Final Four is set, but at what cost?

That cost was my bracket being busted.  What?  You thought it was something more important?  Nah, it's just another crushing blow to my self-esteem.  Here's what my bracket looks like:

The only positive is that my championship matchup is still alive, with Kentucky and Duke.  But other than that, only having 2 out of 4 Final Four teams isn't so great.  As you can see, Iowa State and Virgina really screwed me.  And since I'm a man who holds grudges, I will now root against them every chance I get.  I really butchered that top right quadrant, huh?  I didn't get one freakin' team to the Sweet 16.  Not only did Virgina thoroughly hose me, but Michigan State is in the Final Four.  Some of you may not remember, but I'm a big Michigan fan, so even though I have a lot of respect for Tom Izzo, seeing the Spartans in the Final Four is not sitting well with me, especially since Michigan couldn't even make it to the tournament this year.  Can Jim Harbaugh coach the basketball team, too? 

My bracket could have looked a lot different, however.  I'm sure I'm not alone, but I lost every single one of the 1-point games in the 1st round.  Literally.  LSU, Iowa State, Baylor, SMU and Purdue.  Not one of them went my way.  Obviously Iowa State and Baylor were the ones that hurt most since I had them going more than 1 round each.  I was correct, though, in not picking some of the "trendy" upsets in the 1st round.  Tons of experts were predicting S.F. Austin to beat Utah, and Eastern Washington to beat Georgetown, but I held strong and turned out to be right.  I even got Wichita State upsetting Kansas right in the round of 32.  I did, of course, get some upset picks wrong as well.  Buffalo couldn't take down West Virginia, Texas lost to Butler, and Oklahoma ended up making it to the Sweet 16.  Bastards. 

Ok, enough about my bracket, my pride can't take anymore.  Let's dive into some Final Four predictions. 

When filling out my bracket, I practically had to flip a coin to choose between Wisconsin and Arizona, so I'm not surprised that the Badgers are there.  However, no matter which way the coin landed, I was writing Kentucky's name in the championship game.  They've had several close games this year but always managed to come out on top.  Saturday was no different against Notre Dame.  They find a way to win.  And even though Wisconsin is a great all-around team, Kentucky is better, plain and simple.

Duke and Michigan State is not as cut-and-dried, however.  Even though I picked Duke to make it to the championship game, I always felt that if a hot team came along, they could be beaten.  Enter Michigan State.  They got hot during the Big Ten Tournament, and have stayed hot ever since.  I can't pin-point one particular thing that they do exceptionally well, but they just find a way to win.  As for Duke, they were one of the best offensive teams in the nation all year.  Fourth in points-per-game (80.6) and third in field-goal percentage (.502).  But in the tournament, it's been the play of their defense that's really stood out.  No team has scored more than 57 points against them, and that includes a high-powered Gonzaga squad (held to 52 points yesterday).  If their defense can stay tough, then they should be able to provide enough offense to get to the finals.

As for the finals, I predict that....

For that you'll have to check in later in the week. 

Let's Dance!

It's tourney time, baby!  March madness is upon us, and I'm pumped.  I've finally finished filling out my bracket, and as usual, I have zero confidence in it.  The only college basketball I watch before the tournament is game highlights on Sportscenter, so this is not my forte.  But doing the brackets is so damn fun, I have to keep coming back year after year.  Let me first show you my bracket, then I'll do a little explaining about my picks.

Surprise, surprise, I picked Kentucky.  I'm sure I'm the only person in America who did that.  Listen, they're really freakin' good.  There is, however, a very small part of me that thinks they'll lose in this tournament.  But as I was filling the bracket out, I just couldn't write another team's name instead of theirs.  So as far as Kentucky goes, I won't be surprised if they win or lose.  Well, if they lose in the first 2 rounds I'll be surprised.  But that's it. 

For the most part I went chalk.  Every year I try to predict all of the upsets, and just end up getting upset myself because I got them wrong.  So this year, I limited myself to only a few, especially in the 1st round.  I took Buffalo over West Virginia, Texas over Butler, and Ohio State over VCU (though that doesn't feel like much of an upset).  Buffalo apparently plays at a pretty high tempo, which could cause problems for the Mountaineers, and according to several experts, Texas is more talented than Butler.  Ohio State isn't as good as they've been in previous years, but D'Angelo Russell is fantastic, so that's enough for one win. 

