Tradition Tuesday: SEC/AFC West Quarterbacks To Face Pivotal Third Pro Year

The rough focus of this blog concerns the rivalry of the Denver Broncos Football Club -- cheered for by Cecil and Old No. 7 -- and the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom I root. Yes, it's two versus one, but somewhere, in the annals of the House of Georges foundation, we autographed a sun-faded document that suggested each team be represented by one author per championship. Insert a Martin Luther King, Jr. sort of sentence wherein a future Lombardi Trophy awards the HoG an even-kieled CyberNets legal pad.

Eight years ago, we started The Tradition. In a nutshell, we travel each year to the stadiums of one another's teams to, more often than not, watch our clubs lose on the road. We eat. We drink. We sometimes bring the wives. And we always be -- scoreboard aside -- merry. It is in the vein of this annual festivity that we bring you the weekly state-of-the-rivalry installment known as "Tradition Tuesday."

I don't care if there's "not much going on" in the way of football. Today I'm amped to talk gunslingage. Both of these teams expect nothing less than super-competence from their quarterbacks this season, we the fans no exception. By virtue of a single click, jump aboard with this idea.

Jay Cutler

It stands without reason that Denver's Jay Cutler, in his already-peaks-and-valleys career, has much less to prove than his Kansas City counterpart Brodie Croyle. Cutler has done nothing but improve since 10 days after Thanksgiving in 2006, his NFL debut. In fact, I'm sure he was improving all the while leading up to his first start. He was a first-round steal coming out of college, and has, to a degree, proven his talent, leadership, and smarts on the professional playing field. That year, his club missed the playoffs by the goofiest of scenarios, and, as many critics said, it was a good move to get those starts under his belt, post-season appearance or not.

Since then, Cutler, along with his Bronco teammates, have dealt with (a considerable amount of) changes in player personnel, coaching staff shifts, the routine rookie learning curve, the loss of a teammate, media scrutiny, and most recently, personal health issues. And his performance to date would suggest that he has a promising and productive career still ahead of him. Courtesy of our pals over at Bronco Talk, we have access to this story from USA Today. The piece discusses Cutler's unwaivering poise and dedication in light of his off-season diagnosis of diabetes. Before citing the story, allow me to go on record and predict the over/under on (national television broadcast) Jay Cutler/diabetes mentionings: 67. And, yes, I'll take the over.

"Guys look at Jay and the way he's handled things and their problems don't seem half as bad," (teammate Champ) Bailey says. "I'm amazed at the way he's handled it. I thought he'd be freaking out right now. But he hasn't shown one sign of emotion.

"He hasn't missed a workout. Jay's a natural leader. He gets it."

The piece goes on to illustrate that Cutler has regained his lost weight, suggest that his arm strength is (worst case) on par for where it should be, and that third-year quarterbacks under (Head Coach) Mike Shanahan show resounding results in the way of personal improvement and league-wide success. Via free agency and the draft, the Broncos couldn't in all possible circumstances have made this team worse. They addressed the offensive line, brought in some running backs and some pass catchers, and significantly added to their defense, the latter a near-mimic of last year's preparations.

They will most certainly be better. It would seem, knowing but a sliver of Shanahan's strategical tendencies, that the majority of these moves were done to build a team around a guy that's ready to take it to the next level. And Jay Cutler, in my estimation, is certainly geared to be that guy. I made some pretty ridiculously optimistic pigskin predictions last year, and, through great pain and suffering, I learned from them. I'm confident that my analysis of Cutler -- barring injury -- won't be too far off the mark.

Brodie Croyle

Most of my life as a sports fan, if a player has, say, not murdered anyone, or been caught up in ridiculous legal issues, but been a part of a really bad team, I've felt bad for them. Chiefs quarterbacks, Steve DeBerg and Joe Montana aside, are the perfect example. I really began to grasp the game, and a feel for just who my team was, when the organization was waffling between Bill Kenney and Todd Blackledge. It's virtually impossible to say who those guys would've been career-wise on any football team that was not outright terrible. But that's just what the Chiefs were, and I remember being a grade-school kid and feeling bad for both of those cats, as everywhere I went, fans were calling for their heads.

