Fix Your Team...

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

As we move into late October, the sports world is at a crossroads. Baseball has ended for everyone not in Philly or Tampa Bay. The NFL is in full gear, but we've all figured out who the contenders and pretenders are. The NBA just started last night, but there are only five or six teams with a legitimate shot at actually winning the title with their current roster.

 

So, TSM, what does your favorite team need to do improve? Does your team require a certain something to get over the hump, or is a complete overhaul necessary? Put on your GM hat for a moment and discuss what your team needs to do.

 

This could go from simple to extremely complex. Perhaps it's just a player that will represent the final piece, but maybe the entire front office needs to be overhauled. Is a new stadium the fix? Ownership change?

 

Let your voice be heard.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Is a new stadium the fix?

 

Perhaps a dome....

[naiwf 0]

The Giants and Rangers are fine right now. The Knicks need to basically let every bad contract expire and then start over in a few years. Had they been smart enough to do this 4 or 5 years ago we'd have a good team now, but the Dolans are amongst the most braindead owners in North American professional sports.

 

However, I'll go with the Mets since they're the only team I like that shouldn't suck but does. Minaya NEEEEEEEDS to finally address the bullpen in a big way, and by that I mean we need changes from top to bottom. With Wagner out all of next year they need a closer not named K-Rod, and they need at least one reliever who can get a righty AND a lefty out in the same fucking inning. They also may need to pick up a back end of the rotation starter if possible. The offense seems to choke down the stretch but if the pitching staff was a bit more competent between games 1 & 142 they would be able to slide into the postseason even with the inevitable 6-14 to 8-12 finish.

[Guest]

The Lakers are in perfect shape. I expect them to ship Odom out for someone like Mike Miller, but I like the way things are with Odom coming off the bench. No changes needed.

 

Dodgers gotta keep Manny and Furcal. That's not everything though, I expect Lowe to walk, so they'll have to get a veteran pitcher. The loss isn't as bad as it would've been a year ago, now that Billingsley and Kershaw are coming to the forefront and should be able to help with the slack. If Kent goes, we'll need a second baseman too. Chin-Lung Hu should get a fair shake.

 

Um, um, the Raiders need so much shit that it's hard to single out one thing. What we need to do is bring in a coaching staff who allows our young offensive players to develop. Is that going to happen? No! Player personnel wise, I'd like a left tackle, and a pass rusher. Picking up Michael Crabtree in the draft sounds tempting as well.

 

The Kings need a goaltender. It is as simple as that.

 

Soccer wise, nobody gives a shit so I won't even mention it.

 

And USC basketball needs Tim Floyd to be more consistent in his coaching decisions. USC football needs nothing except a greater killer instinct.

[Kinetic 0]

My favorite team actually is something of a contender in the NFL this year, but I'll go over what I think they need to do to become an elite team.

 

First and foremost, Tampa absolutely cannot afford to rely on stop-gap journeyman guys at QB. We need to either use an early-round draft pick on a franchise QB or find a proven but young guy in free agency, in the way that New Orleans got Drew Brees. The latter scenario is a rarity, so we're almost certainly going to have to draft someone. We do have Josh Johnson in the pipeline, but I don't know that anyone is convinced that he's a future starter.

 

We also need to get some real receivers in here. Joey Galloway is old and fragile and disinterested. Ike Hilliard is sure-handed but old and slow. Michael Clayton is a great blocker, but has no hands. Maurice Stovall just all-around sucks. The only guy who's really stepped it up on a consistent basis this year is Antonio Bryant. If he can keep his nose clean, he's a guy that we can build around at WR. I'd love to see us get someone like Anquan Boldin in FA, but I doubt that's going to happen. So, again, you have to use the draft. What concerns me is that our track record drafting offensive "skill position" players under Gruden is beyond awful. We really need to get better at both scouting and developing these guys.

 

The o-line is full of talented young guys, but I'd like to seen an upgrade at LT. Donald Penn is a good backup, but merely an adequate starter.

