It’s rare that a player can change the course of a team’s season and franchise history without actually being on the team itself.  An example of this is Lawrence Taylor’s devastating hit on Joe Theismann years ago, a hit that changed Theismann and the Redskins.

So what are the chances of a player doing that not once, not twice, but three times against a single team? Despite the long odds, Bernard Pollard has become enemy number one for the New England Patriots.

It’s well known that Kansas City Chief Bernard Pollard ruined the 2008 Patriots’ season, the year they were coming off of a nearly flawless 18-1 4campaign, by tearing Tom Brady’s ACL (can be seen here). That year the Patriots were as always one of the league’s top contenders, and Pollard took them out of the running before the end of their first quarter.

That’s just one of Pollard’s coincidental roles with Patriot injuries. In 2009 the Patriots were 10-6 and the AFC East champions, giving them the No. 3 seed during the playoffs. In Week 17 the Patriots went to Houston to play the Texans, where history now shows Wes Welker blew out his knee trying to avoid a defender. Who was the defender he was trying to avoid? None other than Bernard Pollard.

The Patriots went on to lose their first playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens 33-14. The Patriots were clearly hampered by the absence of Welker, as Brady had one of his worst postseason games that day, throwing three interceptions.

Ironically, Pollard spent the 2011 season on the Baltimore Ravens, who once again faced the Patriots in the playoffs. Jokes were made around the media concerning Pollard going against his Boston foes again and whether another injury was on its way. Unfortunately for Patriots fans, this became a reality as Pollard laid a hit on New England star tight end Rob Gronkowski that led to a high ankle sprain.

In the Patriots’ loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Gronkowski’s ankle was a major issue. He wasn’t explosive and even got out-leaped for an interception by Chase Blackburn. Gronkowski’s injury was a reason the Patriots’ season ended disappointingly without a championship.

It is not a stretch to say that Bernard Pollard has possibly cost New England multiple championships. In 2008 the Patriots were still capable of the offensive firepower they had during their near-perfect season. 2009 admittedly was not as good, but the Patriots still could have made a run in the playoffs with Welker. Finally, this past Super Bowl could have been won if Tom Brady had his best offensive weapon.

Pollard, like Lawrence Taylor mentioned before, has brought about changes in the NFL as a whole. Taylor made the blind side tackle a more looked at position, most noted in the movie and book The Blind Side. Bernard Pollard was the force behind the “Brady rule”, where a defensive player can not lunge at a quarterback form the ground like Pollard did against Brady in 2008.

While not a huge star, Pro Bowler, or Super Bowl champion, Pollard has had a huge effect on the NFL and playoffs recently. His hits on Gronkowski and Brady could be looked at as hits that cost the Patriots titles, and helped cripple (pun intended) their dynasty. For fans who don’t like the Patriots, he is loved. For Patriots fans, he’s infamous.

Note: None of this article is to take away from the New York Giants Super Bowl title. They played a fantastic game and had an incredible season. Congratulations to them and all their fans.

Tom Brady, arguably the greatest QB in NFL history, was limited to the role as a game manager in perhaps the most important game of his career—yes, that is the secret of the New England Patriots victory over the Giants.

I can already envision the outrage I will receive for saying such blasphemy from New England Patriot fans.

Beloved Patriot fans, if you want to see Tom hoisting that Lombardi trophy above his head for the fourth time, then you’re going to  need to see an offensive game plan where Tom Brady is handing that pigskin about 70 percent of the time into the bellies of his running backs or his twin Dikta-like tight ends.

This will be the only way the Patriots will beat The New York Giants. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick must do what opposing teams often attempt to do against them—control the clock and keep quarterback Eli manning of the New York Giants off the field.

Two reasons: First, the Patriot Defense won’t be able stop Eli Manning or the Giants running game, and secondly, and maybe more importantly, the Patriot running game is a seldom-seen commodity that, in this writer’s mind, is the poison to slay the Giants defense.

I have watched both teams all season. Given the reality that the New England Patriots have a below average defense, and the fact that the better teams in the league have adapted to the Patriot offensive scheme, a stout running game is the needed elixir to give the Pats the strategic advantage they will need against a team that is more well balanced then they are.

The Giants are licking their chops at the thought of Tom Brady standing back in the pocket for a typical day of 40 or more passes.

The Patriots’ brain trust, Coach Bill Belichick, would be wise not to grant this wish and do just the opposite. The vaunted Giant pass rush that stomped the Pats in their last Superbowl meeting will begin to slow down in the fourth quarter after a heavy dose of a run attack that was unexpected—then some of that Brady passing magic can be applied safely.

