Is it me or do the Tennessee Titans have the worst luck when it comes to wide receivers? Since our team came to Nashville, I can't think of a single move at that position that ultimately panned out. Derrick Mason was solid, but he doesn't count. Mason overachieved. I'm talking about the "splash" moves, first round picks, and free agency success....or lack thereof.
It started when we were still the Tennessee Oilers. Remember Yancy Thigpin and Carl Pickens? Both were washed up and way past their prime when we signed them. And the Oilers most egregious offense was drafting one yard short Kevin Dyson over some dude name Randy Moss. Well, let me take that back. We did pick up Moss...12 years later off waivers. We were the only team to put in a claim and it was immediately clear why. Moss looked old and uninspired and it was just embarrassing. That may have been the straw that broke (head coach) Jeff Fisher's back...but I digress. We mostly overlooked it because having an NFL team was so new to us. We were just happy to have professional football. And besides, we won a lot more games than we lost.
The Titans have fared no better than the Oilers. In fact, their eye for wide receivers should have a patch on it. Since coming to Tennessee in 1997, the Oilers / Titans drafted 20 wide receivers. Only two made pro bowl appearances (Derrick Mason and Marc Mariani). And those appearances were as return men, not receivers. It's not like we're not trying...we just cant get it right.
Kenny Britt was supposed to change all of that. He has the talent...but um...yeah. He's practically missed the past two seasons and will certainly not play any time soon this year. Now it's up to our 21st wide receiver draftee Kendall Wright to break the curse. But wait, he's not in camp because of a contract dispute. Here we go again. follow @plcolter
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Message to Mavs...don't start Mayo
As a native Tennessean I have mixed feelings about O.J. Mayo joining the Mavericks. On one hand, I'm disappointed that Memphis could not find a way to keep him. Mayo was a solid sixth man and dangerous scoring option (when he was on the hot side of streaky). On the other hand, I'm glad that Mayo gets a fresh start in my new hometown...Dallas. I read today the Mavs have O.J. penciled in as a day one starter...um....please don't do that! I know that Mayo's career numbers suggest otherwise (17.7 pts per game as a starter / 11.5 pts per game as a reserve), but these numbers do not tell the whole story. Mayo was not benched because of a lack of production. Mayo had a lack of production because he was benched.....
Mayo entered his third season as the starter for Memphis. Early into the 2010-2011 season, things went left for O.J. He was first benched for being late to a game day shoot around in November. He followed that up with a fist fight with a teammate (yes...a fist fight) on a team flight (yes...a team flight). Not to be outdone by himself, O.J. followed the mile high melee up with a 10 game suspension for a banned substance. It's not even February y'all....of course he was benched!!!!
Mayo's numbers dipped as a reserve, but he was a much better player on the court the last year and a half. O.J. is a natural scorer, and a volume shooter. As the sixth man he could carry the offensive load, and often did. His three point and free throw shooting kept him on the floor late in games, and he was brilliant in Memphis' first round upset of top seeded San Antonio two years ago.
Dallas is getting a good player, and I know it has to be tempting to start Mayo right away. I see Mayo as a younger and more athletic Jason Terry. Dallas could start newly acquired defensive specialist Dahntay Jones alongside Dirk, maybe put Jones on the other team's best player...a la Memphis and Tony Allen. Mayo would be the offensive spark off the bench and closer. It worked really well for the Grizzlies as a team the last couple of years. I could for Dallas as well. follow @plcolter
Mayo entered his third season as the starter for Memphis. Early into the 2010-2011 season, things went left for O.J. He was first benched for being late to a game day shoot around in November. He followed that up with a fist fight with a teammate (yes...a fist fight) on a team flight (yes...a team flight). Not to be outdone by himself, O.J. followed the mile high melee up with a 10 game suspension for a banned substance. It's not even February y'all....of course he was benched!!!!
Mayo's numbers dipped as a reserve, but he was a much better player on the court the last year and a half. O.J. is a natural scorer, and a volume shooter. As the sixth man he could carry the offensive load, and often did. His three point and free throw shooting kept him on the floor late in games, and he was brilliant in Memphis' first round upset of top seeded San Antonio two years ago.
