Shelving Stephen Strasburg: Setup for Failure?

The controversy through most of this past summer revolved around Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg was drafted by the Nationals with the 1st pick of the 2009 draft and was an instant sensation as his appearances in the minor leagues drew sell-out crowds. The Nationals promoted Strasburg to the team in 2010.

Strasburg suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament which required Tommy John surgery and about a year to 18 months of rehab. After pitching some in 2011, he returned full-time in 2012. The Nationals placed an innings limit on him which was rumored to be between 160 and 180 innings. He was pulled from last outing on September 8 and was immediately shutdown for the season. He ended the 2012 season with a 13-6 record, 3.16 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 197 strikeouts in 159 1/3 innings. The Nationals have already clinched a playoffs sports and as of this writing are close to clinching the NL East title.

If the Nationals were not in the playoff hunt, this would not even be news. The fact is that the Nationals are in the playoffs and are a strong World Series contender. Without their ace, how far can the Nats go? If they lose early, there will certainly be an uproar over shutting Strasburg down.

This situation reminds me of a similar one in 2006 with the Denver Broncos. Jake Plummer was the QB that year and after leading the team to a 7-2 start, he lost back-to-back games and was replaced by then rookie Jay Cutler. Cutler went 2-3 and the Broncos finished 9-7, losing the tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs for the final playoff spot. The move was met with mixed reactions with some thinking that the switch was ill-advised since Plummer led the team to the AFC Championship the year before. The move that head coach Mike Shanahan made obviously backfired. Who is to day that Plummer could have gotten the team to the playoffs but he stood a better chance than a rookie.

While Washington is already in the playoffs, the questions remained how far can the team go without Strasburg? While the plan is not injure him and preserve his arm, is i worth jeopardizing the team's short-term plans? The Nationals may well make the playoffs and win the World Series in future years but that is a large unknown. Only time will tell if the Strasburg shutdown was worth it.

Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers: A 'What If' Scenario

Six months ago, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl and second MVP as the Giants defeated the New England Patriots. It is no doubt that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. Fellow quarterback Phillip Rivers is also considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He has led the San Diego Chargers to four AFC West crowns and has set numerous Charger records. Despite all that, he has not led the Chargers to the Super Bowl.

Both quarterbacks were drafted in 2004. Manning was the first overall pick by the Chargers but stated that he would not play for them. Rivers was drafted by the Giants and in a trade, Rivers went to the Chargers and Manning to the Giants. The rest, you know is history but begs the question, "Would Manning have had the same success with the Chargers as he has with the Giants?" No one really knows for sure and the same goes with Rivers. Rivers is no slouch by any means and most Charger fans would agree that he is the man to lead them to the Promised Land. It is something to think and ponder about as you look at both quarterbacks and the success that they have had.

Should the Oklahoma City Thunder Have Their Own Identity?

With the Oklahoma City Thunder in the midst of an NBA Finals battle with the Miami Heat, my thoughts turn to the team that the Thunder were once known by, the Seattle Sonics. After 40 years in the city of Seattle, the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. They changed their colors and their nickname became the Thunder. Despite the change in name and location, the current team still retains the former city's history. Even with a push to bring the team back to Seattle and name it the Sonics, their history lies in a city thousands of miles away.

What's wrong with this? The Thunder are basically a separate team and should be thought of that way. They should make their own history and not take another's with them. When the original Cleveland Browns franchise moved to Baltimore in 1996, the Brown's name, colors, uniform design, and franchise records would remain in Cleveland. After a three-year hiatus, the Browns returned in 1999. The Balttimire franchise became the Ravens and despite having the same players from the old Cleveland team, they were essentially a new team.

If and when the Sonics return to Seattle, should their history be returned to them? The answer is yes. Why would a team with the exact same name and color be forced to write a new history for themselves? Their history should belong to them and the Thunder should have no claim to it. It should be an interesting battle if it ever comes to it.                  

The Uncertainty

Last month and to no one's surprise, the Indianapolis Colts selected Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the #1 pick in the draft. The last time the Colts selected a QB with the first pick was in 1998 when they drafted Peyton Manning. That year the San Diego Chargers drafted Ryan Leaf with the second pick. There was debate back and forth about which team should draft which QB. Ultimately the Colts made a wise decision in taking Manning while Leaf flamed out.

