NIGHT IN THE NBA --- NOVEMBER 3RD

Indiana 105 Miami 102 – Indiana is my pick to win the East and they looked like it last night. Playing without Jeff Foster they matched up with Miami on the road. The weakness of Indiana has always been if they could score enough and that does not seem to be an issue ….. The most underrated player on Indiana is Jamal Tinsley. When he is healthy, which isn’t often, Indiana is nearly unbeatable ….. Ron Artest is an amazing addition. His defense alters games and the 22 a night and going to the free throw line is very significant …. The thing that has been overlooked is at the time of the brawl last year, Indiana was the best in the East and had just crushed Detroit in Detroit and that is why Ben Wallace was so pissed …… Indiana only had 11 turnovers last night. I would keep an eye on Miami opponent turnovers this season. I don’t see a team that defensively will force turnovers and they were pretty good defensively last year …. Gary Payton got more important minutes then Jason Williams ….. Antonie Walker came back to life with 15 shots for 12 points ….. Shaq sprained his ankle. I doubt he plays more then 60 games this year …. It is Shaq’s year off, therefore Miami will not win it.

Phoenix 122 Lakers 112 – If Phoenix can win without Stoudamire and play the same style it is either a tribute to Steve Nash or to Mike DiAntonio’s style. If they win without Stoudamire the rest of the league may be forced to follow how they play ….. Raja Bell is such a great fit for Phoenix ….. Lamar Odom had the huge night that he is capable of 23-16-8. However, it was in an open floor game where defense was not a focus. Can Odom do the same in a slower game. If not the Lakers will have a hard time getting looks for anyone but Kobe one on one …. Who is Smush Parker and is this real? … Kwane Brown just 21 minutes. It may never turn on for Brown.

NIGHT IN THE NBA -- NOVEMBER 2ND

I will attempt to do this every night. Depending on the amount of games will likely dictate how soon I can get it out each day.

Lakers 99 Denver 97 – George Karl just cost his team two games with the suspension in the off-season. Remember that at the end of the year …. The Lakers roster is not complete, they have way too many holes to win consistently … Marcus Camby was forced to play 37 minutes without Nene. There is no way he can hold up for a whole season playing those kinds of minutes. Earl Watson did not play.

Casey 90 Nate 86 --- I wish I had this on tape to see how the match-up played out. Congrats to Casey for his first NBA win, no one deserved it more …. Richie Frahm lit up Portland like he did when he was with the Sonics 18 points in 15 minutes …. Matrell Webster did not play ….. Telfair only had 3 assist in 33 minutes, there is some talk in Portland that Jarrett Jack is a better player …. Zach Randolph is moving into Chris Weber category with a 18 point night on 21 shot attempts and just 4 free throws. How does a big guy take 21 shots and only take 4 free throws. You have to go to the line in this league.

Rockets 98 Sacramento 89 – 0-2 start for the Kings. Adelman is on a short leash … Another really bad shooting night for the Kings at just 41% …. They have to shoot well, because you know they will never play defense …. Bonzi Wells had a huge night, but the 7 turnovers will kill you and he does it all inside which forces the Kings to invert their offense and I am not sure that works ….. As much as I like the Rockets the Rafer Alston/ Derek Anderson back-court does not impress me.

Celtics 114 Knicks 100 – Not a good day for the local kids, Nate was 1 of 5 in 10 minutes, Jerome James played 8 minutes and had 4 points and 4 fouls and Dan Dikau didn’t play. That is a tremendous drop for Dikau who was signed to be a starter. He really didn’t show me a game last year that translates to being an NBA starter on a good team …. Delonte West may be a player. He had 14-9-9 in his first start for Boston as a point guard …. Jamal Crawford came off the bench behind Q. Richardson.

Utah 93 Dallas 82 --- Dallas back to back after 2 OT and ran out of gas. Jason Terry only had two points in the second half …. Believe it or not having Greg Ostertag back is a big deal for Utah defensively. Between Andri Kirilenko and Ostertag they had11 block and that doesn’t count the amount of shots they bothered …. Kirilenko lead the Jazz in Rebs, Ass and blocks …. I am not sold that Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels bring the Mavs enough offense

Washington 99 Raptors 96 -- Maybe Charlie Villanueva is going to be a better pro then he was a college player, he dropped 11 and 6 for Toronto. Another 4th quarter meltdown for the coach most likely to be fired Sam Mitchell …. AD was just 1 of 4 in 19 minutes. That is going to be a bad signing. As much as we miss him that is a bad deal for Washignton.

Pacers 90 Magic 76 – Keep an eye on the Pacers defense. Indiana was stocked that they signed Jeasikevicius and he had 5 pts, 2 rebs, 2 ass and 2 steals in 17 minutes. The Sonics were hot after him as well, but never made an offer.

Cavs 109 Hornets 87 – Desmond Mason another off night, this time 2 of 9 ….. Larry Hughes played 30 minutes and had 10 points on 2 of 9 shooting with 5 turnovers. I am not sure that was a good signing.

Bucks 110 Nets 96 – The Bucks might be for real …. I will say it again, on draft day when I was asked who Andrew Bogut reminded me of I said Tim Duncan. On the first night of the year he was the best player on the floor at time and in night on the back end of a back to back he snared 17 rebounds. There are not a lot of guys in this league who can grab 17 rebounds. He also didn’t commit a turnover. He is not Duncan and may never be the best in the league, but that is who he reminds me of and that is why Milwaukee will be good this year …. TJ Ford was just 7 of 19. He must stay under control. … I like New Jersey but I don’t like any team that has Jeff McInnis. He will be a problem this year

Pistons 108 76ers 88 – The nightly rip of Chris Weber. 16 shots and 16 points. He has to be the most inefficient player in the NBA …. Hard to tell from one night if anything is different in Detroit with Flip Saunders as the coach … Hamilton took 24 shots and the next closest was 11 by Prince.

Heat 97 Grizzlies 78 – I have wondered all year how are the Grizzlies going to score. Evidently for one night they aren’t going to. Gasol has 26, which you can’t anticipate every night. Then their next two scores are old guys, Eddie Jones and Damon Stoudamire. That is a bad team ….. Shaq played just 27 minutes …. Antoine Walker was unreal 25-16-4 on only 17 shot attempts. He is criticized a lot for his selfishness, but if he plays under control he is a nice player. You have to guard him and that makes the world easier for Wade … Jason Williams took just 7 shots in 33 minutes …. Payton played 28 minutes off the bench and was 0 for 3 with 4 turnovers.

Bulls 109 Charlotte 105 – Chris Duhon had a triple double, how good is he …. The Bulls have great depth …. Loul Deng and Mike Sweetney are very good players coming off the bench

Golden State 122 Atlanta 97 – The Warriors are going to try to be like Phoenix last year … Joe Johnson made his debut at point guard for Atlanta with 1 assist.

SIMULBLOG OF SONICS V. CLIPPERS

I am will keep an running "SIMULBLOG" going during the game tonight.

CLIPPERS 101 SONICS 93
Obviously a very disapointing end to the season opener.
Sam Cassell dominated the 4th quarter with 3 3 pointers.
Cassell at 35 years old in his 38th minute of work on the floor from 3 is a shot I can live with but tonight he was read hot.
Flip Murray was Bob Weiss choice to try to stop Cassell and it didn't work. If Murray is the defensive stopper for this team it is a problem.
Turnovers were a huge issue tonight. Last season the Sonics turned the ball over 13% of their possessions last night they turned it over 20% of the possessions. That is the difference in the game.
Defensive rebounding was awful. The Clippers got 41% of the potential offensive rebounds in the 2nd half and 38% for the game. That number should never be higher then 30%.
With their poor rebounding and poor turnovers the Sonics gave away possessions.
Offensively, the Sups had some terrible possessions down the stretch, most notably was Flip dribbling into to traffic and turning it over when it was a one point game.

Sonics 75 Clippers 64 at the end of 3 Quarters
The bench has arrived. 11-1 run with the bench on the floor. The substitutions in the second half have made a lot more sense then what we say in the first half. Radmanovic was the first off the bench, followed by Collison, Murray and Wilkins.
The area where you notice AD being gone is the wrong guys are making decisions with the basketball. Ray Allen and Vlady both just committed turnovers where they forced passes that didn’t need to be made.
Defensively I felt the Sonics were playing well most of the night and we are beginning to see the dividends as the Clippers are missing shots.
Flip played very well in this stint.

Sonics 64 Clippers 57 with 3:50 left in the 3rd Quarter.
Ray Allen’s leadership is terrific. He just went out of his way to get Petro a play on a pick and roll to reward him for his effort and to allow him to gain confidence.
Reggie Evans just kills floor spacing. Evans would be a much better player if he understood his own inadequacies.


Sonics 50 Clippers 50 at the Half.
The Sonics defense doesn’t seem to be terrible but the Clippers are cutting through the lane and having a very successful offensive game with mid-range jumpers. At the half the Clippers have not made a 3 but are hitting 57% of their shots in the game.
The Sonics offense is close, but seems slightly off of its game. That may be as simple as the combinations on the floor.


