San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula announced at a press conference earlier this week that he has decided to bench starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Niners (2-6) are off to their worst start since 2010, the year before former head coach Jim Harbaugh was with the team.
"I met with the quarterbacks on Monday. I've made a decision to go with Blaine Gabbert this week. It was a tough decision," said Tomsula.
Gabbert, a former first-round draft pick, selected No.10 overall in 2011 by the Jacksonville Jaguars was traded to the Niners in 2014. he [Gabbert] has 23 passing touchdowns, 24 touchdowns and 4,395 yards for his career, so far. In his last three games as a starter in Jacksonville (2013), Gabbert had one touchdown, seven interceptions, 481 yards passing while only completing 48 percent of his passes.
"In no way is 2-6 all on Colin Kaepernick. That's all of us"
Kaepernick, 28, has over 10,000 career passing yards, 56 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions in his four years as the full-time starter. Tomsula said that he wants Kaepernick to be able to just "step back" and look at things through a different lens.
Kapernick has a career record of 27-20 as a starter (regular season).
Coach Tomsula says that he's seen Gabbert improve in the two years since he's been with the team and he feels that this is the correct decision for the team right now. he[Tomsula] never came out and said if this were a long-term decision. He said that this is the decision, this week, going into Atlanta.
Through the first eight weeks of this season Kaepernick has 1,615 passing yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions while completing 59 percent of his passes. Also, adding a rushing touchdown.
We can't honestly sit here and pretend as if this is a move that's going to hurt Kaepernick. This move hurts the team and Tomsula, essentially. After trading former all-pro Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos Monday, it seems as if the 49ers are in full rebuild mode. Davis was the last foundation piece to what the Niners had used to build around Kaepernick. Frank Gore had departed over the summer, going to Indianapolis; the once intimidating defense is not the same as it was just two years ago, or one for that matter, with defensive lineman Justin Smith and Aldon Smith no longer on the team, or former team captain and all-pro linebacker Patrick Willis.
The defense is currently ranked 28 out of 32 in yards per game, 23 of 32 in points per game.
Expectations and anticipation are hurting the perception of Kaepernick. After seeing him go to the Super Bowl and two NFC Championship games so early in career, we became use to seeing him win and after losing in the fashion that he and the Niners are it's only normal that we question weather or not he's declining. His recent failures have, in my opinion, have been most in-part due to his lack of talent around him. Sure, Carlos Hyde is going to be a very good running back. However, it's his first year as the starter, he has to learn and grow and also overcome these injury issues that he's dealing with right now.
The Niners are struggling right now on both sides of the ball. Kaepernick takes the blame because he's the quarterback ... They [quarterbacks] take the glory, too ... but in reality the team isn't very good and his talent at the receiver position isn't the same as it was in the 2013 season.
Receivers in 2015: Anquan Boldin (35 years old), Vernon Davis (31), Torrey Smith, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington
Receivers in 2013: Michael Crabtree, Anquan Bolin (33 at the time), Vernon Davis (29), Kyle Williams, Quinton Patton.
Also, he had Frank Gore a hall-of-fame running back who took a great deal of pressure off of him and the passing game.
Being "benched" is never a good thing for a players confidence. But Tomsula could be trying to salvage him from the media's perception of his abilities. I don't know if pulling the Gabbert card is the answer this early in the season. Maybe coach Tomsula is seeing something that we aren't from Gabbert? or MAYBE he's seen a breakdown approaching with Kaepernick through frustration?
The benching of Kaepernick is either Tomsula's way of saying that the team needs a fresh start and Kaepernick might not be the answer like they assumed before resigning him to a long-term contract. Or it's his way of saving Kaepernick on a season in which they've clearly struggled in and would like to keep his confidence high, as well as his winning percentage as a starter.
Talk Sports. Live Life. All opinions are my own. If you want you can agree with me. "To be the man, you gotta beat the man" - Ric Flair
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Is 2015 The Year of the Underdog?
