What Now?

Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers probably played their worst basketball game last night. But that wasn't even the worst news. In the 2nd quarter the Cavaliers versatile 2 guard Delonte West went up for a rebound over Bulls guard Derek Rose. West tumbled over Rose's shoulder and surprisingly didn't break his face however he did happen to fracture his wrist. West in my opinion is the 3rd most valuable player on this Cavalier squad after Lebron and Mo. Here are a few reasons why.

Delonte is our best perimeter defender. Although he is undersized for a 2 guard he plays aggresive in your face defense that frustrates his opponents. Delonte is also a great ball handler that can dribble ball up the floor. He can play a little point and get our Cavaliers into their offensive sets. He also is very good at putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. A category in which the Cavaliers are lacking in except for Lebron obviously. On top of all those great skills Delonte can stroke the three ball and after Mo and Boobie he's probably our most dependable deep threat. So what are the Cavaliers to do now without such a versatile player.

All signs point to Sasha Pavlovic taking over the 2 guard spot while Delonte is in dispose. This is just awful news. In my opinion Sasha is the worst player in our rotation he doesn't do anything paticularly well. He's pretty much a poor man's Delonte West. He tends to fall in love with the deep ball and every time he gets the ball he isolates and doesn't pass the ball. His defense can be ok at times but there is a lot left to be desired there as well. I have severe concern if the Cavs have to continue with him in the line up for more than a few weeks.

Another option is Wally Szcerbiak. This equally terrifying as Sasha check that it is more terrifying. Wally cant play defense at all. He couldnt even man up Darius Miles. What is he going to do against Kobe and Brandon Roy I don't know about you but I don't really want to think about it. Wally can still shoot a little but he's better served coming off the bench.

Our final option is to make a trade. The three names that come up at the 2 guard for the Cavaliers are Gerald Wallace(Bobcats), Vince Carter(Nets) and Mike Miller(T-Wolves). If Delonte can't comeback for an extended period of time my guy is Gerald Wallace. Wallace is a lengthy defender who can defend the perimeter and block shots. On the offensive end he is a slasher that can get to the rim. I believe he would really bolster our depth and help our team in just about every category.

Vince Carter is a spectacular talent however he's just not a winner. He's not a guy I would trust to come through for the Cavaliers in May and June. He's just not dependable when it comes playoff time. His skills are diminishing and has an absolutely huge contract. I wouldn't mind having him here but he's not my first choice.

The final option is Mike Miller. He's an outstanding offensive player. However we all know Mike Brown preaches Defense and his defense is not what I would call good. That was the same knock on Mo but he's turned out to be a good defender for the Cavs. I just don't see Miller having the athleticism to be able to compete with good 2 guards in our scheme night in and night out.

Our best scenario is Delonte can come back soon and we pick up right where we left off. I don't see that happening. I think Delonte is going to be out for a while. My endorsement is to give up something and get Gerald Wallace I believe he can do the most to help this team in all categories.

Linebackers=Death

When you think of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers the first thing you probably think of is there outstanding linebackers. In my opinion you cant even argue that another team in the NFL comes close to these two teams in the linebacker department. I wouldn't even argue with anyone else who would challenge me on the subject its not worth discussing. Both units are just so aggressive and play with a reckless abandon they always seem to be in the right position and are always flying around make play after play.

When you think Ravens the first player you think of is naturally Ray Lewis. Ray in my humble opinion is the best Middle Linebacker to ever play in the NFL. He is so dominant and intimidating that his presence on the field just makes guys around him better. Ray has lost a step or two but he still might be the best mike backer in the league. He can still flow from sideline to sideline and make bone jarring hits. Ray also has the capability to get the big interception that hes been capable of his whole career. He will once again as usual be the first guy the Steelers will most likely scheme their offensive game plan around.

Playing beside Lewis is veteran Bart Scott who has developed into one of the best and most underrated defenders in the league. Scott benefits from playing next to Lewis but still delivers big hits and has tremendous speed. Scott was 2nd on the team with 82 total tackle which trailed Lewis who had 117. Scott is just another tremendous defender that Bruce Arians will have to prepare his offense for.

The least celebrated player in the unit is 6th year Jarret Johnson. Johnson who played his college ball at Alabama took over at outside linebacker when Adalius Thomas took off for the riches in New England. Although he hasn't performed to the level of Thomas ( not many can) he has been a solid player. He was 2nd on the team with 5 sacks and had 57 total tackles. Johnson is solid player who can rush the passer and play the run pretty well. He does tend to struggle in pass defense something Roethlisbereger will definitely look to exploit with tight end Heath Miller.

The most explosive and game changing player in the unit is a question mark for the game Sunday. Terrell Suggs is one of those players you must know where he is every play because he will kill your Quarterback. Suggs led the team with nine sacks this year he also had two picks in which he returned for TD's and 2 forced fumbles. He is one of the elitie pass rushers in the game and if he cannot play Baltimore's chances of winning will certainly decrease.

The Pittsburgh Steelers when someone says this the first thing you think of devestating linebackers that just knock the piss out of opponents. This unit is no different and might be the best one since lambert and ham days. The Steelers are first in total defense in the league they finished first in passing d and 2nd in passing d. The Linebacker unit is the big reason why. These backer stuff runners and terrorize passers with Dick Lebeau's fantastic schemes.

