Will the real Geno Smith please stand up?
March 22, 2013
@nick_speed
On Thursday the Buffalo Bills brought in former West Virginia standout QB Geno Smith to meet with team officials. Today Smith performed a private workout in front of coaches and staff. After releasing struggling QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo is searching for the QB of the future. All signs indicate that Smith will be the new face of Bills’ organization. Many draft experts have the Bills using their 1st round selection on Smith after his impressive workout at the combine. There are still critics of Geno Smith’s game however, after an inconsistent senior campaign. ESPN analyst Merril Hoge thinks Smith isn’t worth a 1st round pick, due to his erratic accuracy.
Which QB will Buffalo get if they decide to take a flyer on Geno Smith? The explosive QB who didn’t throw an interception until Week 6? Or the QB that looked mighty average during the team’s 5 game losing streak? Despite a mid season slump, Geno had a great senior year. He threw for 4,205 yards, 42 TD, and only 6 INTs. At the end of Week 5 Smith already amassed 1,996 passing yards and 24 TDs. Smith was the leading candidate for the Heisman early in the year, and virtually a lock for the 1st overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Smith’s Heisman hype cooled however during West Virginia’s 5 game slump that eliminated them from any chance at a Big 12 title or BCS bowl game. Despite questions on Smith’s accuracy, he is still a 1st round talent. Especially when you consider that this isn’t a great draft class for QB’s already. The Buffalo Bill’s are scrambling to find a franchise QB after the failed Ryan Fitzpatrick experiment, and Geno Smith would be a good fit. With CJ Spiller and Steve Johnson already in the fold, the Bills have some solid weapons in place for Smith to be productive. This past season the Bills ranked 6th in rushing yards pg. If the Bills select Geno with 8th overall pick, new head coach Doug Marrone will have some of work cut out for him though. His team must find a way to duplicate last year’s ground attack if Geno will have any shot at a descent rookie campaign.
Miami just keeps on winning.. can they be stopped?
March 16, 2013
@nick_speed
The Miami Heat have looked virtually unstoppable over the past couple of months. The NBA hasn’t seen a streak like this since the 70’s, in which the 1972 LA Lakers won an unprecedented 33 straight games. The Heat became 1 of only 6 teams in NBA History to win 20+ consecutive games. This team is truly amazing to watch. Despite being 30th in the league in rebounding, Miami has still managed to dominate by creating matchup problems at every position. Miami’s best lineup features “The Big Three” along with Ray Allen and Shane Battier. This lineup has outscored others teams by 32+ ppg in “crunch time” (5 mins left to go, in a game decided by 5 points or less). By surrounding 3 All Stars with accurate 3 point shooters in Battier and Allen, Erik Spoelstra has created an unstoppable lineup.
The Heat haven’t lost since their trip to Indiana on February 1st, 102-89. During this 21 game tear, 13 wins have been by double digits. At 50-14, their Southwest Division lead over the Atlanta Hawks has ballooned to 14.5 games. This team’s recent run of excellence starts and ends with LeBron James. His eye popping numbers set the tone for the rest of the Heat’s roster. LBJ is averaging 26 ppg, 8 rpg, and 7 apg (leading the team in all 3 categories). James’ presence gives his teammates opportunities for easy baskets. This especially makes the sharpshooters (Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Rashard Lewis) happy, they are all shooting at least 40% from distance.
After watching this team defeat any and everyone in their path, the question now becomes when will they lose again? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this team broke the 72′ Lakers NBA record. Bill Sharman, Hall of Famer and the coach of that team agrees.
“It is certainly a possibility that the Heat could break our 33-game winning streak,” Sharman told Fox Sports Florida. “The record has held for 41 years, and all of us that participated in it are very proud to have been part of that season. However, [Heat president] Pat Riley has put together an amazing team, and I have to admit this one makes me a little nervous.”
Miami’s pursuit of the record won’t be easy. 7 of their next 10 games are on the road. They travel to Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio and will face some tough tests from those savvy veteran teams. In the grand scheme of the things, whether they win 34 straight games or not will not effect their chances at a title. Their play over the course of this season does however does make them the clear favorites to win the title.
