Chargers Given A Gift

The Chargers were handed a playoff spot...no other way to put it.  Not only did they have to have the Ravens and Dolphins both of their last two games, but they needed a blown 41 yard field goal and at least one (and in my opinion, two) blown calls by the refs.  By now everyone knows the Chargers were lined up in an illegal formation on the field goal attempt at the end of regulation, but I also think it was a quick whistle on the fake punt in overtime.

Don't know what to think about this Charger team.   They've beaten the Colts at home and the Eagles, Chiefs, and Broncos all on the road, yet have losses to the Texans, Raiders, and Redskins. And now they almost lose a game against the Chiefs' backups with a playoff spot on the line.  If you understand this team please let me in on it.

Three weeks ago when the Dolphins upset the Patriots I figured the playoff chance had realistically ended for the Chargers.  Dolphins needed just one win against the Bills or Jets in the last two weeks to clinch a spot.  Talking to a co-worker (who is a Bronco fan) we were already discussing the possibility of a Colts-Broncos rematch after the Bengals eliminated the Dolphins and the Colts end the Chiefs season.  Go figure that the Dolphins only score 7 points in those final two games.  At the time the Ravens had the last playoff spot in the AFC, but I predicted to my co-worker that they would lose to the Pats and Bengals, so thought they would hand the last spot to the Dolphins. 

No way the Chargers deserved to win yesterdays game.  No way did they should have even had the chance.  So what now for the Chargers?  If I'm in the Charger organization I would have walked into the locker room this morning and said to the team, "We were given a gift...now lets go do something with it!"

They're a TD underdogs to the Bengals, and rightfully so.  With the exception of the QB spot, the Bengals are a superior team and the Chargers lost to the Bengals 17-10 at home in Week 13. Look closer at that game though, and you would see that the Chargers turned the ball over twice deep in Bengals territory (fumble by Antonio Gates and an INT by Rivers on a pass that was caught by Gates, but ripped out of Gates hands). The score was also tied 7-7 at the half.

In all honesty, it's going to take a lot better game offensively then they played the last time (or this past Sunday against the Chiefs) and they need a better effort by the defense...but they've shown they have that ability at times this season. The defense, terrible for most of the season, held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the season (20) and also the Broncos 3rd lowest (28).  The offense has also been able to protect that defense at times by leading the league in 10 play drives, time of possession, and #1 in 3rd down conversion percentage. 

So the Chargers have it in them to pull off the upset...we'll see Sunday if they can. 

Chargers at Broncos.

I've been out of town the last couple weeks...I was actually in California...so I haven't posted about Charger games the last few weeks.

As I type this I'm actually watching the game via live look ins on NFL.com.  If you've read my posts about cutting the cable you know I don't have cable TV anymore, so no NFL channel.  I'm actually amazed that they are streaming game footage live, considering how much the NFL has been money hungry lately. They are not showing the entire game, but almost all of it. 

First possession by the Broncos and they score a TD easily.  Bad coverage by the CB (I think it was Wright).  He had inside help from Weddle, but still bit on the inside move.  Chargers only get a FG on their first drive...shades of the first meeting this season in San Diego when the Chargers settled for FGs on three possessions in the first half and came away with only 6 points (missed one) to trail 14-6 at halftime.

These NFL.com announcers are terrible.  After a Vincent Brown catch for a first down they called him a money maker for the Chargers.  Brown has had a very sub par year (36 catches, 380 yards) so far.  Chargers manage to keep the Broncos to a FG and get a 19 yard TD from Keenan Allen with a great run after catch to tie the score 10-10 early in the 2nd quarter. 

Chargers force a 3-n-out. How often have the Chargers done that...or for that matter how many time have the Broncos done that?  Ask and you shall receive...according to the stat they just flashed on the screen, the Broncos only go 3-n-out 13.7% of the time. The Chargers just did it for the 2nd consecutive drive...and then a 3rd straight 3-n-out.

Chargers holding the ball on offense, almost 19 minutes in the half. Allen gets his 2nd TD...he should be Rookie of the Year.  Chargers amazingly have a 17-10 halftime lead. 

Scoring on the first possession of the 2nd half is huge. Mathews busting a 23 yard run for a TD to put the Chargers up 24-10.  Broncos defense is getting run over...Chargers already over 100 yard rushing (Mathews 15 carries, 79 yards).  Not a 3-n-out, but Broncos punting for the 4th straight possession.

Wow, big special teams mistake by the Broncos.  They held the Chargers down inside their own 10, but get hit with an offsides penalty giving the Chargers the ball back.  Broncos also get caught with 12 men on defense...the 2nd time in the game.

Broncos back in the game. More terrible play by the Chargers on a 4th down and 6.  Don't know who it was, but the LB ran himself totally out of position to allow an easy pitch and catch for the first. Leads to a Bronco TD pass to Caldwell on a WR screen.  24-17 Chargers.  with 10:25 left in the game. 

Broncos have a shot.  Mathews stuffed on 3rd and 1.  Scifires somehow gets a great punt off on a muffed snap that gets out of bounds on the Broncos 3.  Peyton with 5:50 left and 97 yards to go for a tying TD.  Can the Chargers defense come up with a stop?

Liuget gets big pressure on Manning and he puts up a duck.  Keiser gets an easy pick.  They have the ball on the Broncos 33.  Chargers go to an I-formation...that's old school running.  Chargers don't throw a pass, running the clock down to 2:41 and getting a Novak 35 yard FG to put them up 27-17. 

Would anyone have guessed the Chargers would hold the Broncos to 20 points?  In Denver?  Go figure. 27-20 Chargers win.  Who would have thunk it?

Life Without Cable: 6 Months Later

I've been meaning to post about this for some time now...just haven't gotten around to it. It's been half a year since I said goodbye to cable TV.  Do I miss it?  I will admit there are times that I do, but I will also say it's not as much as I thought.  I must ESPN the most, but I've compensated by getting most of my sports news/highlights online.  I get links to news/highlights for my favorite teams via email subscriptions to their official websites.  Google news gets me the rest. 

As I said in my first post, Today I Cut the Chord and Began Life Without Cable, I still get ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox over the air.  Funny thing is that I barely watch any of them anymore.  Even if I am interested in a series I just go to the TV stations website and watch it from there.  For instance, I've been catching the episodes of Agents of Shield streamed from ABC.com.

When I feel like killing time by relaxing on the couch I just hit the Netflix button on the remote (yes my Smart TV remote has a Netflix button).  

14 weeks into the NFL season and I don't feel deprived. I subscribed to NFL Rewind, so have seen every Charger game this year for the first time in my life. Yes, I realize that NFL Rewind won't let you watch the games live...but how is that different from before?  If I had cable I would have only been able to watch the games broadcasted in my area anyway...now I get to watch every Charger game. 

We'll see how I feel when the NBA playoffs start and I won't be able to watch the games on TNT, etc. Still kicking around the idea of subscribing to NBA League Pass.  At $199 it's a little steep, but it's still less than the cost of cable over the course of the season...and I would be able to watch any game.  A 5 team package is offered, but at $139 it's not much cheaper than the full package. 

Still, 6 months after cutting the chord I'm glad I did it.

2015 Ford Mustang

Link to Ford's website.  Click on Gallery and scroll down for an interactive 360 degree view of the new 2015 Mustang

Before I go any further, I will say that my all time favorite car is a 1969 Camaro so I'm not a Ford Fan Boy...neither am I a Chevy Fanatic.  I'm not a "1 brand" type of car guy.  If I listed my top 25 favorite cars it would probably cover almost every make...but I am absolutely in love with the 2015 Mustang.

I don't know how the majority of old school Mustang fans are going to respond to this car, but for me it pushes all the right buttons.  It's smaller, lighter and sportier than previous models, which is a throw back to the original Mustang, which was much smaller, lighter, and sportier than the Muscle Cars of the time. 

The looks though are all original.  It still says Mustang, but the lines have more of a European twist.  The rounded roof line and front grille has been given the Aston Martin treatment that has been Ford's trademark in all it's newest models. Ford's website has the caption, "Its look says entirely new, but its soul is entirely Mustang."  I agree.

While you can get the 2015 Mustang with a 3.7-liter V6 or a new 2.3-liter turbocharged 4 cylinder, I would not be able to purchase anything but the 5.0-liter V8.  For me it isn't a Mustang without that engine.

For the first time the Mustang will go global...meaning it will be sold in other countries besides the U.S. For that to work, the new 'Stang has to deliver on more than just sheer straight line performance and cater to a more sophisticated car buyer.  For the first time the standard Mustang comes with a fully independent rear suspension (previously, the 2003-2004 Cobra was the only Mustang with an independent rear suspension) and Ford promises a more upscale interior.  The tease of a more refined Mustang that can still haul @ss (the V8 makes 420hp) has me waiting in expectation of when the car media types get their hands on it for testing...hope it delivers. 

Chargers Keep Playoff Hopes, Upset Chiefs 41-38

That was a heck of a game.  There were 9 scores in the 2nd half alternating for both teams accounting for 7 lead changes...luckily the Chargers get the last score for the win. Phillip Rivers was sharp all game.

