The Broncos are shopping Jay Cutler.

Here's to hoping he doesn't end up in the NFC North, all though the Bears and Vikes would be insane not to make a serious run at him. My bet? NY Jets or Buccaneers.

Your thoughts?

Are we out of the woods?

So, last week, I lamented the Chicago Blackhawks play down the stretch to the playoffs (see "3-7-2"). As my previous article had mentioned, the Blackhawks had gone 3-7-2 in their previous twelve games, picking up only 8 points out of a possible 24. My next post, "'Hello again, Patrick Sharp!'", was mostly a celebration of the Blackhawks finally managing to win a game. However, at that point, I still wasn't convinced we had truly come back to form in order to compete against one of the best--if not the best--team in the league; the San Jose Sharks.

Tonight, I can be a little more certain of their abilities. Since the Blackhawks victory over the Los Angeles Kings, the Blackhawks have triumphed over two of the NHL's giants. The Blackhawks came out on Wednesday like someone had lit a fire under them, scoring three goals against one of the NHL's better goalies, Evgeni Nabokov, to make it 3-1 at the end of the first. Some wondered whether Nabby would be in net when the team came out for the second period. Surprisingly he did; and only allowed two more goals for the rest of regulation. His team showed their gratitude by making up the difference and tying the game 5-5 at the end of regulation. The two teams eventually went to a shootout, where Chicago lit the lamp twice and stoned the Sharks twice for an early end to the shootout. Final score: Chicago 6, San Jose 5.

The Blackhawks next test came on Friday, when they took on the New Jersey Devils, who have been nothing short of electric since Broduer's return (who am I kidding, they were amazing without him too!). Just last week, the Devils put down the Blackhawks in Newark to give Boduer his record-breaking 552nd career win. The Blackhawks came out and got the all-important first goal in the first period when rookie, Kris Versteeg lifted the puck over Broduer's shoulder in a tight space. The Devils would come back with a shot from the incredible Zach Parise; and would take the lead with a rebound shot by Paul Martin. The revitalized Martin Havlat (Blackhawks) would tie the game up once more in period 2. The game remained 2-2 for the rest of regulation. In overtime, the Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook ripped one past Broduer from the blue line to lift the Blackhawks past the Devils.

These wins mean something, for sure. The Blackhawks have--if nothing else--proven that their losing skid is over. I think that they have also proven that they can compete with some of the best in the league. Are they out of the woods? Not yet. The Blackhawks dropped a lot of points in the Western Conference during their skid. The Vancouver Canucks are now within 2 points of fourth place and threaten to take away the Blackhawks' home-ice advantage for the playoffs.

Interestingly enough, the Blackhawks and Canucks faceoff on Sunday. The winner accomplishes two things: they gain two points on their opponent, and they eliminate one more chance for their opponent to get points. The winner also threatens third place Calgary.

So, as you can see, those three playoff spots are in no way solidified. Everyone wants the home-ice advantage in the playoffs; so those third and fourth spots are going to be hard-fought-after. Anything can happen, so long as you make sure that when the dust settles, you're not in the fifth place spot.

Ted thinks the Packers are fine just how they are...

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an interesting article wherein Thompson says the Packers roster isn't really in need at any position, and he doesn't feel much pressure to sign anyone in free agency. He also says they don't need any of this years draft class to step up and become starters. He's quoted as saying that they have, "a fair group of players."

Um....hello? This is the same team that went 6-10 last year right? Fair players don't win championships!!!

The article mentions a really interesting piece of trivia, only 4 teams have not signed an unrestricted free agent from another team, the Packers and 3 other 12 win teams. They won literally twice as many games!!

I think that TT is a little delusional about the state of his team right now. Not that it's time to panic after one bad season, but it seems that TT and the Packers management really believes that they can take a bunch of low round draft picks and 2nd stringers from other teams, "put them through the offseason program", and them make them into a winning team. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but I'm starting to feel that "staying the course" may not be the best option.

"Hello again, Patrick Sharp!"

Patrick Sharp left a game against Dallas in the third period with a lower-body injury over a month ago. In fact, the game was on Valentine's Day, but Dallas's dillhole, Steve Ott, was showing no love for Chicago's top goal scorer (at the time).

During Sharpie's time off, the Blackhawks went 6-10 and have given up a pretty comfortable lead over Vancouver for fourth place in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks were sliding terribly, losing 7 of their last 8 and were 3-7-2 in their last twelve...until Sunday.