 

Beyond that, the team is right as rain.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

The Ducks could use a new arena. I like the Stales Center, plus the Honda Center's sound system sucks.

 

We need another coach and a younger team. The Ducks aren't as aggressive on the fore check as they use to be and they keep taking stupid penalties. Selanne should be traded to San Jose for um Steve Shields, Jeff Friesen, and a draft pick.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

* The Habs only need to stay healthy to have a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup.

* I don't follow the Raptors closely enough to fairly comment.

* The Blue Jays' bats got going once Cito took back over. Assuming they played .500 the first two months under Gibbons, that puts them at roughly 90 or 92 wins, which probably won't be good enough. So, a full season of good hitting and a little more power puts them in decent shape. To maintain that, however, they absolutely need to hang on to Burnett, and they'll probably need one more 10-win pitcher with Marcum and McGowan out for 2009.

* Al Davis needs to die. My Dad and I discussed this Sunday; decent running game, pretty good defence. If Russell can mature a little, they could be a 6-10 or 7-9 team. Al Davis' shadow no longer cast over them almost instantly makes the Raiders better.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Cleveland Browns need:

 

New Head Coach

New QB

New WR Core - or one that isn't injured all the time

As for their D, please seem to rag on it a lot, but I like it, I can see the upside. It maybe needs one old head to be sitting in at LB to just to sort out the young guys around them.

 

CLEAN MEDICAL FACILITIES! Staph Infections AHOY!

 

 

[fazzle 0]

The Bills need:

 

a new backup QB.

stronger offensive line play.

 

Even at 5-2, if Edwards went down tomorrow, the Bills would be lucky to finish 7-9.

[MFer 0]

Red Wings: Good.

 

Pistons: Good for now. Would like to see the younger players develop, and of course, the vets need to avoid imploding come playoff time (which is what Michael Curry was hired to prevent).

 

Tigers: They also need to develop their younger talent. The main thing though is fixing that bullpen. The Tigers could also use a starter or two, especially with Verlander coming off a bad season and Bonderman getting hurt. A couple of the veterans are gonna have to go as well.

 

Lions: As bad as things are for the Lions, they're one good GM hire away from having a chance to be decent (and Bill Ford Jr., not Sr., needs to be making that decision). Use those extra draft picks and get some real players. You saw how quickly Miami and Atlanta turned things around in one year; with this supposed parity in the NFL, there's no reason why the Lions can't become at least an average team soon. On the field, they need to find out how good Drew Stanton is. I know some people are lukewarm on him, but as a 2nd-round pick, you have to put him on the field. If he doesn't pan out, Detroit will have a top pick to use on a QB. There needs to be at least 2-3 changes on the O-line for next year. The D needs a dominant nose tackle, a top-flight DE, a MLB, a SAM backer, a corner, and maybe a safety (not to mention a return man worth a damn). In other words, a LOT.

 

UM Football: Need a new defensive coordinator. This year's team has a lot of veterans on D (including some pro prospects) but they've gotten smoked in most of their games. Michigan also needs a QB in the worst way. Steven Threet is doing the best he can, but he's just not good enough. Nick Sheridan is not D-1 material, plain and simple. They need to fix the O-line too. The good news is that the offense has a lot of underclassmen, so they should become more accustomed to Rich Rodriguez's spread offense.

 

UM Basketball: I don't know, just get some players that can fucking make a shot.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

If the Bills were 7-0 and Edwards went down they'd go 7-9. Losman absolutely SUCKS.

[fazzle 0]

If the Bills were 7-0 and Edwards went down they'd go 7-9. Losman absolutely SUCKS.

 

 

Well, we DO still have games left against KC and SF. I think we could beat them even with Losman.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Cleveland Browns need:

 

 

New QB

 

They already have one.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

If the Bills were 7-0 and Edwards went down they'd go 7-9. Losman absolutely SUCKS.

