The past week has given us a lot to talk about in the sports world. We had a title game, NFL playoffs, UCONN almost losing again, etc. It seems that while 2010 went out a little quietly, 2011 has begun with a bit of pizazz. What has this young year got in store for us? Only time will tell, but so far one thing is certain: We will be surprised over and over again. Some questions that the fledgling year has given us:
Was That It?
Did anyone else feel like the BCS National Championship left a lot to be desired? We were promised offense, but when the two top programs have over a month to prep and gameplan, I suppose we should have expected defense to rule. Then the last two minutes happened along with this “gem”:
Absolutely unforeseen, probably won’t happen again, and just plain ridiculous. Auburn made it to the 1 on another Dyer run and then ran the clock down for a field goal. After settling in for an overtime thriller right before the 2 minute warning i was left to think, “Was that it?” If Vince Young single-handedly beating the USC powerhouse in LA was the best BCS Title game, this was somewhere on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Can We Do This?
The question every person who was remotely a Seahawks fan asked themselves on Saturday around 2 PM Pacific Time. Everyone except the few diehards had written of the Seahawks even after the top New Orleans rushers went down with injury. This game ended up being arguably the game of the week due to the crazy fans (who caused some seismic activity), the underdog story, and, of course, Pom-pom Pete Carrol. The seismic activity was a result of this monster of a run:
A few things factored into this run being so huge.
1. Lynch kept his legs going the whole time. Even after he threw a guy off himself.
2. Everyone blocked. From the linemen, to the wide receivers, and even QB Matt Hasselbeck (kinda).
3. Lynch refused to quit. He could have gone out of bounds, could have laid down to keep the clock going, but he churned and burned his way to the end zone.
Definitely got added to the list of greatest rushes in Playoff history.
Can We Play Chicago Again? (And have the Packers beat the Falcons?)
Seattle already beat the Bears this year, and they have a secondary comparable to the Saints. Also, Packers beat the Falcons and then we get the NFC Championship game in Sea-town. Talk about reviving a dead city.
Looking Ahead: Who do the Seahawks draft if Mark Ingram and Jake Locker are still on the board?
This one really depends on the combine and need of teams ahead of Seattle, but I can see Pete Carrol trading for some draft picks and jumping up in the draft order. On the one hand, Ingram can immediately be a factor. It would allow for the Seahawks to trade Lynch, Forsett, or one of the other dozen backs Carrol collects, for a draft pick. Ingram can carry the run game, after maybe one or two seasons of split time (similar to how Adrian Peterson was used after he was drafted). Locker, on the other hand, would need a season, two, three, four, who knows how long to learn under a vet (like Hasselbeck). After that, he could be a new breed of Quarterback, a combination of speed, power, and throwing. He and Tebow could end up being the new model for QB. A healthy rivalry for the ages.
Still Looking Ahead: What have the Mariners done to solve their hitting problems?
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Sure, they signed some guy who is supposedly underrated, but we need a big name at this point. Underrated does not cut it. Carl Crawford was on the market and we didn’t make any overtures whatsoever. It seems like Jack Z is unwilling to do anything about the problem. Or he is waiting for Albert Pujols to be available. As long as we can keep King Felix and Ichiro, the next season won’t be a lost cause. Trading our future and our biggest stars would turn the season into a torturous road. I don’t see how the M’s would turn a profit or even sell tickets.
What ever happened to those basketball teams that were going to move?
Funny you should ask. New Orleans is currently owned by the NBA and Sacramento may move because it’s owners aren’t good with their previous business ventures. There are really about 5 possible destinations at this point.
1. Seattle. Not sure how likely this is considering David Stern hates us even more, but hey, OPTIMISM!!!
2. Kansas City. It’s been rumored for awhile now, but you never hear any names attached to the rumors.
3. Anaheim. Possible for the Kings being that it is a larger market and they already have an arena. Unfortunately, it is too close to the Lakers and Clippers.
4. San Jose. Another one for the Kings that is close to their current location, but California may be on basketball overload anyway.
5. Las Vegas. The one that scares me the most. Stern has wanted a team here for forever. Meaning he will sell the team to pretty much anyone who will put them in Vegas. Still no names attached to these rumors.
This is still a little early, but Ballmer needs to step up before he gets beat to the punch. Stern won’t move a team if there is nowhere to move it. Oh wait, OKC is nowhere isn’t it?