Dallas is getting a good player, and I know it has to be tempting to start Mayo right away. I see Mayo as a younger and more athletic Jason Terry. Dallas could start newly acquired defensive specialist Dahntay Jones alongside Dirk, maybe put Jones on the other team's best player...a la Memphis and Tony Allen. Mayo would be the offensive spark off the bench and closer. It worked really well for the Grizzlies as a team the last couple of years. I could for Dallas as well. follow @plcolter
Monday, July 9, 2012
Mavs fans: Give Cuban a pass
Dallas Mavericks fans are a sports lover's dream. They are two things...knowledgeable and passionate! Get two or three together and a SportsCenter segment is gonna break out. I absolutely love it, especially being a native Tennessean and Grizzlies fan. My beloved Grizzlies bring me to a point...a plea if you will to Mavs fans worldwide. Cut Mark Cuban some slack on this one. I know my homies at Ambit don't want to hear that. I probably wouldn't either, but the fact is...Cuban's plan almost worked.
If not for a last second Joe Johnson trade, DWill stated on record that he was about to sign with Dallas. If not for the Hawks being lucky enough to unload the worst contract in NBA history (and that's including Kwame Brown), then Mavericks fans would be making their plans for future title runs.
Lamar Odom did Cuban no favors either. Dallas would have finished a much higher seed if Odom would have put up his career numbers. The Mavericks would have also had a much more attractive roster in place when it came to competing with the Nets. It's like he put a black cloud over the organization this year. Mavs fan Rodrigo Alcaraz summed up Odom's stay in Dallas the best. "He was the gift that kept on taking." lol
And last but certainly not least...every team has to eventually rebuild again. Every team has to. Dallas fans enjoyed a championship, and over a decade of prosperity. It's time to rebuild. All great teams do. But at least you can say this about Cuban, he put you in the best possible position to get a top notch player. It just didn't work out. At least he tried. follow @plcolter
If not for a last second Joe Johnson trade, DWill stated on record that he was about to sign with Dallas. If not for the Hawks being lucky enough to unload the worst contract in NBA history (and that's including Kwame Brown), then Mavericks fans would be making their plans for future title runs.
Lamar Odom did Cuban no favors either. Dallas would have finished a much higher seed if Odom would have put up his career numbers. The Mavericks would have also had a much more attractive roster in place when it came to competing with the Nets. It's like he put a black cloud over the organization this year. Mavs fan Rodrigo Alcaraz summed up Odom's stay in Dallas the best. "He was the gift that kept on taking." lol
And last but certainly not least...every team has to eventually rebuild again. Every team has to. Dallas fans enjoyed a championship, and over a decade of prosperity. It's time to rebuild. All great teams do. But at least you can say this about Cuban, he put you in the best possible position to get a top notch player. It just didn't work out. At least he tried. follow @plcolter
Monday, June 18, 2012
If Tyson can do it, we can too
If anyone reading this is going through a rough time or transitioning from a string of bad circumstances, have no fear....I have great news. If Mike Tyson can bounce back and totally revamp his image, so can we!
And I'm being completely honest here, all jokes aside. On July 31st, Mike Tyson (yes...that Mike Tyson) will be making his Broadway debut. Yes...that Broadway. The man who was addicted to drugs, convicted of rape, arrested numerous other times, bit off the ear of an opponent, tattooed the entire left side of his face, had it all and embarrassingly lost it all, well...you get the idea. That same man turned his pain into a must see show on the worlds most prestigious stage. And the best part is...he's talking about all of the things in his life that should have kept him from a Broadway stage. Stop playin!
Two things immediately stood out to me when I read that article. One...through it all, Mike Tyson kept moving forward. He never gave up on himself. We'd see him pop up on a tv show or two, a movie or two. We may have dismissed it as Tyson being Tyson, but he was slowly changing our perception of him with each step forward. We all remember the Tyson of 10 years ago. None of us could have or would have predicted this type of turnaround. Not from what we saw of Tyson to that point. It took a while, and I give him credit for continuing to believe in himself.
The second thing that stood out was the fact that Tyson, through all of his embarrassing moments never took himself too seriously. He was ok with the fact that he was "not ok". He knew that he was the butt of the joke, and he laughed right along. I guess he knew something we didn't. Tyson's Las Vegas show was a brutally honest assessment of his trials and tribulations, but done so in a light hearted manner. It was a hit! Comedian Kevin Hart turned his own pain into prosperity with his smash hit "Laugh at My Pain". It's something to be said for that. Neither could be accomplished without first...forgiving yourself.
