The Moose? The Moose!!!

Martin Brodeur... what else can you say about him?  Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.  10 All-Star Games.  8 seasons with 40+ wins, most ever.  2 Gold Medals.  3 time Stanley Cup winner.  4 Vezina Trophies.  5 Jennings Trophies.  All time leader amongst goalies in wins and shutouts.  Quite possibly... the greatest goalie of all time.

But what you cannot say is that in the 2010-2011 NHL season, Martin Brodeur has been the best goalie on his team.  That honor belongs to Johan Hedberg, aka "The Moose".  As the Devils stumbled out of the gates and were tied with the Islanders for the least points in the NHL after 20 games with Brodeur suddenly sidelined by an elbow injury, "The Moose" stepped up off the bench and has temporarily rescued the Devils season.  Hedberg and the Devils have won 3 of their last 4 games, accounting for 37.5% of their 8 wins through 24 games.  Most of this is due to Hedberg's brilliance in goal.

Over the past 4 games, Hedberg has allowed only 4 goals and has made 113 saves on 117 shots on goal, an overall save percentage of .966.  2 of these victories have come in the shootout, only allowing 1 out of 7 shootout attempts hit the back of the net.  He defeated both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals, the top 2 scoring teams in the NHL and 2 of the NHL's elites, allowing one goal in those 2 games combined.

The Devils are fortunate to get such great play from "The Moose", because they are still struggling immensely on offense.  Though they broke out for 5 goals against the Capitals, they only scored 1 goal each against the Flyers and the Calgary Flames, leading to 1-1 ties that went to shootouts.  Sandwiched between the 1 goal efforts was a game in which they failed to score against the worst team in hockey, the New York Islanders, in a 2-0 loss.  100 million dollar man Ilya Kovalchuk is only converting on 5.8% of his shots on goal, well below his overall career average of 14.5%.  The team is missing fellow superstar scorer Zach Parise, out until February, and overall the team is shooting a league low 5.9% to go along with their league low 1.77 goals per game average.  While the masters of the neutral zone trap have never been a team marked by their goal scoring, you cannot win with that type of offensive ineptitude.  If the Devils are to get back in the playoff race and fulfill their preseason Cup hopes, they need to pick up the scoring to compensate for when Hedberg starts to play a little less superhuman.

Mark Sanchez has taken the next step

Another game in which sloppy play, blown opportunities, and all around disappointing play highlighted another Jets Sunday.  And, like 7 other times before, the Jets somehow prevailed.  And they did it from the hand of their rapidly improving 2nd year quarterback, Mark Sanchez.  After throwing an almost-certainly backbreaking interception that led to a Texans field goal, Sanchez drove the team down the field 72 yards in 45 seconds with no timeouts.  The drive was highlighted by a 42 yard bomb to Braylon Edwards, followed by a 6 yard game winning touchdown strike to Santonio Holmes with 10 second left on the clock.  Overall Sanchez was 4/5 on the drive, with his incompletion coming on a clock stopping spike.  It was just the latest in a string of Sanchez miracles.

The stats aren't great for Sanchez: 55.2% completion rate, 16 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, and an 81.9 passer rating.  Statistics don't tell the whole story, though.  The overall stats don't, for example, tell you that Mark Sanchez went 9/10 in the final 4 and a half minutes to score 10 unanswered points against the Detroit Lions, tying the game and sending it into overtime... where Sanchez then hooked up with Holmes for a 52 yard pass to set up the game winning FG.  They don't tell you that Sanchez threw the game winning 37 yard touchdown toss to Holmes in overtime 8 seconds before a tie was declared.  Or how the Jets have 3 victories after trailing in the 4th quarter with 5 minutes or less to go in the game. 

Sanchez is throwing 33.1 passes per game in 2010, up from 24.3 passes per game as a rookie.  He has raised his yards per attempt, raised his TD%, lowered his interception percentage, and has compiled more wins as a starter through 11 games than he did in 15 regular season games last year.  What many experts thought would be the Jets undoing has been a strength: The Jets are 10th in the NFL in scoring at exactly 24 points per game, up from 2009's 17th ranking, and the pass offense ranks at 19th... not very high but a giant step from 2009's 31st ranking (second worst only to the Cleveland Browns).  The development of their young, franchise quarterback is the reason the Jets offense has become a formidable unit, and one that has been lethal when it has to be.

Many pundits define greatness as what a player does in clutch moments, when the chips are down.  If Sanchez continues down his current path, he may get there yet.

