New York Giants Season Preview

Last season was a year that most people associated with the New York Giants would like to forget. Starting the year off 0-6, before coming up with a 7-9 final record, good for 3rd place in the NFC East. It marked the 2nd year in a row that Big Blue has missed the playoffs, something that head coach Tom Coughlin and the rest of the team are hoping to put behind them. Sure the Giants won the Superbowl three years ago, but this team is a shamble of that club. There were plenty of additions made to this team, but there is still a lot that is left to be desired.

Lets start with the offense shall we. The team went 0-6 to start the year, before finishing out strong, ending the year at 7-9. Now Kevin Gilbride, the offensive coordinator from last year, decided to hang up the clipboard. Enter Ben McAdoo, who is now in charge of trying to improve this offense. And he has a lot on his plate. McAdoo is trying to implement a West Coast Offense, which is already a tough enough task. Now try doing it with a quarterback in Eli Manning who is coming off a very rough year last year and throw in some of the other problems the offense has. The O-line is already reeling with the loss of guard Geoff Schwartz to a dislocated big toe for an indefinite period. Speed at the receiver position has been reduced with first-round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr. fighting a hamstring injury since training camp opened.

Big Blue's offense really has gone through an overhaul heading into this year. With the new offense that McAdoo is trying to install, it calls for a more up tempo style of play that the Giants are going to have to get used to quick. This new style utilizes quick releases, with short, precise routes and high completion percentages. If Beckham ever gets healthy, Manning has the receivers with veterans Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle. The running game also has potential with free-agent signee Rashad Jennings and rookie Andre Williams. The line is the question mark with tackles Will Beatty and Justin Pugh the only returnees.

Right now, on paper at least, the Giants offense looks like a small mess heading into the start of the season. The offensive line doesn't look like it knows what its doing, and to a degree looks about as bad as last years line did at the start of the year. Eli isn't much better off either. If the Giants even want to sniff the playoffs this year, Eli has to put last year behind him and return, somewhat, to form. If Eli turns in a repeat performance that he had last year, then the Giants are going to be in the exact same place.

That's just the offense. There has been an upside to this Giants team.

The defense got better. For quite a while, the front seven for the Giants made the secondary look great. Now it appears it might be the other way around this year. The biggest threat on the Giants line has to be Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP had a down year last year, but from every indication, he is back in top form, which is what fans saw from him back in 2011, when the Giants last won a Superbowl. Heading into his fifth pro season, the Giants need him to step up. When he is good, the 25-year-old can dominate with his speed, strength and athleticism. Then there's a vastly improved secondary. In fact this may be the best secondary that Tom Coughlin has had as Giants coach. He now has Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps and Prince Amukamara to shut down opposing receivers.

So the Giants defense can, and should be able to, keep the Giants in a lot of games. The big question is going to be the offense and how well it can click.

Here's the Giants schedule for this season:
1 September 8 7:10 p.m. EDT at Detroit Lions Ford Field
2 September 14 1:00 p.m. EDT Arizona Cardinals MetLife Stadium
3 September 21 1:00 p.m. EDT Houston Texans MetLife Stadium
4 September 25 8:25 p.m. EDT at Washington Redskins FedEx Field
5 October 5 1:00 p.m. EDT Atlanta Falcons MetLife Stadium Fox
6 October 12 8:30 p.m. EDT at Philadelphia Eagles Lincoln Financial Field
7 October 19 4:25 p.m. EDT at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium Fox
8 Bye
9 November 3 8:40 p.m. EST Indianapolis Colts MetLife Stadium
10 November 9 4:25 p.m. EST at Seattle Seahawks CenturyLink Field
11 November 16 1:00 p.m. EST San Francisco 49ers MetLife Stadium
12 November 23 8:30 p.m. EST Dallas Cowboys MetLife Stadium
13 November 30 1:00 p.m. EST at Jacksonville Jaguars EverBank Field
14 December 7 1:00 p.m. EST at Tennessee Titans LP Field
15 December 14 1:00 p.m. EST Washington Redskins MetLife Stadium
16 December 21 4:05 p.m. EST at St. Louis Rams Edward Jones Dome
17 December 28 1:00 p.m. EST Philadelphia Eagles MetLife Stadium