NBA Predictions for the 2015-16 Season
Monday, November 2, 2015
Patience and Persistence
In a day and age where we crave having information fast and we want to know everything at the moment it happens, social media allowing us to do so, we often forget the importance of patience when it comes to our lives. We, as a society, sometimes forget to enjoy and appreciate the process of progress in life or as some would say the "journey of life".
But, in a time where we have the ability to give and receive information almost every second of the day, is it right to blame any person that tries to rush success or become impatient with their life's progress? Even though you should remember a rushed product might also lead to failure and a lack of patience in life can lead to that same result. This can be applied to any profession and almost any situation.
Oct. 23 the New Orleans Pelicans announced that they had waived guard, Sean Kilpatrick after signing him a little over a month prior to this.
Kilpatrick, 25, was an first-team All-American his senior year at the University of Cincinnati. He was also a Wooden award and Naismith trophy finalist; he [Kilpatrick] is the second leading scorer in team history (2,145 points) behind Oscar Robertson, better known as "The Big O" (2,973).
After not being drafted in 2014, Kilpatrick was picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers to play in with their summer league team - averaging an impressive 11.5 points per game on 44 percent shooting - but his performance didn't appear to strong enough to land him a roster spot for the regular season team. However, he would be able to make his NBA debut in the 2014-15 season after being signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in March to a 10-day contract. But, after appearing in four games and averaging 5.5 points, the team decided to move forward without giving him a contract extension.
He [Kilpatrick] also made a brief stop in Golden State before being waived by the Warriors soon after being signed early in October of the 2014 season.
A tenacious Kilpatrick would be picked up again for the 2015 summer league, this time with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and shooting 47 percent from the field, averaging 28 minutes per game. However, once again, his performance wouldn't be strong enough to earn him a roster spot.
In September it seemed Kilpatrick had found his spot and would finally get his chance to show the NBA what he's made of. - clearly a great shooter with a lot of potential, especially on offense, to contribute to a team - when it was announced that the New Orleans Pelicans had signed the young guard. And with Tyreke Evans going down and Jrue Holiday being a liability due to previous injury issues, it was looking promising that Kilpatrick would get ample playing time with the chance to contribute to a young team on the rise. Unfortunately, like the times before, he wouldn't get that opportunity. Kilpatrick would be waived from the team in October for veteran guard Nate Robinson - who wold later be waived by the team as well.
Sean Kilpatrick is on a journey like many other players, currently and previously, breaking into any professional business is hard. Breaking into professional sports is that much more difficult, especially the NBA. In a league in which teams only hold only 14-15 players on a roster and there are hundreds of guys fighting for an opportunity, it's almost impossible. However, Kilpatrick has shown growth in his game and he continues to strive for his goal and getting a guaranteed contract and a roster spot.
I'm confident that with his will and determination, when and if the right opportunity comes, Kilpatrick will be ready to contribute. His story is a common one and we've seen players year after year trying to break through to the next level all the time. Some players fail to make it on an NBA court, some are skilled and fortunate enough to be in the right system and things work out for them, and some players get their opportunity after years in the developmental league (NBA D-League) or overseas and capitalize on that opportunity.
Like any job/career, timing and your fit to the company/system can make or break your performance... in sports that's especially true... When you wait for the right opportunity and when the feeling and timing is right then you have a better chance of performing at a higher level and your chances to succeed can be greater.
Remember, CONSISTENT hard work pays off, and timing is key.
But, in a time where we have the ability to give and receive information almost every second of the day, is it right to blame any person that tries to rush success or become impatient with their life's progress? Even though you should remember a rushed product might also lead to failure and a lack of patience in life can lead to that same result. This can be applied to any profession and almost any situation.
Oct. 23 the New Orleans Pelicans announced that they had waived guard, Sean Kilpatrick after signing him a little over a month prior to this.
