Ebb and Flow: On the Dichotomy between Player Safety and Entertainment in the NFL

The NFL, first and foremost, is a business. A business engineered by deploying the world’s most athletic specimens in a 100 x 53 ⅓ rectangular arena, and demanding that they stop the ball from entering this endzone, at all costs. We find ourselves in a time 96 years after this barbaric league’s inception - and we have just begun to lay the foundation for a safer game, but that begs the question: is safer good for ratings? 

If football is a business, its’ players are commodities. Former Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck describes the player-coach relationship regarding injuries: "There are head coaches who, if you're not playing or practicing, won't talk to you. That's an old-school technique, but, to be honest, I kind of like it. There are also head coaches who'll push trainers to get players back on the field no matter what. But no matter what kind of coach you think you have, you know one thing about him: If you go down at a practice, he will be the kind of coach who orders his team to "move it over ten" or "move it over twenty" so that practice can continue while you're lying on the ground. That is every coach, at every level. They move on if you can't” (Junod).

“Next man up” is a philosophy employed by a majority of the nation’s football coaches. The scary part is that this ideology is met with esteem and pride. Would you be surprised that three-quarters of all tickets to watch this gridiron carnage are purchased by women?

“Your thumb is broken. They won't tell you about it because they need you to keep playing." These words epitomize how the NFL is a business, in which the players act as commodities. Raiders quarterback Marc Wilson was the recipient of this message, uttered by his team doctor at halftime, while getting manhandled by the Monsters of the Midway in the dying embers of 1984 NFL season. Just one year later, the Bears would be Super Bowl Shuffling their way to a championship -- Wilson would be later quoted saying, "I know a lot of guys got carted off that game but playing in the game, I really didn't have a sense that it was that bad” (Cosentino). The conclusion is twofold: First, there is a perpetual wealth of injuries to NFL players. Second, they are not exactly cognizant of this fact, or if they are, do not put much thought into it.

* * *

Early practitioners of football dismissed the brutal violence of the game as a shared hardship, endured as an initiation into a fraternal bond. Today, far removed from the ethereal nature of football, players found an alternative way to mask the pain. Painkillers. Hasselbeck goes on to talk about the abuse of prescription painkillers in the NFL:

"A lot of times you don't know exactly when the injury happens, because you're taking drugs like Toradol or another kind of anti-inflam, so you're feeling good. Or maybe you're dealing with a previous injury, like an ankle, and you're taking Toradol, so you're feeling a little bit better, but now all of a sudden everything is feeling a little bit better. Plus, you have the rush of adrenaline — so the injury might hurt a little, but you don't really realize it. You might not feel it till the next day, or you may feel it that night.”

This is different than not feeling your bum shoulder until the day after your annual backyard Thanksgiving football game. This would be like if you hurt your shoulder, and the next day, instead of sitting in a cubicle, you were forced into being a crash-test dummy for Honda.

* * *

An anonymous NFL veteran said: “Your pain threshold is used to decide what quality of football player you are, and what quality of person. Injuries are used as a gauge. And I've done it, too. Many times, I've been battling through injuries, soreness, or pain, and I've seen a young guy come off the field for something minute. And I'm thinking, What a pussy — let's get a guy in there who's tougher."

Or, as Ryan Clark says: "I don't mention every injury. I don't complain. And I don't want the person next to me doing it either (Junod).

Among NFL circles, there exists a narrative that players should be willing to sacrifice their bodies because the compensation is exorbitant. This mindset permeates discussions of collegiate athletics, elucidating society’s belief in the myth of “amateur athletics.” Is it ludicrous to think that athletes making millions of dollars in revenue for their universities don’t even receive lifetime health care. For a kid to dedicate his life to one particular craft, go to college on the merit of that craft, and then be disposed of when he gets hurt and nobody can pay for his medical bills is wrong. NFL executives groupthink mirrors the NCAA’s view of SEC-football players, “cha-ching.”

