Well, well, well. Turns out American players may actually grasp the
game of basketball. After watching the NBA I seriously doubted it as
the best team is also one of the most international.
However, it seems that Team USA has been dominating competition in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas.
The United States is forced to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing next
near (something that should embarrass ever sports loving American) and
appear to be well on their way to doing so. The only legitimate
competition appears to be coming from Argentina who is currently also
undefeated.
The Argentine squad is not all it could be. When looking over their roster, only two names pop out (because only two of them play in the NBA): Carlos Delfino and Luis Scola.
And to say that Luis Scola has “played” in the NBA is a misnomer. He
was drafted but spent time in Spain because of his commitments there,
he’ll be playing this season for Houston but, to the best of my
knowledge, that will be his NBA debut.
The US should still roll this team. While they’ll be tougher than
the likes of Puerto Rico and even Brazil (not exactly pushovers) they
will be nothing like their final makeup. Manu Ginobili and Adres Nocioni highlight those missing from this Argentine roster but there’s also someone like Fabricio Oberto
to consider. In probably the greatest sign of how far we have fallen,
Argentina has no need to include their top talent because they’ve
already qualified for the Olympics and we have not.
While some people look at the additions that will come in the
Olympics and laugh but that’s the exact attitude that has landed us in
this situation. Role players like Oberto are terribly underrated in the
NBA and American basketball. David Stern’s offense happy policy is a
big reason for it and yet ever year the team with the best role players
wins the big one. That’s a lesson we’ve got to learn if we’re going to
win in the real dance.
We have the talent, obviously. There aren’t players any where in the
world as good as ours. That’s why I’m glad our All-Stars are playing
this tournament. To compete in the real tournament they need to learn
to play like a team and learn to be role players. They seem to be
learning that lesson and our chances of reclaiming our honor are very
good.
The Bad: Patriot Way
For a long time we’ve been talking about the so-called “Patriot Way.”
From sportscasters to fans everyone’s been talking about how the Pat’s
do thing the “right way” and how “different” they are from all the
other teams in the league. Of course, it was garbage then and is
garbage now.
Asante Samuel has ended his holdout
and will return to the Patriots. Samuel has skipped both the offseason
workouts and training camp but will no doubt be placed in the starting
lineup for this week’s preseason finale.
But the Patriots don’t operate like that right? I mean, they traded Terry Glenn because of his off-the-field issues. Then they cut Lawyer Milloy after he demanded more money and did the same with Ty Law. Finally, when Deion Branch
demanded a new, more lucrative contract the Patriots refused to talk to
him. Then they dared him to negotiate terms with other teams and
grudgingly traded him to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round pick
(after demanding two first-rounders).
The Patriots demanded loyalty to the point of sacrifice. Personal
finances were a small matter when considering what they owed the team.
Only classy, selfless players were welcomed onto the roster and the
genius Bill Belichick could turn any player into a great one. With Tom
Brady on the offense and a mix of talented players on the D the
Patriots didn’t need any big-headed “superstars.”
All that has been proven wrong recently. The Patriots did well without any big name receivers but even Tom Brady voiced his displeasure with the situation. The Patriots tried to correct that by signing Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, and trading for Randy Moss. They also sought to beef up their defense by signing the biggest name on the market in linebacker Adalius Thomas.
This represents a huge departure from the “Patriot Way.” While Wes
Welker’s quiet but effective style fits in perfectly with the way the
Patriots supposedly do things, Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss
certainly do not. Both have had their share of issues off-the-field and
both have cried boo on their team more than once. Randy Moss,
especially, is an interesting case.
Moss is notorious for being all about Randy Moss and quiting on his
team when it suited him. He has stated that he only plays when he wants
to and that doesn’t seem like an attitude that fits on the
business-like Patriots. Finally, he’s skipped most of training camp and
the preseason but no doubt will start the first game of the season,
throwing out that whole “if you don’t practice you don’t play” none
sense I’ve been hearing from the New England talk shows.
While these same sportscasters and fans will try to rewrite history
and say the Patriots have to get talent I have listened to them for
years talking about how different the Patriots are. Now, all that’s
been thrown out the window as the Patriots are showing they are just
like every other team in the NFL. They do business but when the chips
are down, they’ll cave to players they need.
The Patriot Way is a myth that should be buried once and for all.