Kilpatrick, 25, was an first-team All-American his senior year at the University of Cincinnati. He was also a Wooden award and Naismith trophy finalist; he [Kilpatrick] is the second leading scorer in team history (2,145 points) behind Oscar Robertson, better known as "The Big O" (2,973).
After not being drafted in 2014, Kilpatrick was picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers to play in with their summer league team - averaging an impressive 11.5 points per game on 44 percent shooting - but his performance didn't appear to strong enough to land him a roster spot for the regular season team. However, he would be able to make his NBA debut in the 2014-15 season after being signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in March to a 10-day contract. But, after appearing in four games and averaging 5.5 points, the team decided to move forward without giving him a contract extension.
He [Kilpatrick] also made a brief stop in Golden State before being waived by the Warriors soon after being signed early in October of the 2014 season.
A tenacious Kilpatrick would be picked up again for the 2015 summer league, this time with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and shooting 47 percent from the field, averaging 28 minutes per game. However, once again, his performance wouldn't be strong enough to earn him a roster spot.
In September it seemed Kilpatrick had found his spot and would finally get his chance to show the NBA what he's made of. - clearly a great shooter with a lot of potential, especially on offense, to contribute to a team - when it was announced that the New Orleans Pelicans had signed the young guard. And with Tyreke Evans going down and Jrue Holiday being a liability due to previous injury issues, it was looking promising that Kilpatrick would get ample playing time with the chance to contribute to a young team on the rise. Unfortunately, like the times before, he wouldn't get that opportunity. Kilpatrick would be waived from the team in October for veteran guard Nate Robinson - who wold later be waived by the team as well.
Sean Kilpatrick is on a journey like many other players, currently and previously, breaking into any professional business is hard. Breaking into professional sports is that much more difficult, especially the NBA. In a league in which teams only hold only 14-15 players on a roster and there are hundreds of guys fighting for an opportunity, it's almost impossible. However, Kilpatrick has shown growth in his game and he continues to strive for his goal and getting a guaranteed contract and a roster spot.
I'm confident that with his will and determination, when and if the right opportunity comes, Kilpatrick will be ready to contribute. His story is a common one and we've seen players year after year trying to break through to the next level all the time. Some players fail to make it on an NBA court, some are skilled and fortunate enough to be in the right system and things work out for them, and some players get their opportunity after years in the developmental league (NBA D-League) or overseas and capitalize on that opportunity.
Like any job/career, timing and your fit to the company/system can make or break your performance... in sports that's especially true... When you wait for the right opportunity and when the feeling and timing is right then you have a better chance of performing at a higher level and your chances to succeed can be greater.
Remember, CONSISTENT hard work pays off, and timing is key.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Texans Releasing Mallett Was Good... For Mallett
Ryan Mallett was released on Tuesday, October 27, by the Houston Texans for missing the teams flight to Miami on Sunday, a game in which the Texans were embarrassed by the Dolphins 44-26. It was reported that Mallett missed his flight due to oversleeping that morning.
Mallett, 27, was drafted in the third round in 2011 to the New England Patriots. After backing up Tom Brady for three years, Mallet was traded, in 2014, to the Houston Texans for a conditional 2016 sixth or seventh-round draft pick. He got his first chance to start, week 11 of the 2014 season, against the Cleveland Browns. In that game he passed for 211 yard, two touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes to defeat the Cleveland Browns 23-7. The next week he had his season ended early due to an injury against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Entering the 2015-16 season it wasn't clear who head coach Bill O'Brien would name the starter, between Mallet and former and Cleveland Brown quarterback Brian Hoyer. When the season opener came around, Hoyer would be named the starter against the Kansas City Chiefs week one. At the end of the game Mallet was put in the game to replace Hoyer but the Texans were still on the losing end, coming up short 27-20. Mallet would also get the opportunity to start in the next four games following week one. In those four games, he [Mallett] passed for 672 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, with a record of 1-3. In week five vs the Indianapolis Colts, on Thursday Night Football, he was pulled in the second quarter for Hoyer who would out-perform Mallet. After being sidelined they continued to show the frustrated Mallett pacing the sidelines. That would be the last opportunity that Mallet would get as a starter in Houston for coach O'Brien.