Nets Fail To Trade For Carmelo Anthony... And Why It Was A Good Thing

The New Jersey Nets seemingly take another hit in their "It's All New" campaign, failing to close on a publicized and complicated 4 way deal with the Nuggets, Bobcats, and Jazz that would've brought Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey.  The deal would've seen the Nuggets wind up with rookie Derrick Favors, Andrei Kirilenko, and 2 first round picks, the Jazz with Boris Diaw and Quinton Ross, and Charlotte with Devin Harris.  The Nets of course would've wound up with Carmelo Anthony and possibly DJ Augustin from the Bobcats to serve as the backup point guard.  The trade was set to go down, but the Nuggets got cold feet, fielded offers from other teams, other teams involved in the deal got impatient, and the deal fell through.  In all, the Nets would've gotten Carmelo Anthony, an all-star, for Devin Harris, a rookie, and 2 first round picks.  A good deal, right?

Well, no, not really.

The Nuggets are not dealing from a position of strength... and quite frankly, neither are the Nets.  Carmelo Anthony holds the power here, with his ability to become a free agent at the end of the year.  Essentially, he can dictate where he goes by refusing to extend with any team he doesn't want to play for... unless a team is happy to give up assets to rent Carmelo for a season.  I don't see that as likely.  There were conflicting reports as to whether or not he would agree to such an extension with the Nets, though the consensus believes the Nets wouldn't pursue Anthony without a strong indication he would sign longterm.

Denver's best course of action would've been to accept the deal... because history tells us disgruntled stars that change teams do not bring in a return the Nuggets were set to get.  Derrick Favors was the #3 pick of the draft, already 240 pounds and strong with a 35.5 inch vertical and a 9'4" standing reach.  Those athleticism numbers are all better than those produced by Amare Stoudemire.  And he just turned 19 years old.  Andrei Kirilenko is a useful player who can put up stats in every category on the court and, even better, represents 17.8 million dollars of expiring salary, which could be a useful piece at the trade deadline for cost cutting teams or for a big cap relief load at the end of the year.  2 first rounders are also helpful for a team looking to rebuild, particularly since one of them were coming from Golden State, a mediocre team who's pick should be early in the draft.  In the meanwhile, the Nets would've lost 2 first round picks, Derrick Favors, and Devin Harris, a borderline all-star point guard when healthy.  That's a significant loss of talent for a player who's situation says his value should be less. 

Carmelo's situation is similar to that of another disgruntled superstar back in 2004... Vince Carter (who, ironically, also wound up with the Nets).  Carter was fed up with Toronto's management and wanted out.  The Raptors dragged it out, waiting and attempting to convince Carter to stay and be a good soldier... and killed his trade value.  By mid-December, the relationship was irreparable and the Raptors had to take the best deal they could get.  The predictably low ball offers netted them with a haul of:  Eric Williams (a career 9 points per game player), Aaron Williams (who had less than 2 points per game in the season the trade went down), Alonzo Mourning (post-kidney disease, was immediately bought out and never reported to Toronto), and 2 future first round picks (both of which were later in the round because of the Nets team success, a lot having to do with Carter).  Neither Williams was on an expiring contract.  The assets gained by the Raptors were useless.  The Nets in return got a 24 point scorer and a consistent all-star.  Is Carmelo worth more than Vince Carter?  Let's compare the 2's career numbers:

Carmelo Anthony: 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 45.9 FG%, 30.8 3P%, Player Efficiency Rating of 20.1
Vince Carter: 22.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 44.5 FG%, 37.5 3p%, Player Efficiency Rating of 21.1... granted some of these numbers were compiled since coming to NJ but he had seasons of 24, 25, 22, 21, and 21 PPG before being traded.

As we can see, Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter are very close caliber players.  Both were all-star caliber guys who can score in bunches and excite crowds.  Carter had 2 seasons left on his deal when he was dealt... giving the Raptors some more leverage in moving him than the Nuggets currently do.  Yet they got a WAY under value deal for Carter.  They got no prospects the caliber of Derrick Favors.  They didn't get a huge cap relief piece.  They got, essentially, 2 mid-first round picks and a bunch of crap.

Don't expect a big return for Carmelo Anthony as time continues to march on.  Denver doesn't want to wind up like the Cavaliers and the Raptors, who lost their franchise players to free agency with no compensation in return.  They should've pulled the trigger on this deal, when the return is bigger than what Denver likely should receive.  I have a suspicion that by mid-season Derrick Favors will have more than played his way off the offer table.