Granted, the Blackhawks were playing the Los Angeles Kings (who currently sit at 13th place in the West), but you have to start somewhere, right? Sunday's game in Chicago was the much-awaited return of Patrick Sharp, and he didn't disappoint.

Sharp scored the first goal of the game at 9:46 of the first while on the power play. This goal already told Blackhawks fans that one of their favorites was back in business, but he didn't stop there. He helped Martin Havlat light the lamp on a beautiful give-and-go, letting fans know that he was up to his old antics. Think that's the last we heard of Sharp? No, Sharp thoought he'd might as well seal the deal by scoring an empty-netter off the boards from his own blue line.

Does this mean that the Blackhawks are back on track and have fixed all the problems that caused them to lose 7 of their last eight? No. Let's not kid ourselves, as good of a game as this sounds; it was still against the Kings. The Blackhawks need to continue to limit opponent's shots, as they did against Los Angeles. As good as Khabibulin is, he's even better when he doesn't face that many shots. Same goes for Huet. If he faces a bunch of shots, he eventually can't stop anything, but when the Blackhawks limit the shots of their opponents, he seems to make the saves that he needs to, even the difficult ones.

The Blackhawks need to help Khabi out and let him get back into his game. Let's not forget, he just came back last Sunday from a month off with a groin injury. The Blackhawks also need to be able to give Huet some time off after exhausting himself and compromising his ability by playing all but one of the games that Khabi was gone in the stretch from Feb. 11-Mar. 15. Huet needs some time to rest up and figure out how to manage his rebounds.

One last thing, the Blackhawks need to stop giving up the first goal of the game. And stop giving it up early. The statistics show that the team who gives up the first goal doesn't stand a great chance at winning. The Blackhawks seemed to be giving up the first goal IN THE FIRST MINUTE several times during their cold streak. Not only do you start off in the hole by one, but the pyschological effect must be tremendous as well. How do you go out and win the game when you promptly let all the air out of your balloon?

The Blackhawks play the NHL's best, the San Jose Sharks, on Wednesday. This will be a true test of their meddle. I'm not saying that they have to win on Wednesday to prove that they're out of their slump (although, that would be nice!). However, they need to put forth a good showing. I don't expect the Blackhawks to top the team whose proven themselves to be the best since week one, although I know they can (see Jan. 31, thier last meeting). For now, I'm just going to bask in the sunlight of Sunday and think good thoughts about the Blackhawks ending the season strong and heading into the playoffs with a full head of steam.

Packerslounge.com "Top Ten" reasons why they Packers have been quiet in free agency thus far...

So I've been pretty critical of the Packers failure to do much in free agency thus far. Packerslounge.com offers up 10 explanations. Some are funny, others legit, and some I'd disagree with. For instance, #7 is true every year, and thus doesn't really apply. As far as #6 and #8 go, every year they say there's no one worthwhile and we should save it for next year, and every year we don't. There'll be no cap in 2010, but I bet we won't sign anyone anyway.

From: http://packerslounge.com/?p=4330

10. We’re perfect. We don’t need much of an overhaul, a word I’m hearing far too much lately. We just need to get healthy, plug a few gaps (draft) and move onto camp!

9. Dom Capers stole it for hair cream.

Dom Capers Hair

Dom Capers has fabulous hair. Even at an old age, his hair is magnificent. That’s not good genes, that’s good hair product. Nobody can afford that much hair product unless they’ve pulled off a heist, or stolen the cap money from Ted’s mattress.

8. No worth while free agents. Seriously. There wasn’t much out there to begin with, (Canty was a big name. Think about it.) he’s not going to overpay like some of these other teams. I still think we’ll pick some players up as the market calms down and this is what Ted is good at, bringing in guys we never heard of to really help the team.

7. He needs it to sign draft picks. We’re going to draft 16 people next month and those guys are going to need contracts.

6. Waiting for the uncapped 2010 season when things get crazy. As it stands, there will be no cap in 2010 and small market teams like the Packers are going to be screwed. You think people don’t want to come to Green Bay NOW? Wait a year. Next year, it’s going to be like Jericho in the NFL. There will be chaos and outrageous shenanigans, death and destruction everywhere, and some money hidden for safe keeping. Ted will have ammo to possibly compete with the insane market that’s going to be here in a year.

5. Doesn’t know how to work the phone. Old people struggle with technology. Maybe he WANTED to make some deals, but couldn’t get the phone to call anyone outside of the Packers offices. Hit 9 first, Ted!

