Which Is More Important?

After last week’s “Fiasco by the Bay”, in which what was thought to be a rather competent franchise tried to “trade” their highly successful head coach to Cleveland Browns, I thought I’d weigh in. Now, whether this is a reflection of Jim Harbaugh’s inability to get along with management, a reputation that’s been earned since his earliest days in the college ranks, or not, he has still taken the 49er’s to three straight NFC Championship games and a berth in the Superbowl. This in turn sparked a debate on local sports radio of which is more important; the GM or the head coach. And who would you rather trade, Ted Thompson or Mike McCarthy?

I’d like to begin by starting with my recollections of the arrival of these two men to the Green Bay Packer’s franchise. When Ted Thompson was hired, the divide between those who were in favor and those who were not was sharp and very deep. Even though he had helped put together a Superbowl worthy team in Seattle, and was a Ron Wolf protégé, many were still unhappy with his hire. Many were backers of the man that he replaced as GM, Mike Sherman, and in retrospect, it would seem some of the anger could even be traced back to his perceived sexual orientation.

When Mike McCarthy was hired, not only did he receive the additional wrath of the Mike Sherman fans, but he was coming from San Francisco as the Offensive Coordinator of the worst offense in the league. All of this also combined to give more ammo to the Ted Thompson haters. Of course, the only thing the two of them have done since then is deliver a 15-1 season, several Division titles and a fourth Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay. Now, neither man has been perfect. From Ted’s numerous first round strike outs to Mike’s home playoff losses, there is still some room for criticism. But then again, we are not the aforementioned Cleveland Browns.

So, who would I rather trade away, or conversely, keep? Ted Thompson. I have always been in the school of thought that successful franchises are run from the top down. The GM hires the Head Coach that he wants, and then provides him with the best players possible. It is much easier for a mediocre coach to be successful with top end talent than it is for a great coach to succeed with middle of the road players. And one needs look no further than Ted Thompson’s former employer, the reigning Superbowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Even with all of the recent praise being heaped on Pete Carroll, you can not deny that his NFL career up to this point has been at best mediocre. You can even argue that his success at the college level only came with a significant bending of the rules.

What Seahawks General Manager John Schneider did was supply Carroll with some of the best players at their position in the league. Through the draft and savvy use of the free agent market, he put together a championship caliber team. In particular a defense that even in the hands of a less than stellar coach, went out and dominated one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history in the biggest game of the season.

March 4, 2014 – 3:01 pm Categories: Andy Wellman | Post a comment

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From the Penthouse to the Outhouse

With the latest NFL season now officially in the books, the annual sports doldrums are set to begin. While the NBA (which really doesn’t get interesting until the playoffs) and the NHL (which as a fan of sports in Wisconsin I REALLY have no vested interest in) seasons are currently ongoing, my personal interest begins to shift toward NCAA Basketball. The next big thing on the annual sporting calendar is March Madness, and how our four Division IA teams will fair.

Which brings me to the UW Men’s team. I can’t remember a more precipitous plunge in the rankings by one of these teams than what has happened to the Badgers over the last month. From at one point getting off to the best start, 16-0, in school history and being ranked as high as 3rd in the country, to losing 5 of 6 and completely dropping out of the rankings just boggles my mind. From getting some solid wins against quality opponents to losing at home to unranked conference rivals, it’s been the tale of two seasons so far. Now, how that will transfer to post season success, if they even have a post season, I can’t say. It will have to go down as one of the most disappointing performances that I can remember.

February 4, 2014 – 2:19 pm Categories: Andy Wellman, UW Badgers | Post a comment

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Wisconsin Sports SOTU

In honor of last night’s State Of The Union address, how about a SOTU regarding sports in Wisconsin? I’ll break it down into two categories, the pros and division I collegiate programs. The current state of sports in Wisconsin, while fairly healthy, are not quite what they once were. From what was probably a peak in 2011, things have been on the decline since. In that year, the Packers won the Superbowl, then turned around and reeled off a near perfect 15-1 regular season. The Badgers football team saw the addition of Russell Wilson at quarterback, and some real talk of a possible national championship. Both the Badgers and Golden Eagles made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Brewers won their division and were two games away from a World Series berth. So, from that hey day to know, where do we stand?

