Management Gone Wrong

Daylong meetings on both Monday and Tuesday prevented me from really venting about the CEOs of teams that either acted stupidly this weekend or were proven to be stupid all along.  Without further ado, let’s go.

Davis Love III

While the Ryder Cup captain can never be expected to play for his players, the ordering of singles matches requires some strategy.  In that sense, I think DLIII failed miserably on Sunday and lent a hand in the most surprising collapse in the tournament’s history.

After the competition ended, Love expressed that he was always going to put Stricker and Tiger at the back to “anchor” the team.  That looked like the wrong strategy to me on Sunday morning and turned out to be horribly wrong.  A blind man could see that Europe needed points quickly and thus put out their best early on.  The U.S., deeper in singles than Europe, fell prey to the idea that obtaining points early on Sunday would prematurely end the Ryder Cup.  While I can’t blame Davis for that impulse, especially given American success the first two days, he found himself without any kind of an insurance policy as the teams roared down the stretch.  His last two players (Stricker and Woods) played the worst of anybody the whole weekend, and he wants them as “anchors?”  Sounds more to me like Love hid those two guys, knowing they weren’t on their game and gambled his team would win early on.  Again, having Tiger back there makes some sense as he’s the best player by ranking, but put Stricker out early and let him get creamed or see if he can put some red on the board.  If he loses, the Europeans get an early point and can’t play one of their big guns against our big guns.  While hindsight always gazes through rosy glasses, certain players like Bradley or Phil could have provided that kind of insurance policy at the back end and would likely have beaten the Molinari brother.

Of course, the American players also acted like fools, losing 17 and 18 multiple times.  Three Americans lost 17 and 18 on Sunday to lose 1-up.  I can’t fault some of those, as Justin Rose’s bomb of a putt on 17 sparked the rally, but Jim Furyk needs to make his par putt from 7 feet.  That plays directly into another reason why Davis Love looks ridiculous now: his veteran captain’s picks lost crucial singles matches in rookie fashion.

I’m ready for 2014 at Gleneagles already.

New York Jets front office

A 34-0 drubbing at home crystallizes what many of us have known about the Jets: they have nothing but talk.  While the loss of cornerback Darrelle Revis hurts immensely, the loss to San Francisco proves the team has no rudder or central plan.  Over the offseason, their attempts to add new weapons around Mark Sanchez came to naught, and in that sense the front office deserves blame.

I have a post from the early spring detailing my thoughts on Tebow, but his addition clearly looks like a publicity stunt.  A player with that kind of cult following gets traded to be a backup?  The team happens to share a building with the defending Super Bowl champs and has been run through the tabloid mud for the last 30 years in the biggest media market of the world?  Hopefully you see where I’m going…the Tebow move did nothing to improve the team and, if anything, made it worse by submarining Mark Sanchez’s confidence.  How can he play knowing even a mediocre game will elicit fervent prayers and public raptures calling for the darling backup?  Poor move by the front office and owner Woody Johnson.

But, think also on the weapons around the quarterback position.  Since playing the Bills three weeks ago, Shonn Greene has averaged 2.37 yards a carry en route to a pedestrian 97 yards…in three games total.  And yet, he continues to start, despite the promise shown by Bilal Powell as the backup.  At wide receiver, Santonio Holmes is the best option for the Jets, despite never having more than 746 yards a season in his time there and singlehandedly blowing up their locker room in 2011.  Not to mention, he’s now out for the season.  And who backs him up?  Jeremy Kerley?  The punt returner!?  Oh yes.  Stephen Hill, the rookie out of Georgia Tech, has some upside but is, as yet, a commodity too unproven to deserve judgment or conversation.

So, the best skill player on this offense is Dustin Keller, another guy who’s out right now with no serviceable backup (Chaz Schilens?  Really!?  Sounds more like the local bellhop than tight end).  For coach Rex Ryan, the defense supposedly looks great, but after big losses in the last three games, he looks more like a blathering blowhard than ever.

And who brought all these people in?  Jets GM Mike Tannebaum, who deserved the pink slip yesterday.  Given all the horror stories of the 2011 locker room and the current travesty we see every weekend on the field, the Jets look poised for a complete overhaul in the offseason.  Ryan, Tannebaum, etc. all need to go.

Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett

I had a tough time deciding who to blame for this next one, but given Hawkeye’s position as GM of the Cowboys, I think he deserves it.