4. Spent it on glasses and cool shorts.

The man knows style

Come on, look at that. The guy is styling and profiling.

3. Saving up to buy a soul. Look at that soulless son of a bitch. He’s going to be using our money to make a deal with the devil so there’s a soul behind those beady little eyes.

2. Hates Packers fans. Maybe all the Brett Favre purists were right when they started saying this in 2005. Thompson was a Houston Oiler and has no real ties to the Green Bay area. He hates us and this proves it.

1. He forgot. Hey, he’s an older guy and sometimes you just forget things. I forgot my ex-girlfriend’s birthday once, thus the ex part. You know that emotionless look Ted has sometimes when he looks like he doesn’t even know what day it is? Maybe he doesn’t.

Broncos vs. Cutler

VS.

The Jay Cutler saga drags on. Cutler has officially asked for a trade. The Broncos say they want to smooth things out. So, who's in the right here? I want your opinion. I can understand why Cutler's feelings are hurt and why he may want out. I'd probably feel the same. But is demanding to be traded justified? I'd say he needs to just suck it up and sign somewhere else when he becomes a free agent. Yeah, he's a good QB and the Broncos will be in trouble without him, but he's still never taken them to the playoffs.

In other news, the Packers continue to be inactive in free agency. They resigned UFA DE Michael Montgomery. He's a backup, so this is not a big splash. They also matched a tender for restricted FA CB Jarrett Bush. This may be classified as clinically insane, as Bush is a walking pass interference machine. Why they didn't let him go is beyond me. One possible explanation is the Thompson Doctrine, as explained by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Another reason that's been thrown around is that he's a good special teams player. Who cares? They already have a CB that's good for special teams but not much else: Will Blackmon. Plus, both Nick Collins and Tramon Williams want more money, and increasing Bush's salary is not going to quiet them down.

My bracket is ruined. I'm doing pretty poorly in all of my pools. Oh well, I just do it for fun anyhow.

3-7-2

The Blackhawks have lost once again. That puts them at 3-7-2 in their last 12 games. Pretty anemic for the team who's 4th place in the Western Conference. And that position they only hold by one point over the Vancouver Canucks.

I thought that perhaps the Blackhawks were only slipping because they were missing two big factors in their line-up: Nikolai Khabibulin (G) and Patrick Sharp (RW). But with the "Bulin Wall" back and Sharpie's return just around the corner, the Blackhawks don't seem to be doing any better. Why not?

Their defense is soft. Just last night, the Blackhawks allowed the New Jersey Devils' Jamie Langenbrunner to slip into the offense zone behind the defense without anyone on him. They were all too entirely concerned with team scoring leader, Zach Parise. It was no surprise that when Parise dished it to Langenbrunner, he ripped it past Khabi with less than a minute gone from the game clock.

A few minutes later, while on the power play, Matt Walker unsuccessfully lifted Travis Zajac's stick to prevent the one-timer goal through Khabi's five hole. Two goals in the first period; both of them a failure on the defense's part.

Tonight, the Blackhawks lost in OT to the Columbus Blue Jackets (the second time in 4 games). This was scored by a pass across the front of the net and a shot, despite Brian Campbell being right there to defend the play.

Looks like we could use some help on defense...

WAIT A MINUTE! DIDN'T WE JUST TRADE A GREAT DEFENSEMAN FOR A MIDDLING CENTER?!

Yes, yes, we did. By the way, Sami Pahlsson, not impressive. I knew he wouldn't be. He was hailed as a great face-off man. Yeah, I saw him win some face-offs, but not the face-off in the Blue Jackets offensive zone on their power play that led to a quick goal.

Let's review the Blackhawks' acquisitions this year.
Cristobal Huet: disappointment
Brian Campbell: Soft, doesn't put his body out there, and let's people by all the time.
Sami Pahlsson: Too soon to tell, but I don't like what we gave up.

Granted, all these guys have had their flashes of brilliance and this post is probably coming from a very disappointed and disillusioned Blackhawks fan. A short win streak may change my opinion on all these guys, but right now, I'm not sold on any of them.

Dead Zone

Well, this is a time of the NFL offseason that's really boring. The exciting part of free agency is over. The combine is over. The draft is still a few weeks away. There's still some well known free agents out there, Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, Derrick Brooks and others; some who will end up with new teams and others who will fade into retirement. Teams don't want to sign these guys right now because they'll cost too much and they're past their prime. Those that do get signed will get picked up later because they'll sign for less the longer they have to wait and because teams will be wanting to add them to fill in roster spots emptied by injuries.

