Welcome to Oregon East

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By Kaleb Page

March 16, 2015

Chip Kelly is the mad scientist. The man who crafted an offensive barrage at Oregon that to this day is still taking flight. His genius at the highest level of college football gained the recognition of those in the NFL, and in 2013 the Philadelphia Eagles came after him (eventually landing him).

Well it has only been two seasons in ‘the city of brotherly love,’ and right now there could be an interesting question to ask the Eagles faithful.

Feeling some buyer’s remorse?

How could a coach who went back to back seasons with a 10-6 record get the feeling of being ousted by his own fan base? As they say it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only seconds to ruin it. Well, I guess the same could be said about perceive coaching knowledge or even grasp of what makes a great team.

You could say it all started with the head scratching move to trade one of the top running backs in the league (LeSean McCoy) for a young talented linebacker named Kiko Alonso. Now the interesting thing about this is how Alonso once was an Oregon Duck. The roster now consists of seven former Ducks who played under Kelly at Oregon.

While allegiance is a good quality in some aspects, it can be a problem when it comes at the expense of talent in a bottom line league like the NFL. If you don’t pay attention you could be packing your bags fairly soon.

Oh but wait there’s more!

Tuesday, when free agency officially began in the NFL, a move was made by Kelly that was the pièce de résistance on the head scratching display.

Kelly put in the trade with the St. Louis for Sam Bradford. Who are they giving up in return for Bradford? None other than their starting quarterback Nick Foles.

Foles in 2013 had an amazing year at quarterback, throwing for 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions. That year was a pleasant surprise as Foles was a mid-round selection by the team in 2012 and didn’t have high expectations coming out of Arizona. While Foles battled with injuries just like Bradford, Foles had much more success that showed promise for more seasons like the one in 2013.

Trading for a quarterback that in his five-year career has had multiple knee surgeries and only a record of 18-30-1 as a starter, while giving up on a young prospect that has real promise; definitely is a head scratching move put on by Kelly.

Whether you look on ESPN, Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, etc. there are plenty that are sharing the sentiment of: Does this guy know what he’s doing?

Even Stephen A. Smith going as far to say racism played a factor in these moves by Kelly to get rid of guys like Trent Cole, Jeremy Maclin, Cary Williams and LeSean McCoy. All of which are black athletes that were not signed back with the team. Essentially marked as not fitting the scheme or direction just like when the team released Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson in previous years. Something Smith finds quite suspect.

While I won’t go that extreme as Mr. Smith to say Kelly is being racist, I will say that Kelly better know what he is doing with these questionable moves. As I said before in this post, the NFL is a bottom line league and if Kelly isn’t careful this whole image of a genius can be tarnished. It could very well lead to Kelly seeing his way out of the league.

I guess only time will tell if these moves are good and will actually make for a successful Eagles squad in 2015.

As for now hang in there Eagles fans, it could be much worse.

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Why Fear Perfection?

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By Kaleb Page

March 16, 2015

In the world of sports the chase for a perfect season is something few have the actual chance to achieve. While the realistic goal is to reach and win a championship in whatever sport it might be; there seems to be the notion that undefeated is nearly impossible.

However, when the stars align in the sports world and a team does have the chance to go undefeated a new dilemma takes hold.

This dilemma being should we lose at least once to get it out-of-the-way, should we even bring up the fact that we are undefeated or can we be careful enough to hold on to the record we have.

This dilemma was shown with teams like the Patriots, Uconn women’s basketball, Wichita St. men’s basketball, etc. by many different media outlets. Now rises a new member to this club, the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team.

This edition of the Wildcats basketball team has the familiar feel of years past. A roster full of lottery picks and a fiery head coach that leads this team to become a fine tuned machine. This team currently sits at 31-0 going into its conference tournament after a season that saw many nail bitter moments for this talented squad.

An article on Fox Sports asked what if after this weekend Kentucky came away 31-1. The reporter (Reid Forgrave) said popular opinion across the country would be that a loss now is what Kentucky needs in order to win it all in the end.

Forgrave however, had the gut feeling to think it was ‘hogwash’ for a team with that much talent to suddenly feel any different with a loss than it did undefeated. I agree with this statement completely.