All year long the Patriots have tinkered with the run game like a kid trying to put together a model airplane. When things didn’t go right, like any youngster, you call on dad to put things together and  solve the problem.

Likewise, when in a need for a quick fix, Tom Brady would call on Bill Belichick to just let him stand back and sling the ball, and all would be well in  Patriot Nation.

The Patriot running game had success, but Coach Belichick gave up on it too quickly—after all, having Tom Brady is a hard addiction to break.

The fact is the New England Patriots have some dynamic runners, including bruising tight ends that can bring hell-on-turf. Coach  Belichick must kick the Brady habit and put some trust in his run game.

The genesis of my thinking is years in the making of watching The Patriot machine, but I only need to point out two games this year to make my point where no amount of directional help from mastermind Bill Belichick or Savior Tom Brady would work.

Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, masters in defense, employed what has been Tom Brady’s Kryptonite: press coverage.

A dose of the Steelers and Giants running game kept Brady and Belichick studying passing schemes and formations from which no answers came forth. The Patriots lost both games with hopes and prayers that they would never have to see those teams again.

Well, as its turned out, they got half their wish. The Pittsburgh Steelers were ousted by the Denver Broncos, but as things often go in life, God will provide some of the heavy lifting but you have to work for some of your miracles.

The New England Patriots can beat the New York Giants by carrying a work-like attitude to Super Bowl XLVI, running the football about 70 percent of the time. Sometimes you win by losing some of the obviousness that opposing teams expect from you.

The Giants have one of the best pass rushes in football. The Patriots, if they play their normal scheme, will play right into the strength of their rival. This is a game where Tom Brady has to be small—handing the ball to his runners often in order to win the game.

The New York Giants will plan their whole defensive scheme with the idea that Tom Brady is going to do what Tom Brady always does: throw and throw some more.

The New York Giants, the team who stole perfection and NFL God-hood from both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, are poised to again destroy another Superbowl dream from the dynamic duo of Brady and Belichik.

There is only one way to stop them—Tom Brady, you must become small—The New England Patriots must run the ball.

For the Baltimore Ravens, all was somber and dreary as they left Gillette Stadium defeated and weary.

As night blanketed the New England sky, Ray Lewis and company must have felt lost in a bad dream that bordered on the surreal.  Indeed, the game had unfolded nicely for the Ravens, laying a path for a fairytale ending that would have resulted in a trip to Indianapolis.  But in a bizarre play of events, the Ravens lost a game that, on paper, looked like a victory.

Consider this—the Ravens offense had more total net yards (398) than the Patriots offense (330). Stephen Gostkowski, not Rob Gronkowski, was the Pats biggest offensive weapon. And Tom Brady had more rushing touchdowns (1) than passing (0).

Finally, to top off the strangeness of the night, Joe Flacco and Tom Brady had identical completions and attempts (22 of 36), with Flacco coming out ahead (at least statistically) with two touchdown passes to Brady’s goose egg.

Yes, this was a game that the Ravens wanted, yet were unable to capture due to the return of an unwelcomed guest—the Patriot Way.

The Patriot Way is best described as all parts working toward a common goal. Through the synchronized movement of all of the pieces, the body Patriot can win in various ways.

Although the Patriot Way had been waylaid the past few years by misguided organizational ambitions, it surfaced in full regalia against the Ravens.

It was Brady diving over the line to score a touchdown.

It was Brandon Spikes making a crucial interception of a Flacco pass.

It was Vince Wilfork forcing the Ravens out of field goal range.  And it was Sterling Moore knocking the ball out of Lee Evans’ hands in the end zone.  Therefore, before the heavy beating of Billy Cundiff’s tell-tale heart foretold a shank, the return of the Patriot Way made victory possible.

So, as the Ravens walked slowly through the locker room door, the Patriot Way whispered into their ears: “You will play—Nevermore.”

When Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith swung a deal to acquire the talents of former LSU Tiger Glen Davis for starting power forward Brandon Bass in a sign-and-trade, many fans were puzzled. Not only was Smith shelling out a four year, 26 million dollar cumbersome contract  to an unproven big man, but many were wondering what Davis brought to the table that Bass didn’t possess?

So far, its looks like extremely little.

In the first eight Orlando Magic exhibition games, Glen Davis is averaging a measly seven points and four rebounds per game. That is a considerable amount lower than last season’s averages of nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game.

Brandon Bass, on the other hand, is playing the role of consistent front-court contributor while averaging a career-high 13 points per game to go along with six rebounds per match.

Sure, “Big Baby” did put up a season-high 20 points on a fantastic 8-13 from the field versus the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, but Davis’ start to his first season with the Magic can be summed up by one word: inefficient.