I'm rooting for Mike to continue to evolve and move forward with his life. I'm rooting for that for all of us that have fallen short. Did I mention that Tyson will be 47 this month? It's never too late. We still have hope! follow @plcolter
And I'm being completely honest here, all jokes aside. On July 31st, Mike Tyson (yes...that Mike Tyson) will be making his Broadway debut. Yes...that Broadway. The man who was addicted to drugs, convicted of rape, arrested numerous other times, bit off the ear of an opponent, tattooed the entire left side of his face, had it all and embarrassingly lost it all, well...you get the idea. That same man turned his pain into a must see show on the worlds most prestigious stage. And the best part is...he's talking about all of the things in his life that should have kept him from a Broadway stage. Stop playin!
Two things immediately stood out to me when I read that article. One...through it all, Mike Tyson kept moving forward. He never gave up on himself. We'd see him pop up on a tv show or two, a movie or two. We may have dismissed it as Tyson being Tyson, but he was slowly changing our perception of him with each step forward. We all remember the Tyson of 10 years ago. None of us could have or would have predicted this type of turnaround. Not from what we saw of Tyson to that point. It took a while, and I give him credit for continuing to believe in himself.
The second thing that stood out was the fact that Tyson, through all of his embarrassing moments never took himself too seriously. He was ok with the fact that he was "not ok". He knew that he was the butt of the joke, and he laughed right along. I guess he knew something we didn't. Tyson's Las Vegas show was a brutally honest assessment of his trials and tribulations, but done so in a light hearted manner. It was a hit! Comedian Kevin Hart turned his own pain into prosperity with his smash hit "Laugh at My Pain". It's something to be said for that. Neither could be accomplished without first...forgiving yourself.
I'm rooting for Mike to continue to evolve and move forward with his life. I'm rooting for that for all of us that have fallen short. Did I mention that Tyson will be 47 this month? It's never too late. We still have hope! follow @plcolter
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The fans are the ultimate Finals winner
Wow...what a fantastic start to the 2011-2012 NBA Finals! Two equally matched, star studded teams are tied at a game a piece. I have no clue who will prevail in this now best of five series between the Heat and Thunder. What I do know is...regardless of who's crowned champions, we (the fans) will ultimately come out the winner!
What makes a great basketball game? Points! And not just points, points from the best players. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have not disappointed, averaging 30.8 and 28.5 points respectively. And they're not just being Prima Donna scorers, they lead their teams in rebounds as well. Both teams have played well offensively, and the stars have been just that.
The late game drama, the huge runs from both teams, and the frenetic pace has kept me glued to my seat. Kevin Durant has been spectacular in the fourth quarter, and LeBron seems to have turned the corner from the passive player who shrunk in last year's finals. Those were two clutch free throws in the closing seconds of game 2.
Like most fans who's team is out of the race, I just wanted to see a good series. And boy have we! I encourage everyone to enjoy these next 4 or 5 games, we may be watching one of the best Finals ever when it's all said and done....regardless of who wins. follow @plcolter
What makes a great basketball game? Points! And not just points, points from the best players. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have not disappointed, averaging 30.8 and 28.5 points respectively. And they're not just being Prima Donna scorers, they lead their teams in rebounds as well. Both teams have played well offensively, and the stars have been just that.
The late game drama, the huge runs from both teams, and the frenetic pace has kept me glued to my seat. Kevin Durant has been spectacular in the fourth quarter, and LeBron seems to have turned the corner from the passive player who shrunk in last year's finals. Those were two clutch free throws in the closing seconds of game 2.
Like most fans who's team is out of the race, I just wanted to see a good series. And boy have we! I encourage everyone to enjoy these next 4 or 5 games, we may be watching one of the best Finals ever when it's all said and done....regardless of who wins. follow @plcolter
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The NBA must have a rabbit's foot
I am not much of a gambler, but I am willing to bet that NBA commissioner David Stern is somewhere smiling from ear to ear. From the time the lockout ended, the NBA has enjoyed one good break after another. Nothing about last summer would lead you to believe the NBA would deliver like this.
Most of us thought there would be no season at all when Stern started cancelling games, but starting on Christmas day was a blessing in disguise. Starting late lead to a fast and furious regular season. Not a day went by without a good match up, and most of us got to see our teams play at least 3 or 4 times a week.