I know as humans we all feel pressure one way or another. Another thing, as all of us know, is that we know what we are in and what the implications are. Which for this team they know of all the hype and the implications of this historic run they are on. This team, that could run the table for the first time since 1976 (Indiana), definitely knows what is out there to be had.

While head coach John Calipari wants to make the team focus on the task at hand, there is always the knowledge of what can be accomplished in the back of their minds. If I’m on Kentucky I am embracing this record and embracing the chance to make history. ‘Why not us’ should be the mantra for this team going forward.

If you truly want to be the dominant team that will be remembered for decades to come; you have to go and take down this task.

Don’t shy away, don’t back down and don’t you dare think about taking that loss to get the prize at the end.

When it’s all said and done, why fear perfection?

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Oklahoma Loses Recruit Due to Racist Fraternity

By Matt Stevenson

March 16, 2015

Oklahoma University’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity has been closed after a video of members rehearsing racist chants went viral. After an investigation took place, the two seen in the video leading the racist song-like chant have been expelled from the University as well. However, the football program has taken a loss also as 4-star recruit, Jean Delance, de-commited last week.

Delance, a highly scouted offensive linemen, gave his verbal commitment to Oklahoma last November and was looking forward to playing for the Sooners. Then the video went viral. Delance made a statement regarding the situation and confirmed the football program and staff had nothing to do with his decision to de-commit.

“It was very disturbing. I never thought that stuff was still trendy as much as it was back then or it could keep repeating itself. It was very disturbing. I didn’t like what was going on. I’m glad the way they handled it but that’s still a bad downside to me.”

With a 4-star recruit gone, questions are now raised if this is the start of a revolutionary movement. For years recruiting has been determined on how good the school’s football program is. You go to a school that will motivate the you as a person and as a football player in order to succeed in the NFL one day. However, with the Delance decision, will recruits look at this and take a stand?

This is an interesting opportunity here, and not just from a racism perspective. The environment and personalities of the student body have personally affected Oklahoma University’s recruiting in this case. My belief is that highly recruited players will take the student body into consideration more than ever before. There is no excuse for racism, or any sort of discrimination at this point in time.

Eric Striker, senior football player at Oklahoma University posted a video of himself expressing his anger towards the fraternity. He stated later that there is a “very real divide between the predominantly black athletes and the predominantly white fraternities”.

Striker also recalled attending some of these fraternities parties with former running back, David Smith. While they welcomed the black athletes in, they would shout racial slurs and warn others that they “should watch out for Smith, because he might take a girl home and rape her” due to supposed “stereotypes” according to the members of the fraternity.

The bottom line is that while there is a larger problem at hand, the student body is now personally affecting recruiting for a sport that brings in large amounts of profit year after year. Delance made a very honorable, bold decision to de-commit from the University. Hopefully, student bodies across the United States understand that racism has no place in today’s society and learn from the inexcusable actions from these students. 

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Free Agent Frenzy

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By Paul Duncan

March 16, 2015

NFL free agency has gotten off to one of the fastest starts in history. Moves have been happening by the hour and it has been hard to keep up with. Thankfully there is Twitter and the race between reporters to get it first and get it right.

On March 10th we had a quarterback swap, a 26 QB retire, Jimmy Graham got traded, and Darrelle Revis went back to the Jets. Some of these events were rumored and others came out of the blue but most of this news was broken on twitter. The one man at the center of all of this is ESPN’s Adam Schefter who has the following and the skills to be considered the king of breaking NFL news.

Many people don’t even consider a rumor to be true until Schefter reports this. But in looking at his tweets he just says he gets them from “sources” while not mentioning who they are. After a quick look into it I discovered that local beat reporters usually report it first and then the big ESPN guys fact check it.

These writers who cover one team for a newspaper, radio, or blog based website. Sometimes these writers get their sources directly from the team like Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, who broke news about the Scott Chandler release and was one of the first to break the Jerry Hughes signing.

Other reporters like Dustin Fox use personal connections. Dustin Fox and Brian Hartline both went Ohio State so when Hartline signed with the Browns he told Dustin first.  The most direct free agent news has come straight from source, or the player himself.  Andre Johnson was the very first to confirm that he was signing with the Colts via Instagram.