The Pats are like any other team, if not more selfish. Use a player
until they’re no longer useful then cut them loose. There’s an uproar
when a player demands more money as he nears or hit his peak and
reports of him being “selfish” and “un-Patriotic” for demanding more
money. However, once a player has played for the Pats for 7 or more
years and starts slumping there is no anger when the Belichick bunch
shove him out the door.
The Patriots are just another NFL team. They are good, no doubt, but
this illusion that they do things so differently for everyone else
needs to be forgotten. They do business just like everyone else,
signing players they think will help them and cutting players they
think won’t. They want to win a Super Bowl and they’ll put up with the
likes of Moss to do so…just like everybody else.
The Ugly: Lance Briggs
Unlike virtually everybody else, I supported Lance Briggs‘ attempts to fight the Franchise Tag. Lance Briggs
was viewed as arguably the top linebacker available. He was slapped
with the Franchise Tag, which would give him about $7 million for one
year. Meanwhile, Adalius Thomas signed a deal with the Pats for about
$70 million for several years. Briggs wanted job security and more
money and felt he was robbed of that by the Tag.
He felt he wasn’t being allowed to capitalize on a great season and
that if he slumped this season (or even worse suffered a career ending
injury) he would be left out in the cold. So, he held out, threatening
to do so until the tenth game of the season, and the war with the Bears
began.
Ultimately, he signed that one-year deal
after he realized he couldn’t beat the man and will be on the field for
the Bears this year (assuming that career ending injury doesn’t
happen). Then the other night he wreaked his car, which could have
resulted in that career ending injury (if not life ending).
It didn’t and Lance Briggs walked away ok. While I think this is a
good demonstration of why he was so mad about getting the tag most
would see this as making him more appreciative. Had Briggs been
seriously hurt he would’ve received all $7 million of his deal. That’s
nothing to the roughly $20 million he could’ve gotten on the market but
I digress.
The real issue is why did he lie about it? After wreaking the car
Briggs says he called a tow truck then called the cops. What he told
the cops is what’s confusing, he reported his car stolen. While he
quickly rescinded that claim it still begs the question of why? He had
committed no crime by simply wreaking his car. Maybe he was driving too
fast but the cops couldn’t prove it and give him a ticket. His
insurance premiums would go up and there would be some questions but
most people were just happy he was ok.
So why tell they cops your car was stolen? Nerves? If I got into a
wreak I would probably call my family first, then a tow truck, and
maybe an ambulance depending on how bad the wreak was. I would probably
be shaken up but that wouldn’t cause me to lie to the 911 operator, I
would just admit to the wreak.
Briggs didn’t hit anyone and was luck to get away unharmed so why lie? That’s where this gets interesting. Now he has
committed a crime and raised some eyebrows. In the wake of the Vick and
Pacman Jones’ cases Briggs will be scrutinized. One can only assume
Goodell has launched his sent his crack team of investigators to the
scene and the cops are probably taking a closer look at things.
If it turns out Briggs was drunk or had drugs in the car or something else this situation could blow up fast. Briggs explanation was very confusing and it seemed like he was simply rambling his way through it and simply raises more questions.
Had this happened any other year it wouldn’t be as big a story. This
year, however, with every NFL player being under the microscope things
could go south fast. The NFL is, no doubt, already looking at this
closely and I assume the cops are too. For Briggs’ and the Bears and,
quite frankly, us I hope nothing sinister is going on. Briggs’ actions,
however, make me su####ious and have me preparing for yet another
scandal.
rusirious
The Argentine squad is more of an experimental squad if nothing else. And being that many of their top players aren't participating in the tournament they needn't worry. As Olympic champions they'll be Beijing bound anyway and that's where the tournament will really begin. The Americans will need to become a finely tuned machine if they're to prevail in China. As it won't be just the Argentinians they'll need to worry about. The Italians, Spanish and Chinese squads will be very good and more than capable of pulling off an upset. Flashiness may well get you everywhere but when you're playing under the FIBA rules it doesn't count for much. And that's been their failing over the past couple of years.
The American squad is forced to play their stars just to qualify but they need it. They've been encouraged to play flashy, selfish basketball. Now, they're learning to play together.
While they devolve into the one-on-one type game they're used to in the opening minutes they play real team basketball. They're also playing defense much better than they do in the NBA.