Today we’ll look at the pro franchises
The Green Bay Packers
Easily the strongest of the three professional franchises in the state, they clearly are not where they once were. Whether it’s because of injuries, the failure to add quality talent to the roster, or a combination of both, while they are still considered perennial contenders, they are no longer an “elite” team in the NFL, much less their own conference. But these things can be easily corrected, and they are still the state team that has the best chance at winning a title.

The Milwaukee Brewers
While not as consistent as the Packers, you can’t accuse ownership/management of not trying to get better. With some of the recent transactions, as well as the new playoff format, there is already some talk of not sleeping on the Brewers this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks
Bringing up the rear, and firmly entrenched in the basement of the NBA, I’m not sure what the state of the Buck’s is. Some say they are tanking in order to have a shot at the first pick in the draft, but between an owner trying to sell the team and them playing in the oldest facility in the league (read: an impending arena tax showdown), they have bigger fish to fry right now.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the Division I Collegiate programs in the state.

January 30, 2014 – 12:24 am Categories: Uncategorized | Post a comment

Just A Few Thoughts

Here are a couple of topics that I was thinking about today. I won’t go into much detail about them, as I’m not very knowledgeable about them, and I also thought that it might be a way to spark some conversation in the comments sections.

First, the University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team. What the heck happened? The last time I wrote about them, they were 16-0 and off to the best start in school history. Since then they’ve lost 3 straight, including one at home, and have fallen in the rankings from 3rd to 9th. I hope I didn’t jinx them, but they’ve gone from nearly no national coverage when they were doing well, to everyone wondering if they were just lucky to start out the season so well. Should we be concerned about the rest of the season for the Badgers?

Second, the Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent RHP Matt Garza to a 4 year, $52 million deal pending a physical. He was 10-6 last year with a 3.82 ERA while playing for both the Cubs and the Rangers. He has had some injury issues, but does appear to fair better in the National League. He gives up his fair share of homers, which could troublesome in Miller Park, but he doesn’t walk many, so that helps to limit the damage done by the gopher ball. How does this affect the outlook for the 2014 Brewer’s season?

Third, today ESPN declared that the Milwaukee Bucks were the worst run franchise in professional sports. That seems a little hard to believe when you consider the likes of the Cleveland Browns and the Florida Marlins (I can’t think of an NHL example, as I’m REALLY clueless about that league). Why are they the worst, and what needs to be done to change that?

So there we have some talking points. Feel free to comment, or write an entire post if you wish.

January 24, 2014 – 12:49 am Categories: Andy Wellman, Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, UW Badgers | Comments (2)

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In Defense of Dom

As I write this piece it’s been exactly two weeks since a 33 yard Phil Dawson Field Goal ended the Green Bay Packers dreams of playing in Super Bowl XLVIII. Since that time it’s been impossible (in Wisconsin) to turn on a radio, pick up a newspaper or flip on the T.V. without finding someone explaining exactly what went wrong with the 2013-2014 Packers. Sadly, some of the comments being made have been ill informed personal attacks as opposed to objective critiques. Public enemy number one is none other than Dom Capers. No member of the Packers organization has been more maligned than Dom Capers. Spend fifteen minutes listening to sports radio and you will walk away thinking that Dom Capers single handedly ruined the Packers season. I for one am tired of hearing the uninformed point their fingers at Dom Capers for the Packers defensive troubles. Why someone in the media hasn’t written this piece yet is beyond me but It’s time someone stood up…. “In Defense of Dom”.

Just how maligned has Capers been of late? One sports radio host was recently outraged when at the teams season ending press conference Mike McCarthy responded to a question by calling Dom Capers an “Excellent Football Coach”. Allow me to set the record straight here. Capers has been coaching football for over 40 years; 25 of those years in the NFL and most of those 25 years in the capacity of Defensive Coordinator or Head Coach. To translate, Capers has spent the majority of the past 25 years coaching as either a head coach or defensive coordinator in the worlds highest level of professional football. He IS an excellent coach, period. To infer anything otherwise offends my senses. Furthermore, it’s ill-informed to say that Capers hasn’t been an “Excellent” Defensive Coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Did I mention he won a Super Bowl in 2010 with the Packers?