Big Blue has veteran experience that was brought in to plug in the holes they had from last season. One benefit the team has this year is that they play in a relatively weak NFC Eastern Division. So there is still an outside chance for the G-Men to take the division this year, but a lot really has to go right. The team's offense really has to click and Eli Manning has to have a better year than the one he did last year. That defense can keep them in the games every night but the offense has to show up and support their D.

Best Case Scenario: 9-7 maybe 10-6
For that to happen, three things must fall into place, and they are all related to that offense. The team needs to click with Ben McAdoo's west coast style. The Offensive line needs to do its job and protect Eli Manning and get the running game established. Finally Eli Manning has to play better. If he can cut down his turnover numbers from last year the Giants are going to be in great shape.

Worst Case Scenario: 7-9
Well this is pretty self explanatory. The offense could have an exact repeat of last year. The Line could suck again, the running backs can hold onto the football and Eli Manning keeps turning the ball over again. Simple as that.

Final Record: 8-8
The Giants made improvements to their team, but with the offensive line still a question mark and with Eli somewhat uncertain about his ability, you really don't know what to expect with the Giants. So with everything thrown into consideration, this is where I see the Giants finishing.

Could Colon Be On The Move?

When last offseason hit, the New York Mets knew they were going to be in need of pitching help. With Matt Harvey, the team's ace on the DL after Tommy John Surgery, the club needed somebody at the top of the rotation. That's where 41-year old Bartolo Colon came into the picture, as the team signed him to a two year, $20 million deal back in December. He has put up solid numbers so far with the Mets this year, there's no denying that. Now the question is will Colon be around at the end of the season with the club?

Colon was placed on, and cleared, waivers yesterday, making him eligible to be moved in a trade. There are a few teams, who are in pennant races at the moment, that have shown interest in the Mets 41-year old hurler. There is one thing, though, that has teams questioning the deal a bit. That would be the $11 million that Colon is due to make in 2015, the final year of his contract. Of course, if the Mets do decide to move the veteran hurler, they are going to either try to get a player of possible value in return, or just make a deal to possibly clear cap space.

Now before we even get into where he may end up, if dealt, there is some benefit for the Mets if they can possibly ship Colon. Sure the Mets would like to try to get something of value in return for Colon, in terms of players that can help the team out in the long run. At the same time, if the Mets can't get a player of value in return, the team would likely be happy to have him off the payroll. He’s been steady in his first season in Queens, but the Amazin’s have plenty of pitching and could use the extra money to add additional talent in the offseason. When the Mets first began tossing the idea around last month, the team said that they would eat $2 million of the $11 million that he is owed for next season (WFAN).

It would make sense for the Mets to try and move Colon. It could either get them players that can either help the team out or could be moved again for more talent. It could clear up cap space for the Mets to spend money in the offseason to build their roster. The team has plenty of arms ready for next season with the Likes of Gee, Neise, Harvey, Wheeler, De Grom and Syndergarden, so there is plenty of arms for the Mets for next season for that rotation. Colon will be a good addition to a club for the stretch run, as he is 12-10 with a 3.82 ERA and 130 strikeouts. He’s issued just 22 walks in 167 1/3 innings pitched. All of this coming in his 25 starts this year.

