eva unit zero

On OSU's last two possessions, Smith was 9-12 with 130 yards. In that same time period, Henne was 4-6 with 44 yards. Up until that point in the game (which was the last 7 1/2 minutes) Henne was 21/30 with 179 yards and Smith was 18/25 with 170 yards. Plus Mike Hart only played one down in the second half before being reinjured. Kevin Grady only rushed for 11 yards on six carries, never rushing more than 3 yards in a single carry. Plus, I don't see how you can consider it a bad thing that Michigan only got 36 and 37 yards on drives for TDs? Oooh, Michigan started scoring drives with good field position...off a forced fumble and a returned punt after the defense held OSU to six yards coming off their own 7 and punting fron the 13. The 10 yard drive was not a pleasant sight, starting at OSU's 20, again getting there because the defense forced a fumble. OSU had four drives that ended in their own territory, while Michigan ahd five including both halves' last drives. the ball spent over two minutes more in OSU territory than in UM territory. As for the 'if it wasn't for the turnovers we gave' those were fumbles FORCED by the defense. How about you can take back those fumbles that came on great plays by the defense, and in return we'll take back the last two drives from great plays by your offense? If all four of those scores are gone, the game is tied 11-11.

doesn't tsn do a game log that extends to past years? You could compile the standings on your own that way.

...isn't this the case in all of the Michigan 5 losses?? No. Vs ND Michigan lost Hart early, combined with a TD not being awarded when Henne broke into the end zone (and a botched snap on the next play ending the drive) Vs Wisconsin Hart was out the whole game, and Wisconsin won on a lucky QB draw play at the end of the game while Michigan was looking for a run from Calhoun. Excellent job by Wisconsin's receivers coach to notice that Michigan was guarding the outside lanes. Vs Minnesota Garret Rivas missed TWO kicks (34 and 42 yards) that would have put the Wolverines up 23-20. The 42-yarder was on 4th and 5 at Minnesota's 25, a situation Michigan went for it later in the year and got a few firsts. Change that missed field goal to a first down and Michigan wins. VS Ohio State Michigan DOMINATED the game, and a couple excellent individual efforts on a couple big plays turned the game around late. Plays that most players wouldn't have made. And I already detailed the Nebraska game.

If 'completely bomb' means 'have the ball taken away by the refs on your last three possessions, as well as lose two timeouts because the replay official is an idiot' Then sure.

Dave Lewis!! Oh wait... Barry Smith maybe? He can't seem to get a head job in hockey

The most telling thing about the game: Michigan's last three possessions ended on a bad call by the referees, including being forced to use a timeout to request a replay for the SECOND time in the half. An incomplete pass that was ruled a fumble, even though the ball left Henne's hand on forward motion, led directly to Nebraska's last TD. Michigan had a virtually guaranteed TD taken away because of a pass interference call inside the 5 that was missed. And on the last play of the game, the entire Nebraska team, coaches, and photographers ran onto the field and blocked off half of it, preventing Maningham (I think) from having the entire half of the field open down to the end zone, a TD for sure if he were allowed to run it. The fact that there was what should have been a too many men on the defense as time ran out is particularly incriminating of the officials--the game CANNOT end on a defensive penalty. Meaning Michigan would have had a scoring opportunity from around the ten yard line.

Yeah. I'm still not sure how or why Khabibulin got as much as he did. Guess it helps being the lone perceived elite tender on the market but I didn't think it would get that crazy (and I laugh considering he's been outplayed by a healthy margin by two sub $1M goalies this year). Luongo is younger and better than Nikolai, and he'll cash in in a year and a half. peace Reigning cup winner might have had something to do with it. On an unbelievably stacked team. Osgood is a cup winner too, but we all know how that one goes. Though a lot of the Khabi hype came up before the playoffs. $7M is still about $2-3M more than what I would have expected him to make. peace yes, I agree, more than I was expecting. But teams looked and saw a Tampa team that in a couple years went from the basement to the Cup, and could point to Khabibulin as the "key acquisition" if Detroit had lost in 97 with Vernon and then won in 98 with Osgood, Ozzie's stock would be FAR higher.

Yeah. I'm still not sure how or why Khabibulin got as much as he did. Guess it helps being the lone perceived elite tender on the market but I didn't think it would get that crazy (and I laugh considering he's been outplayed by a healthy margin by two sub $1M goalies this year). Luongo is younger and better than Nikolai, and he'll cash in in a year and a half. peace Reigning cup winner might have had something to do with it.

That sounds odd... Why would they ask for Legace AND Howard? Asking for one or the other is reasonable. But Florida already has Jamie McLennan and JM Pelletier. McLennan is a darn good goalie who has never had a real shot at the starting job (sound familiar) and Pelletier is a very good young goalie. I could see them asking for Howard because he's a great prospect. I could see them asking for Legace because he's had a good year so far. But if they got both, then Howard would certainly be headed for the AHL, and would have to compete for playing time with Pelletier. Legace would be installed as starter whether Howard was there or not. It's unlikely it would be just Howard because then Detroit would have three starter-caliber goalies and Florida would traded a top goalie to have a future starter and a potential starter. Also, Olesz is Florida's top center prospect. As in rated as a future perennial All-Star. Florida's players have a total 4.184 salary...Datsyuk/Legace combine for 5.026. One wonders why the Panthers would make that deal--the only justification would be "Luongo is a FA after this year" but so is Legace. Datsyuk would only play a year and a half before beign a free agent. Olesz is several years younger and would have to play seven years in Florida.