This would not be such a hot-button issue if the NFL had an effective system for dealing with player injuries. According to a 2013 Esquire article chronicling NFL injuries, “For players, though, injuries are a day-to-day reality, indeed both the central reality of their lives and an alternate reality that turns life into a theater of pain. Experienced in public and endured almost entirely in private, injuries are what players think about and try to put out of their minds; what they talk about to one another and what they make a point to suffer without complaint; what they're proud of and what they're ashamed by; what they are never able to count and always able to remember” (Junod).

Just watch any NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony -- it’s participants diverse in their collection of maladies and afflictions. But according to the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, “Of all the public health and safety issues connected with football, brain trauma is the one that grabs the most attention. It has compelled college and NFL officials to quickly change the rules of the game and to adopt an emphasis on player safety more so than ever before.” The disease in question is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The NFL first responded to increasing scrutiny of concussions in 1996.



Since the league has changed rules and funded research into helmet technology and tackling techniques to dampen criticism. In addition, the league penalizes hits to the head against “defenseless receivers” and quarterbacks. Second, they penalize a player who launches himself helmet-first against another player anywhere on the field. Lastly, they regulate onsides kicks so that an even number of players must be on each side of the kicker (Hanley). It was not until 2010 that the NFL laid down the foundation for a league in which targeting the head of any player is strictly prohibited.

* * *

Fans and society reinforce this attitude of players as commodities -- obfuscating the issue by elevating the players to superhero status. It is the view of Richard Lapchik, who created the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University in Boston, that there is “a disheartening trend among US sports fans is how they label everyone who fails to win a championship as a loser.

This pervades into persona life to when “some ex-players express bitterness over how fans who were so eager to buy them dinners and drinks while they were playing suddenly aren’t so interested in them” (Barlow). The cultural justifications do not end there. As noted in my Behind the Facemask essay, Leonard Koppett created the seven cultural attributes for sports -- exemplifying the vicarious experience fans experienced, especially for football. The traits he characterized as the propulsive agent in the 1920’s: “Vicarious: Violence, Triumph, Second-guessing, and Patriotism. This is why football became so popular on radio and and film -- Hollywood amplified the american dream life of ecstasy and violence, creating fresh myths for decades” (7). Many of the elements are still magnetic forces drawing fans to the stadium and living room alike.

Perhaps the reduction of violence has lead to decreased ratings. It certainly has not lead to a reduction in injuries -- percolating all the way down into youth sports. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, each year, more than 750,000 Americans report injuries sustained during recreational sports, with 82,000 involving brain injuries. In fact, brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. Football is responsible for more than 250,000 head injuries in the United States. In any given season, 10 percent of all college players and 20 percent of all high school players sustain brain injuries (Monroe). When asked if league officials’ thinking regarding CTE has evolved, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has “embraced research, embraced technology when it comes to the safety of our players. We always believe in getting better.” A former defensive lineman at Harvard and a former WWE wrestler, says the league’s gift “demonstrates that they sincerely want to address the issue and be part of the solution.” Concussions and head blows from his athletic days, he says, have saddled him with headaches, memory problems, and depression (Stephen). This begs the question: would you take $1.9 million (average NFL salary) to accept this sadomasochistic job?

Works Consulted
"Examining Media Contestation of Masculinity and Head Trauma in the National Football League." Academia.edu - Share Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

Barlow, Rich. "NFL Gives $1M to BU Center for Athlete Brain Study | BU Today | Boston University." BU Today. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Monroe, Heather. "The American Association of Neurological Surgeons." Sports-related Head Injury FAQ. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Junod, Tom. "Theater of Pain." Esquire. 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2016

Stephen J. Nicholas, James A. Nicholas, Calvin Nicholas, Jennifer R. Diecchio, and Malachy P. McHugh. The Health Status of Retired American Football Players: Super Bowl III Revisited. Am J Sports Med October 2007 35 1674-1679; published online before print May 21, 2007

Cosentino, Dom. "What It Was Like To Play In The Most Violent NFL Game Ever." Deadspin. N.p., 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Brown, Robert S. "Sport and Healing America." Society 42.1 (2004): 37-41. Web.