Sonics 41 Clippers 36 with 3:58 left in the 2nd Quarter.
Bob Weiss’s substitution patterns aren’t smooth yet. Radmanovic didn’t play in the first quarter.
Vlady Radmanovic doesn’t look comfortable on the floor. He actually looks like he is lacking energy. He had a very lethargic pre-season.
The Clippers post players might be the worst passers I have seen in the NBA. Their front court is the turnover waiting to happen.
At times the Sonics offense seems to be lacking the movement it needs to have.
Last season the Sonics were #22 in forcing turnovers. Tonight the Clippers are throwing it all over the place. It is hard to tell how much is improved Sonics defense and how much is Clippers sloppy play.
As nice as Reggie’s post play early was he now has committed turnovers or missed badly the last three times he has gone to the basket.


Sonics 27 Clippers 26 end of 1st Quarter
Clippers got back in the game behind Sam Cassell. Cassell got 2 buckets on Luke Ridnour and then added two more on Flip Murray.
The Clippers closed the quarter scoring on 8 straight possessions.
The Clippers are running a high pick and roll with Cassell and Brand and the Sonics don’t have the answer

Sonics 16 Clippers 4 6:43 left 1st Quarter
Who would have thought the first bucket of the season would be scored by Johan Petro.
10 of the 12 Sonics first points came from Reggie Evans and Johan Petro.
Sonics open the game scoring on 8 of their first 11 possessions and 7 straight into the time-out.
Petro was terrific.

Storylines: Petro at center
Do the Sonics run more
Are the Clippers the most improved team in the West.


Inactive list: Sonics -- Vitaly, Mateen and Swift.
Clippers -- Corey Maggette, Shawn Livingston, Walter McCarty.

NOTES FROM SONCIS SHOOT-AROUND

Here are a few notes from the Sonics shoot-around today

The Clippers will be without Corey Maggette. Maggette stayed in LA with a Hamstring injury.

The Sonics inactive list is Vitaly Potapenko, Mateen Cleaves and Robert Swift.

The Sonics will start Johan Petro in the middle.

The Clippers have added Sam Cassell and Cutino Mobley in their backcourt.

Locked on Sports: Four Keys for Sonics' success

Locked on Sports: Four Keys for Sonics' success: "Murray will get the first shot to fill the 3-guard rotation. However, he will have to show tremendous growth to handle this significant a role.

Murray will be the first backcourt substitute replacing Ridnour, leaving the Sonics with Murray and Allen in the backcourt and no true ball handler."

THE NIGHT IN THE NBA

I will attempt to do this nightly. It will be a quick run down of my thoughts on the night in the NBA.

Dallas over Phoenix in 2 OT --- The line-up Phoenix played down the stretch was amazing. They had Nash, Raja Bell, James Jones, another small and Shawn Marion as the center …… The Suns blew a 17 point lead and a 5 point lead in the first overtime …. They visibly lacked Joe Johnson, Q. Richardson and Stoudamire ….. I do think Raja Bell will have an enormous year playing with Nash …. Avery Johnson coached a brilliant game. He kept his team in the game with a great timeout late in OT. He has a great understanding of the value of a possession ….. Dallas is totally dependent on Dirk and Jason Terry. Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels and Keith Van Horn don’t seem to be giving enough support …. I have never been a Jason Terry fan, but he is really developing into a dynamic force.

Milwaukee over Philly in OT ---- I like Milwaukee. They are in the best division in the East. Don’t be surprised if all 5 teams in the Central make the playoffs …. The big news here is TJ Ford played and played well. Look at his line 16 pts, 9 rebounds and 14 assists. If he is right they become tough ….. 1st pick of the draft Andrew Bogut had a nice debut 13 pts and 9 rebs on 6 of 9 shooting. On draft day when I was asked who he reminded me of I said Tim Duncan. Bogut may never be that great, but he is the closest we have seen since Duncan came into the league ….. Did you see Chris Weber, 45 minutes and only 4 free throws … 28 shots and 32 points. He is so inefficient. You can’t win with the value of a possession.

N0/OKC blows out Sacramento --- Is this the Sonics debut of last season? Sacramento may have serious issues, but it is way to early to call them dead. The shooting percentage jumps out as a team that doesn’t jell. I wonder if they can run the Princeton offense with the personnel they added.

San Antonio shows supremacy over Denver --- the story is the injury to Nene. The Nuggets are calling it a sprained ACL. How do you think Earl Watson is feeling? He signed with Denver after not being able to find a starting job. Now he is not even getting any playing time. He did not play tonight. Denver did not hit a three tonight. That is partially SA defense, but this team still doesn’t have adequate outside shooting. ….. The Spurs got 16 points in 28 minutes from Michael Finley off the bench. 11 of those were in the 4th quarter. How awesome is that for the world champions ….. The Spurs got 41 bench points.

Weiss world: It's down to earth | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

Frank Hughes writes an amazing piece on the Sonics head coach. It is worth the read and it gives you a great insight into the man leading the Sups.

POSTING COMMENTS

GET IT UNDER CONTROL!!!!! Let me make this clear. I will shut down the comments again.
If you guys can't get your language, racist comments, etc under control.

I love your dedication, but this is not intended to be a mini-community for 5 of you to fill your days making comments back and forth to each other. The intention is to foster conversation of Locked on Sports 24 hours a day beyond when the show is on the 950, KJR.

FOLLOW THIS AND WE WILL BE FINE
1) No foul language
2) No personal attacks
3) Stay on the topic

HUSKIES V. SUN DEVILS BREAKDOWN

Huskies head to the desert 3:30 kickoff here on 950,KJR. ASU is in a world of hurt, in fact the Huskies look like they are in good shape compared to the Sun Devils, losers of 3 straight.
· ASU special teams are a mess – 3 punts blocked for 17 points last week. Punt long snapper has been injured and their new guy gets the ball back very slowly. They are trying out a new punter this week. When they do punt the ball they are a mess. Last year they were 116 out of 177 on punt return coverage. This season they have allowed 38 points in seven games because of punting errors.
· Players are questioning the commitment in practice. Back-up QB, yes back-up QB Rudy Carpenter. "I don't see that guys are motivated. Especially in practice. Everybody's coming out kind of soft in practice and not working hard." Senior Leader wide receiver Derek Hagan "I think this team feels like we can flip the switch whenever we want to," "Just turn it on and turn it off. These last couple games, that hasn't been the outcome. We practice well and then we don't practice well. And come game time, it's just a different story”
· Insane injuries on the offensive line . Center Grayling Love and Right Tackle Andrew Carahan are injured, right guard Zach Krula is out and being replaced
· In their 3 losses they have allowed an average of 500 yards a game. 224 on the ground and 275 in the air.
· They have lost their running game in the last three games averaging just 82 yards a game.

However, with all that said I still can’t see the Huskies getting this one. Truly, what we are going to find out is how bad the Dawgs really are. Their offense is only scoring 21 points a game and if they can’t score on the Sun Devils then they can’t score on anyone. On the defensive end, if they can’t win the battle at the line of scrimmage against this depleted line then they won’t all season and if they can’t take advantage of the special teams of ASU then forget it.

COUGARS V. TROJANS BREAKDOWN

This is a great football strategy match-up. The Washington State Spread with their three receivers and their one back against USC and the Pete Carroll 2 deep shell. The depletion of the USC secondary adds a twist that makes this a little more intriguing.
However, the Cougars have not been able to score against the Trojans. The last two years the Cougars lowest point totals have come against the Trojans. Why because they couldn’t run. The last two years the Cougars have a combined –34 yards rushing yes a negative 34 yards rushing over the last two games against the Trojans
Their leading rusher is punter Kyle Basler with 17 yards. Jerome Harrision had 11 carries for 15 yards. No matter how depleted the USC secondary is and no matter how good Jason Hill is if you can’t run the football and get USC out of their 2 deep shell the Cougars don’t have a chance to score.
Needless to say USC will score and will score often. The only good news is the Cougars won’t blow this one in the 4th quarter.

Do Bob Weiss's pair match up by the numbers

Sonics seeing double in frontcourt | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA: "Seattle SuperSonics coach Bob Weiss has become enamored of the concept of tandems in his frontcourt.

For instance, Weiss likes the way Reggie Evans and Vitaly Potapenko play together because of the latter’s scoring ability and with the former’s rebounding.

He likes rookie Johan Petro and Vladimir Radmanovic together because of Petro’s defensive focus and Radmanovic’s ability to spread the floor and score from the perimeter.

And he likes the offensive rebounding and defense that Danny Fortson and Nick Collison provide on the court at the same time, the reason Weiss envisions that duo coming off the bench and playing extended minutes."

That is from today's Tacoma News Tribune.
Here is what the numbers breakdown says from last year about Bob Weiss and his playing pairs of big men. Thanks to 82games.com for this information

Weiss likes Radmanovic and Petro – Petro is a rookie so there is no comapirison
Radmanovic and Evans: +11 and the best defensive unit with Radmanovic
Radmanovic and Collsion: +11 and the second best defensive unit
Radmanovic and James last season was the most ineffective line-up with Vlady on the floor

Weiss likes Evans and Potapenko
Evans and Potapenko: -1 - limited minutes but the worst defensive unit on the team
Evans and Radmanovic was the only positive combo for Reggie with a big man last season.
Potapenko and Collison were an awful –7.6 per 48 minutes.