So, there's only a few things to talk about relating to the NFL: guess at who might get drafted where (which almost works out like you thought it would), talk about tenths of a second or numbers of reps that college guys put up at pro day workouts, or get frustrated cuz your team isn't signing anyone.

On that note, the Packers remain committed to not doing anything: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/41244677.html I was hoping the management would wake up after they're dismal 6-10 showing last season, but I guess they're committed to the course of action that led them there. It's arrogant, but whatever. I'm gonna say 3 more miserable years before TT and McCarthy are out.

Flamers

The Flames are out. After two years in the Quad Cities, the franchise has decided to move it to a probably more deserving Abbotsford, British Columbia.

The Quad Cities Sports Venture Inc. couldn't manage to draw enough interest from the QC area to get a decent following like the Mallards did just a few years ago. Perhaps their problems came from an inability to differentiate the Flames from the Mallards.

In their late years, the Mallards following dropped off considerably. When the Flames came to town soon after the Mallards departure, no one seemed to want to make the effort to explain that the Flames were in the AHL and not the pathetic UHL that the Mallards were a part of. The AHL, being one step below the NHL, is the highest level of sports to come to the Quad Cities since the 1940s (You know the Atlanta Hawks? They used to be the the Blackhawks and were in the Quad Cities). As a result, many Quad Citians believed that the Flames were simply the Mallards with a new name.

You know what other results this had? NOBODY CAME! The only people who did come were the people who understood the difference. And those who didn't understand, didn't have much reason to come. They figured it was the same old show and there weren't enough promotions to draw them and show them otherwise.

One more point of contention. Ryan McGill SUCKS as a coach. The guy didn't know how to coach. He didn't know how to congratulate his team when they won and he didn't know how to correct their mistakes except for just berating his players to the press. I can remember a few specific instances that highlighted his idiocy.

One time the Flames were up by 2 or 3 goals at the end of the 2nd period. At the end of the game, which the Flames LOST, by the way, McGill told the newspapers that he didn't talk to his team in between the 2nd and 3rd period because he didn't think he needed to be their cheerleader when they were up like that. One quick question, WHAT THE HELL ELSE WOULD YOU BE DOING IN BETWEEN PERIODS, THEN? Seriously. Someone pays you to COACH, so do it!

Another time, after the Flames actually won, McGill said about the game-winning goal scorer, that it made up for the turnover that caused them to lose the lead in the first place. He can't find anything positive to tell the newspapers. I can't imagine that the team would feel anything but hatred for the guy. And how do guys follow a man they hate? They don't. And they lose.

What was the result of all of McGill's antics? The Flames lost...A LOT. They were bottom-dwellers last year and they're bottom-dwellers this year. Yet, the ownership couldn't make the connection that this idiot was incapable of producing a winning team. So the team kept losing, and the people that did come to the games started wondering why they should come back.

As you can tell, I'm a little bit fumed about the Flames leaving town. It's because it could have totally been avoided. However, no one could pull their head out. Not the ownership, not the coach, not the public who refused to support a high-caliber sports team. Good luck attracting another hockey team, Quad Cities, because I think you really screwed yourselves this time.

ISU falls to UNI in OT

The Illinois State Redbirds were beaten in a heart-breaking 60-57 OT loss on Sunday in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game.

The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament took place in St. Louis this weekend. The number 3 seed Redbirds took on Evansville and Creighton. The Redbirds beat both 78-68 and 73-49 respectively. The number 1 seed Panthers easily handled the number 9 seed Indiana State Sycamores and the number 4 seed Bradley Braves.

The Panthers and the 'Birds met twice in the regular season; both of which Illinois State lost. However, they lost those games by a total of 6 points. This game, however, was much more important than that. The winner of this game would be crowned Missouri Valley Champion and given an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The 'Birds, who trailed early, came back, (thanks to Osiris Eldridge's 21 second-half points)and took the lead in the final minutes of the game. However, UNI tied the game and ISU was unable to score with the final possession of regulation. The game went into overtime, where ISU fell 60-57.

Despite not taking home a Missouri Valley Championship, Eldridge brought home the MVC's Most Outstanding Player award. And although ISU didn't get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, they still could get an at-large bid with their 24-9 record. All we can do is wait for next week's Selection Sunday.