Hanley, Richard. “Lecture Twenty-Two.” 05 Dec. 2016. 80-85.

Gameplan Series: How to Attack the Seahawks Defense

A lot of people told me they enjoyed my first installment: "Gameplan Series: How to Stop the Dallas Offense."  Members of BleedingGreenNation requested I write more analytical pieces, so I figured this week -- against the Legion of Boom -- would be a great choice for my second installment.

A Dynasty
The Seahawks have been the best defense in the NFL over the past five years.  This season they currently allow 17.6 points per game, ranking 2nd overall -- they rank only behind the Minnesota Vikings (utilizing Zimmer's Double-A gap pressure), who gave the Eagles offense troubles.  

Here is their Nickel (4 DL, 2 LB, 5 DB) personnel, courtesy of Pro Football Focus:

When I examined what made Seattle's defense effective over the last five years, I had three key observations that I believe separates them from the rest of the NFL -- which has been evidenced by their consistency. Typically, the NFL is an "adapt or die" league.  These observations are factors I believe contribute to why they can run a Cover-3 shell over and over again and not get shredded. 

Attacking the Cover-3
Dolphins SBNation blog the Phinsider discussed how teams typically attack Cover-3:

Cover 3 does have one key weakness. While the entire deep area of the field is pretty well covered by three defensive backs, and the shallow middle of the field is defended well with the strong safety dropping into support, both "flanks" of the defense (shallow areas near each sideline) are left vulnerable early in each play. 

Those outside areas near the line of scrimmage are defended either by a linebacker or defensive back who normally begins the play positioned near the middle of the field and has to move to the outside as the boundary cornerbacks run downfield. Quick, short throws to the outside that take advantage of the boundary cornerbacks dropping into deep zones are used to defeat cover-3. Those are high percentage throws, and those drop-backs by the cornerbacks open up the potential for good yards after the catch.

The Patriots SBNation site published a Super Bowl preview article detailing the Seattle defense, diagraming their Cover-3 from the aforementioned Nickel 4-2-5 formation.  An important distinction is that they frequently switch between having 3 linebackers on the field or adding a nickel corner, or even safety Kelcie McCray who led the Hawks with 23 combined tackles in the Saints' and Bills' games.  

Note: In the NFL, the defense is always allowed to make the last substitution to matchup with the offense (they can't snap it while they are making subs).  To clarify, I will post the snap count data revealing how they run the Cover-3 from multiple personnel packages.  In this diagram, #28 was subbed in Nickel packages (aka 5 DBs on the field).

So They're Vulnerable? 

So you may be asking, 

"Why can't teams flood the flat zones every play against the Seahawks?" 

The answer is two-fold:

1) Outside DBs play "press-match" coverage 
2) Earl Thomas

1)  Their main modification is that both outside corners run a"press-match" coverage that mirrors the receivers route trees for roughly 12 yards. This happens right after the snap, before dropping back far downfield into their assigned zones. By jamming the wide receivers, the cornerbacks can prevent the quarterback from attempting a short throw to the outside as well as disrupt the timing on any downfield throws. 

The danger of most Cover-3 press schemes is that the DBs could fail to drop back far enough downfield to prevent deep passes from being completed. 

2) Allow me to introduce you to All-Pro safety Earl Thomas -- the catalyst and glue of the Legion of Boom and the Seahawks Cover-3 defense. 

Essentially, his job is to "bail out" any Seahawk cornerback who fails to jam his wide receiver effectively and allows the receiver to outrun him downfield. When this happens, the Seahawks' press cover-3 morphs into a quasi-cover-1 scheme.  His range in coverage, ability to diagnose the offensive threats, and ability to lay the wood are not unlike Brian Urlacher's skillset that allowed the Tampa-2 defense to thrive in Chicago.  