Since being drafted in the second-round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Davis’ shot selection has been more than questionable. Even though the former Boston Celtic has a refined post-up game, the fifth-year veteran still insists on shooting his inconsistent mid-range jumper. With the Celtics, Davis averaged 10.3 shots off the bench, most of them coming from the outside. This season has been no different, as Davis is averaging an extremely poor 32 percent from the field.

Plus, it seems as if Davis is more interested in personal accolades than team achievements. A few months ago, the young power forward stressed his desire to make an All-Star team. Now that the big man has an increase in minutes, Davis is chucking up every shot in sight with hopes of earning that title.
Howard revives Davis

But if there is one reason that this transaction was horrible for the Magic, it is the sad fact that the Magic lost a ton of athleticism, hustle and leadership with the absence of Bass. It is quite obvious that Orlando lacks in the aforementioned areas and substituting in Davis was definitely not the answer. When Orlando added Davis to the roster, the Magic thought they obtained a player who could help crash the boards and do the “dirty work” with Howard. However, Davis has done the exact opposite and, instead, has been somewhat soft in the paint.

Despite being a back-up to one of the most hard-working, intense leaders in Kevin Garnett, Davis has shown little to none of the qualities that made KG one of the best power forwards of all-time.

The Orlando Magic’s Friday night game against the powerhouse Chicago Bulls was a perfect testament to Davis’ lack of hustle and leadership.

Going into the matchup against the 6-1 Bulls, the Magic knew they would have to come out with energy, determination and efficiency if they were to come away with the win. However, Glen Davis and the Magic accomplished none of these goals.

First of all, Davis shot a terrible 25 percent in the game and allowed countless offensive rebounds to the likes of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson. In a league where rebounding is a necessity, giving up offensive rebounds is an absolute killer.

However, the real kicker of the night came when All-NBA center Dwight Howard jokingly acted like he was reviving teammate Davis after he fell going for a loose ball. Even though it was quite funny, would other championship-caliber teams be all smiles if there teams was losing by five in the fourth quarter?

In the end, Glen Davis is only 26 years old and still contains some potential to grow into a star in Orlando. But with each passing game, Magic fans miss more and more Brandon Bass and his smaller, more reasonable contract.

The Denver Nuggets took off some of the luster from Miami’s blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks by doing the same. Also, for the second game in a row, the Mavs made the game appear closer than it really was by trimming into the lead in the fourth quarter.

For the second straight game, they trailed by over 30 points at the end of three. Needless to say, Dallas is not going to defend its title playing like this.

To say they miss Tyson Chandler would be an understatement. Suddenly, the Mavericks are the worst defense in the league, surrendering 110 points per game, and that’s with their opponents sitting their starters in the fourth quarter.

Lamar Odom, who was supposed to be his replacement, has a field goal percentage of 12.5. That’s not points per game, that’s field goal percentage! Certainly they can get better than that form him, and will. That’s not the problem.

Vince Carter and Delonte West have been filling in at the shooting guard spot and have somewhat struggled, but not horrendously so, combining for an average of 14 points per game. While that could be improved upon, that’s not the problem either.

It’s not just the quality of play that’s of concern. To a degree, that’s excusable. With the brevity of the training camp and the preseason, it’s understandable.

What’s more disconcerting is the lack of intensity.

The Mavericks don’t have the same level of focus that they had last year when they were playing like a team possessed and were mowing down every team in their path.

The biggest opponent the Mavericks have right now is complacency. They have the personnel, but they need to dig down and find the desire. Until they do, they won’t scare anyone, even if they are the defending champs.

A few months ago, the Carolina Panthers’ season was expected to be a long and drawn-out one. A 5-9 record didn’t seem out of the question, but if you were told that Cam Newton would break one of Peyton Manning’s records, would you ever believe it?

Well, Newton is set to do exactly that today when Carolina takes on the Buccaneers at home. The Bucs are on an eight-game losing streak and have one of the weakest secondaries in football. Three weeks ago, the Panthers’ quarterback led the team to a 38-19 win and a 106.1 passer rating on the road in Tampa Bay.

Newton will need only 18 yards today to break Peyton Manning’s rookie record of 3,739 passing yards. The young quarterback will also have a chance to pass the 4,000-yard mark on the season; he needs only 278 yards over his final two games to do so.

The record serves as a reminder to all that no player should ever be written off and told what his limits are. We’ve seen Tim Tebow play a huge role in turning the Denver Broncos around and Cam Newton has the Panthers in position to make a playoff run next season.