This is not a good idea.

TO is a Buffalo Bill. This is going to go badly. He's always had pretty good quarterbacks and he's complained about them, a lot. So, now he'll have either Trent Edwards, J.P. Losman, or a rookie throwing him the ball? No, this is not going to work. San Fran, Philly and Dallas were all decent teams when TO was around. This is the Bills we're talking about here.


Wanna hear a good idea? I decided today that the Packers should sign Rex Grossman. He's a free agent. He's a quarterback with Superbowl experience and has shown flashes of talent, even though it's wrapped in a accident-prone package. And, if and when Rodgers gets hurt, he wouldn't be a bad backup option. Better than Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm at least. And, it would be funny to see Chicago's former golden boy with a big green G on his helmet.

Pack signs first free agent...

...and he's one of the two FA safeties they brought in last week. Anthony Smith of the Steelers. He wasn't a starter for the Steelers on their Superbowl run, but he should be an OK pickup. I just don't understand why it was a higher priority to TT to sign a backup safety than a starting D-lineman.

At least they're looking at signing Kevin Carter: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/40884587.html

For the record, I support this move. He's old and past his prime, but they should be able to get him for a bargain price and he brings in a lot of good experience, depth, and some 3-4 knowledge. Go get him, Ted.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

The Packers have brought in two defensive free agents this week. Being that they have a huge need on the D-line, both were defensive lineman, right? Nope. Well, surely one of the them was a lineman or linebacker, being that the switch to a 3-4 will mostly involve guys along the front 7, right? Wrong again. Safeties (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/40827212.html). They've brought in two safeties.

Question: Why are they wasting their time on the secondary when their most glaring need is on D-line? Unfortunately because they probably think that they'll fill all of their D-line needs in the draft. As I've mentioned earlier, this is dumb for a number of reasons (see my post: 5 things that the Packers should but probably won't do this offseason).

The Packers should go get Mike Wright from the 18-1ers, Igor Olshansky of the Bolts, or Vonnie Holliday of the 'Phins. They seem content to pass on all these guys and let them sign elsewhere. It'd be nice to see them go get some LB help too, Burnett from the 'Boys or Haggans from the Cards. But once again, it seems to be of no interest to TT. So, here's my proposal: sign Tank Johnson. Yes, that Tank Johnson, the one with all the guns. Yeah, I know he's been in trouble. But here's the thing, he was pretty good with the Bears, and he played in a 3-4 in Dallas, and he's the last DT on the free agent market that anyone's ever heard of. So, I really hope the Packers sign him.

Speaking of former Dallas delinquents, where do you guys (I'm not even gonna pretend girls would read this blog) think TO will end up? ESPN listed 17 teams that had expressed interest in TO, which is basically like saying, "We have no idea so if we'll just guess a bunch so that we'll be able to say we called it." The Packers were listed as an interested team, which is insane, cuz they'll never sign him. I say he goes to the 18-1'ers. They have a penchant for signing talented veterans that are thought to be either washed up or trouble makers. Plus, how disgusting would that be to have Moss, TO, and Welker catching balls from Brady?

Sorry, Wiz...

For the first time in some years, the Blackhawks were expected to be buyers at the March '09 trade deadline. The Blackhawks were looking for a solid face-off man. Discussions centered around possibly dealing winger, Dustin Byfuglien or defenseman, Brent Seabrook. As it turned out, neither were traded; rather, one of their stronger defensemen, James Wisniewski was swapped for Samuel Pahlsson from Anaheim.


When I saw who the 'Hawks had traded, I instantly thought, "Oh, that sucks". I liked James Wisniewski. Besides being a good defenseman, he had no qualms about roughing up opponents, and could score pretty well for a defenseman. Then I began to wonder why they chose him.

As it stands now, the Blackhawks are pretty deep at the defenseman position. They have quite a few young defensemen in Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Cam Barker, and Matt Walker (not to mention their "veteran" off-season pickup, Brian Campbell). I thought to myself, "Why not Seabrook?" Although he's a good defenseman, Seabrook doesn't score nearly as often as Wisniewski does, so why didn't they deal him instead? And then it occurred to me...

Wiz spent a lot of time on the IR. He spent a good stint of last year's season on the injured reserve and missed a good portion of this season due to a knee injury. And I don't specifically remember ANY time when Seabrook was out with injury. With a big season at hand in which the Blackhawks have a strong likelihood of making the playoffs (they are currently 4th place in the Western Conference), the Blackhawks need to have players they can depend on.