I think so SWF, but where are we going to find a Taco Bell open this late?

Chara or Redden. Jovo hits, sure, and contributes offensively. But so do Redden and Chara. What he doesn't do that the other two do is play strong defense.

The chance of Kindl becoming a number 1 defenseman is not much greater than finding a top 6 physical forward late in the first round. Nobody said elite powerforward here. Those are the ones gone in the top 5. Um, have you seen the way Kindl is tearing up the OHL this season? He's been dominating. He was also ranked #4 overall by ISS before he struggled in his first year with Kitchener last year, which is why he slipped to the Wings at 19. Sounds like a solid #1 candidate to me. #1 D-men fall out of the first round all the time. Ever heard of Niklas Lidstrom? Yeah a no. 1 candidate, but most NHL players were stars in juniors. Doesn't mean he will be a no. 1 defenseman for sure. With Detroit's history I'd be happy if he becomes a top 3 defenseman. Yeah the name Lidstrom rings a bell, but that was ages ago. Not that I remember saying that no 1. defenseman never fall out of the first round but... Ever heard of Morrow or Malone? Drafted at 25th and 119th respectively. Morrow is a damn good player, but he took a his good sweet time developing. People here would have called for his head long before he ever developed into what he is now. Malone is 26 and is still struggling to establish himself as a top-six caliber forward in the NHL. He definitely has the potential to be a big contributor...but he's not following through on that. I don't know what Morrow you've been watching, but Brendan had an immediate impact on the Stars when he entered the league 2 years after being drafted. Malone's the victim of poor management in Pittsburgh. Suddenly they decided to buy every big name free agent out there and sacrificed a lot of youth doing it, not only Malone. Stupid. Morrow is far better now than he was when he came into the league. When he came into the league he was inconsistent with his offense and his defensive game needed a lot of work. He was consistently physical, but he showed the ability to be so much better and that is what would have gotten him run out of town. Think about how people treated Fischer...Fischer was generally considered a damn good defenseman around the league, but because he wasn't already dominating and had shown that he was capable of it, fans were calling for him to be traded.

Receivers, as you put it, are "the biggest assholes" because they are pretty much forced to do everything alone. They beat the DB and catch the s***ty pass from the quarterback all alone. They are selfish players and want credit where credit is due: themselves. I have to disagree with you on Johnson though. He is like TO in the sense that he's very charismatic but he doesnt take himself as seriously. I personally cant stand TO but Johnson is cool. Yes, receivers must do it all alone, beat their guy and then catch the ball, and take one hit, maybe two. As opposed to quarterbacks, who must make a good throw or handoff, or run the ball themselves, and get hit EVERY PLAY, as opposed to one of every five plays. Or a running back for that matter, the guy has to block when he's not carrying the ball, and when he is he gets to try and get by SEVERAL defenders who are trying to tackle him, not just trying to stay close and prevent him from catching a pass (which is ALSO something a running back must do) Not to mention that rarely ever do you see fewer than three players who are primarily receivers in an offense--be they a WR or a TE. Often there will be a four-receiver set with only one running back. This is used especially often when it comes to teams with mobile quarterbacks, as they will always have a double-threat for a rushing game. How about tight ends? They have to perform all the duties of a WR, but also perform the duties of a lineman. A WR not involved in the play will simply run his route and not worry about being anything other than a decoy. every other player on the field must get actively involved with the play EVERY DOWN.

Hmmm...

Dats is an offensive forward who can't play defense. Points are an easy way to tell if he is being effective. Draper is a defensive forward who is limited in offensive ability. points don't help.

Lilja is 30. He's had time and just sucks. Not young. Not gonna get better.

Lalime has won one playoff series in his career. Thibault has won none. Burke has won two. Total of three. Osgood has won more than that in a single year.

The chance of Kindl becoming a number 1 defenseman is not much greater than finding a top 6 physical forward late in the first round. Nobody said elite powerforward here. Those are the ones gone in the top 5. Um, have you seen the way Kindl is tearing up the OHL this season? He's been dominating. He was also ranked #4 overall by ISS before he struggled in his first year with Kitchener last year, which is why he slipped to the Wings at 19. Sounds like a solid #1 candidate to me. #1 D-men fall out of the first round all the time. Ever heard of Niklas Lidstrom? Yeah a no. 1 candidate, but most NHL players were stars in juniors. Doesn't mean he will be a no. 1 defenseman for sure. With Detroit's history I'd be happy if he becomes a top 3 defenseman. Yeah the name Lidstrom rings a bell, but that was ages ago. Not that I remember saying that no 1. defenseman never fall out of the first round but... Ever heard of Morrow or Malone? Drafted at 25th and 119th respectively. Morrow is a damn good player, but he took a his good sweet time developing. People here would have called for his head long before he ever developed into what he is now. Malone is 26 and is still struggling to establish himself as a top-six caliber forward in the NHL. He definitely has the potential to be a big contributor...but he's not following through on that.