Why The Nets Will Almost Triple Their Win Total From Last Year

The 2009 New Jersey Nets were one of the all-time examples of basketball futility in NBA history.  They had a .146 winning percentage with their 12-70 record, good for 5th worst in NBA history.  They kicked off the season with an NBA record 18 straight losses before notching their first win of the year over the Bobcats.  The Nets as a team shot a league worst 42.9% from the field and opponents shot 48.1% against the Nets, 4th highest in basketball.  Basically, the Nets were terrible.  If this were the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, the Nets are Larry Hughes to the Lakers' Vince Carter.  They were that bad.

The offseason continued the disappointments in the Swamps of Jersey.  Despite being the worst team in the league by a sizable margin, they failed to secure the #1 pick in the Draft Lottery and potential franchise point guard John Wall, who went to Washington.  The Nets wound up with the #3 pick, taking the super athletic but super raw 18 year old power forward Derrick Favors.  Favors has a bright future, and if he fulfills his potential he may very well be the best player in the class longterm, but not getting Wall was a huge let down.  The hits continued, as the Nets completely struck out on the huge free agent class, seeing targets LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee all go to different teams.  This left the Nets scrambling to fill cap space, giving a 5 year deal to SF Travis Outlaw and 3 year deals to Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, and Anthony Morrow.  The Nets then traded young guard Courtney Lee in exchange for PF Troy Murphy in a 4 way deal that put the Nets near the edge of the salary cap... though, with about 17 million in expiring contracts leaving them with plenty to spend in the next free agent period.

Despite the downfalls taken by the Nets, there is reason for optimism.  This is a team primed to take a big step forward, to the point where the Nets could easily double and possibly triple their win total from last year.  Here's why:

The Coaching

After starting 0-16, the Nets canned incumbent coach Lawrence Frank, often the target of scorn for many Nets fans for 7 years of underachieving.  The Nets named general manager Kiki Vandeweghe the interim coach for the year, and he was the worst coach in the league.  This isn't just me saying this... Vandeweghe HIMSELF admitted he was the worst coach in the league.  Vandeweghe's experience is in the front office, not on the sideline, and he was clearly out of his element.  The Nets went out and hired Avery Johnson, former NBA coach of the year and the fastest coach to 50 wins in history.  Johnson was very successful in Dallas, having led the Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance before losing to the lethal Dwyane Wade/referees combo.  Johnson was shown the door after 2 straight first round playoff losses in a somewhat raw deal, and has been itching to get back on the sidelines ever since.  He's a fundamentalist coach, stresses defensive basketball, and likes to play uptempo ball with athletes who can run the floor... all areas where the Nets can excel with guidance.  Johnson's staff also contains another former coach of the year, Sam Mitchell.  The upgrade from Vandeweghe's apathy and lack of knowledge to Johnson's energy and past success may be worth 10-15 wins alone.

Devin Harris Returning To Form?

In 2008, Devin Harris was a 21 PPG/7 APG All-Star who looked like a guy capable of scoring in bunches.  Last season, Harris's field goal percentage dropped by 3.5 points, and his numbers fell to 17 PPG/6.6 APG.  He suffered an ankle and a groin injury early in the year and didn't look like the same explosive player he was in the past until February, then promptly hurt himself again.  In the offseason, he worked with Tim Grover, said to be one of the best in the fitness industry.  Harris claims to have gained 15 pounds to better survive the hits he takes on his reckless drives to the hole and Grover's clients tend to stay healthier.  Harris should also benefit from more space to get to the bucket due to...

Shooters

2 years ago, the Nets were 6th in 3 point shooting.  Last year, they fell to 29th.  The Nets had 1 player last year who shot better than 37.5% from behind the arc last year: Keyon Dooling.  This season, they'll have several who hit that mark last year: Troy Murphy (38.4%), Anthony Morrow (45.6%), Jordan Farmar (37.6%), Travis Outlaw (38.1%), and rookie Damion James shot 38.3% last year for University of Texas.  The abundance of shooters to space out the floor will give Devin Harris more room to get to the bucket and give Brook Lopez more space to work with underneath, because if defenses sag on Lopez or pack the paint they will be hurt by the 3 point bombers.  The Nets didn't have this threat offensively last year, allowing teams to collapse on Brook Lopez and keep Harris from penetrating.  The Nets will be more potent on offense due to the spacing they can create.