I'm not positive, but I think Wisniewski probably had the same initial reaction I did. Wiz is leaving a team who sits at 4th place in the West and is heading to an Anaheim team that finds itself tied for 9th in the West (which, if today were the playoffs, the Ducks would not be playing). What's worse is that Wisniewski was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2002 and had to live through all the years that the Blackhawks never made the postseason. The first time that things look promising for them, he's thrust into a team that is in the same position that the Blackhawks had always found themselves in during previous seasons.


So, who is this guy they traded for? Samuel (Sami) Pahlsson. He's a center and a face-off man, which is what the Blackhawks were after. The Blackhawks seem to be highly touting the fact that Pahlsson was in the Ducks' lineup during their '06-'07 Stanley-Cup-winning season. This is the same thing they emphasized when they traded for Andrew Ladd (he played for the Hurricanes when they won the Cup in the '05-'06 season). However, they let Craig Adams go on waivers, who played on the same championship team as Ladd.


What scares me about Pahlsson is that he doesn't score. He has 15 points this season. To put that into perspective, only 4 of the Blackhawks current players (who have played at least 20 games with the team this year) have scored fewer. What's scarier? The highest number of points he's ever gotten is 26 (which was in '06-'07 when they won the Cup). One more scary point? Sure. He's only had one season where he's been on the plus side on his +/- rating.


From what I hear, the guy's pretty good at winning face-offs, which is important in maintaining puck possession. Plus, people are emphasizing that he's good for some veteran experience. We'll see how this all turns out (but not very soon since he is suffering the effects of mononucleosis), but right now, I'm not too optimistic.

Ted!!!!

Ted,

You need free agents. Your time is running out. You need defensive lineman. You need defensive lineman that have played in a 3-4. You could really use a defensive tackle. Get on it Ted! Go get Igor! Sign him! Sign somebody!

Oh yeah, I remember...

As we near the March 4th NHL trade deadline, I think back to last year. Last year, the Blackhawks were likely sellers. The two names that were bandied about most Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin. As it turned out, neither were traded. Instead, the Blackhawks dumped declining Tuomo Ruutu to Carolina for a competent grinder, Andrew Ladd. Even at the beginning of this season, the Blackhawks were shopping Khabi around. GM Dale Tallon wasn't shy about going out and getting Cristobal Huet and making sure Khabibulin cleared waivers.
One year removed, I looked back and thought, "We would have been crazy to trade those guys." Nikolai Khabibulin started out this season an impressive 17-5-5 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.37 goals against average. And Martin Havlat is nothing short of stellar either. As of tonight, Havlat leads the team in points with 57 and is currently on a 9-game point streak. We would have been crazy to trade those guys, right?

Then I remembered why we wanted to get rid of Khabibulin...

He's always been inconsistent, hounded by injuries. This year, he's been fairly consistent, but yet again, we find him on the Injured Reserve list. Surprise, surprise, it's another groin injury. The Blackhawks slogged through a long Khabibulin injury last year with Patrick Lalime in net (and even Corey Crawford from Rockford for a night). Filling in for a week is one thing, but filling in for three is a world different.

I thought we'd be okay this year. Huet was battling for the starting position. And let me tell you, it was a good fight. The two worked in a beautiful tandem. Khabi was generally the "big game" goalie, but otherwise, the two just alternated; and just dominated! Similar--but on a smaller scale--to the two-headed monster in Boston (Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez). You take one of those netminders out of the loop, though, and things eventually change.

I say "eventually" because Huet held his own and made me truly grateful that we had a second starter rather than a back-up. However, after two weeks, the exhaustion begins to set in....and then it begins to show.

Just one week ago, the Blackhawks skated into the third period with a 3-1 lead over the Predators. Statistically, the team in the lead going into the third period is overwhelmingly favored (something like 85%). The Blackhawks then proceeded to give up 2 goals at the beginning of the period to allow the game to be tied. They continued by allowing two more back-to-back goals later on in the period and lost 5-3.

Not surprisingly, Joel Quennville gave Huet a break against Kings and let newly aquired Antti Niemi have the start. The Finnish Niemi made 22 saves and led the Blackhawks to a 4-2 win.