Who They Got?

PFF shows the snap breakdown:

McCray played a ton in Chancellor's absence, but he still sees snaps (albeit only 1 tackle last week). Going forward Earl and Kam will dominate the majority of snaps, with Earl playing centerfield and Kam playing rover. 

As you see, #20 Jeremy Lane appeared in almost two-thirds of the snaps as the starters. It's evident that Seattle likes to run Nickel (5 DBs) and Dime (6 DBs) packages. 

For the majority of snaps, the Seahawks have at least five DBs on the field with just two linebackers as pictured above.  They rotate in Coyle, Morgan, and Pierre-Louis in running situations. 

How They've Changed
Football analysts at Cover 32 stated how the Seahawks scheme has mutated this year: "The ascension of DBs coach Kris Richard to defensive coordinator in 2015 came with a few tweaks to the system. Richard disguises his packages as well as Gus Bradley or Dan Quinn did and he showed flashes of brilliance every now and then. His gutsy cornerback blitz late against St. Louis Week 1 was the first of several such moments.

One area that some fans soured on was Richard’s heavy reliance on cover 3 in first and ten and third and long situations. Cover 3 is normally one of the most effective way to prevent a deep completion. Carroll has always trusted his defensive backs to react quick enough to the zone’s weak points (flats, seams) and usually it has worked out."

Relevant as well: A distinction that is not exclusive to the Seahawks scheme is the difference between Sky and Cloud Coverage in a Cover-3. In cloud coverage, one cornerback and two safeties handle the deep part of the field. Sky coverage is different in that two cornerbacks take their deep thirds with one safety in the middle. Teams will employ variation in their coverage shells to throw off the cornerbacks reads of specific areas of the field.
How I Would Attack

This picture below is a play I created to attack the LOB: Carson Wentz in the 'Gun,' with Sproles to his right. Bryce Treggs and Jordan Matthews are stacked on the right. This stack alleviates some pressure from press coverage and creates more space if they play Cover-1 Man (which they call a fair amount).  The line slide protects to the right with Wentz rolling out and Sproles is on an HB block/flat delay route. Treggs looks for instant release on the outside to force the 'press-match' Jeremy Lane to pass him off to Sherman deep. Matthews runs a vertical route that bends to the inside after 12 yards.

The slide protection gives ample time the Ertz option route to be wide-open. He is supposed to pass in front of both linebackers face and clear Bobby Wagner's outside shoulder (right hash). Ertz is then supposed to read Earl Thomas -- if he turns his hips then Ertz keeps running diagonally towards the sideline and is hit in stride. If Thomas doesn't turn, Ertz is supposed to turn into a comeback route. 

Wentz is then supposed to choose between throwing the deep skinny post to Matthews or finding Ertz in the void behind Wagner. Bryce Treggs, armed with tremendous speed, occupies Richard Sherman deep.

Alternatives

1)  Four Verticals: It is simply difficult for three people to cover four.

2) Levels: Already a Doug Pederson staple -- good against man and zone (essential against Seahawks -- considering how often they run Cover-1 Man Blitz packages, especially in 3rd-and-longs.) It has endless variations, but the concept is you have receivers at varying depths down the field.  In recent years, coaches have advanced in aerial spacing concepts. There is now an emphasis on the simultaneous horizontal and vertical stretch of the defense. Football analyst Ted Bartlett explains,"The subtle key to executing this against zone is for the quarterback to play with eye discipline, and to help get the receivers open by forcing zone drift by the defenders." 