The chance of Kindl becoming a number 1 defenseman is not much greater than finding a top 6 physical forward late in the first round. Nobody said elite powerforward here. Those are the ones gone in the top 5. Um, have you seen the way Kindl is tearing up the OHL this season? He's been dominating. He was also ranked #4 overall by ISS before he struggled in his first year with Kitchener last year, which is why he slipped to the Wings at 19. Sounds like a solid #1 candidate to me. #1 D-men fall out of the first round all the time. Ever heard of Niklas Lidstrom? Yeah a no. 1 candidate, but most NHL players were stars in juniors. Doesn't mean he will be a no. 1 defenseman for sure. With Detroit's history I'd be happy if he becomes a top 3 defenseman. Yeah the name Lidstrom rings a bell, but that was ages ago. Not that I remember saying that no 1. defenseman never fall out of the first round but... Ever heard of Morrow or Malone? the last two first round picks the Wings have spent on Power Forwards are: Ryan Barnes. Keith Primeau. It's understandable why Detroit might shy away from drafting them. Primeau has developed into a solid player, but he did it after he was forced to elsewhere as the team's best player. Barnes is..well..a minor leaguer.

How about this: There are two things the Wings need; A physical, defensively skilled defenseman A physical scoring forward. Beyond that, the Wings are pretty solid. Jason Allison is neither of those things, especially if he's not on a scoring line. What he IS is a big strong playmaker, one of the best playmakers in the league. We don't need playmakers. If we were to trade Draper, I would want to pick up a the physical defenseman as we don't know if Jiri will be back or when Kronwall will be back. I might be more inclined to trade Maltby though...Maltby brings many of the same thigns Draper does, but Draper plays all three forward positions, is EXCELLENT on faceoffs, and is a team leader. We don't have a checking center who is stellar on faceoffs like Draper...Franzen is the only other talented defensive forward we have who even has played center, and he is TERRIBLE on faceoffs because he is a natural winger. The question is...what teams are looking for/can afford a defensive/pk center who makes 2.2 million AND have the kind of defenseman we need? Not many. How about this one....Kirk Maltby and Andreas Lilja to LA for Mattias Norstrom? Seems fair enough.

seriously?

You are all partially right. Bonuses do not count against the cap to a point--there is a bonuses cap set at 7.5% of the salary cap. 2.925 million dollars. Bonuses that are actually paid out hit on the next season's cap number. Bonuses that exceed the bonus cap affect the normal cap. This is why the Wings wouldn't have been able to pick up Bondra the way the Thrasher's did--they got him for about 500k with 2.9m in bonuses. The Wings already had 750k in bonuses going to Yzerman, so 2.175 of Bondra's bonus would be fine, but there would be 725k that would hit the cap directly, effectively making Bondra on a 1.225 base for the cap.

Krajicek is also big and strong, and as you said he's young and offensively talented. Lidstrom and Schneider are both nearing the end of their careers, after that we'll have Kronwall and Kindl as our top two offensive defensemen with Fischer possibly done. Krajicek would be a needed offensive boost. The Blues have not had a good goaltender since they decided not to resign Osgood. If they could get Legace, perhaps Lilja and a guy still on the young side with some skill up front, they sure might part with Brewer or Jackman. Kaberle is a very good offensive defenseman, and he's solid defensively. He's not terribly physical, but he's a great skater. Lilja is poor defensively, WORSE offensively, is not physical, and does not skate well. The only thing they have in common is that both are not terribly physical defensemen. Which is far more forgivable in Kaberle's case due to his other strengths.

Kendall McArdle #7. Dan Collins #24. I'm sure McGrath was ranked much higher than his draft position would indicate. Hudler as well. peace Hudler was ranked in the top ten...number one center in the draft. Hudler was #3 European in the 2002 NHL Draft. I was there. In Toronto. The Leafs seemed to complain that they took Matt Stajan at 60 instead of Hudler, who was taken 62nd. Hudler: 12 GP, 1G, 2A, 3Pts., 10PIM Stajan: 94, 18, 19, 37, 34. I'll give Hudler some time for transition, but I think I still like Stajan. Hudler was taken 58th. And Hudler has seen very little actual playing time in his NHL career, while Stajan has been given a chance on the thinner Maple Leafs.

Buffalo is the only one that really stands out as a "here to scout the Wings for a trade" sort of thing. Chicago and St. Louis have both played Detroit several times. Jersey has also played Detroit. Tampa, Florida, and Philly will play Detroit later this year. Buffalo will not face Detroit this season. Buffalo has already played Pittsburgh.