Now the question is, where is Colon going to be headed? There are three teams that have been reported as being interested in the Mets ace: the Royals the Dodgers and the Angels. They are considered by many to be the teams most likely, if at all, to contact the Mets regarding Colon. The Royals, in my mind, would be a last resort because they have enough pitching to hold them over and get them through the playoffs. Both Los Angeles teams would have a need for him. The Dodgers need a fifth starter at the back end of the rotation, but the front end of that rotation is so top heavy they may not have a need for him. The Angels are the one team of the three who would have the most need for a guy like Colon. Injuries have left the Angels rotation thin behind Jared Weaver and CJ Wilson. So if any trigger gets pulled it looks like the best option for Colon would be the Angels.

So if the Mets do move Colon, they are hoping to be able to get something of usable value in return for his services.

New York Islanders Will Have New Owners

This has been running around the rumor mill for the past few years. Many people where starting to wonder whether or not New York Islanders owner Charles Wang was going to sell his stake in the franchise. A lot of rumors went flying that he wasn't selling, then rumors came up that he was but there weren't too many options for buyers. Well now all of those rumors can be fully put to bed. Pending league approval, the Islanders have been sold, sort of. Approval of the sale has to come from the NHL, when they hold their annual governors meetings in December.

The Islanders released the following statement, explaining some of the details of the potential sale: The New York Islanders announced today that a group led by former Washington Capitals co-owner Jon Ledecky and London based investor Scott Malkin has reached a definitive agreement, subject to NHL approval, to purchase a substantial minority interest in the team. Under the terms of the agreement, Charles Wang will continue as majority shareholder and Governor of the Islanders, with the Ledecky/Malkin group transitioning to majority owner in two years. There will be no further comment until the NHL completes its franchise ownership transfer process (WFAN).

So now lets take a look at the timeline here that has lead to this deal coming down. Charles Wang bought the Islanders franchise along with former Computer Associates chief executive Sanjay Kumar, back in 2000. The duo payed $74.2 million and assuming $97 million in existing liabilities. Wang took over majority control in 2004 after legal issues came about with former partner Sanjay Kumar. In the time that Wang has owned the team, the Islanders have made the playoffs five times, but never made it out of the first round. Before Wang had the deal signed to move the Islanders to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, he tried his hardest to keep the team at Nassau Coliseum, eventually keeping the team physically on Long Island. Charles has done many good things for the Islanders franchise, such as bringing the team back to relevance at the turn of the century, keeping the Coliseum mostly in tact and the like. But at the same time, there have been decisions and moves made with Wang as owner, that have come under heavy criticism.

The two deals that people criticize Wang for the most were giving the ten year deal to, at the time he was signed, star center Alexei Yashin. Then he went out and gave a 15 year contract to goalie Rick DiPietro, and we all know how that move turned out for the team. Both deals would have looked like brilliant moves had they panned out the way the team hoped but alas they didn't.

To add more intrigue to the story, the sale of the team came after a controversial series of events involving Wang and the only previously publicly announced suitor, Andrew Barroway. The Philadelphia-area hedge fundmanager and attorney has said he had a handshake agreement with Wang to purchase the team for $420 million, and is now suing Wang for $10 million, claiming he backed out of the deal. So things are getting more and more interesting with this franchise by the moment.

Now as far as the new ownership goes, there's plenty to talk about. Ledecky was chairman of Lincoln Holdings from 1999-2001, which held interests in the Caps and the NBA’s Washington Wizards. Malkin is chairman of UK-based Value Retail, a syndicator of high-end European retail outlets (WFAN).

Now this could be a good thing for the Islanders. Don't get me wrong, Charles Wang did a lot to help get the team back into relevance in this league. But when he bought the franchise, he admitted that he knew little to nothing about hockey. He has learned as he has gone along as owner over the last almost fifteen years, but there are times where that inexperience has shown and has hurt the team. Now there is the potential for two hockey guys to come in and take control of a team, knowing exactly what they are doing.

Now I do want to thank Charles Wang for everything he has done to help bring pride back to long island in hockey. He has done so much to help bring the Islanders back to relevance. Now there will be some new blood injected into the franchise to bring life back to the team.