3) Man-Beaters: Rub routes are the fundamental elements of a man-beater.  Bartlett goes on to explain that: "Ordinarily, you'd run a man beater (AKA rub play) against man coverage, but with the way the Seahawks play zone, especially on the outside, it has some application. What you want is a lot of physical engagement between the X wideout and the right corner, such that the slot receiver can start his route with a hard inside step and then bust it outside, running around the entanglement of bodies. There's no way the nickel-back can run with him, and eventually, it will force a Cover 3 defense to play further off.If you play your zone with man principles, I'll run man beaters at it, and force you to play your zone like a damn zone." 

4) Double Smash: A simple play run from 2x2 Shotgun set -- both slot receivers run deep corner (flag) routes, the outside receivers run 12-yard comebacks. The idea is to suck the press-match outside corners underneath and hit them with the deep sideline route -- preferably to Matthews.  

So I hope you guys enjoyed the second edition in my "Gameplan Series."  You can check out the 1st edition about stopping the Dallas offense by clicking THIS. 

  

Gameplan Series: How to Stop the Dallas Offense

all rights reserved to http://www.dallascowboys.com/

In Week 8, the Eagles are scheduled for an epic Sunday night matchup against division rival and NFC-East leading Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys offense is entirely predicated upon run-game success. If their run game is ineffective, their offense disappears. In 2016, this has not been an issue, as Ezekiel Elliott has rumbled to an NFL-leading 703 rushing yards.

The Eagles will have to make the Cowboys one-dimensional by stopping the four base runs the Cowboys have used consistently this season.

The Dallas Rush Attack

Base runs:

1. Outside Zone 
2. Dive
3. Inside zone
4. Split zone 

These are all run schemes that have been around since the beginning of football. The Cowboys' supreme offensive line talent is directed by center Travis Frederick and anchored by all-pros Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. It is said that great cooking is by simply letting the flavor of superior ingredients shine -- no bells and whistles.  Well, this anecdote extends to the Cowboys line -- letting supreme talent execute a simple scheme better than anyone else.  After the staple outside-zone, the following are few wrinkles Dallas might hit the Eagles with.  

Outside-Zone

The staple of the Cowboys run game -- the key to stopping the Cowboys outside zone is recognizing that it morphs into an inside run most of the time. The cutback is key -- gap integrity from lineman and linebackers will be key to stop cutbacks.  Obviously, run blocking leverage is a strong-suit for Cowboys O-line. Backside pursuit will be key to neutralize the line's aggression in run blocking.

Counter



The backside D-end and 'Will' linebacker must not over pursue -- not only to prevent cutbacks in the play above but to above getting burned on the counter. This will be run a few times in the matchup --- you will start to see how many of the same schemes that the Redskins used to burn the Eagles exist in the Dallas scheme.  Was that game foreshadowing an even more devastating rush attack?

(Fake Jet Sweep) Toss-Crack



Lucky Whitehead runs motion threatening the Jet Sweep, which I suspect the Cowboys will run to keep the Eagles honest. In this place that freezes the linebackers in time for mobile LG La'el Collins to pull out on the toss. The safety on the play-side and the corner will have to make this tackle on the edge -- this run scares me a lot.


The Dallas Pass Attack
The Cowboys passing attack is predicated upon quick throws, getting the football out of Prescott's hands.  While the offensive line is top-notch and Prescott is an effective scrambler, the Eagles pass rush will still be important to unsettle the rookie signal-caller.  Here a few ways I think the Cowboys will attack the Eagles.

Gun X-Slant



Dez Bryant is back. This play starts with Ezekiel to Prescott's left in the backfield, he motions out wide, a linebacker follows and he knows he has man coverage. If not, this play is designed to beat the zone with the Witten option route. Usually, man coverage is the defenses' choice against '5-wide' formations, so they will probably try to get Dez Bryant in a favorable matchup in the slot. This is a Dez staple and I am sure will be featured in his return.

