, one of the best in the league.
Buccaneers (10-6)
Saints (9-7)
Panthers (7-9)
Falcons (2-14)
NFC West
Mike Holmgren will be coaching his last season in Seattle and you can bet he wants to go out with a bang. The Seahawks have lost starting running back Shaun Alexander, which will be the hardest position to fill. The offensive line will likely return to the form it had in 2005 as arguably the best in the NFL, which will make life easier for whoever takes over for Alexander. The defense was one of the best in the NFC and will likely be feared as they were last season.
There are 3 reasons that Matt Leinart, quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, will look good this season and they are Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. Not much else needs saying about their offense as it will be the strong point in their team. This team seems to be constantly rebuilding and struggling for a wildcard spot, and this season will hopefully be better than most even being led by a head coach with just one year of experience in Ken Whisenhunt.
Sadly the San Francisco 49ers will not contend for a wildcard spot this season. None of their quarterbacks are standing out as the sure starter as none have been impressive at all in camp or in past games. They recently signed Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes which will put their defense on the upswing as there are a few holes still to fill. The hardest thing for this team to deal with must be the quarterback situation, and it will not help having a very average crop of receivers to throw to. The only bright light on offense is the acquisition of running back DeShaun Foster from the Panthers, but he will likely struggle behind an offensive line weak in run blocking.
The St. Louis Rams sucked last season. Marc Bulger was off his career performance from 2 seasons ago and it rippled through the rest of the offense. He will still lead this team and will be looking for help from receiver Torry Holt and contract holdout and Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson. Their offensive line will be a big question suffering from injuries and weak players. Their defense will likely not improve very much, but the good news is it can’t get much worse from last season, so there is nowhere to go but up.
Seahawks (11-5)
Cardinals (10-6)
49ers (4-12)
Rams (3-13)
Quick note to the AFC: Tony Romo and the Cowboys will be winning the Super Bowl this year so now that your best teams have “injuries” at quarterback (i.e. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning) you may want to sit them all season so you have a good excuse for not winning the big game. Just make sure it’s not as obvious as the mistake the Bears are making at quarterback.
Recent Comments