NBA Schedule Released

The time has arrived. It's a time most basketball look forward to during the summer. Earlier this week the NBA schedules have been announced. Since it would take way too long to list the schedule for every NBA team here, we are only going to focus on the local area teams, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

First up is the 82 game schedule for the New York Knicks:
Wed, Oct 29 vs Chicago 8:00 PM
Thu, Oct 30 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 2 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Tue, Nov 4 vs Washington 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 5 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 7 @ Brooklyn 7:30 PM
Sat, Nov 8 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Mon, Nov 10 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 12 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 14 vs Utah 7:30 PM
Sun, Nov 16 vs Denver 1:00 PM
Tue, Nov 18 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Wed, Nov 19 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Sat, Nov 22 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Mon, Nov 24 @ Houston 8:00 PM
Wed, Nov 26 @ Dallas 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 28 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 30 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Tue, Dec 2 vs Brooklyn 7:30 PM
Thu, Dec 4 vs Cleveland 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 5 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Sun, Dec 7 vs Portland 7:30 PM
Tue, Dec 9 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
Wed, Dec 10 @ San Antonio 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 12 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Sun, Dec 14 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
Tue, Dec 16 vs Dallas 8:00 PM
Thu, Dec 18 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Sat, Dec 20 vs Phoenix 1:00 PM
Sun, Dec 21 @ Toronto 3:30 PM
Thu, Dec 25 vs Washington 12:00 PM
Sat, Dec 27 @ Sacramento 10:00 PM
Sun, Dec 28 @ Portland 9:00 PM
Wed, Dec 31 @ Los Angeles 6:00 PM
Fri, Jan 2. vs. Detroit 7:30PM
Sun, Jan 4 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Mon, Jan 5 @ Memphis 8:00 PM
Wed, Jan 7 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Thu, Jan 8 vs Houston 8:00 PM
Sat, Jan 10 vs Charlotte 1:00 PM
Thu, Jan 15 @ Milwaukee 3:00 PM
Mon, Jan 19 vs New Orleans 5:30 PM
Wed, Jan 21 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Fri, Jan 23 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 24 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Mon, Jan 26 vs Sacramento 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 28 vs Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
Thu, Jan 29 @ Indiana 8:00 PM
Sun, Feb 1 vs Los Angeles 2PM
Tue, Feb 3 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 6 @ Brooklyn 7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 7 vs Golden State 7:30 PM
Mon, Feb 9 @ Miami 7:30 PM
Wed, Feb 11 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Fri, Feb 20 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Sun, Feb 22 vs Cleveland 1:00 PM
Wed, Feb 25 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 27 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Sat, Feb 28 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 4 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Sat, Mar 7 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Mon, Mar 9 @ Denver 9:00 PM
Tue, Mar 10 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Thu, Mar 12 @ Los Angeles 10:30 PM
Sat, Mar 14 @ Golden State 10:30 PM
Sun, Mar 15 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM
Tue, Mar 17 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar 19 vs Minnesota 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 20 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Sun, Mar 22 @ Toronto 4:00 PM
Mon, Mar 23 vs Memphis 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 25 vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM
Fri, Mar 27 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar 28 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Wed, Apr 1 vs Brooklyn 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr 3 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Sun, Apr 5 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 8 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr 10 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Sat, Apr 11 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Mon, Apr 13 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 15 vs Detroit 8:00 PM