Tony Romo, for all of his talent, can’t play behind turnstiles.  That’s a fact of football…no quarterback can.  In order for the Cowboys to be successful, they need to invest in an offensive line.  A franchise with that kind of prestige should not be cheap in the trenches, especially when the organization remains convinced Romo can win them playoff games.  Too much money goes into projects like Dez Bryant, a worthwhile enterprise given his talent but overshadowed by the emergence of slot receivers in the Dallas offense the last two years.  The skill positions are not the problem for Jones, but protecting them requires some more vigilance.  The first of five interceptions thrown by Romo started because he knew the pass rush was coming.  Heck, the country knew it was coming, and the O-line still let him hurry a throw that resulted in a pick-six.  I love hating on Romo, and he deserves criticism for five picks, but the offensive line cannot continue to be so bad.

Jerry Jones should step in and make some kind of ultimatum rather than express his disgust through the media.  If the pass rush continues to come, talk with Jason Garrett and dial up more running plays.  The balanced offense can be the best friend of a quarterback, who can rely on defensive guessing during the game.  Right now, the NFC East looks fairly competitive, but three straight poor performances by the Cowboys don’t lend much confidence in the team making the necessary adjustments.

Redskins Front Office

I have absolutely no idea who decided to sign Ryan Grant, but like the aforementioned Jets and Cowboys the ‘Skins need to redefine their priorities.  Alfred Morris and Evan Royster provide bruising backs that fit well in the Shanahan offense, and Morris continues to fight hard for extra yardage.  Last I checked, running back doesn’t reach a position of need as much as offensive tackle.  For the record, it’s tough to start Tyler Polumbus on your line and expect anything resembling a good record.  Why aren’t the ‘Skins looking for offensive linemen, either on the free agent market or on the rosters of other teams?  Brian Waters doesn’t seem to be playing in New England, so why not give him a look?  Or what about the safety position?

In the end, I expect nothing less from the Redskins.  The O-line has been a problem for a long, long time and yet, each year the Redskins have a high draft pick, they select skill players, refusing to accept receiver have no targets if the quarterback can’t breathe in the pocket.  It’s the same old story for this team that has no depth on offense except, maybe, at running back.

Bit #1: Baseball continues to excite

Unlike last year, we know the four teams going to the playoff in the AL.  Up for further question, however, remains their order.  The Oakland Athletics, riding the best record in baseball since the All-Star break, are tied with the Texas Rangers after Game 161.  And, they conclude their series tonight, with the winner taking the division crown and relegating the loser to the wild-card play-in game.  I am shocked, since I picked the Rangers to win the division handily back in April when they erupted for a huge lead.  In a showing different from other characters in today’s post, Billy Beane has done an excellent job reinventing the Oakland A’s every year into its current form, a team based on solid pitching and timely offense.  While he might be looking at some flashes in the pan on the mound, I give Beane credit for consistently working within the strictures of a small market to bring solid talent to Oakland.

In the AL East, it looks as if the Orioles won’t make the division title.  They need a win tonight coupled with a Yankees loss and then a win in the divisional play-in game against New York.  Should that happen, however, we might see the first AL wild-card game featuring two teams who led their divisions until the very end.  If Texas and the Yankees meet, the rest of the AL will be giddy with excitement that one powerhouse could be eliminated early.

For the NL, the order is set, so we won’t waste our time right now.

Bit #2: The Triple Crown

Normally I cheer for Josh Hamilton in everything.  His personality, faith, and dedication all endear him to me as a nice guy who has fought through adversity to become the best in his business.

But I’m throwing that out the window tonight.  Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers currently sits atop the AL standings in batting average, home runs, and RBI.  Should he finish in that position, he will win the first Triple Crown in baseball since 1967.  Less than 15 player all-time have that distinction and the honor grows more improbably with each passing year as so many hitters choose whether to hit for either power or average, but rarely both.  Hopefully, Cabrera will make baseball history tonight, assuming Josh Hamilton does not hit a home run in the game against the Athletics.

To that end, I have no idea why so many people are giving the AL MVP any discussion.  A dude wins the Triple Crown for the first time in half a century and he’s not the most valuable player in the league.  Certainly, the Tigers are chalk full of talent, but Cabrera’s numbers clearly deserve recognition.  Many can quote Angels outfielder and rookie Mike Trout’s fielding ability, but his team didn’t make the playoffs.  Cabrera’s won a division title…end of discussion.  He should win the MVP with one of the best hitting performances in any season, ever.