All these different methods of breaking NFL news in addition the frantic pace have made this free agency period one of the most exciting ever, and it’s not even halfway done. Oh and we still have the NFL Draft where rumors really can swirl around. The NFL media help make the NFL’s offseason the most exciting in sports.

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Cleveland Browns Eyeing Expensive Free Agent Darrelle Revis

By Matt Stevenson

March 11, 2015

Darrelle Revis is set to become a free agent and is looking for a big payday once again. Coming off a Super Bowl with the Patriots, the top-notch corner back was let go by the Patriots after they neglected to pick up his $20 million team option for next year. This leaves a stellar player on the market in which has seen the highest quality players already gone.

The Cleveland Browns are an intriguing team when it comes to Revis due to what they have to offer him. We can offer him boat loads of money, which many other teams can as well. However, we also can offer the best CB tandem in the league to Revis, pairing him up with All-Pro CB Joe Haden. Lastly, “Revis Island” was invented during his best years of his career under former Jets Defensive Coordinator, a guy by the name of Mike Pettine… Cleveland Browns current Head Coach.

The Cleveland Browns have more than $50 million dollars to spend this summer and so far have been quite in Free Agency, although they did sign WR Brian Hartline to a 2 year deal.

With no big splash made and the highest regarded free agents off of the market, many are wondering where the Browns will spend their money and Revis might be the route to take.

There are no doubts that Revis will get offers from teams that are in contention for a Championship, but it comes down to how much money is he willing to give up at the cost of competing for another Super Bowl.

The Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Patriots are all big plays for Revis. Of course, the Patriots are the only team that can contend right now, but you’d have to imagine there is some tough love after not picking up Revis’ team option.

With Joe Haden already proven as a top-5 CB in the NFL, the Browns can offer Revis Island a CB tandem that no other team can offer him. Justin Gilbert was a first round pick last year and struggled his first season but showed flashes of his potential. Revis would be able to help Gilbert develop but also the 3 together are a perfect fit for Pettine’s press man-cover scheme.

The options are on the table to CB Darrelle Revis, and there are some good ones. Coming off of a Super Bowl, Revis will be getting attention from almost every team in the league. Despite the Patriots attempting to re-sign him for less money, the Cleveland Browns surprisingly have significant benefits to offer Revis that most teams in the NFL can’t.

Expect a hectic week of reporting regarding Revis as the sweepstakes have officially started. One thing will remain no matter what team signs him, there will be millions of dollars spent on the elite CB known as Revis Island.

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Calling All Goalies: Florida Panthers Looking for Practice Goalie

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By Ellen Chlumecky

March 10, 2015

On Thursday, March 5, the Florida Panthers announced that they will be holding open tryouts for any goalies or even fans to be hired as their practice goalie for one day. This whole experience is a contest proposed by the Panthers. The Panthers executive chairman Peter Luukko is hopeful the contest expects a great turnout for such an amazing ultimate fan experience. Successful applicants will invited to a tryout on March 16th. Two finalists will then go head-to-head during an intermission of Florida’s game against Montreal on March 17th. The winner will then get a contract.

This is a dream come true for any aspiring goalie that never got the opportunity to make it to the big leagues or even a fan whose dream is to experience what it’s like to play in the NHL. So what inspired this somewhat unusual contest? If you weren’t watching the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs game, you might have some insight on what inspired the contest.

During the game, both Panthers’ goalies – Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya – suffered injuries. Not having another backup goalie, the goalie coach for the Panthers had to quickly suit up to serve as the backup. Robert Tallas last played against the New York Rangers in 2001.

In the first period, Luongo was injured by a shot from Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov. He stayed in a game till the end of the period. Then he was replaced by Al Montoya. Early on in the second, Montoya gets injured as well. This meant that the Panthers were without a healthy goalie.

It was believed that Derek MacKenzie and Scottie Upshall might dress as emergency goalies as they both went down the tunnel to the locker room while Montoya was struggling on the ice. Luongo was also seen in the tunnel in street clothes as they were trying to figure out who was going to be put in. However, the person who ended up suiting up was Tallas. Two years prior he was put in the same situation so it was not too unusual to ask of him.

At the end of the day, Montoya attempted to play through his injury until Luongo suited up again to finish the game. The team was trying to get Tallas cleared by the NHL to play in the game but during this process, they realized that Luongo would just have to finish off the game.