Now for the full 82 game schedule for the Brooklyn Nets:
Wed, Oct 29 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Sat, Nov 1 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Mon, Nov 3 vs Oklahoma City 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 5 vs Minnesota 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 7 vs NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Sun, Nov 9 vs Orlando 3:30 PM
Wed, Nov 12 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM
Thu, Nov 13 @ Golden State 10:30 PM
Sat, Nov 15 @ Portland 10:00 PM
Mon, Nov 17 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 19 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 21 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
Sat, Nov 22 @ San Antonio 8:30 PM
Wed, Nov 26 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Sun, Nov 30 vs Chicago 3:00 PM
Tue, Dec 2 @ NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 3 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 5 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
Mon, Dec 8 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 10 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 12 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Sat, Dec 13 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Tue, Dec 16 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 17 @ Toronto 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 19 @ Cleveland 7:30 PM
Sun, Dec 21 vs Detroit 6:00 PM
Tue, Dec 23 vs Denver 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 26 @ Boston 1:00 PM
Sat, Dec 27 vs Indiana 8:00 PM
Mon, Dec 29 vs Sacramento 7:30 PM
Tue, Dec 30 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Fri, Jan 2 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Sun, Jan 4 @ Miami 6:00 PM
Mon, Jan 5 vs Dallas 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 7 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 9 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 10 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Mon, Jan 12 vs Houston 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 14 vs Memphis 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 16 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Sat, Jan 17 vs Washington 8:00 PM
Wed, Jan 21 @ Sacramento 10:00 PM
Thu, Jan 22 @ Los Angeles 10:30 PM
Sat, Jan 24 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Mon, Jan 26 vs Portland 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 28 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 30 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
Mon, Feb 2 vs Los Angeles 7:30 PM
Wed, Feb 4 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 6 vs NY Knicks 7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 7 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Mon, Feb 9 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Tue, Feb 10 @ Memphis 8:00 PM
Fri, Feb 20 @ Los Angeles 10:30 PM
Mon, Feb 23 @ Denver 9:00 PM
Wed, Feb 25 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
Fri, Feb 27 @ Houston 8:00 PM
Sat, Feb 28 @ Dallas 8:30 PM
Mon, Mar 2 vs Golden State 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 4 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 6 vs Phoenix 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 8 vs Utah 6:00 PM
Tue, Mar 10 vs New Orleans 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 11 @ Miami 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar 14 @ Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Mon, Mar 16 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Wed, Mar 18 @ Cleveland 7:00 PM
Fri, Mar 20 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar 21 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Mon, Mar 23 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 25 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Fri, Mar 27 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 29 vs Los Angeles 3:30 PM
Tue, Mar 31 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 1 @ NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr 3 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
Sat, Apr 4 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 8 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr 10 vs Washington 7:30 PM
Sun, Apr 12 @ Milwaukee 3:00 PM
Mon, Apr 13 vs Chicago 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 15 vs Orlando 8:00 PM

So which games are you looking forward to most on this schedule?

Woes Continue For Jets Secondary

For the last few years, under head coach Rex Ryan, the New York Jets have become known as one of the better defensive teams in the entire National Football League. The front seven that the Jets have is one of the elite in the entire league. Meanwhile, the Jets secondary really needs something to be desired. During the offseason, the Jets went about adding free agent pieces to help out their offense, but they neglected to improve that defense. . By not adding a player like Darrelle Revis or re-signing veteran defensive back Antonio Cromartie, the Jets are left with very few options on the back end of their defense.

At the start of camp, it appeared that the opening day corners would be Dee Milliner and offseason addition Dimitri Patterson. New York suffered two huge setbacks on Monday though, after rookie third round pick Dexter McDougle went down for the season with a torn ACL and Milliner injured his ankle. While Milliner’s injury isn’t too serious, likely putting him out 3 to 4 weeks, which means he's probably going to miss week one of the season. So now it puts the team in more dire straits. This is a Jets defense that finished last year 22nd in the NFL in passing defense in the league. That's bad enough. Now with these injuries, it makes things a lot tougher. So the questions is where does this leave the Jets?

Well, in the case of Millner, he will be back by week two, maybe week three the latest. It's not too big of a loss for the long term of the season, but it does hurt Millner in that he's missing valuable reps with the team. This is the same guy who went on record last week of saying he's the best cornerback in the league. He now has more pressure put on him for saying what he said. With the injury thrown into the mix, it's going to make things harder for Millner to back up those comments. They may have a possible solution for the injury issues at the moment.