Gun Play-action Dig



As been the case when I watch the Cowboys, play-action has been a staple of early downs when the Cowboys are not doing one of their aforementioned staple runs. This particularly effective play-action sequence comes from a Gun Spread look. They fake an option with Elliott to the right and try to throw behind the linebackers on the square-in usually for first down yardage.

Gun 5-wide Tight Slot Stack



When you watch the Cowboys convert on 3rd downs, usually 5-8 "Junebug" receiver Cole Beasley is the culprit. This is a bread-and-butter play for the Cowboys, with Beasley lined up stacked behind Witten, forcing an inside-outside coverage scheme, which then determines Beasley's option route, depending on how the two defenders split the coverage. Prescott has developed a good chemistry with Beasley on this type of play -- crucial to sustaining drives.


Defending all this is clearly easily said than done -- the Cowboys offensive line is the catalyst to their offense.  Their potent run game opens up pandora's box in the run-action department, getting Prescott on the edge, and also hitting play-action for plays down the field.  Predictions and feedback are more than welcome.  Looking forward to to the game -- as always, go Eagles! 

America the Beautiful: Do politics invade sports?

The Blue Angels soared over the grandstands of Levi’s stadium in their signature six-jet Delta formation just before kickoff of Super Bowl 50 yesterday. They serve as a subliminal message of patriotism -- which is, notably, more than just an aesthetic surrogate for high-paying fans to enjoy. Is it our vacuity or self-righteous indignation that champions our feeling of national pride as Lady Gaga belts the Anthem amidst fireworks and star-spangled-bullshit?  

It doesn’t necessarily make me angry that politics has such a strong foothold in the sports media. Rather, it makes me question why we allow it. When the Miami Heat wear hoodies in support of Trayvon Martin or the St. Louis Rams put their ‘hands up’ in the wake of the Michael Brown case, unfortunately they are not making an impact. I do not believe anyone is going to be watching a NBA game and Lebron’s hoodie campaign catalyzes them to become a freedom writer. The same way regurgitating ‘support the troops’ does nothing but trivialize the heroes by merging them with the high-school dropouts and sing-songing them all with societal praise and empty 401(k)’s.

“Support the troops” is a platitude used among people looking to evoke sympathy and gain respect under the veil of national pride. Is it really any more than an empty statement that parades troops as puppets in front of post-tailgate Baby boomers and their indoctrinated children? So when I read the New York Jets received almost half a million dollars from the Department of Defense: I tend to think the standing ovation for John Doe of the 16th Airborne is patriotic ephemera instead of an act of altruistic esteem.

We are a Banana Republic and our export is troops. We have over 35,000 troops in Germany -- so I furrow my brow when I am told we are upholding democracy instead of acting as world police. Our front row subjection to the military-sports complex only enhances the inveterate notion that foreign troops equal domestic freedoms. I wonder if these constant iterations of politics has set forward a perpetual motion machine that will percolate through the generations culminating with political ornaments being embedded into children's cartoons.

When the sports realm is augmented by political coverage it demonstrates that sports is more than just a natural form of entertainment -- but a vehicle to push policy, promote brands, and (regrettably) reinvigorate the patriarchal ideals of our country.

When viewed through the lens of a skeptic, sports can be distilled into an ‘opiate of the masses’ as Marx says. I think a more encompassing view would give credence to the fact that sports can act as a ritual -- central to a country’s value system. In lieu of religion or cultural pastimes, sports can provide someone with the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves.

The beauty of sports is that it can simultaneously be used as a propaganda machine that strengthens political machine, but also as a quasi-socioeconomic bridge to better education and sometimes even a better professional life.

This all begs the question: If sports acts as opiate to deny freedoms, why does our society accept it as such a remedy? The answer should vary from person to person; Although I believe sports have no cosmic significance, or tangible evidence that it improves the human condition, or even creates a strong bond amongst its’ fans -- it is the most lucid representation of natural selection we have left. Society preordains what is politically correct, what set of morals are acceptable, what is fashionable -- but it has no say over which team will win. Natural competitiveness is an animalistic trait at the core of the human condition.