 

 

Well, we DO still have games left against KC and SF. I think we could beat them even with Losman.

 

The problem with Losman is that he can't for the life of him figure out how to throw a short pass. The running game still isn't going that well (for some reason the Oline is better at pass protection than runblocking...again) so Edwards short passing is the running game at this point.

 

But my main issue with JP is that whether he's throwing 80 yard TDs or going 3 and out (or fumbling it away) he puts the D on the field every 2 minutes. And we burn.

[fazzle 0]

If the Bills were 7-0 and Edwards went down they'd go 7-9. Losman absolutely SUCKS.

 

 

Well, we DO still have games left against KC and SF. I think we could beat them even with Losman.

 

The problem with Losman is that he can't for the life of him figure out how to throw a short pass. The running game still isn't going that well (for some reason the Oline is better at pass protection than runblocking...again) so Edwards short passing is the running game at this point.

 

But my main issue with JP is that whether he's throwing 80 yard TDs or going 3 and out (or fumbling it away) he puts the D on the field every 2 minutes. And we burn.

 

 

Er, you do realize that our QBs have been sacked 18 times this year, right? Granted, 5 of those were to Losman, but that's still been one of the things bugging the hell out of me this year. It seems like there's ALWAYS someone in Edwards' face.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Edwards getting sacked 13 times in 6 games isn't nearly as bad as Lynch getting about 60 yards every game has been. Especially since, all things considered, he's been running well.

 

Plus...think about that for a second. 5 in 1 game for Losman, 13 in 6 for Edwards. Same line.

 

Losman is complete crap.

[fazzle 0]

Edwards getting sacked 13 times in 6 games isn't nearly as bad as Lynch getting about 60 yards every game has been. Especially since, all things considered, he's been running well.

 

Plus...think about that for a second. 5 in 1 game for Losman, 13 in 6 for Edwards. Same line.

 

Losman is complete crap.

 

 

I'm not arguing that at all. Didn't I just say above that we'd be fucked if Losman had to come in?

 

Our O-Line as a whole still just sucks. Maybe not as bad as it's been before, but they still suck.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

They were better last year. Peters has been an absolute turd since he ended his holdout. It was his guy on the safety last week, and it's generally his or Fowler's guy in the backfield. Peters will get his form back.

 

And Fowler is taking second team snaps despite being healthy. That benching is a year too late...but it's not like Duke Preston is any good either.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Hmm... I'll tackle the Bruins for fun's sake (and the Red Sox, Pats, Celtics are all solid)

 

The Bruins have a lot of good talent (Patrice Bergeron, Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, and Phil Kessel are all really good talents) but I think what's hurting them the most is the coaching philosophy. Not so much in face of line changes or line pairings so much as the mentality around the team. It seems like the mentality is puck control mixed in with "taking opportunities when presented" leading to almost a common tactic seen in the NFL: Play to not lose the game.

 

One aspect that really irks me (and this can be seen with most teams) is the power play where the Bruins seem content to pass the puck around NBA rotation style 7-8 times so that when the power play ends (if they haven't scored) they'll be lucky to get off 4-5 shots. Given that they often have a 1 man advantage, it'd do them good to take more risks such as slap shots from the defensemen at the point or just shooting the puck and looking for the rebound. Maybe I'm looking at efficiency but it feels like passes are taking away time that shots could be given and at worst, you give up the breakaway but the defensemen should be aware of that anyway.

 

I also desperately want to see the Bruins setting up their teammates when heading up ice. Granted, there's the offsides rule but it irks me when they have a 2 on 3 with a 3rd trailing a split second behind and rather than the wing feeding it to the center up ahead to break past the blue line, the wing opts to dump it while a line shift happens. I just want the Bruins to start taking more risks offensively both on the power play and when trying to crash through the blue line.

 

As a random aside: That's why I liked watching Argentina (I think it was) in soccer because they attack the opposition and feel like it's their right to move the ball upfield at all costs. The Bruins need that mentality, rather than "playing" defensively or playing it safe to avoid a big loss.