Nearly every analyst defined Newton as a pure scrambling quarterback who would never succeed as a passer in the NFL. Well, don’t look now, but he’s about to become the most prolific rookie passer in NFL history—not bad for an “overhyped, high-risk” first-round pick with “a glaring bust factor.”

Good luck to Mr. Newton today and here’s to allowing players to play before stating how poorly they will play at the next level.

One of the new features in the agreed-upon NBA collective bargaining agreement is an amnesty clause that allows each team to release one player whose salary will count just 25 percent against the cap. It appears as though the Portland Trail Blazers are ready to exercise that clause by dumping Brandon Roy.

Roy, who is a three-time All Star, struggled mightily with a significant knee injury last season, and spent much of the year as a reserve. He showed signs of life in the playoffs, but it appears as though the Blazers are ready to be rid of his $15 million-per-year contract.

While the move may make sense for the Blazers fiscally, it is terrible from a public relations sense and a basketball sense as well. According to the report by John Canzano of The Oregonian, Portland is ready to cut ties with Roy as soon as possible, without so much as giving him an opportunity to prove that he’s healthy.

Knee injuries have been the deathblow for many NBA players, and that may prove to be the case with Roy. But it seems in bad taste to simply discard a player that has carried the franchise for the past few seasons and been considered one of the best players in basketball.

Roy has had an extended offseason to rest his troublesome knee, and he is just 27 years old, so he conceivably has a lot of good years left, provided his knee holds up over an extended period of time. With that being said, there is a very good chance that Roy will come back to bite the Blazers if he is given his walking papers.

It is rumored that the Golden State Warriors, a Western Conference foe, would be very interested in Roy, especially since Roy’s former agent, Bob Myers, is the Warriors’ assistant general manager. This means that Roy would have the benefit of facing the Blazers a couple times per year and showing them exactly what they gave up on.

Aside from basketball, though, Roy has been the team’s most popular player by far among fans since entering the league. Regardless of whether he can still play effectively or not, cutting Roy will likely be looked upon as a cheap, cost-cutting move by Blazers management, as it should be.

Portland has a decent skeleton outside of Roy, but the Blazers are never going to be a true contender without him, or without a player like him at the very least. The Blazers will still be a solid team, but if the ultimate goal is to win an NBA Championship, then this is the wrong move.

It may not be apparent whether the Blazers cutting Roy is the right move or not for another few years. What is apparent, however, is that Portland’s front office cares much more about saving money than it does about pleasing the fans and fielding the best team possible.

Roy is as competitive as they come, and I firmly believe that he will do everything in his power to battle back from this knee injury in order to prove the Blazers wrong. I ultimately think he will succeed in that regard.

Michael Vick signed an enormous $100 million contract earlier this season, but it looks like the same problems that scared fans last season are going to rear their ugly head until this contract is over.

For the second season in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback will most likely miss time with an injury to his ribs, crushing any remaining hope that the team could back its way into the playoffs.

While the fans will be furious to see Michael Vick sitting on the bench for the hundredth time this season, it will be the right move for the future of the team.  It looks like Michael Vick is probably not going to play on Sunday according to news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter about his status.  On top of that playing a team like the New York Giants who has a good pass rush with cracked ribs is probably not a good idea.

The Eagles are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but it has become very obvious that the Eagles aren’t going anywhere this season, so the next natural step is to go into next-season mode.

Philadelphia needs to start protecting its star players and analyzing which players will be back next season and which ones will be hitting the road.

Andy Reid is a smart coach and he knows that what he was doing this season is not working. It will be Reid’s job to make sure that, with this much talent, the team is a success next season.

That starts by sitting Michael Vick on the bench until he is as close to 100 percent as a football player can be.

The team’s mindset has to be protecting its star quarterback that we just signed to a massive deal, and anything less would be irresponsible.

1908.

This year is significant to Cubs fans because it is the last time Chicago could call themselves champions of baseball. Of course, for many fans, they weren’t even alive to see it.

After all, a lot has happened since player/manager Frank Chance defeated the Detroit Tigers in just five games to clinch their second consecutive World Series title.

The Cubs have played over 14,000 regular season games since they could last call themselves champions of the world. The NBA, NFL, and NHL have all formed, and have had franchises from Chicago win championships in all three respective leagues. We have added five states, made eleven amendments to the constitution, and sixteen Presidents have been elected since 1908. Wrigley Field was built, and eventually became the second oldest park in Major League baseball. Harry Caray was born and lived his whole life without ever seeing the Cubs take it all.

It’s safe to say that if the Cubs made it to the World Series, Chicago would expect—scratch that—demand full attention come late October. Can you blame them? For a team that hasn’t appeared in the Fall Classic since 1945, they would have earned the attention. Try to overshadow that even slightly? Not a chance.