In just under three weeks, my best friend will be married. I've known the guy for over 20 years, and since we were kids, he's always done the best play-by-play impersonation of the Chiefs with the football from that era:

"Kenney. From the shotgun, looks to his right. Points left. It's third and 23. The Chiefs are down by 17. Here's the sna-- he's sacked! Loss of 15 on the play, and the Chiefs will have to punt."

The beauty -- if one chooses to call it that -- about that remarkably accurate improv is that, at any given time between 1983-87, Kenney's and Blackledge's names could've been substituted for one another. And I felt awful for those guys. Just as I did for Elvis Grbac, even though he said and did some stupid shit. I also felt bad for Trent Green in his first 20 games as a Chief. Fans can be brutal, and I can be brutal right along with them. Doesn't mean I don't feel for a guy, though.

Now it's the Brodie Croyle era. Or the Brodie Croyle experiment, as I imagine most would choose to say. And I feel bad for him, too. Like Cutler, Croyle enters his third season in the NFL this fall. Unlike his Denver counterpart, he has not had a year as the starter, and I would argue he's had less to work with as well. Many of his critics say that he simply comes to the table with less, be it in the form of less God-given talent, less of a complete body of work at the college level, or perhaps even less in the form of guidance from his pro coaching staff.

In the May 21 issue of The Kansas City Star, Kent Babb wrote an article with the headline "Its up to Croyle this season." I have a problem with that, and the article for a number of reasons. Primarily, the article is generic. It points out little but the already-known negatives from last year's miserable season, i.e. "He lost all six of his starts last year," and "(He) was inconsistent and inexperienced." It also creates the mentality of the starting quarterback position being one for Croyle to lose, instead of one in which to prove himself.

There is one positive quote, and it comes from -- tight ends aside -- Croyle's one true/worthwhile target from a year ago.

"Brodie's looking good, man," wide receiver Dwayne Bowe said. "He threw a go route, back shoulder, against the wind. It was on the money. I was like, 'Dude, you're ready. It's on.'"

The only other positive from the piece is the statement that Croyle has been quick to catch on to (new offensive coordinator) Chan Gailey's system, but it is undermined by the allegation that the Chiefs have "simplified the offense for Croyle."

Look, I'm not suggesting that Croyle get any more time than any other NFL quarterback get in regard to the sink-or-swim litmus. If the guy can't hack it, the Chiefs front office and coaching staff will acknowledge that, and look in a different direction. My thesis -- since Trent Green went down -- has been that fans and the media have got to give the guy a chance, and last year wasn't it. The Chiefs played some pretty good defense in 2007. They used a picks-of-the-week crew on the O-line, and had the worst rushing game in the league. A gameplan can only focus on Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez to an extent; everything else either becomes predictable, or just plain bogged and inefficient.

Many fans, critics, and bloggers have proclaimed the Chiefs draft from last month to be a huge success. If it is, and the team can continue to be good on the defensive side of the ball, develop some pass protection, re-develop the ground game, then, and only then, will it be fair game to sequester the Brodie Croyle jury.

Jay Cutler inherited a different team, one who's frameworks begins on offense and with the position of quarterback. Croyle's hand has yet to be played, and I argue that he hasn't even been dealt in yet.

Here's to trumping diabetes, and making the most of Beowulf forearms.
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Major League Baseball Makes Another Major-League Mistake

I donned my first little-league uniform when I was 10 years old. We were goofy. We were terrible. But we were the A's, and we were stupid-dope proud of it. Well, at least I was. Nothing made me prouder as a kid then to put on my uniform every practice, and every game, even if it was only twice a week during summer months. This was of course when I first discovered that the Oakland A's used to be known as the Kansas City A's, so it was another reason to be proud of our assigned team name. Had that not been the case, I'm sure I could've wrangled up an assortment of other reasons, because I was playing the game I loved, with visitors in the stands, and the dream of one day being a pro. Apparently, Major League Baseball doesn't want kids to dream anymore.

I don't aim this to be a once-glorious-turned-sour themed post, but this is ridiculous. That's right. Major League Baseball is in the process of strongarming little league uniform production companies into ceasing creation of shirts and hats with the names and logos of the pros. My response to that: Boo.

As Tim Cronin of Herald News Online reports, the MLB powers that be don't mind if the uniforms have franchise names of the pros on their digs, but the uniform-production companies must buy them from Majestic Athletic, the exclusive apparel licensee of MLB.