It was reported Sunday Morning that Mallett did not travel with the team. It would come out later that he was didn't travel because he said that he overslept, resulting in him missing the flight.
Mallett for most of his career, pro and college, has been put in a bad position to succeed and be the long-term answer for a team.
Coming out of high school, Mallett was a five-star recruit and one of the top prospects in the country and would commit to Michigan. After his freshman season, Mallett would then have to deal with the offense changing over as Lloyd Carr retired and the team would name, now Arizona and former West Virginia head coach, Rich Rodriguez as the new head coach. Rodriguez had a much different offensive system than coach Carr, a system that didn't fit well with Mallett's style of play. After Michigan announced the new coaching regime, Mallett transferred to Arkansas where he would have to sit out his first year. He played the 2009 and 2010 season as the starter for the Arkansas Razorbacks - passing for 7,493 yards, 62 touchdowns and 19 touchdowns - declaring for the NFL after his junior season. He was drafted in the third round to the Patriots organization and he would have the benefit of sitting behind Tom Brady and learn more about the quarterback position at the professional level from one of the greatest to ever play the position.
Being traded to the Texans in 2014 seemed to be the gate opening for Mallett to be a starter. However, over the offseason, when the Texans signed Brian Hoyer the more the doubt grew that Mallet was going to be the leader of this offense. After losing out to Hoyer, it was clear that O'Brien didn't have much faith in Mallet as a starter. This Texans team doesn't seem to have much stability and after getting off to an rough start (2-5) it appears that they aren't even sure if Hoyer is the answer.
Mallett, now a free agent, may benefit the most from this situation the more you look at it.
The Texans look bad, I don't think they'll be able to recover from this poor start, they look to be fighting for the no.1 pick more than a playoff spot at this point. Mallett might not be a starter again this season, but I can think of three teams that could use him on their rosters right now - San Francisco, Dallas, and Cleveland would all be good fits for Mallett and he could be one player being injured away from receiving that phone call. You never know, given the right opportunity, Mallett could one day get his chance to prove he could be a starting quarterback in this league.
Mallett, 27, was drafted in the third round in 2011 to the New England Patriots. After backing up Tom Brady for three years, Mallet was traded, in 2014, to the Houston Texans for a conditional 2016 sixth or seventh-round draft pick. He got his first chance to start, week 11 of the 2014 season, against the Cleveland Browns. In that game he passed for 211 yard, two touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes to defeat the Cleveland Browns 23-7. The next week he had his season ended early due to an injury against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Entering the 2015-16 season it wasn't clear who head coach Bill O'Brien would name the starter, between Mallet and former and Cleveland Brown quarterback Brian Hoyer. When the season opener came around, Hoyer would be named the starter against the Kansas City Chiefs week one. At the end of the game Mallet was put in the game to replace Hoyer but the Texans were still on the losing end, coming up short 27-20. Mallet would also get the opportunity to start in the next four games following week one. In those four games, he [Mallett] passed for 672 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, with a record of 1-3. In week five vs the Indianapolis Colts, on Thursday Night Football, he was pulled in the second quarter for Hoyer who would out-perform Mallet. After being sidelined they continued to show the frustrated Mallett pacing the sidelines. That would be the last opportunity that Mallet would get as a starter in Houston for coach O'Brien.
It was reported Sunday Morning that Mallett did not travel with the team. It would come out later that he was didn't travel because he said that he overslept, resulting in him missing the flight.
Mallett for most of his career, pro and college, has been put in a bad position to succeed and be the long-term answer for a team.