Weiss likes Fortson and Collison together.
Collision and Fortson last season were a +1. They struggled offensive but were good on the D
Collison and Radmanovic was the best combo at +10 per 48 minutes
Collison and Evans were not successful at –3.9
Fortson and Collison was the best defensive unit for Fortson to play with
Fortson and Radmanovic was Fortson best pair at +5.9 per 48 minutes
Fortson and Evans were one of the worst combos on the team at –9.1. They couldn’t score.

HUSKIES OR COUGARS WHO WOULD YOU TAKE?

This is a little debate that we had in the office. If you combined the Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars into one football team how many games would they win in the Pac-10 and how many Cougars would start versus how many Huskies would start.

Here is the position-by-position breakdown. I have put in bold who I would start.

OFFENSE (Huskies – Cougars)
QB: Isaiah Stanback or Alex Brink
RB: Louis Rankin or Jerome Harrison
FB: Not applicable
WR: Sonny Shackelford or Jason Hill
WR: Craig Chambers or Michael Bumpus
LT: Robin Meadow or Bobby Byrd
LG: Clay Walker or Sean O’Connor
C: Brad Vanneman or Nick Mihlhauser
RG: Tusi Sa’au or Norvell Holmes
RT: Joe Toledo or Charles Harris
TE: Robert Lewis or Troy Bienemann
P: Sean Douglas (41.9) or Kyle Basler (41.1)
PK: Evan Knudson or Loren Langley

DEFENSE (Huskies – Cougars)
DE: Donny Mateaki or Mkristo Bruce
DT: Manase Hopoi or Aaron Johnson
DT: Wilson Afoa or Ropati Pitoitua
DE: Greyson Gunheim or Adam Braidwood
OLB: Scott White or Scott Davis
MLB: Joe Lobendahn or Will Derting
OLB: Even Benjamin or Steve Dildine
CB: Matt Fontaine or Wally Dada
CB: Roy Lewis or Alex Teems
SS: CJ Wallace or Eric Frampton
FS: Dashon Goldsten or Husain Abdullah

COACHING
Head Coach: Tyrone Willingham or Bill Doba

My breakdown finishes with 17 Cougars and 6 Huskies with one push at punter.

The next question is how many game would this team win?

THNIGS THAT YOU DIDN'T HEAR AT THE WORLD SERIES

A White Sox fan saying ..... "Boy, I wonder where we would be if we still had Jeremy Reed, Miguel Olivo and Mike Morese."

Phil Garner wondering .... "Ingaine if Jamie Moyer hadn't boycotted the trade."

Lou Pinella wondering ...."Do you think Scott Posednick can play in the bigs."

Put your additions in the comment zone.

HOW GOOD ARE THE WHITE SOX?

How do we remember these World Champion Chicago White Sox? In all honesty, even after they finish this sweep of the Astros I have a tough time grasping them as champs. However, if you look at the numbers we should not only look at them as champs, but possibly as one of the best of all time.

Playoff Record: 11-1
Regular Season: 99-63 (at one point 62-29)

Look at what their playoff numbers. They played a very good Red Sox team and a very solid Angels team and the National League Champions .

Overall Score: 67-34
Batting Average: .268
Opponents Average: .202
Home Runs: 18 to 9
Extra Base Hits: 44 to 31

The most amazing thing about this team is their ability to win close games.

One Run Games: 35-19 in regular season -- 4-0 in playoffs
Two run Games: 24-15 in regular season -- 3-0 in playoffs
Overall: 66-34 in games decided by 2 or less

FISCHER DEBERRY COMMENTS

Fischer DeBerry’s comments bring many wide ranging issues to the forefront. Let me address a few of them. There is no question that the comment is totally inappropriate, racist and wrong. The issue is that the Air Force Academy is lacing athletes and they need to recruit better athletes. If those athletes happen to be black then they are the best choice. If you have any doubt about the comment change the word athlete and use doctor, president, lawyer or teacher. Then play around with changing white and black.

With that clarified here are the other issues that jump forward.

1) How much does a body of work count? In other words, how much does one comment outweigh his actions of the past two decades?

2) What was he really saying? If he is venturing down the awful road of we can’t get these guys into school then it is a more significant issue.

3) Is it worse that he clearly had no idea that what he said was wrong? Or is it a sign of innocence?

SI.com - Writers - Basketball's new math (cont.) - Friday October 21, 2005 12:51PM

We have been doing this for four years on Locked on Sports and now they are writing about it in SI. The stats revolution is upon us.

SI.com - Writers - Basketball's new math (cont.) - Friday October 21, 2005 12:51PM: "Not until recently, however, did a community analogous to baseball's SABR evolve, when the Association for Professional Basketball Research was founded in 1997. Today, the APBRmetricians -- who are clearly better with numbers than acronyms -- tend to agree on certain truths. For example, a team's efficiency is best measured per possession, not per game (a running team may rack up points but still be an inefficient offensive team), and the one inscrutable player stat is how a team fares when someone is on the court versus when he is off it, because this ties back to point differential. And point differential, obviously, is the end goal."

Locked on Sports: Huskies still lack answers at QB

Locked on Sports Loyalists thanks for your help on this with all of your thoughts and comments in the comment zone. I stole many of your thoughts.

Locked on Sports: Huskies still lack answers at QB: "Blaming Isaiah Stanback for the Huskies' 1-6 record is foolish. On the contrary, search for an offensive bright spot in another dreary season and it is Stanback.

With that said, after seven weeks of watching Stanback quarterback the Huskies, I am not sure he is the one to lead this team out of its doldrums."

SHOULD THE DAWGS MAKE A CHANGE AT QB?

Let’s put the focus on the Huskies QB situation. Stanback’s numbers looked great 14 of 18 for 208 yards and no interceptions. However, I am not sold he is the answer. Let me make this very clear. I don’t believe that the Huskies record would be greatly different if they had a different quarterback. I like what he does most of the time, maybe even as much as 85% of the time.

However, I believe playing QB is a multiple choice question. Let’s say on every play there are 5 choices. 1 of them is the best answer, 3 of them are good answers considering the circumstances and 1 of them is F. That 1 is an inexcusable error. It is a critical error. Quarterbacks can’t give F answers. Stanback gives way to many F answers. Those F answers make me wonder if he wins games even when this team gets better.

Look at Saturday, they aren’t winning under any circumstances. But 4 F answers in the first half changed the game. Score was 14-10 when he throws an inexcusably bad lateral pass to Cody Ellis that becomes a fumble and a quick USC score. That is a mistake a QB can’t make. Next drive, 1ns and 10 they call a screen. USC blitzs the corner and it has a chance to be huge and Stanback panics and misses the pass. These are two easy play calls that the coordinator calls in order to relieve pressure. #3 on the next drive he botches the hand-off with Kenny James. It is not clear where the blame lies here, it looked like Stanback, but James didn’t play again after that play and lastly the most egregious error. 3rd and 11 with :30 on the clock to end the half and Stanback is flushed and runs and he goes out of bounds to stop the clock 4 yards short of the first down. Think about this. The idea of going out of bounds should never cross his mind. First he needs to get the first down, second if he doesn’t get the first down you don’t want to stop the clock, he had no understanding of time and score and those things kill me.

Those F’s kill me. Lastly, and this may not be fair but, QB is the one position that can change a teams mood. Whether or not it is Stanback’s fault the Huskies are losing and need a jolt. Changing QB’s is the only position on the field that can create that jolt. Is it the right answer, honestly I don’t know, but I am not convinced that with the amount of F’s Stanback makes you can win.

DOBA COUG'S IT !!!!

Cougar fans should be outraged. Bill Doba and his staff are happy they are in the quiet homey little area called the Pauolse, because their coaching on Saturday was abominable. The Cougars had the ball with 5:35 left and lead by 10. They are on the Cal 38 yard line and it is 4th and 2. Doba fakes a punt. You can’t do that. It is a terrible terrible decision. Doba lost his football team the game. There is 5:30 left – you lead by 10 – you punt and make Cal who has not scored an offensive touchdown since the 1st quarter drive 80 yards to get within 3. There is no scenario – no explanation of why you would possibly go for it. That is terrible. That is inexcusable. That cost your football team the game. Moreover, we won’t even get into how he went for with a unimaginative QB sneak out of a punt formation on 4th and 2 with a linebacker. That is idiotic.
This on is on Doba – The Cougs are 0-4 in the Pac-10. They have lost three double digit leads in the 4th quarter of games. They are just 3-6 in Pac-10 games decided by 7 or less over the last two years.
Bill Doba’s game management needs to be examined and examined closely.

USC 51 HUSKIES 24

Thoughts from Husky Stadium

• Nothing surprising in this one. The Trojans were vastly superior to the Huskies in all phases of the game. The Trojans defense is not particularly good and the Huskies offense did an adequate job of taking advantage of their weakness.
• Matt Fontaine did not play today due to discipline from the coaching staff.
• It was not all bad for the Huskies. If you really look at a lot of facets of the game the Huskies played with USC and if they hadn’t filled up the truck for the Trojans the game would have been competitive. There is no scenario where they were going to win that game, however USC is the best in college football and on most plays they competed with the Trojans.
• The USC Trojans were down to the third or fourth string cornerback at times in the game.
• Nothing better in sports then when you come to see someone do something special and they do it. Reggie Bush had a punt return for a touchdown that was incredible.
• Stanback had a really good day. His numbers 14 of 18 for 201 are terrific. However, as I have said all year he will not win until he gets rid of the players that are killers. I call them F plays and he made two or three of them in the first half that altered the game.
• Johnny DuRocher came in for the final drive and seemed to have a nice command of what was taking place on the field.
• Injury update. Marlon Wood fractured his leg on the game opening 92 yard kick off return. Louis Rankin has a turf toe that eliminated him from the game after the 1st drive and Kenny James re-bruised his shoulder. James could have returned in an emergency; however it left the Huskies with James Sims as their primary back.
• After the back to back quick scores the Huskies made a conscience effort to slow down the game and break the momentum.
• Once again, their were too many plays and penalties that zapped the Huskies chances. If those ever get eliminated this team is capable of winning a game.

