NFL Should Redefine Overtime

NFL owners will be meeting soon to vote on possible changes to the rules concerning overtime play. I hope they do the right thing and amend the overtime rules . They have a chance to make overtimes more exciting and more interesting.
Too often the most important decision made by teams in OT is whether to call heads or tails. I would like to see teams do more than win the toss and then run conservative plays so that they can get in field goal position. It just doesn't seem right to me that 2 teams battle for 60 minutes and it all comes down to a coin toss and a kick.
Guaranteeing each team one possession in OT or declaring that the first team to score a touchdown (rather than a field goal) is the winner would add much more strategy and drama to the game. I'm not really sure what changes to overtime would be the best ones, but I do believe that something should be done to add a little more drama , excitement and integrity to OT.
NFL owners have a tendency to be old school and slow to adopt change, but I hope they take a good look at improving the overtime format. Do you like the current overtime system, or does the NFL need to change it?

Browns Still Looking For Franchise Player

Now that Mike Holmgren has released Derek Anderson and traded Brady Quinn I am wondering how much better the Browns actually are. By replacing Anderson and Quinn with Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme the Browns have made themselves marginally better if at all.

Wallace has started only 12 games in his 5 year career. It's hard to imagine that he will suddenly blossom into a top caliber NFL quarterback. Delhomme is 35 years old with a troublesome arm, and he is coming off the worst year of his career. Even if he suddenly regains his form his age and surgically repaired arm will leave the Browns looking to replace him sooner rather than later.

While I don't find fault with Holmgren for overhauling the position it seems clear that neither Delhomme nor Wallace is a franchise type of player at this time. I have to believe that both have been brought here as back-ups or insurance policies. The thought here is that Holmgren will have his eye on a quarterback in the upcoming draft.

The Browns organization needs to finally find a QB who will be the foundation of the team for the next 7 to 10 years or more. The are questions that linger. Will the Browns target a QB with their first pick with so many needs at other positions? Will they be able to position themselves to get the player they value the most? Most importantly, if they grab a QB in the draft will it be the right one? If the Browns invest in a quarterback that doesn't pan out it will once again set the franchise back several years. Let's hope Holmgren gets it right. Rebuilding every 2 or 3 years is something the fan base has seen enough of.

MYOS "Quick Hitters"

A short list of topics for you to comment on:

Has "Big Ben" Roethlisberger been hanging around Tiger? Where there is smoke there is fire.

Is Ohio State's Evan Turner the player of the year in NCAA Hoops?

Does the Browns signing of QB Seneca Wallace mean the end of the line for D.A. or is the Brady Quinn experiment over in Cleveland?

NFL Combine Can Be Misleading

Although I do have to confess to watching some of the NFL combine over the last few days I wonder how relevant the whole thing really is. Some of the drills and measurements that the players are put through don't seem applicable to their football skills.

One of the standard tests for all players is the standing broad jump. I don't see how this translates specifically to the game of football. There is a pretty good chance that the person who holds the world record in the broad jump is a really bad football player. The vertical leap is another standard at the combine. I can see how it might be relevant for a receiver or defensive back to be tested in vertical leaping, but I don't get why offensive linemen are required to test their vertical. In 35 years of watching football I can't recall one time where a guard or center failed to make a play do to poor leaping ability. As a matter of fact if my offensive lineman is leaping vertically at the line of scrimmage he is probably getting in my quarterbacks way as he tries to throw a pass. And they are not going to get any leverage to run block if they are jumping in the air. Maybe it's best if my offensive line can't jump at all. The 40 yard dash might be the most watched event at the combine. Many players have had their draft position altered do to their 40 time. I suppose that checking backs and receivers in the 40 holds some merit, but why is it so important how fast my defensive tackles run a 40 yard dash? If my nose tackle needs to run 40 yards to make a tackle I've got bigger problems than checking my stop watch. And what difference does it make if my receiver does 12 bench presses instead of 16? I would rather that my receiver can recognize coverages, make the proper route adjustments at the line of scrimmage when my passer is being blitzed, and actually catch the ball when it's thrown to him. The growing number of dropped balls by receivers over the last several seasons makes me wonder if teams are emphasizing the wrong qualities at draft time (see Darrius Heyward-Bey).

For every hidden gem discovered at the combine there is a player who rockets up the charts only to disappoint at the NFL level (see Akili Smith). While it's not entirely a bad thing to have coaches and scouts get a first hand look at potential draft picks it's the intangibles that can't be measured that can be the most important.

At Least Three Other Teams Courting 'Z'

The Washington Wizards and Zydrunas Ilguaskas have finally hammered out a buy out deal that will make 'Z' a free agent. As you know by now, the Cavaliers can re-sign him after the mandatory 30 day waiting period expires.

There may, however, be some serious competition for Cleveland. It is being reported that there are at least three other teams coming hard after Ilguaskas. They include, Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. The problem for the Cavs is that these teams are willing and able to offer 'Z' a multi year deal and at a decent price, something Cleveland either can not do or may not be willing to do. It doesn't help that these teams are all serious playoff contenders, something 'Z' would insist on when signing any potential deal.

Making matters more complex, Shaquille O'Neal suffered a "significant sprain" to his right thumb last night versus the Celtics and may be out for an extended period. This leaves a giant hole in the middle for the Cavs when facing the likes of Dwight Howard.

We all know that LeBron James and a large contingent of Cavalier fans want 'Z' back, soon we all find out if the feeling is mutual or if Zydrunas' feelings were hurt beyond repair.

Is LeBron's Supporting Cast Good Enough?