"That impacts us," said Steve Bowles, president of the 700-player (Tinley Park) Bulldogs organization. "We can't have a (Major League) team name or logo on the uniform unless we buy it from Majestic. And when we did a cost comparison of what we had versus that, we can't do it for the same price."

Cronin quotes Howard Smith, MLB's senior vice president of licensing, in his piece. Smith implies that Major League Baseball has never ordered a production company to quit producing uniforms with MLB franchises and logos. He claims that the league wants little leaguers geared up in major-league attire. As Cronin notes, however, both the logos and the franchise information are protected by trademark, a cushion associated with a ton of potential revenue.

So ultimately, Major League Baseball is fine with kids wearing the "professional" uniforms, as long as they have a way to make money off of it. I guess they are a business, and they do have a right to do whatever they please with their trademarked information. It sounds like there's potential for some production companies to be forced to charge prices some little-league parents might not be able to afford.

I guess those of us that didn't have to deal with this as little leaguers should be thankful. I took great pride in my pro-resembling A's uni. I thought it was bad enough when the baseball-attire trend went away from the knee-length pants/stirrups (Editor's Note: Good, God -- where are the stirrups?!) look. Now they're going to paired with jerseys that say things like "Tinsdale Slugs" and "Beaverton Wombats."

It's a shame, I tell ya'. I cryin' shame.
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Stay Classy, Kansas City: Ron Behagen

Back, and sporting less class than ever, it's time for another installment of "Stay Classy, Kansas City." This short-lived series is one in which we examine past and present professional athletes from various KC teams through the years. Today's installment is a tad different, as we'll spend a short bit of time overviewing the NBA franchise that now -- and for the last 23 years -- calls Sacramento home. Equally, if not more, important, we'll spend less time than usual raking the subject of the post through the coals, as there wasn't a whole ton of dirt to dig up on former KC Kings players. Behagen made the cut, however, because an incident in which he was involved could be -- albeit a stretch -- linked to some of the courtside atrocities of today's game. All the fun and goodness, a jump shot away.

The history of the Sacremento Kings starts in 1945 in Rochester, New York, where the National Basketball League's Rochester Royals would earn the NBL championship in their debut season by easily handling the Sheboygan Red Skins. Five years later, as part of the NBA, the Royals handled state-rivals the New York Knickerbockers for a second franchise championship. The following season, they claimed their first division title, a close race against the Minneapolis Lakers. In the semi-finals of the post-season, they would easily handle the Fort Wayne Pistons in round one, only to lose to those same Lakers in the second. At the conclusion of the 1956-57 campaign, the Royals would move to Cincinnati, where they would net seven playoff appearances, two trips to the Conference Finals, and employ future Hall-of-Famers such as Clyde Lovellette and Oscar Robertson.

In 1972, the Royals again relocated, and this time their home was, uh, a duplex? For three seasons, the Royals, renamed as the Kings, would split home games between Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. Before the start of their fourth season, they dropped the deal with Omaha and made KC their permanent home. In this 13-year existence, the Kings would win one lone division title, earn five playoff appearances, and land one trip to the Conference Finals before heading west one last time. And it is somewhere in the fold of this Kansas City stay that the Kings selected University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Ron Behagen. Actually, it was the 1973 NBA Draft, but who's fact-checking?

During his tenure as a gopher, Behagen was involved in a 1972 in-game brawl with rival Ohio State. Allegedly, his teammate Clyde Turner flagantly fouled Buckeye Luke Witte, which prompted fellow gopher Corky Taylor to pretend to help Witte up from the ground. Instead, he kicked him in the crotch, naturally clearing the benches of both schools. In came Behagen, who pulled, what contemporary fans may call an Albert Haynesworth, and stomped on Witte's head, leaving him unconscious. The move, according to The Columbus Dispatch's Rob Oller, likely had negative impacts on Witte's then-future basketball career, leaving him with "a lasting emotional effect as Witte became less aggressive and thus less effective on the floor."



A few weeks prior to publishing the story that contained that quote, Oller published an editorial regarding the infamous incident. In it he references the horrid Pacers/Pistons brawl from four years ago, and the Miami/Florida International brawl from two seasons past.



He does so to suggest that the on-court NCAA brawl from 36 years ago was a precedent for the modern in-game misfortunes.