NFL PREDICTIONS BY COMPUTER

As many of you know I have become a real fan of footballoutsiders.com. The premise of football outsiders is a system that breaks down every play and compares a teams performance based on the league average based on the situation. This creates the value over average. They also equate for the opponents a team has played.

I thought it would be interesting to do this week's pick's solely based upon what their efficiency ratings say.

Here is what it projects.
Miami will defeat KC.
Redskins over the 49ers.
Cleveland wins at home v. the Lions.
The game of the week in the AFC goes to the Bengals over the Steelers.
Colts will beat the Texans.
Chargers will win in Philadelphia.
Green Bay is better then Minnesota in Minnesota.
Seattle wins the key match-up in the NFC.
Tennessee wins on the road at Arizona.
The New York Giants are victorous over the Denver Broncos.
Buffalo beats the Raiders.
The Bears outlast the Ravens.
Falcons win on Monday Night against the Jets.

We will see how this terms out. I have not weighted the home field.

OBSERVATIONS FROM KEY ARENA

SONICS GET FIRST PRE-SEAOSN WIN
• Pre-Game Meeting with Bob Weiss. Tonight he will be working guys into a flow rather then just working guys minutes. He is really pleased with what he is seeing defensively. The primary teaching this season is Contain/ Help then Help the Helper. He feels that is taking place. They have shrunk the floor well. The rotations are much more active and the guys are firing out and firing back. Weiss’s goal with his line-ups are to always have 4 shooters on the floor. He classifies Vitaly and Nick as shooters.
• Sonics started Danny Forston and Nick Collison. The team is noticeable short with this line-up. Weiss likes playing Fortson and Collison together because they had success together last season and the offensive rebounding is amazing. However, they are forced to play zone when they play Collison at the center.
• Often the simplest way to evaluate a player is if it bothers you when he is on the other team. In the case of Cutino Mobley I like it when he is on the other team.
• Johan Petro does some remarkable things with his body and athletic skill. Elton Brand drove hard at Petro. Petro was athletic enough to defend the drive with a back peddle and then stop and still affect the shot. It was pretty impressive. Not a lot of 7 footers could do that. Most 7 footers couldn’t back peddle, they would be flat footed and they most definitely wouldn’t have been able to still defend the shot.
• I am not sure if Nick Collison is a good enough rebounder to be the sole rebounder on the floor. He may need a Reggie or a Danny on the floor with him.
• Rashard Lewis has a better handle this year then what we saw last year. It is another step in his yearly improvement.
• Luke is playing well in the pre-season. He must improve two areas of his game. He must start hitting the mid range jumper and he has to be able to finish on his way to the basket. He still seems to lack the strength necessary to finish plays at the basket. Late in the game with the score 90-88 he nailed the 19 footer when the Clippers went under on the pick and roll. The next play he nailed a three from the corner as the shot clock horn sounded to give the Sonics a 95-90 lead.
• Weiss had a line-up of Murray and Wilkins on the floor at the same time. I am not sure I am sold on either Murray as a point guard or Wilkins as a two but something about that line-up that was intriguing. They both are good penetrators, they both can finish at the basket and they are both pretty athletic. If they can shoot well enough to stretch the floor for the penetration is questionable. Let’s go with that it is interesting.
• Reggie Evans is on the verge of converting me. I have always been yea but on Reggie, but I am coming closer and closer to believing he just needs to be on the floor. Almost immediately after typing the above Reggie made three mistakes in a row that are the same mistakes that have driven me nuts about his game.
• The Sonics closed the game with Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Collison and Petro. Petro is playing that well. That could be your starting line-up.

Locked On Sports: Spooky! UW's slide grows more ominous

Locked On Sports: Spooky! UW's slide grows more ominous: "USC's spot on top of college football is unquestioned. Unnervingly, since September of 2004, no team in a BCS conference has been as bad as Washington.

Not even college football lowlifes like Duke, Baylor, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are winless in conference or winless against a BCS opponent."

THOUGHTS FROM KEY ARENA

Thoughts from a pre-season Sonics game ………

• Ray Allen is fun to watch any time any place. Nightly he does something that makes the ticket price worth it.
• Robert Swift is not rebounding as well as he needs to. If he doesn’t rebound the team can’t get in transition. In Portland, Swift’s inability to rebound stalled the entire running game and at times tonight the same is true. In addition, Swift’s conditioning must improve.
• Foul trouble is going to be a significant issue for Nick Collison this year. If he is going to develop the way the Sonics hope he is going to have to stay on the floor and that may be tough with some of the match-ups he will have at the 5.
• I can’t believe I am about to type this … it might be momentary insanity ….. I think Flip Murray is going to be ok as the ½ back-up guard. He won’t be AD, he won’t be as versatile. He won’t be able to do the ½ role against every one, but for the most part I think he will be alright. At the end of the 1st Quarter the Sonics called 1-4 flat for Flip and he just crushed his defender and got fouled on his way to pack it.
• Damien Wilkins looks to be playing with a good deal more confidence then he had most of last year.
• Before the game Bob Weiss reminded his team that their motion offense and their flex offense are not equal opportunity offenses. This team will always still revolve around Lewis and Allen and they will create the opportunities.
• Talking to Weiss before the game I got the impression he was hoping to drive his vets hard and have them get fatigued so he could get them back into the mindset of conditioning at practice. These are the subtle ways Weiss will pull strings this season. Don’t forget Weiss is a pool shark – card player and he will work his players in the same manner.
• Michael Cooper will be the head coach of the NBDL team in Albuquerque that the Sonics send their players to.
• For all the talk of a soft Weiss. The Sonics blew a defensive assignment and gave up a dunk to Marion and Weiss immediately called a timeout and jumped the guys who blew the assignment pretty hard.
• Alex Scales looks like Martin Lawerence. Someone else suggested Stephen A. Smith.
• I am concerned that nothing looks easy for Robert Swift. No movement, no action, nothing he does looks like he is comfortable out on the floor. In fact everything looks a bit painful. In contrast, Johan Petro movements and actions look natural.

SONICS BREAKDOWN FOR OCT 12TH

The Sonics open there pre-season tonight in Portland. Let me share a few thoughts about what I have seen from the team thus far in camp.

COACHING
The Bob Weiss lack of discipline angle is being over played. The practices are crisp. The work is getting done. The guy is letting his players wear sweats on long flights. He is letting them have cell phones on the team bus. This is being overblown badly.
Weiss will be different then Nate. That is without question. However, there is as good a chance the players were going turn a deaf ear on Nate as they are to take advantage of Weiss more relaxed demeanor. This team is Ray and Rashard’s team and they will control what the team does.
Furthermore, this staff is fantastic. Bob Hill and Brendan Malone bring an insane amount of experience and expertise. I have been very impressed by Jack Sikma and how hard he has been driving players and Ralph Lewis is going to be a very solid addition.
If they are as good at game preparation will be where they have to match last year’s staff.

PLAYER EVALUATION
Ray Allen is great. How is that for breaking news? Allen got rolling at practice the other day and he was in that Sacramento Game 4 territory.
The one player that has jumped out more then any other is Reggie Evans. Evans has been brilliant in camp. His energy is amazing and the impact he has on every play can’t be underestimated.
Talking to the players they all comment on Luke Ridnour’s increased confidence and that he is nailing the open mid range jumper. The same has been said about Nick Collison.
Flip Murray has looked very good at times in camp. The Sonics are going to give him first shot at the AD combo position. There is a strong belief inside the organization that with extended minutes he will lose some of his negative traits. His one on one skills are remarkable. He took some balls to the rack and finished that most guys in the NBA couldn’t do.
Johan Petro is very good draft pick. That doesn’t mean he will necessarily be a great NBA player. But to get a 7 footer who can move as well as he does, with that size body and wingspan at #25 is a good draft pick regardless of if he makes the league.
Robert Swift has flashed in and out during camp. At times he looks like he is ready. He will grab some two handed rebounds above a crowd and his hands are good inside. However, he doesn’t roll of the pick and roll at all the way JJ could and he will float and get lost for periods of time. He is 19 years old and that is hard to remember.
The one non-roster player I really like is Noel Felix. Felix is 6 foot 9 and has an awesome body. He put on some nice post moves at yesterday’s scrimmage. He guarded Lewis at the 3 very well. He is big enough to play the 4 and his shot looks solid in shooting drills. He was named to the CBA All-Defensive Team after averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for the Yakima Sun Kings. The knock on him is that when the lights go on in a game he disappears. Pre-season games will be vitally important for him. He was not strong in the Sonics summer league.