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

The Cubs are utterly hamstrung with exorbitant contracts for aging mediocrities. I'm not sure how they can be improved. Dealing with guaranteed contracts may be harder than dealing with a salary cap. The Cubs and some Japanese folk need to collaborate and convince Fukudome that he is not a major leaguer, and it does him no good in Japan's culture of shame to stay overseas as a miserable failure when he could go back home and feel comfortable, voiding his albatross contract in the process. Failing that, they can take some of the goofy quirks out of his stance and swing so that he can't be so easily solved. Failing THAT, we pray. Everyone is in a hurry to trade Derrek Lee, but there's just no sense in doing that. No-trade clause, no replacement in-house (no, not Hoffpauir), no money for Teixiera, no trade value. Look, I don't like Derrek Lee either. I think he's a whiny cunt, and he's not a special player. For the last three years, the fans are too mean to the poor widdle Cubs, they're too demanding, Cubs fans aren't real fans because Obama told him so, all this guy does is bitch without backing it up, unless dozens of double plays and slap-hitting from the 3-hole is what passes for backing it up these days. They just have to make the most of the pissy creaky old ingrate. Soriano isn't going anywhere, nor should he. Aramis Ramirez isn't going anywhere, nor should he. Ryan Dempster probably is, and he can regress on somebody else's dime. All the Cubs can do is shore up the bench and the bullpen, then pray that the same old crew of good-but-not-greats can not only hold off the superior organizations in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Houston, but at least win one playoff game thereafter. What little hope I had for this organization was crushed a month ago. It's going to be very hard to get excited for another year of this. Of course, I say this now.

 

The Blackhawks are starting to worry me. I'm starting to feel like I was defrauded; that none of these players are for real. However, the regime change has done so much to improve the organization since the end of 2007: we have the best hockey mind in Scotty Bowman, the best marketing mind in McDonough, and supportive ownership in Rocky Wirtz. Long-term, things can go great for this team, but this season, the on-ice product is kind of mediocre, unacceptable when you're having red-carpet ceremonies for yourselves. Khabibulin and Huet look pathetic, but neither can be moved. Jack Skille has no hockey IQ, so his speed is worthless. Dustin Byfuglien just got his big payday and hasn't bothered to show up yet, and we NEED that power forward/defenseman swingman right now, because Toews, Kane, and the rest are just so slight. Calling up Brouwer has addressed some of the burning need for physical presence, but this is still Savard's team in a lot of respects, and as such, they are very fast but very small. There's no physical aspect to this team, and that's evident against teams like the Wings that aren't an average age of 24. Everyone looks incompetent in shootouts; I don't know whose fault that is. The Blackhawks needn't any advice from me, they've done everything they were supposed to do. We're just waiting for some players to deliver. If they don't, hell if I know.

 

The Bears need to rethink their defense. I'm sick and tired of "bend but don't break." I'm not advocating Mike Singletary and Ron Rivera coming back to run the 46 like da good old days, but I'd like to see an approach that's based more on versatility and adaptability than execution. The Steelers and Patriots use defenses that have this philosophy. They show that they can adapt to what the opposing offense is doing, and adjust accordingly to better stop them, whereas with Lovie's system, you're one of the best in the league at your skill set, and you need to play that way or else you're rendered useless. I'll sacrifice some athleticism for a more cerebral approach. Of course, it's never as easy as saying "do what the Patriots do," because the Bears have been drafting to fit their system for years now, and it takes years to rebuild a defense. Offensively, just make sure to keep Forte fresh. Use him sparingly: ask yourself when Garrett Wolfe or Inferior Adrian Peterson are enough to get by. One time would probably be the second half of this Lions game, for example. He could be a franchise player. Don't burn him out. Orrrrr, they could decide this is the last chance the Bears have to make a run before another six years of rebuilding and burn him out.