Sports can also fill the chasm between countries with varying culture, laws, and religion. The Olympics are more than a global ‘pissing match;’ they act as a social lubricant that brings every country to the world stage. Regional hegemony and the battle among the global status-quo takes a backseat to global citizenry and universal form of sportsmanship. Although there is cultural mediation of sports through agenda-geared vehicles, we can still watch the Olympics with the mute button on and the partisan commentary off. Although, when McDonald's makes more than a cameo at the 1984 “Hamburger Olympics” you know there is a problem. 

The actual manifestation of politics in sports is minimal from the fan’s perspective. As long as we can endure a few minute tributes to various American heroes, accept that the Padres are wearing camouflage, and allow ourselves to be frisked head-to-toe, we’ll be A-ok. The mere fact that the government tries to subtly tie politics into sports is a slippery-slope towards stratocracy, where high-rankings military officials have their hand in a myriad of society’s cookie jars. This makes it even more worrisome when the military pretended Pat Tillman suffered a fate akin to U.S. soldiers Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima -- when in reality, it was your run-in-the-mill friendly fire that turned this ex-NFL safety into an artifact of American heroism.

Don't Know How To Explain This Post

We are going to attempt to explain what Michael Jordan is in a vacuum.  We idolize what he was and even glamorize his career – he has attained a god-like status.  But what if he came up now as a relative unknown.  

2K15 Player Creator activated.  We start off with a prime Dwayne Wade as the base.  Then we boost him up 3 inches.  Give his jumping and quickness a boost.  Tack about 15 points of Basketball IQ on there.  Elevate his perimeter shooting, slashing, and passing abilities.  Finally add to his killer instinct and clutch ratings and you have it – Air Jordan. 

But that was just fun, the real article is about identifying what seperates good point guards from great ones through a unique lens.  Check out these radar charts, or as we like to call them, NBA spider graphs. 

This graph must be explained, thoroughly.  Those ‘traits’ at the ends of the ‘spider legs’ are not accurate.  Here’s our detailed explanation:

Size --  The combination of height,weight, build, hand size, and arm length.

Jumping – Their vertical and horizontal leaping ability and their quickness off the floor.

Court Awareness – Pretty self explanatory, they see the whole court and anticipate.

Ball Control – Their ability to effectively handle the ball, not make turnovers, and possess turnovers and a knack for 50/50 balls. 

Body Control – Their ability to manipulate their body in mid-air and maneuver through traffic, make quick cuts, and have control at high speeds.

Fluid Shot – If their shot is the same no matter what scenario they are shooting in, if it is natural and effective under pressure.

Rebounding – Their ability to get rebounds on both offense and defense and in traffic.  Also fights for loose balls. 

Controlled Aggression – Their ability to always have their foot ready to be put down on the pedal.  They always have the defense on their heels.   Can unleash!

Introspection –  A players’ ability to evaluate his own strengths and weaknesses, play to them, and improve his ability.  One who sees an accurate picture of themselves.

Deception – Simply, a guy who fakes the shorts off the other team in any facet of the game. 

Change Speed – Their ability to shift gears keeping the defense off-balance and creating more opportunities for his teammates. 

So yeah, basically Chris Paul is the best Point Guard in the NBA.  But haven’t we all known this for the past five years?  Look into your hearts, you know it’s true.  He’s a menace defensively with underrated quickness and strength mixed with an uncanny ability to read the offense.  Couple that with a Hall of Fame passing ability, incredible handles, and  a weeeeet jumper – you have yourself a weapon.  Does he have the unworldly ability to hit off-the-dribble 3’s like Steph Curry? -- No.  Does he have the ability to unleash monstrous dunks from baseline to baseline like Russell Westbrook? – No.  But does he have the ability to catalyze a Championship team? – We say yes. 