Lets get the Chiefs injuries out of the way...did it make a difference in the game?  Losing your two outside linebackers and sack leaders have to effect your defense, but I can counter that with the fact that the Chargers are also without their starting two outside linebackers and also the two that replaced them ( starters Melvin Ingram, Dwight Freeney; subs Larry English, Jarret Johnson).  Sure Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are better players, but the Chargers are down to their 3rd stringers. Chargers also lost Ryan Mathews who had 55 yards on 14 carries and 1TD before he left the game. 

Also, the Chargers DBs are terrible.  This week it was Donnie Avery who beat them for 4 catches, 91 yards, 1TD.  Alex Smith, who isn't exactly know for throwing the ball, went 26-38, 294 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT.  Corner Derek Cox was benched for the 3rd straight game.  I know the Chargers paid $20 million in the free agent market to get Cox, but it's time to give up on him.  He hasn't been able to cover anybody.  The Chargers secondary was also hit for 4 pass interference calls and 1 holding...and I can't argue any of them. 

Okay, enough of the negatives.  Somehow the Chargers managed to pull off a big upset and a big reason why came from their draft.

Chargers Lose 3rd Straight, 20-16 to the Dolphins

I'm not sure what to make of this game.  It was the lowest total points the Chargers put up all season and it was against a team that wasn't playing well and was surrounded in controversy.  I really don't get how the offense didn't get it done when they needed a win to stay in playoff contention.  Watching the game on NFL Rewind I really didn't see what the Dolphins did that should have gave the Chargers that big of a problem scoring.  The Chargers got yards from Ryan Mathews (19 carries, 127 yards) and Phillip Rivers (22-34, 298 yards), but they only scored one TD.  Rivers also threw an INT on the Chargers 1st possession on a pass to Vincent Brown. Rivers expected a route down the sideline and Brown turned the pattern inside.  Don't know who's fault it was, but Rivers and Brown just haven't gotten on the same page this year.

Also being unable to put the ball in the end zone is getting to be a big problem with this team.  Three times in the red zone last week and another three this week resulting in field goals.  They had first and goal on the 6 with plenty of time left in the half and couldn't punch it in.  Settled for a FG that tied the score 10-10, instead of going up 14-10 at the half.

I really like TE LaDarius Green.  He had a team leading 81yards on 4 catches.  I've said it since early in the season...with both starting wide receivers out, I would love to see the Chargers go to a double TE set with Antonio Gates and Green.  Both TEs can play also be effected in the slot and that would give them a lot of flexibility on offense without having to substitute.  

Missed tackles killed the Chargers in this game.  Dolphin TE Charles Clay scored on a 39 play were he caught a short pass in the flat and ran thru/pass 5 Charger defenders.  The defense definitely didn't play great either.  When they needed a stop in the 4th quarter to give the Chargers' offense one last shot at the win, they got the job done, but not before the Dolphins were able to run 2 minutes off the clock and driving from their own 6 out to the 38.  A great punt gave the Chargers the ball back with 1:25 left in the game on their own 17. The offense just couldn't get the winning TD, running out of time on the Dolphin 25.

Rookie WR Keenan Allen wasn't in the game on the last drive, hurting his knee and leaving early in the 4th quarter.  Allen, the Chargers best receiver, could have made a difference.  Luckily, it wasn't anything serious and reports are that Allen will play against the Chiefs Sunday.  

So this leaves the Chargers 4-6 on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at the 5-5 Jets, who would be the last team in if the Playoffs started today.  Losing to the Dolphins was big, since the Dolphins are also 5-5 and now own the head-to-head tie breaker.  They are also stuck in a group of 5 other 4-6 teams, two of which are the Raiders and Titans, teams they've lost to earlier this year. 

With two games against the Chiefs, one more against the Broncos (in Denver), and also the AFC North leading Bengals left on the schedule, the Chargers chances of making the playoffs doesn't look good. 

Chargers Lose Faceoff With Broncos, 28-20

I didn't get a chance to re-watch the game on NFL rewind until this afternoon.

I was actually impressed with the defense and disappointed with the offense on this one...the opposite of almost every other game this season.  I think the best thing they did on offense all game was the fake punt on the first possession. It was a gutsy call on their own 28, but it eventually led to a punt after a 39 yard run by Ryan Mathews got called back on a holding penalty.  Mathews got hurt on the play and didn't play for the rest of the first quarter, but came back in the 2nd quarter ending with 14 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD.   

The defense held the Broncos to their lowest point total of the year and kept the Chargers in the game by allowing only 1 TD by the Broncos in the 2nd half.  That "Amoeba" front 7 the Chargers have been playing for the last 3 weeks got to Peyton Manning.  It will be interesting to see what the Chiefs come up with this Sunday.  The Chargers' defense made two big mistakes...the first on the Broncos first drive when Julius Thomas scored on a simple pass in the flat that he took 74 yards.  No one covered the TE and Derek Cox should have easily forced him out of bounds (Cox ended up getting benched, but came back in in the 2nd half when his replacement got injured).  The 2nd big mistake was on a bubble screen to Demaryius Thomas that scored a TD.  Chargers got caught on a corner blitz so they were out manned on that side.

What really doomed the Chargers chances of winning was the offense getting into the red zone three times in the first half and came away with only 6 points  (2 made FGs and 1 missed).  Phillip Rivers was a pedestrian 19-29, 218 yards, 1 TD.  Needed more from him if the Chargers had any chance of winning. Vincent Brown did drop a TD in the 2nd quarter. 

Broncos did a good job of taking away Keenan Allen, who had been Rivers' favorite receiver the last few weeks.  Allen ended up with only 4 catches for 41 yards.

The Chargers' again suffered injuries to two areas they couldn't afford to lose.  LT King Dunlap left the game forcing rookie D.J. Fluker to move from RT to LT for the 2nd time this year. Dunlap is listed as out with a neck injury.

Allen (3rd round) and Fluker (1st round)  have been two great pickups in the draft. 

OLB Larry English also left the game in the 2nd half.  The Chargers are already without their two starting OLBs and one of the backups. English was put on the IR earlier this week.  Coincidentally, the Chargers picked up Andrian Robinson who had played 6 games for the Broncos this season.

Even though the final score looked close and the defense kept them in the game, the Chargers' offense never threatened the tying TD/2 point conversion.  From a game plan perspective the Chargers did what they needed to, holding the ball and keeping the Broncos to only 11 possessions, but they didn't put the ball into the end zone enough times.

This game left me encouraged about the defense, but also left me wondering if the league has seen enough of their new offense and figured out how to defense it.

Chargers at Jaguars

Saw that I forgot to post this after the Jags game....

For the first time this year the Chargers win back-to-back games with a 24-6 win in Jacksonville. Chargers are also above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.

Take these next stats with a grain of salt, because this was the Jaguars, but the Chargers defense has not allowed a TD in two straight games.  The defense also had 6 sacks, the Chargers had just 13 total in the previous 6 games.  I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the Chargers are doing on defense...what Jon Gruden called the "Amoeba Defense" last Monday night.

I read one story that said they were using a 2 DL lineup, but I don't think that's 100% accurate.  Yes the two starting DE's Cory Liuget and Kendall Reyes are staying in the game and they pull NT Cam Thomas out, but the Chargers replace him with DE Thomas Keiser who sometimes stays upright (as opposed to down in a 3-pt stance) and it looks like a 2 DL lineup.  Other times Keiser goes down in a 3-point stance like a DE and the other DEs end up being DTs with the opposite LB playing like a DE...so it's kind of a 4-3.  Keiser recorded 2 sacks.

Chargers Lose to Redskins in OT, 30-24.

That close.  It's been a frustrating season for this Charger fan.  Give the Chargers a play or three and they could have easily been 7-1 instead of 4-4.  The game in Washington was just another example of being close, but not getting it done.

Danny Woodhead's game winning TD was overturned (correctly by the way) and the Chargers failed to score from the 1-foot line.  Kicking a FG to send the game into overtime.  Chargers never got the ball on offense as Washington drove down the field to score a TD and end it. 

Lets get the last 3 plays of regulation out of the way, since that's what all the Sportscasters are talking about.  Yes, they should have been able to score from less than a yard out and I will say that they deserved to loose when they couldn't get it done.  But you can 2nd guess the play calling all you like, it comes down to execution.  They score and nobody is saying anything about what was called.

Chargers Pull Off Improbable 19-9 Win Over Colts

If someone can figure out the Chargers let me know, cause I have no idea what to think this season.  Maybe they are what there record says...a .500 team, but go figure that they get wins over the Eagles (they looked to be an offensive juggernaut after Week 1), the Cowboys in their house, and the Colts (a team that everyone started talking about Super Bowl after beating the 49ers on the road and the Seahawks at home).  At the same time, they have losses to the Texans (especially looking at how messed up the Texans are now), the Titans, and the lowly Raiders. 

Maybe I'll just stick to what I've seen during the game and not try to figure out the team as a whole.

Raiders Upset Chargers 27-17

This was the first division game for the Chargers.  It was the first game this season in which they were favored...and they lost...to the Raiders...and the Raiders were missing Darrin McFadden and 3 starting offensive lineman...UGH!!!