MORE GOOD TIMES FOR SCOTT SPIEZIO

IF Scott Spiezio was charged by Chicago police Friday, Oct. 7 for allegedly assaulting a cab driver after a dispute about the fare. According to the police, Spiezio was traveling with a female companion who was also charged for battery. Spiezio was charged with criminal damage to property, theft and simple assault.

This leads to numerous questions. Did he finally connect on something? If the chick he was with also got charged does that mean he is hanging with Chuck Finley's ex-wife? Do you think the the incredible shrinking man could actually take the cabbie?
If you are out of the league are you still tested for roids? This more questions then he had hits.

MIKE HOLMGREN "THE CYNICS ARE GONE"

Here the weekly re-cap of the Wednesday Mike Holmgren presser. This will be known as the “THE CYNICS ARE GONE PRESS CONFERENCE.”

I thought the most interesting part of the press conference was when I asked him why he feels differently about this year’s team. He said, “The feeling I get in the that locker-room is different, on the airplane it is different, they are having fun. THE CYNICS AREN’T AROUND ANYMORE. THE GUY IN THE LOCKER-ROOM THAT SAYS DON’T WORRY THAT IS JUST THE COACH TALKING. OR THE GUY TELLING GUYS HE IS GETTING SCREWED ON HIS CONTRACT.”
He also mentioned that they have been able to avoid the “off the field distractions that can tear up a team. These guys have been very responsible.”
This jumped out at me. This is the purge that we have been talking about all off-season and for the most part this is the first time Holmgren has been willing to admit that the locker-rooms of the past were not as cohesive as he tried to make us believe they were.
The question is who were those guys. Some of it is obvious with Anthony Simmons and Koren Robinson. However, you wonder where a Chad Brown, a Chike Okeafor, Rashad Moore and other fit into this mix.
Time will tell if this holds. It is easy to feel good after a win. It is newsworthy that Holmgren has made this admission.
The other news worthy items were as follows.
Darrell Jackson had his knee surgery and he will stay in Florida to see the doctor who did the surgery. Mike Sando, on his Newstribune Hawks Blog, reported this morning that they found a more significant injury and it will be closer to 6 weeks.
The Texans 3-4 defense shouldn’t be a problem since the West Coast Offense was originally designed for the 3-4.
Holmgren said that Kelly Herndon would admit that he didn’t play his best game on Sunday and would expect to see a different player on Sunday. We better hope so. I can promise the Texans watched the film of the St. Louis game and will be going right at Herndon.
Holmgren proudly pointed out the amount of long drives the offense has put together this season.
LeRoy Hill, rookie linebacker, was mentioned as a guy who is pushing for more time on the field.

Locked On Sports: For a real kick, watch Big Walt instead of ball

Locked On Sports: For a real kick, watch Big Walt instead of ball: "The greatest compliment you can bestow on an athlete is that he changes the way you watch the game. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird made fans of all of us in the NBA. Ichiro brought us a new ballgame in the summer of 2001.

Jones has exposed me to a brand new game of football. Compared to watching Jones, watching the ball is so boring.

Spotlight Jones and you will be in awe. He will pull and drive a guy 15 yards down the field. He will flatten him on a crack-back block.

If he weren't on your side it would be unfair. Remember when your older brother would hold the cookie just out of your reach and make you reach and flail. That's how opposing linemen must feel."

FRANK HUGHES WROTE AN AMAZING PIECE ON NATE IN PORTLAND

New Nate | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA: "One almost expects McMillan to pine for Seattle, to second-guess his decision to leave the only NBA organization he has ever known, to recognize the challenges of youth on this Blazers team and yearn for the winning ways he helped build with the Sonics last season.

Quite the contrary, McMillan is basking in this new life. He is a visitor to a foreign country, learning the language and customs of a new culture. His drive to work is fresh, his office has new, different walls, his voice is being heard by fresh sets of ears. He is a man in infancy, a man with a new long-term lease on his life."

CHUCK ARMSTRONG TONIGHT AT 7:05

Tune in tonight to hear Chuck Armstrong under the kleg lights. Have they fixed their problems? Why haven't they develop minor league talent? Is Ichiro tradeable? Will Ichiro play centerfield? Is Bavasi the right guy for the job? What have they done to make sure that the get out of the doldrums?
It is all tonight on Locked on Sports at 7:05 and open phone lines to follow for your reaction.

SEAHAWKS STAT BREAKDOWN AFTER WEEK 4

This season Locked on Sports is following some specific stats about the Seahawks. Each week I will post these stats. With a quarter of the season completed I thought it was time to reveal the them for the first time. Put your thoughts in the comment zone.
Things I found interesting: Alexanders 1st down rate, Alexander's thrid down rate, run v. pass amount on first down and Bobby Engram all the way across the board.

Section 1: PLAY SUCCESS RATE --- To be a success a play must get 40% of the yards on 1st down, 60% on 2nd down and the 1st down on a 3rd down play.

Overall
Alexander: 50%
Morris 38%
Passing: 67%

1st Down
Alexander: 39% (17 of 44)
Passing: 64% (46 of 72)

3rd Down
Alexander: 100%
Passing: 55%

Section 2: RECEPTION RATE --- % of pass intended to the receiver that were caught

Player
Engram: 78%
Strong: 72%
Jackson: 66%
Jurevicus: 57%
Stevens: 52%
Hannam: 50%
Alexander: 29%

Section 3: 3rd Down

3rd Down Efficiency
1 to 3 to go: Run 83% Pass 100% Overall: 91% (10 of 11)
4 to 6 to go: Run 50% Pass 33% Overall: 40% (2 of 5)
7 or more : Run 33% Pass 17% Overall: 19% (5 of 27)

3rd Down Receiving %– 1st Down %
Jackson – 40% of intended passes 30% of intended for 1st down
Engram -- 50% -- 33.3%
Stevens – 50% -- 25%
Jurevicus – 33% -- 33%
Hannam – 67% -- 67%

D-JACK OUT !! BOBBY E OUT !! PUNTER CUT !!

The Seattle Seahawks will be very shorthanded at the receiver position this weekend. Mike Holmgren announced today at his weekly press conference that the Hawks would be without both Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram for the match-up with the Rams.

Jackson bruised his knee earlier this season and it has become a serious enough issue that he will sit out this week. This could linger for a few weeks. Bobby Engram broke a rib on the first play of the game against Washington and he will also be out.

Holmgren did not announce the starting receivers, but they are limited in their options. Look for Peter Warrick to work in the slot with DJ Hackett and Joe Jurevivius as your starting receivers.

Itula Mili is not all the way ready. He could be available for limited action, but also could be on the inactive list.

The Hawks also waived punter Leo Araguz and re-signed Tom Rouen. Rouen was with the Hawks last season and he will also be Josh Brown’s holder.

Holmgren acknowledge the amount of talk about his decision not to pass at the end of regulation and said, “I don’t struggle with that decision at all.” He added that if they had made on more block on the first run Alexander would have run for a touchdown. That is the same play they used to beat Atlanta in overtime a few years ago and the play that resulted in Alexander’s big run v. Dallas last season.

The line of the press conference was when talking about Mike Martz play calling, Holmgren said “ I have been called a little wild and wacky myself.”

Holmgren reminded us that only 3 players on this year’s Hawks defense played in all of the games against the Rams last year. The problem is all three are in the secondary.

Locked on Sports: Fear, not numbers, sacked Holmgren

Locked on Sports: Fear, not numbers, sacked Holmgren: "Holmgren's entire decision to run, not pass, was based upon a 9.2 percent chance. Yet, in the minds of most coaches, it is the correct decision.

With the established risk at 9.2 percent, what are the other possibilities? More than 56 percent of the time Hasselbeck passes, he completes the pass; 34.3 percent of his attempts fall incomplete.

What was the gain? In Brown's career, if he attempts a kick from between 40 and 49 yards, he makes 61.9 percent of the kicks. When the attempt is between 30 and 39 yards, he connects on 90.5 percent.

A nearly 30 percent gain with a 9.2 percent risk? Can I please have that investment?"

REGGIE EVANS SIGNS

950, KJR is reporting that Reggie Evans will be reporting to camp. Evans has decided to sign the one year tender agreement and become an unrestricted free agent next season. The Sonics had offered Evans a 2 year 5 million dollar deal.
Evans will compete for the starting power forward job with Vlady Radmanovic and Nick Collison. Bob Weiss said yesterday that he likes Evans with Potapenko more then liked Evans with James. Also, he said he would like for Collison to come off the bench.

EVANS HOLDS OUT + WEISS PLAN

The Sonics had media day this evening. Camp starts tomorrow. Here is a collection of the discussion points at Media Day.

As we reported Friday night on 950, KJR Reggie Evans is holding out until he comes to a contract agreement with the Sonics. According to sources, the Sonics offered a 2 year 5 million dollar contract. Evans’ agent is notorious for tough negotiations. The Sonics are not surprised by this development. Head Coach Bob Weiss said he knows what Evans can do, but they will put heavy focus on defense in the opening of camp and the 4 spot will be won by defense. Defensive rotations have not always been a strong point for Evans.
The 4 position will be the most interesting battle in camp. Weiss says he would like to bring Collison off the bench. He really likes the combination of Fortson and Collison on the floor together. However, Weiss did say that Collison will finish games for the Sonics. He also noted that Collison was far and away the best defensive forward on the team last season. According to Weiss, Collison is shooting the ball great.
Weiss also said in some ways he likes the combo of Reggie and Vitaly better then the combo of Reggie and Jerome James last season, because Reggie and James were two non-shooters.
He also mentioned the idea of starting Vlady Radmanovic as the 4 and playing the way Phoenix did last season.