Rebounding

Brook Lopez was a bit of a disappointment on the boards, grabbing only 8.4 per game, and having very little help from his front court mate Yi Jianlian who didn't have the body or the toughness to box out.  No one else on the team was even a threat to rebound.  Adding Troy Murphy will help immensely, as he was a very effective rebounder in Indiana, grabbing 11.8 and 10.2 boards a game in the past 2 seasons.  Uber athlete rookie Derrick Favors can also help in this regard as well, he grabbed 8 rebounds a game in college where the games are traditionally lower scoring and have much less total rebounds than the pro game.  Damion James as well grabbed 10 per game at Texas last season, and Travis Outlaw has the size and ability to be a much better rebounder than last year's SF rotation of Bobby Simmons, Trenton Hassell, and Jarvis Hayes.

Carmelo Anthony?

Reports say that the Nuggets are now listening to offers for Carmelo Anthony... and the Nets are front runners.  They have the tradeable assets to give: young players like Damion James, Terrence Williams, and Derrick Favors; expiring contracts that offer cap relief like Troy Murphy's 12 million coming off the books after the year; and a boatload of draft picks, 10 over the next 3 years, most in the NBA.  Carmelo paired with Lopez (who I assume is untouchable in any trade talks) would make the Nets immediately relevant.  Melo is a legitimate star, and the NBA is a star driven league.  Along with borderline star Brook Lopez, the Nets can compete for the playoffs yearly while building the role players around the base of Melo and Lopez... and perhaps lure another big fish to New Jersey/Brooklyn to build a rival "Big 3" to the Miami Heat's trio.

Whether the Nets wind up with Carmelo or not, the simple fact is that the Nets will be better this season... a lot better.  Things are trending upwards for the Brooklyn bound boys.

Time To Take The Reigns Off Of Mark Sanchez

Captain Obvious moment: The Jets were poor on offense. Really poor. In fact, poor doesn't even describe the Jets offense. Inept is more like it. Here's some stats for you:

176 total yards of offense.
60 yards passing (!)
10 pass completions
A meager 2.6 yards per pass play, sacks included.
The team's leading receiver was Jerricho Cotchery... with 18 yards on 2 receptions.

Despite a defensive effort that was valiant even if not perfect (images of Rex Ryan continually running rookie CB Kyle Wilson out there in single man coverage are alarming), the Jets didn't muster enough offense to score double digits or sustain a drive longer than 35 yards. First downs achieved? 6. Absolutely embarrassing.

The onus does not fall on Mark Sanchez, or the offensive line, or the receivers however. This is squarely on the shoulders of Rex Ryan, Brian Schottenheimer, and the offensive coaches. The Ravens are in transition in the secondary, and missing Ed Reed. Yet, there was no vertical attack. No threat to the Ravens downfield. Sanchez looked timid to throw downfield, undoubtedly a result of the "don't screw up" leash he's dangling on. Only 2 of Sanchez's 21 attempts were thrown 15 yards downfield.

As poor as Sanchez has looked, the coaches are doing him no favors. This is a kid who the team drafted 5th overall in the 09 draft. He was brought to New York to be the franchise quarterback. Franchise quarterbacks make plays and are put into position to make plays. The Jets don't allow him to do so. In a Super Bowl year, the Jets seem determined to not allow a young QB to sink their hopes; yet, they are hindering their own hopes by doing so. Despite some claims to the contrary, recent history shows that the NFL is still a quarterbacks league, and the Jets are behind the 8 ball as long as Sanchez continues along the path Ryan and Schottenheimer have set for him.

Sanchez has decent though not ideal size (6-2, 225), a good arm, and decent mobility. Schottenheimer needs to tailor his gameplan to the strengths of his quarterback and let him sink or swim, because the Jets are not a Super Bowl contender with performances like last week regardless of how good the defense is.


How can you say no to a face like this? 

Intro

Hello.  My name is Jeremy Jackson, I'm new to this whole blogging thing.  That said, I love sports and I am opinionated (comes with being from New Jersey, I suppose).  I don't claim to be unbiased, though I am as objective as I can be and I fancy myself a realist.  I am a fan of the New York Mets, the New York Jets, the New Jersey Devils, and the New Jersey Nets.  I'm a student at Rutgers University and a fan of Rutgers football and basketball as well, I'm also a former student at Virginia Tech and have a soft spot for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team.  That's me.