Another QB was taken right after Luck and that was Robert Griffin III from Baylor. It seemed set for many months that Luck would most likely be taken ahead of Griffin. Both QBs have immense talent especially Griffin with his scrambling ability. Both QBs are destined to have great careers. Really though, how do we know that Luck will be the next Manning or the next Leaf? The Colts hit the jackpot the first time around but will lightening strike twice? Perhaps Griffin will have the more successful career then Luck or both QBs will thrive.

That brings us to Manning himself. The Colts cut him prior to the draft knowing that he and Luck would not coexist well. While there is a good chance that Manning will not return to his old self with the Broncos, there is also a good chance that he will be the Peyton of old and lead Denver to glory. Perhaps Luck will have a phenomenal season or perhaps he will fall flat on his face. Perhaps the Colts made the wrong decision. I don't know. Nobody knows. Nothing is guaranteed in life. Uncertainty is never certain.

Matt Flynn: The Next Rob Johnson?

When former Green Bay Packers QB Matt Flynn hit free agency last month, I was reminded of when a certain QB was also highly coveted although not a free agent, one Rob Johnson. Johnson was a fourth-round pick in 1995 of the Jacksonville Jaguars who was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1998. His hype was based solely on one performance in Week 1 in 1997 when he went 20-24 for 294 yards and two touchdown passes and also had four rushes for 31 yards and one touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in a 28-27 win.  When he was traded to Buffalo, he signed a five year $25 million contract. In comparison, Flynn was drafted by Green Bay in 2008 as a seventh-round pick. While sitting behind Aaron Rodgers, Flynn started two games. In 2010 against New England, he was 23-37 for 254 yards and three touchdown passes while throwing one interception. The Packers lost 31-27. His second start came on New Year’s Day 2012 against Detroit where he threw for 480 yards and six touchdown passes in a 45-41 win with both the yards and touchdown passes setting new Packer records. He most recently signed with Seattle, a three-year deal for $26 million. While not being named the outright starter, he will compete with Tavaris Jackson for the starting job.

Johnson’s stint with Buffalo did not last long as he was quite often injured and prone to sacks. He was let go by the Bills following the 2001 season. He bounced around from Tampa Bay (where he won a Super Bowl ring as a primarily a backup), Washington, Oakland, and finally the New York Giants in 2006. Johnson had a lot of promise but among the injuries and sacks, he had a laid-back attitude which didn’t sit well with the blue collar Buffalo fans since many had come to love Doug Flutie who had much more success with the Bills when both played there. As similar to Johnson as Flynn is in his only significant performances to date, it is still early to call Flynn the next Johnson. Only time will tell if Flynn becomes another in a long line of hyped busts.

Here is an article with a similar viewpoint that also compares Flynn to Scott Mitchell: http://www.footballnation.com/content/matt-flynn-the-next-rob-johnson-or-scott-mitchell/13252

The Peyton Manning Situation

The Peyton Manning saga in Indianapolis reminds me of a similar situation with the Green Bay Packers a few years ago.

The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005 with the intent that he would one day replace Brett Favre. Following the 2007 season where Favre led the Packers to the NFC Championship game, he retired. The Packers seemingly moved on and were poised to go with Rodgers. Just before training camp in 2008, Favre decided he wanted to come back. Management thought otherwise and after a discussion and falling out, he was traded to the New York Jets. Favre ended his career with the Minnesota Vikings before officially retiring for good.

The Colts situation is similar. Although Manning's heir apparent has not been drafted yet (all signs point to Andrew Luck being their #1 pick), it looks like the Colts may decide to part ways with Manning. Of course Manning is coming off of neck surgery that sidelined him for all of the 2011 season. There is no falling out yet with management but Manning has made it know he wants to stay a Colt. Another issue is the roster bonus he due on March 8 of $28 million and whether the Colts want to pay it.

If the Colts do let Manning go, he may play for another team or may be forced to retire. Whether the Colts can succeed without him remains to be seen. While Manning is recovering from an injury and Favre was not, there could definitely be an ugly situation like with Favre where management has other plans and moves on. The similarities are striking.