There are two trendy upsets that I chose not to roll with: Eastern Washington over Georgetown, and SF Austin over Utah.  Actually, there are three, but I'll get to the third in a second.  Georgetown doesn't have a good track record for getting out of the 1st round as of late, but I think that's exactly why they will this time.  And so many people are picking SF Austin, that I think I'm in the minority by picking Utah, and that's fine with me.  In fact, several "experts", from a site that will go unnamed, had Austin going several rounds.  I've been down that road before with the likes of Belmont and a few others, only to see them get knocked out in the 1st round.  Lesson learned.  Go Utes.

 The third "upset special" that I was referring to was BYU beating Xavier, and possibly advancing several more rounds.  I actually laughed this morning when I saw that they didn't even win their "play-in" game against Ole' Miss.  Now it is possible that the Rebels could take down Xavier, but anybody that submitted brackets with BYU going far has got to be pulling their hair out. 

 In the second round, I have Wichita State beating Kansas, and Providence beating Oklahoma.  Oklahoma was just a gut call, but Kansas was a no-brainer to me.  They're always supposed to be great and end up getting ousted fairly early.  And this time around, they're playing a really good team in Wichita State.  The Shockers went into last year's tourney undefeated and barely lost to eventual runner-up Kentucky.  Apparently they're still really good, and that's reason enough for me to have them beating the Jayhawks. 

Quite a few people have Michigan State making a deep run, and I can't blame them.  Tom Izzo's squads always show up in the tournament, which really hurts me as a Michigan fan.  But I think this is the year where they exit on the early side (2nd round).  And all I'm hearing is how good Gonzaga is, and this is their year.  Really?  Every year is their year, until it's not.  I'm not buying into the Zags anymore.  I don't care how good their offense is, they're not making to the Final 4 on any of my brackets.  Hell, they're not even making it to the Elite 8. 

Except for Arizona (2), my Final 4 consists of all 1 seeds.  I'm starting to learn that going chalk is sometimes the best strategy for a person like me who doesn't know a whole lot about college hoops.  I mean, hey, they were seeded like that for a reason, right? 

As annoying as it is to keep putting X's on my sheet, I still love the NCAA Tournament.  It has so many upsets, close games and buzzer beaters that you can't help but be excited with almost every game.  So fill out those brackets and enjoy some good basketball.  I'll be writing again soon to talk about some of the early round action. 

Giants and Jets Free Agency Recap (So-far)

I really could have entitled this article "Jets Free Agency Recap", because they're the ones making the headlines (what else is new?).  So that being said, let me briefly comment on the Giants and then get to the new and (potentially greatly) improved Jets.

So far the Giants have signed:

RB - Shane Vereen
OT - Marshall Newhouse
WR - Dwayne Harris
LB - Jonathan Casillas
LB - J.T. Thomas III

Aside from Vereen, whom I'll get to in a minute, Gerry Reese spent a lot of money for special teams.  Too much money, actually.  Between Harris, Casillas and Thomas, the Giants spent $40 million.  That's an absurd amount considering that those guys (barring injuries) will only play special teams.  Unless you have Devin Hester in his prime, why in the hell would you give a return-man (Harris) a $17.5 million contract, with $7.1 million of it guaranteed!?  So dumb.  This just proves that Reese and co. are not as good evaluators that they were once perceived to be.  If you can't find special-teamers in the draft, then there's something wrong here.  To go out and spend $40 million is almost laughable.

What Reese did do right was sign Shane Vereen.  This is a great pick-up.  You now have your unquestioned 3rd down/passing downs running back.  This guy is versatile enough to lineup in the slot, too.  I'm actually excited about him. 

And Newhouse is more of a depth move for the offensive line.  I'm ok with it.

Now onto the Jets.  $$$$$$$$$ Sssssshopping spreeeeee!  They had money to spend, and boy did they spend it.  But unlike GM's in the past (cough, Mike Tannenbaum, cough) Mike Maccagnan spent it wisely. 

WR - Brandon Marshall (trade)
LB - David Harris (re-signed)
OL - James Carpenter
CB - Buster Skrine
CB - Darrelle Revis
CB - Antonio Cromartie
 S - Marcus Gilchrist
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick

Where to begin?  Well, first I'd like to say welcome back to Darrelle Revis.  Sorry about all the nasty things I said about you when you left.  We're cool, right?  All kidding aside, I think it was huge bringing him back.  Yes it's a lot of money, but when you have a guy that can practically take away one half of the field, it's a win.  In addition to Revis, the Jets brought in Skrine and Gilchrist, and brought back Cromartie.  All of a sudden, what was a glaring weakness last season becomes a potential strength.  I personally don't love Cromartie.  He's too inconsistent and plays a little too timidly for my liking.  Plus if I remember correctly, he didn't play all that well alongside Revis in the last go-around.  Once Revis left, however, he was back to playing at an all-pro caliber.  If he can stay on that level, then they can be a devastating cornerback combo.  I can't say I know much about Skrine, but it didn't sound as though he played too well last year.  Maybe covering the slot will lead to better results for him.  And like Skrine, Gilchrist is a fairly new name to me, but considering how badly the Jet's safeties played, he's an instant improvement just by not having been on the team last year.