The Cavaliers have recently added Antawn Jamison to their roster as you all know. And although the Cavs have hit a rough stretch since the trade losing 3 straight games the trade was a good thing. Jamison is a talented player, and a team can't have too much talent as far as I'm concerned. Danny Ferry has done his best to surround LeBron James with the pieces necessary to win a title. As great as James is he can't win a championship by himself, as was evident a few years ago when San Antonio swept the Cavs in 4 straight games. If we take a look at the great championship teams in recent NBA history we find that not only did they have a superstar player( and in some cases more than one) but a strong supporting cast as well.

Going back to the 1980's we saw Magic Johnson lead the Lakers to multiple championships. He had Kareem Abdul- Jabbar who was named one of the 50 greatest players of all time and was arguably one of the top 5 or 10 players of all time. Add to the mix James Worthy( 7 time All-Star and 2 time All-NBA, one of 50 greatest players) And Michael Cooper ( 8 time All Defensive Team and Defensive Player of the Year) and it is clear that Magic was not a one man show.

Larry Bird's Celtics teams had a pretty good overall cast as well. There was Robert Parrish (9 time All-Star, 2 time All NBA, one of 50 greatest players ), Kevin McHale (7 time All-Star, 6 time All Defensive team, one of 50 greatest players), Dennis Johnson (8 time All Defensive, 2 time All NBA), and Tiny Archibald (5 time All NBA , one of 50 greatest players). With a team like that it's surprising the Celtics didn't win more than they did.

Even the great Michael Jordan had his share of help. There was Scottie Pippen (7 time All NBA, 10 time All Defensive team, one of 50 greatest players), Dennis Rodman(10 time All Defensive team, 2 time Defensive player of the Year, led NBA in rebounds for 3 straight years with Bulls), and the most accurate 3 point shooter in league history Steve Kerr (.454 %) and the 7th best 3 point shooter in league history B.J. Armstrong (.425 %).

None of these teams I have just mentioned would have won titles without their superstar players leading the way. There is no way the Bulls would have been 6 time World Champs without M.J. so please don't misunderstand where I'm coming from . My point is that these dynasties were not one man shows, they were good teams with more than one great player that they could count on to contribute.

The point is that Lebron's supporting cast over the course of his career with the Cavs can't even be mentioned in the same sentence with the aforementioned teams. Lebron James has carried under talented teams as far as he could in seasons past, but great individuals don't win titles great teams do. Although I do give Danny Ferry credit for making the most significant move in the NBA at this years trading deadline the question remains is it enough to get the Cavs a championship?

MYOS "Quick Hitters"

Time for a few more "Quick Hittters". What are your thoughts?

1.) Cavs 0-3 since Jamison/"Z" trade. Bad karma or coincidence?

2.) The NFL combine begins Wednesday. Do NFL executives over weight this exhibition? Can you say Akili Smith.

3.) The United States leads the medal count in Vancouver, "upsets" Canada in hockey.

Woods Unlikely to Shed New Light

Tiger Woods has called a "press conference" on Friday to discuss his golf future. I put the words press conference in quotes because there is likely to be little conferring going on. Just Woods apologizing to his family and fans and yada, yada ,yada....zzzzzzzz. Excuse me for dozing off, but Woods is not likely to say anything we haven't heard already either from statements he has previously released or previous media reports.
Let me save you 5 minutes of your life and tell you what will happen on Friday. First, Woods will appear in front of a small group of "Tiger yes men." He will then read word for word from a prepared document just to keep it as impersonal and insincere as he possibly can. Woods will exit without fielding any questions. Sounds real exciting doesn't it?
Woods will likely never discuss this situation again. Furthermore his agent will make it clear that the media is not welcome to ask Woods about this topic going forward. Any rogue reporter who tries to question Woods about his personal troubles in the future will simply be denied access to press conferences. The sports media will go back to tossing Tiger softballs as they always have.
Woods has always been heavily protected by his entourage and that was before the story of his personal decadence surfaced. The wall of defense should only get higher now. Woods likely feels he owes the public no apology for his personal habits anyway, and I guess he makes a good point. So why waste our time with the same boring , insincere rhetoric we have already heard.

MYOS "Quick Hitters"

MYOS "Quick Hitters" is a new feature here at Mind Your Own Sports where we give our readers a chance to post their thoughts on a few topics of current interest. Simply click the comment link and give us your thoughts. If none of the topics seem of interest to you, take this opportunity to let us know what is on your mind.

1.) Tiger to comment on his return to golf on Friday.

2.) Do we really need all the pomp and circumstance that events such as the NBA All Star Game and Super Bowl provide? Maybe I am getting old, but I just want to watch the game.

3.) For any race fans we may have: A chuck hole in the track at the Daytona 500 with cars traveling in excess of 190mph, this can't be good.

Cavs Turning Attention To Jamison

The latest rumors now have the Cavaliers working hard on a deal with Washington. It is being said that the Wizards would ship Antawn Jamison and Mike James to Cleveland for Zydrunas Illguaskas, Jamario Moon and a first round draft pick. The deal evidently can be done without the Cavs including J.J. Hickson.

While LeBron James prefers the Cavs acquire the Phoenix Suns Amar'e Stoudemire, Cavs management still seems leery of the potential fit that Stoudemire could supply.

Jamison, at 34 years old, would amount to a rent-a-player for the Cavs down the stretch. In my opinion, if you are going to risk the team chemistry by acquiring a player, I would prefer it to be someone who can present a longer term upside. That is why the Stoudemire deal makes more sense to me.