That’s why I have a huge problem with the Theo Epstein press conference taking place on the eve of the Texas Rangers possibly putting the final nail in the coffin on the St. Louis Cardinals. These two teams worked hard the entire year, and made it farther than 28 others.

I expect feedback to generally be along the lines that I am strongly overreacting. And I can respect that. I just feel that if you do not even have the ability to make roster moves, why feel the need to officially name a figure head to your organization when you can just as easily wait until the series is over.

If I were a Cardinals or a Rangers fan this would be the time that I live for. I live for knowing that my team is on the doorstep. I live for knowing that my team—after 162 regular season games and seven more playoff victories—My team is just four wins away from being the last team standing. I live for knowing that if I turn on Baseball Tonight, my team is all there is to talk about. They earned that, they deserve that.

What they don’t deserve is lack of respect for what they earned. Until the final pitch of this series is thrown, Theo Epstein can’t sign a single free agent or make a trade to help bring a World Series to Chicago. The Cubs won’t step foot on a baseball field until March, and it won’t even count until April. You can’t win in 2012 until 2011 is finished.

Have patience, have courtesy. And most of all, have respect for the game and the teams who have made it farther than you. There are more important things going on.

Putting aside the Baltimore game (because that was just a complete abomination), but looking at the OAK and NE games, there are three issues (offense/defense) that have plagued this team and have kept it from being 4-1 instead of 2-3.

1. While the Jets defense was one of the top units in ’09 and ’10, I remember it being more a bend-but-don’t break unit, then a complete shutdown group. And that worked. Instead of allowing touchdowns, the other team would get in the red zone and the Jets would generally hold them to a FG. I think the numbers would back me up on that.

This season…

Against Oakland: Three TOUCHDOWNS from the 23-yard line or closer.
Against NE: Three red-zone TOUCHDOWNS

Lose by 10 to OAK, lose by nine to NE. Change two of those TDs to FGs and you may have different results.

2. The safeties and LBs are just too slow. They cannot contain the edges and it’s not a matter of if Eric Smith gets burned each week but how badly. It’s a given. The Jets need to try Brodney Pool or someone else (is there anyone?) in that spot because Smith just isn’t working AT ALL.

3. Time to move to the offense. While there have been issues that you do hold the players accountable to, like Burress’ dropped balls and the O-line breakdowns, the overwhelming problem is Brian Schottenheimer. I just have no doubt about this. This is the sixth season of this nonsense and nothing has changed.

Maybe it’s because for more than a decade (outside of Al Groh, who wasn’t even the first choice) the Jets have had head coaches with defensive backgrounds. From Parcells to Edwards to Mangini to Ryan, it just seems like the offenses have been plagued by incredible conservatism.

In my lifetime of really watching the Jets (starting in ’98), Dan Henning has been the ONLY offensive coordinator that has given me any promise of spark or explosiveness in the Jets’ offense. Paul Hackett was the worst, Mike Heimerdinger didn’t work out and here we are with Schottenheimer, who is plagued by inconsistency and predictability.

I sometimes believe Schottenheimer has created a good game plan. The offense works well in the first half (as it did in Oakland and in spurts of this NE game), but then the other team’s defense adjusts and Schottenheimer misses that memo. Today for instance, he pounded the Ground and Pound into the ground so much so that it became ineffective.

The predictability of this offense is astounding. I’m not a coach but watching every Jets game it’s amazing how often I know what’s coming. I don’t watch game film but from what I see each week there seems to be fundamental issues in the design of routes.

I watch other teams who are able to hit 15-20 yard pass plays or (gasp) even longer ones. It appears these do not exist in the Jets’ playbook. They’re running six-yard curls on 3rd and 8. Seriously?

There’s just no imagination. I’m not asking for imagination as in reverses or RB passes or some kind of extravagant trickery. I just want some variety. The Jets rarely work the middle of the field and I don’t think they’ve even taken ONE shot down the field this season….ONE.  It’s curls, sideline outs and two-step drops that require perfect timing.

Yes, there are problems with pass blocking and the offensive line but something has to be done to open up the offense.

I know the Jets offense and Schottenheimer so well that I’m willing to put money on us running a play-action deep bomb to Santonio Holmes on our first offensive play next week. I’d go to Vegas and bet on it if it’s a proposition.

These problems are not impossible to fix. The Baltimore loss was a blowout but the Jets were in both of these last two games. They’re 2-3 and while there are problems, it’s not time for doom and gloom…yet. It will be if there are not steps taken to try and solve them.