I've touched on the Marshall trade in a previous post, but I'll just reiterate that it was a great move.  A hit-or-miss move was trading for Fitzpatrick.  He's certainly not the long-term answer, but could he be good enough to lead them to the playoffs?  If the Jet's defense is as good as I think it will be, then we might have another 2000 Ravens or 2002 Buccaneers on our hands.  Great defense and a competent quarterback.  They don't need Fitzpatrick to be Tom Brady.  In 2000, Trent Dilfer started 9 games and had very underwhelming numbers (59% completion, 1502 yards, 12 TD, 11 Int).  Brad Johnson (2002 Buccaneers) wasn't spectacular either (62% completion, 3049 yards, 22 TD, 6 Int).  Aside from his terrific TD to INT ratio, those were very pedestrian numbers.  As a matter of fact, I believe Fitzpatrick had somewhat similar numbers last year before being benched (63% completion, 2483 yards, 17 TD, 8 Int).  His interceptions are usually higher, but if he can keep the turnovers down, he should be very serviceable.  Also, if the Jets can add another running back (preferably a speed back), then they should have enough playmakers on offense to be competitive in every game, and it'll also take pressure off Fitzpatrick.  

With all of that being said (and it was quite a bit), the Giants have more work to do while the Jets have put themselves right back in playoff contention.  We'll see if either team makes any more moves or just waits til the draft to fill more needs. 

Free Agent Frenzy!

I absolutely didn't expect this.  There were so many moves already made before free agency actually started, I didn't expect to see this many more when it did.  Actually,  the most surprising thing about today has been the trades!  So many trades and so many big names. 

Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks

Haloti Ngata to the Lions

Sam Bradford to the Eagles/Nick Foles to St. Louis

Wow.  The craziest part was that it seemed most of these trades went down right at, if not right before 4 o'clock (when free agency technically started).  I honestly don't remember seeing this many trades, or even this many big name players being available.  Ndamukong Suh, Darrelle Revis, DeMarco Murray, Randall Cobb, Graham, Ngata.  Insane.  It seems like there was a new move every 5 minutes.  I'm actually overwhelmed. 

Some of the big names already agreed to deals before Tuesday, but here are some other guys that reached deals:

Jared Odrick - Jaguars
Torrey Smith - 49ers
Shane Vereen - Giants (finally)
Owen Daniels - Broncos
AJ Hawk - Bengals
Rodney Hudson/Malcolm Smith - Raiders

That's only a few, but trust me, there was a lot.

And if all these signings and trades weren't enough, there were a couple of retirements that caught me completely off guard.  Patrick Willis and Jake Locker both announced that they were retiring from the NFL.  Willis is only 30 years old, and one of the best middle linebackers in the league.  Jake Locker, 26, is not one of the best quarterbacks, but is incredibly young for retirement.  Both guys have battled injuries as of late (Locker his whole career), but I didn't think they were "career-ending".   

This is just a taste of things that have gone down so far.  I'm sure there will be plenty more.  I'll check back in to recap some of the signings or trades and also any more moves that the Giants and Jets make (welcome back Darrelle Revis?).  In the meantime, hang onto your hats, because the free agency winds are whipping. 

NFL Free Agency is heating up...except for the Giants

NFL free agency doesn't technically start til tomorrow, but there have already been a ton of moves.  Here's some big ones:

Ndamukong Suh - Miami Dolphins (shocked it wasn't the Raiders)

Randall Cobb - Green Bay Packers

Devin McCourty - New England Patriots

Jeremy Maclin - Kansas City Chiefs

LeSean McCoy to Buffalo Bills - TRADE

Kiko Alonso to Philadelphia Eagles - TRADE

Brandon Marshall to New York Jets - TRADE


(There's several more moves, but I don't want to bore you) 

Notice something about those signings and trades?  My New York football Giants are nowhere to be seen.  Is it catastrophic?  No.  But they have holes to fill, and it doesn't look like they'll fill them with top tier players.  I can't say I'm shocked, but I am getting somewhat frustrated.  Every time I read or hear that the Giants are interested in a player, almost instantly that guy is signed by another team.  Devin McCourty, Jerry Hughes, hell even Ndamukong Suh (even though I think we all knew that was never going to happen), all gone.  Oh great, and now I just saw that OL Orlando Franklin will sign with the Chargers.  Check another one off the list.  Damn it.