Tonight, facing a more daunting opponent in the Anaheim Ducks, Q gave Huet his mask back. The game started out well enough. The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first period. And this, just to give it all back in about 4 minutes in the second period. Both were Huet miscues. The first came when Huet got the puck stolen from him while behind the net. The second came when he accidentally got his stick caught on his own player and lost it.

I love to hate Huet and beg to have Khabi back, but tonight I realized that we wouldn't be in this position if Khabi weren't made of glass. Do I want Khabi gone? Not at all. Until this injury, he's been great this year. I just remember why we felt the way we did last year.

Cassel vs. Haynesworth

Cassel or Haynesworth? Czarnecki agrees with me:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9282830/Reviewing-the-first-weekend-of-NFL-free-agency

Cassel is a bigger deal for a few reasons:

1.The Cassel deal will have implications in the NFL for years to come.

Cutler wants out of Denver because of this deal. The Pats are gonna be up the creek without a paddle when Brady goes down again. The Chiefs have a good QB now.



2. The Redskins dump money on big name free agents every year.

And they win the Superbowl every year. No, they don't. They spend money willy nilly. Haynesworth is just another in a long line of free agents they spent a ton of money on.









3. Albert Haynesworth stomps on people. Literally.

Remember? He's that guy. He's a punk. Trouble maker. Hot head. He'll do something dumb again and get suspended again.

Biggest Deal in Free Agency?

At the risk of being called a moron :) I have to disagree with Bryce and say that Albert Haynesworth's deal is bigger than Matt Cassel's and here's why...


1. Cassel still has a lot to prove
I won't deny that something unbelievable happened in New England last year. The Patriots lost their leader, their best player, their star QB, all rolled into one Mr. Tom Brady in Week 1. And on came this kid who hadn't started a game since high school, takes his team to 11-5 and narrowly misses the playoffs (although they finished much better than the San Diego Chargers).
However, have we already forgotten the debate that came up after the kid started his success? Was Cassel really that great? Or was he just the product of a wonderful offensive system? No one has yet proven that it really was Cassel. It certainly doesn't hurt when you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker catching the ball for you.

2. The Chiefs aren't exactly a 'dream team'
Let's be honest, they went 2-14 in the 2008-09 season. Their best receiver is their tight end, Tony Gonzalez. Larry Johnson is out of the picture (not that he was worth much last year anway) and they don't really have any prospects right now to fill his vacancy. Other than Dwayne Bowe, you've probably never heard of their wide receivers. Cassel has a lot on his plate and not much to work with. Without the Patriots offensive schemes, will Cassel be able to produce?

3. Haynesworth's deal is big
He's getting $100 million over 7 years. That makes him the highest paid non-QB in the league. Haynesworth was probably one of few that you could name from the Titans defense, and they've lost him, which is quite notable. Beyond that, the Redskins have just made their relatively strong defense even stronger. They have impressive defensive stats, but allowed teams to drive on them late in the game several times last year. Had the Redskins been able to hang on and win those games, they would have bested the Eagles who barely scraped by into the playoffs before making a run until the NFC Championship. Haynesworth can be the change that the Redskins need.
I have to hand it to Cassel, he did make a significant improvement as far as money is concerned. In case you didn't catch Bryce's post, he's making over $14 million this year, but at the cost of playing for a struggling team that needs time before it's ready to contend. If Cassel does well this year with the Chiefs, I'll shut up. But I think he has a lot to prove before we call him a hero.

The Matt Cassel Deal: Winners and Losers

The biggest deal that has gone down thus far this offseason has been the trade of Matt Cassel. Some would say it's Haynesworth signing with the 'Skins...but they're obviously morons. He's overpaid and is just riding off of one really good year. He won't do much now that he's making the big bucks. Cassel's deal is the biggest for a number of reasons, some of which I'll touch upon here. Suffice it to say that it will have a longer lasting impact on the league than Albert's big fat pay day. So, who were the winner's in this deal, and who were the losers?

- Big Winners: The Chiefs

They got what should be a pretty good quarterback for years to come for a second round draft pick? How did they manage this you ask? See my earlier reply to Spencer asking the same question. They should celebrate with this awesome mid-90's helmet graphic.

- Runner-Up: Matt Cassel Himself

A year ago at this time he was holding a clipboard. No one had ever heard of him. From an NFL point of view, he wasn't making much money. Now, he's a starter, for a decently respectable NFL franchise. I mean, they haven't been good for a few years, but they're not like the Bengals or the Bears or anything. And he's making a lot more money. The only reason that he doesn't get first place is that he let the Patriots franchise him, so he wasn't able to play the free agent market or pick his team. But I still don't feel too bad for him.