Looking at the Packers Defensive Team Rankings since Capers came aboard in 2009 you’ll find that Capers’ defense has ranked 7th, 2nd, 19th, 11th and 24th in points allowed. You have to go back to the turn of the century and then back to the Reggie White led Super Bowl defense of the 90’s to find another stretch that is equally or more impressive than what Capers has done over the past five years. In fact, going back to 1999 thru 2008 only three Packer teams achieved a ‘defensive points allowed’ ranking of 11th or better. Capers has hit that mark three times in the past five years!

What about defensive rankings for yards allowed?

Since taking over the team in 2009 Capers’ defense has ranked 2nd, 5th, 32nd, 11th, and 25th in defensive yards allowed. Only twice between 1999 and 2008 have the Packers achieved a ranking of 11th or higher. (*twice teams finished 12th). Capers’ teams topped that mark three times in the past five years. In both the defensive scoring and defensive yards allowed categories the Packers were ranked in the 20’s the year prior to Capers joining the team. Based on the numbers it’s safe to say that Capers has had a tremendously positive effect on the Packers defense.

But I can just hear that radio host saying in response that Capers sure wasn’t excellent in 2013. While I agree that the Packers defense in 2013 was poor, I would disagree that Capers is responsible for the team’s defensive shortcomings. First, let’s not act like there weren’t extenuating circumstances that contributed to the poor defensive showing. Injuries were huge. Losing Clay Matthews and several other players for chunks of the season was a major factor as was the loss of Aaron Rodgers on offense. With Rodgers out the offense struggled to move the ball which led to the defense being on the field longer and more often than they would’ve had Rodgers been under center.

I can hear the detractors all but screaming that I’m making excuses but I’m not. Coaching a talented veteran is much easier than coaching a younger inexperienced player. I think that Capers did a magnificent job of coaching the younger players who were forced to play as a result of the injuries. Injuries forced several first and second year players onto the field that in many cases were not ready to play. Heck, not only were some of these guys not ready to play anything more than special teams, in some cases these same players were forced to play out of position! Capers took rookies, second year players and undrafted free agents and he got these guys to go toe to toe with the San Francisco 49ers, a team that just took Seattle to the brink in the NFC Championship game. Let’s not forget that the Packers defense did their job against the 49ers. They held that team to 23 points. The Packers offense should normally win if the defense holds the opposition to 23 points or less. Instead of praise for Capers coaching the young guys up to play there is nothing but criticism and calls for his firing.

Capers did not do a bad job of coaching in 2013. Ask yourself if the failures of the 2013 defense were due to the coaching and schemes of Dom Capers or was it more the lack of talent and experienced playmakers on the defensive side of the ball? To put it bluntly, is it Dom Capers fault that Ted Thompson has yet to find a capable replacement for Nick Collins? Is it Dom Capers fault that the team continues to play late round and street free agent rookies and second year players at safety and other starting positions? Is it Capers fault that the team has yet to fill the void created at Defensive End when Cullen Jenkins left via free agency? Is it Capers fault that the Packers had to depend on a guy who spent the last couple years between jail and house arrest to bolster the defensive line in Johnny Jolly? If you’re going to gauge the job Capers has done then you need to factor in the talent that the defensive side of the ball has been given to work with. Wolfgang Puck is one of the top chefs in the world yet even he can’t make an omelet without eggs.

While disappointment over the season ending loss to the 49ers naturally runs deep, honest Packer fans should be willing to admit that hopes for the 2013 team to raise the Lombardi trophy were a long shot. True, the team could’ve gone on a hot streak like that of the 2010 team but objectively speaking, the Green Bay Packer roster that limped into January 2014 did not have the horses to run a Super Bowl race. Injuries, under performing players and a general lack of experienced depth are not part of the template for playoff success. Contrary to what you may be hearing, the Packers didn’t fail because of Dom Capers. If you must blame someone then you need to look at the front office. Ted Thompson stocks the cupboard with players. If Dom Capers reaches in and the cupboard is bare then that’s on Ted Thompson. Let’s hope Ted stocks the cupboard on defense this year because Dom Capers has proven what he can do when given the talent to work with.