Now I'm full-fledged frustrated.  They have to start grabbing some guys.  They desperately need safeties.  They need pass rushers.  They have to shore up the offensive line.  They need linebackers.  You can't fill all of those positions in the draft alone.  You need quality veteran players that can come in and contribute immediately.  The Giants don't have much time left with Eli Manning, so they can't be patient and hope that their draft picks blossom in a year or two.  They need guys that can be players right away.  They definitely got that in last year's draft with Odelle Beckham Jr, and sort of got it with  Weston Richburg, Jay Bromley, Andre Williams and Devon Kennard.  Granted, Richburg and Williams weren't amazing, but they showed enough and were able to play right out of the gate.  They have to do that again if they're going to be a winning team.

Let's jump over to the Jets for a minute.  Despite being quiet in free agency, they made a huge splash the other day by trading for WR Brandon Marshall.  It's assumed that Percy Harvin will be cut, but that still leaves the Jets with a very respectable receiving corps of Marshall, Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley and TE Jace Amaro (as long as he improves his catching).  Now they just need someone to throw to them (I'll get to that later).  The trade is great for several reasons.  First, you're getting a top 10 receiver.  Anytime you can add someone of Marshall's caliber, it's a plus.  Second, it's only costing them a 5th round draft pick.  That's a steal.  Yes, he's getting a little older and he was very banged up last year, but you have to imagine he's got a few good years left in him.  And last but not least, if for some reason Marshall doesn't do well in New York, the Jets can cut him after next season with no cap penalty because only this season is guaranteed for him.  So, there really is no down-side to this trade.

Another great move the Jets made was re-signing LB David Harris.  The guy is a tackling machine and has a very high football IQ.  I actually really wanted the Giants to make a run at him, but c'est la vie.  New York apparently has its eyes on a couple more big free agents.  The first is OL Mike Iupati.  I discussed him the other day for the Giants, but it doesn't appear that they're in play for him.  He would be a huge get for the Jets.  The guy is a mauler that would fill a big void for New York.  The second guy is someone Jets fans know all too well, and that's Darrelle Revis.  It sounds like they're making a pretty big push to bring him back.  I have mixed feelings on this.  Of course it would be huge, because he's one of, if not the best cornerback in the league.  But is everyone forgetting how much of a headache this guy was?  He held out twice for contracts and is going to be paid a ton of money.  It might be worth it, though, because Todd Bowles runs a blitz-heavy defense, where a strong secondary is a must.  Revis would instantly improve the Jets secondary, but he can't do it alone.  They would still need another CB, not to mention help at safety.

The biggest need for the Jets, however, is one that probably won't be properly filled this off-season: quarterback.  I say "properly", because I don't see a long term answer in free agency or the draft, and lets face it, barring a miracle, Geno Smith is not the answer either.  People may disagree with me, but I don't think Marcus Mariota is going to be great.  He had a tremendous college career, but to me he's the prime example of a "system quarterback".  Meaning all he knows/all he's good at is that crazy up-tempo offense that Oregon runs.  Now listen, I could be completely wrong, and he could come into the league and be very good.  I just don't see it happening.  I think the Jets are better off grabbing a guy like Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson or Brett Hundley in the later rounds, and coaching them up a bit.

Then again, what the hell do I know?  The only thing I do know is that free agency is officially tomorrow at 4pm, and I'm way more excited than I should be. 

My New York Giants Free Agent Wish List

With free-agency almost upon us, I thought it'd be fun to make a "wish list" of free agents that I'd like to see on my New York Giants.

Let me first start with some guys that were with the Giants last year.  If I'm being honest, there aren't many that I would want back.  New York's big free agent is of course Jason Pierre Paul, and I just read that the Giants placed the franchise tag on him, so that sort of takes the wind out of my sails.  What I will say, though, is that I don't know if I would have done that.  After having a breakout year in 2011 with 16.5 sacks, he's battled injuries and mediocrity the last couple of seasons before sort of returning to form last year.  I say "sort of" because he had 9 of his 12.5 sacks in the last 5 games of the season.  What's up with that?  Did he finally get healthy?  Did he just figure things out?  Was it the soft schedule?  Or was he just trying to get paid this upcoming season?

Doesn't matter the reason now, because he is getting paid.  A lot.  By using the tag, the Giants owe Pierre Paul almost $15 million.  I'm sure they don't want to take that hit, so even though I don't agree with it, I'm sure they'll try to sign him to a long term deal. 