It’s unfortunate that a hectic and panic-inducing event had to occur for the Panthers, especially since they ended up losing 3-2 in spite of the situation. In the end, they got a great promotional deal out of the event. So I guess it’s about looking at the glass half full, right?

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Joakim Noah’s Dedication to the Bulls

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By Ellen Chlumecky

March 10, 2015

Chicago sports’ teams seem to have a curse upon them. Whether they can’t catch a break with untalented players, a team that can’t get their acts together, or they’re plagued by injuries. The last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series was in 1908. The Chicago White Sox haven’t won a World Series in 2005. While the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup in 2013, they have the second longest Stanley Cup championship drought which lasted 47 seasons. While the Chicago Bulls had the Michael Jordan era, they are not without their slumps or faults.

The Chicago Bulls are remaining at a stand still. Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol are still under medical watch as they try to heal to make sure they’re at 100%. Just when it seemed like events couldn’t get any worse, the thought that Joakim Noah might be leaving soon to go play for France at the European Championship in September.

Thankfully for the Chicago Bulls, they will be able to hang on to Joakim Noah for a little bit longer. The Chicago Bulls center and fill in leader is unlikely to play for France in September for the European Championship. In addition to the teams’ serious of downfalls, Noah is also still recovering after his surgery on his left knee in the off-season. You could say that his season has been a little bit more than rough.

Noah told the L’Equipe newspaper that he was planning on focusing on his NBA career. He has made it clear the Noah’s first priority is building up his career with the Chicago Bulls. While he has stated before, “the French team is a great experience, but it has been my priority.” The France technical director Patrick Beesley also made it clear that if he decides not to play Euro Basket, he would be selected for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics either.

I think it’s quite noble of Noah to skip out on this opportunity to finish out his season with the Chicago Bulls. He clearly wants to show them what he can give and part of what he is clearly indicating that he can give, is his time. Noah is averaging 7.9 points and 10.1 rebounds this season. He comes in every day knowing that his team is down a couple of great players but the glimmer from his eye isn’t gone yet. He has stepped up this season and I look forward to seeing all he’s got to give.

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Wake Up!…It’s Westbrook Time

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By Kaleb Page

March 10, 2015

In the greatest basketball league on the planet (the NBA) nightly you can be amazed by the talent on the floor. Whether you tune in to the Houston Rockets and watch James Harden, Cleveland with the three-headed monster of Love, Irving and James or in a small market like Milwaukee  where “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo  puts on a show.

While the league has many great players, the premium players are starting to make the push for the most valuable player trophy. Now I bet there are those out there acting like the funny vine saying that the only person for the MVP is LeBron James, LeBron James, LeBron James, LeBron James and LeBron James.

Yes I know James is the best player in the world and should be placed in the discussion for the MVP, but there is one player who has cemented his place in not only the discussion for the MVP but for the upper echelon of stars in the league.

This player is none other than Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook. For years there has been constant debate on whether or not Westbrook can play with Kevin Durant, also whether or not he can be a point guard in the league.

If you watched the video or even remember back a few years, the sentiment shown towards Westbrook was one of doubt towards his ability at the point and with Durant. Even recently there has been the same sentiment to doubt Westbrook on what he brings to the team.

Then came the All-Star Game.

Where Westbrook out-shined the stars on the court (Yes I know it’s a glorified scrimmage) putting up 41 points in 26 minutes; just one point shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record of 42 points (in 37 mins.).  That performance just rolled over into what has been an amazing start to the second half of the season.

On Wednesday night Westbrook scored 49 points, career-high 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth consecutive triple-double. Four straight triple doubles in the best professional basketball league in the world? Are you kidding me?!

Even though it was against the 76ers, you still better be giving out the love to what Westbrook is doing. Four straight triple doubles hasn’t been done since the great one Michael Jordan did it in 1989.

While Durant has been injured Westbrook has had to hold this team afloat in what is a deadly Western Conference. It still surprises me that Westbrook still is cast aside as the side dish to Durant, and still gets left out of MVP talks.

While there are few people rumbling for Westbrook to get the love; there still isn’t enough talk.

The guy,who plays with controlled chaos and as Stephen A. Smith says is the ‘ultimate assassin,’ needs to be out of the possible talks of the MVP and instead in the for sure talks of MVP.