January 20, 2014 – 4:30 pm Categories: Richard Gureski | Comments (1)

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Are The Badgers For Real?

The reason I ask is because this morning on the Mike & Mike show, during the “what everyone’s talking about” segment, there was a list of three topics. The first two related to this weekends upcoming NFL playoff games, and the third one was concerning the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball team’s game from last night. Funny thing is, you wouldn’t have know that unless you were watching the show on TV, as I was. That’s because when it came to talking about the last item, they instead went off on some other NFL related tangent. Personally, I was flabbergasted. They stuck faithfully to the script through the first two, then completely disregarded the concerning Wisconsin. Just let me cry “no respect!” and I’ll move on.

Are the Badgers for real? It’s tough to say at this point. They have had some quality wins against good opponents, including last nights blowout against a ranked, conference rival in the Fighting Illini. But it was in the Kohl Center, and the road to the Tournament isn’t going to get any easier. Big Ten basketball is shaping up to be very formidable this year, with some other highly ranked teams. In fact, right now UW finds themselves sandwiched between Ohio State and Michigan State in the rankings. They are off to a 16-0 start, the best in school history, and at #4 as highly ranked as I ever remember them.

The team is built differently than in past years as well, with athletic big men that can run the perimeter AND drive to the basket. This is a formula that could do well in March, and after a less the spectacular end to the football team’s season, could be just the tonic for UW fans everywhere.

January 10, 2014 – 3:10 am Categories: Andy Wellman, UW Badgers | Post a comment

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I Want To Like The Bucks…

…I really do. Even though I’m not nearly the NBA fan that I once was some 25 years ago, they are the professional basketball team from my home state. I’m not old enough to remember the Championship, but I can recall watching playoff games when they were on tape delay. I grew up on the Don Nelson teams of the 80’s, when they would make annual trips to the playoffs with the likes of Sidney Moncrief, Marcus Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings and Brian Winters. And later with Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges, Alton Lister and Paul Pressey. While they never won an NBA title, you could always expect a decent showing in the post season, with some classic matchups with the Celtics or 76er’s. Now they’ve become the equivalent of the 90’s Brewers; a lackluster team playing in a less than spectacular building.

The reason I was thinking about this today was because nearly simultaneously I received an offer for some tickets to the game while ESPN 540’s D-List’s question of the day was if you were to receive a free limo ride, free tickets and free food to tonight’s Bucks game at the Bradley Center, would you take them? Now, I’m not one to shy away from a freebie, but considering how cold it is, I would have to think twice. They are playing the Clippers, one of the more exciting teams in the league, but I’ve never been the type that goes to their favorite team’s games to watch the other guys. Which brings me back to the less than mediocre, pre-Miller Park Brewers.

Back then, I would think about taking the kids to a game, an experience I’m sure they would remember for a lifetime. But I just couldn’t do it, considering how much it would cost and what we were getting in return. Never mind the less than family friendly environment that we might sometimes encounter, the ubiquitous “product on the field” would never measure up. And that’s the problem with the current edition of the Milwaukee Bucks, a last place team seemingly playing for the first pick in this summer’s NBA lottery. At least the Badgers Men’s Basketball Team is ranked in the top 5…for now.

January 8, 2014 – 12:48 am Categories: Andy Wellman, Bucks | Comments (2)

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Packers Post Game: 2013 Wildcard Playoff Edition

Well, the 2013 season finished a lot later than I had expected. After it was revealed that Aaron Rodgers had broken his collar bone in October, I held little hope that they would even win one game without him. The fact that they still had a shot at a division title going into Week 17 was nothing short of miraculous. So many things had to come together for it to happen that this group started to have that “team of destiny” feeling to it. Of course the 2003 Packers had that same feeling until “4th and 26”.