One guy from the Giants that I would definitely like to see back is Antrel Rolle, but it would have to be at the right price.  Rolle will turn 33 next season, so a long term deal is off the table, but 3 years shouldn't be out of the question.  From what I've read and heard, it sounds like he's willing to work with New York to get a fair contract for both sides.  It would be nice to see him play his natural "safety" spot if New York's cornerbacks could finally stay healthy.  Which leads me to...

Walter Thurmond III.  He missed all but 2 games last year, leaving a huge void at the nickel-cornerback slot.  That's been the case for at least the last 2 years for the Giants.  Injuries, especially in the defensive backfield, have really hampered them.  And for whatever reason, the cornerback spot is always the most ravaged.  That's why it's important to bring back Thurmond.  Pairing him with Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would be huge for New York.  A good/healthy secondary will help their pass-rushers have an extra second or so to get to the quarterback.  So sign him and keep your fingers crossed that he stays healthy.

Last, but not least, is Henry Hynoski.  Not only does he have one of the best names in football, but he's a hell of a blocker.  Sounds like a win-win to me.  Bring back the Hynocerous!

Now let's move on to some other teams' free agents.


Orlando Franklin or Mike Iupati - Offensive Line

The Giants need help on the offensive line, that's no secret.  So why not try and grab one of the better linemen in free-agency?  By signing one of these guys, you suddenly don't have to consider offenseive line with your #9 draft pick.  That opens things up completely.

Mark Ingram - RB

I know, they just signed Rashad Jennings and drafted Andre Williams last year, but last season Mark Ingram showed what he can do when he finally gets touches.  I actually really wanted the Giants to draft him back in 2011.  To me, he's been underutilized in New Orleans until last year, when they let him run 226 times (though mainly because of injuries).  So he's got fairly fresh legs.  Plus he can provide the pass catching skills of Jennings and the power running of Williams by himself, making those guys great change-of-pace players.   

Torrey Smith - WR

There are several receivers that I would give my left nu...arm to see in a Giant's uniform next season, but in all likelihood they'll all be tagged.  New York has found its true #1 in Odelle Becham Jr., and assuming he can come back healthy, they have their slot man in Victor Cruz.  So why not bring in a guy who can stretch the field?  Hello, Torrey Smith.  He's not going to give you 100 catches or even 1000 yards (he only did that once), but I think he'd be a perfect complement to Beckham Jr. and Cruz.  He could draw coverage away from those other guys.  Or if they're double covered, use his speed to take advantage of single coverage.  Either way you slice it, it sounds like a good signing.

Brian Hartline/Michael Crabtree - WR

Brian Hartline would be insurance if Cruz doesn't come back healthy, or misses more time.  He's got good hands and could work the middle of the field.  Crabtree would be a risk/reward type of signing.  He's battled plenty of injuries, but still has good skills.  Plus, he's never played with a quarterback of Manning's caliber, so it'd be interesting to see what he could do with a 4000 yard passer.  However, I'd only go after him if they can't get Torrey Smith.

Ndamukong Suh - DT

I know, the guy is an ass and seems like a dirty player, thus making him a dirty ass.  But he's soooooo good.  He'll probably be out of the Giants' price range, but holy cow would he toughen up this defense.

Brandon Graham/Pernell McPhee/Sean Weatherspoon - OLB/DE

The Giants need pass-rushing help, and that's where Graham or McPhee would come in.  I have to admit, I still don't know much about McPhee, but Baltimore has a knack for drafting linebackers, so I'll almost always take someone from their squad.  Graham on the other hand was a Michigan man, and a good one at that, so I'm somewhat familiar with him.  He played d-end in college and would probably go back to that spot on the Giants, which could make him more comfortable and possibly more effective.  As for Weatherspoon, he sustained an injury while recovering from another, so that's never good.  He's only played in 7 games the last 2 seasons, but is a great all-around linebacker when healthy.  He's got experience playing inside too, which could come in handy if/when Jon Beason gets hurt yet again. 

David Harris - ILB

Another Michigan man.  Doesn't have blazing speed, but is smart, instinctive and a tackling machine.  He actually reminds me of Antonio Pierce.  A guy that can be the quarterback of the defense.  The last time the Giants had a guy like that with Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator they won a championship.  Ooh, I just got goosebumps.

Those are the names that stand out to me that I feel would greatly help the Giants.  Can they sign all of them?  Of course not, what's wrong with you?  But if they could bring in a couple of them, it should help get them back to being a playoff team.