If they learn to play good team basketball I think they're easily the best team in the world. If they don't, then they'll be bounced yet again.
rusirious
I for one don't believe that they'll do badly next year at the Olympics. But I do expect them to acquit themselves better than before. Krzyzewski will have no doubt beaten it into them. They can't afford to become complacent. Should they lose it'll become an embarrassment of monumental proportions because of the detail, hard work, effort and time put into getting the squad ready.
I've a new post up titled Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen ! Let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece ?
tophatal
Last edited by tophatal on August 29th at 12:00 PM.
Rush, great point. But you have to admit, people react differently in every situation. You and I can practice crashing cars along the freeway from now till the end of time and how we would dial 911, report the accident to our insurance and so on and so, but when the real deal came down, we might throw all the training out the window and do something else. Now, I am not retracting from what I have said all along about the Briggs situation; it appears by his actions that he may have been trying to hide something.
Ian: It is ####, and it's about time somebody said something about it. Thanks for commenting.
Broblog: True. But I don't think in any situation I would claim the car was stolen. I would be so shaken up I'm not sure I would have the mental capacity to fabricate a lie. I might say I fell asleep at the wheel, or the breaks failed, or tha accelorator got stuck but I wouldn't say it was stolen.
I don't know if he did anything, but his actions are su####ious and in this time I don't see this passing quietly.
It will not, despite Lebron or Kobe or whoever's fans come down to that one player having a career year in thh Olympics. With Kobe and billups both having title experience and the amazing Mr. Kidd along, they will lead the Olympics in scoring. The question remains, when the Argentines, the Greeks, the Spainards, even the Germans come along will Lebron and Melo who will be on the court most all the time one or the other, play any defense this time around or will everyone just blow by them like they did last time. There is your bottom line.
the thing I like most of all about Broblog is the guy is willing to believe the absolute best of everyone. If I was serial killer I'd want bro on my jury. that notwithstanding, just because his insurance rates would go up is laughable. Do you have any idea what these guys pay for insurance on their 2-400,000 cars anyhow?
As far as the rest goes, he either was drunk/drugs involved or the sad fact is that these #### athletes (as with all young #### males for the past 15-20 years) are raised to think you would never tell the police the truth. There is no reason to do so. Why would you? You're a homie, a thug, a brotha. And they don't even have to be a thug. It's the brainwashing of the music of their entire lives. It's second nature. LIE.
As far as the Briggs situation goes, i think that nobody aside from Briggs and his close friends will know the real nature of the accident. What is even stranger about his explanation is that he said he called the cops to report the car stolen but the COps said they never recieved a call. Either he asked a friend to make the call and his friend simply didnt or Lance Briggs is still suffering from whatever he was or wasnt somking/drinking the night of the accident.
The reason that the whole concept of the "Patriot Way" started in the first place is because the Patriots had to get lower-priced, lesser-name players out of necessity. By the time Belichick took over the team was such a mess that it would've been impossible to lure big-name players, so they had to settle for less-famous names that fit the Patriots system. Now that the team has three Super Bowl wins under its belt marquee guys are willing to come to town, hence the team signs guys like Adalius Thomas instead of past signees like Matt Stevens and Antowain Smith.
As far as paying the players that they already have, I don't recall one player (with the obvious exception of Adam Vinatieri) that the Patriots weren't correct in letting them walk. Damien Woody, Joe Andruzzi, Deion Branch, David Givens, and Willie McGinest are simply not making the same impact on their current teams that they did in New England.
What the Patriot Way boils down to is winning. And you're absolutely right, it's no different than the goals of many other teams. The Patriots are just more effective at this than many other teams.
This writter has clearly shown that he has NO clue of what the Patriot way is.
The Patriot way has little if anything to do with who they hire and how much they are paid. The Pats had money left over and decided to spend it. I believe under new league rules, you spend it or lose it. If you had watched the 20/20 show a few years back, starring Bill Belichick and Brian Billick you would have learned alot about these 2 masters of the game and how they run their clubs. They stated that the average life span of a player is 5 years. Guys like Malloy, Law, and others were on the downside of their carriers. What have they done lately? And Branch, well, he just wasn't all that good. Belichick's system IS.
Now Moss, he made that comment years ago, when with the Vikings when Carter was there. They traded a late round pick and he took more of a cut in pay then you and I make combined. A VERY wise gamble. If he doesn't work out, oh well. And Merriweather, hopefully he will see you in the stands, and stomp your head in. I want a guy like that watching my back.