And so the Green Bay Packer’s season came to an end yesterday on the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field. A place that used to be a guaranteed W but has hosted the end of the Packers post season in 5 of the last 9 playoffs. And for the second year in a row, it came at the hands of the San Francisco 49er’s, a team that is fast becoming for Aaron Rodgers what the Dallas Cowboys had become to Brett Favre. But instead of being thoroughly run over, as was the case last year in the City By The Bay, the Pack held their own. After being beat up and bruised all year long, and limping into the playoffs against an arguably superior opponent, the team managed to acquit themselves quit well in a close 23-20 loss.

The day after, I find this game leaving me with an unusual feeling. They were playing with house money, and while I always want them to win, the loss doesn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, like what which would have been had they lost to the Bears the week before. A game that they would have been just as likely, if not more so, to lose. It was a game of dichotomies. While the defense rose up to twice deny the Niners a touchdown inside their own 10 yard line, and came away with a momentum generating turnover, they also could not get the timely third down stop and allowed San Francisco to bleed the clock while getting into position to kick the game winning field goal with no time remaining.

The offense started out miserably, found it’s rhythm and was able to keep up score for score, but then couldn’t find the end zone from 1st and goal at the 9. A score that would have given the Packers a four point lead and forced San Fran to score a TD to win the game. Aaron Rodgers had another miraculous escape to complete a 4th down conversion, but in the end the miracles ran out, and now we’ll have to suffer the arctic cold wondering what might have been, what needs to happen in the off season and dreaming of the warm summer days of mini camp.

January 6, 2014 – 6:14 pm Categories: Andy Wellman | Post a comment

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

As I was saying to my Brother at BW3’s, amongst the beer and deep fried pickles, yesterday (and today) constitute one of the three best days in the sports calendar. Along with the Superbowl and Sunday at the Masters, the opening round (I still don’t consider the play in games as the first round) of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are the most enjoyable sporting days of the year. And as fans of Wisconsin sports, we’ve been very fortunate in March. Both the Badgers and Golden Eagles have been annual contenders for going on a decade and a half now, and add to that the occasional appearance by UWGB and UW Milwaukee gives us all a lot to root for. Filling out brackets and settling in for an entire day of exciting college basketball action has become a right of Spring, and is as eagerly anticipated as Christmas morning.

Marquette gave as a heart stopping, bracket saving win yesterday, and today it is Bo Ryan and the Badgers turn. I have Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen and the Golden Eagles in the Elite Eight. So now I get ready to strap it on for another day of great company, thrilling wins and bracket busting loses. Here’s to hoping your having as much fun as I am!

March 22, 2013 – 12:57 pm Categories: Andy Wellman, Marquette Golden Eagles, UW Badgers | Post a comment

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It could be worse…

…we could be Bears fans. After Sunday’s less than spectacular win over the Detroit Lions, some Packer fans are still not satisfied by their level of play. The fact is that there are always going to be some fans that will always view the glass as half empty. On the other hand, you have Bear’s fans.

While I normally like to listen to the various Packers post game radio shows, win or lose, one of my guilty pleasures is to listen to Chicago sports talk radio after a Bears loss. Last week, after a home loss to the Houston Texans, the wailing and gnashing of teeth south of the border wasn’t that bad. Afterall, it was a close, low scoring game and Jay Cutler went out during the middle of the contest. But after last night, the hounds have been unleashed. Suddenly, a defense that was at times being compared to the imcomparable ’85 squad, is now exposed as relying TOO much on generating turnovers. Brandon Marshall is an all-pro wide receiver when Jay Cutler is throwing to him, pedestrian at best with any other signal caller. And that offensive line is really offensive.

The Bears and Packers have identical win-loss records atop the NFC North Division, but Green Bay is in first place by virtue of their head-to-head record. Apparently, Chicago needs to finish the season 5-1 to have any chance at the Lombardi Trophy, because 3-3 will put them on the road in the first round of the playoffs, where they don’t stand a chance. This is the analysis from our friends to the South, and it makes for some darn good listening pleasure.

November 20, 2012 – 3:12 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Post a comment