Coming out of high school, Mallett was a five-star recruit and one of the top prospects in the country and would commit to Michigan. After his freshman season, Mallett would then have to deal with the offense changing over as Lloyd Carr retired and the team would name, now Arizona and former West Virginia head coach, Rich Rodriguez as the new head coach. Rodriguez had a much different offensive system than coach Carr, a system that didn't fit well with Mallett's style of play. After Michigan announced the new coaching regime, Mallett transferred to Arkansas where he would have to sit out his first year. He played the 2009 and 2010 season as the starter for the Arkansas Razorbacks - passing for 7,493 yards, 62 touchdowns and 19 touchdowns - declaring for the NFL after his junior season. He was drafted in the third round to the Patriots organization and he would have the benefit of sitting behind Tom Brady and learn more about the quarterback position at the professional level from one of the greatest to ever play the position.
Being traded to the Texans in 2014 seemed to be the gate opening for Mallett to be a starter. However, over the offseason, when the Texans signed Brian Hoyer the more the doubt grew that Mallet was going to be the leader of this offense. After losing out to Hoyer, it was clear that O'Brien didn't have much faith in Mallet as a starter. This Texans team doesn't seem to have much stability and after getting off to an rough start (2-5) it appears that they aren't even sure if Hoyer is the answer.
Mallett, now a free agent, may benefit the most from this situation the more you look at it.
The Texans look bad, I don't think they'll be able to recover from this poor start, they look to be fighting for the no.1 pick more than a playoff spot at this point. Mallett might not be a starter again this season, but I can think of three teams that could use him on their rosters right now - San Francisco, Dallas, and Cleveland would all be good fits for Mallett and he could be one player being injured away from receiving that phone call. You never know, given the right opportunity, Mallett could one day get his chance to prove he could be a starting quarterback in this league.
Friday, October 23, 2015
NFL: Five Things from Week 6
Flashback Friday: Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef Abdur-Rahim was drafted no.3 overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies. Abdur-Rahim spent his first five years with the Grizzlies before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2001, which helped land the Grizzlies current NBA all-pro Pau Gasol. In 2000, Abdur-Rahim was on the U.S. Olympic team that took home the Gold medal in Sydney, Australia.
Abdur -Rahim played 12 seasons in the NBA and was named to the NBA all-star team in the 2001-02 season. He also did a little acting through his NBA career, playing a role as himself on the popular sitcom 'The Jamie Foxx Show'. Adbur-Rahim had a very impressive career averaging 18 points per game and 7.5 rebounds; six seasons he averaged over 20 points per game ('98-'02 & '04).
After leaving the Atlanta Hawks in '02, Abdur-Rahim had a small stint with the Portland Trailblazers - '03-'05 - before joining the Sacramento Kings, where he would spend his three final seasons as a player. His career would end after suffering numerous injuries and after the '07-'08 season he would decide to hang up his basketball shoes for good. He didn't have a hall-of-fame career, no, but his style of play during that time was something that teams had trouble guarding and his mid-range shooting ability was one thing that made him such a special big man.
Looking back, I can honestly say that him being drafted no.3 in the 1996 draft speaks volumes for the type of skills that he had and displayed.
Notable players he was drafted ahead of: Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakavic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal.
Abdur -Rahim played 12 seasons in the NBA and was named to the NBA all-star team in the 2001-02 season. He also did a little acting through his NBA career, playing a role as himself on the popular sitcom 'The Jamie Foxx Show'. Adbur-Rahim had a very impressive career averaging 18 points per game and 7.5 rebounds; six seasons he averaged over 20 points per game ('98-'02 & '04).
After leaving the Atlanta Hawks in '02, Abdur-Rahim had a small stint with the Portland Trailblazers - '03-'05 - before joining the Sacramento Kings, where he would spend his three final seasons as a player. His career would end after suffering numerous injuries and after the '07-'08 season he would decide to hang up his basketball shoes for good. He didn't have a hall-of-fame career, no, but his style of play during that time was something that teams had trouble guarding and his mid-range shooting ability was one thing that made him such a special big man.
Looking back, I can honestly say that him being drafted no.3 in the 1996 draft speaks volumes for the type of skills that he had and displayed.
Notable players he was drafted ahead of: Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakavic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal.
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