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.  This team is no way good enough to win giving up 5 turnovers...unless it's the Broncos playing the Jaguars I don't think any team would be able to survive a 5-0 turnover ratio.  The Chargers amazingly had chances to get back into this game and they blew those changes too.  Turnovers + missed opportunity = 10 point loss to a team the Chargers should have beaten easily.

Malcolm Floyd and Dwight Freeney Out For Season

I've been saying from the draft that rookie WR Keenan Allen would make an impact before the season was over...well now the Chargers need him to. 

On Tuesday, the Chargers announced that #1 WR Malcolm Floyd and OLB Dwight Freeney would miss the rest of the season. Floyd had been out since the 3rd quarter of Week 2 when he was sandwiched by Eagles' Nate Allen and DeMeco Ryans.  Floyd was diagnosed with a sprained neck, but although there was speculation that the injury was season ending, it wasn't official until Tuesday. Reports say no surgery will be required and that Floyd just needs time to heal.

Freeney suffered a torn quad last Sunday vs. the Cowboys.  Freeney is expected to have surgery.  I covered Freeney's likely replacements in my last post.

Allen, a 3rd round pick (76th overall) will now get to show why he was projected to be a 1st rounder before suffering a leg injury during his last season at U of California, Berkeley.  I would have liked to see Allen get eased into the lineup as the season went on, but now with the Chargers missing their top two WRs from last season, Allen needs to step up now.

Chargers Get First Home Win 30-21 Over Cowboys

Welcome back Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates!  The duo is back on top of their respective games and I for one is ecstatic to see it.  A co-worker pointed out to me that Rivers is #2 in TDs (11), Passer Rating (118.8), and completion % (.739) so far this season...I don't think I have to tell who is #1 in those categories (in case you haven't been paying attention, it's Peyton Manning).  Rivers is also 8th in completions (105), 7th in Passing Yards (1199), 5th in Yards per attempt (8.4), and tied for 5th in Interception % (1.4%).  The Chargers are running a Peyton like no huddle offense with Rivers calling the plays at the line of scrimmage, no doubt put in by Mike McCoy, and Rivers is doing a decent Peyton imitation. 

Week 3: Chargers lose to Texans 20-17

The bottom line for this game...I can't believe the Chargers gave up a 94 yard drive to Jake Locker to lose this game.  The winning TD throw came on 3rd and 10 on the Charger 34 with 21 seconds left.  Let's go over that again...Jake Locker, 94 yard drive, 34 yard TD pass on 3rd and 10, 21 seconds left.  Are you kidding me!!??  Yea, I know Justin Hunter pushed off on the game winning catch, but the reality is Locker had Damian Williams open for the game winner the play before and really Locker should never had been able to go down the field without being sacked and completing 6-9 passes (and one of those was a spike to stop the clock).

Week 2: Chargers Upset Eagles 33-30

Before the season started I would have pegged Week 2's game against the Eagles a potential win for the Chargers...after Week 1 though, I don't anyone except the most die hard Charger fan was picking the Chargers to beat the Eagles in Philly.  Surprisingly, it was the Chargers offense that couldn't be stopped, punting only once in 11 possessions.

Week 1 Chargers Fall to the Texans 31-28

The Chargers blew this game...no way to sugar coat it.

The offense looked pretty good for 2 quarters + 1 drive...then couldn't get anything done the rest of the way.  After that last 80 yard TD drive to start the 2nd half, the Chargers had 4 three-and-outs and the pick 6 for the tying touchdown...total time of possession for those 5 drives, 5:30.

San Diego Chargers, Last Look Before the Season

Forget about the last preseason game...none of the starters (on offense or defense) played a snap and it was basically an audition for guys like WR Robert Meachem, RT Max Starks, and RB Fozzy Whitaker to make the team.

Focus ST Gets New Shoes; My Experience With All-Season Radials

From the factory the 2013 Focus ST is equipped with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires.  It's a great tire really, excellent grip on both dry and wet roads.  Tire Rack's test of Max performance Summer tires rated them #2, but as it says in the description of the tires, "the Eagle F1is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow, or on ice." From my past experience with Summer Performance tires, I already know that these tires will be near useless when snow hits the ground. If you look at the picture of the F1 to the left, you can see why. 

NFL Preseaon: San Diego Chargers @ Arizona Cardinals

Yea, I know...I'm a week late on this one.  Been sort of busy with other things, some of which I'll post about when I get the chance.

OK, back on the subject of the Chargers.

Jake Shimabukuro Live!

Recently, I was hanging out at home...everyone was out and I was just playing around with my Uke.  I started searching the net to find something new to learn how to play or see if any new Uke stuff was out there.  I found a link to Jake Shimabukuro's concert schedule.  I thought maybe he might play somewhere near enough to drive to, but I didn't have my hopes up being out here in the Midwest.  Then I saw he was going to play in the town right where I live (actually I live in a suburb of that town).  Excitedly I clicked on the link to see when he was going to be here.  I stared at the date in disbelief...it was today!  The concert was set to start in just over a couple hours.  I got online and looked up the tickets.  There were still some available and decent seats too, so I jumped on it.

NFL Preseason: Chargers - Bears

Here's what I saw in the Chargers 33-28 loss to the Bears in their 2nd preseason game...

The passing game has a long way to go...and it's not just the pass blocking (although the Bears defensive lineman roughed up the Charger starting o-line).  Phillip Rivers and the Receivers (the ones that are left) aren't on the same page.  Rivers has been slow finding his receivers and while part of that is the fact that he hasn't worked much with any of the wide outs that took the field against the Bears, it also looks like Rivers isn't decisive enough.  I'm hoping that comes in time, but I have to wonder (at least until Phillip can prove me otherwise) if he is a right fit for this type of offense.

The interception Rivers threw was a terrible decision.  He forced it into double-coverage.  He also had a guy open underneath.  Phillip needs to learn to dump that down and give the receiver a chance to make the first down with his legs.  If he doesn't make the first down you punt and live another day.  The game was still in the first quarter and the score 0-7 Bears...no need to force a play.

The defensive front seven, which looked good against the Seahawks in the first preseason game, got beat on several outside runs.  The line still looked stout in the middle and this may have been more due to poor outside linebacker play, a position that lost two starters from last season.

The Charges also looked bad on special teams...giving up several long punt returns (and Devin Hester didn't even play) and getting a punt blocked.  The special teams unit has been suspect for the last several seasons and I was hoping the new coaching staff would make that a priority and straighten it out.  Hopefully the game against the Bears was a wake up call. 

3 turnovers in the first half doesn't give anyone a warm fuzzy about the teams chances this year.  Along with Rivers INT, he also fumbled on a sack.  It was a blind side hit, so not really his fault.  Left Tackle make still be a problem area for the Chargers against good pass rushing teams.  Rookie 1st round draft pick, RT DJ Fluker also got beat badly for a sack.  The other turnover came on a muffed punt by rookie WR Keenan Allen. 

Fluker and the rest of the o-line looked much better in the running game.  Chargers racked up 141 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.9 ave).  Ryan Mathews led the team with 9 carries for 45 yards against the Bears' starting defense.  Mathews has looked good in both preseason games....you still have to question his durability, since he hasn't played for a full season since coming into the league.

TE Ladarius Green did a pretty good Antonio Gates impression, leading the team with 5 catches for 78 yards and a TD.  Gates physical skills have been slowly diminishing over the last few seasons and Green looks to be the guy to replace him.  With both Eddie Royal and Malcolm Floyd out with injuries, I think this was Robert Meachem's last chance...and he didn't step up.  He caught one pass for 40 yards on a play where the defender fell down.  For that matter none of the receivers stepped up with a change to play more.

Backup QB Charlie Whitehurst was much better this time out.  Although I wouldn't want him as my starting QB, he at least looked like a serviceable backup this time.  He looked like a "let's just cut him loose now" player in the first preseason game.  Brad Sorensen looked good again.  The kid has a strong arm and his passes have good zip on them.  He actually over threw the Hail Mary pass out of the end zone at the end of the game...and that was from just past midfield (some 60+ yards in the air).  Sorensen will replace Whitehurst as the #2 QB at some point.  I see him as a potential NFL starter one day.

Still early, but it's looking like Head Coach Mike McCoy may have to lean towards a more run oriented offense.  He was hired based on his ability to adapt to his teams' strengths...right now the Chargers' strength is their running game.  Let's see if he and Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt can produce a more run-oriented game plan...at least until Rivers gets comfortable. 

New Hope, McCoy Era Starts in San Diego

Normally I wouldn't even bother catching a preseason game, but with Mike McCoy the new head coach I wanted to see how the Chargers handled themselves in their first game with the new staff.  I wasn't so much concerned about the result, but more how the Chargers looked as a team under game situations.

The first team offense only played one series, but they performed like a well oiled machine...too small a sample to come away with any, "wow they're going to be good," statements, but the coaching staff and players looked prepared.  They weren't disorganized or rushing to get plays off.  The one lone drive by the starters produced a 12 play, 72 yard drive that ended in a field goal.  Chargers even went for it on a 4th down and they handled it like it was no big deal...no rushing or confusion.  The play resulted in a 9 yard Ryan Mathews run. The team looked well organized and prepared, only getting a few of those silly penalties (delay of game, offside, illegal procedure).  Only one time did they look confused...that was late in the 4th when they had 10 men on the field for a punt. 

Only one drive to try and assess the offensive line so not much to say there.  Ryan Mathews carried 3 times for 19 yards, so the run blocking looked pretty good.  Rivers was 5-6 on the opening drive and wasn't sacked.  Still, not much can be taken away from just one drive. 

The first team defense stayed in for two series, so not much to take from that either.  In the two possessions, the defensive line looked good putting pressure on Russell Wilson and stuffing runs.  Dwight Freeney looked good, which was encouraging considering the questions on whether Freeney had anything left. He just overpowered the Seahawk RT on play, pushing him back into Wilson's lap.

On the bad side, backup Charlie Whitehurst looked terrible.  Although the backup O-line didn't do him any favors, Whitehurst was inaccurate on the run and wasn't much better when he had time in the pocket.  Whitehurst played the majority of the game, coming in after the first possession and playing until the 4th quarter and never put any points on the board...at least not for the Chargers.  He threw two picks that setup two Seahawk TDs. 


Rookie Brad Sorensen looked a lot better.  Although the backup lineman didn't block any better for Sorenson, he looked much better throwing on the run.  He looked more poised in the face of the pass rush than Whitehurst and led the Chargers to their only TD of the night (Sorensen to backup TE Ladarius Green).

The backup defense wasn't very pretty either.  The secondary gave up two long TD passes and the front was manhandled by the backup Seahawks' O-line and gave up several long runs.

This was more trying to evaluate players than trying to win a ball game.  4th string RB Fozzy Whitaker got the majority of plays, carrying 14 times for 38 yards.  It felt like Whitaker was  auditioning, as they ran him in various sets and situations.  WR Dan Depalma led the team with 5 catches for 43 yards.  Deplama dropped a pass, but overall looked good. Despite getting a lot of time on the field, Robert Meachem didn't catch a ball.  He was thrown to twice by Whitehurst, one was picked and the other was pass interference on the DB.  Rookie WR Keenan Allan looked good.  Although Allen caught just 2 passes, he put in big time effort plays on two badly thrown Whitehurst passes.  The first was laying out for a pass that was badly overthrown.  Allen was open, but Whitehurst led him too far.  On one of Whitehurst interceptions, Allen was open also, but the pass was too far in front and Allen tried to make a diving catch, only to have the ball bounce off his finger tips.

Not too concerned about the final result (31-10 Seahawks)...just wanted to see if the team looked organized and that the new coaching staff wasn't overwhelmed.  Personnel changes were smooth and I didn't see any confusion on the sideline.  Plays were called with plenty of time.

Next stop Soldier field to face the Bears.  We get to see if there is any difference in the prep from home game to road game.  

WR Danario Alexander Out For the Season

It's Deja Vu all over again.

Last year WR Vincent Brown broke his ankle in the preseason and never played a down in 2012.  Brown was supposed to give the Chargers a viable 2nd receiver to Malcolm Floyd.  None of the receivers the Chargers picked up in the off season stepped up to replace Brown.  That forced the Chargers to find help elsewhere and ended up taking a chance on Rams' WR Danario Alexander who never played a full season in St. Louis due to injuries.  Alexander ended up playing in 10 games and starting the last 7 of the season.  He ended up tying the team lead of 7 TD catches and led the team in yards/catch (17.8) and yards/game. (65.8).  Needless to say, it was a sad year for Charger WRs.

2013 looked to be a better year for Charger pass catchers with Alexander playing a full season and Vincent Brown coming back from injury, but Alexander's injury history caught up to him yesterday and he tore an ACL and is out for the season.  Alexander was a shoe in for the 2nd WR spot and considering his performance towards the end of last season may have ended up the #1 WR ahead of Floyd.

So what does that mean to the Chargers' WR situation?

Vincent Brown would be the leader to take Alexander's place, but hasn't played in a full year and is also nursing a hamstring injury.  He's being held out of the 1st preseason game against the Seahawks tomorrow, but is scheduled to start the next game against the Bears.  We'll see how much of the rust and injury he has to work off.

Robert Meachem signed a big off season contract before 2012 and didn't contribute anything last season.  He himself said "I sucked last year" during a interview during training camp. He said that his wife told him to stop feeling sorry for himself and go out and play ball.  He said in the interview you have to ask yourself, "Are you going to be the same guy as last year or are you going to be a new guy?" I haven't heard anything about Meachem in practice, so it's hard to say if he's "a new guy" or not.  He's going to get to start in tomorrow's preseason opener with Alexander and Brown out. 

Before suffering a knee injury, Cal WR Keenan Allen was projected to be the best WR in the 2013 draft but wasn't able to work out for the NFL combine and didn't perform well during a pro day held at Cal.  Allen said he wasn't 100% healthy yet, but teams passed. Chargers took a chance on Allen with a 3rd round pick (76th).  If Allen recovers from the injury he could be a draft day steal.  It doesn't look like Allen is going to be an impact right away though as word from Chargers training camp is that he "has a ways to go" before he moves up the depth chart.  

WR Eddie Royal came over from Denver before 2012 and like Meachem, did nothing of note. Reports from training camp is that Royal has been "tearing it up" and "looks rejuvenated."  The thing about Royal is that he performed well during preseason last year also. Despite all the good words out of training camp, Royal is still listed behind Brown and Meachem in the depth chart. 

The rest of the WR's are likely to be cut before the season starts.  There's a possibility that Richard Goodman makes the team only because he can return kicks, but those duties will likely be turned over to Royal and Allen to gain a roster spot. 

I thought the WR corp would be a pleasant surprise this season with Alexander getting to start from day 1 allowing Brown to work his way back in and letting Rookie Allen ease into the rotation.  Now, unless Meachem or Royal prove that last season was a fluke, the WR group is a big question mark.

Today I Cut The Chord and Begin Life Without Cable

I've been kicking this around for years but finally decided to pull the trigger.  I disconnected all the cable boxes and turned them in.  No more paying for cable TV and all those channels I never watch.  Although it took just a few minutes (and a 10 minute drive to turn in the equipment), coming to that end was a slow process.

It started with the purchase of a Samsung Smart TV about a year ago. It has built in wireless and is capable of reading any FAT based formatted drive via a USB 3.0 port.  We have a SATA external hard drive enclosure that connects via USB that will except any SATA drive.  Just drop the drive in and the TV reads it...it even recognizes the file structure.  The TV has built in CODECS and we haven't found a format it won't play yet.  The CODECS (and the rest of the software on the TV for that matter) can also be updated via internet.  We started watching shows over the internet more than via cable.  Apps to access Netflix, Hulu Plus, and even YouTube are built into the TV, no other devices (like a game console) are needed. Even my cable company had content that can be streamed over the internet right from their website...TV series from ABC, A&E, FOX, FX, the History Channel, NBC, SyFy, TBS, TNT, and more.  Watching "Top Shot All Stars" while I'm typing this.  Why am I paying for cable? 

I also started doing research on TV over the air (OTA).  I learned a lot from a site called TV Fool, which also can tell you what stations you can pick up over the air.  You can type in your address and it will give you the stations you can pick up (and the signal strength, which will give you an idea on what kind of antenna you'll need).  Unfortunately in my area I can only pick up the big 4...ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX plus a couple PBS and local broadcasts.  In case you didn't know, all OTA broadcasts by the Big 4 are in HD...so it's actually better quality than what you get over basic (non-HD) cable stations.  Also, there's no such thing as a HD antenna...they are all UHF/VHF antennas.  If your TV came with one of those round antennas and/or "rabbit ears" (rare these days), those will work fine as long as there's a strong enough signal.  It's the TV that translates the signal to HD, the broadcasts are still UHF/VHF...just like the old days, if you're old enough to remember TV before cable.

The only thing that really stopped me from "cutting the chord" was my love of sports.  If I cut the chord there would be no more ESPN.  I wouldn't be able to watch any live games on anything other than the Big 4.  Monday Night Football is on ESPN!!!  I started to do some math (you knew I was desperate then).

NFL Sunday ticket is available via the PS3, but that is $299 for the season (they actually dropped it from last years price of $339).  Kinda pricey. The other option for NFL games is Game Pass ($39.99, $29.99 to follow one team), but it's not live (although you can get live radio broadcasts).  The replays of the game is available as soon is the game are over.   MLB.TV is just $64.99. The best I can tell is NBA League pass is $179, but I'm scared of trying it due to a review on Deadspin.  Still, compare that to $1000+ a year that I'm paying for cable and I can get all three and a subscription to Hulu Plus and Netflicks and still come out over $400 ahead. 

Then I saw this...Amazon exclusive offer for Madden 25 Anniversary Edition with NFL Sunday Ticket.  Still researching this because the wording makes it unclear on whether you can get the stream through the PS3/XBOX without Direct TV if DTV is available in your area.  I've searched the net and even DTV is vague and says that Amazon and EA Sports is in control of the deal.  This would be an obvious no brainer if you're a DTV subscriber and want Sunday Ticket.  I guessing you're going to see a lot of unopened Madden 25 Anniversary Edition games for sale on EBay.  Sunday Ticket is $59.99 a month for the 5 months of the season...easy math,  $299.95 vs. $100 for the Madden Anniversary Edition. 

I'll keep posting as I learn more...

The Dissapointment that is the Los Angeles Angels

For all the money the Angels have spent over the last 2 seasons the product on the field has been disappointing to say the lease.  They actually got better after signing Albert Pohjols going from 86-76 in 2011 to 89-73 in 2012...but they also got Kendrys Morales back from injury and signed Zake Grienke before the end of the season.  They also had some guy named Mike Trout have one of the best Rookie seasons ever.  Still neither record was good enough to win the Western Division.  So far this season they're 46-52 and likely to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight season.  They haven't made the playoffs since 2009 when they went 97-65 and lost in the ALCS 2-4 to the Yankees.

Back in 2009 the Angels were a fun to watch, overachieving team with a deep bench.  They were smart with their money picking up free agents without going to far into the hole (in terms of dollars and length of contracts).  This allowed them to put together a pretty good starting rotation. 1 through 4 of John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders.  The relief pitching was deep and solid with Brian Fuentes getting 48 saves that year.  Up until recently the Angels had a reputation for having one of the more solid bullpens in the league.

Fast forward to 2013.  They're not as much fun to watch, underachieving and no bench to speak of.  The Angels were once know for gambling on hit-n-runs and going 1st to 3rd more than any team in the AL (and maybe even in the league).  They don't hit-n-run as much...in fact they don't run that much at all.  They had 4 players with double figure stolen base totals in 2012...this season, only Mike Trout (22) has more than 7.  Big dollars have been paid out to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.  Even if this had worked out and Pujols and Hamilton were producing as expected, this handcuffed the team in resigning players.  Productive players like C Mike Napoli, OF Torii Hunter, and 1B Kendrys Morales are gone.  The depth is also weak with J.B Shuck (yea, I wouldn't expect anyone to recognize the name) starting in LF.  The starting pitching is down to two quality starters in Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson.  Starters Ervin Santana, Dan Haren, and Zack Greinke all gone from 2012.  Wilson was the better off season acquisition two years ago because they got him for a bargain.  The bullpen is also suspect.  Ernesto Fieri has 24 saves, but he's a "hold your breath until the last out" type of reliever.  He's walked 23 batters and given up 30 hits in 42.2 innings.  Yea, 1-2-3 innings aren't that common.  Getting to Frieri is also an adventure, with Scott Downs the only reliable middle reliever. 

Let's play a little "what if", as in what if they didn't sign Puhjols and Hamilton.

1B would be manned by Mark Trumbo or Kendrys Morales.  Morales led the Angels with 34 HRs and 108 RBI in 2009.  He broke his leg in 2010 and didn't come back until 2012 when he hit 22 HRs and 73 RBI in limited duty.  Trumbo hit 32 HRs and had 95 RBI in 2012.  Playing in only his 3rd full season the kid has potential.  Trumbo ended up playing 1B this season anyway since Pujols's leg injuries has limited his time at 1B.  Puljol's has 17 HRs/59 RBI so far this season.  Morales has 15 HRs/57 RBI in Seattle.  Yea, Morales has less, but isn't being paid nearly as much and doesn't have the bats surrounding him that Pujols does. 

Looking in the outfield last season you would have saw Peter Bourjos, Trout, and Hunter.  With Hamilton getting the big contract, Hunter went to Detroit where he's hitting .308, only 8 HRs, and 46 RBI with 58 runs scored.  I've also seen him on Sportscenter still making great defensive plays in the OF.  Hamilton is hitting just .223 with 14 HRs and 41 RBI.  I was actually amazed that Hamilton had 48 runs scored since he has a terrible .279 on base percentage.

Would the Angels have been worse off resigning Morales and Hunter instead of going after Pujols and Hamilton?  I would argue that they would have been better.  Especially considering they would have had much more cash to spend on the rest of the team.  Possibly resigning Greinke and/or keeping Santana.  How would that pitching staff look...1-4 being Weaver, Wilson, Greinke, and Santana?  Maybe just keep Santana and adding depth and shoring up the bullpen. 

The team isn't likely to get better any time soon with so much money tied to Pujols and Hamilton for the foreseeable future.  What happens when Trout's contract is up?  What about Weaver?  Or Wilson?  Or even Trumbo?  With no hope for improving the rest of the team, especially if those guys get paid what they deserve, would you blame them for going elsewhere?  I wouldn't.

Focus ST Update

Three+ months since I bought the ST and I still love driving it.  I was just busting some corners on the way home today and the car still brings a smile to my face.

Have I mentioned I love hatches...especially the category that's know as "hot hatches?"  These are the Swiss Army Knives of cars.  They may not do any one thing great, but they do everything well.  Just recently I went over to the local hardware store and brought back 20 pavers...with the Focus.  I should have taken a picture, but here's what the back looks like with the seats folded down.

Can you haul stuff in it like a truck or minivan?  Of course not, but I can haul more stuff than the average vehicle.  Awesome handling car (go read any Focus ST review out there), but you won't be outrunning a Lotus Elise on a road course.  It's quick (0-60 in just over 6 seconds), but you're not going to be winning any drag races against V-8 Mustangs.  Good gas mileage, but this isn't a hybrid. 

Swiss Army Knife.


Ford has something called "Intelligent Access" that is standard in most of their new vehicles.  What it means is that you can lock/unlock the doors without taking your keys out of your pocket.  See the little black pad on the door handle in the picture?  Touch the pad and the doors lock/unlock.

I thought it was silly and unnecessary when I first bought the car.  Now that I've had it for awhile I can't tell you how many times I've had my hands full and wanted to unlock or lock the car.  Didn't have to put stuff down, just had to touch the pad with the back of my hand or forearm.  I don't think it's silly anymore.

In case you're wondering, the key fob has to be close for it to work.  I stood about 4-5 feet away from the car and had someone try to open the door and couldn't.  I have to be standing right next to the car. 

Video Game Music....LIVE!

I'm old...let's just say the odds are that I'm older than you and leave it at that.  Thing is I was raised in the video game generation and played a lot of them in my young adult life and still occasionally do.  I also love music, so when I first got invited to go to a"Video Game Live" concert I hastily said yes.  As the date got closer I had a chance to think about it and I wondered if it was going to be full of "kids" and I would be totally out of place.  I almost backed out, but was talked into going...I still was a little hesitant since the group I was going with was all much younger than me.

I shouldn't have worried.  I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of the crowd.  Yea, there was the "kids," but there was also couples of every age group, even a few I would peg as senior citizens.  Anyway, this link is to a youtube video of a Video Games Live concert.  The Classic Arcade Medley was the same piece they opened the show with that I went to see tonight.  Great stuff and brought back quite a few memories...stuff my son and I played when he was little.  While the youtube vid had several performances I saw tonight, I saw several others that aren't in the video.  At one point in the concert, the host mentioned they had about 120 pieces, but play only about 19-20 during a given performance.

I highly recommend going to see it even if you don't play video games...the performances are amazing and the music incredible.  Also a great way to introduce your kids to the symphony. 

You may have seen videos by a girl with the handle of "Flute Link" on youtube.  Her real name is Laura Intravia and she performed during the show I saw.  She's an amazingly talented girl.  She sang a Russian opera that was composed for Tetris (insane high notes), rocked out on the flute to a Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross montage, and also played an "electric" flute to Donkey Kong Country, which she said was her favorite video game.  Most of the videos of her I've seen on youtube she is dressed like Link from Zelda, but at the concert tonight she wasn't (you can see her in the Chrono Cross number in the link to the youtube vid).   

The orchestra and choir were actually local talent, but the Conductor was James Horner, who, along with video games, has been involved in several movies, most recently the new "Amazing Spiderman."  As in every Video Game Live performance, it was hosted by Tommy Tallarico, who along with making a living as a video game music composer is a talented guitar player in his own right.  He played electric guitar along with the orchestra on several pieces and displays a lot of energy and passion, which is a big plus in a live performance.  The Street Fighter montage he did was excellent.  One of the highlights of the night was Tallarico playing a guitar duet with the winner of the Guitar Hero contest they had before the concert...Tallarico playing his electric guitar while the contest winner played the video game. 

The surprise of the night was when they brought on stage a guy that is semi-famous on youtube.  Seems he kept showing up at their concerts and telling them that his dream was to play with them.  Well I got to see Viking Jesus play live with the orchestra when they played the music from Star Fox 64.  They also brought him back for a duet with Tallarico performing the music from Final Fantasy VII.  VJ is the second youtube star I've seen in person...the first was Toronto Batman when I visited Canada last year.  We where just walking around downtown Toronto and there he was standing on the sidewalk.

So if you get a chance to see a Video Game Live performance, do it...you won't regret it.
www.videogameslive.com

Heat Repeat As Champs, Take Spurs 95-88 In Game 7

I took a day to write this...that is the luxury of doing this for a hobby as opposed to sportswriters who do it for a living.  If you read my pre-Finals post I thought the Heat would win the series, in fact I didn't give the Spurs much of a chance...but the way this series went down the Spurs could have easily won it, and that hurts me as a fan, can't image how the players feel.

I thought it would take some extra ordinary things to happen for the Spurs to win it all and they got it.  Game 1, NBA Finals tying record for least turnovers with just four.  Game 3, NBA record 16 three pointers.  Game 5, a 60% shooting night.

Meanwhile, for the Heat, LeBron James was tentative to take jumpers.  Dwayne Wade was slowed by injuries.  Chris Bosh wasn't doing much. 

Then Game 6 back in Miami.  The Spurs got the one more performance it would take to upset the heat when Tim Duncan went for 30 points and 12 rebounds (5 offensive).  They just couldn't close the deal.  Suddenly, Bosh was making defensive plays and James finally found his jumper.  The Heat also got some help from Mario Chambers with 20 points (4-5 three pointers).  It all went perfect for the Heat.  Popovich even making coaching mistakes in the waning moments of regulation.  Funny that this was the best free throw shooting team of the Pop-Duncan era and that was one of the things that let them down in the end. 

I don't know what the sports media is saying about Game 7...I've avoided sports related shows/websites since Thursday night...but if they are saying the Spurs were broken by the Game 6 loss, I would say they're wrong.  In Game 7, the Heat found themselves again.  James was hitting the jumpers the Spurs were daring for him to shoot all series long (32 PTS, 12-23, 12 REB, 4 AST).  Wade played a "Wade-like" game (23 PTS, 11-21, 10 REB), the best all-around game he's played in the series.  Shane Battier decided to re-live last years Finals and hit 6-8 threes.  I have to wonder if Battier is the only player in NBA history to only attempt 3-point shots over the course of entire series.  The Heats defense took Tony Parker out of his game and the pick-n-roll motion offense the Spurs run, was done.  The Spurs even stopped trying to run it in the 4th quarter.  A co-worker mentioned that he saw something that said Parker was still feeling the effects of the pulled hamstring, but I haven't seen anything written about that. 

Despite all that the Spurs had a chance in Game 7.  I have to give the Spurs credit for their heart.  With their normal offense rendered useless, not getting much from Parker, Danny Green suddenly coming back down to earth, and James/Wade doing their thing (add Game 6 if you like), the Spurs could have just packed it in.  For the 2nd straight game the Heat out shot the Spurs from the 3-point line (12-32 vs 6-19).  No one shot well (.378 as a team), but they somehow found ways to stay in it.  Duncan (who many sportscasters thought would be spent) found the will to get 24 points and 12 rebounds.  Although at times I thought Manu Ginobili tried to do to much, he came back with an 18 PT (6-12), 5 assist game.  Kawhi Leonard (who many sportscasters said was too inexperienced to overcome Game 6) posted a 19 PT, 16 REB performance.

In the end, the Heat was the better team and the Spurs couldn't make the plays down the stretch.  With 1:26 left and the score 90-88 Heat, Leonard had a pretty good look at making a three that would have given the Spurs the lead (he had just hit a 3-PTer in the previous possession), but couldn't put it down.  With 49 seconds left and the same score, Duncan had a gimme at the rim and couldn't put it in the hole...on top of that he had  a good shot at tipping in the rebound, but that didn't fall either. I felt his frustration when he slapped the floor on the following defensive possession.  I know he still has to be thinking "how did I miss those two shots?"

After that, fittingly, James sunk a 20 foot jumper to seal the Heats 2nd straight Championship. 

Yea, I thought the Heat was the better team going in and that they would win the Finals...but one rebound, one free throw, or one shot and the Spurs could have pulled off the upset.  Bill Simmons summed it up after the Game 6 loss, "I don't know if there ever was a team that close to winning a Championship and didn't." 

NBA Finals; Heat 103, Spurs 100 in Overtime; SeriesTied 3-3

One more free throw or one more rebound.  That's all it would have taken for the Spurs to win the NBA Championship. 

Before I go into that, it was a great game.  You had the 37 year old Tim Duncan reaching back into his youth for a 30 PT, 17 REB vintage performance.  He leads the Spurs to 75-65 lead after 3 quarters.

Then LeBron James played like Heat fans were waiting for him to play.  Up until that point, Mario Chalmers led the team with 17 PTS.  Chalmers made one more bucket (a 3 for the first basket of the 4th) which came off an assist from James, who put up his 2nd triple-double of the Finals with 32 PTS, 10 REB, 11 AST.  He also had one BIG block on Duncan at the rim during the comeback.  I have to believe Duncan was tired at that point because he was dunking those in the first half. 

It looked like it was going to be one of the those quarters by the Spurs were they just don't play well offensively and score only single digits.  By 6:03 the Heat had already erased the 10 point lead and led 84-82.  With 1:47 to go, the Heat had an 89-86 lead, the Spurs managing to get some stops and stay within reach. 

Then it was Tony Parker's turn (he had a miserable shooting game up to that point and ended the game hitting on just 6-23).  First, Parker shot a step back three over James to tie the score at 89-89.  Then he steals a pass by James intended for Chalmers.  On the other end he spins on Chalmers in the lane and hits a floater to give the Spurs a 91-89 lead.

Two Ginobili free throws sandwiched around two turnovers by James gave the Spurs a 93-89 lead with 28.2 secounds left. At that point I was thinking that James, despite his effort to bring the Heat back, was going to get criticized to no end for those turnovers.

Then Murphy stepped in and Faith took over.

Spurs beat Heat 114-104, take 3-2 Series lead

Manu Ginobili wasn't playing well in the playoffs. I was ready to give up on him and the media was asking questions. So what does Gregg Popovich do? He starts him and gives him more playing time. It was a great strategic move and puts another example to put up there on why Pop is a great coach. With the Heat trapping Tony Parker and helping on Tim Duncan when he gets the ball in the post, putting Ginobili on the floor opening things up for the Spurs offense. It countered the small ball Miami was going to with Mike Miller starting and Ray Allen seeing more playing time. It was a great tactical move by Pop. With the Heat switching on every pick, Ginonili and Parker attacked whoever Miller was guarding (and later Norris Cole when he entered the game) making Miller switch onto them. The Spurs would then run clear outs and let Parker or Ginobili go to work. 

It helped that Ginobili got going. He was still struggling from 3-PT range (1-4), but had an overall great game (24 PTS, 8-14, 10 AST). He played 33:00, which was 4th in minutes played in Game 5 for the Spurs and the most minutes Ginobili has played in a game all season. 

The Heat got good production from there Big Three+...LeBron James 25 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST); Dwayne Wade 25 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST; Chris Bosh 16 PTS, 6 REB; Allen 21 PTS, 4-4 3PT.  They forced 18 turnovers from the Spurs which got the Heat 16 more shots (86-70). For the first time in the series the Heat out-shot the Spurs from 3-PT range (11-23 vs. 9-22). They scored 104 points....and the Spurs still won. 

Looking closer at the box score, both Allen (7-10) and Bosh (7-11) shot well, but James struggled (8-22) and Wade shot under his playoff average (.455 vs .476). The thing was that both players were getting inside; it wasn't a matter of them settling for outside shots and not making them. Wade didn't shoot a 3-pointer in the game and James was 2-4, but the Heat shot .430 overall.  The Spurs have thrown different bodies at James.  In Game 5 it was Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Borris Diaw taking turns trying to keep him in check.

Meanwhile the Spurs were busy carving up the Heat's defense. They jumped out to a 32-19 lead, shooting .611 for the quarter. My thought process at the time was no way they could keep that up for the game. By halftime the Spurs actually increased their shooting to .618, but the Heat had cut the lead to 61-52. I remember thinking that the Spurs were playing at a 122 point pace...that's a lot of points!  Can they possible put up that kind of numbers against this Heat defense?

Spurs did slow down, but not by much. They ended up shooting .600 for the game and scored 114 PTS. I never would have thought the Spurs could beat the Heat giving up 18 turnovers and losing the offensive rebounding battle (5-12). Three of the four starters (Duncan .700, Parker .714, Leonard .750) shot over 70%. Ginobili shot .571 and Green rounded out the starting five with .533 shooting. I know that sportscasters are criticizing James game today, but some blame for the loss has to go to the Heat's defense. The Spurs made some tough shots, but a lot of baskets were made right at the rim or on open jumpers.  

Everyone knows by now that Green set a NBA Finals series record with 25 three pointers...and we still have at least one more game to go. Allen, ironically had the record of 22, which he set in 6 games. Green has been making threes even when the Heat are trying to run him off the line, so it amazes me how many times they are letting him have open looks. I keep waiting for him to have an off shooting night....maybe the Heat are too...but it hasn't happened yet. The question is whether Miami is going to keep the strategy of trapping Parker and switching everything or will they come up with a new wrinkle for Game 6?

For Heat fans, the question is can do put it together for two consecutive games, something they haven't done in this, or the previous series against the Pacers.  They obviously have the physical talent, but can they put forth the effort.  Can Spoelstra find a counter that can neutralize Ginobili's insertion into the starting lineup?  Can James revert back to "Cleveland mode" and take over a game when the Heat need him too?  Will Wade, Bosh, and Allen continue to play well?  Will one of the bench players step up? 

Lots of questions for the Heat right now...but there will be more questions about their heart (especially towards James) if they lose this series.

For the Spurs, there's only one overall question...can they figure out how to get one more win? 

Series Tied 2-2, Heat beat Spurs, 109-93

For me Game 4 was like the Amityville Horror..."They're Back!" LeBron James, 33 PTS, 15-25, 11 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL...Dwayne Wade 32 PTS, 14-25, 6 REB, 4 AST, 6 STL, 1 BLK...Chris Bosh 20 PTS, 8-14, 13 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK. With the Heat's Big Three all contributing (and 14 from Ray Allen off the Bench), they had the game their fans have been waiting for. Give Spoelstra credit for changing everything up for Game 4, from pushing the ball up the floor, to full court presses when Parker wasn't in the game, to even changing uniforms from their red road to the black road uniforms. Would have been perfectly happy seeing any of the trio stay in the slump they were in, but to have all three breakout at the same time didn't work out well for the Spurs. 

Still there's some encouragement that the Spurs can pull this out. Despite the breakout game of the Big 3 and a lot of turnovers, the Spurs played the Heat to a 49-49 tie at the half. Tony Parker was playing his game up to that point (15 PTS, 7-14, 8 AST at halftime), but only ended up taking 2 shots in the 3rd quarter. Don't know if the Hamstring was bothering him or not...I haven't seen anything reported about it. Parker, who leads the Spurs in minutes played per game, was 4th in minutes played in Game 4. Manu Ginobili is still in a funk (1-5, his only basket coming in the 4th quarter when the outcome was decided). It may be sacrilegious to Manu fans, but I think it may be time to cut his minutes and give them to someone else. It's getting to the point where the Spurs can't wait for him to find his game. 

Much talk has been made about the Heat's small lineup, but the Spurs have been much more effective on offense in this series going small with Gary Neal. We also saw a reappearance of Boris Diaw, who didn't perform well in Games 1-2 and had no playing time in Game 3. Diaw was effective in the first half and ended up with 9 PTS, 3-6, 3 REB while playing in just 11:18. 

For me, the most disappointing thing about Game 4 was that the Spurs lost the offensive rebounding battle 5-7. As I said in the last post, OREB is the one glaring weakness the Heat have. This should be the one area the Spurs should dominate every game. It comes down to effort and the Heat just went after the boards harder. The Spurs also had 18 turnovers and shot just .443 as a team. Every made shot is one less opportunity for the Heat to get out in transition and every turnover is one more opportunity for the Heat to get out in transition. 

Heat had everything going in this one, also beating out the Spurs in steals (13-5) and blocks (7-4). Yea the Big 3 for Miami are back, but if the Spurs can keep the turnovers down, crash the boards, and keep the steals/blocks even they'll have a chance to win the Championship. That's not anything that's outside the Spurs normal character as a basketball team. The Spurs won with extraordinary circumstances in Game 1 (tying the record low for turnovers) and Game 3 (record 3-PT shooting), but last night's game, even though it was a loss, showed me that they can stay with the Heat without an abnormally good game...just play fundamentally sound, which is the Spurs trade mark.

In this Tennis match of a series, the ball is back in the Spurs court...it's their turn to need a win. Lose and they need 2 straight in Miami...possible, but not probable. Win and the Spurs are up 3-2 with a good shot at upsetting the defending Champs. Due to TV ruling the scheduling, we have to wait until Sunday to find out who gains the edge....I'm obviously hoping the Spurs can hold serve and put the ball back in the Heats court for Game 6.

NBA Finals, Game 3, Spurs 113, Heat 77...Spurs Lead Series 2-1

That was an unbelievable shooting night for Danny Green and Gary Neal. Spurs set a NBA Final record by making 16 threes, 13 of those by Green and Neal. Green had that Michael Jordan look at one point, you know the shoulder shrug and grin that said, "I don't know, it's just going in." The duo were responsible for 54 of the Spurs 113 points and didn't play the last 5:43 of the game. 

 I was a post early talking about the Spurs shooters getting hot and Neal doing a Vinnie Johnson imitation (for those of you too young, Vinnie's nickname was "the Microwave," because he was instant offense off the bench). If I would have wrote that before Game 3 instead of before Game 2 I could have bragged about it.  Green and Neal ended up a combined 13-19 in threes and the Spurs shot .500 from 3-PT range overall.

People need to keep a blow out like this in perspective (see how many sportscasters changed their opinions from after Game 2). The team winning isn't as good as they looked, and the team losing isn't as bad. Bottom line the Spurs got super-nova hot shooting from the perimeter players, which won't happen every night. Still there are a few things that you can look at in this game that's encouraging if you're a Spurs fan. 

Manu Ginobili and Matt Bonner shot 0-6 from behind the arch. Still waiting for Manu to have a great offensive game, but I'm beginning to believe it's not going to happen. I'm going to have to be satisfied with Ginobili giving the Spurs offense in small spurts. Still, the fact that the Spurs made 16 threes and none of them came from Manu or the Red Rocket means those two are still due.

Spurs killed the Heat on the offensive boards, pulling down 19 (7 by Tim Duncan and 4 by Tiago Splitter). Rebounding is the Heats biggest weakness, but the Spurs aren't a potent offensive rebounding team (29th in OREB for the season). Hopefully they can keep the level of effort up on the offensive glass because it is the one thing that can be exploited from the Heat every game. 

Tony Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili didn't play that well on offense. Duncan shot 5-11 for 12 PTS. Ginobili did have 6 AST, but shot just 3-7. Parker had 8 AST, but only played 27:28 and left the game with 5:07 left in the 3rd (he did go back in the game in the 4th, but played less than a minute). He didn't shoot well either, hitting on just 2-5 for 6 PTS. 

Which brings me to the part that scares me the most...Tony Parker's hamstring. When Parker left the game in the 3rd he went back to the locker room. Reports say it was he pulled a hammy and that he is having an MRI today. Losing Parker would be BIG!!! I know the Spurs were only up 66-52 when Parker left the game and they pulled away from there, but if Parker can't go it seriously hurts the Spurs chances of winning another game let alone the series. 

OK, let's talk LeBron James. 

Heat Tie Series 1-1 with 103-84 Win Over Spurs

Game 2 was what I was afraid this series would be like. Although the halftime score was similar to Game 1, the way the teams got there was different. The Heat disrupted the Spurs offense all game long and the Spurs found themselves struggling get good shots off. I figured the Spurs couldn't repeat the 4 turnover Game 1 performance and they didn't...16 turnovers in Game 2. 

Leonard also struggled to find his shot for the 2nd straight game....not good when your top 3 scorers can't find the basket (Parker 4-15, Tim Duncan 3-12, Kawhi Leonard 4-12). Unlike Game 1, in Game 2 I felt the Spurs were in trouble even though they were be down just five, 45-50. Danny Green's shooting was the only thing keeping them in the game (he was a perfect 6-6, 5-5 threes, an NBA Finals record for most threes without a miss). Once the Heat started the track meet in the middle of the 3rd quarter the game was over.  Manu Ginobili was also a non-factor, scoring 5 PTS on 2-6 shooting.

For the 2nd straight game the Spurs shot way under their season average (.417 and .410 vs .481). You expect the shooting averages to drop in the Playoffs as you face better teams, but that's too much of a shooting drop. I didn't think the Spurs could win a game shooting that poorly, but they got one in Miami....Game 2 was what I figured would happen if the Spurs shot this poorly. Each made shot is one less potential fast break opportunity for the Heat. The Heat's defense was stifling. They trapped everything, got the ball out of Parker's hands, and cut off the passing lanes. Priority one for Popovich in Game 3 is finding a way to free up Parker. Parker is the "QB" in the motion offense the Spurs run...if he can't make plays, the offense breaks down. That's when a team needs someone to beat his man one-on-one, and the Spurs don't have that guy anymore. 

Spurs tried to change things up and went to Tim Duncan down in the post, but he couldn't deliver. Off night for Duncan or better defense by the Heat? I don't know, but it didn't look like the Heat was helping out so Duncan was one-on-one. Duncan said in the post game interview that he played terribly...that he had shots he liked, just didn't put them down.  He needs to find his old self if Parker can't get freed up. 

The Heat shot .494 for the game, that's what getting out on the break does for them. Ray Allen and Mike Miller were also a combined 6-8 from 3-PT range. Those two guys are the main 3-PT threats, they have to run those guys off the 3-PT line.  Too many open looks from the arch and a lot of those came courtesy of the 7 assists from LeBron James. James shot just .417 for the game, which is a bad thing for the Spurs because he won't shoot that badly every night. James made his mark with two blocks at the rim, one on Duncan and the other a highlight block on Tiago Splitter, who had a running start and a big wind up and James still stopped the ball like it hit a wall.  Mario Chambers led the Heat with 19 PTS. Bosh went 6-10 for 12 PTS and stayed inside the 3-PT line. The Spurs best chance at winning is to shut down the role players and they didn't shut down anyone in this game.