Some blame the trickle-down effect -- the pros do it, so why shouldn't we? -- for creating unstable situations for younger athletes. But bad behavior trickles up, too. Within the past year, incidents at Ohio high school basketball games have included students holding up white trash bags to demean the economic or class status of the "white trash" opponent.

We here at the House of Georges, don't aim to imply either way. We're kinda like "Dragnet" detectives, where we supply just the facts. Ma'am. And hey! if those facts somehow tie in to a feature we're running -- jackpot.

We're looking for the money ball, the go-getters, and the classy.
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Baseball In The Daytime: 5-26-08

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Stanley Cup Finals: Game One Re-Cap

I hadn't intended on doing game-by-game recaps, but frankly, the pestulance of the Lone Reader has, in some odd way, inspired me to do just that. For the record, I'm pulling for Pittsburgh, and am an avid Red Wing hater. I'm a Blues fan, so the two teams that've pushed my boys around the most are the Stars and the Wings. Sweet Western Conference Finals. If interested, review the comments here, and -- assuming you caught game one -- decide for yourself just how well the Pittsburgh Penguins did or didn't fare in the Finals' first contest in Detroit. If need be, there's some propaganda after the jump, or just make your own (preferrably) educated statement(s) in the comments.

For starters, Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury totally set the stage for Pittsburgh demise by falling on his way out the door.



The Big Lead's got its own take on why the game wound up the way it did. It has to do with the non-chef Swedes.

Phil Coffey over at NHL.com has some select words in his game-one summary.

Goalie Chris Osgood wasn’t the beneficiary of an easy night in goal, despite gaining the shutout. Despite his team’s dominance over the final 40 minutes, Osgood needed to be strong in the first period. He made a dozen saves, including several real testers from the Penguins’ strong array of offensive talent.

Interesting. The fourth word of the second sentence there, that is.

The four-letter network chimed in too, of course.

And Yahoo summarizes the match as well.

And courtesy of Barry Melrose Rocks, we have Steve Levy, Don Cherry, and Barry Melrose discussing -- amidst buffoonish bumblings -- the game. Levy makes an interesting statement at the 1:27 mark.



And that's all I have to say about that.
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Putting the Gamma Radiation in Your Sportiverse

This is the slow period of the sporting calendar.

I could write that previous sentence literally every week of the year but 16, so it has the value of being both true and reliably cliched. All we've got is baseball--and the NHL finals and NBA semis and college Lacrosse tournament, but you know what I mean. Summer is almost here, the lilacs are beautiful, the girls wear short skirts, the cops circle-dance in moonlit meadows, but sports? Like an Ambien bender during a Rick Steves marathon.



It's not because I don't care about the NBA and the NHL--well, about the NBA anyway--but I simply can't be bothered to invest in these current series. Lakers versus the Spurs? I'm rooting for a double bus crash. Pistons against the Celtics? Hmmm...two of the most obnoxious fan bases in America and the most thoroughly bludgeoned story line in the league in KG and Pierce and Allen and their respective haloes. Think I'll sit that one out too.

And even if I was one of the 46 people in North America who regularly watched hockey regardless of whether or not the local squad is playing, I'd naturally shun Penguins versus the Red Wings. Not because of any particular animus toward the Pittsburgh team, I mean those crazy fuckers used to actually let a live penguin waddle out on the ice, but no one outside the rotting metropolis of Detroit or the historically insignificant country of Sweden cares about the Red Wings, and I hate being force-fed any player as a league savior, like those masterminds at Versus and the CBC have tried to do with Crosby.

So for now it's chuckling at the ineptitude of former Post writer Bill Williamson on ESPN's Hashmarks blog. That'll have to last me until minicamp at least.
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The Quest for the Cup: HoG's Finals Preview

It's that time of year again. The excitement, agony, anxiety and pride of fighting through an 82-game season and three best-of-seven playoff series are over. Seems like yesterday guys were reporting to camp for pre-season workouts. Now, late in May, the quest for the Cup has reached its acme. Two teams, one shot at the most coveted trophy in professional sports. Like the clip in yesterday's post says, "It weighs 35 pounds, except when you lift it." A look at Michel Therrien's Pittsburgh Penguins and Mike Babcock's Detroit Red Wings, after the jump.