 

The Bulls have to sign a real coach. Haha, get this: Vinny Del Negro doesn't actually coach the team, it's Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff that do all the coaching, but it was cheaper for Reinsdorf to sign a nobody as a head coach and then give the other two smaller contracts as assistant coaches. This horseshit team. Rose seems to be the real deal; damn shame that nobody else is. Certainly not "Kurt Hinrich," as Vinny calls him. All they can do is wait till some of these awful contracts can be unloaded, and that may take quite some time. Get rid of Gooden, Hughes, and some of those of extraneous guards, then get Flip Saunders or someone like that.

[Cuban Linx 0]

The Titans are looking good almost everywhere right now, as you'd expect with them being 7-0. The coaching, defence, special teams and running game are all set, they could do with an upgrade to their wide receivers and i just can't get overly confident in them when the quarterback options are a 35 year old Kerry Collins and Vince Young, but i guess they can't be great everywhere. If they can settle on a long term solution at QB and deal with potentially losing Albert Haynesworth to free agency they should remain a contender for the next few seasons at least.

 

The Blazers are probably fine as well, though finding a way to stop Greg Oden's body falling apart would be nice.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Rose seems to be the real deal; damn shame that nobody else is.

 

Tyrus Thomas. Believe in him and he will lead you unto glory and salvation.

[At Home 0]

LA Angels - Give them all guns to kill the Red Sox.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Orioles - Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, another Starting Pitcher and a halfway decent SS, as well as having Matt Wieters starting catcher on Opening Day.

 

Ravens - They're going to need to stick to the running game and let Joe Flacco be Trent Dilfer and not try to be a QB he's not. I think they also need to invest in some better trainers and staff to keep the team healthy because the injuries are starting to pile up pretty bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

Raiders: Hire someone to "retire" Uncle Al. Fire all of Al's yes men and asskissers. Then, hire a halfway decent general manager that knows how to draft players and scout players. Get a decent head coach with a good resume and that wants to be in Oakland. If possible, trade down high draft picks and stockpile all the linemen we could get. Cut these players in order: The entire Raider's offensive line, Ashley Lelie and Javon Walker. Pray.

 

 

[the max 0]

Hmm... I'll tackle the Bruins for fun's sake (and the Red Sox, Pats, Celtics are all solid)

 

The Bruins have a lot of good talent (Patrice Bergeron, Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, and Phil Kessel are all really good talents) but I think what's hurting them the most is the coaching philosophy. Not so much in face of line changes or line pairings so much as the mentality around the team. It seems like the mentality is puck control mixed in with "taking opportunities when presented" leading to almost a common tactic seen in the NFL: Play to not lose the game.

 

This coaching philosophy is all over the NHL and has brought Claude success. He simply doesn't have enough talent to run a high-powered offense like Pittsburgh or Washington. The Bruins have Savard as an elite playmaker (and he is) but as good as Bergeron is, his game is far too well rounded to be a one-trick pony. Bergeron is one of the smartest two-way forwards in the game and to get him to abandon his playing style in favor of a more offensively minded one would be silly. They're paying him a lot of money and he's getting more and more comfortable now. Once he gets back in the groove he was in prior to his thugging, he will be a terrific 1A center behind Savard. Kessel is still growing, as I said in the NHL thread a few days ago, he's looking more and more like the player they wanted when they drafted him. He's playing with more chippiness and attitude, which will go a long way into him developing into the Lafontaine/Amonte hybrid he was billed as. Still, the "play to not lose the game" is the prevelant style in the NHL and until more teams play like the Lightning, Penguins or Capitals, you're going to see defense-first teams playing. If they play well, and the Bruins have the last two games with back-to-back 1-0 shutouts, the system stays.