Bob Weiss main point was that last year’s team was within one shot of pushing the World Champs to Game 7 and they did with a terrible defensive team statistically.
In an attempt to change that he will put heavy focus on transition defense and being a more focused defensive unit.
This will be done primarily in two ways. He says every play in the NBA is built around the 1st, 2nd and 3rd option. His design is to guard those 3 with 5. He talked about a concept of contain, help and help the helper.
They have hired Brendon Malone, a long time NBA assistant to join the staff. Malone has worked with both Hubie Brown and Chuck Daly in his career.
Bob Hill, another new assistant, has also with Brown and Larry Brown. They both bring heavy defensive knowledge.
The defense will be much simpler with just 2 ways to play the mid pick and roll and 1 on way to play the side. The hope is that will improve execution.

Practices will be much more 5 on 5. Weiss will take an idea from Jeff Van Gundy. Before each practice the team will hold a “forum” and then go out and practice which should help the flow and conditioning.

Style offensively will be more focused on a fast break. Weiss felt last year’s focus on the secondary break often got players thinking of where they should go on the second part of the break rather then focusing on how to score in the initial break. Weiss wants the basketball skills to be free to show. On the break he wants penetration and then play basketball.

MIKE HOLMGREN MONDAY PRESSER

I just got back from mike HolmgrenÂ’s Monday press session. Here is a re-cap.

Holmgren says he doesn’t second guess the decision to run both plays before the missed field goal. Then I will do it for him. The whole premise is that he is scared of an interception. In his entire career Matt Hasselbeck averages just 2.8% of his passes being intercepted. That is crazy to make a decision based on that little a margain.

Moreover, Josh Brown’s percentage from 30 to 39 yards is 91% and from 40 to 49 is 62%. The risk of an interception is far inferior to the reward of gaining another ten yards. If you want to get deeper in the numbers. Here is the entire breakdown.
56.5% of the time Hasselbeck passes it is complete.
34.3% of the time Hasselbeck passes it is incomplete.
6.5% of the time Hasselbeck is sacked
2.7% of the time Hasselbeck throws an interception.

Therefore, he based his whole decision on 9.2% of the time. The numbers don’t lie.

On the injury front it is unlikely Bobby Engram will be able to go. He cracked a rib on the first play of the game and fought through it for most of the game. Floyd Womack is back and available, but he has had a death in the family so Sean Locklear is likely to start again. Locklear will be going up against Leonard Little.

Holmgren sited inexperience and youth for many of the third down issues. Guys were lined up wrong or made too much of an effort to disguise their blitz. On the final 3rd down conversion in overtime Michael Boulware blitzed from 16 yards off the line of scrimmage and was no where close to getting to Burnell.

The NFL has contacted Holmgren about the awful pass interference call on Boulware. That was a game changing bad call.

HAWKS LOSE IN OT

AGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Why, why can't a Seattle team ever win a close game !!!!! Why didn't Holmgren try to get ten yards closer. Why. Why. Why. Why couldn't the Hawks get a stop. Agghhhhhhhh!!!!!. This is tearing my heart out and it sucks !!!!!!!!!!!

HAWKS GO TO WASHINGTON DC

Huge game for the Hawks this weekend. This is the bridge game they have to win. Let’s break it down.

#1 thing to look at --- can the Hawks go East the Hawks are 0 for their last 8 when they travel three times zones. All of those teams have been strong physical teams and that is what they are facing with the Skins. The Skins philosophy is pound, pound, pound and then go deep.

#2 thing to look at – Can the Skins score enough to beat the Hawks. For the first 7 quarters and 11 minutes the Hawks scored a grand total of 9 points and no touchdowns.
The Skins offense line had a miserable day against the Cowboys as Brunell got sacked 5 times. This is a huge two part test for the Hawks do they really have a pass rush and can the keep Santana Moss in front of them.

#3 thing to look at – Can Shawn Alexander handle the physical play of the Skins. Shaun Alexander will be facing the league's No. 2-ranked rush defense in the Redskins (65.5). In 2004, he averaged 71.2 rushing yards in five games against top-10 run defenses. The Skins have only allowed 131 yards rushing in two games – 1st down passing will be vital -- 2.8 yards a carry.
My guess is Shaun will be negated and have nothing going against the Skins.

#4 thing to look at --- 1st down passing. Without Alexander the Hawks will have to be great passing on first down. The Skins pressure more then any team in the NFL. Therefore, the Hawks will not be able to get into their 5 or 7 step drop game and they will have to hit the quick passing game early in downs.

#5 thing to look at --- Will Holmgren max protect the QB. More often then not Holmgren’s philosophy is to send the extra receiver rather then protect the QB. Greg Williams the DC for the Skins will test Homlgren. Dallas max protected and the Skins never got a sack on Bledsoe and the Boys converted on 43% of their third downs.

I take the Hawks. The Skins simply can’t score enough to beat Seattle. A huge road win for the Hawks and they end the futility in East Coast Games.

COUGARS LOOKING FOR THE TAIL OF THE BEAVER

It is discovery time for the Cougars. How good are they? There are certain things you don’t doubt when it comes to the Cougs.

One, their offense will score points. It is a birth right at WSU that they will be able to score. Jerome Harrison is going to be productive week in and week out.

This week the Cougs receivers will be able to exploit a young and inexperience Beavers defense. To be honest, I am not convinced that Oregon State is a well coached football team this season and I anticipate the Cougars will be able to take advantage of flaws in the Beavers system.

However, what we are going to find out is where Rob Akey’s defensive unit is. Oregon State can throw the football. They are third in the country in passing. The Cougars secondary has not been tested this season and we are going to find out if they have the metal to handle Mike Hass and the Beavers.

Also, the Beavers haven’t been able to run the football at all. If they are able to run on Saturday then the Cougars are in trouble both at Reiser and all season. If the Cougs can stop the run then they can really put their ears back and be the sack masters that they usually are.
Cougars prevail and show the top of the Pac-10 that there is another competitor in upper house of one of the nation’s best conferences.

HUSKIES FACE THE BRUINS

This is a terrible match-up for the Huskies – see UCLA is good and the Huskies aren’t. 2 main issues here.

Defensively the Bruins passing game is a dink and dunk which is fine if you can stop the running game and there is no way the Huskies are going to slow down Maurice Drew. The Huskies have played two physical football teams and have gotten crushed on the ground on both of them. The left side of the UCLA line is enormous and they are going to blast the Dawgs.

The other issue is it is a bad match-up for the Huskies offensively. UCLA plays a very conservative defense where they leave two safeties deep but at the same time they roll up on your receivers. Therefore they are going to force Stanback to read the spaces in the defense and that is not his strength. His strength is going over the top and UCLA will not allow it.
Finally, UCLA has great linebackers and they will be able to handle the lack of the Huskies running team.

Simple game good team beats bad team by a lot

MLB.com has the Yankees Divison Champship Shirts on the Site

Theonly problem is the haven't won the divison yet. Got to love this picture.
0927051yankees2.jpg (JPEG Image, 600x575 pixels) - Scaled (95%)

Hawks’ Strong great on field, even better off it | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

Hawks’ Strong great on field, even better off it | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA: "And just about every year, he has to fend off the notion that he can be replaced. Joining the team as a free agent in 1993, Strong has played for three coaches (Tom Flores, Dennis Erickson and Holmgren), and lined up behind nine quarterbacks. He became a Seahawk in the year Rick Mirer was drafted and the team traded for Keith Millard.

Strong came into the league just two years after Mosi Tatupu retired, and is now on a roster with Mosi’s son, Lofa."

Bulls' demand for DNA about wrong, rights

Bulls' demand for DNA about wrong, rights: "Eddy Curry is not a thoroughbred. He's not a sheep. He's not a dog for breeding. But the Bulls seem to think that because they have offered him a $5.14 million contract, they have bought the right to force him to take a DNA test to see if his heart condition might be fatal.

They are wrong. Your DNA is a personal, private thing that cannot be purchased. If Curry doesn't want to submit to the test for the Bulls, then that's it. No test. The DNA is his. The DNA is him.

For $5 million, the Bulls are not buying Eddy Curry. They are buying Eddy Curry's services. Curry is not for sale."