This no doubt is the most difficult prediction post I've written to date. I'm going to examine some of the tangibles from both of these squads, but it, as players frequently say, will all boil down to who gets out there and plays better hockey four out of seven times. Sounds silly, I know. But this is where the overdrive kicks in, where 100% hustle for every loose puck is demanded of every guy on the ice for every second he's out there. This is where, if need be, a defenseman errs on the side of caution, and shows restraint against those tempting opportunities to pinch in along the halfwall. Those defenders must stay at home, never forget the weak side, and deliver crisp outlet passes on every occasion, regardless of the hit that's coming.

This is where wings and centers must continue to cycle in the offensive zone. They must remember to use their points often, and stay moving down low afterwards. This is where using all the ice, especially to gain the neutral zone, will be pivotal. And goalies? Goalies must simply be goalies, and be awarded clear lanes of vision in all instances possible.

This Finals epitomizes experience versus youth. Neither team gets the edge on those identifiers alone. It will be a matter of who better uses their strengths to their advantage when it comes to tilting this series.

The Prince-of-Wales-Trophy-holding Penguins have a sleuth in Therrien as their bench boss. He's emerged from a moderate playing career, and an only mildly-impressive-at-best coaching past to assemble one of the best single-season NHL records in history with last year's 105-point campaign in Pittsburgh. His club, the talk of the league, was filled with potential, a chance to become the next Edmonton Oilers of the 80s and win multiple championships. They bowed out early in the first round, and have achieved the crucial: bottling their potential and exhibiting a marked improvement upon last year's impressive season.

The Penguins are loaded with talents seldom-seen in the league. They have the uber-young, coveted heir to the Gretzky throne in Sidney Crosby. He dons the "C," and leads veterans like Petr Sykora, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar, and Pascal Dupuis. He also leads peers in Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Throw in the oft-improving netminding of Marc Andre-Fleury and x-factors like (House of) Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts. A guy can't find enough to say about Gary Roberts. In his own way, he's the journeyed version of clutch other sports see in the likes of Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, or Tom Brady. If Therrien's Penguins want this Cup, it's theirs for the taking.

Standing in their way, however, are the icons of professional hockey from around the world. Seldom does Detroit put together a less-than-excellent club, but this just might be the best they've skated in a long time. Better, perhaps than the days of the Federov/Yzerman-centered clubs that threw teams around for many years. This Red Wings team, if it can harness all its potential, has the ability to throw around all the talent and leadership in the seemingly unstoppable Pittsburgh Penguins.

Detroit can stop them, but they've faltered in two of their three previous rounds, nearly letting Nashville back in the Quarters, and the Stars in the Conference Finals. Tonight they square off against a Pittburgh club that becomes the 11th squad to reach the Finals with two or fewer losses since 1980. Hockeytown's mix of Czechs, Slovaks, Swedes, Fins, Canadians, and -- yes, even Americans could destroy the Penguins if they choose to take this team seriously.

Aside from the fact that Detroit has Chris Osgood (backed by Dominik Hasek, no less) in net, they're so stacked with champions, it's sickening. Darren McCarty, Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk, and of course Chris Chelios are the loaded anchors of veteran poise that can command this club's march to victory. Add the youth and flair of Johann Franzen, Valtteri Fillpula, and Henrik Zetterberg, and that's one frightening lineup. Throw in the wit and grit of Mike Babcock, and, from this vantage point, the edge seems in Detroit's favor.

So much so, that I don't think the march of the Penguins down championship road starts here. Not this year. This Goliath is a few notches too deep to be toppled by the spryness of the Davidesque Pittsburgh. Gary Roberts turned 42 yesterday. He's been a staple everywhere he's played. The 46-year-old Chelios knows a thing or two about being a staple. He hoists one more Cup before hanging up the skates.

Having improved to an overall post-season prediction record of 52-32, I'm feeling pretty confident. This championship series could go seven games, all of which include overtime. But it won't. A rejuvenated passion has come alive in the Steel City. Mario's manning the team, Sid the Kid is living up to expectations, and the Igloo will finally be replaced. This could be the end to the 16-year Cup drought in Pittsburgh. But the stakes are too high in Hockeytown. It's been six years since Detroit won a Cup, and they've only won three in the last ten years. Wings in six.
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