Monday, at practice, Antonio Allen took a bunch of spins at corner and had arguably the best day of any member of the Jets’ secondary during the team’s first two weeks of training camp up in Cortland. He and Ellis Lankster got shots with the first team on Monday. So both guys looked good in practice, so this may be a temporary fix till Millner gets back into the lineup. It is a little too early to tell if this is going to work out the way the Jets hope, but its a step in the right direction to help hold the fort down till Millner gets back. But the injuries to the secondary showed two big problems that the Jets have had during the last number of seasons.

One has been the secondary as a whole and the addressing of the issue. It was already a well known fact that the Jets secondary had gaping holes. That's bad enough. Now we are seeing that the team appears to be ill equipped to handle serious injuries, which is something that wasn't really addressed in the offseason. General Manager John Idzik has taken criticism for not addressing the issue. He says he had no regrets about doing what he did in free agency, but, depending on how things play out this season, he may have a few of those regrets. While he did address the offensive issues, he should have at least tried to get one proven cornerback to put into the roster. It didn't have to be a big name but at least somebody who has a proven track record of being a solid cornerback.

The other thing that is shown by the weakness in this secondary is the offense. What I mean is the offense is going to really have to give more support to that defense. The NFL, as we know, has become a pass happy league. A good defense can only really do so much for a football team. A good defense can keep you in a game, but the offense really needs to score some points to support the efforts of that defense. The Jets have struggled doing that the last 15 years. Only twice in that time frame have the Jets finished in the top ten in points per game in the league: 1998 they finished 5th averaging 26.0 PPG and then they finished 9th in 2008 with 25.3 points per game. So never once under Ryan have the Jets finished in the top 10 in scoring. In fact they finished 28th and 29th respectively the last two seasons in scoring. So with a banged up, weak secondary, more pressure is on the front seven on defense and the offense has to score more.

The recent injuries to the secondary are starting to show more of the things that are going to need to be changed during the rest of camp and this season.

What Next For Tony Stewart?

I know it's a little strange to see a story coming from me in regards to NASCAR, but in this case it has to be talked about. This past Saturday, as most people know, Tony Stewart was involved in a fatal accident at a race track in upstate New York. Stewart bumped into 20-year old Kevin Ward Jr's car, causing Ward to crash into the wall, causing him to spin out and blow a tire. Ward then got out of his car and began walking along the track, gesturing as Stewart's car neared. As he got near the car, Stewart back tire ran into Ward, sending him flying about fifty feet, killing him upon impact. Ward, who had been racing Sprint cars since 2010, was pronounced dead an hour later by doctors at a nearby hospital. So now this leads to a big question........what happens next for Tony Stewart?

Before we get into what happens to Stewart, lets take a look at the situation as a whole. Honestly, I have this gut feeling that none of this was really Stewart's fault. I do feel sorry for Ward and his family, and quite honestly how could you not, but this was, to a degree, his own fault. He was upset that he was pushed into the wall by Stewart during the race. I get that, it happens to everybody in sports. Emotions run high during a sports event, athletes do get emotional, its part of the game. At the same time, you have to know when to control your emotions. You have to realize, if your Ward, your wearing a dark racing suite and a dark helmet on a poorly lit track. The cars are flying by at about 45-50 MPH, and your walking into the path of the car on the right side of the car, which is hard for a driver to see on. So it made things tougher for Stewart to even be able to see him. So to a degree Ward, may he rest in peace, is at fault here for the accident. He let his emotions get the better of him and it ultimately cost him his life at just twenty years old.