 

One aspect that really irks me (and this can be seen with most teams) is the power play where the Bruins seem content to pass the puck around NBA rotation style 7-8 times so that when the power play ends (if they haven't scored) they'll be lucky to get off 4-5 shots. Given that they often have a 1 man advantage, it'd do them good to take more risks such as slap shots from the defensemen at the point or just shooting the puck and looking for the rebound. Maybe I'm looking at efficiency but it feels like passes are taking away time that shots could be given and at worst, you give up the breakaway but the defensemen should be aware of that anyway.

 

The issue with the Bruins powerplay isn't so much their risk assessment as it is their lack of a quality puck-moving defenseman. It's something Wideman can be, but they've smartly kept him more pinned down defensively as he's underrated defensively. It was something a majority of the fanbase wanted Chiarelli to address in the offseason but I think they were priced out because of their lack of cap space with Manny Fernandez and Glen Murray. A player like Mark Streit, Ron Hainsey or John-Michael Liles would have fit like a glove on Boston's powerplay. If you're looking for proof, their top unit usually consists of Ryder-Savard-Lucic/Krejci with Chara at one point and Bergeron manning the other. Again, Bergeron is a gifted offensive player but not a guy you would want running the point on the powerplay. As such, Savard has to run it along the wall, which is difficult because teams know this and block his passing lanes to Ryder in the slot and Chara on his point, leaving Savard with little but to go up and down the wall looking for something that isn't there. If they had a true #2 defenseman with offensive skills, Savard would have two targets up at the point and Lucic in front of the net. Matt Lashoff projects to be that offensive-minded defenseman but he's probably a year away from being NHL ready, having already been passed up by Matt Hunwick and Shane Hnidy.

 

I also desperately want to see the Bruins setting up their teammates when heading up ice. Granted, there's the offsides rule but it irks me when they have a 2 on 3 with a 3rd trailing a split second behind and rather than the wing feeding it to the center up ahead to break past the blue line, the wing opts to dump it while a line shift happens. I just want the Bruins to start taking more risks offensively both on the power play and when trying to crash through the blue line.

 

That will never happen. Julien employs a 1-2-2, tight checking system and only opened it last year in the playoffs when he was literally faced with must win games 5 and 6. It's just the style of the team now. At least they have an identity, they're one of the tougher teams to play against because of their physicality within their system.

[Mik 0]

Marlins need a catcher. Maybin is going to play CF this upcoming year, ready or not, so catcher is the only position that needs to be filled. Otherwise, they are still in the position they should be... ready to contend this year and next.

 

Tarheels need only one thing: to avoid injuries.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Cleveland Browns need:

 

 

New QB

 

They already have one.

 

Brady Quinn? I mean, I guess that's what I meant, but just someone other then DA.

[The Niggardly King 0]

LA Angels - Give them all guns to kill the Red Sox.

 

I advocate this stratgery.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Green Bay desperately needs, as they have oh, since Rivera and Wahle left in 2005, and since Reggie White left in 98, help in the trenches. I am not a huge fan of the defensive line rotations, and it sucks Cullen Jenkins got knocked out for the year because with him, I think they would've worked out great. Get the fuck rid of KGB and his oversized contract and stop drafting defensive linemen under 260 pounds. 270, preferably. I love all their skill position players, and am starting to get pissed at Ryan Grant's slow start this year- but the way the rest of the season plays out is going to be pretty big.

 

Portland needs Oden to stay fucking healthy for once. Also, I'm not so convinced Nate McMillan is that great of a coach; he might lead Portland to the playoffs this year, but I'm afraid this team is going to not be able to make it over the proverbial "hump" until we upgrade there as well. I know very little about the team so far, so we'll see how they progress.

 

The Rockies, as usual, need pitching and to make sure to keep Holliday in town. Also, start looking for a better heir to Helton's throne because his injury issues combined with total lack of production this past season punched a big hole into a team that looked great during its pennant run in 2007. I love, love, love Ian Stewart and think he's going to be a special player, along with the rest of that infield- TULO, Atkins, Barmes, and Ianetta. Maybe they can get him playing first base from time to time? Who knows.