The leader of the unit is James Farrior who mans one of the two middle linebacker spots in Blitzburgh's 3-4 alignment. Farrior per usual led the team in tackles with 133 tackles. He also added 4 sacks and forced fumbles. Farrior is just a solid player who is once again one of those under the radar signings the Steelers always seem to get. He has blossomed into one of the best middle backers in the game and always is around the ball making tackles.

Playing next to Farrior is another solid player. Former Michigan Wolverine Larry Foote ( Go Blue!) Foote has been around a while and is not an elite name but he is a servicable linebacker that will make plays that he's supposed to make. He is not going to do many extrodinary things for your defense but he will not hurt the Steelers either

Now the fun part the deliverers of death. Woodley and Harrison. Harrison the unhearalded offense wrecker from Kent State has dominated the league the last two season with his non stop motor and tremendous athleticism off the edge. He dominated so much this season the writers decided he was the Defensive MVP. I believe the award deserved to go to Ed Reed but thats another story. Although he is undersized he uses his lack of height to get under bigger blockers pads. This allows him to get great leverage and ride his blocker to the quarterback with a devestating rip move up the field. Harrison will be the number one target of the very underrated Raven O-Line.

For all of those who know me Lamarr Woodley is one of my biggest man crushes of all time. This guy is just an absolute stud and as I predicted he's dominating this league in only his 2nd season. He posted 11.5 sacks this season and had two against San Diego last week. Woodley is a pass rushing fiend who will only get better with time. He is just another weapon the Steeler Defense deploys against the conservative and efficent Baltimore Offense. I predict Woodley will once again have a huge impact on this game and make a few big plays that will lead the Steelers defense. Lamarr is just the man. GO BLUE!

These Linebacking units are the two best in the league and they will duke it out on the field again for the third time this season for ultimate supremacy and championship dreams. Picking which unit is better is too hard to pick so Im gonna say that this is a draw.

Advantage: Even.

AFC Championship

Death, Despair and Pain are three words that come to mind when I think of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh defense's. These two teams have the most badass and aggressive defense's that have ever existed. Both are outstanding but who has the edge. I will cover all positions the next 3 days and who I think has the edge.



Defensive Line:

Both teams play a base 3-4 defense with three down linemen. I believe both of the D-lines are very underrated and allow each team to do what they want to do scheme wise. They are able to get penetration and take up blockers that allows each teams outstanding linebackers to roam free.

We'll start with Baltimore Up front they start Outstanding veteran Trevor Pryce at Defensive end. Pryce has been a very good player for a very long time he used to be a very disruptive 3 technique tackle in Denver's 4-3 scheme for years in Baltimore he's a space eating 3-4 end. On the other end is another veteran Justin Bannan. Bannan is usually a backup but he was thrusted into starting duty when starting nose tackle Kelly Gregg was lost for the season. With the injury to Gregg young Haloti Ngata shifted inside to play Nose Tackle where he has been a dominant force and in my opinion behind Ed Reed and Ray Lewis he is the most important player on this defense. He occupies at least two blockers at least and is a very athletic 350 pounds plus.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have employed the same front 3 for about three seasons now with Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel at the ends and Casey Hampton at Nose Tackle. Smith is probably the best 3-4 end in the league and one of the best of all time. He's very large and very strong and he holds up at the point of attack very well swallowing up blockers allowing Harrison and Woodley to wreak havoc on the edges. He will more than likely be matched up with long time veteran Willie Anderson who is the right tackle for Baltimore. He will also draw attention of right guard Chris Chester. A big key to the Baltimore running game is being able to control Smith. At the other End is Brett Keisel who took over the reigns at Right End when long time Steeler Kemo Von Oelhoffen moved onto the Jets. Keisel used to be used as a pass rusher on passing downs in their 3-4 look but now has turned into more of a run stuffer much like smith. His sack total has dropped from 5.5 in 06 to 1 this year. Keisel is a solid player who will most likely be matched up with Young Left Tackle Jared Gaither and Left Guard Ben Grubbs. Just like Ngata for the Ravens the most important player in this front 3 is veteran Nose Tackle Casey Hampton. Hampton is a two gap run clogger that allows James Farrior and Larry Foote to make plays all over the field. He will be the key player to get movement on by the Raven O-Line if they expect to get a big day from backs Willis McGahee and Le'ron McClain. McClain had success running the football against the Steelers the last time these two teams matched up.

Overall both of these fronts are very good and very underrated and underappreciated. This due to the amount. of the great players around them but the reality is these great players like Harrison and Lewis much of their fame is created by these big nasty's playing in the front 3. I believe Pittsburgh has the advantage here because of experience and they have all 3 starters while Baltimore has a fill in in Bannan. Aaron Smith is also the best player in both units he's the player that truly is under looked.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Tomorrow: Pittsburgh LB's VS Baltimore LB's

My First Blagging Post

Hi my name is Mike Rodeno I attend Baldwin Wallace College and I will be graduating next year. I have always loved sports. My favorite Teams are the Cavs, Browns, Indians and my favorite team of all time is the Michigan Wolverines even though I am a Cleveland kid. I have created this blog because I think I have a great deal of good opinions on the world of sports. My dream is to see the Cleveland Cavaliers win a NBA Championship this season and I believe this is the year it will happen for obvious reasons. I think I have an abundance of knowledge I can share with Cleveland fans and Michigan fans. Besides the teams I have mentioned I also take a great interest in the New York Yankees their history is unmatched by any other team. Well this just an introduction of who I am and what interests me in the world of sports. I will have many more posts to follow.

I hope you will read my blog and give me feedback on what I'm doing well and what I need to improve on.

Mike