- Losers: The Patriots

Dumb move here by Beli-cheat and the 18-1'ers. I get why they traded him: cap space. They were too short sighted though, there's no guarantee that Tom Brady is going to come back from a devastating knee injury and a long, messy, complication-filled recovery and be the same dream-boat QB he was before. In fact, chances are against that happening. So, they shoulda kept Cassel, paid him the big money for a year, and then if Brady worked out they could have traded him, and if not then they had insurance. I guess $14.65 million was too much for insurance in their minds.

- Big Losers: The Broncos

Honestly, what were they thinking? I guess Josh McDaniels, former Pats offensive coordinator, prefered his golden boy to the quarterback he inherited. Well, I think it has a chance of costing him his job. Cutler wants out, and unlike some, I don't blame him. And, they failed to land Cassel. Worse yet, this is all going on within the AFC West. So, if they can't find a way to calm Cutler down and keep him around, they'll be QB-less while they're division rivals are looking set with a shiny new QB. Tell me they won't be calling for McDaniels' head in the Mile High City if the Chiefs beat the Cutler-less Broncos this season. Therefore, they are the biggest, most ridiculous looking losers in this scenario.

Pray for these guys...

A few NFL players went missing off the coast of Florida.
Pray for them.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9282620/Scene-from-a-gloomy-Gulf-Coast

A response to Spencer's question

ESPN & Chris Mortensen have some good ideas with regards to why they traded Cassel to whom they did for what they did:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-6-0/Why-would-Pats-turn-down-12th-pick-for-Cassel-.html

'Cut' Deep

It's come to Jay Cutler's attention that his new coach tried to deal him in a three-way trade involving the Patriots, Bucaneers, and Broncos. In the proposed deal, Cutler would have gone to Tampa Bay (who desperately need a quarterback to replace Jeff Garcia), Tampa would in turn give the Patriots 1st and 3rd round draft picks, who would then give the Broncos Matt Cassel.

This is after the Broncos hired former Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, to replace long-time headcoach, Mike Shanahan. Obviously, McDaniels would feel more comfortable with a familiar quarterback (and a young, up-and-comer at that), but should he have put Cutler out there if he didn't know that he could get Cassel for sure?

Either way, Cutler has now found out about the trade proposal and is (for lack of a better term) rather disenchanted with McDaniels. Can you blame him? Offering Cutler as trade bait shows that McDaniels doesn't trust him or believe that he already has a competent quarterback. Cutler's alienation has people wondering whether he'll stay in Denver

The worst part is that the Broncos are still denying that they ever proposed trading Cutler, rather than 'fessing up' and trying to patch things up with Cutler. If amends are not made quickly, Cutler may hold out or demand a trade. That will leave the Broncos scrambling for a new quarterback in a fairly narrow free agent market. Hey, maybe they can give Kurt Warner a call or see if the Chiefs (who actually got Cassel) want to trade straight-up.

Now, the question is: should Cutler stay? As I said earlier, when a new coach tries to deal you without even giving you a shot, you don't tend to believe he has a lot of confidence in you. However, the Broncos have not been slackers this free agency period. They've signed Jabar Gaffney, who will make a nice slot receiver among Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Also, they've signed some marginal backs, J.J. Arrington and Correll Buckhalter, to keep from having to go three deep into their practice squad. Not to mention the notable signing of ex-Eagle Brian Dawkins on defense. Maybe right now isn't the best time to be leaving Denver. If you can all think back to the beginning of this year, the Broncos were looking to be a real contender. This was, of course, BEFORE a curse was placed on all their running backs that turned them all into glass. Also, Brandon Marshall proved this weekend that he can't stay out of trouble STILL.

Another question that's worth considering is: if this proposal was made, why did the Patriots decide to trade both Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a second round (34th overall) pick instead of taking the Bucaneers 1st round (19th overall) and 3rd round picks for just Cassel? A real head-scratcher.

Time will tell what happens to Cutler in the Broncos, but I don't think it's going to end up the way any of them want it to.

Couldn't seem to find the right video

So I was gonna post a link to the video after which we named our blog, but I don't think that a video clip exists anywhere on planet earth. I searched for entirely too long. All that I could find was that it's officially called, "Wish Maker's Color Commentary" and that it originally aired in January '07. Soooo....here's another funny SNL sports clip instead: