I would really like to know what you think on all or some of these topics…. go ahead and leave a comment below!
Wisconsin Badgers Basketball: The Badgers beat Northwestern somewhat easily last week. But that 2nd half was burial to watch….. 18 points point for Northwestern with 27 for the Badgers. Usually in most game, the 2nd half has more points than the 1st half just because the tempo is picked up as the end of game is near. Granted both teams are a little more pragmatic with the ball but there were multiple 90 and 120 second stretches with no points scored at least for the Badgers. This the same age old problem that happened in the later years for the Bo Ryan Badgers……. looooooonnnnnnnng stretches of the game with no scoring which usually come back to haunt them when they play a team that can break them down one on one (like Maryland). Now I felt this was worse under Bo as I remember multiple times where we would not score for 5. 6 or 7 minutes.
As for the Ohio State game, this was a collective failure. One thing I noticed this year is that nobody on the team (besides Trice) has any finesse on their shots like we saw out of Ohio State. We are unable to break down the defense one on one to get a short to mid range shot….. our shots are either 3’s or driving shots at the rim. We also lack the ability to go inside to create the outside shot like we saw with Ohio State. Once the ball goes inside with us, that is where it stays.
Green Bay Packers:
It comes as no shock to this writer but the Packers blow another NFC championship game with their loss to Tampa on Sunday. The same old issues creep up again (and again)……. lack of the pressure on the QB and lack of coverage down field because of the ridiculous 2 Defensive Line scheme…… If you have not noticed since the 2011 title defense season we have been playing this ridiculous scheme where we only have two defensive lineman while supplementing with Linebackers to rush the QB. The problem with this scheme? The O-Line of the opponent can double team the D-lineman while singling blocking the linebackers that are 50 pounds lighter than them. I have been saying for a decade now that the Packers need to switch back to the 4-3 defense….. you match up fat people with other fat people not lighter people. It does not matter who in bring in or draft…… the problem is not personnel on the field but the scheme itself. With this scheme with the 2 defensive line is like a Ford Fiesta (Linebacker) going up against a Tank (Offensive Lineman).
The reason I rail on this 2 Defensive Line scheme is because nobody truly wins with it, 9 out of the last 10 champions play the 4-3 and this years big game will feature two teams that play…….. any guesses???? 4-3….. if there was another style defense that works would you not think that other teams would jump on board?
You could clearly see it today…… when Brady was under pressure (rare occurrence) he would make mistakes, rush throws or miss on throws. When he was not he would make the plays he needed to make. While Rodgers was under constant pressure the entire game and was always moving or rolling out or getting hit from one Tampa D-Lineman.
The Field Goal call at the end of the game was questionable in my opinion but the dye was cast already with many many bad decisions even before the season when you take a QB we didn’t need, a RB we under utilized and a TE we need not need when we needed D-Line, O-Line, a Wide Receiver and maybe a Corner…… But there was one other thing I wanted to mention. The pass interference call near the end on King…….. By the letter of the law, it was PI, but based on how the rest of the game was called…. this was NOT pass interference. First of all there were multiple holding and other calls that should have been made all day including two obvious missed defensive holding calls on Lazard but then when King tugs the jersey a little then the Wide Receive acts like he was blasted out of cannon, you can’t make that call……. Additionally he would not have caught it anyway.
It is sad to say that Rodgers will continue to have disappointing loss after disappointing loss until he has a defense that either plays a true 3-4 with 3 high quality defensive lineman or switch to the 4-3.
Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks played the now rostered James Harden for the Nets…. and of course we lose….. The game was close but it comes down to it…… running plays mater! Granted the Nets really did not run plays either…. the Bucks should not rely on talent alone. I foresee another 2nd round exit from the playoffs this year for the Bucks if they do not learn to adjust in game and start running some real plays more consistently
Other Thoughts:
Other Thoughts #1: As I watched Ohio State lose to unranked Purdue…… Why is Ohio State consistently overrated for Basketball year in and year out in the AP poll? Really…. Why? Since 1998 Ohio State basketball has finished in the polls lower than where it started 11 times….. not 1 ……… 11 times!!!!! How many times in the same timeframe has Wisconsin done the same? Only twice!
Additionally in the same timeframe the both Ohio State and Wisconsin had the same number of final fours….. with 3 and 1 national championship final lose at ….. 1
Number of times missing the big tournament same timeframe: Ohio State: 6 ; Wisconsin 1
As in Football…. this is why I have been in favor of the AP and Coaches not releasing any polls until the third week of each of their seasons.
Other Thoughts #2: Onto Soccer, just like my Ohio State and my previous Norte Dame rant…. this same principle applies to the English Premier League for Soccer. Currently Leicester City is in the hunt for another title…. yes another title….. yet all you hear is Man City! Man United! Liverpool! …….. the British media fearing another non-Big 4 winning the title as that does not pay the bills, they almost treat it as a “disrespect” to the power of the league as buying all the international players in the world do not buy you the title….. the British media will have to go back to the “underdog” storyline like their first title.
What the EPL fails to understand is that having a variety of winners is beneficial to the sport and league overall?