Bottom line, the Spurs were blown out in the 2nd half, but they should still be OK with a split in Miami if they take 2 out of the 3 in San Antonio. Not likely that they can take the last two from the Heat in Miami, so getting two wins at home is critical.  It's really simple to say...they need to shoot better and cut down on the turnovers...not so simple when trying to do it against the Heat's defense

Spurs Take Game 1, 92-88 over the Heat

Let's start at the end. Sweet Curley Neal imitation by Tony Parker to hit the game clincher (for those too young, Curley Neal was a Globe Trotter that was famous for dribbling while sliding around on his knees). After the shot went in my reaction was, "Holy S.., he made it!" 

Talking to co-workers this morning, I told them Game 1 felt strange..it didn't feel like a playoff game. One agreed with me, his theory is that it was because the Spurs were rusty and the Heat was still recovering from the Pacers physical 7 game series. That's as good an explanation is any.

First play of the game the Heat disrupted a pass and got a steal that led to a Dwayne Wade dunk in transition. I thought, oh no, that's what I was afraid would happen. Then the Spurs settled in, ran their offense, and for the most part the Heat didn't disrupt the flow much. Spurs missed a lot of open looks. I thought it was a very good sign that they were down just 49-52 at the half shooting just 42%. Meanwhile, for the opening half, the Heat shot 50% overall, and it seemed like they made every open look. 

In the 3rd quarter everything just slowed down. The two teams played to a 20-20 tie and went into the final quarter with the Heat still leading by three, 72-69. Then the Heat just uncharacteristically fell apart. Five turnovers and just two points from Wade and Chris Bosh ended their chances of winning. 

What can you take away from this game? On the plus side for the Spurs, they won a game where they shot badly (.417)...something I didn't think could happen. Tim Duncan and Parker played a good game, but it wasn't like they played unusually good. Parker (.500 shooting, 21 PTS, 6 AST) was close to his season averages (.522, 20.3, 7.6) and Duncan didn't shoot well (.421, 20 PTS, 14 REB vs .502, 17.8, 9.9). Manu Ginobili hit some big threes, but missed some shots right at the rim. Danny Green was hot, but Kawhi Leonard had a terrible shooting game (.333). Is it because he's guarding LeBron James? That's one I'll have to keep track of.

Spurs set a record for fewest turnovers in a Finals game (4), which isn't likely to happen again. Statistically, LeBron James filled up the stat sheet with an 18-18-10 triple double (PTS-REB-AST), but didn't take over the game at any time. Wade and Allen started hot, but faded in the 2nd half. Spoelstra needs to tell Chris Bosh that if he even goes beyond the 3-point line on an offensive possession he's yanking him out of the game. Take away Bosh's 0-4 three point shooting and he played a decent game (6-12, 13 PTS, 5 REB), although, if I'm a Heat fan, I would like to see more rebounds from him. It's hard to be a factor on the boards when you're that far away from the basket, so as a Spurs fan, I'm perfectly happy with him hanging out on the 3-point line. 

I need to stop doing pre-series posts, because none of the things that I thought would be factors revealed itself in Game 1. Although Ray Allen played a lot of minutes and made big contributions, Shane Battier played sparingly (6:11). Battier's minutes went to Mike Miller, a pattern that started in the Pacers series that I didn't think would continue in the Finals. Tiago Splitter played his normal rotations and DeJuan Blair didn't play at all. Popovich tried Borris Diaw on LeBron James for a stretch and it didn't work out too well. I still think Blair would be the 2nd best option to guard James, but Pop is an NBA coach and I'm obviously not.

Not that it's worth much after my pre-series assessment, but here's my thoughts for Game 2.

NBA Finals; Spurs vs. Heat

I'm writing this as I wait in anticipation of Game 1 of the NBA Finals...it's been 9 long days.  I'm sure the Spurs players feel the same way.

One of my co-workers is picking the Spurs to win.  There's many sportscasters out there doing the same, although the majority are going Miami in 7...just like Bulldog over at Nothing If Not Random.  As a Spurs fan I'm hoping they're right...if it goes 7 the Spurs will at least have a decent chance at the upset.  Problem is, I don't think the Spurs can take the Heat to 7 games.

What!!??  How can I claim to be a big Spurs fan and then type out what I just did.

I'm making a big attempt at looking at this Finals matchup with my eyes and head and not my heart.  I believe a lot of people are looking at the way the Playoffs panned out and making their judgements from there...I think that's a mistake.  The Heat ran into a team that could take the most advantage of their two biggest weaknesses...namely, lack of a good low post defender and vulnerable to teams that crash the offensive boards.  Roy Hibbert played way above his season averages and just dominated the Heat in the post.  That forced the Heat to move away from their most effective rotations.  In minutes played per season for the Heat it goes, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, and Shane Battier.  Looking at those names, the Heat play a lot with a 3-guard lineup of Chalmers, Wade, Allen or go with Battier at the small forward.  That leaves Bosh at Center and James as the Power Forward.  With Hibbert and David West abusing Chris Boss physically, the Heat were forced to go away from Allen and Battier and give more minutes to Chris Anderson and Udonis Haslem.  Those guys stepped up enough (especially Anderson) to get the Heat past the Pacers in 7.

 The Spurs are an excellent rebounding team on the defensive end (4th), but they are not a good offensive rebounding club (29th) and 21st overall in rebounding.  Anyone who's seen the Spurs over the last several seasons know that the offense doesn't go through Tim Duncan in the low post anymore.  Can the combination of Duncan and Tiago Splitter cause enough mismatches to make the Heat go away from their small lineup?  I don't think so.  If Kawahi Leonard is assigned to James (and I'm pretty sure he will be).  That means Duncan or Splitter will be on Shane Battier or Ray Allen out at the 3-point line.  If you watch the Spurs at anytime since Popovich took over as coach the one thing that really stands out is how much the Spurs overplay the guy with the ball towards the middle of the court.  Their whole defensive philosophy is to force the ball handler baseline where one of the Bigs will meet him...the two defenders then try to pin him on the baseline.  If Duncan or Splitter is out at the 3-point line, then the Spurs can't play their normal defense.

What about on the other end you ask?  James won't guard Leonard, most likely he'll pick up Splitter since he's not much of a threat on the offensive end and has a more finesse game in the post than a power one. Splitter's is taller (6'11", 232), but James actually weighs more (6'8" 240).  Allen or Battier then would pick up Leonard.  I feel that Leonard could post either of those guys up, but Pop doesn't call plays for Leonard that often.  You would think that Duncan could eat up Bosh in the low post, but as I mentioned earlier, the Spurs don't play Duncan down in the post very often anymore.  Also, recent history hasn't shown Duncan outplaying Bosh...the exact opposite in fact.  I just have to hope that Bosh is still having a hangover from the Pacer series.

If any team has to go away from their normal rotations, it will be the Spurs not the Heat. It will be an interesting thing to track how many minutes Splitter, who was 6th in minutes played for the Spurs in the playoffs vs. Batter and Allen, who where 5th and 6th in minutes played for the Heat, and see how that effects the games itself.  I'm thinking Splitter is going to get less time in this series and you'll see the minutes go up for Boris Diaw and DeJuan Blair.  Blair may turn out to be the Spurs best defender against James.

I have two hopes for the Spurs.  One, Pop has a new wrinkle up his sleeve.  In the last Spurs Championship year the Spurs faced James and the Cavaliers.  Obviously, James has improved since then, but the Spurs let James get his and shut down everyone else.  Yes, I understand that the Heat are much better overall team, but I still think that may be the best course of action. 

The other thing is that beautiful motion offense the Spurs now play.  Watch for when Parker gives the ball up early in a possession.  Watch Parker and the other four players, not the guy with the ball.  Don't worry about missing something...if Parker gives the ball up early in the shot clock he's going to get the ball back.  Try to pick up where the player setting the screen for Parker comes from when Parker gets the ball back. Look at where Parker is on the floor.  Yes, it's a pick-n-roll offense, but it's getting setup on the wing instead of the top of the key.  The screener is coming from somewhere on the weak side.  A lot of times, someone will set a screen on the guy setting the screen for Parker.  Parker himself may come off two or three screens before he gets the ball back...that's a lot of screens.  That puts the defenders, both the one guarding the screener and the one guarding Parker, in chase mode.  The play then runs according to how the defense reacts...when Parker is making good decisions and hitting the jumper is pretty to watch.  Here's a video a guy named Mike Prada put up on SB Nation about the play I'm talking about.
Motion Weak Side Pick-n-Roll

When that offense is clicking and the Spurs are hitting open shots they can beat anyone.  The thing is, I think the Heat's athleticism can disrupt the offense by getting hands in passing lanes and recovering from chase mode to stay on Parker and the screener and still run the shooters off the 3-point line. If that happens with any kind of frequency, the Spurs won't be seeing a game 6 let alone a game 7.  

I'll be watching the game tonight, hoping Parker runs the offense with perfection and stays hot, the wings are hitting threes, Duncan's low post game reappears, and Pop reveals a wrinkle we haven't seen yet.  All that and James doesn't take over the game, Bosh doesn't regain his confidence, and Wade and Allen stay in hibernation. 

Is that too much to hope for?  Yea, that's why I don't think the Spurs will win the series...but maybe, possibly, hopefully, it can happen for 4 games out of the next 7.