MIKE HOLMGREN PRESS CONFERENCE

I just got back from the Wednesday Mike Holmgren press conference. Here is a re-cap of the news and notes from the presser.
On the injury front Peter Warrick will sit out practice today with a groin injury. DJ Hackett will take his spot in the passing game and Jimmy Williams will return punts. Itula Mili is still not at full strength and may be another week before he is ready. Pork Chop Womack is still a week away, but will be the left tackle when he returns.
Holmgren talked about the Skins’ defense as a very aggressive unit that plays true pressure defense and bring the blitz more then most teams in the NFL. Specifically, they like to bring former Hawk Shawn Springs off the edge in a blitz. Springs v. D-Jack will be a big time match-up on Sunday.
In regards to D-Jack, I asked what he does to get so open. Holmgren talked about his tremendous quickness, that he is faster then people give him credit for and that he really is terrific in the first 5 yards of a route.
Offensively the Skins, offensive line will just maul you. They play a very similar system to what Joe Gibbs ran when he was the head coach the first time. He will pound, pound, pound and they shoot for one deep.
I brought up Holmgren’s passing on first down, he said you really have to have great confidence in your QB to make those calls. He admitted that running on first down is the hardest down to run on so if they can he is more then willing to pass on first down. In addition, he mentioned that they chart their own tendencies and will try to change his patterns.
Crowd noise is always a factor on the road. The obvious problem is audibles. Hasselbeck no differently then any other QB gets flustered when he can’t change out of bad plays and then no longer feels comfortable or in a rhythm.
The Hawks 3rd down defense has been amazing thus far. Holmgren credits it with a young defense that just flys around. He also talked about the depth of the roster and the rotation of players they are able to use. I wonder how much John Marshall calling the defense may be responsible for this change.
This year’s defense is different because of the depth. I wrote about this today in the Seattle PI and Holmgren discussed it at the press conference. In the past the starters got hurt and their was no second line, this year there is no such class distinction, they are all interchangeable parts. All the players feel they are contributing.
I credit a great deal of this to the influence of Tim Ruskell on this football team.
Lastly, I asked why the Hawks use Mack Strong in the 2-minute drill rather then Alexander. Holmgren said they have numerous personnel groups that can be used. However, he added that he usually asks Matt what he wants to use. Interesting, if I was Matt I wouldn’t want to have a back in the game that I couldn’t check to as a blocker or dump off to in the passing game.

Locked on Sports: Hawks appear complete

Locked on Sports: Hawks appear complete: "However, this year looks and feels different. Addition by subtraction was the mantra all offseason and it is holding true. The purge of a heartless, selfish defensive unit has given way to an active, aggressive and free-flying group.

The biggest difference is that the Hawks are a complete team. Top to bottom, every player has a role and fills a need.

It is president Tim Ruskell's signature. Every roster spot is being maximized."

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT STANBACK

This week will be the biggest test for Isaiah Stanback. Truly I don’t think you can make an opinion on him until we see how he reacts when playing good teams that have a scouting report on him. However, I think there is an interesting trend developing. In the Air Force game Stanback hit a ton of 3 step drop plays and since then the clubs have taken that play away from Isaih. Today I went through the play by plays that I keep for the Huskies game and broke Isaiah Stanback offense into two categories, pocket passing and rollout/screen plays. Let put a few qualifiers on this. It is not perfect. I do the best I can. Also I didn’t count after 3 quarters against Idaho because the game was over and I didn’t count the end of the Cal game because it was garbage.
Here is what I discovered
In pocket passing Stanabck is: 12 of 33 for 281 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT
Out of the pocket or screen he is: 13 of 13 for 109 yards

The 13 of 13 is amazing. The 12 of 33 is awful. Not sure what this means.

SONICS SIGN RADMANOVIC TO ONE YEAR DEAL

SONICS SIGN VLADY TO ONE YEAR CONTRACT

As we have reported on 950, KJR’s Locked on Sports for most of the off-season the Sonics and Vlady Radmanovic were unable to find common ground on a long term contract. Instead, today the Sonics signed Radmanovic to the one year tender contract. This makes Radmanovic a free agent after the season. It also restricts the Sonics ability to trade him.
The ideal situation for the Sonics would have been to come a long term agreement. However, the asking price from the Radmanovic camp was more then they were willing to commit to. The Radmanovic camp thought the contracts of Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert and Bobby Simmons set the market where the Sonics didn’t feel those were appropriate comparisons.
Dave Bauman, Radmanovic’s agent, said during the process that if Radmanovic signed the tender it was his first step out the door and was a sign of lack of commitment from the Sonics that Radmanovic would not forget going into free agency. Time will tell if that was negotiation bluster or if the Sonics have just taken the first step to losing a key piece.
Radmanovic is also in the news today for a fight he got in with a Serbian teammate at the World Championship in the locker-room after their shocking loss to France.

HOT READS ON THE NFL

Is Randy Moss really so good that Dante Culpepper has fallen apart without him or is that the Vikings are terribly coached ….. Is their any guy you root for in the NFL more then Trent Dilfer his post game quote after the Browns beat the Packers in Lambeau on the day they retired Reggie White’s # was so touching “I am sure my son and Reggie were together watching the game.” This is guy that you have to root for ….. Are the Bengals for real, the numbers say yes but realize they still haven’t played anyone yet …
The Saints got screwed so badly last night with that game-taking place in New York. …. Tom Brady’s comments after the game were interesting about how this is a totally different group then they have had in the past, it is clear he doesn’t feel whatever that championship feeling is ……. I thought Brian Billick was supposed to be an offensive genius, but his offense in Baltimore is the worst in the NFL …
If KC defense is as good as it seems, Indy and NE better look out in the AFC … What happened to the big year of the Atlanta Falcons, you have to have an offensive line and they don’t … Joey Harrington is following in the footsteps of other great Oregon NFL QB’s like Akili Smith … 1-0 teams on the road this weekend generally lost I believe those teams that were 1-0 and went on the road were 2-8, I include the Saints as a road team

HUSKIES BLOW OUT THE VANDALS

A win is a win is a win. Bottom line the Huskies will take it anyway they can get it. Also, the Idaho Vandals are terrible.
Here are a few thoughts from Husky Stadium while the Dawgs blow out the Vandals.
Could you imagine if the Huskies had won the Air Force game. They would be 2-1 having lost to a great Cal team. You also have to wonder if the Huskies would have quit against Cal had they beat the Falcons. Cal still would have won and won easily as they were a far superior team.
This was vintage Tyrone Willingham football. Find an advantage and milk it to the end. The Huskies came out and pounded the football. They called running plays on 18 of the first 25 plays. The offensive line was making hay on each and every run.
Louis Rankin had a good day and showed some nice footwork that many wondered if he had.
Defensively the Huskies coaches had some very nice blitz packages dialed up for the Vandals. Early in the game they brought two guys up the middle with the first guy tying up the blockers and the second guy would get to the quarterback. The Huskies also implemented a pass rush front 4 on passing downs, it included Caesar Rayford on an end with Greyson Gunheim on the other end. Manase Hopoi and Wilson Afoa were the tackles for most of those allingnments.,
Idaho was slow. Numerous times it looked as though Idaho’s backs would have a running lane and then they never had the speed to get to it.
Finally, I know it is a nice win, but I have to throw a word of caution. I am very worried about Isaiah Stanback’s play. He was awful early completing just 1 of his first 6 throws with an interception and a fumble. Throughout the game, he almost never went to a secondary receiver. Moreover, his best plays were often very poor decisions. The bomb to Craig Chambers was into double coverage, the touchdown to Johnnie Kirton was ill advised and he should have two other balls intercepted. His scrambling ability and escapability are impressive, but his quarterbacking game is not progressing.
A win is a win is a win.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Football analysis and NFL stats for the Moneyball era - Authors of Pro Football Prospectus 2005

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Football analysis and NFL stats for the Moneyball era - Authors of Pro Football Prospectus 2005: "The Seahawks infamously finished second in the NFL in drops in 2003, a surprise for a talented unit that boasted Darrell Jackson (who signed a lucrative new deal after the season), former top-ten pick Koren Robinson, and Football Outsiders favorite Bobby Engram. The problems were written off to focus and confidence issues and a host of other excuses."

Locked on Sports: Onus on Hasselbeck to rekindle bravado

Locked on Sports: Onus on Hasselbeck to rekindle bravado: "Since then, the fourth- quarter magic that had been a staple of a young Hasselbeck has disappeared. Aside from two very good drives last year against the Cowboys, Hasselbeck and the Hawks have been dormant in the fourth quarter since that Jan. 4, 2004, day at Lambeau Field."

SIMULBLOG FOR SEAHAWKS V. JAGS

HAWKS LOSE THE OPENER --- HASSELBACK WAS TERRIBLE AND THE OFFENSE WAS WELL BELOW PAR IN THE SECOND HALF. THE DEFENSE SHOWED SIGNS OF BEING MUCH IMPROVED THOUGH STILL PUNISHED BY THE BIG BALLS.

SCAN DOWN AND YOU WILL SEE MY RUNNING COMMENTARY IN THE SIMULBLOG. THIS WRITTEN AS THE GAME HAPPENS.

PLACE YOUR COMMENTS IN THE COMMENT ZONE.

THINGS TO WATCH (Green is post-game response)
1) Penetration of Jags defensive Tackles -- they had huge impact on the Hawks ability to run.
2) Sean Locklear making his first start at right tackle -- biggest play of the game he was blown up. He got beat on two or three occasions.
3) Can Bobby Engram get open as the #2 wide reciever? Yes. he was very active in the middle of the field. They moved him to slot in the 3 wide reciever set.
4) Thrid down conversions. Last year the Hawks were awful, the year before brilliant . Hawks once again were very poor on 3rd downs.
5) Mental game of Stevens. Without Mili Stevens will have to play a lot of snaps in the heat. Seemed to be a non-issue.
6) Big plays allowed. That was the killer last season. Jimmy Smith crushed them on big plays.
7) Can the Hawks get any pass rush. It was better then last season. At times it was very poor and moreso the Hawks were terrible on the blitz getting to the QB.