Daily O’s
March 7, 2013
@nick_speed
Today topics: Heat’s winning streak, Kobe Bryant’s big night, Blues Hockey, and more…
SLUH just keeps on winning
Photo Courtesy of
March 5, 2012
@nick_speed
The SLUH Billikens (#16) head into Wednesday’s showdown against Xavier riding a 11 game winning streak. The last time SLUH lost a game was January 19th. The Billikens just seem to have a will to win when it matters the most this year. Last Saturday VCU reeked havoc against the Butler Bulldogs in a 32 point blowout. SLUH also beat this very good VCU team with ease during their current streak, 76-62. If the Billikens can get a win tomorrow, they will clinch the A10 Division and an automatic bid for March Madness.
Lead by Junior Dwayne Evans and his 12 pts, 7 rebs pg, 9 of the last 11 St. Louis victories have been by double digits. The Billikens have been suffocating opponents, limiting them to a conference low 57.9 points per game. As of late, this team looks very capable of reaching the Elite 8. SLUH leads VCU in the A10 by 1 game. With a win they can also gain the top seed in the conference tournament.
The last time these 2 teams faced off, Xavier beat SLUH 71-64 in the A10 tournament semifinals in a revenge game. The Billikens swept the Musketeers during last year’s regular season.
(picture from theurbandaily.com)
The city of Chicago has been the epicenter of street violence for the past few years, especially when it pertains to violence in the Black community. More recently the violence in Chicago has reached national attention as the world has already its mind on focused on violence with the gun control debate. Today I viewed the morning news as always and noticed that the current murder rate in Chicago was down over the past month. In January Chicago experienced over 40 murders, and during the month of February only 14 murders occurred. Many might see this as great gain towards reducing violence, however I believer that it is just the calm before the storm.
Warm weather is something all of us look forward to every year, especially after a long hard winter. When we think of summer we think…
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Rams look to reload in the Draft
Photo Courtesy of Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpardue/4864457632/
March 2, 2013
@nick_speed
With the upcoming NFL draft 54 days away, the St. Louis Rams are looking to bolster their roster and improve upon last year’s 7-8-1 record. All Pro RB Steven Jackson is unlikely to resign, so St. Louis needs to start building around their $50 million dollar man Sam Bradford. The Rams have 8 picks in April’s draft, 2 in the 1st round. They will need to take advantage of every pick in order to keep up with Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West. St. Louis could use an upgrade at WR, OL, and I also wouldn’t mind them drafting a pass rushing LB/DE.
If the Rams can manage to snatch Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings, then by all means… Despite missing 7 games last year, when healthy Harvin is a matchup nightmare. He is a productive receiver and can provide a big boost to the Rams return game. However, there is a WR I think the Rams should take a flyer on if available…
Tavon Austin/ WR / West Virginia: Austin is not the biggest receiver at 5’8, but he makes it up with his elite speed. He ran a blazing 4.34 at the combine. This past year he hauled in 114 passes for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012-13. Tavon is WR with great footwork, and an superb route-runner. He is has a knack for making defenders miss and thrives in open space. Like Percy Harvin, Austin could make big plays for the Rams’ special teams unit.
Other Players that need to be on the Rams’ radar…
Shamarko Thomas/ S / Syracuse: This past year he racked up 84 tackles (60 solo), and 2 INT. A hard hitting safety that reminds you of a healthy Bob Sanders. Coaches say he’s a workout warrior, and he provided them right in his workouts. He wowed scouts during footwork drills, even besting some of the CBs. Thomas possesses a solid 5’10 frame, as well as top end speed. He ran a unofficial 4.38, had 28 reps on the bench press, and a ridiculous 40.5 inch vertical. The Rams could use an athlete with Thomas’ skill set. Quintin Mikell is due $9 million this upcoming year, which is pretty expensive for an aging safety. Look for St. Louis, to look to add a safety to replace Mikell.
Cornelius Washington/ DE/OLB /Georgia: At 6’4″, 265 pounds, Washington is an intimidating presence at linebacker. He out benched all the LBs at the Combine with 36 reps (Only 2 LINEMAN fared better on the bench press). Not only does he have the size, he has the athletic ability to play inside and outside backer with 4.55 speed and a 39 inch vertical. The Rams could use a run stopper like Washington, who also possess the ability to drop back in coverage.
Terron Armstead/OL/Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Armstead has an unmatched athletic ability for his size. At 6’5, 306 pounds, he ran a blistering 4.71 40 yard dash, crushing the combine record for lineman. His amazing workout at the combine has him shooting up teams’ draft boards. NFL scouts are chomping at the bits, finding ways to utilize Armstead’s abilities. For Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Pro Day, teams are interested in seeing him do some TE/H-Back drills. The Rams would be wise to draft someone with this kind of talent to protect Sam Bradford.
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