I want to let this graph do a lot of explaining and for the reader to draw their own conclusions rather than trying to convince them what’s right. 

And don’t take our word for it, watch him below: 

 Hope you enjoyed watching the wizardy of CP3.

Video of the Day -- Tom Brady "The Greatest"

Enjoy the highlights of the greatest to ever do it -- article coming soon!

The MVP Race

           In this piece we will discuss various MVP candidates that may or may not be based on their current production, our pre-season predictions, or future breakouts.

James Harden has officially arrived.  The 6^th year A-State guard has shown that he can be the best player on a championship team (not that the Rockets are).   Yes, we can look at how his turnovers are at a career-high level and his field goal percentage is way down, but that is expected with the third highest usage rate in the NBA.  What is unexpected his newfound defensive effort that brings him close to the lead league in steals and averaging over one block when his previous high was half of that.  It is obvious he went ala-Jordan and decided that he would make a perceived weakness one of his strengths.  Now he still is one of the worst ball-stoppers in transition we have ever seen, but we must give credit to his off-ball defense improving.  Remember, Harden was seen as a ‘three-and-D’ guy when he was drafted by the Thunder and was not labeled as a terrible defender until he arrived in Houston.   If he keeps up his current pace as Dwight Howard returns then he is firmly implanted into the MVP race.

Anthony Davis could be better.  The man with the highest efficiency ratings and expected wins-added is being used wrong.   The former point-guard turned behemoth overnight is unstoppable.  When you have a player like this you want him to create mismatches.   He rarely turns the ball over and for a big that touches the ball that much that is a rare trait.  The Pelicans offense is stagnant and they do not pass the ball much, they rely too much on isolation plays – they have capable three point shooters in Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday that could space the defense and cause opponents to pick their poison in doubling Davis or getting torched from the perimeter.  Tyreke Evans is having a resurgent year but he is the anti-thesis of what this team needs – they need an Arron Afflalo.  Monty Williams, frankly, sucks.  If we could see Anthony Davis play in a passing offense, like the Spurs, he could be prime Tim Duncan. 

Stephen Curry is wet.   I’ve said it once and I will say it again.  To shoot over 7.5 threes a game and still shoot 48+% from the floor is incredible.  Curry is categorically underrated at driving to the basket and finishing in traffic.  He has unbelievable handles and is an improving passer.  He is still a lackluster defender but always vigilant and that is why he gathers 1.8 steals a game.   Curry is actually having a worse statistical year than he did last year but anytime you are the clear best player on a 20-2 team you will garner some MVP consideration.  He won’t win the MVP but you can’t have the discussion without one of your NBA ‘old-head’ uncles bringing him up.  

Lebron James should still be the MVP every year because without him the Cavs would be a fringe playoff team and not even in the race in the West.  In recent news, King James does not care about on-ball defense as he repeatedly has let opponents beat him off the dribble for dunks.  The first time I remember this happening was Iguodala’s dunk on Lebron circa 2010.  Now it is becoming a more regular occurrence.  Despite that he is still the greatest transition player ever, save Magic Johnson, and ‘all world’ in the post, passing, and driving to the basket.  It seems that the era of James playing every game like it was his last is over and he is going all San Antonio on our asses and saving some gas in the tank for the playoffs.  Kudos to giving up personal accolades for the benefit of the team, King James. 

Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.

Blake Griffin or Chris Paul. 

When you have a fellow top-10 NBA player on your team it is really hard to win the MVP.  In a parallel universe with the league’s players jumbled up then maybe one of these guys would have a shot at winning MVP.  Durant will have a hard time winning if he only plays 60 games, and Paul has the ‘amazingly efficient but not flashy enough’ vibe you get from Tony Parker – so he’s out.   Blake Griffin is a product of his environment and still the best in-game dunker ever (sorry Vince).  He has not taken a step up from last year which saw his passing, jump shooting, and post-moves all improve – we are still waiting Blake.