Now as far as Tony Stewart is concerned, he might not get out of this incident so easy. To this point in the investigation, there is no clear cut evidence that Stewart ran this kid down on purpose. During his career, Stewart has been known as a hot head, getting involved in incidents both on and off the track, so this might not come as a surprise to some. But I'm one of those few who actually believes that no criminal charges will come of this. Will something happen, as far as legal ramifications are concerned? No way of knowing that at this point. The way i look at it I don't think there is enough evidence to bring this up as a possible murder trial, so in that regards Stewart has nothing to worry about. I do, however, feel that he isn't going to get away totally clean. He will have to face some sort of penalty, either banishment from the track or a heavy fine or both.

Finally there needs to be a way to prevent this type of incident from happening again on this or any other track.  I recommend three possible ideas for how to prevent this kind of stuff from happening. Two ways involve improvements of sight lines for the drivers. One way would be to light the track a lot better, because if you have seen the video you knew how poorly lit the track was. Another idea would be to put the drivers in any bright colored, reflective suits, so that way drivers can make it easier to see them if somehow they make it out on to the track. Final idea involves the drivers. If somebody is involved in a crash that gets them knocked off the track, they should be prohibited from entering the track while cars are driving by. A few suggestions would be to install something along the lines of a shock collar, something to keep them from getting onto the track. Also there should be a way to keep the driver locked into their car until it is safe to get them out of the car and back towards the infield without something happening to them crossing the track.

These ideas are not perfect, but at least it's a starting point for how to prevent something like this from happening again. As far as Tony Stewart is concerned, only time is going to tell what happens with his case.

Will Geno Smith be Better Than Last Year?

A season ago, Geno Smith showed a decent rookie year. he lead the Jets to an 8-8 record, which many people didn't really see coming, all while throwing for 3,046 yards and 12 touchdowns, to go along with 21 interceptions. Smith had an up and down year last year, at times showing flashes of brilliance as well as some growing pains. Some of that is expected from most first year quarterbacks. Now heading into his second year in the league, Smith is looking to cement himself as an NFL starter, going out to prove he belongs in this league. According to his teammate, fellow quarterback Michael Vick, Smith will be better than last year.

“He’s going to be 10 times better than what he was last year, and I’m looking forward to it” Vick said in an interview on Tuesday (WFAN). Smith right now is set as the starting quarterback for the team, with the job being his to lose. The big question here isn't whether or not Smith is the starter, which he is going to be. The question is, will Smith be a lot better than he was last year?

From where I'm sitting, in all honesty, I'm not sure yet. There is no way Geno Smith is an elite quarterback in this league. i know he's only in his 2nd year in the NFL, but there is no way he can be put in the conversation with the likes of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rogers and so on. Could Geno be put in that conversation? I'm not sold on that at all. I'm sorry but I can't see Geno ever reaching that level its not going to happen, even though Geno thinks he will be but sad to say it he won't be.

As far as Vick's take on his teammate that he is better than he was last year, I have no doubt he will be. The question I have for Geno this year is how much better is Geno going to be than he was last year. I know it takes a while for a quarterback to really be able to find his stride in the NFL. And I know Smith wants to join other QB's in the NFL who can go at this level and prove he belongs. I have no doubt Smith is going to be a solid quarterback in this league, he will get to that level I'm sure.Is he ten times better than he was last year, I have no way of answering that question yet.

There are a lot that has to be taken into account here. Last year, Smith didn't have much to work with in regards to the passing game. He now has a proven target in Eric Decker to throw to, which is going to be a big help. He has a proven NFL quarterback in Vick behind him to help mentor his game, which again will be a big help. Smith has some of the pieces in place to improve on what he was able to do last year. It's there for him to take.

Will he better than last year I have no doubt he will. He has a year experience under his belt in the NFL which is going to be huge. He now has targets to work with in the pass game that can help build his confidence. The tools are there to aid in improvement. Will he be ten times better as Vick has predicted, I don't think so, because that would mean he would be a top flight NFL quarterback. He isn't at that level yet, which he could get to. Smith is better than last year, but how much better is too early to judge right now. As the season wears on we will be able to tell how much better he is.