The NBA lucked out when it came to injuries. Yes, several stars went down with injuries...but not the two best. LeBron James and Kevin Durant not only played every game, they played at an MVP level. The NBA lucked out with the Chris Paul trade. The Clippers are now an exciting contender and the Lakers were no worse for wear. They still won the Pacific division.
The NBA lucked out with Jeremy Lin. It seems like years ago now, but remember Linsanity? When was the last time the world cared about an NBA team in New York? It was a feel good story and unexpected merchandising juggernaut for the league.
The NBA even lucked out in these playoffs. Four match ups went seven games, and the "sexier" team (Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Heat) advanced each time. Hey David Stern...can you pass around that rabbit's foot? Sharing is caring...and we all know "The NBA Cares". follow @plcolter
Most of us thought there would be no season at all when Stern started cancelling games, but starting on Christmas day was a blessing in disguise. Starting late lead to a fast and furious regular season. Not a day went by without a good match up, and most of us got to see our teams play at least 3 or 4 times a week.
The NBA lucked out when it came to injuries. Yes, several stars went down with injuries...but not the two best. LeBron James and Kevin Durant not only played every game, they played at an MVP level. The NBA lucked out with the Chris Paul trade. The Clippers are now an exciting contender and the Lakers were no worse for wear. They still won the Pacific division.
The NBA lucked out with Jeremy Lin. It seems like years ago now, but remember Linsanity? When was the last time the world cared about an NBA team in New York? It was a feel good story and unexpected merchandising juggernaut for the league.
The NBA even lucked out in these playoffs. Four match ups went seven games, and the "sexier" team (Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Heat) advanced each time. Hey David Stern...can you pass around that rabbit's foot? Sharing is caring...and we all know "The NBA Cares". follow @plcolter
Monday, June 4, 2012
Karma has LeBron right back in Cleveland
While watching last night's game between Boston and Miami, I couldn't help but ask...is this the old Cleveland team in Heat uniforms? I am sure that LeBron James is asking the same thing. You may not believe in karma, but I'm sure it's weighing on LeBron's mind now. It's almost as if the same things that plagued and angered James as a Cavalier have reared their ugly head on South Beach. Somewhere in Cleveland...a groundhog is laughing.
Remember the "King's Cavaliers"? They were a one man show, a regular season juggernaut, and a playoff disappointment. LeBron won back to back MVP's and was the best player on the planet. But each postseason he would be let down by a bunch of coulda been's, shoulda been's, and has been's. Players who were once solid, but a year or two past their prime. Or worse, players that never reached their projected potential. LeBron would put up Herculean stats only to fall short...and take all of the blame. James left Cleveland to get some help. I guess life is not without a sense of irony.
LeBron is once again MVP. The Heat were a regular season juggernaut. And so far, the role players have been a disappointment against Boston. LeBron is averaging 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the eastern conference finals. 32,9, and 4? Stop playing! LeBron is right back in Cleveland...having to put up stats like these to be tied after four games. And to another inferior team. Chris Bosh is out, and Dwayne Wade is having arguably the worst playoff performance of his career. LeBron is once again forced to carry the load. Isn't that supposedly why he left Cleveland? The only thing different about this team than the Cavaliers are the expectations. Could it be the curse of the "decision"? Only time will tell. For now LeBron...at least you're in South Beach. follow @plcolter
Remember the "King's Cavaliers"? They were a one man show, a regular season juggernaut, and a playoff disappointment. LeBron won back to back MVP's and was the best player on the planet. But each postseason he would be let down by a bunch of coulda been's, shoulda been's, and has been's. Players who were once solid, but a year or two past their prime. Or worse, players that never reached their projected potential. LeBron would put up Herculean stats only to fall short...and take all of the blame. James left Cleveland to get some help. I guess life is not without a sense of irony.
LeBron is once again MVP. The Heat were a regular season juggernaut. And so far, the role players have been a disappointment against Boston. LeBron is averaging 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the eastern conference finals. 32,9, and 4? Stop playing! LeBron is right back in Cleveland...having to put up stats like these to be tied after four games. And to another inferior team. Chris Bosh is out, and Dwayne Wade is having arguably the worst playoff performance of his career. LeBron is once again forced to carry the load. Isn't that supposedly why he left Cleveland? The only thing different about this team than the Cavaliers are the expectations. Could it be the curse of the "decision"? Only time will tell. For now LeBron...at least you're in South Beach. follow @plcolter
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