Right now it’s Westbrook’s world and we just live in it.

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Krzyzewski Toes the Hot Water

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By Kaleb Page

March 5, 2015

Scandals or being in ‘hot water’ so to speak, is nothing new in the world of sports. However, it can come as a surprise when it happens to a player, coach or institution you would believe to be of a higher standard.

A scandal on the horizon, could send major shock waves across not only basketball but the sports world.

Mike Krzyzewski is arguably the most recognized college basketball or even basketball coach in the world. It is much deserved with the great job he has done coaching the U.S. National team and eclipsing the 1,000 win mark in Division I men’s basketball. Another thing that has Krzyzewski in such high regard is they way he molds young men.

Known for getting players to buy in to the system, grow as individuals and ultimately leave as better individuals; Krzyzewski’s image is one that has grown into something nearly untouchable.

This leaves an important question to be asked. Is really anybody immune to having their image or legacy tarnished? We have seen it with coaches before like Joe Paterno, Bobby Petrino, etc., that there is nobody in the sports world (or even real world) that can be immune from a let down or even a moment that tarnishes an image.

Recently Duke dismissed senior guard Rasheed Sulaimon because he was “unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.” A surprising statement made since Krzyzewski has never before dismissed a player or said such a comment.

That happened on Jan. 29, 2015, but just this week there has been rumblings of a bigger story with the dismissal of Sulaimon. The Chronicle, which is Duke’s student newspaper, reported on Monday that two women alleged during separate student retreats in the 2013-14 school year; Sulaimon sexually assaulted them. The story goes on to say that the claims were brought to Duke’s coaching staff and athletic administration attention on March of 2014. Even though those claims were brought there, there was no official police documents filed by the alleged victims.

This story is still gaining its legs but if this grows and the claims are true, what implications could there be for Krzyzewski, the staff and administration? To know these claims were out there and to essentially pass them over would be a huge dark cloud over the Duke basketball program.

Hopefully either way the truth of the matter is found.

However for me this would be sad if another coach that I respect like Krzyzewski hid something important.

Only time will tell, but as they say this is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Another One Bites the Dust in Chicago

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By Ellen Chlumecky

March 3, 2015

Earlier this week, All-Star Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls had meniscectomy to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. On Saturday morning, February 28th, Rose was back at the Chicago Bulls’ training facility beginning his rehab process. However, we all know that once things seem good, they usually take a turn for the worst.  While Derrick Rose is going through rehab, Jimmy Butler is now scheduled to have surgery on his left elbow and Taj Gibson is now wearing a walking boot.

Jimmy Butler left Sunday’s 96-86 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers after hyper extending his left elbow. He left and did not return to the game. He’s now scheduled to have an MRI on Monday, March 2nd. Taj Gibson missed Sunday’s game after spraining his left ankle in Friday night’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gibson is now wearing a walking boot. It’s not unusual because he’s missed a substantial amount of time this season because of the same ankle injury.

In addition to the injuries, Pau Gasol is currently under the weather. While he did play through the illness on Sunday, he’s still not 100%. He was a trooper by playing through an illness otherwise. It just seems as if the Chicago Bulls cannot seem to catch a break this past week. Three injuries and an illness, someone on the Bulls must have ticked off the basketball gods to receive this kind of karma.

Many Bulls fans and basketball fans alike have made their doubt known about Derrick Rose. Many fans are quick to say that the season’s done and Rose should just retire at this point. It doesn’t help that in addition to Rose, some of their best players are out as well. It doesn’t make the future look all that bright for the Bulls. To think they had a great chance with Rose, Butler, Noah, Mirotic, Gasol, and Gibson, now slowly being taken away from them by these injuries.

Joakim Noah seems to remain disheartened but certainly hopeful though. After their loss, he stated, Nobody feels sorry for us, we just go to hope he’s all right and come ready to work.” When your top players are out, I would be equally as discouraged as Noah. The Bulls need to know who their main line of offense is with Gibson and Butler’s uncertainty.

I believe that Joakim Noah needs to assert his leadership even more than before. The other players really look up to him and he has the skills to back it up. He’s there best hope for a true leader right now to lead the team to a successful victory.

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