And what about Brady? He is clearly the best QB the league has ever seen to date. He is soooo cool under pressure. He spreads the ball around to so many recievers, less than gifted receivers. He deserves the receivers and the stats that Montana, Marino, Young, Manning have (had) at their disposal.
What the Patriot way IS is Coach Belichick wearing a grubby sweatsuit, representing the blue collar worker which has supported the game, making it what it is and putting food on your table, little as you deserve it. It is a
the Patriot way is about the whole team running out together instead of individually. It is about trick plays so masterfully crafted. Making what you have and who you have work. Its about walking back to the huddle, conserving energy, instead of running around celebrating. It is about not getting arrested like half the punks in the league. It is about truely playing as a team. But you wouldn't know about that would you #### breath. And yes, now with a state of the art stadium instead of the sad one they had a few years ago, and some success, top talent WANTS to come to New England
Outlaw: That is the bottom line: Has team USA learned to play as TEAM USA? If they have, then they will be truly unstoppable; if not, they'll be dispatched as easily as last time.
I prefer not to doubt Lance Briggs, but that just seems su####ious. It's only a matter of time until an investigation starts.
Chitown: True. Things are fishy though, very fishy. We'll see how this all pans out but I'm waiting for the scandal to start.
Return: That was part of it. But my real issue with it is the mythos built up around it. Someone like Randy Moss would never be a Patriot cause he just didn't fit the mold. If someone held out they were selfish and let go. All the players on the team put the team first and would sacrifice their bodies and their salaries for the team.
Turns out, the Patriots will spend and spend for the best talent regardless of off-field issues. They will also settle with their best players because they know there's no replacing them. The Patriots are just like everybody else. It's time to lay the mystic to rest.
Phillip: Won't happen. He'll play a lot and if he does anything like he did last year he'll have a huge pay day despite this little distraction.
WolfMan: Guess I hit a soft spot, what with you wishing my demise and saying I don't deserve food on my table. Maybe your like those Republican Senators who attack #### people because they're denying the fact that they're ####; you're just denying the fact you know I'm right.
To your "points." Have you ever listening to New England Sports Tonight? They talk endlessly about the "Patriot Way" and how they just don't deal with troublesome players. If that don't march in step then they're gone.
They get only guys with good attitudes (like Merriweather and Moss) and assimilate them onto their team.
If you listen to most local sports gurus they will rave about how different the Patriot's are from other teams. In fact, last night one of them was asserting that Bill Belichick will never leave the Patriots. Riiight.
The Patriots care about winning and will sacrifice character for it. They'll over pay superstars if they can keep them and if they have the money to sign big names they'll do it. The Patriots are exactly like every other in the league and the "Patriot Way" is a garbage.
I guess seeing appreciate sport he loves improve instead of sliding down the sewar is a forign concept to you, as is team work. -Please rephrase en Inglais.
Let me preface this by saying I've been a Patriot fan since they were the Boston Patriots playing home games at Fenway Park. I am so pissed at Rodney for using that #### and putting a black eye on the New England Patiots that I could kick his ####. I hope the team cuts him....this type of problem is not good for the organization. Is having this kind of problem on the Patriots worth it? With Samuel back....cut him now Mr. Kraft!
Last edited by PatriotMissle62 on September 1st at 9:47 AM.
The only saving grace this "author" has is that he's a Red Sox fan. However, he is obviously a jealous Cow#### fan that is just jealous of a Patriot Dynasty that isn't suppossed to happen in the Salary Cap, Free Agency era. His Cowgirls were a dynasty when they, like the New York Yankees, bought their championships by outspending everyone. Nice.
Last edited by PatriotMissle62 on September 1st at 9:52 AM.
MissPat: While I read your first comment I thought maybe there was something to this Patriot Way thing. Maybe the fans, if not the team, rose above and stayed classy at all times. (Oh, and keep dreaming about them cutting Harrison)
Then I read your second comment and realized you're just like the worst of them. Good job insulting both a football team and two entire segments of the population with your "Cow####" and "Cowgirl" comments.
Learn your history. The Cowboys drafted Smith, Aikman, and Irvin. They assembled a stout defense and developed Jay Novacheck and "Moose" Johnson.
The Patriot Way is clearly a myth and as evidence I submit your second comment.
I am a FOX sports blogger because I like to talk and have opinions about pretty much anything and everything. I like pretty much any sport but I love football (basketball's a close second). The NFL is the only major sport I watch all season but I watch the others sporadically. My favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Red Wings, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox.