OPENING DRIVE -- JAGS WITH THE FOOTBALL -- DRIVE STARTS AT THE HAWKS 40.
Hawks fumble the opening kickoff. Scobee makes a nice return but fumbles.
This is as brutal a beginning as you can have to a season
This reminds me of the Rams game last year when they came out and threw on the first 11 plays.
The Jags have threw on the first 4 plays until they ran Matt Jones on a trick play
Reggie Williams cost the Jags a timeout by not being on the field
Defense stiffs and hold the Jags to a field goal
JAGS LEAD 3-0 -- 6 PLAYS 34 YARD DRIVE.

OPENING DRIVE FOR HAWKS -- TRAIL 3-0 -- START AT THE 20
We are going to chart Alexander's success rate today as a runner. Success being 40% of first down yardage, 60% of the first down on second down and the first down on thrid.
This is not an Alexander strength and it drives Holmgren nuts
Stroud, the great D-Tackle of the Jags blows up the Hawks first run play.
drive dies after Alexander -2 yard run.
PUNT

JAGS BALL -- 8:54 LEFT 1st QUARTER -- START AT 20 -- LEAD 3-0
Penalty pushes Jags 3rd and 2 to a 3rd and 7. -- Leftwitch to Jones converts first down
Leftwitch is sitting in shotgun and has all day to throw. He has completed 6 of his first 7 throws.
This is a brutal start. The Jags are just slicing the Hawks defense up.
Hawks brought 6 on 3rd and 5 and still didn't get to Leftwitch.
41 YARD FIELD GOAL GOOD -- JAGS LEAD 6-0 3:49 left in 1st Quarter.

HAWKS BALL -- 3:45 LEFT 1ST QUARTER -- START AT 20 -- TRAIL 6-0
Engram moves to the slot in the three wide reciever set.
END OF FISRST QUARTER
Alexander in the first quarter has a success rate of just 1 for 5. (see above for defintion)
Hasselback had all day to throw on a 3rd and 7 and Jurevicius got behind the defense.
TOCHDOWN -- HASSELBACK TO JUREVICIUS FOR 33 YARDS.
HAWKS LEAD 7-6 -- 8 PLAYS 80 YARDS.

JAGS BALL -- 14:47 LEFT 2ND QUARTER -- START AT 26 -- HAWKS LEAD 7-6
Hamlin laid a vintage Hamlin hit on Jimmy Smith. Smith has 3 catches. Lets see what he finishs with.
Lofa Tatupu made a great play stuffing Taylor. Great anticipation.
Hawks are trying to throw a ton of looks. A moment ago they rushed just 2.
Then on the next play they brought 6 and stunted the lineman. It rushed Leftwitch.
PUNT

HAWKS BALL -- 12:58 LEFT 2ND QUATER -- START AT 11 -- HAWKS LEAD 7-6
Walter Jones is unreal.
Hawks are really firing at the Jags cornerbacks.
Interesting move. Engram is still playing the slot and JJ is going to the outside reciever in three reciever sets.
3rd and 9 and Matt throws a awful ball. This is the type of play that losses a game.
INTERCEPTION -- TERRIBLE - TERRIBLE THROW BY HASSELBACK

JAGS BALL -- 9:23 LEFT 2ND QUARTER -- START AT HAWKS 33 -- TRAIL 7-6
Hawks defense did a great job last time holding the Jags to a field goal. Can they do it again.
Incredible run defense from the Hawks-- stuff the Jags on back to back plays 2nd and 3rd and 1 Chuck Darby in the middle of it all.
MISSED FIELD GOAL 43 YARD FIELD.
Amazing the Hawks have committed two turnovers in Jags territory and only have only allowed 3 points.

HAKWS BALL -- 7:13 LEFT 2ND QUARTER -- START AT 34 -- LEAD 7-6
Do we have our first drop? Bannister should have made that play. No surprise he hasn't played any games in the exhibition season and is not a reciever.
No running game at all. Alexander success rate is 1 for 7.

JAGS BALL -- 6:19 LEFT 2ND QUARTER -- START AT THE 26 -- TRAIL 7-6
Wistrom gets a great lick on Leftwitch on an outside rush
Deep ball. How does this happen again. Herndon got beat by Smith. Herndon had no help. 45 yards on the pick up.
Rocky Bernard sack.
4 man rush gets no where close and Leftwitch finds a wide open Jimmy Smith for a 31 yard TD.
Erick Kramer is wrong it is not DD Lewis it was Boulwaire that got turned around and burned.
The Hawks defense was totally awful on that play.
TOUCHDOWN LEFTWITH TO SMITH -- JAGS LEAD 13-7

HAWKS BALL -- 4:17 LEFT 2ND QUARTER -- START AT THE 20 -- TRAIL 13-7
Alexander boom or bust -- 35 yard pick up.
Alexander has success on his last 3 runs.
Wow !!! What a great drive. 80 yards to answer the Jags TD. That is big time.
Alexander was huge on the drive.
HASSELBACK TO JACKSON FOR 9 YARD TD.
7 PLAYS - 80 YARDS -- HAWKS LEAD 14-13.

2ND HALF

JAGS BALL -- OPENING 2ND HALF -- START AT 22 -- TRAIL 14-13
Nifty play out of the Jags-- Jones, the former QB at Arkansas, took an end a round and then ran an option out of it. Hawks played it well. Good fundamentals.
Jags are suddenly getting big run numbers from Taylor. His last three carries are for 6 or mroe yards.
I haven't heard Marcus Tubbs name at all in the this game.
Terrible tackle by Andre Dyson. None of the new guys are able to tackle the way Lucas did.
Terrible defense. 3rd and 6 and the Jags give it to Taylor and the Hawks defensive line gets manhandled.
Are we seeing heat have its impact. This is a long drive and the Hawks aren't making plays.
Jumpball to Jimmy Smith over the top of Marcus Trufant for a Touchdown.
JAGS TAKE THE LEAD ON 12 PLAY 78 YARD DRIVE TO OPEN HALF.

HAWKS BALL - 1ST OF SECOND HALF -- START AT 29 --- TRAILING 20-14
Sean Locklear got blown up for the first time.
Moris on a draw on 3rd and 9 --- why?
PUNT

JAGS BALL -- 6:34 LEFT 3RD QUARTER -- START AT 21 -- LEADING 20-14
Hawks are brining the blitz but they can't get to Leftwitch.
The Hawks offense just killed the defense. The D was on the field for 11 plays and then the Hawks offense only stayed on the floor for 4 plays and a tired D is back on the field.
Most recent run plays: 6,6,6,8,3,0,7,1,8,5 -- that is a really bad sign.
This game is in the balance.
Great plays -- back to back -- Trufant blitz forces fumble and 4 man rush collapses on Leftwitch.
PUNT

HAWKS BALL -- 1:46 LEFT 3RD QUARTER -- START AT 7--- TRAILING 20-14
The Hawks have lost the field goal postion game from the first play
Alexander's success rate is 4 of 12 runs
3 and out. 2 drives in the 3rd Quarter and the Hawks have 13 yards and 1 first down.

JAGS BALL -- :46 LEFT IN 3RD QUARTER --- START AT 42 -- LEADING 20-14
The Hawks defense was on the field for 12 minutes of the 3rd Quarter
Rocky Bernard nice tackle for a loss.
4TH QUARTER
Very clutch again by the defense 3 and out. The defense is keeping the Hawks in the game.
PUNT

HAWKS BALL -- 14:39 LEFT IN 4TH QUARTER -- START AT 2 --- TRAILING 20-14 Warrick makes an awful decision. Takes the punt at the 2 yard line. He just cost the Hawks 20 yards on the most important drive of the game. These are plays that losing teams make.
Hawks have started the last two drives at the 7 and and the 2
Huge play to open drive -- Hassell to Stevens for 20 yards.
This would be huge. Hawks hit midfield. Next play they get sacked Ouch !!!
Hawks follow the sack with a delay of game -- shooting themselves in the foot
Did Jackson make the catch? It looked close and the Hawks don't challange. Timeouts are precious and after last years bad luck and bad choices they must have decided not to lose a timeout.
PUNT -- big to move the ball into Jags territory. The Hawks should get two more shots at it.

JAGS BALL -- 9:04 LEFT IN 4TH QUARTER -- START AT 25 -- LEADING 20-14
Is that 3rd Quarter going to come into play now.
Hawks defense does it again. This group has had a very good day.

HAWKS BALL -- 6:29 LEFT IN 4TH QUARTER -- START AT 15 -- TRAILING 20-14
What a disaster. Interception on Hasselback. A awful throw.
Hasselback flushed when Locklear gets beat throws across his body and across the field and it is hangs in the air and is intercepted. This is a awful play. Hasselback just choked. Flat out choked.
The offense was awful in the second half and it cost this team the game.
All this talk about how great Hasselback is has to be re-examined . He was below average last year and he make two game losing throws today. This was flat out brutal.

JAGS BALL -- AFTER INTERCEPTION
Defense holds but Hasselback's awful play gives up another 3 points
HAWKS TRAIL 23-14 --9 POINTS THE SAME THEY GAVE UP ON TURNOVERS.

HAWKS BALL -- TRAILING 23-14 WITH 4:00 LEFT.
Jags blitz and crush Hasselback who fumbles and the Hawks lose.


More on Hasselback
I am really disapointed in how he played today.
Did he make any throw that most of the Quarterbacks in the NFL couldn't make.